Asher looked at his soul fragments and cried while biting his thumb.
[Soul fragments: 50/1000]
Asher whined dramatically as he lounged on the back of his Echo alongside Cassie. "It's not fair that Neph gets seven while I only get five! I mean, I technically killed three!" His voice had the whininess of a toddler denied a candy bar, which was enough to make Sunny's eye twitch.
"You got six!" Sunny snapped, glaring daggers at Asher, clearly irritated by his antics and the fact that he was lounging around while Nephis and Sunny were trudging along. Asher grinned down at him, reading his thoughts like an open book.
"I am an injured man, you know! There's no shame in me seeking solace atop my noble steed, or should I say crab?" Asher said, feigning a pained expression and lounging like a sultan.
Sunny was about to say something when he suddenly turned to Nephis, "Two scavengers coming our way," he said firmly.
Nephis considered their options for a few seconds. There was a scowl on her face. Finally, she said:
"If there's only two, we can take them."
Sunny looked at her with uncertainty in his eyes.
"But there's no time to set up an ambush."
This time, Asher spoke up, "We just killed four of those vile crabs, what's another two?"
Nephis's lips curled up as she nodded. Sunny gritted his teeth, "Killing one scavenger made you cocky?"
"Well, technically, I killed three," Asher declared with a smug grin, his chest swelling with the pride of a knight recounting his valorous deeds, even as his legs shook with the fear of imminent peril.
Sunny snorted as he looked at Nephis. "Hey Neph, forget this bastard and tell me the plan."
Nephis went on to explain a suicidal plan where she and Asher's Echo would charge at the two scavengers and Sunny would ambush one when presented with the opportunity. Asher was tasked to 'protect' Cassie as he volunteered for it himself.
Sunny and Nephis looked at him with a deadpan expression, fully aware that was simply being a coward and didn't want to fight. Cassie, meanwhile, looked ecstatic and grateful for Asher's concern.
Sunny observed Asher's reluctance with a raised eyebrow, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Well, well, our dear Asher seemed to have failed to grow some balls even after fighting an awakened beast," he sighed with pity with a shrug to show his mockery.
Asher shifted uncomfortably on his Echo, his bravado crumbling under Sunny's scrutiny. "I'm just ensuring the safety of our most precious asset," he retorted weakly, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. "After all, what's a hero without a damsel in distress to save?"
Cassie flinched a bit as she turned crimson.
Sunny rolled his eyes. "More like the coward hiding behind the damsel."
Asher shot Sunny a faux hurt look. "I am offended, sir! Deeply offended!"
Sunny smirked, "That's makes me really happy to hear that."
Nephis sighed, trying to keep the group focused. "Alright, enough bickering. Let's get this done."
As they prepared for the attack, Asher couldn't resist a parting shot. "Good luck out there, my amazing friends. I'll hold down the fort!"
Sunny almost tripped as he heard those words while Nephis' lips curled up a bit.
________________________________________________________________
Asher sat alone with Cassie.
...
As one would expect, it was extremely awkward.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Asher," Cassie broke the silence with a smile. Asher's face twisted into a grimace as he wasn't worrying about her in the slightest. He was simply scared to fight the crabs, so he made an excuse to protect Cassie. Plus, he had a bigger issue that night. That's right.
That night... they were going to fight the Carapace Centurion. Asher's legs immediately trembled as he thought of what to do. Then he suddenly remembered that Cassie existed as he chuckled at her gratitude, "Oh, uh, it's no biggie," he stuttered, his voice cracking like a cheap mirror under pressure. "Just doing my knight-in-shining-armor duty, you know?"
Cassie's expression darkened, her self-awareness casting a shadow over their conversation. "But those two are out there risking their lives while we're just sitting here talking. I feel so... useless."
'You are useless,' Asher wanted to reply but seeing the blind girl's teary eyes made him frown. 'Why the fuck does she cry for everything!'
"I trust that they will come back," Asher said with a twitching smile but a reassuring tone. Cassie looked in the direction of the voice and gave a sad, but heartwarming smile. "You are really kind, Asher."
Asher physically blocked his sight from Cassie by putting his hands between them as he thought, his inner monologue running faster than a hamster on a caffeine high.
'This succubus is scary! I almost fell for her innocent charm!' He opened his eyes to see Cassie... blushing?
Asher's face turned a bit smug as he thought while turning to the other side, 'I unintentionally rizzed up a devil! Aunty Cassandra is going to be so proud of me!'
[Disclaimer: Please remember that Asher is still a 16-year-old boy with weird fantasies]
Asher, however, had no intention of having a psychotic girlfriend.
...
Okay, that was a lie. Nephis was psychotic as well, after all.
Asher's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a surge of adrenaline as he sensed Nephis and Sunny finishing their battle. His smile twisted into a wicked grin, knowing full well what awaited him at the scene. With a firm grip on Cassie's arm, he darted towards the site, prompting a startled yelp from his blind companion.
