The Deceiver's Path - Chapter 127 - The Hero and the Sidekick (Patreon)

Piper moved through the undergrowth like a ghost, thanks to her [Wraithskin] spell hiding her from sight and deadening any noises she made. She passed another group of aspirants who were arguing as they struggled to set up a shelter beneath a towering pine tree. But none of them noticed her presence as she glided by.

She continued onward until their voices faded behind her and were replaced by the wind whistling through the trees. After a short distance, she reached a clearing and spotted a pair of birds nestled under a bush. They had speckled brown feathers and looked impressively plump.

Piper crept forward, her illusory spear held above her head. As she neared the birds, another group of aspirants tromped into the clearing, causing her prey to take flight. She watched dejectedly as her lunch winged away.

With a deep sigh, she fought down the urge to glare at the new arrivals. They hadn’t known she was here, though she couldn’t help but resent them costing her a meal. Lowering her weapon, she continued deeper into the forest.

Next, she stumbled across a rabbit. Once more, she approached, the pine needles rustling softly underfoot. But the rabbit almost seemed to have a sixth sense, and when she neared the tiny beast, it bolted into the thick underbrush.

How the heck did it know I was here? Was that an awakened rabbit or something?

Then she realized that she’d forgotten one of the most basic rules of hunting: she hadn’t checked the wind direction. She might be invisible, but a rabbit could still smell her. If Alfred could see her now, he’d be so disappointed.

She puffed out her cheeks and headed toward the lake in the distance. Thankfully the valley sloped downward, so it was easy to see where she was going. However, she worried that she’d have trouble finding their camp when she finally caught something.

Turning slightly, she tried to mark the location on the mountain slope in her mind. If she couldn’t find them, she would just go back and forth along the rocky face until she stumbled upon their shelter. Even she shouldn't be able to get lost in a valley.

At least I hope so, she thought fervently. I don’t want to be blundering around in the woods after dark.

Reaching the lake, she stopped by its shoreline. Smooth rocks shifted underfoot as she gazed out across the azure waters that would have attracted thousands of tourists back on Earth. But here, she was alone at the stunning lake, and she took a minute to drink in the surrounding beauty.

At the sight of a couple of ducks bobbing in the water, she dropped her [Wraithskin] and peered down at her illusory spear. She would never be able to hunt the fowl from shore with her current weapon. Which meant it was time to cheat a bit.

Dismissing the illusion, she summoned Gorebark. She was fairly certain no one here had the ability to sense infernal magic. Still, she quickly used [Shifting Veil] to transform the demonic weapon into an ordinary bow, just in case anyone stumbled across her. Then she activated [Infernal Bowstring] to conjure up the string for the weapon.

During her casting, her quiver with the tanned human face had also appeared on her belt. She repeated the same process to hide it from view. Why couldn’t Astaroth have given her a gift that didn’t stick out like a sore thumb? It was as if he wanted the Dawnward Host to burn her at the stake.

Gorebark twisted in her hands, most likely to get a look at her face. She couldn’t see it beneath her illusion, so she had to assume that was why it was moving.

“Well, if it isn’t the princess. Been too busy for your old pal?”

Piper rolled her eyes. “I’ve been in a villa full of adventurers. I couldn’t exactly summon a legendary demonic bow.”

“So, what’s on the menu today?” Gorebark asked. “Splattering some pink apes? Taking over a town? Fighting a horde of nuns?”

“We’re hunting ducks,” she replied with a smile.

Gorebark made a strangled noise. “Please tell me you mean demonic ducks?”

“There’s no such thing,” she retorted before pausing. “Wait, are there really demonic ducks?”

“Wow, you really are gullible. It must be from wearing that ugly pink skin.”

“I’ll have you know this is exactly how I looked on Earth.”

“You looked like a sickly pre-pubescent girl? Wow, your life must have sucked.”

At the bow’s words, she glanced down at herself. She suddenly realized she hadn’t updated her illusion over the last few years, and she really should start to make some alterations. Otherwise, everyone would always think of her as little more than a girl. But she had no idea how to age herself. Maybe Ophelia would have some ideas.

Shaking her head, she nocked an arrow on the bowstring. She waited patiently until one of the ducks floated by before loosing. Her arrow surged forward and pierced the bird’s breast.

