Shattered Moonstone

Eryl rubbed her temples as sat leaning against a tree. The rising of the sun through the trees caused her no small amount of annoyance as she realized the entire night had been wasted trying to explain to Astari that no one in the crew would have been capable of attacking someone and leaving them comatose. The Elven elder was thankfully a reasonable man, though his guards around the town were clearly much more, for lack of a better word, hostile towards the human visitors. 

She let out a sigh, “Why am I so tired?” She couldn’t help but shake her head as she muttered the words. Her, Eryl, the administrator of the world system, someone who has stood between raging gods and devils, has had a hand in deciding the outcome of the entire world; tired over a tiny insignificant racial spat between an elven settlement and a crew of human pirates. 

But that’s not it is it? She thought back over the last few weeks of her life, the real reason for her sudden lethargy. Ever since that night, Hecatolite’s bright red eyes flashed through her mind, bringing with them a torrent of emotions along with a deep unease that settled into her. 

Ever since Hecatolite drunkenly staggered up to her, spoke to her in her lust filled haze, Eryl has felt… more. All of her emotions felt stronger, harder to control, as if she was feeling them for the first time.

“Eryl.” A voice called out to her.

Eryl opened her eyes, only then realizing she had fallen asleep as the blurry image of someone crouching over her filled her sight. Blinking several times, Himari came into focus. 

Eryl let out an unbecoming groan as she sat up, “Himari?” 

Not wasting any time Himari nodded to her, “Sorry for waking you, but we need to talk.” 

Eryl nodded, quickly situating herself as the younger woman sat beside her. She scanned the area, looking for any signs of anyone else; noticing the two of them were indeed alone Eryl sighed. Dozing off this close to the forest by myself. It's like I’m asking to get attacked. She thought, realizing that she was on the very edge of town, the tree she had been leaning against marked the absolute border between the buildings and the untamed forest. 

She didn’t voice her thoughts but she did wonder why she, a homunculus that did not in fact need to sleep, would have fallen asleep without intending to do so? But one glance at the nervous Himari made her file that away for later. “What would you like to speak to me about?”

“Well…” Himari fiddled with her cane that now sat in her lap, “its Hecatolite.”

Eryl fought back the sigh, “What has she done now?”

“Nothing…. yet.” Himari took a deep breath, Eryl assumed she was just trying to think of a way to tell her without triggering the system.

I really was too restrictive with the protocol. I will have to rework it once I can get back into the system. she thought as she waited for Himari to think.

“Hecatolite is currently roughly 24 miles north west of here, across a small river in a grove of oak trees.” Eryl was stunned, how could she tell her Hecatolite’s exact location like that? Why was she? “She is currently safe; she isn’t actually doing anything right at this moment but… Eryl I would like you to go retrieve her; preferably as quickly as you can.”

Eryl felt her ears droop as she narrowed her eyes, “Himari, what exactly is going on? Did you find some kind of work around to my protocol?” She clenched her fist as she eyed Himari.

Eryl had known Himari was intelligent, the longer she spent with her the more Eryl found herself agreeing that Himari was the best choice for the position of admin in her absence. But even then, she was a novice in system operations, there should be no way that she actually found a way around the safeties without rewriting a large portion of the system… yet she just told me the exact location of someone. Someone she has no way of tracking herself, the only explanation is the systems intervention. And even if she did find a work around, why tell me?

“In a sense yes, but only pertaining to Hecatolite. Which is why I cannot share exactly why, just know the sooner we get her back her the sooner we can start piecing together what happened last night. I cannot be sure but Hecatolite is the only explanation I can come up with to what happened to Tiniaka, as to what she did, I am unsure.” Himari appeared to be speaking calmly, yet Eryl noticed the young woman would not meet her gaze; instead opting to look into the forest. 

“Yes, but why tell me? Why not Amethyst, she would be more suited for retrieving her sister, would she not?” Eryl was caught off guard as Himari chuckled. 

