S: I am also happy to see you.
He scratched its ears and chin. She climbed onto his shoulder and stretched happily, lying down on his shoulder.
Sunny stood up, and Luna sat up as well. Walking behind his head, disappearing casually.
After Sunny met up with Nephis, they started to clean the place up with the help of Sunny's shadow. They managed to find a usable table which was probably used as a ceiling and with the help of his sword he was able to fix to size do it isn't too big and with the rest of the wood he started to make legs for the table in the center so it is elavated from the ground. As he was doing that, Luna walked out of his shadow and sat on his bent back while looking at Nephis.
At first, Nephis was shocked at what she was looking at, but soon that shock turned to fear. Nephis instinctively grabbed her blade and pulled it out, pointing it at Luna.
N: Sunny?
S: What's up?
N: Can you move?
S: No, not really. I am in the middle of something, give me a moment.
N: No, there is something on your back.
S: Something? Oh.
Sunny outstretched his hand, and Luna got closer to it and let Sunny pet it while still staring at Nephis.
Nephis tilted her head and thought.
N: Does it, for some reason, look smug? As if mocking me?
Neph got angry.
S: This is Luna. Luna -> Nephis.
Sunny looked in Luna's direction, to which Luna responded by turning to him.
S: Could you go and play with her till I finish this? Thank you.
Luna jumped off his back and walked to Nephis while looking up at her. Without hesitation, Neph swung her blade, but the cat was gone, only to be calmly sitting on the tip of Neph's blade. Neph realised it only when she looked at her blade.
N: Stop mocking me.
Luna jumped to the pillar using Neph's blade as a ramp and started to jump between them. Neph slashed at the first pillar but was blocked by Sunny's blade.
S: Did I tell you to attack it? What is wrong with you, Neph? Also, don't destroy this building, it will be our base. Where else would we go? To the slums? No, thanks.
Nephis looked down with disappointment written on her face.
N: Sorry.
Sunny sighed and walked back to the table and dismissed his blade back into his ring, which he put on his middle finger on his right hand.
Sunny started to focus more and slowly made a very useful centre. Not particularly nice, but it was usable. After that, he started to work on chairs. Meanwhile, Neph and Luna continued staring at each other. Luna tilted her head from the top of one of the pillars while looking at Neph and licking its paws.
Neph grabbed her blade and ran outside.
N: Come here if you're not scared.
Luna followed her direction while slowly turning her head. After a while, it walked out of Neph's shadow and jumped onto her shoulder.
Neph shook her off and swung her blade. Her blade, however, just phased through Luna as if she weren't a physical being to begin with. Luna looked at Neph's chest guard and scratched it.
N: Ha, this is a….what?
Neph moved her fingers across her chest-guard, feeling scratch marks on it.
N: How?
Luna just tilted its head and attacked again. This time swinging at Neph's blade, scratching it similarly to the chest-guard. As they were having their little conversation, monsters started to appear, but when a big awakened monster stepped toward them, Luna faced away from Neph and looked at the monster. Monster froze in place, and before it could move, it was shredded into pieces with one of Luna's paws. The monster did not even shed blood, it more like dissolved into nothing, leaving only a shard in its place. When Neph saw it, she moved back and thought.
N: What just happened?
But the weirdness did not stop there because Luna moved to the crystal and bit into it, shattering it and absorbing some of its essence.
Neph was stunned, but could not bother with it because Luna attacked her again, now more aggressively. Not as aggressive as attacking the monster, but the difference was significant.
After some time, Sunny finished all the chairs and placed them one by one all around the cathedral with a happy expression, when suddenly Nephis crashed into some chairs, breaking 2 rows instantly. She swung her blade, destroying the other 2 rows and rushed outside. Sunny's eye twitched, and shadows that surrounded him grew deeper. All 3 of his shadows shook from how angry he was. He summoned his spear, walked out of the cathedral, and since he was augmented passively with his shadows, his power was incredible.
He tossed his spear up and changed his grip into a throw, and said while throwing his spear between Neph and Luna, who were about to attack again. They sensed something and stopped. The moment they stopped black spear flew past them, easily crushing the wall right next to them and some other walls.
They slowly looked at Sunny in fright, who was smiling. His smile, tho was very dangerous.
S: What did you not understand about the sentence PLAY OUTSIDE?!
N: In my defence.
S: Ha?
Neph shuttered and stopped what she wanted to say.
Later both Neph and Luna were on their knees in front of still very pissed of Sunny.
Sunny looked at Nephis, who was covered in her white flames and back and Luna, who was licking her paws again. He sighed and said.
S: Who started it… You know what I don't care. I don't care you started it, I am ending it. Apologise to each other.
Luna stopped licking her paws and looked at Sunny, surprised.
Luna tried to motion, but Sunny said.
S: No more pats from me.
Nephis wanted to say something as well, but Sunny said.
S: No more sweets from me.
She froze.
Both looked at each other and shook their hands, well, hand and a paw, you get it.
Luna jumped on Sunny's shoulder and purred, trying to win Sunny over a little, which worked to some extent.
S: Well, we will have fewer chairs thanks to the 2 of you. If someone asks, you will be explaining why they can't sit down.