Piper hurried over to the water and waded in up to her hips to grab the fowl. Her eyes widened. The freezing water immediately turned her limbs numb. Once she had the dead bird in hand, she splashed back to shore. By the time she was on dry land, her teeth were chattering.

“Stupid cold mountain lake,” she mumbled to herself.

For a second she considered using [Demonic Blood] on herself, but then she rejected the idea. She didn’t want to endure the burning and stinging sensation just to warm up. Plus, there was a good chance the skill would singe her clothing, and she liked this dress.

Piper considered taking down another duck, but the rest were too far from shore to reach. And she’d barely learned the basics of swimming from Selene. It would be eternally embarrassing if the heir to the Infernal Realm died from a simple drowning.

The thought of her friend made her mood brighten. She still couldn’t believe that Selene and Althea were still alive. They may have been resurrected as demons, but that didn’t matter to her. All that mattered was that they could quest together again.

With the duck in hand, she made her way back in the direction of the shelter. Already, she had lost track of the landmarks she’d been trying to remember. After pressing her lips together, she simply shrugged her shoulders and increased her pace.

On the way back, she collected a handful of blueberries before stumbling upon a nearly untouched raspberry bush. She removed her cloak and fashioned a makeshift sack out of it. Then she loaded all the fruit she could into it before continuing.

Next, she came across some nuts she recognized from her time hunting with Alfred. But for the life of her, she couldn’t remember their names. Still, she knew they were good to eat, so she gathered as many as she could.

As she moved, she also occasionally stopped to collect fresh pine needles from the trees. They would make a nice tea if she could find a way to boil it.

Piper also stopped to dig up some roots from some edible plants she recognized. There weren’t many of them, but they would add some nice variety to their meal today.

When she finally arrived at her destination, she realized there was no sign of the shelter. Biting her lower lip, she looked in each direction, hoping to recognize something. However, everything looked unfamiliar.

She adjusted her cloak and switched the dead bird to her left hand before choosing to head to the right. There was a 50/50 chance she’d picked the right path. For once in her life, she hoped she was right.

Piper jogged as the sun crossed the sky. The days had been growing shorter, and she knew the sun would set early due to the high mountains on either side of the valley. She wanted to get a fire started before that happened. Then they could settle in for the night.

She’d barely gone a kilometer when she spotted their cave. With a deep sigh of relief, she slowed her pace. In her absence, the others had continued to add to the shelter, and the slanted walls were covered with fresh pine boughs. It should be nice and cozy inside tonight.

There was no sign of her group members as she approached, but then Ophelia popped her head out from inside the cave. The young woman licked her lips at the sight of the duck.

“You found food!” her friend exclaimed. Then her gaze fell to the bow she was carrying. “Wait, isn’t that cheating?”

Piper glanced down at Gorebark and realized she should return it to the Infernal Realm before it started talking in front of Zenos. As the young man emerged from the shelter, she hastily unsummoned her weapon.

“I caught lunch,” she said, holding the duck up by its feet to show Zenos. “Any luck starting a fire?”

The young man rubbed the back of his head. “I’m afraid not. I barely ever stepped foot outside of Kalmyros when I was young, and if I ever needed fire, I would just borrow some from my neighbour.”

Piper turned to Ophelia, who simply shrugged in response.

“I guess I’m doing the hunting and fire-starting,” she said with a laugh. “What would you do without me?”

Ophelia grinned. “Probably starve to death?”

“Well, at least you’re honest.”

Piper placed her heavily laden cloak and the fowl down before turning back to the forest. She picked her way through the trees, gathering kindling to start the fire. She also grabbed some dried bark from fallen logs.

As she returned, she suddenly realized that she had no way to start a fire. Alfred had normally kept the flames smoldering through the night, and on the rare occasions when it went out, he used steel and flint to start a new one.

But she didn’t have anything like that to use. One time, on a hunting trip, he’d shown her how to use a bow to start a fire. Perhaps she could make that work.

Returning to the shelter, she found the others picking at the berries. At the sight of her, Zenos straightened up.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked. “Perhaps I can collect some tinder?”

