Archers left its stealthy spot on the bank, pushing its covering of leaves and dirt off to stand alongside Red's two guardian skeletons.
Asra watched patiently as Jay carried out his plans, not raising a questioning brow or even shaking her head. She didn't look worried, and it seemed she trusted him. Since losing trust in so many people, Jay thought trust was quite valuable, so it was quite flattering that someone would dare to trust him, and he would not hurt that trust by treating it cheaply like so many others did with his.
Jay nodded at Archers as it stood by their side, and it nodded back.
(Archers, nod at Asra too.)
Asra was in pain, but Jay thought he saw the hint of a curled lip behind her aching frown when it nodded at her.
Is she growing fond of the skeletons? He briefly thought, having more pressing matters to deal with.
The swamp woman was still pinned down by his skeletons, and had been for a while now.
She's either beginning to calm down or accept her fate, but I don't want to make her more crazy than she already is.
Jay could only just see her thick body through the fog with his own eyes. It was hard to tell after looking through the black-white shade vision, but her skin had a healthy sprinkling of pigmentation, and was both pale white or stained black from the swamp, there was hardly any color to it at all. If not for her hulking size, she would seem sickly and frail.
Jay made sure that Blue covered Hegatha's eyes so she couldn't see him. As for the leaves she controlled, they had stopped trying to lift the skeletons and were floating over the swamp waters - not protecting her, threatening the skeletons or Jay.
Odd, she's not using them for either defense or attack?
He called out to the swamp woman "You asked before if I escaped? Escape what - you? And who do you think may have sent me?"
"Just kill me, fiend!"
Fiend, does she think I'm a monster? Hmm… I suppose I can't blame her, Jay glanced at his skeletons.
The woman was quiet, ready to accept her death.
"Listen, I'll let you analyze me to prove I'm human, but if anything weird happens, my skeletons will drag you into the water and disassemble you. I imagine whatever is lurking down there will immediately smell your blood and finish the job."
Jay slowly walked closer, taking the risk, he held his hand behind his back. In between his fingers were three teeth, each of them beginning to tremble with necrotic energy.
Three unstable teeth spells were brewing.
(Blue, uncover her eyes.)
Jay slowly went closer, using his analyze skill repeatedly until he was close enough to get a notification.
[Hegatha - Level 27]
[HP - 100%]
[MP - 0%]
She gazed back, watching the approaching shadow with widened eyes, breathing faster, until finally, Jay was close enough to analyze too.
[Bob - Level 4]
[HP - 100%]
[MP - 34%]
Her fists relaxed, releasing the dirt, as she saw that Jay was truly human.
Instead, she raised a brow, how could he be controlling skeletons? Skeletons that were a much higher level than him?
She closed her eyes for a moment letting out a sigh, as she was not about to be finished off and killed, and while an intruding human in her territory was not a welcome sight, it was better than the alternative.
Meanwhile this human was only level four, and had the nerve to question her.
"What do you want?" She glared at Jay.
"I already told you. My friend needs help. The fires attacked her with an unknown fire, can you fix it?"
"No. The damage is permanent." She spat.
Fuck. Well it sucks to be Asra… I guess I'll have to ditch her since she will just be a hindrance… though she has been kind enough, so maybe I'll get a skeleton to carry her home… if she can offer me something valuable, Jay thought.
The swamp woman grunted and pushed her head up slightly, "Well? Are you going to leave now?"
Jay glanced at Blue, and the skeleton knew what Jay wanted. It grabbed the back of her head and pushed it back into the ground.
"What do you know about the lights in the fog? And is the fog your doing?"
"Nothing, and no." She huffed.
How could she not know? I don't even need to use my liar's blood skill to smell such obvious bullshit, Jay thought.
< [Deceiver's Scent] >
[Blood carries the stench of lies]
She just doesn't want to help me… I wonder if these little amber balls will change her mind?
Jay still had the amber sphere that the skeletons had brought him, but he didn't need to risk bringing it closer to show her.
