The Silver Lining Of The Wretched Cloud (6)

I walk over to the other guard and repeat the process. He agrees even more easily than Kim. I can see how much his eyes light up when he sees the glint of the coins. Now that that's taken care of, I continue to the forest. Shinobu's feet splash a few yards behind me. We walk into the woods at night, something I thought I'd never do again.

"Stay as quiet as possible," I say to her, firmly looking forward. Every child in the village grew up hearing horror stories of the forest. The fact that she's following me in here without question drives home how tough of a spot she's in. I've walked this path so many times that I can almost do it in my sleep, and before I know it, we've arrived. The fort sits in shambles in front of me. I don't even glance at it as I walk to the mouth of the cave. The rain trickles all the way down to the basement. It gets very dark halfway down, but the light from the bottom floor guides us to our destination.

'Gasp!'

I hear Shinobu react as we walk into the weight room. I drop the tarp and separate everything inside.

"Hand me the basket."

Shinobu places the basket of food she has been carrying on the floor beside me. I spread everything out on the tarp. I plan to head back to town tomorrow to pick up anything else she might need while she stays here. Nothing else comes to mind, so I lay the blankets on the furthest wall from the entrance. I made sure to grab four blankets so we'll each have one to lay on and one to cover ourselves with.

"What is this place?" This is the first time she's talked since arriving at my door.

"This, this is the magic room. This is where we become stronger. This is where we change."

"This room is going to make the hurt go away?"

"No." I turn around a look her square in the eyes. "Only time can do that. Only you can make that happen. This room is where you will get strong enough to stop people from hurting you."

Her eyes dart back and forth, looking from my right eye to my left and back again. Her mouth opens slightly as she is unsure of what to say.

"How many bonus points have you used?"

"Fifty."

Damn.

"What did you spend them on?"

"I used them to learn the Lightning Focus." Fortunately, it looks like she didn't spend any points on increasing her stats. The fact that she used them to gain a Focus is a smart move on her part. The magic system is divided into seven Attributes, each subdivided into several Natures. Each Nature is then divided into several focuses, determining what kind of spells one has access to. It's not surprising to hear that she learned Lightning Focus due to how hard she blasted me today.

"Do you have any more bonus points?"

"Yes, I wasn't sure what to spend them on, so I just saved them." I can feel a grin spread up the right side of my face.

"Perfect. Whatever you do, don't spend those, okay?"

She nods. I walk back to the tarp and grab some towels to dry myself. I only wipe down the top of one arm before all the water on my body floats up into the air.

"Eep!" Shinobu jumps from the shock of the unexplained phenomena, but I already know who's at fault.

"I didn't expect you to show yourself down here for a while."

"I didn't expect you to bring another broken child into the forest. What? Are you collecting them?" That comment gets a chuckle out of me. Despite what Inari says, she really is looking out for us.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say as I return to making our beds.

"I can't believe it. It's true." I look at Shinobu, who is gawking at Inari like she's just seen a god, not that it's entirely incorrect. "I've heard rumors, but I never believed them."

She walks toward the fairy leader with one arm stretched out.

"Don't touch me." Inari stops her in her tracks with that statement. I feel the room grow cold at the pressure Inari is now exuding.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I've just never seen a fairy before."

"Fine. Just keep your grubby little hands off me." I decide to do some introductions to break the awkward tension.

"Inari, this is Shinobu. Shinobu, Inari. Inari has been helping us while we're in the forest."

"It all makes sense now. I was so mad you figured out a way to catch so many Punctastars. I couldn't understand how you were so successful in the forest." I scratch the hair on the back of my head as I try to think of a response.

"Yeah, I couldn't do it without the fairies."

"And yet you still snub me." The red-haired fairy says accusingly.

"Look, what do you want me to do?" I say as I toss my arms up in the air. She smiles like she just lured me into a trap.

"Well, if you insist. A few hundred years ago, I tried something called a cookie?" I think I get where she's going with this.

"If you wanted sweets, you could have just asked."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of imposing on you kids like that." I roll my eyes so hard that they almost fall out of my head.

"You're impossible."

"Fufufu." Inari flies up next to me. "So what types of cookies are you bringing?"

"I thought you didn't want to bother us?" I say with a grin.

"Well, you offered, so it would be rude of me to refuse." A wry laugh escapes my lips.

"I was thinking some sugar cookies or some pumpernickel, but I'll have to see what the baker is selling." Inari licks her lips as I'm talking. "I know you're excited, but try not to drool everywhere."

"Why, I never. How dare you accuse this lady of such depravity." A small bit of saliva is sitting at the corner of her lips.

"You might want to wipe your mouth before saying that." Inari quickly spins around to wipe her face. She turns back as if nothing happened.

"How dare you accuse this lady of such depravity."

"Fuhahahah." Shinobu can't take it anymore and bursts out laughing. I wink at Inari while Shinobu is distracted, and she nods lightly. Seeing the dread on the little girl's face being replaced with laughter pulls all the bite out of the cold winter air.

"I expect the cookies delivered tomorrow afternoon prompt."

"I'll see what I can do." And with that, Inari flies out of the den. Shinobu is still recovering from her laughing fit, so I continue preparing our bedspreads. The room feels much more comfortable now, and I can't help but smile a little. I set the beds up about twenty feet apart for privacy. Once Shinobu has fully recovered, I offer her the basket full of food, and she happily devours the entire thing. My appetite hasn't fully recovered yet, so I don't try to stop her. Once she's finished, she looks under the basket as if she's expecting more food to be there.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want any?" she asks.

"No. I'm not hungry. I just hope you can keep all that down." Shinobu puffs her cheeks out at me, and I chuckle. "I'm about to go to bed. Do you need anything else?"

"Ah! No, I'm fine. Thank you," she says nervously.

"No problem." I walk around the den and cover the magic lamps. They don't give off any heat, so there isn't any risk of fire. I then crawl under the covers and try to fall asleep. My head is racing with thoughts that prevent me from completely losing consciousness. While floating about the fog of my mind, I hear laughing. I snap back to reality and look around. It's almost pitch black, so I can't make anything out, but when I concentrate on the sound, I realize it's Shinobu softly sobbing. I want to comfort her a bit, considering she spent the whole day holding all of this in, but it's clear she doesn't want to bother others with her emotions. I tuck myself back under the covers and drift off to tomorrow.