Hirune woke up and stretched before making her way to the address Axia had given to her to learn more about Living Shift Weapon Artifacts. It was quite the long journey, as the place was near the edge of the island where no one dared to go. There were a bunch of huge scorpions and wolves in her way, which were quite difficult to deal with, with the devourer acting up, but nothing she couldn't deal with by herself.
Inside was an old man, he was quite the grouch. He had a large hump in his back, had pretty large muscles for an old person, and he was pretty rude.
He looked back at her with a scowl, "What do you want girl? I stopped selling my kids a long time ago so scram."
"Selling your kids?"
He rolled his eyes and threw a scalding hot rod at her head. she barely had time to dodge before some girl with long blonde hair appeared in front of her and caught it.
"Master ALoifoe, what have we told you about throwing rods at people?" The girl said before falling over, the rod slipping out of her hand and piercing through her neck. She calmly looked down, "Again? That's annoying."
Aloifoe walked over and helped her up, "Maybe next time put on your prosthetic leg before protecting someone from one of my rod throws."
"You're completely right master, my apologies," she said bowing politely to him. She pulled the rod out of her neck without seemingly feeling any pain from it and without any repercussion.
Hirune glanced between the two, she was mildly scared, but it was nothing she couldn't handle even without the devourer helping her. "Excuse me, but I'm actually only here to learn more about Living Shift Weapon Artifacts," she interupted.
The blonde girl dissapeared into a spiral of flames and left the two alone. Aloifoe turned to Hirune, "I can't teach you anything. They all have their own seperate soul, it's up to you how to learn about them. And it's up to them how they learn about you. But what really matters is if you want to learn about each other in the first place."
Hirune simply sighed and walked out without saying anything to the old man.
'Want to learn about each other! Whatever you say old man. Axia might want to learn about me but I'm not all that interested in her, I'm interested in freeing this place,' Hirune kicked a tree hard enough for some of the bark to chip off.
She went into Axia's cave and gave Axia a somewhat cold look.
Axia looked back at her and smirked, "So, you're a cannibal now, huh?" She laughed.
Hirune felt a sharp pain in her chest, "What?"
"I saw what happened last night. I have eyes on the entire island. I saw you eat that farmer," Axia said dissapearing into the shadows.
Hirune shivered. She didn't like the idea of being constantly monitored. Especially if it was by someone like Axia.
"Listen, I don't remember any of what happened that night. All I remember is being hungry, coming across a nice farmer that was going to give me food, passing out, and waking up to just a pair of legs under me," Hirune said looking all around her, trying to spot Axia in the shadows.
She suddenly got pushed to the ground. A heavy weight stopping her from getting back up. She looked at Axia on top of her and struggled against her.
"Stand still and let me look into your eyes. I gotta check the Devourer's Chamber," Axia said forcibly holding Hirune still.
"Just let go of me!" Hirune kicked her off and took a couple steps back.
Axia stood up and grabbed Hirune again, "Namulenza had an alter ego made from the devourers essence because she never tamed the devourer! The reason that alter ego, which is the real "Witch of Gluttony and Sloth" is because she kept on drawing power from it without giving it what it wanted in return!"
Hirune looked at her, her eyes full of fear as she struggled to get out of her grasp. "Why are you telling me? What are you going to do to me that you're telling me such a big secret?"
Axia let go of her, "Fine, I'll let go of you if it makes you more comfortable but stand still. I can tell if you have one or not by looking at your Ichor and seeing how the devourer's essence flows through you."
Hirune sat up straight. Her throat tight and posture stiff as she observed Axia.
Axia inched closer and stared into her eyes for a couple seconds. Her eyes flashing a bright red as she did. After a couple seconds she leaned back and sighed, "Yeah, you have an alter-ego made of the devourer's essence now. Listen Hirune, before you say anything I want to tell you about Namulenza's experience with her own alter-ego."
Hirune squinted at her and forrowed her eyebrows, "And why would you do that?"
