The Apprentice of Ouroboros [Monster Evo LitRPG Adventure]

The trickle of power running across her scales was more than enough to convince her she'd found the right athame. “Okay, I must ask, Suzie. How will I know I've found the right one?” Neska asked in a monotone voice, hiding her reaction as best she could.

She slowly opened her eyes and immediately noticed the soft cyan glow of the runes stitched into the brim of her hat, their intent a mystery to her. She looked down at the athame in her hand and looked on in awe.

The blade itself was about ten inches long, larger than most of the other daggers, carrying a silver hue with just a faint trace of mint. The double-sided blade was slightly thicker in the middle, the flats beveled. The diamond texture she’d felt under her fingers was, instead, a cured snake or reptile skin, wrapped around the handle and expertly crafted. It did bear a few smoothed edges, likely the prior user's natural grip when repeated thousands of times.

The crossguard itself was unusual. The metal had been shaped and twisted with incredible precision to represent two entwined snakes, protecting the hand with ease. It felt light and well balanced, with no clumsy control. The wide blade would make it easy to slice items to extract mana. A slight curve on the hilt allowed one to place a finger to control the blade's motion.

She glanced at the blade, puzzled. Why this one?

Her Interface came to life from its passive, subdued display to an active state. Clearly, this implement's power was recognized.

Adjusting for variable parameters…match found.

Kappell of Ouroboros is compatible as a matched set with Athame of the Aspiring Serpent.

Neska set the blade back down as calmly as she could, fingers trembling. Suzie saw through it as her eyes cast down, and her lips pressed tight. “That one, huh? I should have figured.”

Neska slithered a few inches back, straightening her posture. “It seems to be an excellent tool for a witch. It felt…natural in my hand. I do like the aesthetic, too. But athames usually don't have a sharp edge. This is…”

She took a feather strand in one hand and brought the edge close. It only took the gentlest motion to cut the strand. “Wait. This is a dagger, not an athame.”

“Dark times often mean changes in our customs, Neska. Up close, normally a witch is quite vulnerable.”

Suzie’s tightened cheeks and hard edges softened, just a little, as she waved to the athame. “That one's been in my hands for ten years. Never could get rid of it. A witch had a reaction so bad it burned her hand, once. I swear most went out of their way to avoid touching it. Yet you had no issue.”

Trevor leaned in, peering closely but refusing to touch it. “Is it cursed?”

“Not that I'm aware. Cursed items are exceedingly rare, and they're normally keyed to one victim or group of victims.” Suzie shook her head. “No, you don't need a curse to give it a bad history. Risha got rid of that one, and told me to melt it. I never understood why. I know, it must've been bad, though."

“But, it…it triggered my Kappell. It recognized it,” Neska finished, trying to assimilate this information. “It–”

Suzie held up the dagger without another word and placed it back in a small sheath. She then wrapped it in a paper bundle and handed it to Neska. “Nope. I think this is your sign, Neska. I haven't seen one react this strongly to a witch’s presence. I doubt you’d find a better fitting athame in this small collection.”

Trevor glanced at the two of them. “Uh, how much for that one?”

“The carapace and intact venom sacs should more than cover the costs. I might throw in a bonus too, and do some study work on these bugs.” Suzie shook Trevor's hand, then Neska's. “Thank you for this, truly.”

Something didn't add up. “Suzie, before we go…that athame had some properties I didn't recognize. Why would Risha tell you to melt it down?” And what the hell is a matched set, Vivi?

Talk later. Neska, I think Risha left you a legacy. Do not let go of it.

She took Vivi’s advice to heart. But she hesitated. “ You said this was ten years ago, right?”

As she spoke, a dreaded idea trickled in. Oh. Oh no. Tell me this isn't what I think. The chill running down her tail already told her what significance this athame held.

“Yeah. I remember it. She had other tools she'd switch out depending on what rituals she cast. This one must not have performed well for her.”

Inwardly, Neska knew by instinct whose weapon she was holding. This couldn’t possibly be his weapon. That damn phantom in the back of her head was back, laughing uproariously. She clenched her hand and stilled her twitching tail. “Suzie, thank you for this. We should meet up sometime afterward, in less…shall we say, strenuous circumstances?”

Finally, the smile was back on her face. “I could go for that. I knew Risha on and off through the years. I know you're probably only telling me half the story, probably for good reason. That's the story of most folks who come through here.”

A sudden realization hit her: if this athame was tied to Markus, she had a divination focus, a personal effect! She could attune to this slippery bastard and find him! And there was no way he could have anticipated that far back to block effects to track him.

