Chapter 15

Lavinia sat in the sand and watched the Ruishia Sea lap up the beach. Occasionally, the tide would wash over her feet, sending shivers all over her exposed body. She was beginning to miss her thick coat of matted fur. The little she had leftover fell away when Lucy tampered with her Soul Crystal and now she's left bare, with hardly enough to call fur.

The sea washes over and she squeals, tossing her feet side to side and spreading her now four toes— another thing that has changed since the times of her crevasse. Arms free of fur reveals a soft complexion riddled with blemishes and spots all down to her four fingers and toes— what used to be three. Her waddling days are over.

The sea spits out a [Crab] onto the beach and she snatches it up before it can right itself. Learned her lesson from the first time, she crushes the crab in her hands and pulls it apart for bits to chew as she gets back on her feet. The crab even without strength like hers manages to survive being crushed and retaliates weakly as Lavinia idly strolls the beach side, pinching bits off its shell and flesh until its struggles are no more.

Keeping an eye for more crabsnacks on the shore, a trail of gleaming coins scattered across the sand, glinting like stars' light steals her attention instead. Curious, Lavinia finishes her crab and follows the trail, picking the scattered coins until she finds their source.

A creature she's never seen lies in the sand. Grey-skinned with a horns curling out the back of its head, the creature is partially covered with some cloth and has a belt tied around its bare waist. Sniffing, Lavinia scowls as she approaches the creature— it hasn't been long since it died but the rot had begun setting in, a waste.

Kneeling beside the creature she tosses it over, revealing its front side and a gaping wound at its side, the source of the rot and cause of its death. There are several slashes gouged across its body, but none as severe as the hole insects have quickly made a home of.

Pulling the belt away she finds a pouch and a knife or dagger attached to it. Within the pouch she discovers even more of the scattered coins, some are larger and others hold different colour hues but the general shade of red persists as each of them thrum with Essence, pulsing with varying intensity.

Lavinia pours those she found on the beach in the pouch and holds on to one, biting into it her scowl deepens, "Can't eat Essence?"

It doesn't make any sense that she wouldn't be able to, after all, Essence is the life force of demons and many alike. She bites down harder on the coin but it doesn't budge, coming out unscathed and pulsing with a power she can't believe she's run into.

The creature itself has no Crystal, or rather, its crystal is dead—pale and devoid of the rich energies, the crystal poking out of its belly fosters no life. It's the first time seeing a demon dead without being devoured and though she's sure every part of its body would reward some sliver of Essence she can't bring herself to eat it.

"Not hunted. Not fresh." She tells herself, liberating the shawl, tether belt and pouch from the grey-skin. Eying the dagger she deliberates taking it with her even though Lucy's staff— embedded in the sand by the cave exit— is well enough as a weapon.

In the end she picks it and snaps it to the belt, a smooth, shiny metal makes it stick in place and sliding it out, rather than pulling is the only way to release it. Pleased with her new equipment, an actual cloth to cover her rapid growing nudity and a small pouch of Essence unabsorbed.

Thinking on the pouch and its coins, Lavinina wonders if she could break it open with the Grovestaff, determined to try she turns to start the walk back only to gasp in surprise.

Three figures lurk at the top of the beach and the hillside the mountainous cave forms. All three covered in shawls as well stand still as statues, watching her even as she steps back from the grey-skin corpse.

Taking a breath, Lavinia recovers from the shock and sets her mind to retrieving the Grovestaff before her guests make descent. Pacing back with her front facing all three, Lavinia warily summons Essence from her crystal, distributing the energy throughout her body as an easy precaution.

Her new dagger spins on the axis of the metal plate it's stuck to, shedding a dark ethereal wisp until she slides it out of place. The dagger calms down only then, still feeding off of her Essence as she senses it steal from her pathways without permission.

"Hello."

"Ah!" She swipes at the figure appeared before her and it sidesteps, raising three-fingered arms out in surrender.

"Not here for a fight."

Eyes darting around and dagger brandished, Lavinia quickly finds herself surrounded as the others cover her sides. When had they come down? How long have they been watching her?

"Grrr"

"We know you're not wild, we aren't either." The first says, with a smooth deep tone. The shawl's hood shrouds their faces and outlines the triangular shape of their heads. They have three-fingered hands with rings worn on the middle of each left hand.

Extending a hand out to Lavinia the first continues, "You have something that belongs to us."

Lavinia follows where the thin forefinger points and arrives at the pouch of Essence coins she picked from the corpse, "What is it?"

"Ours." Another of the hooded figures answers, this one wielding a larger frame and gravel tone than its companion.

"Who are you?"

"Give it to us." The third demands in a hiss.

Pacing away Lavinia watches the three follow after her, the firsts hand still extended and waiting, neither of them willing to fight nor talk. Silently, Essence floods to her eyes as she whispers, "Inspect."

{T-2/L-3— Trirax} 

{T-2/L-1— Trirax} 

{T-2/L-3— Trirax}

"Does knowing our strength put you at ease?" The first says, taking his hand back. "Return it and we'll answer your questions."