Axia looked around, "If Namulenza were still alive, she'd kill me for not telling you."
Hirune sighed, "I don't really want to hear it though. I just want to earn you to free the people of this island and get out."
Axia rolled her eyes, "Well i'll keep it short. Over time, the more Namulenza used the devourers powers, the more that her alter-ego would take over. It would also take over whenver she got hunry, like you last night, and it would often times be the one in control doing the terrible things she's known for."
Hirune stood up. She was tired of Axia and this island, but not it's people. She wanted to get out now without giving up on freeing them, but with her current power she couldn't do anything. She had a plan though, a selfish, pitiful, and pathetic plan. But, it was a plan nonetheless.
She looked at Axia with a serious expression, "Okay then, let me learn how to minimize the amount of the devourer's power I use whenever I deciede to use it, and teach me how to tame it."
Axia's eyes lost their glimmer and she looked at the ground, "You're planning to kill yourself and use the brief seconds you'll have access to your power's when you go back ten seconds to continously kill yourself until you've madei it off of this island and back to Triste aren't you?"
Hirune's heart dropped, "How did you..."
"If it has something to do with the devourer I can see what you intend to do," Axia said getting closer to Hirune. "I don't want you to leave, I'll be lonely again if you do."
Hirune took a small step back, "I'm aware, and I'm sorry about that. But, I can't stay."
Axia graved Hirune in a cool embrace, "You can stay. You can get stronger here. Everything you could possibly want, need, or deserve I can give you as long as you stay. I can help you earn me, I can help you get stronger, I can give you better control of the devourer, I can help you tame it, I can help you achieve all of your ambitions. I want to help you achieve everything you could possibly want to achieve. I want to allow you to use me, need me, praise me, abuse me, coddle me, hurt me, greave me, love me, adore me, care for me, and hate me all at the same time; but I can only do that if my ownership goes to you and only you and no one else before or after. I want to belong to you as your first weapon, be your first choice and your last, be the one you always rely on no matter what the situation may be, no matter if you're celebrating or coping, I want to be there for you no matter what. Not for anyones sake but yours and my own. Namulenza doesn't influence my actions, the Devourer doesn't influence my actions, you don't influence my actions, I don't influence my actions, the Great Mother, Vereta, doesn't influence my actions nor does anyone influence my words or emotions. I need to protect you and serve you for all that it's worth for I am a weapon and that is all I'll ever be just for you; and a weapon always needs a wielder. That's why I want you to take me up, cherish me, cuddle me, embrace me, and never leave my side... Which, is why I can't allow you to have the devourer's essence back just yet or you'll abandon me forever."
Hirune pushed her away and scowled, "You've only known me for a single day. There's no reason for you to be saying all of this unless you are being influenced by someone or something. I don't want you to pretend like I can be the only one who weilds you, I don't want you to pretend like you need me and just me, you could get anyone on this island to weild you. You just want me without any solid reason why. And if you really want to help me achieve everything I could possibly achieve then I want to achieve timetravel."
Axia stood there looking hurt, "Hirune, don't go back. You're right, I just want you and don't need you. But, that's why I need you and don't want you, sometimes a want can be a need and a need can be a want. There is a good reason only you can wield me but it is a reason I cannot grasp, a reason far beyond my existence. You are right about what I said, but time travel is something i cannot help you achieve because that would mean your life is worth less than a summer ant under a magnifying glass on a hot summer day and that is something I simply just can't allow. It is not in my will nor is it in my abilities to treat you as anything less than my one true goddess. I can only belong to one person properly and that one person is you."
Hirune frowned, "Twice now you've said the only person you can belong to is me without giving me a good reason. Also, telling me to value my life is a bit hypocritical considering how low you seem to value your own."
Axia stomped on the ground and frowned, "I'm not giving it back until you've shown you can defeat the Witch of Adventure without the Devourer's help. Then, you'll earn both the ability to weild me, the freedom of this island, and your precious Devourer."
Hirune rolled her eyes, "Fine by me. It can't be that hard, right?"