[How?!]
Naya did her best to keep her expression under control. They had just finished the battle, and everything was going well. She didn't want to break the peace on Rula and Sophia's faces. Especially Sophia, given what the Devil's death likely meant for her.
The voice, Verala, did not respond.
--She somehow... mixed in with the Devil's essence... --Lia spoke in shock, just as shocked as Naya was.
Verala still didn't respond.
[How do I get her out?!]
--I don't... know.--
--Oh, relax; I'm just going to enjoy my time as a guest for a bit. --Verala spoke. --Still, to think you had another guest up here... how shocking.--
[I will tear your soul apart!]
--I'm sure. But not anytime soon. --After that, Verala went silent.
Naya clenched her fists.
She had absolute confidence in her mental defenses. For Verala to break through every layer of resistance she had would require tremendous power.
Not even another Elf would have the ability to do it.
She recalled the stabbing headache and her brows furrowed.
[You used all that Malevolant Arcane, a power source saved for years, just to get inside my head?]
--She did; I... can still feel its traces. --Lia answered, her jubilant tone from earlier all but gone.
Rather than fear, Naya only felt anger.
One of the creatures she detested had made residence inside of her head. Worse, she couldn't do anything about it.
[I will get rid of you, Witch. ]
--I think you'll find my... residence here to be quite beneficial to you. Don't worry about it. I can't read your thoughts, feel your emotions, or do... anything else this other voice can do. --Verala spoke as if tired as if she hadn't slept in days.
--She won't be a bother, Naya; we will get rid of her. --Lia said resolutely.
[I know.]
Sophia and Rula broke from their stares into the deep hole a moment later.
Sophia stretched. "It feels surreal..." She yawned. "...and I'm tired."
The yawn was contagious, and Rula soon followed, "Me too!"
"Hard to believe it's really gone, forever." Sophia looked at Naya with a light in her eyes. "You can finally break the neverending cycle, Naya."
Naya's ears twitched. Sophia wasn't looking at her like she usually did, either teasing or serious, but with something else.
Something she didn't understand.
Sophia shook her head and smiled, "We have much to discuss, but for now, let's get some rest before we meet with the City Lord tomorrow." Sophia pat Naya's shoulder and walked past.
She seemed eager, but Naya wanted to get her wounds healed and sleep. The humans could wait as long as she needed them to.
The anger within her hasn't faded, but she did her best to keep it under control. She would find a mental mage, and getting rid of the unwelcome presence would be her top priority.
However, deep down, she also knew how valuable the Witch's insight could be. But it wasn't enough to even entertain the idea.
Naya unclenched her fists and took a deep, calming breath.
--Don't worry, she can't do anything. It took all she had just to place her soul here without damaging her subconscious. She is quite literally in your hands now... once you figure out how to deal with it.--
That made it a lot better. As of now, she would treat it like a devil's essence: just a guest she could get rid of eventually.
Which reminded her that most of her attacks had tapped into the Reality Devil's power.
[I... have a lot to do...]
Sophia led the group forward, and Naya followed closely behind. Every step hurt her wounded leg. Since the battle stopped, her injuries were starting to flare up.
They had to dodge the hundreds of smaller craters in the room and step over the massive door that had collapsed in front of the entrance.
Finally, Sophia pulled the chamber doors open.
Naya's ears twitched, and she heard footsteps approaching the chambers.
"Many are coming."
Sophia clicked her tongue. "Of fucking course they are." Her tone conveyed much of her annoyance.
"What? Aren't we glad?" Rula tilted her head.
Her hand was gripped tightly with Naya's, tighter than usual as if she feared Naya would vanish.
Sophia didn't respond, but she stopped moving with her arms crossed and her back straightened.
One wouldn't be able to guess they were just in a battle that destroyed the chambers.
Naya checked herself; she wasn't visibly injured other than the cut on her leg, which looked more like a flesh wound than anything.
Still, she didn't want humans seeing her with even a scratch.
[Is this some sort of political thing?]
--Probably.--
Sophia's attitude seemed like it was, but she wanted nothing to do with it. If it got annoying, she'd just stop it.
Naya wasn't in the mood to deal with the petty human maneuvering.
The footsteps sounded uniform, and they were partnered with the sound of metal clacking. It was a group of what Naya assumed were soldiers.
[How did they know to come here?]
The noise of metal stomping against the stairs toward them, uninterrupted, made it seem like they knew where they were going.
