Chapter 78:
Sixth Sense
(Maya's POV)
Maya stood at the edge of the East coast, along the Atntic Ocean, her heart beating faster than ever before. A mixture of anxiety and embarrassment. Until now, she had never really left Lucas's side. It felt...strange. She had just left Lucas with a silent promise to return, and a bit of teasing with fragrances, but she already missed him dearly.
"Is this how El always feels?" Maya wondered, gripping her hand over her heart, "I hate it..."
She had never really been in love before, though she knew what love was. After all, she loved her little sister, Hannah. Of course, Maya wasn't naive enough to think that two were the same. She knew the difference between ptonic love and romantic.
"To think I clung to him like that..." Maya mulled over her recent actions and how close she has become to Lucas. There was a time when she would have never even dared to think about touching him, and yet now...she found it difficult not to touch him.
Romance was something Maya was inexperienced with. She had never dated anyone, except for Sigrid ever so briefly, but that hardly counted. The same could be said for what her mother had taught her. The Art of Seduction.
It wasn't anywhere close to understanding the depths of what it meant to share the heart with someone, though it did teach her how to get close to someone's heart. Just enough to pierce it, but the way she wanted to take ahold of Lucas's heart was far from what she was taught. She wanted to cradle it and hold it in her hands to protect forever.
That's why she had agreed to this mission. The Cat's Cradle has appeared.
According to Elizabeth, The Cat's Cradle was a maze of twists and turns that made no sense to normal perception. Up was down and down was right, while left was up and right was left. It was disorienting and dangerous, but it held one of the ingredients that they needed to create the cure for Lucas. Cat's Tongue.
It was an herb that looked just like mint, but only grew within The Cat's Cradle. The dungeon, according to Elizabeth, would prove vital for production of many other things, as it was a Material Dungeon on the level just below a Critical Dungeon. What could be found there would go on to revolutionize the industry.
Among those materials were the cws, fur, and cores of the Prowlers. Dangerous cat-like tricksters who made the Cat's Cradle their home. There were also several minerals that could be mined with gravitational and malleable properties unheard of in todays dungeons. They would go on to help improve several technologies and improve weapons and armor for many Pyers. That said nothing about the herbs which could be found there.
Of course, Maya's task was for only one thing. The Cat's Tongue. Everything else was secondary, though Elizabeth had requested that Maya stay and help the initial setup of material production once the dungeon was discovered and she had collected what she needed. Unfortunately, that meant that she would have to stay in Irend for longer than she had hoped.
"This sucks..." Maya sighed softly, finally understanding fully why Elizabeth was always reluctant to leave. She knew how much Elizabeth loved Lucas, so it wasn't that she never understood, but now she knew the full extent of it as she was finally on the receiving end of leaving. She wanted to finish her mission as fast as possible and return soon...after all, who was going to cook him delicious food?
Certainly not Elizabeth, and while Luria and Nima were getting better...she worried for Lucas's diet while she was gone. Just what would they be feeding him? That's why the day before she had left, she had made several food dishes that he could simply heat up and serve. Maya only hoped that it would be enough.
Without being able to do much else, she tried to turn her thoughts to other things, mainly the mission itself. The reason why she was being sent instead of Elizabeth was mainly due to her skillset. While Elizabeth could do this mission, it would be more efficient if Maya did. That was because she was more equipped for such a task. Her skillset made traversing difficult areas, including illusions and pces that trick the senses.
According to Elizabeth, The Cat's Cradle utilizes both illusions and distortion of spaces to trick the senses and make one feel incredibly lost. Along with the Prowlers who used these distortions to move and attack, this made Maya the perfect counter to such obstacles. Her senses had been trained as an assassin to be incredibly sharp, and when she became a Pyer, they had become even more sensitive.
So keen were her senses that she could hear a pin drop from several rooms away, and that was with ambient sound interfering, as well as before any Pyer skills being activated. Of course, that's when she was concentrating. There have been many times when she was distracted, much to her shame, such as whenever she was with Lucas. Though, she has gotten better at that, as she wanted to keep him safe, and she couldn't do that if she wasn't aware of her surroundings.
