《Drip-Fed》


 Prologue – A tiny, dank cave

    Drip-drop¡­drip-drop¡­drip-drop¡­


    The sound of water falling from the tips of stalactites and into the lake was all that filled the cave. Keener ears could have heard the life buzzing around, but there were no such ears in this ecosystem.


    It was a completely isolated cavity, a pocket inside the earth. The air was humid from a nearby magma chamber, an ample heat source, walls were covered in condensation, and a pale, glowing moss that had taken hold in the soft stone. Some small patches also blossomed on the ceiling, but those were the rare exception and destined to fall off eventually. The moss¡¯ roots simply didn¡¯t bury deep enough to reliably hold upside down.


    Drip-drop¡­drip-drop¡­drip-drop¡­


    That left the ceiling with ample room to grow more dripping stones. That should have provided the moss some different opportunity to cling on somewhere else, but when it reached a stalactite, the added weight would eventually cause them to break off. That would cause organic matter to fall into the water, giving the little fish and bacteria inside the lake a feast.


    Drip-drop¡­drip-drop¡­drip-drop¡­


    It was a minimal ecosystem, created randomly by volcanic activity shifting earth around dozens of years ago and trapping in it a multitude of species. Most of them hadn¡¯t survived, those that did adapted and created their own circle of life.


    Moss grew. If there was too much moss, it fell into the lake. The fallen moss was eaten by the tiny organic lifeforms there, arranged in schools or swarms. They, or their predators, eventually died. Their remains floated to the narrow shore between walls and lake. There tiny eusocial insects, nesting in the moss, then picked them apart. Their defecations and corpses in turn were broken down by the moss and other bacteria. It was a stable system that could have lasted forever if left alone.


    Drip-drop¡­drip-drop¡­drip-drop¡­drip¡­Falling¡­


    It was a chance that was so infinitesimal, so close to zero, it should have been an impossibility. Maybe it was a powerful god that twisted the world a little bit. Maybe it was just a random probability of natural movement. Maybe the actions of an insane magician somewhere had caused the magical veins of the world to shift for just a moment. Maybe it was an insane magician battling a powerful god at the advent of a natural shift in the natural veins of magic. Maybe it was none of those things at all.


    Fact was, that just one drop of water fell past, crossing invisible streams of different elemental properties at exactly the right moment. A tiny spark, nothing more than a single ember raising from a campfire, flared up in the cave. Then it was gone again. In that tiny moment, the minerals carried within that miniscule bit of water changed and rearranged themselves in the shape of a hardened core, what had been water became part of another liquid, one more viscous and able to stay as one.


    With a drop, the new-born creature fell into the water. The very first thought crossed through the being¡¯s mind and it was a majorly confused one. It had been suddenly thrown into the world at a part where there was not but sentience while itself having full sapience. With no idea what to do with it.


    It sunk to the ground, wondering about that very thing. Without any language it couldn¡¯t have known how to speak, its thoughts were an assembly of feelings, shapes and colours.


    It was a slime, a monster known in this and other connected worlds, as a common life form with little power that digested things smaller than itself. A simple being indeed, consisting of two parts: the name giving, usually acidic jelly and a nucleus. Basically, nothing more than an oversized bacterium.


    It settled on the bottom of the lake and just sat there. Sat there for a long time, learning how to sense and still wondering. Slimes didn¡¯t have eyes or ears or any other perceiving organs. Lesser slimes could perceive the world through vibrations only. Their larger, more powerful cousins could also sense from the magical flow that permeated everything. At that point, it was as if they had sight, smell and hearing but better, only limited by range.


    It wasn¡¯t a lesser slime, it was something with an ability hidden deep in its nucleus. It knew that. It wasn¡¯t quite sure how it knew that, or what exactly it was that it knew, but it knew that it knew that it should know. It was a memory not yet made, but one to be rediscovered. It was to be one of the truly powerful creatures of the Leaves.


    Potentially.


    For now, it was stuck with only sensing vibrations like the lowest of its kin.


    A feeling of emptiness set in, an urgent one ¨C hunger. Even as a lifeform primarily based on water, the tiny slime had to eat. It tried to move, extending parts of it forward and pulling the rest behind. It was slow at first, but soon the movement became routinized, and it slugged at a steady pace. However, it still wasn¡¯t fast. For sure, not fast enough to catch anything. It was only the fact that it was nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding water that let it approach its prey.


    That first meal was to be an elongated insect, judging by the feeling of the hard surface moving through the water. It was busy scratching some gunk off a nearby pebble with its pincers and getting whatever nutrition it still could. It was working quickly, with high energy and vitality. A healthy snack, despite the insect¡¯s own diet, that much was certain.


    As careful as the slime could, trusting entirely in the innate hunting instinct it had, it stretched around its prey. For as long as the translucent predator remained unnoticed, it should take the opportunity to cut off as many paths of flight as possible. All that could give it away was moving too fast and giving its presence away to the prey through the sudden movement of water. Even an animal with a basically non-existent brain would instinctively flee if it sensed a sudden change going on around it.


    The insect noticed that something was up at the last moment. The outstretched jelly rushed towards the prey and missed. Missed by such a wide margin that the slime stopped moving in confusion. Sensing for the insect that should have been there, that something should have been satiating the hunger right now, it sat still. It found a tunnel of vibrations from something moving at an immense speed, the settling insect by the end of it.


    It seemed these little prey animals had some sort of trick to dash from potential dangers. While frustrating, that also taught the slime that there was something else hunting in these waters. Otherwise, there was no reason for them to have that skill.


    The slime sensed for an easier prey and eventually found one of those insects feeding nearby. Extremely close, to be exact, as the slime wouldn¡¯t have been able to really sense it otherwise. Feeling the tapping of the cleaning insect¡¯s tiny feet, the slime knew it to be missing one of its six legs. It also worked with little energy, compared to the earlier specimen. This one was either old, or crippled, or both. Whatever it was, this ought to be easier.


    The slime bridged the little distance between them carefully. What wasn¡¯t even a step for a wolf was a minute-long stalking path for the slime. Once it was in range, it repeated the earlier strategy and then attacked.


    This weaker insect did not get away, the front half of its body getting immediately surrounded by the slime. The stilt-like legs of the creature tried to dig it out, but it was only treading inside water, tiring it out rather than removing it. Waving desperately with its long behind uselessly soon ceased, as the insect completely exhausted itself.


    The slime soon covered its entire surface, and then the newly successful hunter in these waters sat there digesting. From the feel of it, this one hunt would feed it for quite a while, but aside from the satisfaction there was something different. As more and more flesh of the insect inside it dissolved, the slime understood how all of it worked. How tissue was connected to the exoskeleton, how an immense lash of that long tail allowed it to dart away, how the legs could move. Even more than that, it could reconstruct parts of it that it wanted.


    First, the slime grew the legs, sick of crawling around. Six healthy legs with a carapace. Those allowed for easier movement over the floor. Then it tried to grow the elongated tail. As the slime attempted to do so, the legs disappeared again. It seemed there was only so many stolen attributes it could maintain at one time and growing them took quite some energy. It was already hungry again.


    It was time to hunt for some more food and tools. The goal: drip-feeding to become this biomes apex predator, thus securing its own existence. Then? Well, the slime didn¡¯t know. Hopefully something new would be beyond this pond and the cave surrounding it.

 Herbivore

    The hours went on. Maybe they were days. Even if the slime knew what the sun was, down where he was there no such thing as a day night cycle. There were no hours. The moss that illuminated the cave didn¡¯t stop or dim at any point. Therefore, without anyway to gauge it, the slime had no idea what hours or days even were. It just carried on like usual, eating when it was hungry and wondering about things when not.


