Naren tilted his head as he watched Vera's expression contort. She looked like she was going to cry at first, then a glimmer of hope before it went to an even greater level of anguish.
"You think I'd forget what you did Shrimpy? Tryna run?"
Dione pat Vera's head while his gaze was still focused on Naren. Naren didn't know what business these guys had with Vera. Frankly speaking, he didn't care. Afterall, he found out his sister could very much be in Atlas.
"She's your friend? Sorry but we'll be borrowing her."
Naren's eyes stayed focus on Vera whose lips quivered. Then they focused on the rows of serpents, glistening in their pale translucent pattern.
Before he himself knew it, a pair of bare feet stood on the congregation of eels. Gazing down at the sitting Dione.
"Sorry, but she still owes me."
A playful look danced in Dione's eyes.
"Teleportation?"
"Whatever you want it to be."
A heavy punch came barreling from behind Dione, barely passing by Naren's ears. Naren weaved, grabbing Vera and jumping off the eels. Slinging her over his shoulder amidst her wriggling.
"Let me go Naren!"
Theron walked right through the rows of eels, sluggish and slow. Watching him close the distance, Naren pivoted over his left foot, digging a roundhouse kick right into Theron's waist.
Well it should've dug right in, instead it flowed straight through leaving Naren spinning like a top. In the midst of which Theron threw an elbow right at Naren's chest.
In the last second, Naren moved his shoulder right in front of the elbow. Unfortunately, it was his bad shoulder, sending a surge of pain through his whole arm as he fell back, throwing Vera off his shoulders.
In a kip up, Naren was back on his feet, holding onto his shoulder.
"You freak."
He weaved as he closed the distance, bobbing from left to right, and as soon as he was in front of Theron, threw a hook with his good hand. Once again it went right through, but this time Theron didn't give him the chance to spin. As soon as he rematerialized, Theron's knee was already driving into Naren's stomach.
Lurching back, Naren held his stomach, trying not to to let his insides spill out.
"You..Weasel.."
'I'm not dealing with him.'
He bit down hard, his eyes looking around for any escape route. Just as they did, he noticed Vera running in between them. The faint image of her doing the same in front of Cairo flashed by his eyes.
Vera grabbed onto Theron, blocking his path to Naren. She held her head down, as if not to let anyone see her expression.
"Naren...You don't have to come."
'I'm scared.'
"These guys are stronger. "
'They're scary.'
"They can definitely take me to Atlas."
'I don't want to go.'
THUD.
By the time Vera looked up, Theron's face was already smooshed in by Naren's knee flying through the air.
"Hah lookit Theron, he got one over you!"
Theron stumbled back, holding his face.
Naren landed, immediately grabbing Vera with his only good hand, pivoting off his left leg.
"Sorry shrimpy. I don't think I ever cared for what you had to say."
He made a run for it. Vera too stunned to even react to what happened.
"Now lookit! You're letting him get away, haha!"
Naren had no idea if Vera could move along reflections if he held onto her. He assumed any inanimate object would be just fine as his clothes transferred, but he never got a chance to try it with living things. Or rather, he never thought of it until it mattered now.
Luckily, Lastlight was built like a maze. Other than the open town square where the shopping district made it's nest, the rest of the city was an amalgamation of stairs and terraces layered atop one another.
Slipping into one of the closest corridors reaching a dead end, Naren dropped Vera on the ground. She landed softly but with a thump regardless.
"Ow what the-"
He crouched in front of her.
"Get on. I can't run holding you."
Vera hesitated before Naren used his good hand and pulled her onto his back.
"You're damn annoying."
He mounted over the wall, hearing the slippery flipping of eels getting closer. He had no way of knowing how close the bigger guy was though. His weird ability to phase through things didn't really leave any room for noise.
Jumping from one terrace to another, Vera's grip tightened. Her eyes were held shut as she mumbled: "Let me go."
Naren didn't know why, but it made him mad. Maybe because she was contradicting herself. But maybe not. For some reason Vera was making him really mad.
He turned his head back. Nothing. They weren't being followed by the phantom and the eels already sounded far enough away. But before he could turn back, he tripped over something, rolling while letting Vera go.
He rolled to his feet, panting. Vera right beside him, getting up. She threw a punch at his stomach, one of those kiddy hits that couldn't hurt no matter how much they tried.
"Why'd you do that?"
He didn't respond.
"You shoulda let them take me...You woulda gotten to Atlas anyways...It's not like I was even helpful."
"What a useless tour guide. I wish I didn't but..."
Vera looked up, her eyes trembling from holding back tears.
"I need you to take me to—"
Before he could finish his eyes were directed at one of the figures enjoying ice cream while sitting at a round table. A hooded figure in a dark brown cloak. Shadows wisping where their face would be. She looked right at Naren. Or at least that's what he thought, he couldn't tell without seeing her face.
"How is it that you find her every time?"
Naren shook his head mockingly. He already disliked her for mocking his scarf, but he hated how she talked. It took a considerable amount of energy to get even the slightest information from it.
"Where's that ice cream even go? Do you have a mouth?"
The hooded figure held out two fingers. Something about it just struck Naren the wrong way.
"You really think you can take on two of them?"
Vera turned to face the hooded figure as well.
"Who are you?"
The figure titled it's head, bowing.
"Hello prince. You're keeping me here by force you know."
"You're the shaman."
"You know this freak Shrimpy?"
Vera hesitated for a second, before shaking her head. But Naren couldn't help but find her familiar. Something about her, it was like he knew of her already.
He started putting everything off about her together. The two fingers she always waved. Something about that. Was it the fingers? Number? Why did it seem like it mattered? His face scrunched as he tried to reach for something just barely out of reach.
He ruffled his hair in frustration.
'This woman's such a problem.'
Woman. Wait how'd he know the figure was a girl. It's not like he ever saw her face through that hood. Well those two freaks were calling her princess. So that was probably when. Wait, even before that. Something was a dead give away of her gender.
His eyes widened as he titled his head. Cat like golden pupils sending a chill down Vera's spine. Similarly, even the hooded figure shuddered. A slight grin made it's way to Naren's face.
"You're the voice from yesterday."