That said, he had an uncanny knack to completely deprive her of her senses. Especially when he kissed her, the feeling of his lips still fresh in her mind as she brought a finger up to her lips in fond memory. The way he was able to steal her senses so easily...it was both terrifying and exciting. Truly, she has never felt this way before.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus herself. The mission had to take priority. "But damn is it hard not to think of him..." Maya's thoughts betrayed her professional mindset, distracting her even as she tried her best to center herself. This wouldn't do.
Elizabeth wasn't the only one with special tricks up their sleeve, and right now, Maya felt too bogged down by the heaviness of her heart. That's why she wasn't on a pne to Irend and the reason she stood by the sea. She needed to feel free. To just...let go.
"Alright...let's do this," Maya muttered to herself, closing her eyes as she took a breath, it was now or never, "I am in control...limit, off!"
For the first time since rescuing Lucas from the Ptinum Lotus, Maya activated [Limit Break], but this time, it was different. The notification that popped up had changed. Typically, it would say that there was a dangerous threat to her mind, but now...
----
>Skill: Limit Break
>Rank: SSS-Exodus
>Effects: Removes the limits of one's self.
>Vastly increases all abilities and reaction times by an extreme degree.
>Duration: Until Dismissed.
>Exodus Effects: Freed from the confines of your limits, you've accepted who you are.
>There is no longer any strain on your heart and mind.
>Though prolonged use may still strain the body. Proceed with caution.
>[WARNING]: The first time you use this ability, your limits will be removed.
>All senses will be greatly improved, and the passive skill [Sixth Sense] will be granted.
>Sensory overload possible. Embrace the change and grow your senses so that nothing
>escapes your grasp
----
Her skill had evolved since the st time she used it. It wasn't something she had revealed yet, as she was being cautious. The skill, [Sixth Sense], was unknown to her, and the chance of her being incapacitated by sensory overload was too much of a risk when she had to keep Lucas safe. She didn't know what to expect, but now that she was temporarily relieved of that duty, what better time to figure it out than now?
With [Limit Break: Exodus] activated, she felt all the familiar signs. Increased body temperature and quickened heartbeat, but as she breathed in the cool air of the ocean, new sensations filled her senses as [Sixth Sense] unlocked and immediately activated. It was like the entire world just came to life before her as all of her senses opened.
----
>Passive Skill: Sixth Sense
>Type: Growth. As you hone your senses, nothing will escape your grasp.
>Effects: Improves your senses, opening you to a whole new world.
>Careful where you look. Not everything wants to be perceived.
----
It was overwhelming at first. Her touch, smell, hearing, and even taste was overloaded with information that she had never felt to this extent before. The air felt charged, every molecule and change in movement brushing against her skin felt like pinpricks, both sharp and gentle at the same time. Every thread and stitching in her clothing could be counted and each strand of hair upon her body bristled with energy.
A symphony of sounds filled her ears. The rustling of leaves, the crashing of waves, the chittering of animals. Whether it was the faintest of sounds or the loudest, all of it could be heard. Even the shifting of earth underfoot grinded in her ears, and from the forests nearby, she could hear the creaking of every tree branch as they swayed in the wind.
Various aromas filled her nose, assaulting her with their distinction to such an extent that she could pinpoint exactly where it came from and how far away it was. The smell of burnt wood from a campsite upwind about a mile north, carrying with it the scent of roasted marshmallows, chocote, fish, and several vegetables. All around her she could smell the salt in the air from the ocean, along with the petrichor as it watered the nd. Though, this came with it the pollutants that still permeated the water, an unpleasant sent to say the least.
Mixed within all of this were the aromas of various flowers and trees. Pine, Oak, Daffodils, Wild Roses, and more. Even the animals which nestled, burrowed, or strolled through nature could be discerned from her suddenly heightened smell.
