The moment Noble had locked onto her breakthrough, she dove wholeheartedly into perfecting it. Unfortunately, that meant letting Helios complete his task without her supervision.
'He was here a moment ago. I know it!' Noble was engrossed in her work, but she wasn't completely negligent!
Instead of dismissing her echo and recalling him, Noble opted for the old-fashioned way of retrieving her companion.
She gave a low whistle.
"Helios!"
For a moment nothing happened, but then the earth at the far edge of the bloodshed shifted as a golden-haired Symncus widened the hole and climbed out.
In his mouth was a screeching ball of fur trying desperately to claw its way free with no success. It hung by the scruff of its neck, spewing curses in a language Noble was very glad she could not understand.
"Looks like you got the last one, not me. But…why did you leave it alive?"
Helios tilted his head, sending the obnoxious creature in its maw into a new tirade.
Noble understood.
"Ah, I did say to be gentle, didn't I? Well, I assure you I had a good reason. But seeing as it's the last one, you can do what you like."
The words were barely out of the woman's mouth before the Symncus opened its jaws and swallowed the final Burrower whole.
The little monster barely got out a final squeak before he was snuffed out of existence once and for all.
[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Burrower.]
'You don't say,' Noble chuckled.
She clapped her hands and Nectar buzzed down to join them. Child of Promise looked at her two companions with a wide grin.
"That was fun." Glancing around, her smile faltered. "Only… what am I going to do now?"
The Soul Bloom buzzed a few times, and the Symncus's shoulder blades moved up and down slowly,
How should they know?
Sighing, Noble dismissed her sword and rolled up her metaphorical sleeves.
"Very well. Let's get to work."
————-
The Awakened guard watching the city gate held a flower in her hand. She glanced at the mirror, and her red hair and freckled face reflected in it in perfect relief.
What magical power did the mirror actually hold? No one had explained it when they left for war, but she had dutifully carried out her task each day without fail.
Few people came and went anymore except for the farmers in the morning and evening, making her job rather boring. Today wasn't any different, and Dora leaned on her spear with her free arm, trying to decide if it was worth finding or making a chair for her to sit.
How much time was left before sunset?
Too long. Maybe Dora should have pressed harder to go to war with the rest of her clan. At least then she would not be so bored. Clan Song was spread far too thin as it was, so she couldn't even ask for someone to keep her company.
Certainly asking a citizen of Ravenheart to remain at the gate was out of the question. Even if she had one that would befriend her, how would it look for a random mundane or even Awakened to keep watch with her at the gate?
Dora knew that without a good reason, it would make Clan Song look weak.
She sighed. What would constitute a good reason?
Maybe something having to do with trade?
Before she could come up with a good excuse to make someone keep watch with her, Dora noticed something on the horizon.
She squinted, trying to make out the strange shapes heading her way. They were much larger than humans, and the tops of them rocked from side to side rhythmically.
"What in two worlds?"
Dora was pretty sure it wasn't a Nightmare Creature. If she had thought so, she would have already sounded the alert. No one on the wall seemed to think so either, unless they hadn't spotted it yet, and as the shapes grew closer, missing them was impossible.
Finally, Dora could make out the human figures traveling with heavy cargo. With them was a golden beast pulling the front cart, while the others were hauled purely by manpower.
"It's a caravan." Dora's shoulders relaxed. There were too few of them these days.
Her relief did not last long, though. Soon enough, her hyperfocus allowed her to recognize the man in front. His tall frame, dark skin, and mahogany eyes were hard to mistake.
"Isak?"
Dora had seen him go out with the farmers that morning to help optimize the crop yield. Had they finished already?
That seemed unlikely.
The woman with him was even more bewildering. Dora had seen her before.
It was Master Noble. As far as Dora knew, the founder of the Dreamer Academy did not usually help with tending the crops. And the beast walking with the humans was clearly aligned with the floating Master. Everyone but Noble was giving the golden monster a wide berth.
They continued to draw closer until finally they arrived at the gates of the sprawling city.
The three wagons were piled high not with the usual farming implements but with pelts from hundreds of small, furry creatures.
Dora frowned. Only, they weren't just pelts.
They were whole creatures!
Or at least parts of the whole. Many were missing their heads, and the blood on them still seemed extremely fresh.
Upon seeing the guard's confusion, Isak's face split into a wide grin. "Greetings, Awakened Dora. How goes it on this fine day?"
The other farmers seemed to be equally jovial.
"It goes," Dora answered tentatively. "Are you here to enter the gate early?"
"We will head back to the fields before dark to make sure the crops are situated for the night. We couldn't pass up the chance to help Master Noble when she came our way. If we can't be neighborly, then what is the point?" Isak motioned to the woman with him.
Noble's eyes swirled in amusement, making Dora feel like she was missing out on a very important joke. She coughed.
"Ah, well, whatever the reason for your return, I will have to check each of you before you enter. It's standard procedure."
"Of course!" Isak nodded. "We want to do this properly! Make sure to check the cargo too, just in case. We wouldn't want a Skinwalker to sneak in under all the bounty."
Dora's eyes trailed up the piles. They were all incredibly tall.
"I'll check them, of course." She answered at length. "Only, I have one question. What exactly have you brought here?"
"Noble went hunting this afternoon. She seems to have stumbled onto a treasure trove."
"You did all this by yourself?" Dora's eyes opened wider. It was a lot of carnage.
"I could have, but Leo helped."
The golden echo growled softly to corroborate the claim.
"I see. Well, good for you. Only forgive me for asking, Master Noble. But what have you brought them here for?"
Dora's question was routine, but her curiosity leaked through in her voice.
"What have I brought them here for?" Noble tilted her head.
Dora clarified. "Do you plan to collect their shards, or perhaps their pelts have some special property and you plan to sell them?"
"Oh," Noble grinned. "The reason they are here is much better. Shall I tell her?" She asked Isak.
"Unless you would rather I do it," he responded with a nod.
"We shall all do it together," the eccentric floating woman decided. "The reason I have brought all these creatures here is…"
"FOR DINNER!"