"Who's your master? Why are we considered honoured guests?" Alice questioned, pointing her blade at the woman.
Even though she couldn't use her energy right now, fighting was still possible.
[Alice, I wouldn't recommend it.] Cayla frowned.
'I know. But it's not like I have much of a choice right now.' Alice agreed.
She had thought that the fight wouldn't be bad considering the lack of energy. But the fact that they were 'honoured guests' now put her on high alert.
Hearing that Alice was confused as to who they were guests of, the woman let out an elegant chuckle.
"Allow me to let you greet my Lord personally then." Reaching her hands around her own neck, she snapped it 180 degrees as both Alice and Jin widened their eyes while looking at the back of the nun's head.
Twisting for a moment followed up by the sounds of gurgling blood, the woman snapped her head back to normal.
"How. . . Pleasant to have come across one another so soon. Is this not fate? V-489k? Ah no, pardon me. That's the old name, one must address you with your current name. Alice." The woman's voice sounded more calm, ominous even as the thick stench of corruption began to spread throughout the tunnel.
A chill shot down Alice's spine as her pupil constricted at the mention of her old designation.
She understood who it was.
She dare not say his name as she recalled Cayla's warnings.
"Worry not for I'm simply viewing the sights through this woman's eyes, speaking through her mouth and moving through her body. I lack the power to do to you that which you fear." The woman reassured, holding her hands behind her back as she slowly inched towards Alice.
Jin was wondering whether or not they should attack as he felt a strange sense of suppression from this woman.
Taking a deep breath, Alice frowned.
"Glad I am to see that you recall my name. After all, everyone with no exception has two deaths. The first, when their mortal body dies. The second, when they are forgotten. Even if they leave behind traces, the people who find them know not of the person behind the trace." Zal-Ka'Rith smiled, standing in front of Alice.
"I can see the light of conflict within your eye. Therefore I feel the need to let you know that I hold no animosity towards you dear Alice." She leaned forward, reaching her hand towards Alice's hair.
"Don't call me dear, we're not that close." Alice slapped away Zal-Ka'Rith's hand with a frown.
She didn't know what the Outer God was playing at but the only saving grace right now seemed to be the fact that he found interest in her background. It's what keeping them alive for the moment.
"Really? Considering we are two beings who understand your past to the same extent, I'd say we are plenty close. Closer than most even. Or perhaps it's my status that puts you on guard? The existence of an Outer God is poison to this world after all." Zal-Ka'Rith took a step back and sat on the bloodied table.
"Forcing yourself to stalk my past and me willingly sharing it are two very very different things. Do Outer Gods even know about something called personal privacy?" Alice scoffed, still maintaining her sword aimed at her head.
"Dear, I'm the Outer God of the Writhing Script. I'm an observer, a recorder and the library of knowledge. What makes you think such mentions of privacy means anything do me on the pursuit of knowledge?" Zal-Ka'Rith let out a hearty laugh.
"If I deem it interesting enough, I will even spend time counting the hairs on your body, the breaths you take, the times you swallow your saliva, the blinks you do in a day. How your eyes wander, how you play around with your fingers or even how you occasionally lick your teeth. All of these details are important to me if I am fascinated by a subject." She grinned.
Hearing this, Alice felt a deep chill through her body. A disgust hearing how much detail the Outer God wanted to record if he's amused.
In one aspect, it felt like Enris if she was more psychotic somehow.
"Please don't tell me I'm one of those subjects right now." Alice recoiled in disgust.
However, his silent gaze and smile told her everything she needed to know.
"So am I to take it that you won't be trying to kill us, even though you're an Outer God?" Alice asked, trying to ascertain Zal-Ka'Rith's stance on things.
"Oh of course not. Why would I? You're my honoured guests after all. Well. . . you are. As for him. . ." She trailed off, turning her eyes to Jin.
"He's getting up there."
He wanted to observe what Kazira and Voruth'Zal had done to this poor boy after all.
"And as an observer, my existence as an Outer God is hardly worthy of mention. I'm aware of the conflict you have and the disagreement towards their involvement in this world. Let's just say I'm fully content with just observing the movements outside of the barrier.