None of this, however, was as overwhelming and unpleasant as her sense of taste. Every single pollutant in the air touched her tongue as she breathed. She could taste everything that she had smelled, along with the chemicals. It took every ounce of her willpower not to throw up on the spot. Salt mixed with rot mixed with ash and animal musk. The sensation was...vile.
Trying her best to ignore that for now, she slowly opened her eyes to the world, wanting to test her sight. The moment she opened her eyes, the effects of both [Limit Break: Exodus] and [Sixth Sense] were made clear. Now that the world had been given visual, it was like a lock unclicking and a dial being turned. The world around her slowed down until it seemed almost frozen.
This came with a moment of relief as the sounds and movement of the air and vibrations in the ground were affected as both skills worked in tandem; perception and reaction working overtime. Sounds were stretched out and tapered to a dulled hum, while every movement felt slowed and more precise, giving her time to process it all.
Unfortunately, this also came with a downside, as every smell was now more crisp than ever before and the taste in the air felt sharper. Yet, she now saw the world in a whole new light.
The waves that came crashing against the rocks of the shore seemed so still and silent, each bead of water that sprayed into the air glistened in little globules that shimmered in the light of the sun. Every single color was more vibrant, as if the contrast had been turned up. On top of all that, her vision was sharper, capable of seeing even the most obscure of details.
With focus, she looked around at the shore and forest surrounding her. Near and far, she tested the limits of her sight. No matter where she looked, down to the tiniest of details, all was id bare to her. From the grooves of the bark of trees to the gentle waves miles out from the shore. Every vein of the leaves that fell, frozen in the air, and the dirt within the beads of water suspended for her to see.
"Richard would be jealous," Maya mused to herself, knowing that her vision was now on par with his, perhaps even better. Needing to return to her other senses, she slowly closed her eyes once more and everything crashed back into pce. She had to get all of this under control, and so she began to breathe.
Every breath she took was slow and deliberate as she began to take control of her senses. The first she reguted was her sense of taste. She didn't need ash and chemicals souring her tongue, nor the taste of other unpleasant particles in the air. She dulled it until it returned to normal, and then she began on her hearing.
The sounds were beginning to collide in a chaotic choir that did more harm than good. Everything felt like it was right by her ears, and yet with concentration, even the softest of sounds she could pinpoint its origins with precision. Right down to distance and direction, like her own personal echolocation. It would prove useful, but for now, she fine tuned and turned everything down to a pleasant level. Only then did she begin work on her sense of smell.
One by one, she separated and reassigned the aroma of each scent into different levels of sensitivity, leaving only what was necessary. She tested this over and over until she was able to switch her sense of smell on a whim, leaving it at a normal level for now.
Touch was next. While being able to feel even the vibrations of the earth itself was useful, as it was, she felt every vibration, even from within the ocean itself. Whether that was from the footfalls of animals or people, the rumbling of vehicles or the earth itself, and even creatures which burrowed or swam within. All of it, she silenced and adjusted until she was able to separate them and single them out as easy as breathing.
After that, she moved to the sensation of her clothing and the hair upon her body. It was...distracting. Feeling every fiber move against her skin was uncomfortable, and she didn't need to feel every strand of hair or follicle of skin moving. The feeling was unpleasant to say the least, and so she cut her senses to such things immediately.
Feeling at home in her skin once more, she focused on the sensations around her. The movement of the air and the feeling of every slight impact the environment had on such things. From the falling of leaves to the movement of birds and insects. Everything affected the wind, whether they knew it or not. This was a useful tool that she began to hone.
It was very simir to what she's already been trained for, just on a much grander scale. Combined with all of her senses, it was like the world had opened up to her. Even with her eyes closed, she could perfectly envision the world around her thanks to her enhanced sense of touch and hearing. It was like she had a 3D map of the world dispyed in her mind.
She wondered just how far it could go, discovering quickly that the upper limits were around a mile for her sense of touch if she focused, while her hearing could go almost twice that. She tested this with leaves, feeling one fall upon the wind and shift the air as it did. Further out, she could hear the rustling of leaves as they moved across the ground.
