Saki

  When we got back to camp, Tama walked over to Tristy. She pulled the cooked fish from a bag at her side, which I was just starting to realize was a bottomless bag. One of those enchanted bags where you can put anything in there, and it had an extremely large inside.

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  ? I idly wondered where she had found it and if it was related to her time in Drestor. At the bare minimum, she mentioned the Gryphons and her gold reward for them. So clearly, they had to be related, right?

  ?

  ? Of course, the way Tama put it was that she got “tasty gryphon legs,” and then someone named Lyran had taken the heads back with them and shared the gold. I would be having a talk with Lyran when we returned. Stealing Tama’s gold because she was uncaring of it was unconscionable, and he would pay for that. Even if Tama swore he was a good guy.

  ?

  ? Tama looked at Tristy for a long moment, then she took a deep breath and took a bite of the fish. She chewed it slowly, which was unlike her. Then swallowed. She looked to be considering for a moment before saying out loud, “Tama finds this fish acceptable, Tristy, you are to make more for you and Paige.” Her voice sounded forced, but she managed to add a hint of kindness to it.

  ?

  ? I saw Tama’s eye twitch at her own words, but she kept it surprisingly together. Tristy looked like she had been through the ringer while we were gone. But at Tama’s words, she looked hopeful again and bowed. “Yes, Mistress Tama, it would be my utmost pleasure.” She then turned and rushed back over to the campfire to start cooking another fish.

  ?

  ? I sighed in relief, it seemed for now Tama understood what I was trying to say.

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  ? Tama looked over to me, and I saw the pained but hopeful look on her face. I smiled and nodded back. She pursed her lips for a moment before sighing. “Anna, spend some time with Tama!” she said. I felt Anna leave my body and jump over to Tama, shifting onto her and becoming her gi again.

  ?

  ? She turned and walked over to the campfire, making a point to avoid Tristy, and pulled her sleeping bag from our travel pack. She dragged it over to a corner and lay down. After a few seconds, I heard her snoring, and I sighed. “Of course she just passes out,” I said as I rolled my eyes.

  ?

  ? “Anna!” I called to the divine water spirit. Anna shifted off Tama’s body, leaving her naked, and swam over to me. She did not enter me, instead she turned into her little girl form. “Yes?” she asked curiously.

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  ? I leaned in and said, “Watch over Tristy and Paige, I am going back to the lake. Do not possess them, or Tama will wake up and kill you!”

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  ? Anna flinched at the last part but nodded, then she paused and said, “Technically, they are Tama’s slaves, and I am Tama’s outfit, technically I am a part of Tama, so they should have to listen to me!”

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  ? I smacked her upside the head, and she cried out in fake pain. “What, technically I am! Watch!” she said as she turned to face Tristy. I reached to stop her, but she shifted into water and flowed over to Tristy before I could stop her. She leaned in and said, “Tristy, you are to remove your clothing and dance for me!”

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  ? I froze solid at the blatant command, but I did not expect it to work. I moved to grab Anna when Tristy’s collar lit up, and Tristy began removing her clothing. I quickly turned to Anna. “Tell her to stop now, or I will kill you myself, you demonic creature!”

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  ? Anna simply smiled and turned back into water, seemingly vanishing from sight. My eyes went wide in horror as Tristy, now completely nude, began to dance. That was the last straw, that damn spirit would pay dearly.

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  ? Luckily, Anna did not specify how long Tristy had to dance, and after a few minutes, I managed to get Tristy to stop by telling her as Tama’s advisor, she did not have to anymore, and that if Anna returned, I would get Mistress Tama.

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  ? Tristy did not seem upset at Anna’s antics, if anything, she seemed relieved to finally be given an order.

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  ? After a few minutes, Anna returned, she apparently did not even wait for me to leave. She even swam right up to me and shifted back into her human form. “I am back!” Anna said giddily.

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  ? I had remembered what Tama did and decided to try it, I was not even sure I could do it, but it would put Anna in her place.

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  ? I grabbed Anna, and she immediately turned to water, but I watched and found her core. I quickly grabbed at it, but Anna said, “Too slow!” and moved herself out of the way. I jumped around grabbing at her core. She did not flee, but rather just kept dodging playfully.

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  ? Then I remembered how Anna worked, and I felt stupid. I stopped trying to grab her core and held out my hand. Feeling really stupid, I put on a silly smile and said, “Does Anna want to sit in my hand? Yes, she does! Anna likes sitting in Saki’s hand!” I said jubilantly, mimicking Tama’s normal attitude.