"Were the humans working with the Witch?" Naya asked.
Sophia shook her head, "I doubt it, but there's definitely something... distasteful happening."
Soon, the steps reached the bottom of the stairs.
Standing in front of a few rows of armored soldiers, an older male with slicked-back white hair and a short white beard stood arrogantly with his arms behind his back. He had piercing blue eyes, and a few sword scars lined his face.
He stopped before Sophia at the entrance to the chambers. He took a quick glance behind, and his eyes widened slightly before he got his expression under control.
"Paragon Sophia." He greeted with a deep voice, tinged with unintentional arrogance.
It reminded Naya of how the Elders spoke. As if their position and arrogance were a matter of course. It was engrained in their being.
"Who are you?" Sophia asked. Her tone was black and cold but held just as much arrogance as the man's.
"My name is Julius Ameril."
The name sounded familiar to Naya.
"He's the one who issued the Flameclaw quest!" Rula shouted, but her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth.
Julius looked over to her and smiled. "So you're the ones who completed it and returned the body." There was a weird look in his eyes. "It was helpful; you have my thanks."
--So he wasn't able to discover anything; that's good.--
"What are you doing here. Better yet, how do you know about this place?" Sophia interrupted, stepping in front of Julius's gaze toward Rula.
Naya moved to the front to stand beside Sophia.
She felt all the eyes from both the soldiers and Julius's switch to her.
[So he was informed about me. ]
The soldiers had various levels of shock, but Julius was fine.
"You made quite a lot of noise in the Noble district; we feared someone was getting..." Julius squinted. "...unsavory ideas toward a noble."
Verala lightly scoffed in Naya's head. --Oh wait, I forgot you destroyed my noise barrier. How troublesome for you.--
[Silence, Witch.]
--Who is he to you? --Lia asked.
--He likes to make sure the Nobles are in line with his ideals.--
Naya didn't like hearing a conversation happen in her head. A feeling Lia seemed to pick up on.
"Bullshit, I don't care for your games, Ameril. Why are you here?"
Julius's shook his head disappointingly. "Fine, fine. Paragon Sophia." His expression became grave, with a frown and a slight glare. "You know very well your people are not permitted to take action in Rozen without formal notice."
"I am not beholden to your petty rules, Ameril."
"Yet you risk Sanctum losing our support."
"And you risk my ire."
There was a tense moment where they only stared at each other, neither losing their glares.
[Ridiculous.]
Naya stepped forward. "I came here to kill a Witch, and she accompanied me."
Julius broke his stare with Sophia and looked toward Naya with more respect, "Madam Naya, that's still-"
"I don't care for your human political games; there was a Witch, so I killed it." Naya glared. "That is all."
Julius sighed, "Madam Naya, it may be nothing for you and your people, but that is not how the mortal world works."
"Then take it up with the higher-ups of Sanctum," Sophia said.
"Fine; understand that I will." Julius immediately requiesed. "But I trust you have no objection toward my investigation of that chamber?"
"Go right on ahead; it's pretty brutal in there; try not to trip." Sophia stood to the side.
Rula quickly followed.
Julius took one last glance at Sophia and Naya. "We will be discussing this again later; I trust you won't leave Rozen in the meantime."
"Sure, sure." Sophia waved dismissively.
After a moment of a simple glare, Julius walked into the room. His group of soldiers followed shortly after.
"T-this is madness!" Even Julius's calm facade broke once he could see the entire chamber.
Of course, it looked like a meteor shower had taken place in the room.
Rula giggled.
Sophia joined her and began walking up the stairs. "Let's get out of here, girls."
...
The trip through the mansion was silent, other than the occasional guard stationed at some points. They didn't give Sophia any trouble.
When Naya decided to go after the Witch, the sun had just started its descent, and now it was the dead of night.
There were two guards stationed by the door who looked like they wanted to stop Sophia, but a quick glance at her face put those ideas down.
Sophia led them further down the hills until they were out of eyesight of the guards. She moved behind another derelict-looking mansion.
"There aren't many nobles remaining in Rozen unless it's temporary; human nobility is... well, they dislike the way it's run," Sophia explained and placed her hand on the wall.
--In other words, they are quite racist. --Verala chimed in. --However, that is an issue most races nobility have; you should see the Vampires.--
[Shut up.]
Verala didn't speak again, and it was clear that she was trying to avoid irking Naya too much.