    It began to form something like a list of things it wanted to explore and do. It had eaten a couple of other organisms at this point, gaining nothing of real value in the process, but it hadn¡¯t tried eating what they ate yet. Well, except for the scraped together gunk. It had tried that.


    The slime had not been aware that it had the ability to be disgusted, but that was horrendous to its taste. Because there was an ample amount of it and it was a basically uncontested source of (somewhat poor) nourishment, the slime still had to consider it as a food source in less advantageous times. Those hadn¡¯t come about yet, though, for which it was grateful.


    It was in a moment like any other, with the slime just invisibly sitting nearby a clam bank where it was quiet, that an enormous shock went through the pond. Something had just dropped in, something large. Most animals darted away from the source, pure instinct to stay clear of large predators that only their ancestors had to content with, but their genetic structure still primed them to flee from. The slime, however, had the ability to learn, observe, and reach conclusions. Creating the long tail of its very first prey, it dashed towards the source.


    The large stalactites overhead were still in the slimes memory from its spawning, including the moss covering some of them. That knowledge combined with the shape of the object that was now slowly descending to the floor of the pond told him that this was not a predator. Indeed, it was clear that soon enough other of the herbivores sharing this ecosystem with him would begin to approach the falling mass of moss and rock and begin disassembling what they could digest.


    Being the first there would prove to some advantage. For a start, the slime could try to find the freshest pieces of the plant, albeit it didn¡¯t really have the tools to do so other than tasting around. While it could have replaced its tail with a pair of eyes, that would be a sacrifice of its mobility for the minimal gain of seeing things it had no idea how to judge in the first place. It didn¡¯t know what moss was fresh or old. Would it turn paler or darker with age? Were there other factors? It, therefore, decided that right then was not the time to bet on eyesight.


    The second thing was that, if the plants proved to be indigestible for some reason, it could hide within the moss for one of its standard prey animals to come along and ambush it. It was a win-win situation.


    The odd sight of a single insect tail attached to an almost invisible, fingernail sized blob would have met anyone who would have been able to observe the happenings and probably caused some confusion. With the water around still clear, the slime went to smaller strokes, instead of continuously using the heavily stamina draining dash.


    Landing on a barren piece of rock that recently settled, it sensed around. If there was one reason why the slime didn¡¯t like being blind, it was that it had a hard time tracking things that were not in motion. If only it had the ability to generate some sort of vibration that returned to it without alerting anything else. That would have been a genius application of evolution.


    But alas, the slime was not capable of aimed evolution, it could only acquire what already existed. So, unless it one day found something that had echolocation, of which it knew not that it was real, it could not get it. If it could have sighed and knew what the general agreement of such a motion¡¯s meaning was, it would have. Instead, it sat there slightly annoyed with its lot in life, of which¡¯s start it had stopped pondering about as it was an endless circle without answers.


    Thankfully, a nearby piece settled in a slightly more cushioned way, indicating that there was moss on the downside of it. The slime made its way over. The range of sensations was interesting, the water sliding over its surface, then the hard and rough texture of the rock as it landed again and crawled on, finally the soft and fuzzy feeling of the moss.


    There was a lot of it, several times the slime¡¯s current mass in fact, and so the slime began feasting. It did find that it could indeed digest these plants. As it did, a new pocket of its instinctual knowledge unfolded. Eating animals gave the slime a large boost in new tools it could develop, but did the increase in its body size was marginal. On the opposite end of things, eating plants increased the slimes body size by quite a lot, the fibre was quickly digested and converted into the viscous liquid that made up most of its body, while granting minimal or useless evolutionary tools.


    It was vaguely aware that it could now change something minor about its substance. To an outside onlooker, its colouration changed from just translucent to whitely translucent. The slime struck this as useless.


    The other thing, slightly less useless, was the ability to act like the moss did and grow roots and leaves to absorb water, air and light from the surroundings and create nourishment for itself that way. Problem was that the slime had to go on land for that, which it still hadn¡¯t even attempted, and have two different growths active at that time.


    Although, maybe now that it was a bit bigger, maybe it should try that again? The slime had earlier decided that having eyes wasn¡¯t worth slugging around for, but if it could have both, why not try? If it failed, there was an absurd amount of food around, as the prey animals finally closed in as well.


    It formed the shape of the eyes and willed the organ into existence. It was a process that it was aware was deeply more complicated than that but, much like a human flexing a muscle, it didn¡¯t really think about it how it functioned while doing it.


    Suddenly, it could see. The pale moss surrounding it, the beige limestone it was attached to, and the clear waters surrounding them. The floor was made out of the broken down remains of former stalactites, slowly ground down by animals trying to ripe the very last roots out of the stone and then just naturally dissolving further.


    The slime wagged its tail to confirm it was still there and it was indeed. If it had known that was common expression amongst dogs and dog people it would have wagged its tail harder. Anyhow, it now knew that an increase in size meant that it could maintain more evolutions at once. If it grew bigger, maybe it could start eating some bigger, more interesting stuff. The gargantuan clams that lay totally defenceless but were too large to encapsulate sprang to mind.


    Or the shadow that descended over the surrounding area at that moment. The slime hid under its rock as it saw the pale body of what it perceived to be a water dragon swim through the water. The gilled antenna that grew out of either side of the creature¡¯s head were of a light red. It was this pond¡¯s apex predator and it dropped down on one of the slow, shield shaped herbivores that had come out to consume the plant matter.


    Then the herbivore was gone. The water dragon had opened its mouth and a sudden suction had transported it right into the beast¡¯s jaw. Thankfully, these monstrosities had very predictable behaviour and were short-sighted, relying mostly on their sense of smell. As long as the slime stayed aware, which was quite easy with its ability to sense vibrations, and kept its distance, it was safe from them, smelling mostly like the water. Just to be safe it dissolved its tail though. It had enough moss to feed itself, so there was no need to move around for now.


    Instead, it began to feed with utmost fervour. There was no telling when the next load of moss would arrive and it had to grow as big as possible in order to rise up the food chain. The quicker it was at the top, the less time it had to spent being afraid.

 Clam Time

    In other words, it didn¡¯t know, but it didn¡¯t matter either because it was just too damn long. A felt eternity was spent just sitting around. Literally, as the slime had found the perfect hunting strategy. By disguising itself as a piece of tasty, tasty moss it attracted the shield like bugs that consumed it. They thought they were on their way to an easy meal, in truth the slime had spread itself thin in the surrounding area. Once they were close enough to try and eat the moss, and they could eat it since it was a perfect copy, it rolled up from behind them while raising up its main body from underneath the moss.


    It was effective, but it was boring, but it was very effective. The only downside was that it had to move every now and again. The slime¡¯s prey was just smart enough to realize that this bush of stationary moss was no good after a couple of their kin were lost to it. They were not smart enough to realize that the slightly different shaped moss that appeared elsewhere could not be trusted either. With all of that in mind, and the goal to gain biomass, this was the most meaningful way to spend the time between downing moss.


    Now, however, after cleaning off the last bit of scrap moss from the latest deliverance of fate, the slime had reached the size of an average human¡¯s palm. That had several advantages, it could now maintain up to four different outgrowths at a time. However, it also discovered a problem. The growths didn¡¯t scale. The tail that had allowed it to dash initially was entirely useless at this point. An attempt at the ¡®just grow multiple ones¡¯ had come out as an unnavigable mess.