"It's my principle to not directly intervene with an observation in case my presence was to. . . disturb the natural outcome." Zal-Ka'Rith waved her hand.
"So why did you attack me during the ritual then." Alice frowned.
From the sound of things, Zal-Ka'Rith was an observer yet he made a move during that moment.
"Can you blame me? And it was hardly an attack dear. I simply was told that there was an anomaly for me to observe and all I need to do was to stall you. I didn't need to fight so I accepted. Had it not been for that acceptance, I wouldn't have come across such an interesting marvel such as yourself." She shrugged.
Indeed, comparing what she said to what Cayla said, Zal-Ka'Rith mostly observed and didn't fight. He simply kept on digging into her past, trying to figure out her nature.
Even now, he was answering her questions and refusing to fight.
"What's all this then, I don't think this counts as an observation." Alice sighed, gesturing to the grotesque view around them.
At this point, she had sheathed her blade. If the Outer God wanted to talk then so be it.
"Oh this? This is simply an outlet for the poor girl I've made a contract with. I wouldn't call her my Icon though I won't deny that I'm currently observing her. . . Artistic talents." Zal-Ka'Rith pointed at herself.
"As for her subjects, these are all the people that took a portion of my script but refused to obey the agreement. So I had this girl use them as materials."
Furrowing her brows, Alice focused on the words she spoke in the middle.
"Portion of your script? What do you mean?"
Instead of answering, Zal-Ka'Rith held her finger over her mouth.
"That answer is too much for what you have provided me thus far. I work on the basis of equal exchange, I give equal to what I am given. I tell equal to what I'm told. There is a level to all forms of information and this is sadly above what you have told or rather, shown me thus far.
"It would be unfair of me to take all the information for free hence I've been telling you what I deem as equal." Zal-Ka'Rith held up her hands with a chuckle.
"A little stingy don't you think?"
"Not at all. In fact, without me, you wouldn't have even gotten a slight clue to this so early now would you? My divulgence of such information will naturally cause a change to the natural outcome. Though perhaps the moment I laid eyes on your past, the outcome had already changed. Or maybe it was predestined? Who can say.
"I simply give equal to what I am given. This clue is equal and letting you know will not change the natural outcome by much." She explained cryptically as Alice let out a frustrated sigh.
"Tsk, fine. And stop recording me with so much detail, I can see you scribbling sh*t into your book." Alice pulled a face of disgust as Zal-Ka'Rith revealed the invisible book.
"By this point you've breathed 60 times and blinked only 4 times during this entire exchange. A wary one you are, keeping such a close eye on me."
Alice felt goosebumps on her skin as she shivered.
"Creep. But let me ask you this, so you don't care what happens to the other Outer Gods right? You'd rather observe from outside the barrier, correct?" Alice asked as Zal-Ka'Rith tilted her head before a smile appeared on her face.
"Indeed that is the case. I'd much rather the barrier be in tact so I may observe in peace. What you do to the Outer Gods are of no import to me."
[Alice, are you sure about this.] Cayla frowned, knowing what Alice wanted to say.
'It's a rare chance. A little risky but he's probably our best shot at fully understanding the Eldritch energy in my body.' Alice replied.
[A little is underselling it a bit don't you think? This is an Outer God. Being that are literal cancers to our realm, parasites that corrupt everything it touches. Their thought process is fundamentally different from ours.]
'Yes, but this one prioritises knowledge. If he believes in equal exchange, it's best we get what we can from him. Especially since were severely low in intel.' Alice argued as Cayla was silent.
Indeed. In this situation, even if she had her full power, gathering information on the Outer Gods were difficult and always filled with sacrifice. All of her information, outdated it may be, were thanks to the deaths of many.
So if they can get information without much sacrifice, it would be preferred.
Their target was an Outer God!
"Zal-Ka'Rith. Form an alliance with me. Information for information. Since you don't care about what happens to the Outer Gods, help me out instead and you can continue to observe." Alice offered as Zal-Ka'Rith was silent.
The smile remained on her face as she slowly opened her mouth.