Looking at the Gloam Sprite, he watched as a familiar pitch-black mist arose from the shattered and fragmented corpse.
However, this time, Mercury rushed forward before it could coalesce and become tangible. He grasped at the shards of the Gloam Sprite's corpse, jumping away from the forming shade.
'It was simple to kill Fang An's corpse once again. He had a human form. But how do I kill a monster that has already broken apart?'
Mercury smirked, avoiding the lunge of the shade that had reformed itself. He made his way back up the hill, retrieving the ornate lantern and his clothes with his free hand before running out of the grove, past the bright-yellow sunflowers and the golden beams of light.
He ran until he reached the riverside, the shade trailing quickly behind him. He turned around, facing the creature with a devious grin on his face.
"I cannot spear you with a stick, that much is clear. But the shade of little wisp had a visible reaction when I killed him, and so it is clear that you shall react to any stimuli experienced by your corpse."
'What did he do to my corpse!?' Fang An began to listen intently, he who had previously been lost in thought.
Without hesitation, Mercury tossed the fragments of the corpse into the water, watching as they flowed along with the stream, falling down the rapids and disappearing in the distance. When he glanced back at the Gloam Sprite's shade, it had frozen in front of him.
Then, it began to twitch. It grew three wispy black arms which all reached for what seems like its throat. It let out illusory hacking sounds, which seemed like quieted gunshots echoing through the Titanic forest, falling to its knees.
"What did you do to it?" Fang An's illusory-modeled face grew horrified.
Mercury stared at the struggling creature fall to the ground in agony. "All living creatures need to breath."
'Fang An's shade was visibly affected when I stabbed his corpse in the brain. It should be obvious that the corpse is the shade's weakness. I was still on the fence about how it worked, but this proves it. The shade experiences the damage caused to its corpse. Right now, the Gloam Sprite's shade is drowning!' A villainous smile curled up to the edges of his lips, amused.
Staring at his captor, Fang An finally abandoned all hope. There was definitely no way he would ever be freed from this Hell within Hell. Death would have been a blessing, but Mercury was a man who wouldn't deny his enemies that honourable pleasure.
"Well, little wisp, it's been nice knowing you."
Fang An's eyes widened. "Are you finally freeing me?"
Mercury shrugged. "Who knows? We'll see what happens."
Danger Sense was definitely a useful ability, but Mercury found Fang An annoying.
As he watched the struggle of the Gloam Sprite's shade cease, the black mist that fell away from it was picked up by the wind, gradually disappearing into nothingness.
"I feel… cold. Unusually cold. What have you done to me?" Fang An's voice was scared, wavering. But it was also growing distant and hushed.
When Mercury looked back down at the ornate lantern, Fang An had vanished completely. It was empty, silent. His gaze relaxed, a bit solemn. However, immediately afterwards, black mist began to pool in the center of the lantern. It resembled a cloud of floating dust, bouncing idly up and down in the center. It was the soul of the Gloam Sprite.
'Interesting. Is it the case that the newest captured soul replaces an old one? Have I received a new power in exchange for giving away danger sense?'
Suddenly, Mercury instinctually sensed something lurking behind him. His gaze flitted backwards, staring at the hilltop in the backdrop, only to see the silhouette of a humanoid figure standing tall in the distance.
'Who is that!? And that feeling, it was definitely danger sense! So it's the case that Fang An didn't disappear! The lantern feels heavier… is that because it now houses two souls!?'
He slipped the lantern onto his belt strap, stepping slowly towards the figure in the distance.
"Come forth, Fang An." He whispered, brushing his hand over the lantern. He could feel the presence change within the center of the lantern, and the annoying, sulking voice that followed made it clear.
"Come on! I thought I was really free this time!" Fang An chided, crossing his little wispy hands over his chest.
"Unfortunately, we're stuck together for now." Mercury smiled warmly, patting the lantern as he continued to stare up at the figure on the hill. Fang An followed Mercury's gaze, his eyes widening.
"Hey, that's the woman I first met! The one who told me everything I told you!" Fang An declared excitedly. "Finally, someone will save me from you, you Demon!"
Mercury smirked, waving his hand over the ornate lantern, switching the active soul within to the Gloam Sprite, quiet.
'Not if you can't call out for help, little wisp. Still, now we've encountered a woman that knows many things. Although I can't use my abilities while she perceives me at this moment, I can try and get more information out of her.'
He raised his hand high in the air, putting on a genial expression as he called out to her. "Hey! Are you a Reaper too!? I'm new here!"
Hearing this, the woman stepped forward, sliding down the hill until she stood face to face with Mercury. She had stark-black hair and stormy grey eyes that seemed to crackle like lightning. Her skin was pale, marred by dirt and ash, and her lips were slightly cracked, but still glistened. She wore a pale-blue cloak around a button-up white shirt, which had been stained by mud and burnt by flame.
Mercury noted her present state. She must have been about the forest for a long time.
'If Danger Sense was able to activate despite her perceiving me as a man, then it must be the case that abilities I gain from my Soul Capture must not be affected by my Distortion Law. Isn't this too capable of an ability? Moreover, it seems that the duels against the Shades aren't affected by being perceived as a man as long as they are already in motion. I wonder if it hampers activation in the first place?'
"How long has it been since you've arrived here?" The woman asked of him. She had a pleasant tone about her, as if she were trying to be wary, yet simultaneously inviting.