“Eryl,” Himari shook her head, finally looking at Eryl with a slight smile. “Amethyst is in no state to get Hecatolite, she’s scared of her own shadow and you want me to send her into the forest? She wouldn’t even make it to Hecatolite before having a breakdown of her own.” Himari tapped her cane, “and it would take far too long for me to go myself.” 

Eryl’s ears twitched, a strange self-consciousness coming over her as their eyes met. “I don’t see why that means I should go myself. Do not forget, Himari, though I am not the acting administrator I am still this world's primary admin. Neither you nor I should not be getting this involved in the happenings of this world…”

Himari shook her head, “You really can’t see why I would ask you?” Eryl raised a questioning eyebrow, even Himari admitting it was rather cute the way her ear mirrored it as it rose. “Hecatolite trusts you. She will listen to you, if anyone else goes I doubt they will be able to convince her to return without risking an altercation with the elven guard.” Himari sighed, “The only reason Hecatolite isn’t currently rampaging through the forest is because she doesn’t want to upset you. Eryl, Hecatolite truly cares for…” Himari paused as she noticed something odd. Eryl’s ears were a bright red, and wagging slightly; it was a truly odd sight given the woman’s expression hadn’t changed at all. 

Eryl could feel her pulse racing as Himari spoke. A strange warmth blossoming in her chest causing her confusion. Why would Hecatolite trusting her make her feel… Eryl tried to suppress the emotion building in her as she tried to think of Hecatolite.

Sure, Hecatolite was clearly a very special soul. Not only was she powerful but hyper intelligent as well. She has shown to be abnormally caring in her own way, and despite her lack of control over her own power, she has shown absolutely no desire to abuse it. 

On the other hand, she was excessively childish, her carefree demeanor was unbecoming of someone with her raw destructive potential. The fact she can, and has, destroyed multiple souls in her world is a testament to how dangerous she is. 

Even then, Hecatolite had always been… kind to Eryl. Sure, she was annoying, and rude at times, but she has never actually opposed Eryl. She always seemed so happy to talk, and even listened to her without question. Eryl had even started to enjoy their conversations while Hecatolite was in the egg. She genuinely looked forward to them; the girl’s carefree attitude making their talks overall pleasant in the end. Not only that she had given her life to try and save Eryl; sure, Eryl still didn’t believe she was in any real danger aside from losing a couple hundred years, but the fact Hecatolite died for her.

Something in Eryl’s mind pushed against her as she bounced between endearing thoughts and annoyance. She couldn’t lie, Hecatolite’s trust made Eryl… happy, that the insane little woman held her in high regard… but Hecatolite was simply too dangerous, she was unpredictable… 

After a moment she finally landed on a single thought, she is too dangerous to leave unattended. It’s my duty to keep an eye on her. Eryl nodded, “Yes, I see what you mean. Keeping Hecatolite contained while tensions are high would be for the best.”

Himari couldn’t help the sigh that came from her as Eryl stood up. “Yea, that.” Eryl couldn’t hear the odd emotion in Himari’s voice as the elven woman turned towards the tree. “Directly north?”

“Head north west, once you cross the small river veer north and you shouldn’t miss her. If she starts moving just look for…” Himari flinched as she tried to tell Eryl about the soul of the forest that Hecatolite was currently talking with. After a minute she finally said, “Just remember that Hecatolite is wearing mage bane. Just look for the lack of magic around her.” She grumbled holding her head.

Eryl shook her head, “Himari, if I could have used any form of location magic to find her I would have already. But we are in the great forest, I doubt even I could filter out all the mana signatures without the help of the system, that’s if it didn’t blind me.” She sighed, “I doubt Hecatolite is being subtle. I should be able to track her if I get close enough. I’ll find her.” She said before walking into the trees.

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30.1

Himari watched Eryl go, the tall elven woman disappearing into the tree line leaving her sitting there alone. I really hope she comes back fast. She thought, realizing that Eryl was the only person who could speak both elven and Solresol fluently.

Mother Himari, I must inquire as to why you decided on this course of action?

