#crossover...ish?

“To ensure I understand the situation: upon defeat, you managed to avail yourself of a different form in an attempt to escape Sareel Ja’s influence.”

“Yes.” The response is curt and irritated.

“Well, tis certainly quite creative of you, but I doubt you were expecting your remaining energy to result in this state.” Cross motioned to the minion-sized figure sitting on the box next to her.

 Eald’narche folded his shortened arms and did his best to scowl around the eyepatch he wore over his distinctly changed eye. “It will allow me to walk about unnoticed by you and yours.”

“Only if you stay close. Anyone seeing you would mistake you for a personalized mammet.”

Eald’narche’s expression twisted into something disgusted and angry.  “I am not—”

“I know you are not, but others will not.” Cross tilted her head at the miniaturized Zilartian, raising her eyebrows pointedly. “And as a result, you are going to either stay close to me, or you are going to be mistaken for something you are not and more than likely be seen as a child’s toy.”

The sounds the boy made definitely weren’t of Etheirys.

Cross waited until her former foe had worked out his frustrations through words before she spoke up again. “You couldn’t have picked a better adventurer to follow anyway, Eald’narche. I have experience with opponents turning themselves into smaller forms to avoid certain death—” Omega was going to have a field day when they crossed paths again. “—and I have more access to this world than most. You’re going to see the length and breadth of this world and learn more than you would have otherwise.”

The glowering look she got also seemed curious. “How so?”

“I’m like the ‘seasoned adventurer’ the others speak of around here, more than likely. Someone who can and has felled gods, or beings near enough. You’ll get to see a great deal of this world whilst traveling with me.”

The cursing restarted immediately, leaving Cross laughing as Eald’narche had a miniature tantrum at this revelation.

“I am bound to one with equal strength to her?!” Eald’narche shrieked. “Of all the lives to be cursed with—”

Cross had to resist patting him on the head. Eald’narche may be without his weapons, but a minion could still bite. “Oh, relax. You just get to see things from my perspective. Now, c’mon. Might as well talk to an electrope specialist. I want to make sure you won’t fall to pieces in the near future.”

“Hmph.” Eald’narche looked like he wanted to start cursing again. “You would do this for a former foe? Why?”

“Because you’re not the first to do something like this, and if there’s a chance you could learn something, I’m not about to let that slip by. Now, c’mon. Better for you to ride in my bag than try to run and keep up with me.”