Chapter 37
“Don’t give me that look. Those rude humans totally deserve to fall down and break their necks. The audacity those humans had. They dared to block the way of an outlooker and then -” Ava never finished her words.
Aurora lifted the snake from her neck. Then she moved Ava right in front of her and stared the snake right in the eyes.
Aurora felt Ava’s uneasiness.
“W-What? I did nothing wrong! They had it coming. Did you not feel annoyed with them as well?” Ava defended her actions. She sounded certain and justified in her actions.
And the sad part was that Aurora agreed with Ava. A huge part of Aurora felt gleeful when Quince had fallen through the trap.
But then the reality had come knocking its ugly head and reminded Aurora that Quince was not alone.
Clove was down there as well.
“You will show me the way down. We will get them out of that trap as soon as possible.” Aurora commanded.
Her voice was soft yet threatening. Aurora was sure Ava could feel her anger bubbling under her even temper.
“Of course. Right away. I can also let them out right now if you want me to.” Ava negotiated.
Aurora could tell that she was scaring Ava. The abyss was responding to her anger and amplifying her magic.
“No. We will go to them and pretend that we did not know how this happened. I don’t want to blow my cover this soon. And I especially don’t want people to be clued on your identity.” Aurora reasoned.
Even Aurora knew that she was bullshitting at this point. No one would pay any attention if the trap was terminated mid-way.
It would not be the first occurrence of such a thing. And it would not be the last either.
“Alright. If that’s what you want, then that’s what will happen.” Ava had better survival instincts than Aurora had given her credit for.
The overlooker asked no questions as she waved her tail. The trail room’s wall parted and allowed Aurora to view the secret passage.
“This is the secret exit way for the trail. Only lucky people can find it. We can use this to go down.” Ava pointed out.
Aurora considered the offer. And then she decided to take it. It was better than falling down a hole anyway.
The passage looked to be made out of well-maintained stones. It almost looked artificial in touch and feel.
But there was nothing artificial about the abyss. It just appeared like this from time to time.
“Be careful. Do not drop me down in the water. I hate the feeling of being cold and wet.” Ava complained as she slid her way back up Aurora’s arm.
Aurora had not realized that she was about to drop the snake in her arm.
“Ah, sorry. I should throw you across the room for what you did.” Aurora let her voice have a hint of irritation.
“Are you still angry at me? Aren’t I helping you? Stop being such a pain in my ass. Hey, stop ignoring me.” Aurora lamented her own bad luck.
Out of all the people she had a contract with, she got the only one who had a personality she did not like. She desperately hoped that not all outlookers were like this.
“So, what’s the game plan? You will lead those two to the secret exit?” Ava asked once she realized that she was not getting a raise out of Aurora.
And Aurora also decided to answer once she was sure Ava was serious.
“No. we can’t lead them to the secret exit. That would lead to too many questions. It’s better to try and find an exit with them.” Aurora explained.
“I know the exit route as well. But I have a feeling that you do not want them to find the exit too soon and make them suspicious.” Aurora nodded at Ava’s conclusion.
It would have been one thing for them to find the exit if they had experience. Had Aurora not met Quince and Clove before, she might have even led them right to the exit.
But that was no longer the case. Quince and Clove knew that Aurora was inexperienced as of a week ago. One week was not enough time to change that fact.
“That would be for the best. A few hours should be enough to make our story believable. Also, do not talk in front of them or they will get suspicious.” with the final command Aurora headed to where she heard Clove’s voice.
Ava gave off an offending feeling and paired it with a light slap of her tail.
“-don’t have supplied. We will have to wait for the tower to send us back-up.” Clove’s voice rang out clearly inside Aurora’s ears.
It was a surprise to see her once-wife say those words. Clove had always been an adventure lover and had never shied away from danger.
“But we don’t know when they will be. We should at least try and get out of here.” Quince snapped back gently.
Aurora had seldomly seen the pair fight in her last life. Most fights had been over Aurora and her relationship with Clove.
Never had the pair butted heads over what to do during an adventure. Quince was too whipped to argue with Clove most of the time.
“But I don’t think I can move. And I don’t want to risk your life either. We can manage to hold on-” Clove spoke and Aurora finally decided to make her presence known.
She purposely kicked a stone and watched the pair freeze.
“Wipe the jealous look off your face. It will scare people off.” Ava spoke softly in Aurora’s ears.
Aurora refused to take the bait. (It had nothing to do with the fact that she had been jealous of Clove’s attention on Quince. She was not about to admit that under any circumstances.)
“Who’s there. Don’t come this way or I will kill you.” Quince threatened.
“No monster will understand you on the first five levels. You are wasting your breath.” Aurora stepped out of the shadows.
Her entrance had been more dramatic than was needed but who cared. It did the job of driving attention toward her.
“Y-Y-YOU! You made us fall into this trap. What are you doing here?” Quince questioned. His confusion and wariness slammed into Aurora.
Clove was a blank piece of paper for Aurora, but Aurora could real confusion in her aura as well.
“Do you really think I had the power to make you fall into a trap? It’s like saying that I can control the abyss. Is that what you are saying?” Aurora questioned.
She walked right to the group and sat down.
“Of course, you cannot control the abyss. But that doesn’t mean you had nothing to do with our present condition.” Quince pointed out.
Ava’s amusement was clear to Aurora’s senses. She lightly squeezed the snake on her neck before turning to the pair.
“I had nothing to do with you two falling into this trap. If I did then I won’t be stuck with you as well.” Aurora informed.
She could feel the other pair’s will wavering at Aurora’s words. She was finally getting through to them.
“Let’s say that we believe you for now. What do you propose for us to do?” Quince asked. He finally looked like he was willing to hear them out.
Aurora quickly gave him a look before looking at Clove’s face. It was blank but Aurora felt Clove’s eyes lingering on her form in confusion.
“Well, Quince is right. We can’t stay here any longer or we’ll become sitting ducks for the monsters lingering in these depths. The exit should be where the river ends.” Aurora pointed.
She could feel Ava’s nudge in that direction.
Quince’s aura told her that he was not willing to trust her 100%, but he would go along with her for now.
“Why are you helping us out? There is no need for you to stick with us. I can feel your magic and you have enough to break out of this trap on your own.” Clove questioned.
“Let’s just say that it is a pet peeve of mine. You tried to help me out in the tower and I feel like I have to reciprocate your actions.” Aurora smiled as she spoke.
Whether Clove beloved her or not, Aurora did not care. Nor did she check.
She allowed the other two to discuss their options as she waited for their answer.
“Those people don’t trust you and yet they agreed to your help. I feel like they are planning something.” Ava summarized. Her voice was just loud enough for Aurora to hear.’
“Of course they are. I expected Quince to take my offer from the start. He won’t miss a chance to scout out the tower’s competition.” Aurora informed Ava.
She could tell that the snake had been stunned silence.
“I don’t understand your mind. Do what you want to.” Ava finally sighed as she settled down on Aurora’s shoulder.
And right in time for Quince to look up and present her with an answer.