    It didn¡¯t have to go back to crawling thanks to using two sets of the six insect legs, moving essentially like a centipede, but its new weight-class wasn¡¯t a 100% positive improvement. Rather than moving straight up in power, the slime felt more like it was moving diagonally. Until it ate a creature with better legs, what it improvised had to make due.


    Another problem with being bigger was that ambushing was harder than before. Luckily, the slime had already solved that problem with the trapping strategy. On the bright side: It was too big to be considered food by the water dragons anymore, even if it hadn¡¯t eaten or even fought one itself yet. Also, the next item on its list of foods did not possess the mobility required to even get out of the way of an ambush.


    Clams, that was what the slime was now heading towards. The armoured muscles had no real predators in these waters, so there was a vast bank of them at the east side of the lake. As filter-feeders, all the clams needed to do to eat was exist someplace where they could filter-feed. What controlled their population was a mixture of a parasitic worm that managed to infiltrate the shells of weakened clams and the amount of food that was provided.


    In many ways, the slime was the clam¡¯s worst nightmare. One would think that, if clams could be afraid of any natural predators, it would the starfish. In that way these clams here had lucked out. There was no star-shaped predator around that could stem open their shells and then bloat its stomach into them, externally digesting them before pulling the resulting protein sludge into its body.


    No, these particular clams were spared from that nightmare. They just laid around in their black and beige shells all day, sometimes moving a few centimetres by extending their muscular tongues and dragging themselves over but otherwise doing as clams do.


    Enter the slime. Normally, clams were not in the dietary range of slimes. For a start, most clams lived in saltwater, while slimes preferred to live around freshwater sources. Even if clams and slimes did share a biome, the latter usually didn¡¯t have the necessary acidity to break down the clam¡¯s shell in a satisfactory timeframe. They would try to eat them when they were desperate, but usually die of starvation before getting through.


    THIS particular slime, however, was one of the rare occasions of being acidic enough, which the first clam soon found out, as it closed its shell to escape from the sudden viscous liquid enveloping it. They sat still, the bloated form of the slime was unable to hold more than one clam inside it at a time.


    The slime was not aware of what exactly was happening. It heavily disliked the initial taste of the clam, to humans it would have been like licking chalk, but it felt that it was dissolving something, so it decided to wait. Time went by and, as the slime was thinking whether or not it should spit out the clam and go back to being pretend-moss, it finally happened.


    An explosion of flavour. The shell was finally gone. Not completely, but a thin point allowed the acidic body fluid to rush inside and hasten the process. Much more importantly, it now tasted the protein rich flesh of the actual body.


    Clams, decided the slime, were amazing. The whole waiting was finally worth it as it had a huge amount of food to digest. What was more, this tasted sweet and nourishing, completely different from the gunk eating insects. With something like that inside its proverbial belly, it wasn¡¯t even mad about having to sit around and wait.


    It took, preparing to envelop the next clam in line, a journey of maybe three steps. Being steps of the slime¡¯s size. Living in large clusters of partially melded shells, these animals improved their survival chances by reducing their individual risk of getting eaten. They did that by simply displaying a sheer stupendous number of their kind.


    For predators, that strategy meant they had a giant buffet sprawled out in front of them. Even better, as the slime was the only organism properly able to hunt (if that word was even appropriate) these clams, this was more like a 100% chance to win in a gamble. Which, technically, wouldn¡¯t be a gamble. It would just be winning.


    Yes, the slime had just won a minor victory at life.


    That first clam¡¯s last bit of flesh dissolved and left behind a very happy slime. Immediately it went to analyse what it was able to do now, having figured out that it could visualize the actual parts and what they would do in its nucleus. There were three organs of noteworthiness. One was the gills to filter feed. Then there was the tongue, or foot however one looked at it. Lastly, there was the organ that grew the shell.


    The slime had very little interest in filter feeding, although it reckoned that it couldn¡¯t hurt to do it on the side. On the contrary, it could see the use in growing multiple tongues to use as feet while the shell seemed the most useful of all of all them.


    All around, the clams were a wonderful addition to its toolkit. Particularly the shell would last  for a long time since the useful part of it would just keep growing as long as it kept the organ active.


    The slime, keeping a set of gills to filter feed and starting its shell production, began the process of flowing around the next clam. Time to keep licking at the chalk again, as many times as it took to get to the tasty insides again, then to repeat that process over and over again until it was big enough to challenge the apex predator of the lake.

 Growing

    The slime had to face a hard fact: Most of the growth options it acquired would eventually cease to be useful. The insect tail had already fallen out of viability. The eyes of all the kinds of creatures it had eaten until now quickly became less useful as well, as they became too small in comparison to its overall body to see a wide area in front of it. However, what bothered it the most was the lack of good legs.


    By now, it was back to crawling, having reached the size of a grapefruit. The reason for that was quite simply because crawling was way quicker than walking on several clam tongues. It also was more viable, since that meant it would have needed at least four of its available outgrowths to do it satisfyingly.


    It was highly peculiar to the slime that it could grow six insect legs like one but had to grow four tongues as four tongues. Logically speaking, it understood that the legs were part of one set, but the workings of its biology mystified it slightly. It understood that it worked and it understood how it worked, but it didn¡¯t understand what made it work. The answer to that was magic, which it knew existed despite having never encountered it. Whatever this gift it had to consume and re-develop its prey¡¯s features, it was, doubtlessly, magic. Didn¡¯t help with the understanding, really.


    The slime also encountered another fact of being: After having reached its current size, clams stopped being an acceptable answer for growth. It could still eat them just fine, and did whenever it was hungry, but they didn¡¯t increase its biomass anymore. A new fallen batch of moss had soon shown lessened effects as well.


    Instinctually, it knew that this was because its growth in mass didn¡¯t come from an actual absorption of material, not mainly at least, but instead the addition of new foreign strains of genes being analysed by its nucleus and it producing growth as a reward. In other words, once its nucleus had eaten enough of a species to understand it completely, there was no more progress to be had.


    By the end of that set of revelations, the slime was contemplating a different question: why bother growing further? It was already too big to be hunted by the biggest predator around. On a matter of fact basis, it was safe. It had its own, uncontested food source.


    It spent several digestion cycles, the best way it could measure time was by how long it took for it to get done with eating a clam, pondering that question. It had already arrived at the answer that it wanted to keep growing before it even began searching for reasons, but it felt that it needed to understand the whys.


    The slime already had too many questions about itself to start with, so it didn¡¯t want to run around contemplating why it did things. It wanted to have purpose for stuff.


    It arrived at a set of reasons, some of which it understood, others it didn¡¯t, at least not yet. The easiest, and most pressing, reason for why it wanted to grow beyond its current situation was because it understood that both it and the situation were not eternal. It had no idea what was outside the lake aside from a miniature cave, but it just knew that that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Even if this cave proved to be untouched forever by whatever was outside, the slime was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t immortal. A life spent just eating clams sounded like a life not particularly well-lived.


    Which blended right into the second reason: It really didn¡¯t want to just be safe, it wanted to be the biggest fish in the pond. As it so happened, the biggest fish in this pond also possessed four functioning legs, so the challenge came across with an invitation to finally check out land.


    Last of all, as it was the one it didn¡¯t quite understand, was the part of its mind that wasn¡¯t worried about just its mortality, but about leaving behind part of it. Procreation, that was the word. Something it wasn¡¯t yet capable off. Not for a lack of organs, theoretically it could have engineered the necessary parts, but when it tried out of sheer curiosity, all that got out was a minor explosion inside itself.


