"Give that back!" Lydia's voice was dripped with venom, her face contorting into a snarl as she glared daggers at Nyx.
Nyx was unfazed by the outburst, and rely stuck out her tongue and tossed the egg to Horizon. "Hold onto this for . I've taken a liking to it."
"That's mine!" Lydia's shout was sharp, laced with desperation.
Nyx tilted her head with a wicked grin. "Then take it back from Horizon. If you can," she said, her clawed hand gesturing lazily toward Horizon.
Horizon raised an eyebrow. Why ? he thought, but remained silent.
Lydia's fury crumbled almost instantly as she locked eyes with Horizon. The glint of his cold, serpentine gaze sent a chill down her spine.
This was the man who had just slaughtered a dragon — not so ordinary beast, but a Coatl dragon!
How could she ever hope to take sothing from him? He's like a dragon slayer at this point!
Her bravado quickly faded. "P-please," she stamred, her voice softening as desperation replaced her earlier defiance. "I need that egg. I'll give you everything — anything you want — just . . .
please."
Horizon's expression was stone cold as he pulled the egg from Nyx's grasp, his fingers tracing its surface with detached curiosity.
What could she want with this egg? he thought.
Lydia, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of emotions, her plans shattered. She had expected to scavenge the battlefield, looting the bodies of the fallen paladins after Horizon and Von left.
Who would have thought they would beat her to the prize?
The Radiance Church paladins were known to carry riches — rare items, potions, and bags filled with gil. Lydia had anticipated a hefty profit, but now, all her hopes clung to that one egg.
With a dramatic flair, she dropped to her knees before Horizon, her voice trembling with false tears as she begged. "I'll give you everything I have. Anything you want! Just . . .
please . . . give that egg." Her eyes, shimring with a calculated mix of vulnerability and seduction, locked onto his.
Horizon exchanged a look with Nyx, his face unreadable. "Why is this egg so important?" he asked, his tone flat as he turned the object over in his hands, inspecting it more closely.
A flicker of light glinted across the egg's surface as an inscription appeared in Horizon's vision.
|| Mysterious Egg ||
An egg of unknown origins, fiercely protected by the Radiance Church.
|| E N D ||
Nyx chuckled softly from the side, her eyes gleaming. "Looks like we've stumbled upon sothing much more valuable than I thought," she mused.
Horizon narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening around the egg. "Seems like this isn't just so ordinary trinket if the Radiance Church is fiercely protecting it."
Lydia's breath caught in her throat. If they learned the truth, she might never see the egg again.
"What is this? Why is it so important to you?" Horizon asked, turning the egg over in his hands. It was hard, cold, and lifeless — no warmth, no heartbeat, nothing to suggest it was anything other than a dead, useless egg.
Yet the woman wanted it badly.
Lydia scratched her cheek, glancing to the side nervously. "Uh . . . It's, um, valuable. Very expensive.
Could fetch a really high price," she said, her expression quickly shifting to one of desperation. "Please, I have so many siblings living in poverty. I need that egg to give them a ho . . . food for years!"
"Siblings?" Horizon raised an eyebrow. Sothing didn't add up.
Humans couldn't produce children with humans. Only the rare human-Eternian or human-Valerian pairings could have offspring. It was a strange phenonon the ARKs still hadn't fully understood.
That was why every year they were sending pure humans to Eternia to bolster their forces.
Lydia looked human, but Horizon couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her than t the eye.
While Horizon remained unconvinced by Lydia's story, Von, on the other hand, had a soft spot for won.
"Horizon! Just give her the egg. We've got plenty of loot here. This should be more than enough to start our ho," Von urged, his face filled with sympathy.
"Shut up or I'll curse you, you damn elf!" Nyx snarled, baring her teeth.
Von flinched, imdiately ducking behind Cappy for protection.
Nyx turned her icy glare on Lydia. "This is mine now," she said with finality, her voice like the edge of a blade.
Horizon let out a sigh, slipping the egg into his backpack. I really need to buy a spatial ring . . . or sothing useful like that, he thought.
"You heard her. The egg belongs to Nyx," Horizon said, his voice calm but firm. Rather, he didn't have a choice, it was part of their contract.
It was rather a good thing that Nyx's only wanted the egg and couldn't care less about the loots.
Nyx's proudly lifted her head when Horizon took her side.
Lydia's shoulders slumped in defeat. "N-no . . ." She whispered in disbelief.
This egg was supposed to be the answer to all her problems. She had fought tooth and nail to get it, gone through hell just for the chance to steal it, and now . . . now it was slipping through her fingers.
NO! She wasn't leaving empty-handed.
Lydia clenched her fists, biting her lip before straightening to her full height. "Very well, then," she said, her voice steely.
She pointed an accusing finger at Horizon. "If that's how it's going to be, don't bla for being aggressive!"
Horizon frowned, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready for what the thief was about to do.
However, Lydia only took a step back and shouted empty threats. "Mark my words, one day I'll get that egg back! Until then . . . watch your back!" she shouted before turning on her heel and sprinting away.
"Wait! My bag!" Von yelled, realizing too late that Lydia had snatched his belongings as she ran off.
Horizon shook his head, picking up a pouch from the fallen corpses before joining Von. "Should we go after her?"
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