Skill Hunter -Kill Monsters, Acquire Skills, Ascend to the Highest Rank!

"It's not that easy," Scar said at last, exasperated.

"No? Come on. How hard can it be to find the guy? He's just a normal guy, who can create a near infinite supply of fake puppet bodies that are all indistinguishable from his actual body," Ike said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, come on. He's gotta live somewhere, right? Let's just go there and kill everything that moves," Wisp chipped in.

Ike nodded at her. "You're so smart, Wisp. What a good idea. That totally bypasses the puppet problem, if we just kill everyone."

"You assume we know where he lives," Scar complained.

"You don't? How long have you been watching the guy? I mean, come on. It's ridiculous at this point," Ike said, crossing his arms at her. "I thought you guys were 'the ones who oppose Llewyn,' or whatever, and you're telling me you don't even have his home address? Wisp, I'm starting to think we chose the wrong side."

"We definitely chose the less competent side," Wisp agreed.

"It sure is looking that way."

Scar narrowed her eyes at them. "I'm right here."

"Yeah? Why would we complain where you can't hear us? There's no point to complaints if they aren't heard," Wisp said indignantly.

Scar rubbed her forehead. "I'm starting to get why you guys don't spend a lot of time around humans."

"That's the wrong way of thinking about it. Our social skills are underdeveloped because we don't spend a lot of time around people. If you don't help us, you're just perpetuating the vicious cycle. You should embrace this opportunity to bring two savages into the light of culture, and buy us a bunch of things so we can properly experience humanity," Ike argued.

Wisp had listened with trepidation, but as he concluded his statement, she nodded. "You know, I wasn't following at first, but now I agree wholeheartedly."

"There's no way you two lack gold," Scar said.

"What? Where would we find gold? We're pitiful savages, out in the wild with no resources," Ike said, deliberately not looking at his storage ring full of gold and treasures from Shopkeep's domain, and whatever else he'd encountered along the way.

"Yeah, yeah. Pitiful savages who definitely don't have gold," Wisp agreed, nodding. She winked at Ike.

"Ha! I'm rich, unlike you pitiful savages!" Mag declared, puffing up his chest.

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Wisp and Ike both rounded on Mag. Ike spread his hands. "Then you should pay for our experiences."

"Mag, you never said! You should treat us to dinner as celebration for this victory."

Mag frowned at them. "Why would I give you any? It's my gold, not yours."

Scar laughed. She shook her head. "You three really get along well, don't you."

"Yeah, yeah. So… any ideas on how to find Brightbriar?" Ike asked.

She nodded. Looking around, she turned, then pointed up at the top of the city, where the glittering palace stood. "Soon, the king is holding a ball. Brightbriar… or at least, one of his agents, will be there, but more importantly, Rosamund should be there. She's the key to all of this. We don't know what, but he's doing something with—"

Ike raised his hand. "The fake you already told us all this." He paused, then squinted at her. "Wait, you're telling me the fake you told us the truth?"

Scar frowned. "One of his puppets told you about the upcoming ball he's attending? That's… disconcerting. We thought we would get the jump on him. But if he told you, that means…"

"It means he wants us there. He told us about it, because he wanted us to know," Ike muttered. What did that gain Brightbriar, though? He looked at his hands. Himself? Was this all a setup so that Brightbriar could capture him? It felt egoistical, but at the same time, he wasn't coming out of nowhere. He was the fragment that could absorb other fragments. If it wasn't a particular personality or trait that Brightbriar was looking for, but just the ability to absorb the fragments and therefore reform the greater being, then he was the goal. He was what Brightbriar had spent all this time obsessing over. Of course Brightbriar would want the chance to capture him. He'd spent centuries, maybe millennia for the chance to capture Ike. He had to think defensively, now, in addition to offensively. He was a goal state for Brightbriar, so he couldn't let the man capture him… but at the same time, he needed Brightbriar dead, if he didn't want to run away his whole life.

And, as fast as he was, he didn't want to run. He'd never been a runner. He used his speed to charge at the enemy, not run away. If he had to choose between attending the ball to find Brightbriar and fight him once and for all, and running away and hiding from him for the rest of his life, the choice was easy. He'd rather fight, no matter the risk. Besides, win or lose, this was the one way he could encounter Brightbriar. Even if it was Brightbriar's puppet, it was still a step in the right direction.

He took a deep breath. "I guess it's time to go to the ball, after all."

"Balls suck. Wait. Balls have free food, right?" Wisp asked.

"Yeah."

Wisp brightened up, only for her face to darken. "But you have to eat it fancy-like."

"Not if we're not trying to blend in. There's no need to bother. Brightbriar knows we're coming," Ike pointed out.

"I—no, no, you do—" Scar interjected.

"We don't? I'm in," Wisp said, nodding.

Mag hopped over, moving like a bird even in human form. He tilted his head at them. "Can I sit in the chandelier? I've always wanted to sit in one. They're so shiny, and they're full of branches, but no birds are allowed."

"Sure, why not?" Ike said.

"No—do not—" Scar put her face in her hands. "I'm never going to be able to explain this. The King is going to have me executed."

"Just say you don't know us," Ike said with a thumbs-up. He nodded. "Come on."

"Where are you going now?" Scar asked, defeated.

"You're buying us clothes," Ike said with a grin, straightening his once-fine but now long-ragged robes."

"I am?"

"It's that, or we go in this," Ike replied.

Scar sighed aloud. Under her breath, she muttered, "He can't be the Pillar of the World. He can't. I refuse to believe it."

"But I am. A fragment, anyways. Also, what's a Pillar of the World?" Ike asked.

Scar shook her head. "Let's get you guys dressed first. I'll explain along the way."