    From that it learned three things. A: Whatever magic lay at its core, it was too strong to be passed onto something as inferior as a water bug, B: It really didn¡¯t like being the carrier of something that suddenly exploded inside it and C: Looking through the lens of procreation, everything in the pond just looked absolutely disgusting.


    It thus vowed, despite practically being both male and female, to externalize such experiments in the future. Not that it was out to repeat it anytime soon. Also, it told itself that it would chase something sexually attractive to it instead. Now, it had no idea what that being would look like, but it just knew that it would be aware once it saw something that came into question as a mating partner.


    For the moment, the slime had to consider how to acquire a set of functioning legs by eating a water dragon. Easier said than done. The pale lizards, with their red wreath of frilly antennae around their heads, were intimidating to look at. With their large tails they cut nimbly through the water. Their black eyes were bad, but their sense of smell made up for it. Lastly, they were so large that the slime would have a hard time wrapping itself entirely around their bodies.


    These creatures, the one true apex predator of the lake were known as: axolotls.


    And one particular fellow of their kind had already been the target of the slime¡¯s attacks twice and both times it had gotten away.


    The first time around had been easy. Since the axolotl had no real experience with the approaching slime, it had acted carefully around it but, evaluating itself as the apex predator, not quite careful enough. In the exact same way, the slime had not given the axolotl the respect it deserved.


    So, while it had successfully managed to wrap itself around parts of the creature, the slime had underestimated just how much power such a predator could muster. Wringing itself out of the slime¡¯s grip, the axolotl had gotten away with some nasty acid burns on its left foot.


    The slime had then began to stalk that individual, easily distinguishable by a pair of red lines between its black dot eyes, through the lake. With one crippled limb, it was sure to be easier prey.


    Turned out that it wasn¡¯t quite that easy. The water dragon had a regenerative factor that wasn¡¯t impressive but at the very least unexpected. It healed back without any scarring occurring. Eventually, the slime did manage to get the drop on it again, but even the wounds inflicted in that small engagement healed with time.


    In comparison, the slime felt like it was getting the worse end of the stick in those engagements. Its mass getting ripped apart by escaping prey was terribly hurting. While it didn¡¯t lose a lot of biomass in the process, it expended a large amount of energy. Losing energy meant having to go eat, and the slime lost a lot of time going anywhere, slow as it was, time the axolotl could use to heal and hide somewhere else.


    Another problem was, as dull as these animals were, they were smart enough to look through its hunting pattern eventually. Even the dumbest brick would wise up if hit with a hammer often enough.


    The slime thus made sure that the third encounter would be the last. For that, it needed to prepare and the preparations took time, a lot of time. Eventually, however, they were done.


    Falling back on the old moss strategy, the slime waited. It willingly let some bugs nibble away at the grown plant, it was fine to sacrifice some mass in exchange for bait. It laid there patiently, all five of the outgrowths it could currently maintain at the ready.


    It took patience, lots of patience, but the slime had gotten no other lecture in life except for the fact that waiting paid off. It relied exclusively on its vibration sensing. Finally, it sensed its foe approaching.


    It had spent several digestion cycles to set these things up. First it needed to make sure that the red-lined axolotl was the one hunting in this area of the lake. Then it needed to wait until there was a starvation period to attract as many insects to its bait-site as possible. Those were on the tail end of its preparations though.


    The front end came into play when there was a sudden suction in the water. By rapidly opening their mouths, axolotls created an immense and sudden pull of water that delivered the food they smelled straight into their mouths. Reddie got his food, he also got a faceful of slime in the process.


    That was step one of the slime¡¯s strategy, boost its ambush by the natural hunting pattern of the water dragon. Then it used the four tools that weren¡¯t a moss outgrowth to deal with the second problem it had until that point, which was keeping its grip on the thrashing predator. They all came courtesy of the clam, namely two half shells, the musculature meant to close such a shell and a tongue, and were all hidden beneath the moss which the slime hastily developed back to get out of the way.


    After having successfully launched itself at the water dragon¡¯s face, the slime was sure it could hold on naturally for just long enough for the shell to close and secure its hold. The axolotl curled up, trying with all its legs to push or scrape off what was holding and partially digesting it. The shell was hard and quite smooth, so it had limited success in that endeavour. Realizing that, it went back to thrashing.


    Which, even though axolotl couldn¡¯t know it, was the right strategy. Hard as they were, the shells were also inflexible and brittle. A lucky knock against a stone could have broken part of it, allowing the water dragon to make its escape and live to regenerate.


    The slime had identified that problem already. Throughout the many, many times it had eaten clams, with every time that having to chew through the chalk taste of their shell, it had eventually figured out that it could puncture the shell if it just did it correctly.


    That was where the tongue came in. Slow moving as it was, it was a strong muscle and once the slime managed grab the axolotl¡¯s right front leg with it, its hold was extra secure. The moss was soon replaced by a second tongue, which wrapped around the axolotl¡¯s other leg just in time for the prophesized smack against a rock to come.


    It really pained the slime to lose a shell. Those organic shields took ages to grow and once shattered, everything that was directly connected to the growing point was best discarded, as it would only act like an ingrown fingernail. Except a shattered, ingrown fingernail.


    As the pieces of broken shell tumbled to the ground, the axolotl was slowly running out of steam. From the outside, it looked like the water dragon was wearing a very odd shell-hat, with two tongues strapping it on by its shoulders. In truth, it was now doomed to be the slimes next meal, as it claimed the victory condition of this fight: the external gills of the creature.


    The slime had no idea that it had won by encapsulating the frilly red things, but the fact was that with them dissolving, the axolotl was now suffocating. It couldn¡¯t be said which was the worse way to die, having one¡¯s brain slowly dissolved, or suffocating while deaf, blind and even robbed of its sense of smell.


    There was no mind to pay that from the slime¡¯s side, nature was cruel like that. The winner wrote the rules and it was most decisively the winner.

 Landfall

    The slime liked discovering things about itself. The newest thing it learned about itself was that there was a difference between Growths and Attributes. Of the former, it could maintain a total of six now. There was some relation between its diameter at complete unchanged form, one it rarely assumed, and the amount of possible Growths, but with neither a tool to measure itself nor an idea what a measurement unit was, the slime only knew that there was some relationship.


    Anyway, it could maintain six Growths right now. Each of them was a limb, a muscle, or some sort of actual body part of a prey item it had feasted on before. Attributes were different. Those didn¡¯t require the drop of evolving soup to grow anything visible. It was more of a passive effect.


    The only one it had right now was the axolotl¡¯s regenerative abilities. Not particularly helpful, since the slime rarely if ever had things that could be categorized as wounds, but once formed it didn¡¯t feel like disabling it again.


    It still took time to develop, more even than getting a new Growth, as its whole body was affected by this Attribute, but it went on a different count. Speaking of counting, the slime had tried to stretch that number¡¯s limit, despite its instincts screaming that it was a horrible idea, to find out that was an absolutely horrible idea.


    The number it instinctually went with, without even really knowing what numbers were, seemed to be what its body could sustain in energy consumption or something, fact was, that after successfully growing itself a seventh limb, it soon keeled over from exhaustion. Luckily, it was too large to be eaten by anything around and its body retracted all Growths it had at that moment to conserve its remaining stamina. A terrible crawl to the clam fields and one of the name giving stationary animals later, the slime had pepped iteself up again.


    It vowed not to repeat that. Especially not since it was about to leave its watery home.


