Page 3843

‘Nice to meet you,’ said Garovel. ‘Apologies if we have unsettled you. You can be assured that we mean you no harm. As long as you do not attack us or any civilians, we will not attack you.’

The man made no response.

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Loren Lighteyes was uncomfortable. And yet also not. There was conflict in his heart, and he wasn’t entirely sure where it was coming from.

Which was a warning sign, he’d come to believe. Whenever he felt this type of unexplained anxiety, especially upon meeting a new person, it was a warning sign. His mutated body’s way of telling him to be careful.

He hadn’t started believing this so strongly until quite recently. His trips around the continent with Caster Egmond had allowed him to meet some very strange people, many of whom turned out to be far more dangerous than they at first seemed.

Of course, it had always been a general concern of his to be wary of others. That wasn’t anything new. Nor was it a great revelation that particularly powerful servants often gave off an uncomfortable, oppressive air. He’d met Dozer and Gohvis before, after all.

But this was something else. Something much quieter. If meeting one of those guys was like hearing alarm bells going off for a tornado warning, then meeting someone like this was like hearing the wind pick up and seeing storm clouds on the horizon.

Definitely not the same. But maybe not so different, either. Maybe more deadly, actually, just because he didn’t know if he should be fleeing or not.

Certainly, this armored guy and his reaper seemed amicable enough so far, but that could always change in a heartbeat.

After their escape from Corrico, they had visited a number of odd places as Caster continued to search for ground that was “suitable” to build his “tower” on.

They’d met a woman in Dante who had been perfectly lovely and sweet to them, if a bit peculiar. She offered to let them stay a few days in her little cottage in the mountains. She’d cooked for them, had pleasant conversation with them regarding philosophy, and even washed their clothes for them. At one point, Loren had started to wonder if the mysterious woman might’ve actually been Caster’s secret wife or lover.

Until she attacked them in the middle of the night, destroying the cottage in an instant and even wounding Caster in the process.

Next page on the 29th

Thanks for readings, everybody. And for reading, too. That's right. I totally meant to make it plural.

Page 3842

Hector held his ground, not moving back but also not moving closer. He wanted to get a clearer read on this stranger’s aura before doing anything else. It didn’t feel menacing or angry. Not hostile or hungry.

Rather, it was quite cold. Wary. And patient. Waiting on him now. Not intending to do anything until he did.

‘Y’know, I really wanna be the one to break the ice and say hi,’ said Garovel, still privately, ‘but I also realize that, from now on, you should probably be the one greeting any dangerous and mysterious strangers we happen across.’

Well, Hector didn’t disagree.

Garovel wasn’t done, though. ‘I realize that, yes? So in exchange, I hope YOU realize just how incredibly mature I am being, right now. How much self-control I have. Right? I’m right, aren’t I? Tell me how right I am. Compliment me, dammit.’

‘You are incredibly right, Garovel.’

‘Aw, thanks, pal.’

Hector offered the stranger a wave. “Hello!” he said from afar, still staying put.

The stranger said nothing, but after a moment, he did offer a return wave.

Hmm. “Are you the one who rescued this ship?” By the look of the thing, Hector actually wasn’t yet sure if ‘rescued’ was going to end up being the correct term for whatever had happened here, but he felt like that was the most diplomatic word to be using here.

Until he discovered otherwise, at least.

There arrived a long pause. Then the strange said, “No. It wasn’t me.” It was indeed a masculine voice, just as Hector had thought.

“...Then can you tell me what happened here?” said Hector. He decided to test the waters a bit and take a step closer.

Rather than answering, however, the stranger decided to pose his own questions. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

He supposed that was only fair. He was a foreigner in this country, after all. “My name is Hector,” he said. “I saw this ship during the storms and tried to help the people on board. Then it disappeared and ended up here. I’d like to know how that happened.”

“...You are concerned for the passengers.”

“That’s right,” said Hector. “Do you know if they’re okay?”

“There were casualties, but most of them survived. Would have been much worse if the ship had been left out there, I’m sure.”

“I see. But you weren’t the one who moved the ship?”

“Yes.”

And Hector waited, but the man did not elaborate further. He pursed his lips inside his helmet, wondering how next to approach this conversation.

Garovel decided to step in now. ‘What’s your name, stranger?’

And there was another long pause, until the man finally said, “...Loren.”