Chương 20: Chapter 18 — Gone Before Morning

"You can turn around now," Chelsea called out, folding her arms with a bit more confidence than before. Dewey turned first and immediately frowned in confusion.

"How?" he asked, pointing at her chest.

"I watched Adriane tear that open." Chelsea wiggled her fingers at him dramatically.

"Spooky demon magic."

"Grab that bow as well," Adriane said, already moving on to the next step.

"You won't need arrows. You won't actually be using it. Bows typically grant Dexterity and Stamina. That's what you need right now." Chelsea reached for the snapped bow, still bent and broken from earlier, and the moment her fingers closed around it, it reformed in her hands with a subtle, almost seamless shift. The warped wood straightened, the tension returned, and the string snapped taut like it had never been damaged in the first place. The entire room paused.

"Neat trick," Edgar said, his voice measured, though there was no mistaking the interest behind it.

"Cloak back on," Adriane continued, unfazed.

"Tuck your wings in tight. Completely. If anyone can say they saw 'a winged girl' leaving the east gate, we've already failed." Chelsea nodded and pulled the cloak around herself, carefully folding her wings in as best she could. It felt awkward at first, but the gear adjusted around her again, settling into place like it had been designed for exactly this. Within moments, they were moving. They left the house quietly, slipping into the dim, near-empty streets.

The city at night felt like a muted and slow, with only the occasional lantern casting weak pools of light along the stone paths. Chelsea kept close, her hood pulled low, trying to mimic the way the others moved: purposeful, but not hurried. Just another group with somewhere to be. As Adriane had predicted, no one was looking for her yet. They approached the east gate without incident.

Three guards stood posted there, gathered around a small crate, cards spread between them as they played some late-night game to pass the time. Edgar stepped forward naturally, taking the lead before anyone else could be noticed.

"We need to pass through," he said, his tone even.

"Official guild business." One of the guards glanced up, squinting slightly.

"At this hour?" he asked, eyeing the group.

"They've got you running pretty hard, don't they?"

"Sort of," Edgar replied smoothly.

"What we're after doesn't come out during the day." That got a chuckle.

"Ah, one of those jobs," the guard said, leaning back slightly.

"Well, good luck. If you run into Ol' Red, you turn around and run. Don't be a hero."

"You know it," Edgar said. The guard reached over and pulled a lever. The heavy metal gate groaned as it lifted, chains rattling as the path beyond opened. Chelsea held her breath as they walked through. No one stopped them. No one questioned further. And just like that, they were outside. The gate slammed shut behind them with a heavy, echoing clang. They were free.

"Good work," Adriane said quietly once they'd put some distance between themselves and the walls.

"I was wrong. The character stone was worth the coin." Chelsea leaned slightly toward Dewey.

"What's that?" she whispered.

"Amulet," he whispered back, though his version of a whisper still carried a low rumble.

"Boosts Charisma." Chelsea nodded slowly. That explained a lot.

"Once we cross that ridge," Adriane said, her voice low but firm, "we run." No one argued. They moved at a steady pace until the ground began to rise, the terrain shifting from worn road to uneven earth. The ridge wasn't large, but it broke the line of sight from the city, and once they crossed it, Adriane didn't hesitate.

"Go." The entire group surged forward. Chelsea ran. At first, it felt wrong, too fast, too easy. Her body moved like it already knew what to do, her steps finding rhythm almost instantly. The ground passed beneath her in long, smooth strides, her balance adjusting automatically to the shifting terrain. Her tail counterbalanced her without conscious effort, and her breathing stayed steady despite the pace. She should have been struggling, but she wasn't. She was keeping up. No, she was doing more than that.

She was fast. The realization settled in all at once, everything clicking into place as she felt the difference the gear and stat boosts were making. They ran for what felt like an eternity, the dark stretching around them as the city lights disappeared behind the ridge. Time blurred into motion until, finally,"Break," Adriane called. Dewey and Bea both dropped almost immediately, breathing hard as they collapsed onto the ground. Bea fumbled for a canteen and took a long pull, wiping her mouth after.

Dewey did the same before holding it out toward Chelsea.

"You should drink," he said.

"We've got a few more hours of this." Chelsea shook her head.

"I'm actually fine." He frowned slightly.

"I haven't been thirsty since I got here," she added.

"Maybe demons don't need water? Or we get it from what we eat?" She wrinkled her nose slightly at the canteen.

