"... What do you want to eat?"
"Anything very sweet will do."
It was still a bit early, so some people were still moving around. Looking for the guards would be easier when the night becomes more quiet. So, I figured out I could fill my stomach and make Serena less troublesome. Still, I also had to worry about how she could eat without dirtying my head or showing up.
I looked for a tavern that had fewer clients and that would serve sweet things as well. That was a pain in the ass, but I had to choose a place where I wouldn't have to worry about troublemakers.
Fortunately, the first tavern that I found was empty and it had an apple pie in the menu as well… I wondered why the hell appels existed in that world, but that was the least of my worries. I sat on the corner of the tavern and showed my back to the entrance and the tavern keeper… all in order to let Serana eat on the table freely. That was a huge pain in the ass, but at least she looked satisfied with the pie while I was having a regular meal.
The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't superb either. Maybe it was because I was worried about the future, but I never had the chance to savor the found of that world since I arrived. While I was thinking about that, Serana was eating the apple pie faster than I was eating my meal… I wondered if she had a pocket dimensio in her stomach or a black hole… otherwise, it didnt make no sense for her to be able to eat that much without exploding.
"Ah, that was good… I am looking forward to the next one tomorrow."
The situation with Serana left me confused. At first glance, she seemed like an ordinary, if somewhat peculiar, being. She was a fairy, a creature of myth and legend, and that meant her physiology likely worked in ways I couldn't even begin to comprehend.
This revelation shifted my entire perception of her. The way she moved, spoke, and even breathed, it all made sense now, but in a way that was far from comforting. The most unsettling part was her ability to consume something far larger than her own size. Watching her devour that much was unnerving, to say the least. It wasn't just unnatural; it was downright terrifying. I couldn't help but wonder what other surprises her kind might be hiding beneath their appearance.
But then again, this was a world where the impossible seemed to happen every day. Dragons roamed the skies. Vampires lurked in the shadows, preying on the unsuspecting with an insatiable hunger. And fairies, well, they were just one more addition to this collection of nightmarish beings. In this world, fearsome creatures were as common as the rising sun, and Serana's unsettling abilities were likely just the tip of the iceberg.
It struck me that, frightening as this discovery was, it was just one of many I would likely face. The world was full of dangers, most of which I couldn't even begin to imagine. Serana's oddities were a stark reminder that the path I had chosen was fraught with perils, both seen and unseen. And if I wanted to survive, I would need to stay sharp and ready for whatever else this world had in store.
"Did you forget that I can read auras?"
"What about it? Do you want to hear me saying out loud that you are downright weird?"
"I would prefer if you didn't think and say anything like it."
"Then don't show me anything unsettling. Anyway, no one is supposed to know that you are here, so don't talk and hide."
"Yes, yes. Whatever."
At least she decided to be cooperative. The apple pie cost twenty gold coins, two times more than my meal, so she decided that she would stay on my good side as long as she benefits from it. Regardless, I decided to kill time in the tavern, but I could eat so much slowly without drawing attention, so soon I left the tavern after paying my bill.
"So, I am going to fly and make the guards fall asleep from above?"
"That is probably the best option if you don't make any noise. Anyway, how long are you planning to stick around? Don't you have a kingdom or something? A kingdom of fairies, how terrifying…"
"We have, but it is as boring as it can get. Everyone lazes around without doing anything, only waking up to eat and then prank those who get close to our territory. There are others that live there, but they are a pain in the ass."
I can only imagine insane people trying to live with fairies… Serana was sticking around waiting for something fun to happen, given my situation, and while I couldn't blame her, she was out of her luck. I might find myself in some troublesome situations, but I will try to avoid them like the plague.
In any case, we walked around the town to get a good feel for the surroundings, and I avoided the places where the guards could be. Still, it looked like, despite my caution, they found me first… little by little, I began to hear the sound of armor getting closer. When I turned on some streets, the sound didn't leave me.
"Since they decided to give me a hand, I will accept their arms. I am going to enter that alley, and then you can put them to sleep when they appear on the front of it. This area is empty enough."
"What afterward? They will look for you."
"They won't, and they will be too embarrassed to do so. No one will take them seriously in this place."
Serana had no idea what I had in mind, but she could tell that it was something interesting, so she decided to wait and see. Once I disappeared into the alley, I could hear the hurried footsteps of the guards behind me. They knew the area well and were quick to follow, likely suspecting that I might use the narrow passageways to vanish. As they entered the alley, I could sense their confusion as they scanned the area, searching for any sign of me.
The dim light made it difficult for them to see clearly, and for a moment, they stood there, bewildered. Then, from the shadows, I made a slight noise, just enough to draw their attention. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they finally spotted me standing there, arms crossed, watching them silently.
Realizing they had been outmaneuvered, the guards quickly reached for their weapons, but before they could make a move, a fine mist of sleeping powder descended upon them. They barely had time to register what was happening before the powder took effect. One by one, their bodies crumpled to the ground, unconscious, leaving me alone in the alley once more.