After a few hours of long, boring conversation, Sunny's report finally ended. It was a relief; Ash was the type of person who was direct in his actions without giving an extensive explanation behind them.
"So... who is this scout you want to recruit? There can't be many experienced Hunters in the outer settlement, right? And each one must have their own hunting party. How are we going to convince one to join us?"
Nephis was silent for a few seconds, then said:
"Yes. Everyone who's worth something has their own party, except for one person. But convincing her won't be easy. Actually, you already know her. It's Effie."
Sunny blinked, then opened his mouth and let out an: "Huh."
---
A while later, the four of them were standing in front of a cabin built from uneven stone blocks salvaged from the ruins. It was reinforced with monster hides in various places; the house was in better condition than most of the hovels in the outer settlement.
A decoration that Ash liked was a large Vestia skull hanging over the door; its forehead was split as if it had died from a devastating impact.
After Nephis knocked on the door about three times, an annoyed voice sounded from inside.
Nephis turned, looking at Sunny and then at Ash.
"Sunny, Ash, turn around."
"Why?" Ash asked.
"Just do it. Your shadow too, Sunny."
The pair of guys turned just in time for the door to open.
"Who the hell is...? Oh, it's you."
"...put on a Memory, Effie. Please," asked Changing Star.
After one or two seconds, they turned around to see the huntress in a short piece of cloth.
"Here. Better?" she asked, now wearing the armor they had seen her in a week ago.
"So, you're back together, huh? Judging by how clean and shiny the other two look, I'm guessing your stay in the castle was pleasant?"
"Not especially. Like you said, the atmosphere there is... well... an acquired taste, I suppose."
Effie smiled upon hearing Sunny.
"Well said! Anyway, what can I help you with?"
Nephis gestured towards the door.
"Can we come in?"
"Sure. Why not?"
Upon entering the house, Ash observed that there were many hides of awakened beasts and some from monsters, a fireplace, a bed, and a patched-up table.
"So, what's so important that you had to wake me up so early in the morning?"
"You haven't hunted since the day we met, have you?"
Effie yawned, still tired.
"No. I'll go back to the ruins when I run out of meat. I think it'll be in a couple of days."
Nephis nodded.
"When you do, come with us. Be our scout."
Effie stared intently at Nephis for a few moments before bursting into laughter.
"AH, that was a good one! Do you want me to be your babysitter too?" she asked, amused.
"No offense, kids, but you just arrived at the Dark City. You're inexperienced. The best Hunters here wanted me to join their groups, and I rejected them all. Do you know why?"
"Most hunting parties share the loot. Each hunter keeps a portion to eat and sells the rest to the people in the district. But due to your flaw, you can't afford to do the same. You need all the sustenance a hunt can provide. The more companions you have, the smaller your share will be. So you hunt alone and never sell the meat from your kills, only their hides."
Effie whistled, impressed by what Nephis said.
"I see someone's been doing their homework."
"We can solve that problem..." Nephis began, but Effie interrupted her.
"Stop. Good guess, but you're wrong. That's not why I rejected all those Hunters."
Nephis blinked, surprised. She paused for almost ten seconds and then asked why, with confusion.
"Because they're weak. They're all weak. Even the most successful ones are. And do you know why?" Effie's eyes gleamed with malice.
"They're weak because Gunlaug will never allow anyone strong to exist outside his control. So... I won't be your guide, Princess. I'm sorry."
Ash decided to end this conversation.
"And if we prove to you that we're not weak?" he asked, making the two look at him.
"Oh yeah? And how do you plan to do that?" Effie asked.
Ash shrugged.
"Who knows? Maybe if I kill one of Gunlaug's Hunters or bring you the corpse of a fallen monster, would you reconsider?"
Effie smiled, amused.
"Fine. Do what you say, and I'll join you. I'll be your scout or whatever," Effie said, having nothing really to lose.
"Well, see you in a few hours then."
---
When the four of them stepped back outside, Sunny looked at Ash.
"What was all that? Kill one of Gunlaug's Hunters or a fallen monster? That's crazy."
"Sunny's right, Ash, that's way too risky."
Ash sighed.
"It's not. I have confidence in my strength. If you want, you can see for yourselves. Let's go to the castle. I'm going to collect a debt."
Sunny looked at Nephis for an explanation, but Changing Star was just as confused as he was.
---
The trio followed Ash towards the castle gates. The sun was still high in the sky, and there were several hours left until twilight.
"Ash, what are you planning?" Cassie asked.
"Nothing complicated. That hunter you mentioned, Andel, owes me about twenty soul fragments, so I'm going to collect."
Sunny frowned. "All this over a gambling debt?"
"Yes." Sunny was about to ask something else when they reached the gates where the guards were stationed.
"Halt! What business do you have in the Bright Castle? Come to pay tribute, scum?" asked a Sleeper.
"I want to enter, but not to pay your tribute," Ash said calmly, then added: "I'm here to invoke the right of challenge."
The guards stood frozen. After one or two seconds, one of them frowned.