"Either way, that smells like dirt. Like really gross dirt." This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Dewey studied her for a moment, then nodded.

"You're not even breathing hard," he said.

"That's good." She gave a small shrug.

"No idea why."

"Chelsea," Adriane called. Chelsea straightened immediately and walked over. Adriane placed a hand on her shoulder, not rough, but firm, and guided her a short distance away from the others. Far enough that their voices wouldn't carry. Once they were alone, Adriane looked down at her, her expression more serious now, focused.

"I didn't get the chance to ask earlier," she said quietly.

"Did you speak with Magalesa?" Chelsea's eyes lit up immediately.

"I did! And the news is bigger than just a simple screw-up." Adriane tilted her head slightly, giving her full attention.

"So, Magalesa isn't actually that great at summoning," Chelsea began, speaking quickly as the excitement bubbled up again.

"She's only done two before mine, and apparently she wasn't paying full attention during mine. While it was happening, someone else on the other side of the continent tried to summon a champion too. They weren't nearly as good as Alexi, so instead of doing it properly, they kind of siphoned power from my summoning and corrupted it." She paused just long enough to take a breath before continuing.

"But they did manage to summon someone," she said, her voice lifting again.

"I met him. His name's Gerard. He's kind of a big deal. Like, legendary warrior level. Magalesa had even heard of him, and not from this world, from a completely different pantheon." Adriane's expression didn't change much, but her attention sharpened. Chelsea kept going, unable to help herself.

"Apparently he gets summoned all the time. Like constantly. He's been through a ton of worlds. He actually knew more about the summoning process than Magalesa did and started teaching her how it works." She let out a small, incredulous laugh.

"Oh, and he was thrilled when I told him about you. He said the first thing he does in every new world is go straight to the adventurer's guild." She stopped abruptly, clapping a hand over her mouth as the realization hit.

"Sorry," she said through her fingers.

"That was a lot." Adriane didn't seem bothered.

"Does this Gerard have a plan?" she asked instead. Chelsea lowered her hand.

"He said he's going to come find me. He wanted to know which kingdom to aim for once he levels a bit." Adriane was quiet for a moment, her expression tightening just slightly as she considered that.

"Chelsea," she said finally, "I don't like the idea of a powerful, unknown entity actively seeking you out."

"Yeah," Chelsea admitted, her enthusiasm dimming a notch.

"Now that I say it out loud, it sounds a little less exciting." She rubbed the back of her neck.

"I can talk to him again in dreams, though. Get to know him better before we decide anything." Adriane gave a small nod.

"That's reasonable." Chelsea hesitated, then added, "Hey, Bea said something earlier." Adriane sighed faintly.

"She says a lot. What specifically?"

"That we're in debt."

"Ah." Adriane waved it off lightly.

"We'll discuss that later. For now, we move." She turned and started back toward the group without another word. Chelsea lingered for half a second, then muttered under her breath, "Nice going, Chels," before following after her. They continued running as the sky slowly began to lighten, the deep blues of night giving way to pale streaks of gold along the horizon. By the time the sun finally crested, Adriane called for another break.

"We're making good time," Edgar commented, his tone even as ever. Chelsea took the opportunity, turning toward him with curiosity that had clearly been building.

"Hey, Edgar, what's your deal?" Dewey let out a tired huff that almost passed for a laugh. He took a long pull from his canteen, then pulled out two strips of jerky, offering one to Chelsea. She shook her head politely.

"My deal?" Edgar repeated.

"Yeah," Chelsea said.

"The whole cloak, mask, gloves thing. And you're not even breathing heavy." She gestured vaguely between him and the others. Dewey was clearly winded, and Bea looked like she might melt into the ground.

"Ah," Edgar said, inclining his head slightly.

"You may not be familiar with my kind. I am a gali."

"Fae," Adriane clarified from nearby.

"Think of him as a fairy spirit inhabiting a collection of artifacts. The cloak, the mask, the gloves, they're not decoration. They are him."

"He also happens to be our way…" Dewey panted between breaths, "…into the fairy city." Chelsea's eyebrows lifted slightly. That tracked.

"You might want to work on your cardio, big guy," she added, giving Dewey's shoulder a light pat. He looked down at her, confused, clearly not understanding the term.

"Never mind," she said quickly.

"So, fairies are real." Chelsea paused, then questioned, "What else is real?"

