Chapter 193: Grace "What do you think she’ll become after this?" Thalia asked, but expected no response from Finn like usual. They had barely spoken in the last two days, each doing their own thing, in their own thoughts. But Finn surprised her by responding: "Something that will pave the way forward for us," he said. "Something that will guide us on our next step to take in this world." The confidence in his voice left Thalia absentminded. She stared into the fire, eyes unfocused. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚 Something that will teach me how to become a True God. Finn added in his mind. The past few days had been spent in deep deliberation. Finn had considered his choices and the direction he was going to take going forward. He and Thalia, along with Ailin, were trapped in this world indefinitely. Their knowledge of this world was still sorely insufficient. They knew there were machinations at play, but the machinators remained unknown. Everyone — or rather, every God, every temple, every incarnation, paladin, and priest were enemies to them. Their existence mustn’t be found out, else they would be in dire straits yet again. And that was why they had maintained a low key for the past few days. Hiding was logical right now, but it wasn’t a sustainable plan long term. They needed to find a way to get on the offensive and stop acting passively. But that wasn’t possible without understanding what exactly they were up against, what exactly the stakes were. Finn had gone in blindly once and suffered terribly for it. He wasn’t about to do the same a second time. His future options had looked bleak considering all of these. But that was before Ailin woke up. She was exactly what Finn was looking for. Her entire existence, whatever she was now, changed the bad hand they’d been dealt with, to an advantage. Knowledge. The one thing that would flip the board entirely. Ailin possessed knowledge. Memory of things that even Finn didn’t know of himself. Memories of things that went beyond him, touching on Gods, surely. The history of this world, perhaps. So long as they could get an accurate picture of what they were up against, then they could begin to make moves instead of wading around blindly. Finn stood, startling Thalia out of her thoughts. "I’m going to scout the town. See what’s happened so far." She nodded and stood also, walking deeper into the cavern to her chamber where she engaged in meditation sessions to pass the time. Something to do with a new application of her Order magic, from what Finn felt anytime she practiced. He eased out of the cavern, frame-skipping through the forest toward the town. It was night outside, and the light of the alien moon hung heavy and blue, casting long, distorted shadows that set his nerves on edge. He arrived at the outskirts of the town and stopped, his wariness heightening further. Everything looked fine in the town from this distance, but Finn couldn’t shake off the unease he felt, almost as if he was being watched. I’ll just come back tomorrow. He chose to trust his gut and stopped, turning back and returning to their hideout despite being so close. But as he turned, perhaps because of how much more he used his [Null Perception] spell that erased his presence, he felt like someone was watching him. Not only that, they were following him too. This was entirely different from the vague unease he felt coming here. This was more present. Someone was trailing him. But where? Finn’s senses that were already spread out began combing the surroundings more purposefully. With more intent, but subtle, so as not to spook the other party. He continued heading back as if he hadn’t noticed. Continuing his efforts to pinpoint their location. But the person was very slippery, dancing just out of reach each time Finn felt he was close. He stopped. "Won’t you come out? You know I’m aware of you already," he spoke in the local tongue that he had deciphered along with Deacon back in the desert settlement. Nothing happened for a few seconds, and it looked like Finn was simply crazy, talking to no one but himself. But his head snapped up and locked onto a position as a figure shimmered into existence visibly, under the light of the moon. A girl? Finn couldn’t see her face clearly as she stood against the moonlight, but he could tell she was a beauty. A dangerous one at that. His senses flared wildly and he jerked his gaze away, frowning as the internal turmoil he’d felt while looking at her finally began to subside. ​That single glimpse had sent his pulse into a frenzy, a primal reaction he hadn’t noticed until his survival instinct forced him to look away. Bewitcher! Finn thought in alarm. A soft laughter, mellifluous and soothing, yet with a tilt that stirred a man in dangerous ways, resounded through the clearing. Finn grit his teeth and forced his mind to focus. "You’re no fun," the girl chuckled and stepped forward. Finn matched her pace and stepped back, keeping the distance the same. The girl laughed, this time a hearty laughter that came from deep within. It had less of a sultry quality but still emanated a different kind of appeal. What kind of seductress is this? Finn was in a dilemma. He had no spells that could defend against this kind of attack that targeted his primal instincts as a male, and everything this girl did seemed to stir him that way. So he began contemplating ways to escape. He didn’t want to engage her further. This would only be a losing interaction for him. "I’ll give you props. You are actually able to think clearly and come to a logical decision so quickly in my presence," the girl said laughingly. "Your eyes have been darting around for the quickest way to leave." Finn didn’t respond. He had decided on a route that would enable him to lose her fast enough. One that led to a different cave where he could stay hidden for the night. "Don’t be so eager to leave, darling. Don’t you know how to treat girls?" Her voice was still playful, but there was more seriousness to it now. "Or perhaps girls are treated differently in your world, huh?" She paused and held a hand to her chin pondering. Finn heard her words and understood the implication of what she meant, but none of it showed outwardly. He had learned better after his uncontrolled display before Thalia a few days before. He wasn’t certain the girl knew he was from another world. But he knew his micro-reactions to that statement would confirm her suspicions beyond a doubt. He didn’t respond at all, ready to make his move, but her next words made him pause. "Arros. The Error bearer. New-born divine," she stepped forward with each word until she was a few steps before Finn, who watched stoically. "I know who you are," all semblance of playfulness had left her voice now. "And I know what you want..." she stepped closer, but Finn moved backwards this time, making her stop. A flicker of something like disappointment or discontent crossed her eyes, then her gaze firmed, and the aura of seduction around her dulled to a normal range, allowing Finn to look at her face without feeling his blood boil like an animal in heat. "I am Lucine, the incarnate vessel of the Goddess, Luna, one of the three daughter-Gods of the Great Moon Mother herself." Finn frowned and felt the weight of the moonlight much more, like a physical thing. No wonder I felt uneasy the whole time... he nearly looked up at the moon, but he stopped himself and kept his gaze on Luna’s incarnate. "You are in great danger, but fear not. The grace of the Great Moon Mother, through the Goddess Luna whom I serve, has shone upon you," Lucine said. "She will like to become your ally as you wade through these murky waters."