Himari shook her head, Honestly Babylon. I am not sure myself. Himari had intended on telling Eryl about Hecatolite, without Overseer here to stop her she could finally tell Eryl exactly what Hecatolite was, but when it came time to she hesitated. 

Himari had prepared herself for Eryl to try and oppose Hecatolite, to try and remove her from the world while she had the opportunity but… Hecatolite had not actually done anything wrong? Sure she is dangerous, a world eater… no, she was dangerous. 

Thoughts of Hecatolite playfully flirting with Eryl, seeing the “monster” joke and push her sister around; or watching as she gently cared for Saris. The young girl shouting and laughing as she ran around the ship, swearing at sailors and needing to be told not to eat parts of the railing when she was upset… Hecatolite at one point may have been a monster, but now; now she’s just… Well, Hecatolite.

An image of Amethyst curled up on the floor of an abandoned house flashed in her mind, the young woman was crushed just being away from her sister. Himari’s chest tightened as she thought about Amethyst. How would she react if Hecatolite was… She shuddered, abandoning the thought before it could finish. 

I guess you could just say it’s my job to watch over all the souls of this world Babylon, and Hecatolite… Well, she’s a soul. A dangerous, obnoxious, rude soul. But a soul nonetheless. Himari slowly got to her feet, “I should go let Amethyst know Eryl has gone to get Hecatolite. Maybe that will cheer her up.” 

Himari hated to admit it, but Hecatolite being away even for a single night had made this amazing world full of magic and wonder seem… kind of dull. “It's just too quiet when she’s not around.”

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30.2

Hecatolite’s tail thumped against the ground as she glared at the creature before her. The unmoving giant that just stood pointing to the east as it emitted a feeling of safety. 

“I told you, I'm not going that way!” She yelled, turning only to be stopped by a wall of vines. she let out a low growl as she stomped her foot. 

It had not taken her long to find out that the “vines” stopped her whenever she tried to go any direction other than the one the creature pointed to, not that it was a great mystery. “Listen you overgrown fern, I’m getting really annoyed by your bullshit.” she jabbed her finger into its chest again, “You need to either start making sense or get out of my way. Understand?”  

The giant did not move, nor did it reply. not that she actually expected it to, Well they can't say i didn’t try at least. she thought, cracking her fingers as her tiny claws began to form.

She had already thought about attacking the giant man made of vines, having determined that IRIS would likely not do much damage she decided to try and slash it with her claws; if that didn't work she’d pull the rod out of her bag and use some good old blunt force to break all his twigs.

Just as she pulled her arm back her stomach growled, the loud rumbling filling the silent air leaving the two of them just standing there… “I… Well, I didn't get a chance to hunt because of you!” she yelled, kicking the thing's leg. 

In truth Hecatolite didn't see any reason to attack the thing, sure it was annoying; but in the end it was just just “annoying”. It really hasn’t done anything to her, and she didn't think it was a threat to her or her crew so attacking it was probably… pointless. Not to mention the damn thing is made out of sticks, I bet it can probably just regrow itself… She narrowed her eyes as she looked into the tangled mass of vines that made up the creature's body. 

She couldn't explain why she thought that, why the whispers in her mind snickered at her every time she thought about just attacking the creature; but her gut told her that it wouldn't be as simple as just breaking its legs and walking away. 

She grumbled as she glanced around the clearing, “I want to hunt. Or are you going to keep spooking all the animals around here?”

The creature didn't say anything, but it did move. Its massive arm swung towards her, and despite knowing it wasnt attacking her she still stepped back, her tail slapping against its arm in a warning as it pointed to the bag on her hip. One of its massive tallion-like claws gently poking the bag. 

Hecatolite rolled her eyes, “All I have in there are berries and honey, I want meat.” She growled, “Some actual food.”

She couldn't be sure, but she felt that if it could, the creature would have sighed as it pulled its arm back. Its massive shoulders slumped as it rested its hands on the ground, its pure white skull tilting to one side as it looked into the trees.

