Bie felt overjoyed, reinvigorated as he took the swing. His eyes beamed with yellow topaz light as they traced ephemeral arcs in the air while he moved, and the inside of his hair curled up closer as some of the lowest hairs even touched the ends of his cheeks before returning to their position. His pupils still remained white in the shape of stubby crosses, however, as he was looking at the corrupted looking Remnants floating in the breeze.
He doubted he would be able to place them in his Inner World, as he approached them and felt a sense of rejection as he stretched his hand outwards. He did this with his hand holding Ekulech, so as to make it seem as if he was simply going to butcher the demon instead of weirdly grasping something others could not see. Ekulech flashed with a low glow that seemed to envelop the hand axe as it shimmered, the ephemeral form of its other body inching towards the Remnant...
"If I may, it is useless to skin those Gania Dogs. The flesh is hardly nourishing, even if you're hungry, and the exposed cadaver will attract scavengers. If you'll allow it, I will harvest the materials from the leader and preserve them for you."
Bie tilted his head sideways to meet his gaze before giving a small nod. Whatever Casmere decided to do, it was fine by him as of now. He had already made the decision to see this through as he did not have any better options and no hope of blending in on his own, so he would even accept orders for now, if he had to.
The Demon Hunter's politeness was only icing on this cake, pleasant to have but unnecessary at the end of the day. He pulled Ekulech to his side before strolling up to the leader, while Casmere retrieved another flash of amber liquid as he liberally splashed it on the Gania's cadaver.
'Silkie, go eat that if you want.' He produced a small thought in his head and directed it towards Ekulech, hoping that it would pick up on it as it had with other thoughts pertaining to it. Ekulech jumped up in joy as its silky grey mane fluttered, bowing down on crossed forelegs before taking ginger steps up to the Remnant. Bie followed it along, noticing how it couldn't leave too far from its hand axe body, allowing it to retrieve the dirty looking Remnant as it held it on its sleek back.
The creature disappeared and Bie withdrew his weapon back into his Inner World, interested if 'Silkie' would consume it while it was in there. Sadly, he still needed to enter a comfortable and meditative state in order to enter his Inner World, so he couldn't focus on it as of now. Instead, he noticed that Casmere had finished applying the amber liquid and cracked the flask in his hand, crumbling it over the head of the leader before carving into it with his bone pick.
Bie was somewhat interested in the process, but he figured that he should check up on his teammates at the very least. They didn't look too good in the fight, and Lulac was lying flat on the ground and facing the dreary sky. Gyuho didn't look as bad though, standing tall as he took deep breaths.
"Are you guys okay? Must've been a while before we got here..." Bie trailed off while helping Lulac to sit up, the periwinkle Guide crossing his legs and bringing his arms across his chest as he let out a long sigh.
"Just peachy, man. Where'd that guy come from, anyways?"
"Oh, I found him in a gravesite. He's nice enough. Gyuho?" Bie squatted down beside Lulac so that the recovering boy wouldn't have to look up. Gyuho gave him an affirmation by lifting his head, stretching his body as he loosened up his tightened joints.
"A gravesite, huh. Do you think you were placed there because you're an undead?" He gave a wry smile as he looked towards Casmere, unsure if Bie was joking when he said the man looked "nice enough". He was currently dismantling a demonic dog with a hum as his pick darted and danced like a writhing snake...sure seems nice.
Casmere heard that part, now surer of his previous conjecture when he the word undead came up. That was how the Demon Hunters referred to Mithiu's "blessed", after all, and it wouldn't be weird for the boy to recognize people he had a bond with in his previous life.
Unwittingly, Lulac had just saved he and Gyuho from being assailed with interrogation, and the two chatting Guides didn't even know it.
"So...what was all that about?" Lulac asked, curious about the power he had just witnessed. He didn't think it was a Bridge, and if it was it was an exceedingly rare one. It could even be a unique!
Bie shrugged, not bothering to elaborate because he didn't feel as if that power was truly his as of now. Gyuho was slightly let down at this answer, his ears perked underneath his rectangular locks as his curiosity peaked. The two made no further attempts to ask, though, respecting their peer's answer.
"That mansion thing was interesting. Oh and you too, Gyuho, with the shadow geyser! I assume those are the two techniques you use?"
"Haha, yeah. The Twisted Mansion was a gift from my mentor, who randomly came up with it one day, tried it, and then threw it away. I guess you could say I was left to pick up the scraps?"
"Mmm. Similar thing for me, yeah. Got recommended it, refused, and then forced to use it. Irritating, but I've already done the First Step."
Bie looked at the two with interest, noting the fact that both of them felt rather disgruntled about the way in which they learned their techniques. Perhaps it was because the two were already familiar, but the two shared a glance and laughed at their predicament as if they had knowledge of each other's woes.
"A skill's a skill, though? I get that it sucks, but I see a lot of positives. Lulac, you can make the Twisted Mansion your own signature since your mentor barely gave it a foundation. Gyuho, your skill is useful because it helps with the practice of using your shadow, so I hope you remember that even if you decide to switch later."
The two stopped laughing, signs of understanding showing as their faces revealed a trace of color. Lulac began thinking as he leaned backwards, and Gyuho actually nodded to Bie, and even gave him a gesture of thanks as he gave a small bow.
"Alright. I am finished." Casmere had made a rudimentary sack out of the leader's skin and packed in the horns as well as several large hunks of meat. The head of the dog poked out of the sack, its eyes scooped out and placed into an empty glass flask that the Demon Hunter had fit into a hanging pocket.
"I will resume holding it unless you disagree. If your friends are ready, we may continue." He walked past the Guides and slowly shambled towards the dark green path, the three following behind after a short moment.
When he noticed that his charges were walking as well, he sped up his gait as he made his way along the dark green path...