Chapter 87: Fate Convergence - XII

"...Was there no other way out?"

Taylor rubbed his bruised ribcage, feeling lethargic from the weakening of his cellular activity. No longer were they benefiting from Clementine’s overdrive venom.

"Well—" The young man who had appeared with his ’Miss Clementine’ patted his shoulder, as if that moment between life and death meant nothing to him. "It was the easiest way out."

Looking at the uninjured, unsullied clothes of this lone adventurer, Taylor frowned. Something about that small smile of his had irked him.

"Who are you, anyway?"

"Me?" The young man tilted his head. "Oh right—"

"His name is Aventine Tidea, the Info-Hunter you should have heard about." Clementine cut the young man off, smacking Taylor on the back of his head.

"Without his guidance, you’d be dead."

"Ugh," Taylor grunted, almost stumbling from the tone that Clementine used on him.

’Info-Hunter?’ He thought to himself, taking another glance at the smug young man.

Dark eyes that glistened like obsidian crystals and black hair that framed his soft face. This ’Aventine’ was dressed simply, with a white shirt, a leather tunic lined with bronze, and baggy pants bound by belts and pouches.

A ruby ring gleamed on his finger, and a pair of citrine earrings hung from his ears.

The adventurer wasn’t dressed for combat.

Instead, his casual clothing—lacking a single weapon, staff, or armor—made it seem like he was on a stroll.

Even his carefree demeanor was very much unlike any seasoned adventurer he had met.

At least, Aventine lacked the countenance of someone ready for combat at any time.

"Hm hm hm? You thinking that I don’t look the part?" Suddenly, Aventine hummed, commenting on his gaze.

Taylor’s thoughts froze at the question. ’What? Can he read minds?’

"Uh, yeah. I’m an Info-Hunter. I can infer so much from just the way your eyes move." Aventine replied.

This time, Taylor’s thoughts truly went blank.

As if sensing this, Clementine just sighed and continued walking.

Taylor’s eyes moved with the swaying of her blue-green hair, illuminated only by the light stones embedded in the walls. Aventine walked slightly behind her, while he himself followed behind them both.

Taylor watched as Aventine’s ears twitched before he tilted his head.

’What is this guy doing...?’ He thought just as Aventine spoke:

"The Treasure Gnomes have begun their Ritual of Blasphemy. Now that you’ve rescued your friend, do we have enough basis to collaborate?"

Aventine stepped forward a little further, matching Clementine’s pace.

"Is your trust in me sufficient?"

After half a second of silent pondering, Clementine answered. "...Lead the way."

"Perfect."

The winds around Taylor suddenly picked up speed, as if heeding the Info-Hunter’s command.

It pushed him forward, leaving him no choice but to pick up the pace. With the winds wrapped around his body, he felt light.

The feeling was freeing.

Moving took no effort at all as he lunged forward with every stride.

Clementine had her gaze set straight ahead, sharpened and ready to strike.

Aventine, meanwhile, looked the most leisurely of all. The winds simply carried him forward in pseudo-flight.

The Info-Hunter’s feet struck the ground only once every few seconds.

’...I wonder if I can do that too?’

Taylor had that thought and recalled his own <Manakinesis>. He’d been discovering many ways to use it, referencing the cursed tomes he’d read before.

Perhaps copying Aventine’s pseudo-flight wouldn’t be so difficult.

"Turn right at the intersection. Three Treasure Gnomes. Weaponless."

Taylor heard the Info-Hunter’s voice resound with certainty, and Clementine did not even look back to acknowledge that she understood.

All she did was move even faster, turning into a blur.

"...Hoh," Aventine chuckled and looked back at him, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Let’s hurry as well."

Taylor felt the winds double in density and strength.

"Wait—"

"Just ride the breeze, Mister Alleri."

His gut lurched when the winds launched him forward. This time, he was just like Aventine, blessed with pseudo-flight.

Gritting his teeth, he made sure to keep his eyes open. The winds moved him without asking for his opinion, throwing him to the right just as an intersection appeared in his vision.

"Khhhk!"

Rounding the corner made all of his insides surge to one side of his body.

—Swish! Swish! Swish!