    A very odd amalgamation swam just below the surface of the lake. On first glance, one may have mistaken it for an axolotl. That would be fair enough, the slime had formed the legs, the tail and something resembling its head, wanting the nose and mouth, after all. However, even that first glance would cause someone to look again.


    For a start, the slime didn¡¯t have eyes. The axolotl¡¯s sense of smell was good enough for directions as far as it was concerned. Also missing were the trademark frilly antenna, and the external gills which the slime had no need for. Those four things took most of the Growth capacity the slime had. The remainder of it was used to develop two shell growing organs, two half shells growing in opposite direction on the slime¡¯s back.


    That made it, overall, look more like a turtle than an axolotl. A very weird turtle, without anything to protect its stomach.


    This very peculiar mix of designs was currently looking for an ideal spot to get on land. Most of the lake had a steep, rocky edge that the slime couldn¡¯t climb with its feet. It could have tried to used its amorphous, normal body to do the climbing, but the shells would have been too heavy and pulled it back under. It didn¡¯t have the suction power required for this task.


    It had spent a lot of time growing those shells, using them as it hunted more axolotls to continue its growth, and it didn¡¯t want to lose them yet. There had to be some part where the water was shallow and the land rose slowly.


    Bumping its sturdy nose against the cliffs to find that spot, only relying on touch and vibrations, the slime searched. Every time it surfaced it felt a mixture of nostalgia, alienation and anticipation. Nostalgia, as its first moments had been spent falling, alienation because it had been a long while and anticipation because it wanted to explore this new area.


    When it finally managed to find a suitable spot, it walked on land and just stood there for a moment. It was sniffing, if there was any predator around it surely would leave some sort of scent to track. Straining the vibration sense it possessed by nature, it also searched around. It found nothing noteworthy, just some insects busily walking around in search of something to eat.


    That made the slime happy, it seemed like it arrived at the scene already the top of the food chain. With swaggering steps, a particular development from its body structure and it still learning how to walk on land, it traversed the rocky terrain. Soon rock made for moss. It was nice for its feet, but somewhat hard to keep a footing on.


    One of the busy insects came close and the slime suddenly opened its axolotl mouth. It was a bit confused when basically nothing happened. It tried a second, then a third time before realizing that the suction only worked in water.


    So it opted for the old fashioned way instead, since its mouth was already open it swallowed the insect whole. The tiny thing was of no match for the mighty axo-slime and it quite liked the refreshing taste. It had something of citrus.


    That was when it was attacked by two more of the tiny things. The slime felt something like admiration for the fact that they were so willing to die for their comrades. Much more it felt thankful that its food was so willing to dive into its maw.


    The comradery was short-lived, however, as one of the insects was swallowed whole again. This time the slime took a moment to feel its shape. It had pretty big jaws, two antenna and six legs that were wide apart from each other. Its middle section was immensely thin, but the tail end was a bloated container of guts and two stomachs, one of them made for regurgitation.


    There were also these ducts, the slime had no idea what they were about, only that they produced a ¡®smell¡¯. It would have loved to experiment, but then it suddenly heard something. The insect was returning and it wasn¡¯t alone.


    Hundreds of skittering legs were heading for it. Quite rapidly as well. The angry buzzing of a swarm. Unbeknownst to the slime, it had angered a new kind of species: the common cave ant.


    The concept of an army was entirely removed from the slime¡¯s understanding of the world. As far as it had experienced, hunting was a one on one encounter with things that usually only wanted to get away. Now it was face to face with not only an enemy that wanted to fight back, but was also ready to kill it and had the numbers to back it up.


    So, as the slime sensed the army approaching, it did the only sensible thing. Which was run. Run for its life from the eusocial terror about to descend on it. It was slow, a crawl which was fast as it could run, heading for the water. Surely, these creatures could not have been able of swimming, otherwise it would have encountered them before.


    Still, to the water was a small trip and the ants were a lot faster than it was. Soon it felt pincers grabbing at its tail, ripping pieces out while trying to inject the slime with some sort of acid. That second part bothered the slime very little, being an incredibly acidic creature itself, but the pinching hurt. Not one pinching, one pinching was less than a prick of a needle. A dozen, however, in quick succession, alongside the feeling of slowly getting covered as ants hitched a ride on its back and bit whatever they sensed to be a vulnerable spot. That was torment.


    The slime dipped its front leg into the water just as an ant had figured out where the head of it lay. If the dozens of bites were torture, then the sensitive concentration of emulated nerves that was its nose getting bitten was just hell. Luckily, the pain was dulled quickly by the water encapsulating it.


    Ants were still holding on to it even after diving, their mandibles buried deep into the slime flesh. One by one, it plucked them off by pulling them inside itself and digesting them. Now that they weren¡¯t in their element and there were a limited amount of them, that was actually an option.


    Ants, the slime decided, were supremely scary.

 Forced to risk

    The slime had gotten itself in a precarious situation. It was currently surrounded by ants, lots and lots of ants, enough to rip it apart in no time flat if they wanted to. It was a good thing for the amorphous that they didn¡¯t, because they didn¡¯t see the slime as an enemy. They saw it as part of their nest.


    Yes, the slime was now part of an ant lair. To be exact, it was the reinforced ceiling of something like a central road that connected several breeding chambers with a dumping site. Judging by the fact that it was hit by drops of water from above every now and again, it had been put there for rain protection.


    How had it gotten there? Through its own fault. After having waited for a short span of time to make sure the ants weren¡¯t still on the look-out for it, the slime had returned to land. Rather than a predator, it had loaded its proverbial stomach before coming, this time it came as an observer.


    What it did was hide itself inside its shell and just watch the ants, while running experiments with the pheromone duct it had gotten from the first few ants it devoured. As ants were quite small, that was the only part of their body that the slime could actually use for something.


    At first everything went fine, it just went through the different kinds of smells the duct could produce. Very carefully, it tried one thing, then another, then another. It was interesting to see that the ants reacted in odd ways. They were obviously disinterested in attacking what must have looked like a rock to them. Instead they came in bigger and bigger numbers.


    So, the slime reached out of its shell and attacked, convinced that the duct must have pacified the ants somehow. When attacked, the insects reacted exactly as before and swarmed him. One bath, one filled stomach and one climb back on land later, the slime repeated the game.


    Maybe it just hadn¡¯t used enough of the pheromones? Time to kick the production into overdrive and see what would happen. At first the game just repeated itself, one ant came to check out what it was smelling, then two, then thirty-five. Then more than it had ever seen skitter around at one place. Then it happened. The slime, thinking about whether it should strike now or later, was suddenly lifted up.


    It really hadn¡¯t expected the tiny insects to muster that much power, but they worked in instinctual unison. Together they managed to carry the camouflaged slime, who had a bit of a panic attack at that point.


    Quickly, it disabled its pheromone duct, but the smell was already sticking to it and the other ants were marking it themselves. This was already a process it couldn¡¯t stop. There were so many ants around that it didn¡¯t feel like it could fight its way out either and the chances only became slimmer the further it was carried away from the water.


    Thus, it just let it happen and became part of the nest. Truthfully speaking, its position wasn¡¯t the worst. It rested on the edges of three separate bundles of moss, underneath which the ants had buried their main chambers. It was both a rain shield and a bridge for the ants to cross, but that was a sacrifice it could take in return for its supreme observing position.


    The problem was it had to eat eventually. Soon, actually, since it already felt famished and would soon become weaker.


    Luckily, it had hatched a plan. Through experimentation and observation, it had puzzled together a strategy that should allow it to survive this mess. Should, theoretically, this could all horribly backfire, ending the slimes ascension up the food chain at a mere ant colony.


