I flop on my bed, I got a ton of soul shards by selling all that. Healer gets half of course but I don't need them so I don't really care too much. I think I'll go for a blood fiend next. Maybe I'll get healer to ask about fire-based nightmare creatures for me.
"■■■■"
I look up
"yeah?"
She sighs
"I swear to god, you only made it worse. Did you even try to get rid of that stupid reputation?!"
I stare at her
"I thought it would be something important and no i didn't really try, I get left alone because of it"
she mutters to herself grabbing her share of the soul shards "at least your honest"
"why would I lie? You already know I wasn't trying"
She shakes her head slowly.
"I swear.... anyway those 3 are new, it's been months since the winter solstice they survived in the labyrinth all that time, it's insane"
I nod and promptly tune her out as she rants about it while cooking some of the demons meat. I'll have to find a lone blood fiend, it won't be too hard. After a few minutes healer flicks me on the head.
"Hey idiot pay attention, I was talking. Stop ignoring me"
I scoff
"Don't you scoff at me, stop ignoring me. Maybe I'll take my soul shards and go live in the castle."
"I would like to apologize healer"
I put my hands up trying to seem apologetic. She shakes her head as she hands me a bowl of soup.
About a week later I'm dragging a dead blood fiend with me on an ice sled when I see healer talking with those three from that night. I'm not sure why they're at my hovel. I walk over still dragging the ice sled.
"What's happening here? I hope you all aren't trying to steal my healer"
They all look over at me, the new group looks at the blood fiend.
"So it's true you are rather strong. I'd like you to join my cohort"
The white-haired one says it like that's a normal thing to randomly say to someone. Didn't I say something like that? The other two look at her dumbfounded and so does healer.
"No, I'm doing well on my own"
She gets this weird look in her eyes
"Do I have to prove my cohort's strength to you? Because I'm quite sure I can prove our strength to you"
I tilt my head
"Yeah sure prove it later or something"
The girl narrows her eyes and leaves the blonde one follows near instantly. The black haired boy tilts his head looking at the blood fiend, he then looks back at me and slinks away following his companions.
"So did they try to hire you because I'm sure I give a better deal"
In like a day healer comes back into the hovel with a frazzled expression.
"■■■■ that girl you blew off is the last daughter of the immortal flame clan Nephis, she has a true name, changing star!"
I stare at her with only mild interest, I have a true name but I'm not some legacy
"Don't look at me like that. She just killed a hunter in one hit, one god damn hit"
"really? She's pretty strong then."
Healer stares at me dumbfounded yet again.
"I can't with you."
I stare at her unimpressed. I hear someone knocking at the door. I get up walking to the door, and as I open it I see that girl, Nephis as healer called her.
"I killed one of Gunlaug's hunters, that's proof enough that I'm strong isn't it?"
I shrug and nod
"Sure that proves you're pretty strong. So when are you going to hunt?"
She nods
"Tomorrow in the morning"
I huff
"I just got back from a hunt. Well, I guess another one won't hurt. Which hovel did you pick I'll meet you there."
Nephis keeps a calm and composed expression
"the big one at the end of the outersettlement."
I nod and I close the door. I walk over and I flop on my bed.
"HEH?????"
I look over at healer who's staring at me with an expression of dumbfounded shock.
"What?"
She points at me
"You just joined her cohort!!! The cohort of immortal flame!!!"
I shrug
"That is what happened. If you're worried that I'm going to fire you don't be"
She stares at me with an expression I can't quite understand.
"You're truly hopeless."
I pull my blanket over myself falling asleep pretty quickly as healer mutters to herself.
I appear in the morning, apparently, Effie had also joined their weird little cohort. Some other guy, from the same year as these a legacy as I've been told, just walks up and decides to join.
We get to walking, Nephis is going to be the bait while that legacy kid is going to help attack. The black haired one, sun something, is to jump in if anything goes wrong but it doesn't.
I stick around, sun something, as he seems like the type to lie a lot and it's harder to get attached to someone like that. I drag the body with me on an ice sled.
"So, it's been a while since the winter solstice and you just now got to the city, what's up with that?"
