Chương 37: The Lady Riftwalker

A lone figure stood motionless at the center of the clearing, her hair untamed by the bitter wind that rattled the pine branches overhead. Her eyes swept over the scene—the scorched patches of earth, the melted snow in the clearing, and the three bodies slumped silently on the ground.

"I saw someone dragging a child into the woods, you know," the woman said, her lips curving into a faint, knowing smile.

"It's usually normal to shout for help in a situation like that." She paused, her dark eyes shifting down toward Stelle's hip, where the concealed lantern rested beneath her coat.

"Though I see I was mistaken. It seems those men were the ones who needed help." The woman began to take slow, deliberate steps toward her, entirely unbothered by the four bodies scattered across the snow.

"A fine Rune weapon you have there. In fact, it's my first time seeing a design quite like that. The camouflage is impressive... but the moment mana flows through the circuits, it becomes far easier to trace. Where did a girl like you acquire something like that?" What should I do... I didn't know she would notice and follow us here. But she seems interested in my Shadow Lantern. For now, let's use her curiosity to get out of this situation smoothly.

"From a merchant I know," Stelle replied, her tone perfectly flat.

"A merchant, hm?" The woman tilted her head, watching Stelle's calm eyes with open curiosity.

"Care to share who this merchant might be?"

"Ten gold coins will cover the information." The woman blinked, caught off guard, then a low genuine laugh broke from her lips.

"What? Are you seriously attempting to sell me a lead instead of just answering a simple question?"

"Fifteen gold coins, It's not something simple that I can just easily share." Stelle adjusted immediately, her face entirely devoid of sarcasm. The woman stopped her approach, resting a hand on her hip as her laughter subsided into an amused sigh.

"You certainly have nerve. But really, I could simply do to you what you just did to those fools and pull the answer out myself. It would save me the trouble of parting with my coin—especially since I seem to have left my pouch back in my room." Stelle didn't flinch, nor did she raise her guard.

"I can extend credit."

"You really don't drop a trade, do you?" The violet-haired woman raised a hand to her temple, shaking her head as if nursing a mild headache, though the faint smirk never left her lips.

"Fine. But let me finish what you started here first." She turned her gaze toward Yorrin, who had frozen mid-crawl in utter terror, his one hand still braced against the dirt as though he'd forgotten how to run. With a lazy flick of her wrist, the man simply went limp, slipping into unconsciousness before his eyes could widen any further. A moment later, his body lifted off the ground entirely, drifting through the air toward her as though gravity had quietly agreed to make an exception.

The other three followed seconds later, rising in a slow, orderly line. Stelle watched the display without a word, taking in the casual, effortless precision of it. Whatever Path this woman walked, it moved mass the way Stelle moved thought... without visible effort, as though the physical world simply deferred to her.

"Well, they did attempt to kidnap a minor," the woman said lightly.

"I'll consider your involvement strict self-defense. But you should know that ending a life shouldn't be done on a whim. There is a proper way to deal with them." The woman tone is serious.

"You could stand to be a little friendlier to me, you know. I am taking out the trash for you."

"I see," Stelle said calmly.

"Thank you."

"It isn't free, of course." The woman's eyes locked onto Stelle's with a subtle, sharp intensity as she turned back toward the path leading into Dorkin, the four floating bodies trailing obediently behind her.

"You're going to follow me after I hand these over to the local guard. Now come on, the night is already deep." The woman began walking without waiting for a response. Stelle fell into step a few paces behind her. This woman radiated an aura that made every single one of Stelle's internal calculations advise against testing her patience.

Her [Quantum Optics] couldn't pierce through to whatever true mana output lay beneath the woman's outward calm, but she could still register the ambient feedback, something vast folded small enough to walk casually through a village without shaking the ground. Not an opponent to provoke tonight, Stelle decided. The two of them walked back toward the village in silence. It was well past midnight by then; the streets of Dorkin were empty and dark, every window shuttered against the cold.

Even the night guard posted near the outer watchtower looked too weary to have noticed two figures and their strange, floating cargo. The woman approached the tower without slowing her pace. The four bodies settled onto the frozen ground in front of the guard with a soft thud, causing the man to flinch so hard he nearly toppled off his stool.