Mercury shrugged, laughing with a false nervousness. "I'm not sure. It's hard to tell how much time has passed under the canopy of the forest. If I were to guess, at most, it's been half a day."
"I see…" She entered a contemplative state. "How much do you know? Have you learned of your Forte, Key Paradigm, and Distortion Law?"
Mercury nodded his head. It was reasonable that he could have learned this much on his own, as long as he had received his own form of information distribution.
She reached out her hand, beckoning for a handshake. "My name is Quincy. I've been searching the Titanic forest for newly-born Reapers, like you. I hope I can convince you to join me in completing a task. I wouldn't mind rewarding you in information, and… other indulgences."
Mercury eyed her suspiciously, a bit shocked. "By other indulgences, are you insinuating…"
She nodded her head, her face a bit blushed. "Yes. If you help me and survive, I am willing to lie with you. It's that important to me."
Quincy peered around Mercury, glancing at the back of his neck.
Mercury shook his head. "Sorry, that's not the sort of reward I'm interested in."
'If it's something dangerous, that's one thing. However, if I'm expected to participate as 'Mercury', there's absolutely no chance of my survival. I won't be able to use any of my abilities, besides the ones I've gained from 'soul capture'. I don't even know what I gained from capturing the Gloam Sprite's soul anyway…'
"Is this a declining of my offer?"
"It is. My apologies."
"No need to apologise. I've asked every Reaper I've come across to help me, but after so many rejections, I had to gradually increase the reward… I think next, I may be forced to offer my hand in marriage." She laughed pitifully.
Mercury caught sight of a mark on the back of her neck, resembling a pitch-black sigil, a rune. It resembled the first letter of the alphabet.
"What is that mark on your neck?" He asked in passing.
"It's the echelon mark, that which tells of how powerful you've grown as a Reaper through assimilation- the consumption of monsters. You have the same thing on the back of your neck- the Alpha echelon, the lowest rank a Reaper can have. This is increased by gradually killing and consuming monsters and Demons. I wish you luck with that."
Mercury's eyes widened. 'Fang An initially told me of such a thing, but I forgot! I should have found a way to retain the corpse of the Gloam Sprite so I could eat it. What a blunder…'
As Mercury lost himself in thought, the woman began to walk away from him. He realised this, reaching out his hand to grab her.
"Wait, you're just going to leave?" He was a bit surprised.
"The matter I need help with is limited by time. I can't afford to chat with you if it serves no purpose. I'm sorry." Her genial attitude had grown a bit coarse suddenly.
"How can you expect me to accept your invitation if you do not explain it to me?" He replied, trying to convince her. Of course, he had no interest in accepting her proposal. He just wanted to keep her around a bit longer so he could derive more information from her.
"Ah… I did forget to explain it, didn't I?" Her eyes widened, coming to that realisation. "I'm sorry, my mind has been a bit clouded recently. I've been really stressed over this matter."
Quincy glanced towards the canopy overhead, letting out a sigh. "My brother has been kidnapped by a Demon. No, not just him, but many others… it was meant to be a scouting mission into the only accessible location besides the City Sewers, a quarry to the west. But we failed, and ran into a crazed Lower Demon. I don't know why it didn't kill everyone outright… but I know he's still in that quarry. Looking Glass's owl confirmed it."
'Looking Glass? Owl? Quarry? Lower Demon? She's saying too many things at once. I can barely keep up…'
"So, you want me to help rescue your brother?"
Quincy nodded her head. "Looking Glass- ah, the leader of the Reaper Team I'm apart of is currently organising a plan to rescue him, but I can't wait that long. I know it will be a success if my brother is able to survive that long. But I trust my brother less than I trust Looking Glass. I know he will survive, I just don't know if his sanity will be left afterwards. I want to save him now."
She stretched up into the air, letting out a yawn.
"Besides, if Looking Glass is preoccupied with this matter, it will slow down the progress we can make on trying to clear the condition behind the City's Sewer. If we can't make it through the city past the plains and get into the Marble Palace, we won't be able to leave the first circle, Limbo."
"Why is your Leader necessary for that?"
"Looking Glass is the only Reaper to have reached the second Echelon as of now. He will definitely be necessary for getting into the City Sewer. I need to save my brother and free Looking Glass of this matter. Then, we need to work on convincing the other Reaper Groups to work with each other. It's the only way we'll be able to kill that foul Demon that guards the Sewer entrance."
Mercury entered a contemplative state. 'So it's the case that this personal matter of her's is actually a roadblock for all Reapers. His strength is a necessity for killing a strong Demon that guards the Marble Palace. If I don't help her, I won't be able to move forward and find a way to restore my memories for some time. I could leave it up to this 'Looking Glass' person, who Quincy seems to think will be successful no matter what. But that would require me waiting, and there's something churning inside me that thinks that killing the Lower Demon of the quarry would be wholly exciting.'
"All right, I'll help you, Ms. Quincy." Mercury smiled, reaching out his hand. "My name is Mercury."
Her eyes widened, excited. She took his hand with both of hers, aching to jump up and down in joy. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Mercury! I look forward to working with you!"
Mercury nodded his head in response. 'I won't be able to use my abilities, but I'll figure out another way. If it comes down to it, I'll just punch the Demon until he dies.'
Quincy couldn't contain her smile, looking back up at the canopy of the Titanic forest. "Castrelle, we'll come save you."