Free Web NovelChapter 23: Chapter 23: Ideals (2)
Riven didn’t say a word; instead, he stared at the glowing white particles that had been the black eagle just a moment ago.
Then he stared at the woman and asked.
"What did you do?"
The woman replied without hesitation.
"I freed the pitiful soul of this monster that you were about to trap and make it your slave."
Riven’s expression darkened. That meant that she knew his power but how? He had no idea so he decided to ask.
"How do you know?"
The woman replied, her voice calm yet cold.
"I can feel their yearning for freedom."
Riven frowned. The power to feel their yearning for freedom was very unique. A type of ability that he had knew could exist.
As he was lost in his own thoughts, the woman sat down on the floor and said coldly.
"After the sandstorm stops, we will go our separate ways."
Riven leaned against the walls of the cave and replied.
"I don’t have any problem with that."
They didn’t speak — silence took over. Ayala who was sitting beside Riven, broke the suffocating silence and said.
"Miss can I ask you something?"
The woman didn’t reply immediately. She looked at Riven and added.
"If it doesn’t have anything in support of those who take away the freedom of living beings then go ahead. I only have a problem with people who take away others’ freedom."
Riven didn’t say a word, since it was obvious from her actions. She didn’t hate Ayala... she just hated him because of his powers.
Ayala nodded and asked, her voice serious.
"What was the elf army doing in the desert? They hate hot weather the most so I don’t see them making a settlement in the desert."
The woman closed her eyes, tapped her nose with her finger several times, and replied.
"I honestly have no idea or clue. Maybe they were looking for something or someone."
Riven shook her head slightly— even if she knew she wasn’t going to give vital information for free. That was obvious. Ayala was just too naive.
Ayala’s eyebrows knitted together. She mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Their presence here is abnormal and it also makes the desert much more dangerous."
Riven silently nodded. Elves were one of the most horrific races for humans. Not because of their strength but because of the inhumane experiments that they run on him.
He had heard that ripping a human body open while alive for experiments was very normal to them...
As Riven was lost in his own thoughts, he heard a crunching sound resounding through his ears. Was it another monster? His head snapped to his right and his worry disappeared.
He saw the eagle that carried them, putting the eggs which probably belonged to the black eagle inside its peak. Crushing them in an instant hence making the crunching sounds.
This wasn’t all... the eagle split out the shell of the egg and a faint clean earthly scent filled the entire cave.
When the eagle was done eating one egg, it picked another one, put it inside its peak, and swallowed it in one go.
Riven heaved a sigh of relief — he thought that it was another monster or something. But it was just the eagle eating.
Suddenly, the howling of the wind outside disappeared replaced by an unnaturally calmness. The woman stood up and started to walk towards the massive eagle. She rubbed its head and got on its back.
Riven’s eyes narrowed and he asked.
"What are you doing?"
The woman pointed it towards the entrance and said.
"The sandstorm is over. I am leaving."
Riven’s gaze lingered on the entrance, no visible sand particles were dancing in the air anymore. That must mean the sandstorm was over, they could leave.
But there was a problem... how the hell were they supposed to get down if she left with the eagle?
This cave was inside the towering edge of the mesa. Without the eagle, going up or down would be nearly impossible.
Riven glared at her and said.
"You can’t leave alone since it was you who bought us here so you will have to take us with you."
The woman shook her head and said coldly.
"You helped me once so I helped escape from the army of elves. We are equal now so I don’t have any obligation to help you anymore."
Ayala, who was standing beside them, replied, her voice firm and serious.
"Miss... we are surrounded by hostile races on all sides in Astrionis so humans should stick together."
The woman’s voice softened as she replied to her.
"Sorry... I can’t travel with someone who takes away the freedom of living beings. This goes against everything that I value. However..."
The woman paused and added a moment later.
"If you wish to join me then you can come with me."
Silence descended. No one spoke for a moment. Riven’s gaze lingered on Ayala — was she going to abandon him? Probably yes because he didn’t have anything useful to offer her compared to the woman.
She had a powerful pet and her fighting prowess also looked very powerful so Ayala was obviously going to choose her over him.
A heartbeat later, Ayala finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"I won’t go anywhere without him. He has saved my life."
Riven looked at her in surprise. He wasn’t expecting her to refuse the woman’s offer. But she did. It was very good for him... without the power of her support class, the chances of his survival would drastically drop.
The woman stared at Ayala and nodded her head in approval. She smiled slightly and said.
"I like people who are grateful to their savior."
Riven replied in a raspy voice.
"The same can’t be said about you though. We saved your life and you are abandoning us."
The woman didn’t speak. Instead, she moved her mouth closer to the eagle’s ears and whispered something.
Then the eagle spread out its wings as it prepared to jump out of the entrance. Before the eagle jumped out of the hole, the woman glared at him and said words that sent a chill down his spine.
"Remember... If we meet again. I Eleanor the liberator will be your mortal enemy."
Afterwards, the eagle jumped out of the entrance and disappeared from view.