They both looked disappointed. Luna for making her master unhappy, and Nephis for disappointing Sunny in general.
S: Right. Let's start the plan. We need to get your army, Nephis.
N: What about you? Will you not create an army for yourself?
Suuny smiled and said while walking away from the cathedral.
S: Army? I am in the army.
With that, she just shook her head and walked toward him, catching up to his pace and in a very short time, they arrived at the Slums. Luna dissolved into Sunny's shadows because it was probably more comfortable, and so they headed to Effie's hut to find Cassia. Cassia, however, was sitting idly in front of the hut, looking into the distance. When Suny and Nephis approached her, Luna also jumped from Sunny's shoulder to Cassia's lap.
Cassia was startled and refused to move.
Ca: What is that?
S: Oh, that is Luna, my cat.
Ca: You have a cat? Hold on, this is a cat?
S: You didn't know?
Ca: know I know what cat is, but. You know that I can see your runes, right? Or some of it, right?
S: Yeah, so?
Ca: I see just question marks when I look at this creature.
N: Why is it nice to her and not to me? That's not fair.
S: You attacked it the moment you saw it. What did you expect?
Ca: You attacked it? Why?
Cassia was about to pat it, but Luna jumped back onto Sunny's shoulder, purring comfortably.
Ca: Guess it only likes you, Sunny. I had a cat when I was younger, but what I can tell is that at least for the cat I had, she was generally friendly, but mostly with me. You see, Neph, maybe Sunny's cat sees you as a competition. After all, you are both striving for his attention. Obviously, in a different kind, but the point behind the emotions is the same. Show their love. From what I see, Luna is more like telling you to prove yourself to her.
N: Why would I need to prove myself to a cat?
Ca: You don't have to, but I certainly would advise doing that. She could maybe even choose for him. Animals are very good at sensing emotions, and mainly the hidden emotions you have towards the person. In this case. It is reacting to you and your inner feelings towards Sunny. At least that's what I think.
S: Well, that's a good idea. I never really thought about it, to be honest.
S: Anyways, what did you gather, Cassia?
Ca: Well, to begin with, I can walk around the whole area without tripping, but besides that,t pretty obvious this is more of an outer settlement for the weaker … no, well I can't say for certain, but there are a few exceptions. There are some that have great attributes.
In Sunny's mind:So she most probably can see more, maybe aspects?
Luna nodded to him.
He looked at her in his peripheral vision, surprise hidden under his eyes.
S: You understand me?
Luna nodded again.
S: Can you…speak?
She shook her head.
S: Do you like, maybe need to hear it more to gain more knowledge to use it? Oh, and I don't mean speak, I mean think, like right now.
Luna still shook her head but pointed at Sunny's chest.
S: Am I too weak?
She nodded.
S: I see. So you see aspects as well?
She nodded and can tell if someone is lieing and…you know what don't answer. You are full of mysteries, aren't you?
Luna did not respond.
Sunny chuckled while looking at Cassia and listening to her observations in those days, they were gone.
N: What about inside the castle?
Ca: From what I know, you have to pay some contribution fee, or
look at the guard's direction with disgust written on her face
Ca: with your body if you are pretty enough. I don't really want to go inside, but I think we will have to at some point, won't we?
N: Yes, unfortunately.
Sunny walked with them towards the castle but stopped them outside of the guards' earshot.
S: You two, go. I will gather more soulshards in the meantime. The area around the cathedral needs some maintenance, so I will start working on it as well. Let's meet at the entrance to the Slums next week, by then you will surely get more info about what is happening inside.
Ca: Why aren't you coming with us?
S: because I would kill someone or more than one.
N: Don't worry. I will take care of us. You take care, too, okay.
She touched his cheek and kissed him. Luna just narrowed her cat eyes and hissed with an annoyed expression, but did not attack her at first. She did push her away when she wanted one more, tho.
Nephis glared and Luna but sight and turned around to enter the castle.
They entered easily, and while guards were checking them out, Sunny walked up to them unnoticed.
S: Hey!
Both guards slowly faced Sunny and started to laugh.
G: What is it, pipsqueak?
Sunny kicked his knee with such force that it made him fall on his knees. The second guard touched his sword, but his friend had already sword at his throat.
S: You were saying?
G: N-nothing. I wasn't saying anything.
S: those 2 that entered are important to me, so if anything, and I mean anything, will happen to them, not even if dead gods woke up, it still wouldn't save you.
He let go of the first guard's head, letting the guard fall next to Sunny. The second guard just stood there frozen.
S: Keep this to yourself or say it. Say it the others that a guy that is almost half your size kicked your ass. Maybe some will get angry, but who will be the laughing stock of the castle? That's right. YOU.
With that, he turned around and left the sword still in hand; only when he entered the forest did he dismiss it.
G: Go after him.
He nodded and headed to the forest, but a few moments later, he came back empty-handed.
G2: he is gone. As if he weren't there at all.
G: Who?
G2: What? Wait, why was I in the forest?
Unknowingly to Sunny Luna's eyes were shining while looking at those 2 guards from deep in the forest's shadows, and once she blinked, she was gone as well.