"Stop joking, kid. Shut your mouth and leave if you want to live."
"Just get out of my way. Don't make me waste my time." Ash's eyes shone with a cold, sinister light that made the guards flinch slightly.
Finally, one of the guards turned around, gesturing for them to follow, leading them inside the castle.
Ash stopped, looking at Jubei's new skull hanging from the gates.
Once inside, Ash followed the guard towards a large hall in the castle, where the guard told them to wait until they were called.
Ash maintained a calm expression.
Finally, Sunny couldn't hold back any longer and spoke.
"What are you planning, Ash? You're not going to fight one of Gunlaug's lieutenants, are you?"
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"That doesn't matter to me. Lieutenant or not, I don't care." That was all he said.
---
When the guard returned, he led them inside where a tall man with unkempt beard and a furrowed brow was waiting.
"Did I hear correctly? One of you four wants to invoke the right of challenge?"
"Yes," Ash said calmly.
"You know what that means, don't you, kid?"
Ash rolled his eyes.
"Yes," he repeated.
The tall hunter sighed.
"Listen... it's true that anyone has the right to invoke the right of challenge. But risking your life is just plain stupid. I'm sure you had to suffer a lot to get here. Almost everyone here did. So... how about you think it over a bit more and reconsider?"
'This is starting to annoy me,' Ash thought, irritated at having to talk so much.
"There's nothing to reconsider."
The hunter shook his head.
"Fine, do what you want then. Who have you come to accuse?"
"The scout known as Andel."
The hunter blinked for a few moments while the Sleepers who had gathered whispered among themselves.
"As I said last time, I am the leader of both the Hunters and the scouts. Any crime they commit in the line of duty is mine, so I will answer for him." He looked at Ash. "Do you wish to challenge me?"
Ash looked at Gemma. The atmosphere began to fill with an oppressive silence in the hall.
"I'm not here to accuse him of murdering the youth from the outer settlement. I'm here to accuse him of theft. Andel lost a considerable sum of soul fragments gambling but refused to pay. That is theft. Since he did it in his free time and not while carrying out his official duties, you have nothing to do with this."
"A gambling debt? Did Aiko send you?" Gemma asked, confusion in his voice.
"No," was the simple answer. "The one Andel owes soul fragments to is me. His debt is with me, not with the other," Ash explained.
"...It's just a gambling debt. I can pay the fragments myself, and we can all—"
"It's not about the fragments, Gemma. It's about justice... and about law. After all, law is the only guide in this dark world. Without its light, there is only darkness," Ash said with a cold smile, looking at Gemma.
The leader of the Hunters knew that if he refuted those words, it would be like refuting the Bright Lord himself.
Gemma looked at one of the guards and spoke in a dark tone:
"Go get Andel. Tell that bastard that after he kills this idiot, we'll have a long conversation about his... life choices."
He then looked at Ash, who maintained his calm face.
"And you... say your goodbyes and prepare for battle. Oh, and what's your name? Tell us, so that at least we'll remember you."
Ash blinked.
"Who I am doesn't matter."
"Whatever you say, boy," Gemma said, leaving the room in silence.
Ash simply summoned his Sword of Seven.
The long sword had a deep blue blade; near the hilt was the symbol of seven stars.
---
One or two minutes passed until Andel finally appeared.
Ash turned to look at Andel, who was exactly as he remembered him when he lost all his fragments at the gambling house.
"I'm here," he informed in an annoyed tone.
"Do you know why you've been summoned?" Gemma asked.
"Some idiot wants to challenge me? Fine. I was so sorry I let Harus have all the fun last time," Andel said.
When Andel looked in Ash's direction, he frowned.
"You little shit," Andel said.
"Idiot, I've come to collect," Ash said with a slight smile.
"Let's see if your stupid luck with cards favors you now."
Gemma gestured to the guards, who moved all the spectators aside, making space for the fight to the death.
---
Andel summoned his Memory, a kind of knife-like sword that became incredibly sharp.
Andel ran at full speed, closing the distance between him and Ash in the blink of an eye. In the next instant, Andel swung his sword diagonally, directly at his neck.
The sword simply slid through the misty cloak without leaving even a simple mark on the fabric.
Ash didn't move at all. Andel swung his sword in a thrust straight at Ash's head. Ash turned his head slightly to the side, intentionally letting a long cut open on his cheek.
Before Andel could react, a sword pierced completely through his chest.
The scout's eyes opened wide as a trickle of blood dripped from his mouth.
In view of everyone, Andel's body began to thin at a terrifying speed. His muscles deflated and dried up, leaving only bone. His skin hung limply over his body; his face wrinkled and sank like a raisin.
With a simple gesture, Ash withdrew his sword, letting Andel fall to the ground with a dry sound.
Andel raised his hand with his sunken eyes. The last thing he saw was a pair of yellow eyes looking at him with such disdain that he was considered less than an insect.
An instant later, Andel lost his strength and died.