After a moment Hecatolite saw a flash of movement, she let out a small yelp as something jumped out of the trees and thudded into the ground before her. “Is that… a bunny?” She asked, looking down at the horned rabbit that just sat there, looking up at her. “Where the fuck did that come from?” she asked, looking around.

She knew horned rabbits moved around in small packs, and were typically suicidally violent… yet this one was… well alone, and just sitting there. “Wait a second,” she hissed, poking the bunny with her toe. “What did you do to it?” she asked, picking the small fuzzy creature up, being sure to point its horn away from herself as she did.

The bunny was… offensively soft. She found herself unable to stop from petting it as she glared at the massive creature beside her. “I can't eat this, you know.” She said stroking the bunny rabbit.  

The creature cocked its head, the sudden feeling of confusion disturbing the rabbit in her arms though it did not try to run. “See, it's just sitting there!” 

Hecatolite couldn't explain why but something about eating the defenseless rabbit felt… off to her. She knew she “could” just eat it, and in fact would probably even enjoy it; the rabbits from home were actually really good. But this one… something was strange about it. the fact it was just sitting there, letting her hold it…

Then it clicked, something in the back of her mind, like a puzzle piece sliding into place it suddenly made sense to her… kind of. “Hey, you didn't mind control this bunny did you?” She hissed, slapping the creature with her tail, “You can't do that! it needs to have a chance you know! To be able to run, or fight! You can't just strip something of its free will like that!” She nearly screamed as she started slashing at the bush-like creature, ripping more than a few vines out of one of its arms.

The creature for its part seemed… unbothered by her attacks, despite her nearly severing its arm it just continued to look down at her. 

Almost to answer her the bunny went absolutely ballistic in her arms, its tiny nails ripping into her skin as it struggled to get free. Surprised, she dropped it, and it shot off into the forest; vanishing in the underbrush leaving the two of them standing in silence as Hecatolite glared at the creature whose arm was regowing as they stood.

Hecatolite chewed the inside of her lip, watching the creature warily. Something in the back of her mind told her that it did not actually use "mind control" on the bunny. She didn't know why but deep in her mind she just knew it, a feeling that told her that if it had been she would need to destroy this creature… Her chest hurt a little as she thought about it. Sure this "bush" is annoying but she didn't dislike it, she did enjoy its company at least.

 I just wish it wouldn't talk so much. She couldn't help but laugh to herself. 

It inclined its head before gesturing in the direction the rabbit went.

Hecatolite scoffed, “I'm not wasting my time hunting a bunny.” She snarled, “I didn't travel all the way across the world to eat something I could find at home.” She tried her best to flood the area with her own annoyance. If this thing can only talk with emotions then she would do the same.

She took a deep breath, concentrating on her own feelings and tried to convey what she wanted. Her face twisted in concentration as she tried to think of how to convey the desire to hunt something different, something new, and not just eat it. How does one “feel” that? she thought before a noise caught her attention.

Snapping her head back she saw the enormous deer peering at her from the bushes, its crystal like horns shining in the sunlight. “That! I want to eat that!” She said pointing at the deer and looking back at the giant. “But not just eat it, I have to chase it first. Do you understand?”

Suddenly she felt a very strange emotion wash over her… disbelief? But it felt strange, like… “You think i can't catch it, do you?” she narrowed her eyes, slapping the ground with her tail again.  

The feeling of approval she felt from the creature made her snarl. “You caught one!” she tapped the bleached skull on the creature's head with the tip of her tail, “You're big, and slow. If you caught one, so can I!” she knew she could just shoot the deer with IRIS but that felt like cheating, besides she had promised mom to only use it for protection. 

The condescending feeling of pity coming from the overgrown weed was really starting to make Hecatolite angry, “Fine! I bet you can catch it with only my claws!” She flexed her hand, her tiny claws flaring to life as she did. “When I do, I want your fancy skull!”

Suddenly everything around them was silent as she felt something very powerful weighing down on her. A deep curiosity washed over her, an unspoken question; one she answered, “If I can't, I'll follow you wherever you're trying to take me, no questions. Got it? I also get to eat it when I catch it. Sound fair?”