“Thank you.” Neska tapped her relay to Suzies, which was unlike the school’s design. Hers was plain, rectangular, and dull teal. “I’ll call when I…eh?”

Neska's relay started pinging with urgency. It sounded like Kasfews. She couldn't believe that bird had agreed to add her to his ‘contact’ list. “Hey, what's up? We're just finishing our shopping.”

Juni spoke up on the other end. “Neska? Kasfew just got an urgent alert. The Seekers are looking for you.”

Of course. Why would anything I do be simple, safe, or sane? “I don't suppose you know why they are looking for me, do you?” She motioned for Trevor to pack everything urgently and stuffed the items into his satchel.

“Ortholo wants to talk to you. That's all we know. Turn off your relay, right now. Jurik said he didn't dare call you directly, so it's been bounced like three or four times. Seekers just showed up on campus twenty minutes ago, so it might not be a bad idea to lay low.”

“I am a snake. It's what I do,” she sighed. Then she stiffened. “Wait, they can track our lapels?”

“No. But they are sending out a security ‘ping’ that was intended for rescue operations and uh…recovery operations, should someone fall in battle, by creating an audible sound from a relay,” Juni answered. “It can’t locate you unless you’re close by. Meet us up at the campus, and avoid the main through-path while Jurik and Hadley figure out what’s got that red-clad executioner all riled up. Did you get your supplies?”

“Yeah. Hold on, don’t want this one seen by the Seekers to give them any more reasons to distrust me.” She opened her mouth wide and swallowed the athame, with Suzie gasping. “Okay, mischief managed. Sorry Suzie. That ability is a little unusual.”

“You swallowed a weapon?! Why?”

“It’s safe?” Neska didn’t want or need to explain this to Suzie, who stared at her, bewildered. “It’s a witch thing, okay?”

“That is not a witch thing! Or it’s not a normal witch thing! Look, get going and stick to the alley on your left. Damn Seeker zealots probably can’t get down here,” Suzie muttered, “but I can’t guarantee that. I’d rather not draw any more attention to my shop, you hear? Did they follow down here?”

“Most certainly not. I have more than a few grievances with them,” Neska answered, already thrusting the door open. “Stay safe, yes?”

“I will. You too, dear. I need to hear more about what happened to Risha.” Neska slithered out the door with Trevor in tow, carrying the unwieldy cauldron. Syrona fluttered above them, screeching agitatedly.

Neska turned off the relay for the time being. It was disturbing enough that someone could use it to echolocate others, even for good intentions. “Trevor, you’re more in the know than I. What do you know about the Seekers?”

“Don’t like ‘em,” he answered gruffly. “From what you told me of your encounters with them, I think your experiences have been worse than average.” He slung the cauldron over his shoulder, now at a jogging pace. She wondered if he’d put a point into Vitality or Endurance of late because he seemed more responsive.

She might be going too quickly as Trevor struggled to keep up. “How are you so fast without legs?” he said, trying to jog to keep up with her as they ducked into the alleyway of closely clustered buildings.

“Legs get in the way. Except for dancing.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” She cast out her hand, with Syrona curling around her hand expectantly, arching her body like an S-curve and tilting her head. “Syrona, fly ahead of us toward the giant firebird’s home, and keep an eye out for men in red uniforms. They’re not nice people. No, you can’t bite them unless they’re threatening you, either,” she added, wagging a finger for emphasis. “If you see them, stay hidden.”

Syrona bared her fangs and let out a hiss that almost sounded like a raspberry. Trevor chuckled softly beside the two of them. “Well, she has some strong opinions of them,” he called out.

“She’s a scale off the old snake. Wait. This implies she’s biologically related to me.” Neska clicked her tongue as she pondered what Ortholo could want with her as they ducked past another row of buildings. She heard more than a few people talking quietly on their relays, hunched over and looking worried.

Syrona shrilled overhead, then darted to a decorative railing, wrapping around it and using her chameleon-like feathers to blend in as another portion of the metal, and stilling her body.

Neska pulled Trevor to the side in a rocky dead-end on one side of the cavern, adjacent to a building that had smoke puffing up from a chimney just above them. “Seekers are already down here. Hang on. Going to use Syrona to spot.”

“Huh?”

“Linked vision. It’s a witch thing.”

“How many times are you going to utter that line and I’m going to react in sheer disbelief?” he quietly fumed. She ignored it and sank into the [Familiar Link], reaching out to Syrona faster than she had before. Likely because Syrona anticipated it and opened the connection on her end.

