"Release the Bond, Sir." The black-cloaked figure glanced up towards Artemis out of the corners of his eyes as he smiled. He sheathed his blade, but his hand remained resting on its pommel, as if to threaten its draw once more.
A Spirit Bond, that was the common name for the technique that Artemis had used. It wasn't a 'bond' in the sense of the contract they had formed, as if they were mutual partners, but in the sense that Lark would 'bind' himself to Artemis's body in the moments he was summoned, as if he was being worn like a suit of armour. To this extent, a Spirit could also 'Bind' themselves to a bladed weapon, such as a spear or sword, but this wasn't Artemis's style. Even though he kept a sword by his side, it was rarely drawn.
He simply had no use for it.
The giant blackwolf snarled, thick clouds of smog escaping its maw as it stared August down. Its claws dug into the soil, and its tail was frayed and raised. Still, it stepped towards August slowly, wisps of black floating away into the air.
The cloak of shadowed fur tore itself away from Artemis's form as he moved forward, gazing down at the flower-blanketed man of light. He was much taller than the man in his normal form, twenty centimeters at least.
This was to the extent that August had to stare up at Artemis. Knowing that this was the man who had proposed marriage to him just days prior, it made his stomach flutter a little.
Artemis repeated Cercival's question in a cold, sharp tone. "Who are you?"
"I'm just a wanderer."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Come, dog, I've saved your life, will you continue to bark?" August continued to tease him. Of course, this wasn't how he would usually speak to people, he was only meaning to test Artemis's temperament.
However, August didn't expect that he would heel so readily.
"You're right, my apologies. You've saved me and my servant's life. I owe you greatly. I shouldn't have been so callous in my greetings. Let's sit for a moment and talk."
August looked at Artemis with an open mouth, too surprised to speak, before nodding his head. He took a step back, spinning on his heel as he suddenly raised his blade, cutting into two of the trees that the mimic shades had been using to hide. With a single strike into their heft, they toppled in an instant. A loud resounding crash brought up towering clouds of dust behind August as he turned back towards Artemis, smiling.
"That sounds like a good idea. I hope you'll let my friend join us, too. He gets lonely."
Suddenly, Artemis's blade was drawn from its sheath. He glanced to his side to see that a man nearly the same height with a long black beard and piercing green eyes had taken his sword, now standing a few paces from him, holding it casually as if waiting for him to proceed towards the log seats August had created. His stance was threatening; his entire presence gave off the aura of a killer, a cutthroat.
Of course, he had no choice in the matter, there was no use making a fuss over it. Artemis sighed, walking over and sitting atop one of the fallen logs before rubbing the sweat off of his forehead.
"Cercival, pour us some tea."
The elderly attendant glanced towards the two men, then at Artemis, before nodding his head and quietly slinking back towards the carriage.
August and Gwennaude sat atop the fallen log across from him, the former pleasantly extending his hand in greeting. Artemis hesitated for a moment, but accepted it in the end.
"My name is Thomas." August said in a pleasant, soft tone of voice. Of course, this was a blatant lie, but he knew that he and Artemis had never met formally in the past. It would be hard to judge his identity based off of portraiture alone, if he had even come across one in the past, which was quite unlikely for a man from Margraves-- of the Lightseeker faction, nonetheless. "This is my traveling companion, Gwennaude."
"My name is Artemis." He was blatantly truthful in his reply. This was also a key trait of the man. He didn't think he was above lying, but he had no reason to lie himself.
Not a liar, not a fighter— well, not as far as I've heard of. As for keeping his Spirit Contract a secret, based off of how it presents itself, it makes sense. I wouldn't consider this a devious withholding of the truth, it might have been for his family's sake. If any Noble family knew that a family from the Lightseeker faction was capable of utilising such a gaudy and powerful Spirit Bond, it might make them antsy… August chuckled inwardly.
This man is certainly interesting…
"Where are you traveling to, Artemis?"
"I have business in the Capital. This was the quickest route. I didn't expect that there would be monsters of such caliber here. On the topic of destination, why are you lurking about the City of Lingering Light?" Artemis questioned.
August paused for a moment. It was quite a good question. Of course, he could not reveal that his true motives related to Artemis, that would ruin all of the fun. He had not fully determined Artemis's character yet, either.
"Have you heard of the Spinners?"
Artemis shook his head. "Enlighten me."
As he spoke, Cercival soon arrived beside them, carrying a polished wooden platter with several painted ceramic cups, steaming hot. They were filled with red tea, Artemis's preference. Slightly sweet, tenderly bitter. Artemis took a cup from the platter, gesturing towards the two to do the same. However, seeing their hesitance, Artemis first took a sip from the cup.
August chuckled slightly and took one of the cups, gesturing for Gwennaude to do the same, before replying. "The Spinners are a certain type of arachnid that tends to lurk in larger ruins like these, particularly due to their massive size. They have thousands of legs, and are perhaps as large as two of you put together. They wrap ruins like these in thick blankets of cobwebs, and prefer to prey on wanderers rather than animals. I've been hearing rumours that there are such monsters lurking in these ruins, and came to eliminate them."
Of course, this was a partial truth. While he had heard of the Spinners lurking within the ruins of the City of Lingering Light, he could have left such matters to his Archknights, like Gwennaude. But because of his recent engagement with Artemis, he thought it the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
"Are you a monster hunter?"
August chuckled. "I suppose you could call me that. 'Wanderer' will always remain my preferred term. I… recently arrived home after returning from a long journey." His gaze had grown soft, contemplative. "But when I returned, trees had grown where there once were none, and homes had been burnt down, repaired, or built anew. Shops had closed, and gardens had wilted. It felt like the whole world I had memory of had moved on without me. Now, I often travel outside my home to clear my mind. Taking small tasks on like these are just positives I can do in the meanwhile."
"Charming." Artemis retorted, smiling slightly.
A joking man too… I like him more by the minute. August leaned on his hand.
"Then, I'll join you."
"Do you have the time for it?" August marveled. "I thought you said you had business in the capital. If you were looking to take the quickest route, wouldn't it be an urgent matter you have to attend to?"
Artemis shook his head.
"No, the person I would be keeping waiting probably only summoned me as part of a joke. Perhaps he'll even kill me the moment I get there, it's not something he should view as significant. "
August's brows furrowed. Is that how he views this matter? Why would I bother summoning him if I didn't have an interest in accepting his proposal? Does the perception of the 'Witch-King' foster this thought process? I would keep myself waiting too if that were the case…
"I would love if you joined me." August smiled genially. He gestured towards Gwennaude, who handed Artemis his blade, retrieving it promptly and sheathing it. "Of course, this is quite a dangerous beast. Are you sure you'll be up for the task after that fight? If you need to rest for a moment, we can wait."
"I've been through a lot more than this, I'll be alright. However, I fear that my attendant would slow us down."
August shook his head, chuckling. "No, we're in no hurry. Besides, the sight of such a fight might be an enamoring experience. Gwennaude can carry him on his back if it comes to it."
Gwennaude groaned, his eyebrow twitching.
"Then, it's settled. Let's go kill the Spinners."