Chapter 4: It’s the Destination

After a bit of searching, Electra and I had found a path up and out of the cove. We marched up into the surrounding jungle through luscious palm trees with verdant green foliage growing thick on the ground.

And the jungle was hot.

“God there are so many bugs.” Electra slapped the back of her neck.

“Really, Elenore?” I sent her a cheery smile. “I hadn’t noticed any.”

“Don’t call me that.” She glowered at me. “Why aren’t they bothering you?”

I shrugged. “Karma?” I stepped over a branch. “I don’t get sunburns either.”

“Karma my lily-white ass…” she slouched after me, arms hanging limply by her sides.

I tapped my chin. “I mean, maybe I was just a Saint in my past life.” I shrugged. “But really, do you expect me to feel sorry for you?”

She slapped her arm. Again. “God, ow! These things are the size of birds.” She hunched over. “Where are we even going anyway?”

“Somewhere not here.”

“Why bother though? You saw those guys in armor coming into the cove, right? We coulda just asked them for directions.” She glanced away. “Plus, there weren’t any hecking mosquitoes on the beach.”

I sighed. “Rule number one, never get caught at the scene of the crime.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Even though it wasn’t our fault?”

“Especially if it wasn’t your fault.” I shook my head. “The number of times I pinned my earlier jobs on some guy who just happened to be there… almost too many to count honestly.”

“What, really?”

I nodded.

“No way, I don’t buy that for a second.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Remember the Ascott Ruby?”

“What, the massive synthetic gem the Phantom Thief stole?”

“That was me.” I laughed. “And she got put away for it too! God she was so fucking pissed after she escaped the prison. We had a little feud going for months over that.”

Electra blinked. She opened her mouth to deny my claim, before pausing. “We never did find the ruby…”

“Sure you did.”

She stopped, looking at me with a complicated expression on her face.

“What do you think formed the matrix of my power core?” I gave a nonchalant little shrug. “Though, you slagged it pretty thoroughly. How’s it feel to be the accessory to a crime?”

“Oh you little…”

“Whoops!” I smirked at her. “I can see the headlines now: Rising Hero Destroys Evidence in Key Investigation!”

She laughed. “Yeah, right beneath ‘the most feared villain in the US captured.’”

“So you admit I’m the most feared then?”

“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re small potatoes after Cypher. There’s just no one else left.”

I stopped, glancing away into the dense jungle.

“Um, Empress?”

“Yes.” I started walking again. “I suppose Heroes are rather good at what they do.”

For a few minutes we walked in silence.

“…So, why are we dealing with the stupid jungle again?”

“I can’t hunt for shit. You can’t hunt for shit. The only source of water was the ocean.” I gave her a look. “Gee, Elenore. You tell me why we left.”

She blew out an annoyed huff. “Okay now you’re just doing it on purpose.”

“Doing what?”

She huffed, waving a hand in the air. “Couldn’t you have just whipped up some… water foodinator or something?”

“Yes, of course, why didn’t I think of that.” I pressed a hand to my head. “With the three springs and one circuit board from my armor, I could make a device that synthesizes food from the ambient idiocy! It’s so simple!”

“What really?”

“No, idiot!” I hit her in the shoulder. Eleanor just danced back, sticking her tongue out at me. “I don’t have the parts, and even if I did, I don’t have the tools to work them.” The small tool kit on my belt, which I’d kept with me, of course, was for spot repairs only, nothing that required any amount of force.

She hummed as we continued to hike along, just above the coastline. “What about your new skills then? I mean, you must’ve gotten something useful from your class.”

I shrugged, pulling up my status screen and expanding the skills section with a mental flex.

Skills

[1/5]

Summon Demon: Level 1

Summon a creature from beyond. Be wary of your words.