He smirks, he looks in a kinda little dastardly way
"Oh us? Well, we fought awakened beasts, monsters, and even a demon one time. We sailed across the black sea, we even slept on a statue of a long-dead hero"
I look him over
"really."
"Really really"
"and I killed a fallen demon"
He stares at me clearly not believing me, then he laughs
"and I killed a great devil"
he's a funny one I'll admit that. I notice the blonde one, Cass, turning her head between us she mutters something about there being 2.
"In my first nightmare I killed an awakened tyrant"
He smirks like he beat me
"Really? So did I"
We stare at each other like the world's worst and weirdest standoff.
"Well, I did it just by spitting"
I let out a comical scoff
"I did it by putting on a crown"
We look at each other over.
"Pfft"
I laugh a bit, he's definitely a funny one that's for sure. Nephis speaks up after giving Effie her cut of the meat
"I'd like your shares of the meat"
I raise my eyebrow, the legacy boy, who I refuse to learn the name of, and Cass agree near instantly sunny gets a suspicious look before agreeing.
"Sure but every week I'll be going on a solo hunt."
The group looks at me with odd expressions. I have to keep hunting to keep healer employed.
"What? I'll just be doing what I've been doing for the last 2 years"
Nephis understanding, not sure what she thinks she's understanding. When we get to the cohorts' little house. I keep my helmet on, my old cohort and healer always say I make weird expressions so I mostly keep it on while not in my hovel. Nephis declares she won't be selling the meat, she'll be giving it away. That's a really weird thing to do but if she wants to then it's her problem.
I walk away, that sunny guy seems fun. I walk into my hovel and I flop onto my bed desummoning my armor. Healer looks at me hesitantly
"So how did it go?"
I tilt my head
"It went well I didn't even have to do anything, it was mostly Nephis and that legacy who fought. That sun guy was funny though"
She nods looking around
"You didn't get anything out of it?"
I look up from sketching
"their giving out free meat"
She stares at me then she leaves in a rush always try frugal type. I go back to drawing, its not like i have anything better to do.
We go on hunts every other day, I don't do too much except help with the scouting and navigation. Although my reputation seems to only get worse. Healer has moved the memory cooking pot to the changing stars' house. For reasons that I don't know and don't care to. It's been about a week so far. That's when a demon attacks the outersettlement me, Sunny, Nephis, and Legacy fight it off, but we all just quite a few injuries.
I summon some ice bandages over my wounds as I sit down next to Sunny.
"damn this was harder than the first time I fought a demon. I didn't get any prep and I didn't have the type advantage"
he looks over and raises an eyebrow
"Type advantage?"
"Yeah it had fire and I have ice"
he nods then looks back at me.
"I'm glad me, you and Nephis survived."
He stares at me
"no cas-"
"I don't like him, he seems pompous to me"
Sunny nods like it's some sage wisdom "I look at him dropping to a whisper
"You know what I think?"
He shakes his head
"I think there's actually Supremes, and I think they're ruling the world. Probably the leaders of the great clans. You know with how powerful those clans are"
I probably sound insane but eh who cares
"...why do you think that"
I look over squinting
"Think about it, why haven't they been dethroned? It's because they have a supreme that's why. Also think about it, I've heard that valor and song have great echos, both having them? I put my money on a supreme"
I nod to myself quite proud. Rumors aren't very credible but all have a underlying truth even if its the thoughts of the one spreading the rumors
"Yeah okay ■■■■"
It's been like a month since I started hunting with them, I've gone on a few solo hunts. This time we're going on a large hunt, I'm not helping with the planning, because I'd rather not. Sunny knocks on my door
"Hey sun is the hunt finally starting?"
"Yeah, it is"
I walk next to him.
"You know what I think?"
I look over at me raising an eyebrow smirking
"No, what is it this time?"
"I think one of the gods made the nightmare spell, no a deamon. Think about it"
he blinks at me
"So which one?"
"I'm not sure yet, maybe the oldest, that one's probably the strongest. Can't be a god, none of their domains fit the spell, maybe death but it would make more sense if it was a deamon"
He's clearly trying not to laugh
"Really, do you even know which ones is the oldest?"
