novelraw Chapter 811 811: Weird Day
Chapter 811 811: Weird Day
Noble didn't have to ask if Chip was kidding. She could feel the surge of power that he had been hiding. While Noble had been aware of the change, she hadn't realized the full extent of it until that moment.
"A Saint! Did you conquer a third Nightmare alone?"
Chip shook his head. "I'm crazy but not entirely insane."
Noble paused, trying to find words that wouldn't sound offensive. "Who…what…"
"You want to know who would throw in their lot with the likes of me?" The man was amused. "It's a fair question. I don't exactly go around making friends. And I didn't enter the Nightmare with friends either."
"But you just said!" Noble stopped as Chip held up his hand.
"I said I didn't enter alone, but I wouldn't exactly consider the people I went with to be chums." Chip sighed. "I needed to make a little coin. So when I was approached with a bounty that was too good to resist, I didn't. The group was a bit eccentric, which suited me fine. Unfortunately, we got pinned down during the extraction of our prize."
"Let me guess, you found a Nightmare Seed and used it as your escape hatch?" Noble had heard of this tactic being used before.
Chip nodded. "We were desperate. The chances of completing a Nightmare seemed better than dealing with the monsters after us. I still wonder if we made the right choice."
"What do you mean?" Noble felt a deep sadness grip her.
Chip's smile faded.
"In that Nightmare, I was betrayed and left for dead. I imagine the others in my ad hoc cohort must have suffered something similar because only one of them lived long enough to find me. The two of us fought tooth and nail, literally, to make it out. We did it, barely."
Noble heart ached.
"Oh, Chip. I'm so sorry."
The man waved his hand.
"Don't be. Cellio was the only one of those rapscallions worth saving anyway, so if one made it out other than yours truly, I'm glad it was him."
"D-did you say Cellio?" Noble blinked.
Her companion nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
"No reason." Noble's mind raced
It couldn't be Nic, could it? He hadn't been seen around the Academy's library since before Noble's departure.
The Professor had assumed Nic had gone off on some secret mission, but perhaps he had fallen into another line of work. If he were a Saint now, then he would have even more reason to hide instead of being drafted into the upcoming war.
If it were Nic and he wanted to stay out of the limelight, Noble would let him. Still, it was an interesting development. Noble clapped her hands.
"So…you are a Saint now. Congratulations!"
If the man had wanted someone who would care, Noble was the right candidate. She was always excited by her friends' successes.
"Who would have thought, right?" Chip's crooked smile returned. "I haven't even gotten to the best part of my adventure. For all my trouble, I got the best Echo that has ever been given by the Spell. Matilda!"
The man whistled, and the little creature materialized.
Noble couldn't help but smile. "Your squirrel!"
Matilda skidded to a stop before jumping up, stretching the skin between her arms and legs, and sailing down to her master's shoulder.
The creature's large eyes looked suddenly hostile. Chip's body stiffened.
"You take that back right this second, Noble."
"What?" The woman was hit with a wave of anger from the other Saint. She took a step back.
"I have half a mind to never speak to you again! Insulting dear Matilda like that. Squirrel, indeed! She's a sugar glider. They are far superior to those little rats you are referring to…" Chip's face turned more animalistic than it had before, which somehow made his Flaw less potent.
Maybe that was because Noble was too startled by the turn of events to feel anything other than embarrassment and shock.
"I…have heard of those, I think. But I did not know what they looked like." Noble coughed. "Now that I know, I won't make the same mistake twice. Forgive me." Noble was confused when the man shook his head.
"It's her you have to apologize to."
Noble didn't question why she would need to talk to an echo when the master was right here. She wanted to get out of trouble, not dig herself a deeper hole.
"I'm sorry, Matilda."
The sugar glider considered her for a moment before crouching down. With a yip, Matilda jumped from Chip's shoulder and straight at Noble's face.
The woman didn't even have time to raise her hand in reaction before a light burst from her chest to intercept the sugar glider's path.
The little light coalesced into a bee, slamming into the larger creature before it could land. The pair veered left of Noble's head and tumbled to the ground.
"Nectar!"
"Matilda!"
The two humans called to their tiny companions, but it seemed the creatures were not in a listening mood. They continued to slide along the ground in a cacophony of buzzes and chirps.
Breaking free of Matilda's grasp, Nectar shot off parallel to the cliff face. The sugar glider followed after her, skittering up the fallen rocks to chase the bee.
Noble prepared to race after them, but Chip touched her arm. "Wait."
The woman raised one eyebrow at him. A moment later, the little pair came back at full speed. Noble opened her arms to catch her little companion. Nectar could return safely to her soul without fear of injury, and the chase would be over.
However, the little bee stopped short, only to be tackled by Matilda as the two tumbled end over end. Nectar broke free again and wound her way around Chip's body before landing on his bald head. Matilda took her place on his shoulder, yipping after her exhilarating climb.
"They're playing!" Noble felt a profound sense of relief.
"Of course! Matilda loves a good frolic. I'm not the best playmate in that regard, mostly because I'm a little too large. But your new little one is a perfect size to give her a run for her money."
Chip gently took Nectar in his hand to examine her.
"Ok, Noble. I forgive you for insulting Tillie earlier, but only because this little girl is the second cutest critter I've ever seen."
Matilda crabbed at him.
He held up his free hand.
"I said second cutest, didn't I?"
Matilda snorted and jumped at Nectar, who took off for another thrilling chase.
This time, Noble monitored the relic through her senses, letting the creatures have their fun.
"So, how'd you get her? Finally kill a swarm of bees?" Chip chuckled.
"I returned a mirror…well, it's a long story." Noble shook her head and looked at the clouds.
"I don't suppose we have time for that long of a chat. You need to get back and have that looked at," the man pointed to the marks on Noble's neck. "I can heal myself to some degree, but I wouldn't feel right seeing what might happen if I tried it out on you."
Noble touched the tender part of her neck and winced. Chip was right, it wouldn't heal before she got home. A pit stop on the way would be needed to prevent too much worry.
"I am glad I found you, though I wish it had been under better circumstances." Noble held out her hand.
Her companion shook it. "I figure these circumstances were pretty well perfect, all things considered."
"Will you be coming to town any time soon?" Noble felt a bit of sadness when Chip shook his head.
"I send Tillie there for what I need." He paused. "But if that changes, you'll be the first to know."
Child of Promise smiled at him.
"What will you do now?"
"You mean other than stop sending you cryptic messages? I will chill out here in the wilderness, sweeping for monsters and any sign of Skinny. That wasn't the first vessel I've seen, and I'm sure it won't be the last. I'll take care of as many as I can."
"You can kill the vessels?" Noble froze.
"You just have to pop their core like a grape, and then they are easy enough to obliterate. That first step, though…it can be a doozy." Chip whistled once and stretched his arms. His mouth elongated, and a long, leathery tail grew as he began to transform. "Safe journey, Noble. Give the family my love!"
A moment later, the man turned into a crocodile, gathered his echo, and headed into the distance.
Noble was at a loss. 'What a weird day…'