Saintess Summons Skeletons

Sofia woke up in the middle of the night with a dry throat, almost in complete darkness.

That much sleep will have to do…

Pestle was sleeping on her chest like a dead log; Sofia held her with one hand and sat up. As she did, something cracked near her chest, making a sound similar to someone stepping on broken glass.

What was that?!

Feeling her torso with her other hand, Sofia found the source of the sound, a small patch of her robe had turned to a smooth glassy structure where the fairy had been sleeping.

Ah. Right, fae corruption, that was a thing. Yeah, that’s midenicite alright… It spread this much in just a few hours. But there were no signs of it at the hospital. I guess she can manage it a bit while she’s awake? Sofia wondered, still holding the sleeping fairy in her palm.

Carrying the sleeper with her, Sofia walked up to a window. They were on the second floor of the abandoned building, making it less likely for anyone to notice them.

Still pouring. Sofia could not see anything ahead, not even the neighboring house that should be just a few meters away. Just some lights in the distance. That should be around the palace area… Well, at least I won’t have to walk all the way back to that well I saw on the way.

Sofia unlocked the window and opened it, extending a hand outside. Cold rain water filled her palm in a matter of seconds.

Destitute under the pouring rain… Is this place based on my own memories? Must be a coincidence, though such strong rain is rather rare… I’m glad Saria isn’t here.

Now… I need to find the others. But that’s easier said than done. I could leave a message at the funeral parlor maybe. I could also check the playhouse, but it’ll probably be hard to get in there looking like I do currently. I’m not far off from looking like a beggar.

For a while, Sofia weighed her options, her emotions calmed by the constant noise of the heavy rain.

“Wake up Pestle. We’re going out.”

The fairy growled a bit at being woken up, but she seemed eager to finally have something to do.

Under the dark of night and the deafening rain, Sofia left her shelter. This was a terrible time for going out. It was the perfect time for what she planned to do.

Trying to stay under the buildings’ overhangs, Sofia moved through the city, soon finding herself soaked to the bones either way. Nevertheless, she pressed on until Pestle, who had the better vision by far, gave her the signal that she had seen something interesting. Sofia followed the direction the fairy pointed at, finding herself at the foot of a walled building.

A small manor in the middle of the city. Perfect target.

Since I’m not a hundred percent sure this is a fake world, let’s try not to kill anyone.

Sofia walked around the walls until she found the gate.

There is some light inside… Guards maybe?

“See anyone?” Sofia asked Pestle.

“No!”

“Alright. Let’s get in there, take off one of the gate’s bars, that should be enough.”

The iron gate was like paper against Pestle’s claws, and Sofia quickly entered the manor’s compact and well-maintained gardens. She was tempted to take the loose iron bar with her, but it would only encumber her more so she had to leave it behind.

After a quick sprint, she was crouching under one of the manor’s windows. She held up Pestle to look inside.

“Anyone? What kind of room is it?”

“Leg!” the fairy said with enthusiasm after looking inside.

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“Leg?” Sofia repeated.

It took her a second to put 1 and 2 together and understand that Pestle was talking about food, because they had eaten poultry legs earlier. Food, must be a kitchen. Good start.

Pestle carved out the window, and Sofia slipped inside.

We’ll have to be in and out before anyone comes here, I’m soaked, going to be leaving water everywhere.

The sound of the rain covered the noise of her entrance and her footsteps, so it was still working to her advantage, despite the cold and discomfort.

I really can’t see shit.

Pestle guided Sofia to a counter with a few baskets. To the touch Sofia analyzed the finds: raw vegetables or fruit that she did not recognize, some cured meat, a small half-eaten cheese wheel wrapped in cloth, and bread from the previous day that was all soft and mushy due to the humidity. Sofia quickly took a few bites out of the cheese then stuffed some cured meat in her mouth to chew on, while Pestle devoured everything else, along with literally everything in the kitchen, by the sound of it.