Piper pressed her lips together. “Gather as much dry wood as you can find. We’re going to need a lot of firewood to get through the week. We’ll store some of it inside to keep it dry.”

Thankfully, the snow had stopped by the time they marched into the mountains. Still, there was a good chance it would return before the week was out. Since water shouldn’t be a problem, the main thing they needed was a warm fire to get through the chilly nights.

Piper selected a curved stick she’d picked up in the forest and then stared at her cloak. It was dyed a brilliant blue and was probably among the nicest things she’d ever owned. She hated the idea of wrecking the beautiful garment. But survival came before fashion.

Wincing slightly, she tore off a strip from the bottom of the cloak. Then she tied either end of the fabric to the curved stick.

“Whatcha doing?” Ophelia asked, plopping down beside her. As she finished speaking, she tossed a handful of raspberries into her mouth. The young woman then offered some to Piper.

“I’m trying to start a fire. You know, your dad could have taught you to do all of this.” She took the berries from her friend and ate them one at a time. A wonderful tangy sweetness spread across her tongue, making her smile. It barely took the edge off her hunger, but she felt better after eating them.

Ophelia shrugged. “I was always going to be an adventurer.”

“Adventurers need to start fires, too.”

“I have a sidekick for that.”

Piper’s brow rose. “Are you trying to say that I’m your sidekick?”

“Or my squire. Whatever makes you feel better.”

“If anything, you’re my sidekick,” Piper said as she positioned a stick in the middle of the bow. Then she placed a handful of bark beneath it.

“The warrior is always the hero,” Ophelia shot back with a big grin. “You’re…what do they call it again at the villa? Oh right, a support class.”

“I am not a support class!”

“You’re an illusionist. Your class makes old ladies look better using spells. I clobber stuff.”

“Just for that, you’re not getting any of the duck.”

“Come on,” Ophelia said. “It’s not my fault you have a support class.”

Zenos reemerged from the forest carrying an armful of logs. “Your sister is really powerful,” he said. “She’s about as far from a support class as you can get.”

Piper grinned. “She knows that. She’s just giving me a hard time.”

Ophelia’s impish grin confirmed her words.

While Zenos set about piling up the wood, Piper started to turn the stick with the bow she’d created. She stuck her tongue out slightly as she pulled the bow back and forth. But the strip from her cloak wasn’t up to the task. It kept twisting and couldn’t hold the stick tightly enough.

After a minute, she tossed it to the side and sat back. This clearly wasn’t going to work, so she needed to think of something else.

Ophelia sat across from her, playing with a blade of grass. “Why not just make a fire-breathing dragon?”

At those words, Piper frowned slightly. She could make solid illusions, but she didn’t think they could summon fire. Or could they?

Piper slowly cast [Shifting Veil] while picturing a baby dragon in her mind. A moment later, a dragon no larger than a dog appeared. She then used [Phantom Flesh] to give it form. Once she was done, she ordered it to breathe fire on the wood.

The dragon puffed up its stomach before unleashing a torrent of fire from its maw. The flames bathed the kindling, but when it retreated, the bark and sticks were untouched. Apparently, she couldn’t create fire with her spell.

But another idea quickly occurred to her. She’d watched a show as a kid where they’d started a fire using a magnifying glass. Would the same thing work here?

She dismissed the dragon—which a very surprised Zenos had just encountered after walking out of the shelter. Immediately afterward, she cast [Shifting Veil] and created an adjustable metal stand with a magnifying glass on top. She didn’t know all the details of how it worked, but she recreated it as best she could.

Once the illusion had appeared, she used [Phantom Flesh] to solidify the glass and metal. She stood up and fiddled with it until a narrow beam was focused on the pile of kindling. Afterward, she settled down to wait.

Barely a minute later, smoke was curling up from the kindling. She added scraps of bark until it burst into flames. She continued to feed it sticks until they had a roaring fire.

Turning to Ophelia, she smugly said, “Now who’s the sidekick?”

Ophelia giggled. “Oh yeah, starting a fire and cooking a meal are totally something a hero would do.”

Piper’s expression fell as she realized she was the sidekick here. This hadn’t exactly helped her argument.

“Darn Ophelia,” she muttered. “I am the hero.”