She used this same test for her passive limits, discovering that she could feel the falling of a leaf from about three hundred feet away, while she could hear the rustling of grass in the wind at around twice that distance. Together, they provided a perfect overview of her surroundings. Of course, she could adjust this within those ranges, even making the area smaller if she wished.
This said nothing about her sense of smell, however, as it carried much further than either of them. Since wind often carried scent, this meant that her sense of smell went for miles, something she didn't bother testing the upper limits of. She was content to just smell what was in her immediate area, and at a normal level.
"I feel like a bloodhound..." she mused, allowing herself a smirk. It would come in handy when necessary, but for now, she adjusted the levels to be normal.
Finally, she opened her eyes once more, and this time, everything came into focus as it should. The world around her still seemed sharper, but her eyes adjusted and she controlled just how much detail she needed. The world moved at the pace it should, for she controlled just how much of it she was perceiving and reacting to.
To anyone who might have been watching, Maya knew that it had only taken a moment. The air around her had shifted, superheated, and quickly cooled as her body and everything around her became charged with energy. She knew this because her senses had told her so, even though it all felt like it had sted a while, it had only taken a moment for her to test, adjust, and control her newfound abilities.
All that was left to do was...
"Wait, what?" Maya muttered, tilting her head in slight confusion.
Before her were a myriad of skill notifications, each one an ability that she could use, both passive and active. However, there were some that were missing. Mostly, everything reted to her senses.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Maya huffed, shaking her head, "It said nothing about...oh, fuck off."
Just as she was compining about not being told of any kind of side-effect from [Sixth Sense], a notification popped up. It was the skill card for [Sixth Sense], along with a new line that wasn't there before.
----
>Passive Skill: Sixth Sense
>Type: Growth. As you hone your senses, nothing will escape your grasp.
>Effects: Improves your senses, opening you to a whole new world.
>Careful where you look. Not everything wants to be perceived.
>Note: Unlocking this skill subsumes all other skills, excluding [Limit Break: Exodus],
>that affect your senses.
----
Maya stared at the notification in annoyed disbelief. She's known skills that have had hidden effects which are only revealed after you use them, or a certain condition is fulfilled, but this was just unfair. There were ways to identify such hidden information using certain items and abilities, though the skill and rank of such were taken as a factor when doing so.
If the skill and rank of the identifying effect was lower than what you were trying to reveal, it would fail and reveal nothing. That's why most people didn't even bother, as many didn't have the skill or rank to cast such a thing, and the items that did were expensive.
Maya, however, did have such an item. It's what she used to reveal the warning message on [Limit Break] after it had evolved, and was the reason she had waited for so long to use it because it had revealed nothing on what [Sixth Sense] was.
Because [Sixth Sense] was a skill that she could only unlock by using [Limit Break: Exodus] for the first time, there was no way to use the item on the skill itself before it activated automatically. This left her at the mercy of this hidden information, and now all of her skills that increased her senses, including perception and reaction time, were gone. Consumed by [Sixth Sense].
"Well..." Maya crossed her arms and leaned slightly on one foot, "Could be worse. Even without those skills, it's better than all of them combined. Maybe that's why..."
It made sense that this skill could have combined all of her enhancements into one, having broken her limits, there was really no need for any of the other skills. She still had all of her most important ones, including [Shadow Step] and [Perception Distortion], which affected her movement and her enemy's perception, rather than her own.
Dismissing all the notifications, Maya drew upon her new wellspring of power that coursed through her now that her limits were off. Surrounding herself with energy, she activated [Gheistform]. Maya felt her body free itself from the constraints of its earthly shackles. Her body shimmered as it became ethereal, taking on a gentle, violet hue. She was like a ghost, and one that had a destination to reach.
Crouching down ever so slightly, she focused her senses ahead of her. She knew which direction to go. Collecting energy into her legs, the ground beneath her gave way as she kicked off, using [Quick Step: Exodus] to move across the ocean's surface. Enhanced by her lighter body thanks to [Gheistform], she was but a streak of vender, blossoming into an angel as she unched off from the water and into the sky. Ghostly petals forming wings that carried her ever upward.
