“I’m not sure strength has anything to do with that.” Rolonia looked puzzled.
“So is it good?” asked Hans. Adlet eyed his rations for a moment and took a few deep breaths to calm his heart.
“What’re ya doin’?”
“There’s a trick to eating this. First, you banish from your mind all memory of every good thing you’ve ever eaten.” Adlet pressed a finger against his forehead to aid the power of psychological suggestion on himself. “And then you make yourself believe that this is the most delicious thing in the world. If you manage to do a good job tricking yourself…” He closed his eyes, shoved the whole cube into his mouth, chewed it up as fast as he could, and swallowed it down all at once. “If you slow down for even a second, hell awaits you. But if you can avoid that, this stuff really is the strongest rations in the world.”
“And that’s the only way you can eat it, meow?” Hans was flabbergasted.
“Anyway, has everyone else eaten?” Adlet asked, now that he was done with his meal. He and Hans were the only ones eating. Fremy was bathing, and Goldof and Mora were keeping watch by the edge of the barrier. Chamo was leaning against a boulder, her eyes closed.
“Goldof was off by himself havin’ some kinda meal. All the ladies said they don’t eat. I don’t know why,” said Hans.
“They don’t?”
Rolonia explained to Hans and Adlet. “I don’t need food. I can manipulate the nutrients within blood. Lady Mora can absorb the energy of the mountain to sustain herself, so she doesn’t need food, either.”
That’s convenient, thought Adlet. “And Chamo?”
“Chamo… I wonder why she doesn’t need food. Sorry, I don’t know.”
From a little ways away, the girl in question piped up. “Do you think Chamo’d need normal food?”
“I don’t really get what you mean, but now I’m convinced you don’t,” said Adlet.
“Chamo’s treating her pets right now, so go away,” she said and closed her eyes again. Adlet could just faintly hear the moans of her slave-fiends from within her stomach. He remembered how the creatures had writhed, covered in silver dust. It was probably best to do as she said and not bother her.
“And Fremy… Oh, yeah. Because she’s half-fiend.” Atreau had taught Adlet about fiend biology—they didn’t eat every day the way humans did. For them, one big meal about once every ten days at most was enough.
“…?”
That was when Adlet sensed something odd. He cocked his head in contemplation.
“Is somethin’ up, meow?” asked Hans.
Fiends ate about once every ten days—but if that was true, why had Tgurneu been carrying around that fig? But in the end, Adlet’s questions led him nowhere, so they faded from his mind.
Mora was standing at the edge of the barrier when she saw Adlet exit the cave and begin a leisurely meal. Seeing she didn’t need to worry about him, she relaxed. She scanned the whole mountain, observing the fiends’ movements. Only when she was on a mountain could she use her powers of clairvoyance—though she was only able to observe the mountain she occupied. Presently, there were around two hundred fiends near the Bud of Eternity. The ones that had followed them were scattered about the mountain in groups of five or so. There were a large number of superior fiends among them that she supposed had some degree of intellect.
We’re trapped rats, she thought. Perhaps Tgurneu’s goal was just to keep the Braves of the Six Flowers from leaving this spot.
Next, Mora probed for traps. The Bud of Eternity was an almost certain stop for the Braves, so the chances were high that there was a trap there. Mora searched the mountain and even underground for anything out of place. But as far as she could tell, there were no tricks on the mountain.
Tgurneu was not in the area, and there was no sign it was giving instructions to the other fiends that lurked on the mountain. Mora still didn’t know what it had meant by two more days.
“…” She was indecisive. Had running really been the right choice? Maybe she should have done whatever she could to kill Tgurneu right then—even if it had meant her life.
No, that would have been unwise, she thought, reconsidering. Blowing herself up and taking Tgurneu with her should be a final resort, because if she erred, then Shenira would die as well.
“What’s the situation, Mora?” Adlet, having finished his meal, had come to talk to her.
“We’re completely surrounded but in no immediate danger.” She suspended her observation for the moment and explained her powers of clairvoyance to Adlet.
“Why don’t ya take a break for neow, too? Looks like it’ll be a while before we get another chance,” Hans suggested.
“You’re right, I’ll rest a spell. I want to bathe, too,” Mora said, entering the cave. With her powers still active, she continued to observe the area vigilantly. Within the cavern, she found Fremy nude and wiping off the soot stuck in her hair. As the woman entered, Fremy picked up the gun she’d laid beside her.
“Don’t be so antagonistic. I’ll do nothing to you,” Mora said, stripping off her armor and vestments before she dipped herself into the cold spring. Dust suddenly clouded the spring, but they had already secured enough drinking water, so it wasn’t a problem. A comfortable coldness seeped into her body. Before the chill could reach her core, she got out of the spring and began to clean off the dirt with her nails and palms. “It’s a blessing to have such an abundance of water. At the very least, it’s good to not have to worry about grooming.” Mora breathed a long sigh. It was always comfortable to spend time cleansing the body. Though even if she wanted to relax, Shenira never left her mind.
“Um, may I join you?” Rolonia came into the cave and spent some time
