Chapter 61

  I tried to ignore the voice. Because, that seemed like the most reasonable option. It was getting dark, I’d been traveling all day, and I was looking forward to relaxing tonight after visiting the Mun Center. According to the map from my gauntlet, the town had a proper inn, and hopefully, that meant not only a good range of food and drink options, but music. Or, a warm bath and comfy bed at least.

  Meaning, I didn’t have time to deal with stupid shit. Namely, the man who was chasing after me as I walked swiftly towards the Mun Center.

  “I get it,” he said as he drew nearer. I still hadn’t look at him, but I didn’t need to. He knew my name, and I recognized his voice. He was one of the two cultists who’d attacked me. “You’re playing hard to get.”

  My temper flared, and I could practically see the shit eating grin that was on his face. I kept walking. He was closer now, even with my increased pace. I had a feeling he wasn’t going to leave me alone. But, surely, he had better things to be doing? Not to mention, Sasha had promised they’d leave me alone.

  “It’s fine, you know,” he continued, drawing nearer and nearer, “watching you walk away is a pretty nice consolation price.”

  I stopped, dead in my tracks, turned around, and was al of two seconds away from slapping him, before he crashed into me. My sudden stop wasn’t what he’d been expecting, and he’d not had the thought to stop himself from barreling into me.

  The two of us tumbled to the ground, and as my back hit the dirt, softened thankfully by a light layer of grass, he fell atop me, arms going wide on either side, his hair falling loosely down towards me. If he wasn’t so fucking annoying and cocky, honestly, he wouldn’t be bad… minus the whole cult thing.

  Which you’re totally ignoring about Sasha. Fair… but Sasha got extra points for having great vibes. Aaron, was just a fuck boy.

  “Uh,” he had the sense of mind to look sheepish, as he stood quickly, too quickly. As if he was suddenly very embarrassed. “Sorry about that,” he reached out a hand, and I promptly ignored it as I got back to my feet, my anger pushing away any aches or pains I might otherwise be feeling from the fall.

  “What, exactly, do you want?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips as I glared at him. “Didn’t you get the memo from Sasha? You’re supposed to leave me alone.”

  “Actually,” he held up a finger, “she told us, and I quote ‘Do not try to recruit her.’” He smirked, falling back into his cocky mood, “she didn’t say anything about leaving you alone.”

  “Oh, really? Technicalities?” I shook my head, glancing around, “where’s your better half?”

  “Ember’s south of Silver Springs. We split up.”

  “Why?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

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  “To look for you,” he said with a smile. “You sent us back to Silver Springs when you beat us. And we figured that was where you were heading… so I headed North, and she headed South, to wait for you on your journey.”

  “Even though you aren’t supposed to try and recruit me?” I asked skeptically.

  “Yup.” He flashed that same annoying smile, and then had the audacity to brush some of his hair out of his face.

  “Why?” I asked, knowing the answer was going to be something stupid.

  “Because, while Sasha said we can’t recruit you… she also didn’t say we couldn’t just… make you want to join, on your own accord.”

  “Fat chance,” I said with a snort, before I turned and started walking towards the Mun Center. There were a few people watching, though most turned away at the sight of the purple and black telltale signs of the Disciples of Grand Nox.

  “You say that now,” he said as he easily kept stride, “but, we figure, if we stick to you like glue, sooner or later you’ll want to join us.”

  “You think annoying me, and refusing to give me space, will make me want to join you of my own accord?” Was this guy serious?

  “Well, I told Ember we could try to befriend you, so you’d join,” he shrugged, “but she said if we stick around and just poach all the Muns you try to battle, and don’t leave you a chance to rest… sooner or later you’ll give in and join us to just stop the harassment.”

  “Seems like both plans are doomed to fail.” I said, pushing past the hanging grass skirt that acted as the doorway for the Mun Center.

  “I don’t know,” Aaron said with a grin as he followed me even still, “I can be devilishly charming. And Ember could annoy a freaking rock into swimming.”

  That one made me pause. What? The hell was he trying to say there?

  I let out a heavy sigh. “Well, I’m telling you, your plan is going to fail for a few reasons.”

  “Well then, share.”

  “First,” I said as I paused, a few feet away from the Mun Crystal, to address the idiot completely, “I’m not a koolaid drinker. I’m not going to join your little cult—”

  “— not a cult.”

  “It’s a cult.” I said, holding up a finger to stop him from starting a stupid ‘it is, it isn’t’ back and forth bit. “Second, I have no doubt in my mind the two of you will get on each other’s nerves faster than mine. I excel at tuning out idiots.”

  He opened his mouth again, and again, I silenced him with a raised eyebrow. “And finally,” I reached towards the Mun Center Crystal, “sooner or later, you’re going to get bored.”

  “I could never get bored of someone like you,” he said, as he leaned casually against the massive floating crystal. “So, there, you’re totally wrong.”

  “You’re going to get bored,” I corrected, as I pulled up my menus and began sorting through the sheer number of Mun Crystals I’d acquired over roughly a week worth of farming, “of wandering around in a desert, without me talking to you, and when that happens,” I grinned at him as I began dumping Mun Crystals that I wasn’t immediately selling, into the Augmentation Crystal screen, five at a time. “you’re going to get your ass kicked in a Mun Battle, and sent right on back here.”

  My eyes sparkled as I made short work of the fifty Mun Crystals I’d gathered for this purpose. “And I’ll wait, till just before we’re at the next town to do so… to really make sure your time has been fully wasted.”

  His face went white for a moment at that, at the tone I’d laced my voice with, before I stepped away from the Mun Center Crystal. I’d deal with what I had just received, in a private room, at the inn, away from him. He was set on being stubborn, and really thought highly of himself, and that was fine.

  Because if there was one thing I had a good bit of experience in, it was dealing with stage five clingers. Sooner or later, he’d crack, and when he did… he’d regret bothering me.

  Considering Ember was far away as well, and she was definitely the more logical of the two, I’d hopefully be able to deal with Aaron, before she caught up. And if not… well… I’d taken them both at the same time before. I could do it again.