(Sweeper.) Jay ordered his skeleton near, giving it a few commands.
The skeleton dashed over and carefully grabbed the translucent sphere from Jay, delicately holding it in the tips of its bone fingers.
Sweeper took the sphere over to the woman, and Blue let her head up slightly so she could see.
Sweeper held it before her eyes. Even in the dark fog the amber sphere had a subtle shine to it, like it was tempting her with a gleaming wink.
Jay didn't say anything as he watched her mouth open wide. He thought she looked confused, but waited for her to speak. He wanted her to admit her lies as much as he wanted her to help Asra, but for some people, the former was much harder than the latter.
The harmless amber sphere seemed to make the woman as excited as she was deranged; she was licking her lips with widened eyes.
"That's mine!" she yelled, breathing faster as her eyes stuck to it, pushing her head up and trying to push off the skeletons again.
(Sweeper, bring it back. But bring it back slowly.) Jay smiled cunningly.
"Wait! I can help your friend, just give me that!" she called, fighting against Blue's skeletal hand on the back of her skull.
She sounds so desparate… Jay thought, seeing her pleading.
"I thought you couldn't help? Also, I think you know where I got this from…" Jay lied.
He didn't know where the skeletons plucked this tiny sphere from, but he guessed it was loot from one of the lights.
The woman puffed, "I'll help. I just need more of those… bring me those and I'll fix her."
The sentient leaves she controlled slowly began to move, but instead of returning to the woman or the skeletons, they went back to her rotting house, filling in the holes in the walls once more.
"I'll make a deal with you. You help my friend, and I'll bring you more of these. But let's talk terms - how long will it take you to fix their un-healing wound?"
Jay, as distrustful as he should be, believed this swamp woman would probably heal a part of Asra's wound, and then keep Jay gathering these odd little amber spheres for much longer than he ought to.
And, she seemed annoyed by the question as she angrily grunted.
"Let me see the wound first." She called.
Jay snapped his fingers, and Red brought Asra closer, closer than Jay was standing. In Red's arms, Asra was about five yards away from the swamp woman.
It was close enough for the woman to use dangerous magic, but Jay didn't mind, as he wasn't the one in Red's arms.
Besides, Asra could use her vampiric compulsion to control the woman, but as she got closer, she didnt.
Asra had been listening, and held her leg up to show the woman.
Jay noticed the small detail. So, it seems that Asra can only use it on one person? He thought.
The flame wound was a small patch on the back of her lower leg. Only a lick of flame had brushed past her skin, but because of the foreign, otherworldly mana, it was enough to cause excruciating pain.
"Hmm… a few weeks."
Jay scoffed, "A few weeks…"
She's lying again. Jay passed Sweeper his needle of hunger.
(Use the side which makes them feel full.) Jay winked.
The skeleton took the needle, dashed over and pricked the woman's ankle, drawing some blood.
The woman didn't even react to the needle. She probably thought it was just another swamp bug getting an easy meal, and was used to random stings and feeding probes.
"A few weeks, huh?" Jay called.
"Yes." She lied again.
Sweeper brought the bloody needle back, and before he even brought it close to his nose he smelt a stench which even made the swamp smell like a perfumed palace.
"Don't lie to me again." Jay said, his face still twisted in disgust, "This is your only warning."
The woman's eyes widened as her brows furrowed. Her lies, her deception, was all she had left to bargain with.
"A few days." She grunted bitterly.
"Good. And how many of these do you need to heal her?"
"None."
Jay grinned broadly, but he didn't let the woman see.
So she needs none? This fucking liar… but I suppose I am somewhat of a liar myself. Neither of them know my real name after all.
"So, you want these as payment?"
"Yes… I want.. I need every single one of them."
"Why?"
"It's not for you to know."
"What?"
"You won't understand. Just get me as many as you can, or you'll regret it some day."
Jay couldn't smell any rancid smell of blood. She was telling the truth.
While he didn't want to believe her cunning words, he had to.
The blood didn't lie.
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