Chapter 855: Tricks
"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
The strange, unknown voice grew even deeper and louder, spreading throughout the area that Ater and Esme stood in.
The tone felt childish, but it also had some form of caution to it—almost like the person speaking was observing them keenly. To Esme, this felt creepy and unsettling, but Ater kept his cool through everything.
He was too focused on the barrier before him to consider much else.
'How do I get in? With my current capabilities, it's pretty impossible to do so.' He thought to himself.
This was why he brought Esme along.
He had hoped that, just as with the Oracle, she would be able to get some special provilege that would grant him passage. He also expected the process to work itself out, but it seemed like he would have to be more express.
"Do you know who it is you're addressing in such a way?" Ater asked, his tone remaining calm, as he drew closer to Esme.
"You don't recognize this one?"
As soon as he asked this, he could feel the intentional silence of the figure behind the barrier. She seemed to be contemplating-or in some kind of deep thought.
"Hm? She has the mark of The Oracle... how intriguing."
Ater's face brightened up a little upon hearing that. It seemed his efforts weren't in vain after all!
"Then-"
"But so what? What do we have to do with all that Oracle stuff? All that entity cares about is the preservation of her chosen people, right? We also have our own monarch... though he can be an old fart sometimes."
That very instant, his face returned to the pale and mildly unamused version that it once was. 'I see. Different jurisdiction, huh? Then... I suppose these are an entirely different race.' After contemplating for a long while-all encapsulated within a second-Ater finally reached some measure of understanding.
Esme was near useless in this situation, but... not if he played his cards right.
First, though, he needed to understand who he was dealing with. Not just the girl speaking, but the people that existed behind the wall of trees.
"You're a Fairy, I take it." Ater spoke, his tone oozing nothing short of confidence.
Esme glanced at him in repressed surprise, but he didn't mind her. Instead, he focused on the barrier right in front of him.
"Good guess! It seems you're pretty shrewd, all things considered!"
"Perhaps. I certainly know... things about you. The Oracle revealed a lot through this one over here." Ater glanced slightly at Esme. "And I believe it would be beneficial to both parties if we were to share what we know."
The reason he was so vague about what he knew and what he didn't was because of the possibility of a Truth-based skill or Spell that could be active. He had to make sure he wasn't lying, but he was also exaggerating the depths of his knowledge.
'I barely know anything about Fairies, but as long as I frame things this way, I'm still technically correct. Also, I didn't lie about The Oracle providing information with Esme's assistance. Still all of this is to seduce these people with the allure of something they don't have so they can consider some form of trade.'
This simple tactic usually worked for even the most difficult kinds of people.
"I doubt you'd know something we didn't. I mean... our King can see the future, you know?" "You mean like [Clairvoyance]?" Esme interrupted, her curiosity unable to be held back much longer.
Ater nearly groaned once she said this, but he kept his cool through it all.
"No! Pfft! His [Vision] isn't that sophisticated, but... ahh... look at me yammering on. Bottom line is, I was already informed that we would have intruders very soon, which is why I have been keeping watch all this time. Nice to see someone finally showed, or I would have died of boredom. It is so..."
The Fairy kept blabbing on and on in complaint, forcing Ater to reconsider his strategy for getting in.
'If I continue like this, things will only devolve into idle chatter. She strikes me as a loose- lipped but incredibly loyal subordinate who serves someone far greater than herself. She has a deep respect for the leader, though she tries not to show it. She's also fairly confident... though I have no idea how far her confidence extends.'
He could find out more, but things would get little messy.
"Esme, move towards the trees."
"WHAT?" Both the Elf and Fairy expressed surprise by what they just heard.
"Trust me and move forward." He added.
"B-but she said anyone who interacts with it goes unconscious. If I do that, won't I-?"
"I didn't go unconscious, did I?"
"But you are"
"You have the mark of The Oracle, Esme. You're far more special than I am." Ater responded with a sigh. Once he was sure that her confidence had been elevated to a considerable extent, he gave her the same instruction again.
"O-okay..."
She began to walk forward, and once she reached the invisible barrier, she kept advancing without any difficulty.
"WAIT... WHAT?!" At this point, the amplified voice of the Fairy shot through the air, and a bright glimmer of light rose from the wall of trees.
"WAIT A MOMENT!"
The voice was followed by the emergence of the Fairy hidden within the barrier.
Her hair was bright yellow-nearly golden-and it danced all over as her gem-like eyes shone brightly. Her transluscent wings gleamed like precious marbles, and her outfit was a mixture of golden armor and a radiant white dress.
She was a couple inches tall—definitely bigger than the average Fairy-but compared to the two who stood before her, she was pretty short.
No... extremely short.
~THUD!~
The moment she left her haven, Esme collapsed on the ground and entered a deep slumber, leaving only Ater awake and staring daggers at the Fairy who had a mix of confusion and
rising anger.
"Y-you... you tricked me!"
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
Once again... Ater remains a badass. Apologies for the absence of action in this chapter.
We might be seeing some soon...