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  ? I almost wished it did not work. But no, Anna gleefully dropped herself, core and all, into my hand. “Anna likes being in Saki’s hand!” she said excitedly.

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  ? I continued my fake happy voice as I said, “Yay! Anna gets to be in Saki’s hand! Does Anna want to watch Tama’s slaves for her?” I asked excitedly.

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  ? Anna literally jumped up and down in my hand and swirled to become her little girl form again. She landed on the ground in front of me and started chanting, “Yes, yes, yes!”

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  ?

  ? I wanted to scream internally, how could an ancient creature of immense power, a literal divine spirit, act like a damn five-year-old with memory loss. “That is a good girl, Anna! But remember! We do not like possessing Tama’s slaves! That is icky! And so is controlling them!” I said in my falsetto happy tone.

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  ? Anna swirled around a few times as she bounced and made a gesture where she acted like she would throw up. “Yes, it is icky! I only want to watch and protect them!”

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  ? “That is right!” I said in a condescending child tone. Anna looked unbearably happy.

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  ? Anna bounced around the campfire, including over to Tristy, as she sang, “Anna is protecting all the slaves!” in a strange tune I did not recognize. When did I go from being a vengeance Kitsune to a divine babysitter?

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  ? I thought about Tama and after a moment said, “Yes, definitely a divine babysitter.” I turned and left the camp, leaving Anna to watch after the slaves.

  ?

  ? Making my way down to the lake, I made sure to calm myself and really look at the world around me. It felt like my eyes had been closed, and now I could see everything. Honestly, if this was even a fraction of how Tama felt normally, I understood her constant glee.

  ?

  ? I reached the lake just fine and walked up to it. Taking a deep breath, I counted to ten before calling out, “Reedril!”

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  ? For a moment, nothing happened. Then Reedril came out of the water like a monument. He looked down at me, and I did my best not to show my fear. “Yes, little Saki?” it asked, its tone full of amusement.

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  ? I ignored the amused tone, having a feeling he was enjoying my fear. Instead, I asked, “How do we get out of this city?” I made sure to look him directly in the body? Eye? I did not exactly know where to look, so I just looked at his form.

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  ? “Why do you ask me, little one?” he asked, his amused tone still very evident.

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  ? “Because, if anyone knows, it is you!” I said.

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  ? “The goblins might know, yes?” Reedril said casually.

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  ? “Maybe, maybe not,” was my response. “I was hoping for your divine wisdom!” I said, attempting to butter him up a little.

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  ? The deep, billowing laughter from before returned with a vengeance. “Oh, little one, if you truly wanted an ancient to guide you, you already have two of them in your party.”

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  ? I paused at his words. True, despite her childishness, technically Anna was an ancient creature of immense knowledge. But two? “I know of Anna, Reedril, but who is the other one?” I asked curiously. Was it Paige? But she was a slave, and had been mostly quiet and subservient? Tristy? Highly unlikely, she was barely, she was barely Anna’s age.

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  ? But, she was an elf girl, they aged like anyone else. Except, Anna took the form of a human girl. Tristy was a slave! But that did not exactly preclude her, did it?

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  ? I rolled my eyes, the whole thing was ridiculous. It could just as easily be Tama, Tristy, or Paige. Who knows what Reedril considered ancient.

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  ? “What do you mean, little one? The ancient lives within you,” Reedril said simply.

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  ? Everything around me seemed to freeze in an instant. Inside me? What was he talking about? Was he talking about the void? Ancient, sure, but surely not helpful.

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  ? “What are you talking about?” I asked in confusion. “If you mean the void, it may be ancient, but it is not wise!” Even as I spoke of the void, my tail instinctively wrapped around my leg, and my ears furrowed. I may have accepted it as a part of me, but it was a part of me I hated with a passion.

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  ? All I got in return was that same deep laughter, and my nerves began to fray. “Are you messing with me, Reedril! Do not make me go get Tama!” I said as I stomped my foot on the ground.

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  ? Reedril laughed even harder, causing the very ground to shake around me. After a moment, he finally responded. “I do not speak of the nothingness that is one with you. I speak of another being within, deep and patient. She awaits for you to awaken her.”

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  ? I stared at the ancient entity, then myself. What was he talking about? An ancient entity inside me? He had to be screwing with me.

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  ? “I am not, as you say, ‘screwing’ with you, little one. She is there, I feel her as I live. It is not my place, however, to show you. You must find her yourself, but remember, not just anyone can take nothingness and make it their own. Many would be consumed even by the attempt.” Reedril’s words echoed through my mind, and I began to realize how serious he was truly being. I felt it in his words, they permeated my being, each one as true as the last.