"W-what is that?!" He scrambled upright, staring wide-eyed at the row of unconscious men lying at his feet before snapping his gaze between the two travelers.

"These are the fools who tried to kidnap this girl," the violet-haired woman said, her tone bordering on bored.

"Well—they technically did kidnap her, dragging her off to the outskirts before... they meet their end." The guard, still visibly working through the shock, opened his mouth to say something sharp—until his eyes caught the small, engraved emblem pinned to the woman's lapel. Whatever authority he'd been gathering drained out of him instantly.

"R-Riftwalker?!" He nearly bowed where he stood.

"No need to overreact." The woman waved a dismissive hand.

"The village chief already knows we have business up at Mourning Ridge. Some of our people are already there." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Off to the side, Stelle turned the unfamiliar term over carefully in her mind. Riftwalker.

"Y-yes, ma'am! We'll take care of this immediately!"

"Thank you." The guard called for a few extra hands to help drag the unconscious men away, the small commotion gradually swallowed by the quiet of the sleeping village behind them. Neither Stelle nor the woman lingered to watch it finish.

"You. Let's go to my room."

"Your room? Why there, exactly?"

"My pouch is there. Like you said, I need to pay to learn about that Runed Weapon of yours." Stelle remained silent. She didn't want to let go of Torrin but a lingering obstacle demanded her attention before she could take another step.

"Come on, I'm not going to eat you." The woman glanced back over her shoulder, one eyebrow raised.

"You let a stranger carry you off into the woods without a fight, but you can't manage to follow me down a perfectly ordinary street?"

"Alright." Stelle fell into step beside her without further argument.

"Well… let me introduce myself properly, since we're apparently spending the evening together." The woman's tone shifted into something more formal, though the amusement never left it entirely.

"I'm Sierra, of Valenthia—the capital of the Valeria Kingdom. I'm here overseeing our Riftwalkers on a mission in Mourning Ridge. What about you?" Stelle remained quiet, weighing whether to reveal anything real about herself.

"I already heard those mercenaries talking, you know," Sierra added, glancing sideways at her.

"You're a runaway, little thing. Don't worry—I'm not especially interested in your background. What I am interested in is that little device sitting on your hip. Though if you don't come with me willingly, I might just find myself curious enough to figure out the rest of your story, too." Stelle met Sierra's gaze, running the probability calculations one last time. There was no better tactical option available.

"I'm Stelle," she said.

"Let's go to your room."... Sierra's room was only four doors down from Stelle's on the second floor. Inside, a low fire burned in the hearth, and a travel case sat half-unpacked in the corner with the casual disorder of someone who moved too often to bother settling in. Sierra dropped into the room's only chair with loose, unhurried grace, gesturing vaguely toward the edge of the bed. I didn't expect her to be near. Maybe because I can't detect her or she barely stay in her room.

"Sit wherever you like. I don't bite." She offered a faint smile.

"Unless you'd prefer I did. Some people find that sort of thing very persuasive."

"I'll sit," Stelle said, ignoring the comment entirely as she took a seat on the edge of the mattress. Sierra laughed under her breath, retrieving a leather coin pouch from her travel case. She counted out fifteen gold coins with theatrical care and slid them across the small table between them.

"There. Paid in full, as promised. I do so hate leaving a debt unsettled, even a small one." She propped her chin on one hand, her dark eyes settling on Stelle with unhurried interest.

"Now. The merchant. Who is he?"

"His name is Corin," Stelle said.

"I met him back where I came from. He deals in antiques and unusual items."

"And... that's all you're giving me? A name and a profession?" Sierra arched an eyebrow.

"For fifteen gold, I expected considerably more than the bare minimum, little thing."

"You asked who he was. I told you." Stelle kept her voice even.

"You didn't specify a minimum word count." That earned a genuine laugh from Sierra, who shook her head slowly.

"You are scamming me. Don't tell me that merchant taught you how to fleece people, too." She tapped one finger against the table, considering.

"Fine. I'll allow it once. But you're not leaving this room without me learning something worth the coin, okay?" Stelle unclipped the hidden lantern from her belt and placed it on the table.