Neska’s vision blurred, and she saw the outlines of men in red armor marching from their entryway to the access portal, one of many ingress points to the Undercommons. Syrona craned her neck for Neska to see the Seekers streaming in from another direction, two four-man squads.

One group stopped to question people in the street, sometimes forcibly pushing them against buildings. Another group got in front of a student who took an aggressive approach and shouted at them. One Seeker slammed him in the chest, and he took a trip to the ground, while another Seeker handcuffed him with manacles. One squad kicked in a door, and people shouted from inside.

The fourth group was headed their way.

“Trevor? Do your camouflage thing.” She cut the connection to Syrona, and the action was met with an overwhelming sense of vertigo and her head spinning. “Whoa, I need to get the handle on that ability. Four squads of four, moving in a pincer formation, knocking on doors and being rather rude. Bunch of cutthroat bullies,” she said in a menacing hiss.

Well here’s some good news. Your link ability got stronger.

Familiar Link 5 > 6

She felt a tingle of power in her head, and something that hadn’t been there before. A small ember of emotion.

Smugness? Confidence? What was that? Syrona, is that you I feel?

The familiar made no response, but she felt that small burst of emotion change to something cooler, familiar and friendly. Interesting. There was more to this ability than her Interface initially spelled out. Was this residual link a passive that was always active? Or some other unknown magical effect?

She clutched Trevor close to her body, and he peered up at her, so close her snout almost touched his nose. “I do apologize for this, but your climbing skills are suspect. And we must move fast.”

He tapped her snout, a shimmer of mana on his hands. “Okay, I’m also going to throw this out there: my camouflage skill got a small improvement, so I might be able to keep it tracking better while we’re mobile. Uh, what are we doing?”

As soon as she saw her appearance matched the grey-and-tan cavern wall, she smiled politely while wrapping one loop of her body around him, holding on with both hands. “Have you ever heard of a snake in the box toy?”

If he wasn’t camouflaged to look like brick and wood, he might have been turning exceptionally pale. “From now on, when we run with one of your crazy ideas? I’m calling them Neskapades. It needs its own tier of definition.” He paused, then added, somewhat bashfully, “Uh-um, was that too much?”

She let out a hissing laugh. “Nah. It was just right. And away we spring!”

She sprang upward using her [Spring Scales] power, holding Trevor tightly as they sprang to the rooftops, hidden by the lack of illumination in the cavern. Trevor almost screamed, but muffled himself with his shoulder while holding on for dear life with his arms wrapped firmly around her.

She spotted another rooftop higher up, near one of the cordoned-off pathways, closer to Kasfew’s little hideaway. She sprang up, barely clearing this leap and knocking a roof tile loose. She didn’t wait to see if it was noticed, and continued leaping across rooftops that were too tall to clamber over.

Finally, she sprang over the railing to the spot overlooking the cavern, near Kasfew’s door. Trevor grabbed hold and slipped through the opening, heaving. “Oh. Oh my. That was almost death by snug-snug.”

Neska nudged his shoulder. “We should get inside. Urgently. I can assure you snugs are intended to relieve stress, not cause it. Your nose is bleeding by the way.”

“Oh?” he wiped his nose, disgusted by the small spot of red. “Sorry. That happens a lot.” Syrona flew up behind them and cuddled around his shoulders. “Sorry, Syrona, I’m not decent,” he sighed.

The coatyl didn’t seem to care.

The second she knocked on the entryway, it snapped open, and Kasfew grabbed Trevor by the collar and hauled him in. “Get in here, sna–I mean, Neska!” he clucked. She nearly had her tail closed in the door as he closed it just as quickly, and she saw everyone looking agitated.

“Seekers? Really?” Kasfew hissed. “Why are you so important?”

“Don’t know, but I doubt I can avoid them indefinitely,” she said in a low tone. “We just accelerated our timetable. Does this room portal back to the dorm?”

“It does, but I’m not keen on leaving any connection point for the Seekers to follow. Unlike the Academy staff, they can probably find a way to crack the door open or compromise the portals. Why?”

“We need to find Professor Kalloway, and we also need to speak to Resalio. I want to know why the hell the Seekers think I’m a lamia of interest now.”

“Funny you mention me.” Neska only just noticed who else was in the room, sitting at the table. Kalloway’s witch hat was off, and his hair looked like it had a few more grey and white hairs than only a week ago, and he looked deeply concerned. “Neska, we need to talk.”

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