Sophia's eyes were closed, and she was focusing intently.
Time passed in silence, and it took Sophia a bit longer than before to open a gate.
--This is the first time in years I've gone without hearing the whispers in my head. --Verala spoke emotionally. She still had that pleasing, bell-like soft voice that, if it were anyone else, she would love to hear more.
--You can tell us more now. --Lia said.
--Correct... I know a lot of things you'd love to hear.--
[Then speak.]
--But I also want to live, you know. If you eject my soul now, I will literally just be erased.--
[Impossible.]
Verala didn't elaborate.
Naya recalled what Lia told her a while ago. She had said that witches' souls go to their Devils when they die. However, now that Naya erased the Devil, perhaps something different happened.
Either way, she wouldn't just trust Verala considering how often she had lied.
--We will discuss this with a knowledgeable priest.--
[I would rather speak with an Elven Expert...]
Though Naya knew it wasn't possible. She also needed to give the information to her Mother that Riletoya was a traitor of the highest degree.
It still enraged her that the betrayer was the one to try and get rid of her.
But it also made her situation all the more confusing.
Her thoughts were interrupted as a black portal formed on the wall.
Sophia stood back. "This leads to the hill we were on a bit ago."
"I can't believe we're already done," Rula mumbled.
"This puts you one step closer to your goal, Rula." Sophia smiled at her.
Rula looked up questioningly.
"We did one of their quests," Naya answered for her.
Rula's eyes widened, and it looked as though she could barely contain the sudden burst of excitement.
It was one from the City Lord himself. Although she didn't know how the promotional system worked, they'd be fools to not rank them up. They also completed the Flameclaw quest, which the guild saw as no easy feat.
Also the gold. Naya swore Rula's eyes looked as though they were replaced by golden coins.
"I can see you're excited. I recommend you turn in the quest tonight, before the hall gets rowdy tomorrow and before Ameril tries anything."
"That human?" Naya squinted slightly. "If he stops us, I will not let it go."
Sophia clicked her tongue. "I don't know his intentions, but he was obviously lying to us. His excuses are flimsy."
Naya was the first to step through the portal.
There were no signs of anybody in the expanse of black before her.
But this time Naya was ejected moments later.
She found herself standing atop the familiar hill with a single tree overlooking the human district.
Moments later, Rula and Sophia popped out behind her.
"Where are the bodies?" Naya asked immediately.
"That space is larger than you can imagine; they're in there." Sophia straightened her red jacket.
"I want to investigate her body tomorrow."
Sophia nodded and stretched again. "We are also the owners of Dragon Bones."
"We can have weapons made."
It would be a good idea to get Rula something, too.
--The Dragon was a child, so its bones may not be as powerful.--
[Still better than any metal.]
Sophia joined Naya and stared at the expanse of the city beneath her. "The only thing we have to worry about now is what Ameril is planning."
"You think he will be a true threat?"
Naya doubted it. Truthfully, she didn't even intend to stay in Rozen much longer since she knew there were witches in the capital.
"Not him, but the people behind him and the other nobles."
--There was an extra door you guys forgot about in the chambers. He wants what was behind it. --Verala spoke softly.
[What?]
--He didn't know I was a Witch, but he did know I was a necromancer. He wanted me to do something for him.--
[He wanted you to resurrect someone.]
--Correct. --
[Typical humans.]
--I suppose. He did think I could, and who was I to reject the deep pockets of a noble?--
Lia scoffed. --If anybody discovered that he would be publicly executed for even thinking it.--
--Because the knowledge of the consequences has stopped so many crimes. --Verala had sarcasm in her tone.
It was the same slight amount she had used in the chambers. Partnered with her beautiful voice, it made even the most venomous replies pleasant.
Sophia clapped, "Well, it doesn't matter right now!" She flashed Naya a beaming smile. "You and Rula go to an Inn, I'll see you at the guild tomorrow."
"Where are you going?" Rula asked from the side.
"To make my report, as futile as it is, I might as well."
--She seems to dislike Sanctum. --Lia said
Naya nodded. "Very well."
"And once again, thank you Naya."
Naya was about to nod again, but she felt slightly wettened lips hit her right cheek.
Sophia's head leaned up to kiss her cheek
Naya's ears twitched crazily, and her face went bright red in a furious blush.
"H-human!"
Sophia giggled like a mischievous child and vanished in a poof of black energy.
Naya didn't even know she could do that.