Chapter 65 – The Friend Called Scarf of the Void
Was the scarf a part of my Inner God?
Luke pondered this while having breakfast with two beauties in front of him. If one overlooked the fact that they looked like cannibals from a horror movie due to the dirt, dried blood, and tattered clothes, Luke felt in good company. Although anyone else might be scared of the two girls.
They're still eating meat with their hands, and I saw the little one gnaw on bones bigger than her arm…
"What's up?"
Little Anna stared at the boy in black.
"Nothing," he replied, returning to eating his meat and chuckling inside.
The trio was having breakfast. Earlier, Alice had gone to retrieve more meat from the monstrous boar she had left hanging in a tree. They had skewered a large chunk of the boar over the campfire and let it cook for a few hours before dawn.
"Let's… take a bath in the stream," Anna suggested.
"Okay."
"Anna and I will go together; one keeps watch while the other bathes. It's safer that way. Can we take your canteen? Even though it's a stream, the water is still a bit dirty."
"Su-sure. You can take it."
Luke agreed.
So many details…
They continued eating, and part of Luke felt a bit relieved to be back in a routine with them.
"Nice accessory you got there. Won't you get hot?" Alice pointed at Luke's scarf.
"Oh, this? It's a card… As for the heat, I spent five days walking under the sun in shallow water. I thought many times about dispelling the cloak, but since I discovered I was walking in danger, I preferred to endure the unbearable heat. So this is nothing."
"I didn't think you were so vain. Got it."
Wait! She thinks I'm wearing this scarf for style? The advantage is that this little guy somehow doesn't make my neck too hot, probably because of the prana. But it's a combat tool, not a stylish accessory!
"Hold on! This is not just for decoration. It's going to help me in combat."
"I know, just messing with you."
Alice returned to eating while laughing.
What? Messing with me? When did she stop being a robot?
"I think it's cool."
No, Little Anna, no! Don't try to console me; it's really a weapon, not a stylish accessory!
Luke sighed.
Sooner or later, they would have to find out, as he would use the scarf in battle. So naturally, they would notice.
Luke commanded the scarf, and one end reached out to clean Anna's food-smeared lips.
"Kyaaa!"
Anna screamed, falling backward.
"W-w-what is that thing?" The little redhead got up, pointing at the scarf.
"A-a snake?" Anna asked in shock.
"No. God, no. Don't mention snakes."
Luke even glanced around to ensure there wasn't one nearby.
"Interesting…"
Was all Alice said, watching the scarf move.
"It's like my assistant."
One end of the scarf looked at him, almost as if narrowing its eyes.
You're my partner, don't worry.
"I get it, like Gobby? Wow, another summon card to help out."
Anna seemed to relax.
Like Gobby? That damned goblin? God, I'm eating… now I want to puke.
"Exactly!"
That's all Luke said as he took a deep breath.
"Speaking of which, I saw a rope bridge somewhere in the forest," Luke tried to change the subject. He hated thinking about the goblin.
"I saw it too," Anna reflected.
"It means we're in an area that had or still has people. Since the map dropped us here on the island... except for you, it means this is our starting area. So there's a chance we'll find an NPC who can help us," Alice explained.
"So somewhere around here, we might find a way off this island... or at least a clue to find one," Luke pondered.
"We haven't explored much. But now that you're back, we can move forward," Anna said happily.
"We can't stay here much longer. I know you just got back, Luke, but we need to hurry and get out of this Campaign Map."
That's what I want the most.
"It's fine, Alice. Honestly, I would've left yesterday. So, what's our next step?"
"Let's prepare to leave in a few hours. I need you to smoke some meat to make jerky. We don't know when we'll have the chance to hunt again or if we even will. Anna and I will take a bath in the meantime. I know it's pointless since we'll get dirty again, but I need to get this dried blood off my body… and wash my hair."
Okay, she's a normal girl after all.
"No problem. I'll take a bath afterward too."
Why am I making it clear I want a bath? I guess deep down I'm worried about smelling bad.
"After that, we can head out. I know where to find a bridge. It might not be the same one you saw, but it's near the beach, so all we have to do is head into the forest from there."
Anna nodded.
The trio began their tasks. While Anna and Alice went to bathe, Luke tried to complete his task… with the help of the scarf. He was careful not to let it interfere too much. Simple things like picking up a knife from the ground, stretching the meat on the wood, and adding more dry leaves to the fire were done with the help of the scarf's fabric hand. The scarf was long and almost dragged on the ground, but it magically floated just above the ground as if it didn't want to get dirty. Luke also took the opportunity to wash a part of the scarf that got dirty when he cleaned Anna's lips, testing if he could control his fabric friend while it was wet. The result was positive; even when wet, the scarf moved and even shook itself like an animal to get rid of the excess water.
Luke didn't want to keep calling it a scarf, so he started thinking of a name for his fabric friend. His suggestions were: 'Rug,' 'Liar,' and 'Little Thread,' but the scarf didn't seem to like them much.
I'll think of a name for you later… how about Black Void Fragment?
The scarf seemed to like that.
It's too long… and it reveals you're from the Void. We can't give that away, so you'll be considered a summoning card for now… but from what Anna said, it sounds like living objects can also come from summoning cards. That makes things easier. I was just going to have you make a few moves. But now with the excuse of you being a summoning card, I can communicate with you better. While you're touching me, my thoughts reach you… but in battle, there might be times you need to be away, so I'll need to shout commands. If you were just a simple card, I couldn't do that… but since you're treated as a summon, things change.
Luke and his new friend, a rather vain scarf, conversed for a while. They devised a series of strategies and commands that could be used in combat, ranging from the simplest to scenarios where the duo would need to separate. He regretted not having enough time to test some of his ideas. Luke wanted to test how far the scarf could go while remaining active and alive, even when moving away from him.
I'll have to do that on the way... at some point.
Before the girls returned, he tested if the scarf could follow him into intangibility. After confirming that it could, they went back to discussing other ideas. In the middle of that forest, the young man in black continued talking with a piece of fabric.