"If you are okay with it, would you mind letting me take care of our food rations? In exchange you can have my share of the shards we have gotten today."
Then, shortly before Effie could voice her irritated opinion, Nephis added, "Of course Effie is the exception to this. We pay her for being our guide with the food after all."
This caused Effie to nod in acknowledgement, soon followed by Cassia and Caster. Sunny and Ray took a bit longer with their decisions, Sunny nodded, trusting her with this, while Ray remained slightly suspicious, but complied, nonetheless.
"Okay, thanks."
What followed after the group arrived in the slum region was beyond anything Ray could've imagined though.
She, as the one in the lead walked towards the middle of the region and directed Effie to take out most of their share of the food out of the bag. In no time, appeared a small but apparent mountain of food, causing many of the slum dwellers to get attracted to the attraction.
When Effie had dumped most of their share out, only leaving her cut, the shards, the fangs, and an amount of food that would bring the others through a few days, did Nephis step forward, acting as their spokesperson.
As the small mountain of food sat in the center of the slum region, the gathered people began murmuring amongst themselves. Hunger was a constant in these parts, and seeing such a large offering naturally drew attention. Soon, some of the braver ones stepped forward, their expressions cautious but filled with thinly veiled hope.
A wiry man, his face gaunt from malnutrition, looked from Nephis to the pile before speaking. "You selling?" His voice was rough, like he didn't quite believe what he was asking.
Others joined in, echoing the same question.
"What's the price?"
"Maybe trade?"
Nephis remained silent. Her silver eyes scanned the crowd, her expression unreadable. The murmurs continued to grow as more people began shifting uneasily, waiting for an answer. Some of them already seemed tense, as if expecting a cruel joke or an extortionate demand.
Ray crossed his arms, watching the scene unfold with mild curiosity. Sunny glanced at Nephis, then at the restless crowd. Cassia stayed quiet, observing, while Effie leaned slightly on her spear, clearly wondering why Nephis was taking so long to respond.
Then, just as the tension in the air started to thicken, Nephis finally spoke.
"I don't sell food," she said, her voice calm but firm.
A hush fell over the crowd. For a moment, no one reacted - only confusion flickered across their faces.
Then, a woman in ragged clothing hesitated before asking, "Then… what?"
Nephis took a single step forward. "Everyone can take a small share," she announced. "No payment. No trade. Just take what you need."
The silence stretched for a long moment. The disbelief was almost tangible, hanging in the air like a thick mist. Some of the slum dwellers looked at one another, as if waiting for someone to call this a trick.
Then, slowly, a young guy - barely more than skin and bones at this point - stepped forward. He looked up at Nephis, eyes wary, before cautiously reaching out and taking a small bundle of dried meat. When nothing happened, he clutched it tightly to his chest and quickly retreated.
That broke whatever spell had been cast over the crowd. Hesitation gave way to movement as more people began stepping forward. Some were still cautious, grabbing only a few pieces, while others, clearly starving, moved with shaking hands.
Effie let out a low whistle. "Well, that's… different."
Ray exhaled through his nose, rubbing his temples. He was clearly still suspicious but said nothing.
Nephis remained still as the food was distributed, watching in silence. There was no chaos - people took what they needed and moved back, wary but grateful. Even the ones who might have normally taken more restrained themselves. In the Forgotten Shore, trust was a rare thing, and no one wanted to be the first to break whatever unspoken rule was at play.
Once it was all taken care of, Nephis turned back to the group. Without a word, she handed each of them their own food portions - just enough to last for a few days.
Effie, finishing up her role as the supplier, retrieved the shards and fangs from her bag. "Alright, here's what we got today. Anyone wants some fangs too? We got quite a few here."
Sunny shrugged and grabbed his share. "Yeah, I'll take some of the fangs, could be useful."
Cassia took hers as well. "I would like to just take some shards."
Ray sighed, grabbing a few shards but also picking up one of the fangs. "Might as well also take one or two of these. Could prove interesting to work on them a bit."
Caster was the last to take his share, inspecting the fang in his hand for a moment before pocketing it. He then glanced at Nephis. "A bold move," he said with a small smile.
Nephis glanced at him, and after a moment simply nodded.
Effie rolled her eyes, stretching. "Well, whatever. As long as I still get my food, do whatever you want with yours." With that, she turned, heading back toward her hut without another word.
Ray lingered a moment longer, giving Nephis one last look before shaking his head and walking off.
Caster, however, remained behind for a little while, standing with Nephis, Sunny, and Cassia as they watched the slum dwellers slowly disperse. His gaze flickered between Nephis and the people who had received the food, something unreadable in his eyes.
After a short while, he exhaled and nodded. "I'll see you guys."
With that, he turned and made his way toward the castle, disappearing into the ruins beyond.
---
Back in his own hut, and laying on his bed, made from a lot of different pelts and hides, Ray looks at his current Runes.
Fading Fragments: 974/1000
Seeing the current number of fragments, caused Ray to groan out in annoyance. Next to him were his share of today's shards, 11 soul shards, just short of being enough to fill the counter.
Ray used one of the shards, kept however the rest in his stash for now. Technically, he still had time in the castle, meaning he could just go to the gambling den to win some more. If he got lucky, then Ray might even see Kai again, and catch up with his buddy.
But those were the plans for tomorrow.