If the people here didn’t notice the water, they’d definitely notice this… But it’s not what we came here for. Enough time wasted!

“Pestle!” Sofia called out softly, barely able to hear herself over the sound of rain.

Sofia couldn’t see the fairy come back in the dark, nor hear her, but she felt the tiny thing land on her shoulder.

“Good. Guide me to the door. It’s going to be dangerous from now on, we don’t want to get spotted. Be on the lookout for two things: reinforced doors, and chests.”

Since there’s light there must be at least one guard. It will make riches easier to find but harder to access. They would be guarding either a safe room or the owner’s bedchambers… Ideally I’d need some clothes as well, hopefully it’s not all men in this family.

Wait, nevermind. Hopefully there’s at least a tall man here. I’d almost forgotten how annoying it was to get fitting clothes back then…

Pestle guided Sofia through a few of the manor’s rooms without issues, the fairy sometimes leaving Sofia’s shoulder to scout ahead by herself, running through the place with her tiny legs. Going blindly like this was nerve-wracking, especially whenever the wooden floor cracked under Sofia’s steps or whenever she had to open a door, but Sofia made it to the stairs leading to the manor’s third floor without trouble thanks to Pestle’s guidance.

This was where things were going to get harder. Sofia had not yet stepped onto the stairs leading to the third floor and she could already see some hints of light coming from the upper floor.

She carefully took a few steps up, and pressed herself against the staircase wall, listening. The rain’s relentless drumming outside made it impossible to catch subtle movement, but now she was thankful that it hid her own noises as well as she had hoped. She exhaled slowly, steadying her breath, then inched forward, climbing one step at a time, careful not to let her wet shoes slip on the stairs’ varnished surface. After a turn up the stairs, she could finally see upstairs.

Dim candlelight flickered ahead, casting shifting shadows along the hallway. Sofia stopped there in the middle of the stairs, her head barely peeking above floor level, she let her eyes adjust and observed the situation. She could finally admire the manor’s lavish architecture, with ornate wooden beams, and a long carpet covering the center of the hallway. A few doors lined the left side, windows on the right. And further ahead... a person.

No… Two.

One figure sat slumped in a chair beside a door, legs stretched out, the man looked at the ceiling, looking utterly bored. The other stood in front of a window, peering into the outside storm. Neither looked particularly alert, reassuring Sofia on her sneakiness so far, but the gleam of their weapons in the candlelight was unnerving. The first one had a polearm propped against the wall and a dagger at his belt, while the other one wore a rapier hanging at his hip, and a crossbow strapped to his back.

Padded gambeson from the looks of their outfits. I don’t think I’ll get out of this lightly if they notice me… I need to be careful, these guys’ lives are at stake. Sofia thought, looking at Pestle who stood on the stairs’ last step right in front of her.

Ugh, it’s so annoying that I can’t see their faces properly, it’s impossible to tell if they even have their eyes open…

Sofia grabbed Pestle, crouched out of the guards’ possible line of sight, and whispered to the fairy’s ears.

“Try to open the first door on the left, be silent, they’re both looking in another direction so if we go fast and discreetly enough they might not notice. If they do see us, blow out the candles first and come back to me. Don’t attack the guards unless they attack me, alright? Did you understand everything?”

“Understand,” the fairy whispered back.

Sofia released her grasp, and again peeked above the last step to watch over Pestle. The fairy jumped to the door, getting there in one move, and hiding in the small recess of the door, her back against the doorframe’s interior, putting her in a spot where the guard could not see her even if they looked that way.

Pestle then jumped straight up, latching onto the door’s round doorknob, and she slowly let her weight rotate the knob. The door then slowly opened by itself, the interior of the room was dark. The guards did not notice a thing so far, but Sofia was still in the staircase.

For a second, Sofia closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing.

This is going to be so risky…

If only I was Alith-sized…

As Sofia was right about to go, after checking several times that the guards were not looking her way, she froze, every muscle tensed. The guard on the chair had spoken.

“Did you hear that?”