Chapter 41: A New Mission
The door creaked loudly as it opened, and the old sign with the name Silver Moon shook from the force of the slam Eimy gave as she entered."We're here! And I brought a new guest."
Her voice echoed in the dim bar. No one seemed to pay attention except for five figures sitting to the right, around a table marked with a rusted number.
Each of the people at that table had their own peculiarity, although Richard could recognize most of their faces as if it were yesterday.Being present at that table was like reliving the memories of his last moments with his group. Each of them had some problem in their head, but they would not have become survivors if they hadn't had a few screws loose.
Eimy noticed the smile on his face."You know them?" she asked Richard.
Although there was a shade of annoyance in her tone. She had wanted to strike up a good conversation with him, and now her teammates seemed to appeal more to the newcomer than she did.Her beauty no longer drew the gazes of as many as it once had.
Her companions saw her and smiled nervously.That alcoholic woman had returned to her narcissistic ways. Though part of the reason she had never found a partner was because of that. Eimy was a headache.
Richard shook his head calmly.Though the smile on his face betrayed him, and his eyes drifted toward the two least noticeable people in the group.
A girl with pigtails, her face covered by a small hood, but those heterochromatic eyes could not be mistaken by Richard. Not after knowing that in reality they were contact lenses used to change the color of her eyes.At her side, another girl with the same outfit. The artillery twins. He had once trusted them with his life… and seeing them there sent a shiver through him.
Eimy broke the silence, forcing him to avert his gaze."Well, here's the new member of the group. Isn't he handsome? I always bring in fresh prey… not like that grumpy old man from the army."
She dropped into an empty chair. Then, as if suddenly remembering her purpose, she stood back up."One second… first I have to take our boy to the little alchemist genius that the leader keeps hidden."
She turned to her companions."Do you know where that old witch is, the one who's never around? I was told she went out this morning, but she should be back by now, right? Otherwise, I won't be able to meet with the alchemist."
One of the twins, without taking her eyes off Richard, pointed toward the back door."She went to her room. Said she had to prepare some things before meeting the alchemist."
Eimy grabbed her hands with excessive enthusiasm, trying to hug her, though the girl resisted with a cold expression."That's why you're my best friend…""I'm your only friend," she replied dryly.
After briefly chatting with the group, Richard and Eimy left through the back of the tavern. The hallway was empty; no one dared to pass through that area, for it led directly to the chamber of the supposed leader of Silver Moon.
Now that he thought about it, Richard realized he had never met him in person.Many had said that the previous leader of Silver Moon had a strange constitution and could not go out or he would be in danger. Others claimed that in reality he was an infected who had managed to maintain his humanity, and that was why he never appeared in public, or else he would be hunted down.
That doubt had always surrounded him, though as was known about public opinion, it was best not to believe it. Almost always one out of ten fragments of that information turned out to be true, and that was being generous.
Eimy's footsteps made Richard stop."Found you, little witch!"
In front of them appeared an unexpected figure: a small girl, with hair cascading down her back and silver eyes that recalled the ancient moon in a clear sky.Her small frame made her look like an elementary school child, something that made no sense unless she had some strange condition. Because Richard could feel the amount of energy stored in her body, and it was not little — compared to an average Awakened, it was almost double, even rivaling what Eimy possessed.
Both were Awakened at the maximum threshold of humanity. Did evolving now mean shrinking instead of growing? Although it was more likely that she was the daughter of the Silver Moon leader. However, no memory of strong women with those traits matched.
The girl met his gaze coldly, catching his analysis. Her lips curved into a gesture of contempt."You'd better not think anything rude about me…"
She crossed her arms, lifting her chin with authority."I am the leader of Silver Moon. And you better not make fun of my height."
An awkward silence fell over them.
Eimy was the first to break it."Stop bothering him already. Richard, she really is the leader of Silver Moon. As you can see… she ended up trapped in that body after awakening."
To her annoyance, Eimy lifted her into her arms as if she were a doll."We believe it has to do with her talent, although neither she nor we know how to reverse it. But don't be fooled… she's actually in her forties."
She tried to whisper the last part, but the girl heard it perfectly."Hey!"
The stomp of her small feet boomed like thunder. The ground sank beneath them, forming a crater as large as an explosion.
An instant later, the little leader took a deep breath, and in a lower voice she murmured:"Forgive me… I got carried away."
* * * *
With that last conversation, the day had come to an end, and like a poorly calibrated clock, time had flown by in the blink of an eye. Richard now found himself in the guest room.
Although it looked more like a dungeon than a guest chamber, the entire place was reinforced with high-resistance steel, proof against blows, with several folds adding to its thickness.
Ever since Eimy had left with the little leader of Silver Moon, he had been abandoned in that room for the rest of the day until sunrise. Even though he could leave without trouble, he needed Silver Moon's help for what he had in mind.
From what he had seen in the tavern, some carried the scent of tombs — that same rancid smell he had found when he had delved into what seemed to be Isolda's memories. A stench mixed with traces of necroplasmic energy.And that creature at the end of the abyss…
Richard grabbed one of the hard pillows from the cot."It's better to stop thinking about so many things…"He lay back on the bed again.
But peace didn't last.
Isolda emerged beside him, her tiny translucent silhouette floating in the air."At last…" she complained with annoyance. "It was torture spending the whole day trapped inside those daggers."
Her eyes scanned every corner of the room, searching for any strange trace that might indicate they were being watched. Only when she was convinced there was nothing did she release a sigh and place a hand on her chest."I thought for a moment that my impulse had been a mistake… but it seems it wasn't, so there's no problem."
She raised her hands, floating calmly, when the flutter of wings interrupted the scene.
Luna burst in through a small passage in the wall — an access Richard had prepared so the bird could slip out to spy and gather information. The lively rhythm of her wings was enough to show she was bringing news.
The crow perched on his shoulder, its claws digging lightly into the fabric of his uniform."It seems the alchemist is in bad condition…" she croaked. "I saw that his awakening suffered a delay, something similar to what was believed to have happened to Emma. Although… from what he discovered, there exists a brew capable of stabilizing it. But to prepare it, they will need to obtain a Lunar Dew flower."
The crow used her small talons to draw on the paper what she had seen."From what I saw in the book, it looks something like this."
What the crow had drawn was etched into his vision; it lacked color, but it was clear enough to understand what the flower looked like.
However, obtaining a flower that had mutated beyond its common form meant venturing into one of the forbidden zones — and the closest one they could reach…
"When will they depart?" Richard asked, his voice grave.
Luna looked at him with doubt before answering."You're not thinking of going, are you? You know as well as I do that mission is suicide. Even they know it… that's where a Leader-type creature was born."
Richard stared at her, his shock plain in every expression on his face."Wait… how is it possible that there are already Leader-type infected?"
That was the same level of intelligence the leech matriarch had possessed — able to control, in some cases, like the matriarch, or form massive hordes. Everything depended on the trait that particular leader carried.
"This was going to get complicated…"