Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 483: Takeaway

Chapter 483: Takeaway

Adelia stood at the bow of the airship, staring out the glass window only to be met with a blanket of whiteness as far as the eyes could see.

The captain of the airship, Mr. Lawrence, came to stand beside her, wrapped in a large fur coat that barely helped to keep the cold out.

"Any news from Sir Humphrey?"

Lawrence shook his head. "None yet, but I believe he should be on his way. Those closest to him claim that he left the day you sent a message."

"I see, in that case, we’ll go ahead and open a path for him. Hopefully, his presence would make a difference."

Lawrence offered no response as he kept his gaze on the scenery outside.

A few minutes of silence passed between the two before Adelia broke the ice.

"Are you sure we are in the right direction?" She inquired with a frown as she found it difficult to make out anything of note in the snowstorm.

Lawrence replied. "Don’t worry ma’am, though visibility is low, as long as we continue to follow the route traced out on the map, we shouldn’t be off course."

"Still, we can’t just keep moving like a headless chicken. We need to be sure of the route we are taking. Has Smiley and the others returned?"

"Not yet."

"Damn it, they’ve been gone for too long. Prepare to send out scouts to search for them."

"Is there a need, Mouthpiece?... They are Exarchs, after all, I believe they are fine. They should be reaching out at any moment."

And almost as though he were a soothsayer, Smiley soon appeared, covered in a white substance.

"What took you so long?" Adelia inquired as she turned to face him.

He replied. "Apologies, Mistress. This snowstorm is not normal. It has traces of the Abyss mixed in."

"You think it might be the Otherworldly that we are searching for?"

"Most likely, but we can’t be sure. However, I advise we go the rest of the way on foot."

"Why?"

"The storm ahead is too strong. The craft won’t be able to hold together."

Lawrence snorted at the side. "Don’t look down on my girl Mousey, she isn’t some fragile child to be beaten back by a mere storm."

"The storm ahead was difficult for us to pass without trouble. Do you think your airship would be able to give the same issue against me?" Smiley inquired, causing Lawrence’s expression to shift as he realized the gravity of the situation.

Adelia nodded. "In that case, Lawrence, you return. I’ll keep going with Smiley."

"Alright then." Lawrence intoned. "But you take care."

"I will," Adelia remarked, rather touched that the captain was worried about her.

With the decision made, Lawrence moved to inform the pilot while Adelia left with Smiley.

Once outside the airship, she had to bear the full brunt of the snowstorm’s biting force that left her feeling listless.

Smiley walked ahead unhindered and she struggled to keep pace with him.

Their journey continued for almost two hours before Adelia noticed a discrepancy. "Where are the others?"

Smiley continued forward almost like he didn’t hear her.

Adelia paused in her tracks. "Smiley!"

Still no response.

"Phineas!" She finally said and then, he stopped.

Slowly, he turned to face her and for a moment, silence persisted.

"What’s going on?" Adelia inquired as a deep sense of apprehension welled up within.

Smiley, or rather, Phineas reached up to his face and took off his mask.

Though he appeared the same, Adelia could sense something from within his vacant gaze.

Adelia quickly came to a realization. "Phineas."

"It’s the snowstorm, Mistress. It’s not real snow."

Before Adelia could ask further questions, she felt an intense pain in her brain and then it all went black.

***

Silence persisted in Victoria’s castle as the members of Constellations along with Arthur sought to find a means to save Emily from the grim fate hanging over her head.

"There’s no choice," Alex remarked. "We’ll ask Ashtyx for help."

"But that’s risky." Elena quickly intoned with a hint of apprehension. "The more you ask of him, the more you tie yourself to him. Soon enough, you won’t be able to even leave this castle."

Alex hesitated, as he found himself unsure if he wanted to tie himself down to another godly entity.

Nyx and Adam were already on his neck... did he really wish to be tied down to another?

Before he could come to a decision, Douglas spoke up. "Then let me be the one to ask for help."

"You..."

"You have a mission to fulfill," Douglas remarked. "I can’t let you put that on pause for my sake."

"You have a mission as well, Douglas. The Paragons." Alex pointed out with Douglas shaking his head.

"If it means saving Emily, it’s fine. Let’s do it."

Sensing his resolve, Alex didn’t find it necessary to change his mind and so nodded. "Alright then. Let’s go."

Together, the ’brothers’ left the sitting room to pay a visit to the cavern underneath the castle.

Nadia, meanwhile, seemed to be in deep thought as she couldn’t help but feel like she’d missed something important.

"Are you okay?" Arwen inquired on noticing her expression.

Nadia pursed her lips as she muttered. "I don’t know why but I feel like I’m forgetting something. Something really useful."

"Like what?"

"I don’t know," Nadia replied, feeling rather pressed to figure it out.

Letting out a sigh from where he sat, Arthur rose to his feet. "Well then, I believe it’s time I take my leave."

"You are going?" Victoria inquired.

Arthur nodded. "As much as I’d like to remain here, away from the chaos, I’m worried about Aragon. I need to ensure my people are safe."

"I thought you were banished." Elena pointed out with a hint of unintended spite.

Even though she was no longer just an avatar of Princess Berenice, there still existed some bad blood between her and Arthur due to past experiences.

Just then, Nadia muttered softly. "Take."

Then, she said it again, this time a bit louder.

Then again, almost like she was on the cusp of a major discovery, drawing the attention of everyone present.

"What happened?" Arwen inquired.

Nadia facepalmed as she remarked. "Why didn’t I think of that?"

"Of what?"

"We could just take the baby away."

Elena glanced at Victoria and the latter back at her before both shifted their attention back to Nadia. "Huh?"

Arwen and Arthur however seemed to have caught on as Arwen muttered almost instinctively. "The Devil of Greed."

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