Eliana’s progress was a marvel in itself, but the circumstances surrounding it were really puzzling to Val.
After all, in the Ironspire stronghold where she was from, the local church was currently without a pastor. Their previous pastor had met a grim but justified end at Val’s hand, leaving the post vacant.
With her newfound status as a formidable priest, Eliana could easily step into that role. It was a position of reverence and respect, offering a comfortable life. Not to mention, the hefty monthly stipend that came with it was certainly an added advantage. She could live a life of comfort, honor, and prestige if she had stayed there and chosen to become a pastor.
Not to mention, her brother was also there.
However, she chose to leave that all behind and boarded this train to go to a different and unfamiliar place.
Either her decision making skills were really bad or there was something else at play here.
‘What prompted such a decision? What could possibly make her forsake such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?’
Val was intrigued, to say the least. He looked at Eliana, wondering about the path she had chosen and the reasons behind it. He decided to probe a little about Eliana’s journey.
“So, where exactly are you getting off?” Val asked her, knowing well the train had several stops at various strongholds before reaching the Northern Frontier.
Val’s question caught Eliana off guard. She seemed slightly taken aback, her brows furrowing in thought. It was as if she was considering what to say, her gaze focused on a point somewhere beyond Val’s shoulder.
“I am heading to the Northern Frontier,” she answered after a few moments.
Surprise washed over Val. His eyes widened, the corners of his mouth dropped into a puzzled frown. The Northern Frontier was known for its harsh environment and formidable challenges. It was no place for a young and seemingly fragile nun like Eliana.
“Why would a young nun like you be sent to such a harsh place?” he asked, unable to keep his curiosity at bay.
At his words, her gaze flickered to the side. She was hesitating. It was as if she was caught between wanting to share and being bound by some unspoken obligation to keep quiet.
“Well, it’s a bit of a secret. I can’t casually disclose it.”
Not one to back down easily, Val pressed on. “Not even to me?”
“I know you’re a good guy, Brother Val, and I wouldn’t mind telling you. But there’s another person in here,” she added, her gaze shifting towards Lord Lucious who was sitting in the corner of the room, silently observing their interaction.
Suddenly, a voice piped up from the corner of the room, “Oh, would you two quit dancing around the issue?”
Val and Eliana glanced around the compartment in confusion. “Where did that voice come from?” Val wondered out loud. 𝒐𝒱𝗅xt.𝗇𝓔t
“Down here!” the voice called again.
They both looked down to see a puddle of shadow on the floor, its surface rippling like a pond disturbed by a thrown pebble. One large eye blinked back at them from within the puddle, and a mouth formed to speak to them. “Hi!”
Eliana shrieked, backing away in alarm. She crossed her chest with her hand, as if warding off evil.
Eliana’s reaction seemed to amuse the shadowy creature. Its eyes squinted as if it was grinning, and it said, “Don’t worry, miss. I don’t bite… or eat, for that matter. Actually, I find human meat quite disgusting.”
Eliana felt more disturbed, hearing its words. How would you know what human taste like if you hadn’t eaten them? This thing was clearly a devil that had eaten humans before!!!
Val, on the other hand, was intrigued more by the unusual creature than scared. He stooped down to get a closer look at the creature.
Looking at it deeply, he cast Detect.
The same thing happened as last time when he used it on Eliana. A screen only he could see popped up. The only difference was that the information was pretty whacky.
Name: Unknown
Role: Lord Lucious’s Familiar
Danger Level: Unknown
Stats:
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Stamina: 0
Endurance: 0
Intelligence: 10
Skills:
Devour
Skill Reversal
?
??
??
This creature was more intelligent than an ordinary person. It was either a devil or a unique beast or something entirely else. The skill it had sounded impressive, but whether they were useful or not was something Val wasn’t able to tell. Lastly, its stats seemed off. Why were they all 0. Was it really a pushover? But it didn’t seem like that.
“What a unique creature you are,” Val commented, an interested gleam in his eyes.
“Not as unique as you, sir,” the unusual creature responded, its voice filled with a strange kind of respect.
“What do you mean by that?” Val questioned, intrigued by its words.
“I can’t say.”
“Why?”
“Ahem!”
At that moment, Lord Lucious cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. He had his reasons for interrupting the conversation. His familiar was quite the chatterbox, and he did not want it to reveal too much information to Val. Sure, Val might be the child of prophecy, but that was something only he believed. It was yet to be confirmed by the others.
Not to mention, revealing such sensitive information to him at this point could potentially make him arrogant. It was better to keep him in the dark, observe his character, and once he was sure that Val was an honorable individual and the child of prophecy, he could then tell him the truth!
“Forgive my familiar’s lack of manners,” Lord Lucious said, standing from his seat. He scooped the shadowy familiar into his hands and continued, “We’ll step out and give you two some privacy then.”
Without wasting any time, he opened the compartment door, stepped outside and closed it swiftly behind him. Val watched the hurried exit, a frown etched onto his face. He couldn’t help but feel that Lucious had fled the scene too quickly, almost as if he was trying to make sure that his question wouldn’t be answered.