Chapter 219: Vol. 4 – Chapter 18
The walk back to Amber had been spent in silence, so far. Ash was mostly focused on trying to keep an eye out for any monsters, specifically the ones who had been attacking earlier, while Sinneah appeared distracted, for obvious reasons. Still, as they moved through a field of sand and dirt that stretched almost endlessly, it was only a matter of time before one of them spoke up.
And, Ash was the one who did so first.
“… Gurron told me a little about Tomoe,” Ash said.
“My mother?” Sinneah raised a brow.
“Yeah,” Ash nodded. “Who was she?” The half-demon asked, still curious as to whether she was some sort of old Savior.
“I was never told much about her, as a person,” Sinneah shrugged. “Only that she was an incredible warrior and an outcast. A human without a place to call home. That is all.”
Is that it? Someone like her has to have made a name for herself. Maybe I should ask around.
Soon, though, she saw a few blue dots in the distance, and she stopped.
“Focus up,” Ash said. “It looks like there are a few more of those things over there.”
Looking over at Sinneah, the draconic woman simply narrowed her eyes in their direction and balled her hands up.
Ash took a step back then, figuring she and the dragon-woman had already developed a sort of strategy, in their short time working together. Ash transformed her Lust into a bow and shot a couple of arrows at the incoming enemies.
One of them missed, but the other struck one of their blue spheres, and a creature fell.
EXP Gained: 50
EXP: 60/720
Ash had leveled up once, after all the fighting at the mountain, and she assigned both of her points to her INT, so she could soon reach the requirement for the Pain Amplification spell, which was 30.
Level 72
MP: 330/330
EXP: 60/720
—
STR: 50
DEX: 30
CON: 34
INT: 22
WIS: 33
L: 100
Ahead, the creatures reached them and Ash prepared more arrows as she counted them.
Three… Four, five. She thought as Sinneah ran up, her hands covered in flames. The dragon-woman wasted no time in punching straight through one of their heads. Then, she spun and threw a kick that broke another, launching it in the opposite direction, while Ash finished off the remaining three with one arrow after another.
Weirdly enough, Sinneah did all of this while keeping one hand held out away from them, but, although it looked a little strange, Ash ignored it.
EXP Gained: 40
EXP Gained: 40
EXP Gained: 45
EXP: 185/720
Okay, no problems so far… Ash thought as she glanced over at Sinneah, who in turn was looking down at one of the creatures she’d killed.
… Actually, how much stronger did she get from the kill, before? Ash wondered, and she checked her level.
Level 65
MP: 500/500
Oh, shit, Ash thought. That’s pretty good, but, yeah. Gurron had like fifteen levels on her, so, I guess it makes sense.
“So, how many others do you see?” Ash asked. Sinneah blinked and turned towards her.
“What?”
“How many others do you see around us?” Ash asked, gesturing at the area.
“… None. Most are heading for the mountain,” Sinneah replied absent-mindedly.
Really? Ash asked, looking back at it. So, they weren’t necessarily after us, they were trying to get to that place? What about these? Were we just in the way? She wondered. However, soon, she shrugged and pushed those thoughts out of her mind as the two continued on their way.
They reached Amber just an hour later, and, of course, drew the attention of every single guard present at the walls.
“Hold on there, lady,” one guard said, approaching, “you-“
“Dumbass, let her through,” another one said, pulling the guy back. “Couldn’t you tell? That’s the Savior.”
“… My mistake,” the guard nodded and stepped aside.
Good, Ash said as she gestured for Sinneah to keep following her. Hopefully, things will stay like that, moving forward.
At this time, there was barely anyone out in the streets. A few broken-down carts, lit torches, and sleeping dogs were all that welcomed the two of them, as they walked through the city. It took a while before Ash saw anyone who wasn’t a guard, and that came in the form of a few shady individuals dressed in black cloaks, talking to each other under the light of a perched-up sconce.
“Hey, stay close,” Ash told Sinneah.
“Why?”
“People might look for a problem,” Ash said. “Not that we wouldn’t be able to handle it, but, still, I’d rather avoid the headache.”
“…” Sinneah remained largely silent as she scanned the areas around them.
Ash looked ahead, thinking about what she was going to do with her.
So, I guess I’ll just drop her off at the Arcane’s Manor, tell them about her situation, and see if they can find a place for her while she sorts her shit out. Might take her some time to figure out what she wants to do, but, I don’t know, I think that’s the best idea.
