The woman’s expression never changed. It didn’t brighten. It didn’t narrow in interest. The only emotion this woman seemed capable of was impatience, hunger, and mild disdain – but it seemed she was satisfied none the less. Very, if her words were to be believed. Ardyn’s eyes swept over her once more from her black reaper armor to the glowing orb at her chest, and he smiled at the tragedy of it all. Either by design or circumstance, this woman was a machine driven only by the most primal of desires. Murder. Feed. Continue on. If Ardyn hadn’t seen her control the darkness for herself, he might have mistaken her for a daemon already.

This woman, it seemed, was no longer human.

”I’ll see to its growth.” She approached the storm calmly, but stopped before the rain could touch anything but her boots. Outside, the first survivors were fleeing into the sleet and hail. Inside, the carnage continued. His daemonic host had taken four lives already. Ardyn ignored the dying gasps of a man held tightly by dripping tentacles and tilted his head at her thoughtfully.

”Excellent.” He couldn’t help a kind of smirk as he considered her. She was a monster far more horrifying the atrocity behind him. She was far more a mockery of life than anything he could have concocted, and now it seemed they’d be working together. ”I couldn’t have asked for a better accomplice.”

”I’m sure we’ll find one another if the need arises.” The woman paused before sending him an almost haughty glance over her shoulder. ”Birds of a feather. Never too difficult to sniff out.” For a moment, Ardyn could only blink at her without understanding. The gesture had been so foreign to her usual demeanor that he didn’t know what to make of it at first. It was theatrical. Dramatic. Completely unnecessary.

It reminded him a little of himself.

”How true!” Ardyn clapped his hands together, eyes bright as he watched her with renewed interest. ”Now that you’ve fed on my daemons, I’m certain you shan’t be hard to find. And it seems you have quite a nose for the blight yourself!” Ardyn gave a low and mirthless laugh before glancing at her once more. ”We’re bonded together now – both fed on the same cursed corruption. How long will you feed before the taste sours, I wonder? The hunger is unbearable.”

The daemon gave a wet, gurgling cry as its blight welled beneath it and bubbled into a hellish wave of corruption. Ardyn’s eyes wandered to the remaining victims, thrown from their feet and drenched in black. They were cursed already. Infected and doomed to an immortal existence stripped of humanity. They were the same in that regard, though at least they would lose their sentience. Ardyn didn’t pity them.

”Well then. It seems our time runs short.” Ardyn swept his hat from his head and offered the woman a courteous bow. ”May our paths cross again, dear accomplice. Do take care not to lose your head.” He straightened and offered her a knowing smirk. ”And with that, I must bid you adieu.”

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