(34) Why So Eager

Nephthys opened her eyes, the ethereal, glowing door before her vanishing. She glanced over, finding a terrified Tara, eyes wide, looking between Nephthys and Aka. Nephthys suppressed a chuckle as Tara twitched with every one of Aka’s breaths, which grumbled like distant thunder.

“Good morning,” Nephthys greeted. “I see you have met Aka.”

Tara’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. She seemed afraid to speak, lest she wake the ‘great beast’.

“Aka is a summon of mine. I have bade her defend you, so you can be assured that she means no harm,” Nephthys explained with a casual gesture, rising from the bed, on which she had sat cross-legged all night.

One benefit of a mana body was that she felt neither sore nor stiff, despite scarcely moving for around nine hours. Of course, whether the fact that she felt no need for sleep itself was good or bad…well, that was to be determined.

“Aka,” Tara repeated, as if reassuring herself that she was not in danger.

She yipped as Aka suddenly licked her face, likely responding to her name.

“Ow,” Tara said, rubbing her cheek.

“Large cats’ tongues are meant for stripping flesh from bones, among other things. I would avoid a second lick, were I you,” Nephthys said, walking to the door with a small chuckle. “You are ready to go, yes?”

“Go? Go where? I just woke up!” Tara shouted, springing out of bed, her fear of Aka forgotten, and running her hands through her hair.

“We are stopping by the guild, first and foremost,” Nephthys called over her shoulder, exiting their humble lodgings.

“Why?” Tara asked, rushing to keep up.

Aka trailed behind, somehow closing the door with her tail.

“I would like to acquire an identification, primarily, though the guild also seems a decent contact to have. If it deals in all manner of work, it should be a source for all manner of information,” she explained.

“You’re going to be an adventurer?” Tara wondered, and Nephthys thought she detected a hint of…something in her voice.

“You admire adventurers?” she questioned, slowing her pace down the stairs.

“I wouldn’t…didn’t say that,” Tara muttered, embarrassed for some reason.

“I believe possessing an adventurer identification by definition requires one to be an adventurer, so yes. I aim to become one, though I have no plans to do any adventuring,” Nephthys replied, breezing past Tara’s strangeness around the subject.

The two grew quiet as they worked their way through the inn’s common area, or maybe this was the tavern? Nephthys was unsure of the naming conventions. Was the whole thing a tavern with rooms, or was it an inn with a tavern?

People grew quiet as the pair passed, though Nephthys pretended not to notice. She subtly checked her reflections in dishes and cups of water and ale, but she appeared as she meant to. That is, her celestial nature had not somehow leaked through during the night. Why was everyone going quiet and staring, then?

“That a tamed beast?” the inn’s proprietress called from behind the counter, catching the two just as they opened the exterior door.

Nephthys glanced around briefly, confused, before her eyes landed on Aka. She was stricken with embarrassment at failing to notice the obvious, and the other patrons’ behavior suddenly made more sense.

“A summon. I have bade Aka protect Tara,” Nephthys called in reply.

She ensured that her response was loud enough to be heard anywhere in the common room. Her embarrassment aside, this was a prime opportunity for deterrence. Nephthys was comforted knowing that Aka was protecting Tara, but if she could ward off potential threats merely by being there, that was even better.

“You’ll wanna get it registered. Guards don’t look kindly on animals, tamed or summoned or wild, roamin’ around the city unmarked,” the innkeep explained, not looking up from whatever she was doing—bookkeeping, perhaps?

“We are headed to the adventurers guild now. I presume such a thing could be handled there?” Nephthys asked, her hand on the door handle.

“Aye, good call,” came the reply, which Nephthys also understood to be a dismissal.

Exiting into the market square, Nephthys was overwhelmed by a nostalgia that threatened to knock her off her feet. Large storefronts lined the square, casting long shadows in the morning light, most decorated with colorful but functional signage.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

The square itself was bustling with activity, even so early in the morning. Stalls were lined along walkways that formed geometric patterns in the grass. Hedges and trees stood sentry at corners and walkway intersections, lending the space a freshness difficult to find in a large city.