---
Ash simply brought a hand to his chin as if thinking about something. Then he simply dismissed his sword, turned around, and walked towards the door. He stopped, looked back at Andel, and approached. Using his sword, he simply cut off the head and took it with him.
"That was for Jubei... I suppose," he said with a voice devoid of emotion on his face.
Ash heard the Spell whisper in his head.
[You have slain a dormant Human, Andel.]
[Your soul grows stronger.]
---
A few minutes later, the quartet was outside the castle.
"What the hell was that?" Sunny asked, still stunned by seeing how the scout had dried up like a raisin in seconds.
"Well, I was a bit angry. I liked Jubei while we played, and finding out about his death affected me a bit, so I took revenge into my own hands," he explained.
"Yeah, but you drained him like a raisin," Cassie said.
"It's because of my Memory and its enchantment. If I'm wounded, I can absorb blood or anything to regenerate or recover my stamina," he explained.
Of course, he could have destroyed Andel's soul with his bare fists, but he wanted it mostly intact to confirm something with the thing living in his soul.
"And now what?" Nephis asked.
"I'll kill some fallen monster. It should take me an hour or two."
"You're crazy," Sunny said.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
---
A few hours later, the sun had set. The four found themselves again in front of the house where Effie lived.
Effie opened the door before they could knock, irritated. It seemed she had been bothered throughout the day.
"What's all this commotion? Can't a girl have one day of...?" Effie stopped upon seeing them.
Without saying anything, Ash unwrapped a cloth, revealing the shriveled head of Andel. An instant later, behind him, a sea of sparks emerged, revealing a massive raven about five meters tall, its wings spanning twice its body length. Its feathers were as black as night, with black claws capable of cutting the toughest steel.
"Can we talk now?"
Effie, looking at the two presents, spoke in a somber voice: "Come in."
---
Ash dismissed his new flying echo, which belonged to a fallen devil that had been unlucky enough to be wounded. Even so, it had been a difficult and close battle which they barely survived, but it was worth it.
Once inside, Effie looked at the four, more specifically at Ash.
"What the hell have you done, quiet kid?!" she asked.
Ash adopted a mental image of Nephis, tilted his head, and frowned slightly. Then, with a touch of genuine confusion in his voice, he said:
"You wanted me to prove my strength, didn't you?"
Effie looked at the head Ash was holding.
"Oh, that head, it belonged to..."
Effie interrupted him.
"I KNOW whose head it is! Where did you get it?!"
Before Ash could answer, Sunny gave a brief summary of everything that had happened earlier, after their morning conversation.
"And just to add, Nephis is stronger than me," Ash finished with boredom.
Effie was silent. A long, long, deep silence. Then she threw her head back and burst out laughing.
"Oh my God! Seriously?! This is priceless! I wish you could have seen their faces!"
After laughing, Effie looked at Ash with a dark but cheerful expression.
"Alright, you've proven your point. But there's something you need to know. When I refused to join the Host, Gunlaug made it clear that if he couldn't have me, no one else would. Since then, any group that dared to invite me to join them ended up regretting their decision. By hiring me as your guide, you'll be putting yourself in his crosshairs. Are you sure you want to do this?"
After she said that, there was a brief silence before Sunny spoke.
"It's a little late to worry about that now, don't you think?"
---
Later that night, while everyone was sleeping, Ash had his eyes closed, being inside his Soul Sea.
He was walking in the depths of his Soul Sea, enveloped in a mist, feeling that same presence. But this time it was much stronger than before and came from one direction.
He advanced in silence for what seemed like hours until he finally stopped. Not because he couldn't go further, but because he felt a sense of unease.
Due to his attributes, Ash could feel the mist, being closely related to it, even to nothingness itself. However, in his Soul Sea, the mist and nothingness were part of his natural domain, but... why, from this point onward, did he lose his connection to it?
It wasn't that he couldn't feel it, but that it simply refused to obey him. That, added to the sea of emotions he felt at that moment. Joy, anger, lust, pride, madness, different and varied emotions.
After studying a bit, Ash came to the conclusion that this was the origin of his change, from where that mysterious presence emerged and why he had his emotions back.
Ash left it for later and focused only on studying his new echo.
---
Echo: Steel Raven
Type of Echo: Devil
Echo Core: Ascended
Attributes: [Magnetism] [Lightning Rod] [Dark Mantle] [Lesser Steel Body]
Echo Abilities: [Mantle of the Storm]
Description of Magnetism: [Born in the skies. The black steel body uses its senses to feel electromagnetic signals and uses them for flight.]
Description of Lightning Rod: [The steel body of the raven attracts lightning to itself to enhance its abilities and power.]
Description of Dark Mantle: [As a creature born of the night, its instinct is that of a silent hunter. While surrounded by darkness and shadows, its power will increase.]
Description of Lesser Steel Body: [Feeding on hard metals, its body integrated the properties of steel, granting it unparalleled resistance.]
Description of Mantle of the Storm: [Electricity can be used both inside and outside its body.]
Reading the runes, he smiled. This would undoubtedly advance many things he had in mind once he became an Awakened.