    The reason why the slime was willing to even throw its life on the line in this fight was that it thought it was facing the final boss. What could be stronger than a hivemind organized colony consisting of insects that could carry several times their weight and inject acid into bite wounds? In its tiny mind, barely understanding that there had to be something outside this cave, it felt like a hero challenging the army of the dark lord on its own, about to smash them into the next cycle. So the risk was worth taking.


    Its plan hinged on two things. One was the fact that the ants would only react aggressively towards it if they were convinced it was attacking them. As long as it kept the pheromones on and moved in a non-threatening way, they would disregard what it did. Which was what allowed it to, very slowly, extend a part of its liquid body out of the shell and into an opportune position above one of the breeding chambers¡¯ exits.


    The reason for that was that the slime had observed there to be different kinds of ants. It had managed to distinguish three by their tremors, smell and looks. The latter two the slime identified through an insect-eyes tentacle and the ant¡¯s own noses, or whatever one wanted to call their smelling organ.


    One was the workers, the smallest and most numerous of the swarm. Next were the elites, bigger versions that did more of the heavy lifting and fighting but were less numerous and nimble. Last, and the slime had only managed to see a few of these, were the queens. They were tucked away in the breeding chambers most of the day and when they came out they had a number of worker and elites steadily buzzing around them.


    They were attracted to the queens by such a powerful pheromone that it triumphed over everything the slime could produce at the current time. The glands producing them had to be slightly different and that was the second thing the slime was banking on.


    Its opportunity came eventually. A queen, taking a small stroll out of her underground confinement in order to get some fresh food rather than being steadily feed through her workers social stomach, revealed herself. Eating the regurgitations of her underlings all the time must have been tiring even for a being with next to no capability to think.


    Humanizations aside, she didn¡¯t think about it and wasn¡¯t tired of regurgitations. Her body just craved some fresh sugar, so she would go the place where the colony was currently breeding a kind of greenfly that ate moss and secreted a sweet liquid. Then she would head right back underground. That was the plan her instincts had scraped together.


    Until she was suddenly scooped up by a viscous liquid, sucked under the outer layer and into the acidic main fluid of the ambushing roof. The slime quickly retreated its tentacle, as the ants went into a frenzy. Many of them jumped onto the tentacle, hitching a ride and greatly annoying the slime with their bites.


    The drop of evolutionary soup had already taken this into account and it wasn¡¯t a hindrance that was important. All that mattered was that it transported the queen inside it. Once it managed to do that, it tightly closed its shell and digested the queen alongside with the workers and guarding elites that had either been scooped up with or jumped onto the slime to follow her.


    This part of the plan was relatively safe. Ants, while strong relative to their size, did not possess the tools to puncture the shell of the slime. They gnawed at and skittered all over it, desperately trying to find an opening. A myriad of tiny steps like drum beats stressed the slime, even knowing it was safe didn¡¯t help when it was continuously assaulted by the hammering and scraping sounds.


    If the slime was wrong and the queen¡¯s pheromones did not allow it to become an object of veneration to the ants, then this would be its end. Either it would sit there inside its shell and starve to death, or it would open and be ripped apart. Personally, it had already decided that it would rather starve in that situation.


    An eternity spent digesting to the sound of the raging swarm later, the slime grew its new duct and began producing pheromones like mad, opening its shell just a bit to let it flow out unobstructed.


    Nothing happened for a long time. The slime was already resigning itself to its fate. Then, the attacks became less intense, confused even, as the ants were tricked into thinking they were attacking what they were trying to save. It took more time for the slime¡¯s new queen pheromones to overpower the attack-markings that were covering its shell, but eventually the ants went docile.


    They still skittered all over the slime, but when it moved probingly, they didn¡¯t see it as an enemy. Instead, they were now swarming in protection of their newly anointed boss. That greatly pleased the slime, as it picked them up one by one and ate them with a side-serving of moss.


    It was really hungry after all that.

 Leaving the tiny, dank cave

    The slime couldn¡¯t know this, but when it finally figured out how to manipulate the ants accurately, it had turned one year old. Indeed, a lot of the actions it had to wait for, it had to figure things out for, all of these things had taken weeks to months. Large gaps of nothing or boring safety between the occasional chaos and risk.


    For the slime itself, all of that had just been one large, continuous blob of experience. It didn¡¯t need to sleep after all, although it did prefer to just sit around while digesting. None of this was really important at the current moment, however.


    Because it was about to find a way out of its birth place.


    After taking over several more ant queendoms, the slime had started a large-scale search for cracks or any other possible way to escape the confines of the cave. Not that it had anything against its birthplace, but as the slime got bigger and left without any enemies to supercede, it felt confined and bored.


    Several such cracks had been found over time. Usually leading nowhere or being too narrow for the slime to pass through. Even while being an amorphous blob, it still needed to get its solid nucleus through. Finding a crack that was large enough and led somewhere seemed to be an impossible combination.


    Good thing it had lots and lots of tiny helpers. By signalling all of the ants that it was time to relocate the nest all the time, it sent them into a search frenzy. Granted, this was immensely bad for the ants¡¯ health, especially the brood, but that was a sacrifice the bored slime was willing to make.


    Eventually, they did find a path the slime could fit into, then they scouted it out, removed the tiny obstacles that were lodged in there and so on. Then, several dozen ants went out, only to return with some odd smell to them, something that smelled new and exciting. It was like moss, but fresher and more intensive and less stuffy, if that made sense.


    Excited, the slime squeezed into the crack. It had to get rid of its shells and basically every other Growth in the process, but it managed to get in there and keep crawling along. The only thing it kept was the pheromone duct, lest the ants suddenly broke free from their spell and attacked it. Such a tiny organ didn¡¯t hamper it.


    The travel was long, ants skittering after it being the only feeling it had for orientation as it blindly probed its path. The further the slime got away from the chamber, and the magma inside the nearby earth that had heated it, the colder the world got. More than a few times, the slime wondered if it should turn around, if that chill was a warning.


    Then it got warmer again, the air went from stale to fresh and even though the slime didn¡¯t breathe it felt relieved. And then it had another one of its instinctual revelations.


    Having conquered and left an ecosystem of appropriate difficulty, the slime was allowed to upgrade one of its currently attained Growths to something that wouldn¡¯t become irrelevant, that would actually scale with it.


    One thing.


    Basically, everything else it had gotten in that cave would become useless. Aside from eyes, noses and other sensing organs, even then not all of them, everything was bound to become just too small.


    There was a multitude of decisions. Legs would be good, not having to hunt for another new creature every time it needed a new pair was bound to be advantageous. Same was true for mouths, but then again it didn¡¯t yet find one it really liked. The axolotl had come close, but the really interesting bit, the suck-in, didn¡¯t work out of water. Its nose was good though. Maybe it should have gone with a sensing organ after all?


    The slime didn¡¯t think any of that. It just went right with the pheromone gland.


    There was not a doubt in its mind that ants were controlling the world wherever they walked. With this organ it would be able to take control of them and in turn immediately win over the ecosystem. It had no idea what other things pheromones could do, nor that ants weren¡¯t the one true master of the universes everywhere.


    Immediately, the formerly fairly inconsequential organ became a permanent part of the slime¡¯s structure. It did so by first disappearing and then appearing again all over the slimes body in the shape of small pores, too small to be seen by the naked eye. It just transformed the slime¡¯s texture from perfectly smooth to slightly wavy, the difference between glass and lacquered wood. Basically none at all, unless someone had incredibly sensitive fingers.


