Janette's flower crown is beautiful, but deadly. Much like she is. Sent to assassinate the crown prince of Volitare, she embarks on a quest to find the treasure of the great dragon Revrem that the prince seeks. Along the way, she has to deal with a...
Nestled between the roots of a giant tree, Leo gnawed at the end of his enchanted quill. It held so much ink it was practically self-sufficient, in no need of replenishment any time soon. Adding finishing touches on the parchment in his book, Leo looked at the drying ink absently. It depicted the horrid scene he'd seen before–the man engulfed in a river of crawling ants–yet he couldn't help the giddy thrill of a discovery that blossomed in his stomach. "Turbela Insectum", he scratched at the bottom of the drawing.
He wasn't sure how to navigate this morbid fascination of his. On the one hand, it was everything he'd ever dreamed about–meeting one of his beloved arcanabeasts face to face, and even using his meticulously obtained knowledge to summon it. But on the other... It was one thing to read about the brutality of these creatures on the parchment, and an entirely different thing to see it unfold in person.
Leo squeezed his eyes shut, but the image of ants crawling inside a man's throat was burned into his retinas. The man was now dead because of him, consumed and rotting in the forest floor. Three men, possibly.
A dry groan startled him out of his thoughts. The girl, cradled by the soft moss at the base of a tree, stirred and opened her bleary eyes. A dry leaf was stuck in her tousled ashy hair, jutting out from her flower crown like a bizarre horn. She propped herself weakly on her elbows; that was when she noticed his cloak covering her frame. Leo couldn't help but flinch as her glare pierced him.
"Where the hell are my clothes?" she asked, voice lethally calm.
Leo motioned with a trembling quill at the branch above her, where her rose madder colored gown and chemise fluttered in the breeze. The white chemise had a pinkish stain left in place of a crimson one Leo had scrubbed out.
"I wa-washed them," he mumbled, discreetly feeling for the hilt of his sword. As if it could protect him from the purple tendrils of her magic, stretching along the mossy ground like a lazy panther. His own magic stood guard in the form of a protective dome.
The girl scoffed, stretching just like her magic. "So did you like them?"
Leo blinked.
"Pardon?"
She stood up on wobbling legs, leaning on the dark, wet trunk, uncaring of her skin flashing through the opening of the cloak. Leo averted his eyes.
She didn't quite look like someone who had passed out for several hours, face fresh as if she awoke from a nice slumber, a healthy glow adorning her cheeks. Such was the effect of a healing potion, he supposed.
"My tits. Did you like 'em?" she asked.
Leo couldn't catch himself in time not to gape at her, and– Oh Lords, she was bare as a babe. His cloak pooled at her feet; she stretched up on tiptoes reaching for her gown. Her eyes met his, and she flashed him a wild grin. He choked.
"Why else would a man undress a sleeping woman," she mused, diving into her chemise.
He hadn't laid a single finger on her, allowing his magic to undress her, covering his eyes to protect her dignity. But of course, she had no reason to trust his word.
"Maybe he did so because her ga-garments were crusty with blood!" Leo flushed indignantly under her amused stare. He softened his voice, hoping she could sense he was being truthful. "Rest assured, I did not look at you."
She barked out a laugh, an unpretty sound. He imagined a wolf would laugh the same way, if it had the ability.
"Janette," she offered, tilting her head. Her hair spilled over her shoulder.
It took him a moment to realize it was her name. Janette. It suited her, cutting the tongue and the ear. Though, it was unlikely that it was her real name.
He nodded, acknowledging it. "You can ca-call me Leo."
Janette was fully dressed then, thank Gods, and fiddling with her belt, which held her daggers and various leather pockets. She approached, her ankle boots making no sound as she stepped over the forest floor.
She was good at sly footing, clearly experienced in the art of a dagger and fighting magic. He wasn't sure he could trust her at all, but he didn't have much choice. If he could harness her skills, it would be of great help in his journey.
"I wish to-to hire you," he finally said, standing up. He kept a tree stump between them as if it could protect him should she attack.
"Hire me for what?"
"For protection."
"I'm not a mercenary–"
The jingle of coins from a fat bag in his hand made her pause. Gold was pinched between his fingers; It reflected in her eyes.
Triumph bloomed in him at her interest. "I am going after Revrem's treasure."
Janette startled, tearing her eyes away from the gold's promising glow.
"You are after the Mirror as well, aren't you?" Leo pressed on, almost certain of his success. "We could join our efforts."
Janette shook her head with a strange look on her face. "First, Leo, care to explain what in the Gods' holy balls that thing was?"
Leo frowned at her. How rude to change the topic so swiftly.
His fingers tightened their grip on the bag, making the coins inside chirp.
He opened his arcanabestiary and motioned at his drawing, allowing her to take a look. "It was no thing, but a Turbela Insectum, or an Insect Golem, as they call it."
Seeing no spark of recognition in her unnervingly clear eyes, he continued. "So-sometimes, when a lost artifact is consumed by a deer or any other animal, they might absorb its magic, and become magical themselves. That is how Tu-turbela Insectum is formed. When an ant nest is built on a grave of an artifact–"
"I regret asking." Janette traced the leather-bound hilts of her daggers absently. "Can you kill it?"
This was perfectly intriguing information, and all she wanted to know was how to kill it? Leo bit back a harsh retort.
"You cannot kill it," he said bitterly, "Unless you kill every insect at once. That is, if they don't devour you first."
She hummed her approval. "Interesting. I agree, then."
"W-what?"
Janette grinned, nonexistent flames dancing in her pupils. "I agree to be your protector, Princess."
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