I look away
"I don't think that matters"
I hear him cracking up
"You know what I think?"
I look over confused
"that's my line and no I do not."
A sudden sound rings out, me and effie put our hands up at once. Everything is still for a few seconds then I jump to the side as effie says
"scatter!"
Most everyone gets away. A spire messenger lands down killing a few hunters. Out of everything that could have appeared it had to be a spire messenger? God damn it. I summon my daggers, we have to fight the damn thing as it could easily follow us.
We attack, i freeze its legs and wings, it doesn't hurt the thing but it slows its attack down. I duck under a swipe grabbing a hunter that was going to be hit. I trip it using the silk thread causing it to miss another hunter, although its almost broken so I desummon it. I active my boots flying over another attack, I do take a hit on the arm but its minor compared to what could have happened.
It ends with effie using a spear to hurt the damned thing. It screams grabbing the dead, flying off. I look effie over, she says something about a broken arm. I walk over standing next to sunny, he seems shell shocked or like he figured something devastating out.
I pat his shoulder, he flinches looking at me then he looks away with a grimace. Your first time facing a fallen nightmare creature is never fun.
When we get back im sitting on their roof my helmet still on, have they even seen my face? Maybe not, I doubt its that important.
Sunny had left with some guy earlier so I dont have anyone to talk to. I sit on the roof, a bit bored. I probably should have summoned my echo, what does turning an echo to ice even mean?
I might try it, the divine flame does clash pretty bad with my aspect so I should try. I see sunny leaving after talking to Cass, I jump down landing pretty close to the guy. He looks at me kinda frazzled
"Hey sun I've got something for you"
I grab his hand transferring a fire memory, its useless to me and I like the guy so why not. He stares at me as i let go and walk away
"don't do anything stupid now sun"
I do finger guns as I leave.
I go to my hovel. Healer sitting there, i lift my arm which had been cut pretty badly during the fight. She walks over with a scoff
"I can't believe you. ■■■■ you don't even get anything out of the hunts why do you keep going on them? Even then you keep getting injured like a idiot!"
She keeps scolding me for getting hurt in the hunt. I summon the priest's notebook handing it to her. She looks it over nodding
"pretty good pretty good. Your definitely getting better at art."
I desummon it as well as my armor as I flop on my bed.
"You know ■■■■ when your in the armor you look all imposing but without it you look like a dork."
I sit up reach back and I throw it at her face, I grab the pillow as it falls. I stay laying down
"You little- stop smiling like your proud of yourself" she sounds quite pissed.
Later at night it pull up my runes intending to try turning that echo into ice.
True Name: heat seeker
Rank: Dreamer.
Soul Core: Dormant.
Ice Fragments: [429/1000]
Memories: [Armor of Ash] [Snow and Ash Daggers] [priest's notebook] [silk thread] [silver cutlass] [feather boots] [blood drinker] [stone shield] [rusty halberd]
Echoes: [flame of the divine]
Attributes: [Crown of Snow], [Mark of Divinity], [True Cold] [Being of Cold]
Aspect: [Child of Cold].
Aspect Rank: [divine.]
Aspect ability: [frozen over]
Aspect Ability Description: [All you touch is turned to ice it is capable of great destruction and great creation]
Aspect Description: [You are the child of a law of this world, of the cold left behind by the death of a god. You long for heat for warmth yet never will you find it. You take the heat from the world yet stay as cold as the grave.]
I focus on my echo
Echo: [flame of the divine]
Echo type: demon
Echo attributes: [burning flame] [consuming fire] [heat sense]
Echo description: [a small piece of flame from a being killed broke off becoming this flame]
[Transform echo to ice?]
"Yeah turn it to ice."
I watch as ice covers the light representing my echo it slowly cracks, the light going from white to a pale blue looking pretty cold. I look at the echo- it went from fire like red, oranges, yellow and black to light blue, teal, some light purple and white. Im about to desummon my runes when I see
Ice Fragments: [229/1000]
I stare at it slowly blinking then I sit up quite fast
"HEH????"