    Assured that its decision was genius, the blind, amorphous and now weirdly well-smelling slime oozed out of a crack on the side of a mountain, or volcano, rather, as it was the result of the magma chamber. It was noon and, for the first time, it felt sun rays falling upon it.


    Maybe it should have been panicking at the inexplicable source of heat or the blinding light that burned into its eye once it had formed one. However, the warmth was a pleasant feeling and absolutely natural. Not looking at the ball of heat in the sky was a pretty easy rule to follow.


    If there was something it was panicked by, it was the sheer scope of its surroundings. There were no walls. In the cave, it could clearly draw a border of where it ended on every side. Now that it was out here, the same thing couldn¡¯t be said.


    As a matter of fact, the thing that stopped its vision was the fact that it was looking through a rather bad axolotl eye, which sadly enough was the best it had. The world, to its limited perception, was an endless stretch now.


    Most of the terrain was rather boring, especially up here at the side of the mountain. Trees and grass scarcely covered the earthen ground, a lot of dark grey stones sticking out everywhere. Further below, there was an ocean of green, which the slime failed to identify as the mass of trees that it was, its eyesight just too bad to do so.


    Well, it was time to get moving, better set up shop somewhere with its ant army and see what it could get up to. For ease of movement, it got itself a pair of axolotl legs. To better hold its balance, the slime also got itself the tail. Then it was up in the air.


    That last part was entirely unplanned and also rather unpleasant. It was inside the talon of an eagle and moving at an absurd speed. If the slime could have screamed, it would now have been loudly doing so.


    Things could swim in the air? How, since when, why? That was entirely unfair! Also, what the hell would happen now? The answer came, in the shape of the eagle sitting down on a tree far removed from the position it had picked up its meal and ramming its curved beak into the slimes form, ripping off one of its legs.


    The north Ctonian mountain eagle was an impressive creature. With its wingspan of over a metre and the ability to use very basic air magic, it was something adventurers began to hunt for after getting out of the initial levels. This was not only because it was a popular pet for monster tamers, but also because its beak was worth a fortune.


    A beak that, as the eagle noticed, suddenly started smelling rather sour, just as its tongue started burning. The highly acidic slime was deemed an improper meal by the avian creature and untraditionally released from its claws. The eagle wasn¡¯t hungry enough to damage itself like that, so it swallowed that one meaty leg it had ripped off and left the rest to rot.


    The slime, in a lot of pain from just having a leg ripped out and eaten, fell to the floor. It would have died right there, if it hadn¡¯t landed on a patch of grass that slowed its fall. A bit further or with just generally more energy, its insides would have been squeezed rather catastrophically out through that wound.


    Even now, It was oozing precious acidic life-slime out of the hole. Its outer layer was a membrane that wasn¡¯t meant to be pierced like that. Prey could travel through it via a somewhat complicated process that opened the membrane and closed it behind the prey.


    Thankfully, the slime¡¯s base form was rather simple, so it could be stitched back together by simply pulling the surrounding areas until the wound was sealed up. The membrane would need a bit to heal back together at that point, but that was a different problem.


    Having survived by the skin of its teeth and being aware of that, the slime realized how fragile it was. It had almost become as much of an afterthought to the eagle as one ant was to itself. It was soft, slow and the only thing that saved it was the fact that nothing wanted to eat something that would melt it from the inside. Getting a bit of it eaten in order to convince its predator that it wasn¡¯t worth killing wasn¡¯t a good survival strategy in the long run.


    Eventually something that wouldn¡¯t even eat it would kill it by mere accident. That was somehow more insulting than being preyed upon. If it was devoured it would at least serve as sustenance to what murdered it, with how it was currently likely to end, the slime was just going to rot or get washed away by rain.


    Well, if there were predators like that hanging around the area, that could cheat the laws of gravity, then the slime had just one choice. It pulled in any and all growths until no part of it looked fleshy or tasty in any way, then it began eating grass.


    Time to start from the beginning again.

 The metal fairy 1

    The slime was feeling quite good about itself since it had figured out that it was pretty safe in this environment. As long as it kept its fleshy bits to itself, it was uninteresting to its surroundings. Not that it currently had any fleshy bits in the first place, having outgrown its latest pair of legs.


    It had spent days searching around and a lot of new experiences had been made. First and foremost, that of the day-cycle itself. It had spent the first night in fear, hiding in a hole between roots. The reason for it being afraid being that, even though it couldn¡¯t exactly see a lot, it very much felt the cold.


    As it found out in that first night, it was a cold-blooded creature. Well, it was a cold-slimed monster, but the point was that it needed external help to regulate its temperature. While its highly water based being made it a good heat battery, the continued cold of the night made it feel just sluggish in comparison to its day-version.


    When the first night happened, it assumed the world was coming to an end. Not entirely unjustified, as the slime didn¡¯t even know that the sun and the moon were a pair of gods in a race whose rules mortal minds could barely comprehend yet.


    Some misguided scholars said they were celestial bodies, but they could be corrected through some pretty easy magical calculations. That was something the slime, again, had no idea of. It just knew there was a sudden darkness.


    The second time night rolled around it still hid under the same tree, by the third time it dared to venture around its base. Eventually, it just got used to the cycle and appreciated having some way to tell the time by that wasn¡¯t as inaccurate as clam digestion.


    After growing as much as it could by feeding off grass and trees, putting it at the size of a guinea pig, the slime designated a certain tree as its den and rested there during the day, slowly eating away at it. At first it devoured leaves and small branches, then the thick ones, then, when basically only the trunk was left, it began eating it from the inside, slowly making its way down. That was actually easier said than done.


    Because the slime needed things to be past its outer membrane to digest them and a trunk was much too big to do so, it needed to instead resolve to slowly chip away at the wood and eat it in, well, chips of wood. It used tiny insect mandibles for this effort, which was its nightly activity. Needless to say, it was boring as all hells.


    The reason why it ate the tree top-down was twofold. One was that sticking onto the inner side of the trunk as it ate upwards was thoroughly uncomfortable. It had tried in that first tree that already had a cavity underneath it. With that experience, it had deemed it would rather eat downwards and let gravity do its work for it. The other reason was that it could feel the sunrays when the day began. All it had to do to that end was devour the bark down to a sensible level.


    The eventual end product of the procedure was a very smooth, bowl-shaped cavity topping off a shaved down tree trunk, reduced to a mere half-metre in height. The slime had stopped there, not wanting to ruin its den by completely eating it, and was now spending its time sitting there with tree branches sticking out of its liquid body, waiting for the day to start, while planning out what it would do.


    The routine went as follows. Once its body had warmed up enough and photosynthesis had given the slime enough energy for a prolonged period, the slime began its search for water. Being what it was, the slime needed to absorb new fluid regularly, the waterier the better. Blood would do the job, but it was not a long-term solution.


    The two go to sources it had for this were the morning dew that hung on blades of grass and hollowed out stones in the surrounding areas, which gathered rainwater. If it rained, the slime simply slurped up everything that landed in its resting place.


    At that stage, it would have pulled the tree branches back into its body. Plant parts, like animal parts, were limited in size, albeit for a different reason. The slime could only grow versions of the branches it had eaten. That was a large and often unimportant difference from the animal parts where it grew standardized versions.


    It had yet to find a reason to grow giant branches regardless. They couldn¡¯t really be used as weapons, seeing how they had no way to move and weighed too much. Maybe if it found some living plant that could actually use them as clubs? The slime liked to theorize that everything existed out there, seeing as there were these cheating things that could fly, commonly called birds.