She suspended herself for a moment in midair, feeling the sensation of weightlessness. Everything had always been so overwhelming. For so long, she had believed herself freed from the shadow of her parents and what they had made of her, only to have shackled herself to the idea that she had taken control of her life. Instead, she had only ever been afraid.
Afraid to be more than a tool of others. Afraid to do anything for herself. Afraid to show any kind of emotion other than indifference. Afraid to simply...live.
However, that felt like so long ago that it might as well be a different time all together. A different...her. She now lived how she wanted to live. Everything she did, she did because she wanted to.
There was warmth and love in her heart, and a happiness that she had never expected. She would be a bde only because she wanted to be. Wielded in a way that she wanted to be. In order to protect what she has found, she would do anything to ensure that what she had wasn't lost.
For Lucas and for Elizabeth, she would strike wherever it was needed. Both of them had opened her world up to new possibilities. All that mattered is that she helped protect that future.
She slowly began to descend once more, falling back towards the waters below. She allowed herself to fall, as she had fallen for Lucas, and with that same intensity, twisted in the air and took off towards her destination and the future she wished to procure for herself. The Cat's Tongue would be hers.
-----
(Maya's POV)
The journey to Irend didn't take long, as Maya made her way across the Atntic Ocean as fast as she could. After getting control of her newfound ability and enhanced senses, there was no more time to waste. She stepped foot on their shores a little after noon.
According to Elizabeth, The Cat's Cradle would appear in Athlone, at the heart of Irend. It was right in the middle of the nd, causing its influence to spread out from there, even reaching into Scotnd and the UK. The effects of which had already been felt in each, and that's why they had called for help.
Maya was to meet the representative guilds of each nation in Galway where they would discuss what was going on and decide their next steps. Mainly, finding the source of this phenomenon that had struck the nd and its people. Why they couldn't do this themselves was because of the nature of The Cat's Cradle. It was a maze meant to fool the senses and distorted reality to achieve that.
It had strong mental manipution as well as space distortion, along with powerful illusions. Trying to track it down was like catching an eel with oil on your hands while in a mud pit. It was elusive and tough to pin down, try as they might with various divinations and even satellite attempts. That's why Maya was here. She wasn't going to try and catch it with her hands...she would simply stab it.
It couldn't escape if it was pierced with a bde.
Of course, it helped that Elizabeth had already known where it would appear, but even if she didn't, Maya could find it herself. Illusions and mental manipution were not things that worked very well on her, as she was conditioned to resist such tricks and plenty of her skills helped fight against that, as well as her own willpower.
Though, that's not why she was entirely confident. The reason why she was confident that she could track it even without Elizabeth's help is the moment that she stepped onto the shores of Irend, she could feel the veil that id over this nd. The very air itself shimmered as if a gossamer shroud had been pced over it.
She had arrived just outside of Galway, and already the effects of the Cat's Cradle tried to press down on her. "It's gotten bad..." her thoughts were grim as she looked towards the city, seeing beyond it the wall to one of the Wild Zones in Irend. Galway sat just at the edge of it, as the Wild Zone had taken most of the nd west of the city where it had been difficult to recim the mountainous and rocky terrain.
Beginning to make her way towards the city, the air shifted before her, and the path that she had been walking upon turned to one of an old alley. Stopping just before she crossed the threshold of this rift, it shifted again and returned to the path she had been on. It had almost been imperceptible to the senses, but thanks to her newly acquired [Sixth Sense] she had noticed it before it had even showed up. She wondered if she would have realized it with her old skills.
"It would have been difficult..." Maya muttered to herself as she continued once more, her musings turning to silent thoughts, "It definitely would be possible, but not easy."
She was grateful that she had tested out her evolved skill and was gd to see the effects of it so quickly. "However..." Maya's thoughts and eyes shifted to something that she felt as she made her way closer to town. There were eyes upon her. Watching.