The sound of three lethal strikes rang in his ears, and the next thing Taylor saw were three Treasure Gnomes, clutching their empty chests.

—Thud.

They all fell at the same time.

"Forward at full speed. Break through three succeeding walls before making a left turn."

Hearing this, Clementine accelerated while Taylor and Aventine lagged slightly behind.

—Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three walls that Aventine spoke about were indeed present. The left turn as well.

"A procession of eighteen Treasure Gnomes up ahead. They’re carrying three prisoners. Would you like to rescue them?" Aventine spoke up while commanding the winds.

Clementine heard this and shook her head.

"No."

"Understood. Then maintain your speed. We will break the floor after you take three breaths. It’s a bit deep, about as tall as three of you stacked on top of each other." Aventine continued to instruct.

At this point, their footsteps were nonexistent. Taylor had adapted to the feeling of flying, realizing that it felt like he was just falling... forward.

The moment Aventine spoke of swiftly arrived. Clementine completed her third breath and stopped dead in her tracks.

A wall of wind, visible only because of the dust cloud, cushioned her momentum.

—Crack.

Clementine drove her rapier hilt-deep into the stone before sending a pulse of mana through its blade.

—BOOM!

The floor shattered, and Taylor felt his body summoned downward by gravity itself.

A huge space opened up beneath him. Light flooded his vision, forcing his eyes to adapt to the great brightness incomparable to the dim corridors.

—Hmmm, hmmm hmmm~

His surroundings were filled with a soft, ethereal chant. For some reason, Taylor was reminded of the lullabies his mother used to sing for him.

It sent chills down his spine.

—Smack.

Once again, Clementine smacked him upside the head.

"Don’t lose yourself in their song."

She then grabbed his shoulder.

"Stay close."

Taylor looked at his creditor and employer, belatedly hearing the weight in her voice.

"What—"

"Shush, both of you." Aventine’s voice cut him off. "Let the stones fall, and the sound of nature’s wrath veil our intrusion."

Taylor felt goosebumps across his skin. Cold sweat formed on his back.

—Gulp.

Accompanying the smug adventurer’s voice were two things:

A similar grim tone that Clementine had.

...And a garbled whisper in his ears.

—[ H̸͎̰͓̝̮̯̊̊̒̐̌̎̑̚e̶̡̝͖͙̜͕̗̼͛͛̾̎̆͘l̴̜̘̘̪̗͉̻͕̈́̈̓͗̉̽̆̚͝l̶̛̳̘͙̮͉͐̈́̅̈́͋̔̚͝ͅǫ̷̭̻̫̞̣̟͖͓̉̆̔͂͛͝,̷̢̛̛̺̺͈̜̲͉̀̾͛͋͘͘ ̶̛̠̍̇͆͊́̿͠m̴̛̻̘̥̹̽̀̈́̉̑̄̋̾̕y̴̡̮̙͒̃̈͋͆̽̈́ ̶̢̬̟̩̥̓̓͑͑̄̀̈d̴̛̬̩̭̙̥̗̆͆͠e̵̡̢͇̤̣̻̱͂̎̔͗̂͛̚͘͜a̵̮̿͂̓̇̈́́̈́͝r̵̢̺̻͇͔͉̟̻̓̎͆̍̕̚͝,̶̟̜̹͓̒̈́̔̒̓͑̄̕ ̶̡̛̻͌̈́̋̃̇͐̕͝d̶̨͇͚͙͕̩͇͚̩̠̈͑̓a̶͎͓̒̽̕r̷̩̻̫̦͆l̵̜͕̖͕̝̟̏̆̀i̶̡̦̣̻̼̳̻̤͔̾̀̉͗ņ̴͓͖̞̟̥̖̯̯͆̕͜ģ̷̨̛̪̗̹̳̟̮̊͛̅̅̓̈́͝͝ ̵̢̡̹̱̻̱̭̬͗̇͜s̵̛̺͓̊͑̌͂ȏ̴̼̩͍͎̹̲̒̿̇͗͆͊̈́͗̍n̸̨̳͓̤͓͇̙̭͍͉̍́̏̊͗̇̀͒̓̀.̷̞͚̦̖̖͔̭̒͜ ]