"Asher, what's happening??" Cassie's voice trembled with concern, her hand clutching onto Asher's arm for reassurance.
Asher, ever the master of deception, replied with practised ease, "They've wrapped up their little skirmish. No time to dawdle, though. We must reach a cliff! It's already noon!"
Cassie listened to Asher's bullshit and nodded in blind trust [A/N: see what I did there? HAHAHA! IK, Ik, I am so funny...], unaware of the storm brewing beneath Asher's calm facade. As they reached the scene, Asher's eyes honed in on a flushed Sunny making his way towards them. As Sunny saw Asher, a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.
Sunny's smirk widened as he approached Asher, taunting him with barely concealed glee. "Hey Asher, did you ever see them?" He said as Asher's eyes turned bloodshot, "You bastard! Don't you dare!"
"Nephis' boo-" Sunny was interrupted as Asher's Echo sprang into action, grabbing Sunny by the arm. Asher's expression darkened as he looked at Sunny, "Don't say it unless you want me to break your arm." Sunny was about to retort when Mr. Krab's grip tightened around Sunny's arm with a vice-like force.
Sunny gulped in fear. With a shaky nod, he conceded defeat, knowing well that Asher might actually break his arm.
Cassie looked extremely confused by the noises as Sunny's eyes widened in shock as he saw the direction Asher was heading, "Asher, you might die-!" Sunny's warning was cut short as Mr Krab's pincer clamped over his face.
Sunny, trying to free himself, yelled after Asher, his scream too muffled to make sense of. "Don't you dare, you pervert! Nephis is changing!"
Asher pretended not to hear Sunny, feigning concern as he called out, "Wait, where is Nephis?" he pretended to say as if he was talking to Sunny.
Sunny was about to summon his memories to fight Asher's Echo, but he realized it was too late...
"Asher, I'm here. Don't come closer," Nephis's voice was cold and authoritative, emanating from behind a large carapace.
Asher's eyes gleamed with mischief as he responded in a 'worried' tone, "Wait! Nephis! Did something happen?!"
"No! Stop, don't come any clo-"
Too late. Asher found Nephis in the midst of fashioning a makeshift garment from seaweed, her usual stoic demeanor cracking just a bit as her eyes widened.
Asher's reaction was... less than subtle, his nosebleed painting a rather unflattering picture as he ogled Nephis shamelessly.
He tried to hide his grin but failed miserably.
...
...
...
Nephis, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush, quickly covered her blossoms as she addressed Asher with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. "Do you mind.." she trailed off, her voice trailing off as she averted her gaze.
"As you wish, your majesty!" Asher saluted dramatically, spinning around with exaggerated haste. "My estimates were way off... that's a strong E-cup right there," he muttered under his breath, trying (and failing) to stop the flow of blood from his nose.
Asher whistled nonchalantly as he approached Sunny, who had finally freed himself from Mr. Krab's grip, looking both furious and mortified. "Don't you dare tell her I purposefully went there," Asher warned, his tone dangerously low. "Or I will tell them about your perverted shadow's antics."
Sunny gulped in fear as he looked at Asher in a new light, 'And the spell called me treacherous... THIS BASTARD IS EVIL!'
________________________________________________________________
Author's EXTRAs!
"Don't you dare tell her I purposefully went there," Asher warned, his tone dangerously low. "Or I will tell them about your perverted shadow's antics."
Sunny's eyes widened in panic, his anger turning to fear. "You wouldn't dare..."
"Oh, but I would," Asher's grin widened, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "And trust me, they'll find it much more disturbing than a little peek."
Sunny's face turned redder than a cooked lobster. "You disgusting little-"
"Hero," Asher interrupted, finishing for him with a cheeky grin.
Cassie, still oblivious to the chaos around her, smiled in Asher's direction. "Thank you for worrying about me, Asher."
Asher's face twisted into a grimace. 'I wasn't worrying about her in the slightest,' he thought. 'I'm just scared to death of fighting those crabs!'
Sunny snorted, his anger giving way to a grudging respect for Asher's cunning. 'This guy... he's a coward, a pervert, and somehow... a genius.'
Asher, basking in his small victory, couldn't help but feel a swell of pride. 'Aunty Cassandra is going to be so proud of me!'
Suddenly, a realization dawned on him as his shoulders fell, 'Those iseki MCs really are consuming my actions! NO WAY will Aunty be proud of me peeking at a girl!'
"WHAT THE FUCK AM I EVEN THINKING ABOUT" Asher suddenly yelled as he violently scratched his hair.
Sunny meanwhile, looked at Asher's antics with a Kazuma-like face, 'I really do wonder wtf goes on in that head of his..' he silently mused as he silently considered if Asher was mentally ill.