Every time a rift appeared, Maya would simply pass right through it, unhindered thanks to [Gheistform]. Partially ethereal and capable of seeing past such shifts in the air, Maya had no issue simply ignoring the tricks being pyed on her. Each time, however, those eyes grew more and more...bloodthirsty.
Whatever was watching her didn't like how easily she slipped through their grasp. Maya simply shrugged off each attempt like it didn't exist, moving down the path toward her destination with a purpose. Eventually, however, she stopped just before entering Galway as something blocked her path.
"...Greedy, aren't they?" Maya mused to herself as the eyes that watched her had grown intense, with the air becoming thick.
All around her were multiple rifts that split into different paths that all led to areas far from her destination. They were yered upon each other like bricks, one after another in an attempt to trap her. Taking a deep breath, Maya let out a soft, annoyed sigh.
"We've been through this..." Maya whispered, beginning to rise from the ground as power surged through her, "Your tricks have no effect on me."
With her eyes aglow with a violet hue, she conjured a bde that cut through these tricks. All it took was an instant as the shifts in reality shattered and fell away harmlessly into petals of fragmented air that dissipated into sparkling dust. Maya nded gently back upon her feet as she rexed her power.
"Don't be so impatient..." she spoke as if to no one, but she knew that there were many eyes watching, "I'll be finding you soon."
Expanding her senses, Maya quickly shifted her head towards where she felt the gazes come from. She pierced the veil with ferocity, her eyes a deadly bde that cut through all truths. She saw them, huddled in a mist with eyes of gold glowing in the dark. Catlike individuals with a humanoid figure and angur features. Their fingers longer than one might expect, ending in sharp cws.
Each one of them had dark, muted fur, though they seemed incorporeal, as if made from the very same mist they took root in. Some rexed on their haunches, others stood with nky limbs. A few leaned against something unseen, but all of them had a calm, observing expression...until she saw them.
Their hair bristled and eyes went wide as they instinctively took a step back before their eyes narrowed and each one let out a hiss of annoyance. They faded away, their trick found out. They wouldn't try that again for a while, if they knew what was good for them, but now Maya understood their ploy. Those were the Prowlers, and they were waiting in The Cat's Cradle.
It was where they watched their tricks be pyed, waiting for the day that they would break free, but Maya wouldn't let that happen. She strode on down the road into Galway...which was suspiciously quiet, all things considered, though she had a feeling she knew why.
-----
(Maya POV, Cont.)
Once she made her way into the streets of Galway, Maya released [Gheistform] as she currently had no need for it. Straightening her suit, she gnced around at the near empty streets of the city. There were very few who made their way along the streets, and those that did looked to be Pyers on patrol.
"Hmm..." Maya passed her eyes over the buildings and various streets that she passed as she made her way further into the city. She wasn't looking for anything in particur, but she did notice that there was an abnormal amount of arcano-tech in py. Crystals hung from mpposts and doorways, thrumming with an energy that created a sheen over homes and other buildings.
It sparkled with a prismatic hue, barely perceptible if not for her keen sight. She had an idea of what they were, and as she looked upon them and wondered, a hot, searing pain shot through her eyes. It was sudden, though nothing she couldn't handle, though it made her pause for a moment n the street. Suppressing any sound that dared escape her throat, she narrowed her eyes in an attempt to suppress the pain.
Somehow, it worked, but so did something else. Her vision shifted, the world overpping in a kaleidoscope of colors as the shimmering over the buildings was suddenly id bare before her. Her vision focused and sharpened, returning to normal, along with a notification that appeared.
-----
>[Sixth Sense: Identify] Activated.
>See through to the truth.
-----
"Strange..." Maya dismissed the notification, her eyes lingering upon the barriers, for that's exactly what they were. She could see it. The yers of protection and what each was supposed to do. Every crystal that hung around the city was the exact same.
They all created a sphere of influence that was protected from outside interference. Particurly...illusions and mind manipution. It also designated the area within the barrier as its own space, under control of the enchanter. This provided a buffer from reality distortion as well.