"Wolves are real, boars are real, horses are real," Bea muttered from where she was sprawled on her back, staring up at the sky.

"Ghosts aren't, even though people swear they are. Ants are real. Flies are""No, I mean like fantasy stuff," Chelsea cut in.

"Dragons, werewolves, vampires, that kind of thing." The entire group turned to her at once. Chelsea blinked, caught off guard by the sudden attention.

"Did I ask something stupid?" she asked, her voice a little smaller than before.

"Seriously?" Bea said flatly from the ground, not even bothering to sit up.

"Little demon sister," Dewey began, his tone more patient than judgmental, "the type of demon you are is very closely related to vampires. Isn't it?" Chelsea frowned.

"Uh… wait, no? I mean, look at me." She gestured vaguely at her horns.

"Horns. Wings. Demon. Pretty straightforward, right?" Bea let out a loud, unrestrained laugh, still sprawled in the dirt.

"You're so stupid," she said, grinning up at her.

"Vampires are demons. Subtype. All demons just say 'demon' or 'infernal hellspawn' or whatever variation they feel like using." She pointed lazily toward Chelsea's face.

"Look at your teeth. Look at your big eyes. You know what vampires have?" She gasped dramatically, pressing both hands over her mouth.

"Vampire teeth." Chelsea frowned and flicked her tongue carefully against her elongated teeth, testing them again.

"Yeah, but all of my front teeth are basically razor blades," she said.

"That's not really a vampire thing, is it?"

"What do you think vampire teeth are?" Edgar asked. There was no mockery in his voice, just genuine curiosity. Chelsea opened her mouth and pointed at the two prominent fangs.

"Those," she said. Edgar tilted his head slightly.

"There's the confusion. Those are the most obvious feature, yes, but not the dangerous one." His tone remained calm, almost instructional.

"It's well known that you never kiss a vampire. You won't come away with a tongue." Chelsea paused. Slowly, she raised her thumb and pressed it against one of her upper front teeth. When she pulled it back, there was a clean, thin line across the skin, like a perfect paper cut.

"Probably a good rule," she admitted quietly. Adriane stepped in then, grounding the conversation again.

"You're not a full vampire," she clarified.

"They don't have horns, wings, or tails." Her gaze flicked over Chelsea briefly, assessing.

"You're something in between." Then, more to the point, "Dragons and werewolves are real here. Any others?"

"Angels?" Chelsea asked, curiosity returning quickly.

"What are those?" Edgar asked.

"Describe them."

"They're like the opposite of demons," Chelsea said, thinking it through.

"Human-looking, but with white wings. Like bird wings."

"Seraphs," Bea, Adriane, and Edgar said in unison. Chelsea blinked.

"I'm guessing that means you have them?"

"Sort of," Adriane said.

"They aren't a natural species here. They're summoned entities, called in for specific purposes. Fights, mostly. Then they return to wherever they came from."

"Nasty things," Edgar added simply. Something about the earlier conversation tugged at Chelsea's mind, pulling her attention back.

"What's wrong with my eyes?" she asked, glancing down at Bea. Bea didn't even look at her.

"Nothing," she said, dismissive, then muttered something under her breath that Chelsea couldn't quite catch.

"I think your eyes are pretty, little demon sister," Dewey added. Bea rolled onto her side and stared up at him like he'd just grown a second head.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded.

"Ever since you woke up from getting knocked out, you've been acting weird. You haven't mentioned honor once, not once. I fully expected you to argue that running away was cowardly." Dewey opened his mouth, then hesitated.

"I…" He stopped, frowning slightly as if searching for the right words.

"We must keep little demon sister safe," he said finally.

"It is an honorable cause to retreat, if the retreat is for her protection." He sounded like he was convincing himself as much as anyone else. Bea smirked, her eyes lingering on Dewey for a moment before slowly shifting back to Chelsea.

"Uh-huh," she said, clearly unconvinced, though she didn't push it further.

"Everybody up," Adriane called, clapping her hands once to cut through the lull.

"We're making the final push to the forest. Someone will be checking Chelsea's room within the next couple of hours. I want us inside the treeline before that happens." Bea groaned dramatically but pushed herself to her feet anyway, rolling her shoulders as if preparing for something far worse than running.

"Want me to carry you, Bea? You look exhausted," Chelsea offered, only half-joking.

"Chelsea," Adriane snapped immediately.

"No."