Voices shot out across the circle, panic rippling through the crowd as the bald man lay slumped on the ground.
"Father Joseph!"
"What happened?"
"The witch cast her evil spell on him"
Several members of the crowd broke the circle to aid Father Joseph at his side, but the damage was done; he struggled even to sit up, let alone walk.
A man from the crowd turns to the witch, who is still lying upright on the ground.
"You've shown your true face. Look at what you've done to him"
He turns to the rest of the people.
"Father Joseph has been ailed, we must take him to the church, so he can rest."
"You will be dealt with in time," he says to the witch.
He kicks at her foot, and after she doesn't react, he leaves her alone.
A few members rush to take Father Joseph away. While the rest of the crowd gawk and whisper.
In the end, the crowd begins to disperse, leaving the hooded woman behind.
All that remained was Chira, standing silently before her, still cradling her chest with both arms.
"Hmph."
She turns her head and walks away, giant hips swaying from side to side.
The sun was beginning to set, and a shadow fell over the witch. Suddenly, she started speaking once again, her voice echoing in the air.
"It doesn't help..."
Then a chipper voice responds.
"Sure it does, I mean it was pretty damn satisfying, wasn't it?"
"..."
"I'm past the days of frivolous desire; the people of this village have made it impossible for me."
"Then why are you still here?"
A little red monster peeks its head down from above, perched atop her hood.
"I was raised in this village, I have... never considered leaving."
Alben jumped down from her hood. The witch opens up her palms, letting him land.
"So, you're just gonna let them bully you forever."
"Humans will never change, no matter where I go, that fact will always hold."
Albern sat in her light blue hands and crossed his arms with a solemn look.
"Don't I know it."
They sit in silence for a moment.
Then she tilts her head forward and stares at the little creature in her hands. Her features become more discernible. She's wearing a ritualistic black mask that covers her face. He can see strands of white hair flowing down the sides.
"What?" He asks.
"You're rather strange, aren't you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
She pauses.
"Most demons that I've encountered... often lack traits such as kindness and understanding"
"Hey, don't go thinking I'm some kind of saint"
"I'm just pissed off cause you took the blame for all my work"
He floated up slightly, huffing.
"So don't get too attached, lady. Cuz you don't know what I'm capable of."
She chuckled faintly then nodded.
"Very well."
Albern jumps off her palm and flies around her.
"So... what now? You got a plan?"
A silence lingered between them.
"...I just wish to rest," she said at last.
"I guess it is getting dark," he said, looking up at the sky.
"Do you have a name, little one?"
He looks back at her.
"Albern. You."
"Valderbloom."
'What!?'
"Alright, I'll call you Valder for short."
She doesn't comment, which Albern has now interpreted as her way of saying 'whatever dumbass'.
She stands up, finally. Her black clock flowing down to her knees
'I can only imagine the pins and needles,' he thought.
But then he notices. Though her skin was blue, he could still make out clear purple marks on the lower parts of her legs. Bruises.
That made him incredibly angry; if he could, he would go back in time and spend an extra few seconds kicking that self-righteous bastard in the jewels.
Valderbloom limped away
She looked back at him briefly, and he realised that she was inviting him to come with her.
Albern flew towards her. He closed in and decided to hide in the fold at the back of her hood. He'd like to stay unseen for as long as he could. And he especially didn't want her to be seen around him.
"Nixin," he whispered.
[hee hee hee]
[Woohoo, nice job, partner]
Albern blushes.
"I-I'm just making sure she gets home okay"
[I'm talkin' about the level up buddy]
"Oh yeah"
[Contgrats, you're a certified prankster]
[You get access to new skills]
[Buuuuut, you gotta unlock them first]
"Whaaa! No fair."
"How do I unlock them?"
[I'm glad you asked hehe]
[You see, you now have the ability to gain mischief points!]
[You can get them for doing quests as well as any act of mischief]
[Anyways, here are the available skills ]
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[Locked skills:
Record voice: Record and play back a person's voice. (Cost: 350 Mischief points)
Afterimage: Lets you create an intangible version of yourself that will disappear when touched. 500 Mischief points]
Baring Illusion: Create a sensory illusion, that prevents the target from feeling their own clothes touching their body. (Cost: 400 Mischief points)
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"Oh?"
Albern stealthily peered out the back of the gap of Valderbloom's cloak watching as she passed by some of the villagers. Many of which, as expected, gave scornful looks. He returned with his own little hateful grin.
"Looks like I'm not quite done with this village."
Sometime passed as she trudged though the paved pathway, with Albern hiding in the folds of her hood.
Then, her deep voice broke the silence.
"Little one"
His head perked up.
"Are you hungry?"
Albern more or less expected that he wouldn't be called by his name, even though she knew it. She just didn't seem like the type to use it.
At first he hesitated, unsure of how he should answer. He was hungry. but he could probably try to steal food from one of the scornful villagers instead of imposing himself on someone who already seemed to be having a hard time. Maybe he was thinking too much into it. He really didn't know anything about Valderbloom, whether she was poor or rich, some sacred seer with ancient magical powers or just a regular woman trying to live her life.
In the end he just compromised
"A little, I guess"
It couldn't hurt, he was tiny so his appetite would surely be too.
As he thought about food, his eyes started to feel heavy
He yawned and then before he knew it:
He slowly drifted into slumber.