What her eyes also let her see, were the ways to slip through these barriers. She saw their weak points and could, if she wanted, exploit them. It was honestly...impressive. Both the enchantments and her new vision. She blinked and the information was gone.
With a single thought, it returned, faster than before and without such searing heat. It only took a moment for her to figure out that she could break down the various parts of the enchantment, singling them out in her vision. She almost lost herself to experimenting with this new form of her vision when a voice called out.
"Excuse me, Ma'am?" it was a woman's voice, gentle and sweet, with a slight Irish accent "Are you alright?"
Breaking herself free from her intrigue, Maya berated herself. "After everything...I still let myself get distracted." clicking her tongue at herself, she turned to see a young woman with lush brown hair down to her waist, tied back in a beautiful half-braid.
Her skin was fair and freckled with vibrantly green eyes. She wore a dark blue frock coat that reached past her knees, beneath which was a dark grey suit. Upon the pel of her coat was a golden pin in the shape of a Celtic Knot, with the initials C.G. within.
It stood for Celtic Guard, one of guilds that Maya was here to meet. They had been created shortly after the first wave of outbreaks that heralded the appearance of the Gates. They acted as this side of the world's Wild Guard, patrolling the various walls of the Wild Zones here. Though, differing from the Wild Guard back home, the Celtic Guard also took care of dungeons and anything else to ensure the safety of the Irish people.
Maya felt grateful for this encounter, because the woman who stood before her was Marian, the representative of the Celtic Guard. An S-Rank Pyer known as "The Morrigan".
"Are you feeling okay?" Marian repeated, watching Maya cautiously, "Do you...see anything strange?"
"You could say that..." Maya mused to herself about her newfound vision, though she remained stoic outwardly. Marian wasn't alone, though she appeared to be. As friendly as Marian presented herself, there were six other individuals nearby in hiding. Each one at least A-Rank. They weren't hostile, but they were watching.
What Maya also noticed, was that Marian wore a pendant with a small crystal upon it, much like those that hung around the city. Most likely, they were of her creation.
"I've seen plenty of strange things," Maya called out to her, titling her head with slight impatience, "You'll have to be more specific."
Marian narrowed her eyes slightly, unsure how to process what Maya had said. Before she could say anything else, Maya began walking towards her. Before she took the first step, Marian held up her hand, her eyes taking on a different intensity, becoming sharp and focused.
"I'm gonna have to ask you to wait right there," she told Maya, an air of warning to her words, "At least for now. I haven't seen you around before."
"It's a big city," Maya told, a little sarcastic, "It's impressive that you know everyone in it."
"That's..." Marian grimaced, "Most people wouldn't be walking around so casually."
"I'm not most people," Maya replied simply, and continued walking towards her.
"Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to-" her words were cut off as Maya used [Fsh Step] to close the distance between them, leaving a trail of petals behind her.
Casting a cool gnce at her, their eyes met and Marian's gaze went wide in surprise.
"I'm in a hurry," Maya told her, pcing a hand on her shoulder, "I have a meeting. Don't be te...Marian."
"W-Wait...!" Marian called out, only Maya was gone.
Her hearing, however, still caught what she said after, tinged with a bit of fear and realization, "Ah...that was Orchid. Well, shit."
Maya allowed herself a smirk from the perch she had found upon an older building in the city. She had purposefully left petals made from her energy so as to announce her arrival. She didn't want a confrontation with anyone, but she was in a hurry. She had allowed herself too many distractions. Whatever her new senses were, she had to figure them out, but the Cat's Tongue took priority.
For now, she turned towards the center of the city and began closing in on the meeting pce. A pub located in the Latin Quarter of Galway. It was there that she would meet with the representatives of the three major guilds of Irend and the UK.
-Marian of the Celtic Guard, Irend's Representative.
-Samuel of Glory, Britain's Representative.
-Malcolm of the Watchers, Scotnd's Representative.
With Marian knowing she was here, they would call the others to meet. It wouldn't be long now before she would approach the Cat's Cradle.
-----
Nikushimi