"It's actually a modified Purple Lantern. I acquired it from him in exchange for something," Stelle said, which was, strictly speaking, not a lie.

"Is it? Hmm…" Sierra leaned in, studying the housing.

"Now that I look closer, it does resemble some of its components. But this lantern of yours is a lantern capable of channeling a Path... while not unheard of, it's remarkably rare." She glanced up from the artifact.

"Your merchant friend does good business. Is that all?"

"Yes." Stelle sat back, perfectly composed after fabricating the narrative. Sierra didn't push further, though something in her expression suggested she wasn't entirely convinced. Still, she let it drop—a detail Stelle noted as a useful data point. Sierra was someone who chose her battles rather than exhausting herself chasing every loose thread.

"Well, fine… I'll accept that," Sierra said smoothly.

"But... Looking at you, though you seem to have more questions than I do."

"Riftwalker," Stelle said instantly.

"What is that?"

"Am I allowed to bargain too?" Stelle looked at her coin, clutching it as if she couldn't bear to let it go.

"Really now..." Sierra massaging her temple.

"Fine I will answer." Sierra waved a hand casually.

"We handle rifts. And whatever comes out of them when they open somewhere they shouldn't—corrupted beasts, corrupted land, the occasional corrupted person if it goes too far before anyone notices. Kingdom-sponsored, technically. An elite force, if you want the official title, though most of us just call ourselves what we do." She shrugged, easy and unbothered.

"There's an active rift in the Ridge. That's why I'm here, and why my team is already up there."

"That's all?"

"That's all you're getting tonight, now you understand what I feel." Sierra smiled knowingly.

"What about the floating technique you used on them. How did you do that?" Stelle didn't stop.

"I just said you've reached your limit for tonight." Sierra looked faintly annoyed by her persistence. Stelle simply held Sierra's gaze in silence. She knew that using her eyes could somehow change people's minds. This Child... Sierra don't forget she just casually killed some people earlier. Sierra tried to hold out, but finally let out a soft sigh.

"Ok fine, you will get your answer this time. It's simply a spell that any user on the Catalyst or Manipulator Path can employ, provided they've achieved Master mastery." She turned her palm upward, and a small empty teacup sitting on the table lifted an inch off the surface, drifting lazily in a slow circle before settling back down without a sound.

"Nothing especially impressive in the grand scheme of things. I've simply had a long time to make it look effortless." Stelle watched the demonstration with intense focus. A technique that manipulates mass without physical contact, she thought. It's precisely the functional mechanic I need. The strategic value aligns immediately.

"Teach me." Sierra blinked, then laughed outright, leaning back in her chair.

"Teach you? Just like that?"

"Yes."

"You do understand that's not how this works, don't you? I'm a Riftwalker, little thing, not a tutor for hire. I don't hand out techniques to strangers." Sierra shook her head, though her tone remained soft.

"Besides, you're what, Tier 1? And you heard me—only a Catalyst or Manipulator with Master mastery can pull it off properly."

"I don't require the entire discipline," Stelle clarified.

"Only the underlying principle behind what you just demonstrated."

"Just that? Kids these days think they can jump straight to the end." Sierra studied her for a long moment.

"And what do I get out of indulging you? I already paid fifteen gold for a name and a profession you barely elaborated on."

"Information," Stelle offered.

"You want to know more about the lantern right?. I will answer one honest question of yours in exchange for one lesson." Something flickered behind Sierra's eyes—a sharp, genuine interest replacing her idle curiosity.

"One question and a honest answer..."

"Yes." Stelle wide eyes remain fix to her. Sierra drummed her fingers against the tabletop, calculating the offer. Slowly, the corner of her mouth curved upward.

"You really don't quit, do you?" She sighed, though it carried no real reluctance.

"Fine. One lesson—the absolute basics only. Nothing more tonight, and don't expect me to hand you the rest just because you managed to trade your way."

"Understood."

"And you'll owe me that question." Sierra stood up, rolling her shoulders as her playful demeanor shifted into sharp focus.

"Sit up properly." Stelle straightened immediately. [Quantum Optic: Active]"Good," Sierra said, raising her hand.

"Now. Listen and observe properly." The teacup rose once more, slow and deliberate.