“… What is all of this?” Sinneah asked quietly, but Ash caught her words and turned around. “I had seen these places from afar but… Being up close, it feels so strange.”
“Hmph. I could have said the same for the woods and the forests a little while ago,” Ash shrugged. Before I became a Savior, all I knew was stone.
It took a little longer before they reached the Manor, but eventually, they were walking up to that giant, mansion-like space that contrasted so heavily with the rest of Amber. Here, a couple of knights welcomed Ash, making space for her to move, and Ash brought Sinneah into the place with her.
The two of them entered the manor, and Ash saw the woman’s eyes gleam as she beheld the lavish decorations and strange lighting that was in the building. A giant chandelier, the paintings, and the other decorations, all appeared to mesmerize Sinneah.
Before she looked over at Ash though, and her eyes remained on her as she asked:
“What now?”
“Now, I find some nobles, tell them about you and… Hopefully, they’ll set you up here,” she shrugged. “It’ll take you a while, but you’ll be able to find something to do, I think.”
“Without you?” Sinneah asked.
“… Yeah,” Ash raised a brow. “I’m gonna be staying here too, but I’ve got my own things to do, so…”
“… I refuse.”
…
What?
“Sorry, what was that?”
“I said, I refuse.”
“… Okay, I thought I heard that right, but why?”
At that, Sinneah, her hands balled up into fists as they usually were, walked up to her.
“You saved me many times during our fight with those creatures… Before… What happened with my father,” Sinneah explained. “I wish to repay you.”
“It’s fine, you don’t need to,” Ash responded.
“I must,” Sinneah said, shaking her head. “It is as my father taught me. Acts of kindness must always be repaid.”
Ash narrowed her eyes at the woman, looking up at her.
“Look, I’m glad you want to do that, but I don’t really need much help right now. The best thing you can do for yourself right now is to try to learn about this place, ask for people to teach you, find something to do. But, yeah, there’s no need for you to help me in any way right now.”
“…” Sinneah listened to her say this and looked down. “Is there truly nothing I can do for you?”
“… I can’t think of anything,” Ash shrugged.
“Well, when we fought, I nearly beat you a few times, can I not help you train and practice?” Sinneah asked.
“Okay, but that’s only because my Dark magic didn’t work on you, it’s not…”
“And, over the course of all our fights, I noticed that your defense was just as lacking as mine was. Are you saying we cannot improve in this regard together somehow?”
“It doesn’t matter that- look, I win most of my fights anyway, defense isn’t going to…”
“What if you run into other creatures that your magic cannot affect? Would you not rather have me to-“
“Stop,” Ash held up a hand. “Stop, stop, stop. Look, I get your point, but… What would we even do? What can you teach me?”
“I can teach you the Tomoe’s Divine Arts,” Sinneah replied.
She did so in such a way as if to suggest that Ash should have known that already. The half-demon paused, looking up at her. Admittedly, she was now curious.
“What do you mean?”
“Tomoe’s Divine Arts, my mother’s fighting techniques,” Sinneah said, all while looking down at Ash. “It was what I used to fight you, and I would say I performed well. Even though I am technically weaker.”
“…”
Admittedly, Gurron’s story about that Tomoe lady had sparked some intrigue in Ash. The things she did sounded outrageous, mostly because Ash hadn’t encountered any magic like that yet.
Both of these stubborn individuals looked at each other, their eyes connected as Ash asked:
“But, what exactly are ‘Tomoe’s Divine Arts’? Is that like, Light magic?”
“… I do not know the specifics, and… Unfortunately, my nature prevents me from exploring this fully, so I-I do not know the limitations of it. But maybe,” Sinneah replied.
“What do you mean your ‘nature’?”
“All dragons, even myself, innately have a Fire affinity,” Sinneah explained. “So, I was never able to learn some sections of the Divine Arts, but maybe you can.”
“…” Ash groaned. “If you’re lying or something, I swear I will kick the shit out of you.”
“I promise, I am being truthful. On my mother’s memory and… And my father’s, I am being honest.”
“…” Ash looked down. Then, she sighed and nodded. “Fine, fine. I’ll find you a bed near my room or something, I dunno.”
At that, Sinneah smiled for the first time since Ash had met her. It wasn’t too wide of one, but her lips briefly curled up nonetheless, and her dragon-like tail moved from side to side behind her.
“Thank you. I am glad I will be able to repay your kindness. You shall not regret this.”
I definitely hope not, Ash thought.
“Now,” Sinneah added, “what is a bed?”
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