    Anyhow, with a cup of sunlight, stronger than any coffee, and a lot of water refreshing its system, the slime started exploring. The only thing it had actively grown during its trips was usually an Attribute, namely chloroplasts from grass. That turned its appearance from a translucent, slightly blue tinged slime, a tinge that got stronger the bigger it became, to a green-tinged slime.


    Feeding itself off of sunlight at any given opportunity reduced the slime¡¯s need to eat solid matter to once every three days, rather than every day, even while it moved around the place. Less time spent hunting meant more time to explore, which it needed with how slow it was.


    It would have literally killed for a proper pair of legs. Not that the slime had any remorse over killing, it hadn¡¯t even heard of remorse. It was hungry, it ate. Sucked to be the prey animal in that situation, but that was just that. The only pair of legs around were these large-eared critters jumping around the place. Way too quick for anything but those flying cheats that appeared basically out of nowhere and carried them off. Anytime the slime saw that, it was reminded why it didn''t use those legs, lest it be mistaken for a rabbit and have a less lucky landing the second time around. At least the critter''s eyes were useful to realize that there were more differences between day and night than light levels. There was a blue sky with one blazing ball and a black sky with one less radiant circle, accompanied by a bunch of smaller dots.


    It kept most of its explorations up or sideways from its position. Going down, it had soon decided, was not in its interest for the moment.


    The forest got thicker there, basically switching the entire biome. Thicker and more dangerous, with larger and stranger creatures roaming around. After feeling something rip down a tree just by moving around, the slime decided that it rather not go there yet and rapidly fled the scene.


    While it hadn¡¯t met anything that ate its acidic self yet, it was just a question of time until it would if it carelessly ran around in clearly more vicious areas of the world.


    After all, while it was vaguely aware that it was unique from the way it spawned into existence, it could piece together that there had to be other things similar to itself. Just like there were different kinds of insects and plants, there had to be different kinds of slimes.


    And if there was a species, there was a predator. The slime didn¡¯t believe its kind to be at the top of the food chain, otherwise it would have met something like it already. At least that was its logic. There was probably some sort of creature that gulped down acid or lived off the magic dwelling in its nucleus.


    It therefore stopped exploring deeper into the forest and kept to the mountainside and above. Prey was pretty scarce, and impossible to catch, but there were more than enough plants to fill its proverbial belly.


    This whole thing was also a nice mental exercise for the slime. After a day of exploring, it returned to its den and spent the night reconstructing every piece of the landscape it knew already. It produced a remarkably accurate and detailed mental map, a skill most humans no longer trained due to the benefits of having maps.


    And one day, about three weeks after it had set slime onto the mountainside, it slugged its way to a very interesting piece of the landscape. Still without ocular, the reason why it had seeked out this particular place was the feeling of what it had thought to be running water. However, the constant running wasn¡¯t coming from some sort of river or other flowing mass. If it had been, the slime could have drunk it.


    Interested, it manifested its short-sighted eye to get some sort of view on the situation.


    What it found was that the stones were bleeding. That was the best description it had for what was going on. As if the mountain had an open wound in the shape of a flat, circular depression in the otherwise slanted landscape, the stones were oozing a mixture of white and black liquid.


    The slime thought it was stone. Since it hadn¡¯t encountered a metal yet aside from as a part of stone, that was an easy mistake to make. Fact was, the slime could only eat things biological in nature, as such this liquid it had mistaken for water was completely useless to it.


    Still, while it was already inside that crater, it might as well look around. It wasn¡¯t too big and the slime was a curious creature for things that didn¡¯t want to eat it. Following the flowing trickles of black and white metals, it reached a gathering pond in the middle.


    No matter how much of the metal went there, the amount in that pond didn¡¯t swell. The slime sensed some odd goings-on underground where the liquid was pumped away and back into the walls of the depression, creating an unnatural and endless cycle.


    It touched the pond and felt something being gently sucked away from it. No lifeforce, nothing important, just some excess mana it had. It carefully pulled back and the draining stopped immediately. It needed mana to morph around and since its body burned up physical resources to refill it, parting from it made the slime hungry quicker.


    However, it had also loaded up on grass recently and whatever this weird place was didn¡¯t give it any hostile feeling. With nothing else to do and nothing exciting having happened in three weeks, the slime decided something that could be easily described as careless, bored and not as something wise people would do and fed the unknown metal some more mana.


    If it could have spoken, it would have shrugged and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just see what happens.¡±

 The metal fairy 2

    The slime found a happy equilibrium between how much mana it could gather from the energy it produced from photosynthesis and how much it gave to the pond. While its only influence over the former was that the mana regeneration was directly linked to how much it ate, the latter it could change by adjusting how much of it was touching the metal.


    It was a weird liquid, to say the least. It hardened in response to the slime¡¯s touch. In other words, the slime could sit on it with its whole body if it so desired. It didn¡¯t, because the amount of magical siphoning that happened then was unpleasant and unsustainable, but it was an interesting discovery nonetheless.


    As the process continued, the slime watched the underground happenings through its tremor sense. It had grown remarkably more sensitive with time. Being one of the few things the slime possessed naturally, it became stronger as its owner did. Like the pheromone glands. Speaking of the pheromone glands, the slime had spent a couple of nights beating itself over the head for evolving it rather than eyes at this point.


    Having reliable eyes that could see more than a couple of metres and blurs would have been really nice. Not that the pheromones were useless, they attracted all kinds of bugs to its position, giving it some nice extra snacks through the day and nights, but it was just not something that proved vital. After all, it had yet to even see an ant, which were decidedly not the kings of everything.


    The slime gathered its mass at the top, making it look like a cone for a moment, and then relaxed, causing the amorphous, green blob to fall back into its usual elliptical shape. That was its way of sighing, it had developed it out of boredom and to train its stretching skills. Its base body was pretty limited in what it could do, but that was no reason to not keep it fluid. Speaking of fluids, the liquid metal began to behave quite differently as well.


    Over the past couple of degree changes of the sun¡¯s position in the sky (or hours for regular people), the liquid metal oozing had slowly stopped as the metal had stopped flowing in the circle. At the same time, the pond that gathered more and more of the liquid began to bloat. Not unlike a balloon being inflated, it seemed that the resulting bubble gained in buoyancy as well.


    Now it had exceeded the point of being lighter than air and slowly began rising. Simultaneously, the mana siphoning ebbed away, so the slime inched away. It didn¡¯t even need to keep eyes on the thing, it was vibrating with such intensity that he could have felt it from dozens of metres away.


    Hovering in the air, the vibrations slowly transitioned into tremors and then beats. The hovering bubble deflated into an odd-shape. An animal, although the slime by no means could discern what kind. It had front legs that dangled from shoulders too far up to touch the ground, also they ended in five short grabby things. The hindlegs had more proper soles, while that elongated torso was so slim that the slime had to wonder where that creature left all its intestines.


    Then again, it was made from metal, so that question was probably naught.


    It stood at about ten centimetres tall, less than half the slimes diameter, and had impractical long strands of fur growing from its head all the way down to its hips. Also it had two weird, not particularly large bumps on its chest. With its vibration detection, that was about all the slime could discern. That and quickly beating wings behind its back that flung into action to keep the creature afloat. Its limited sight also told the slime that this new creature had four colours, black, white, two dots of green and a very weak looking pink.


    ¡°Hello, awakener,¡± spoke the creature, ¡°I am the fairy of this mountain and deliverer of the divine quest of the maker of this pocket world. My name is Aclysia.¡±


    The slime reached up to it by extending a part of it upwards.


    ¡°A handshake?¡± asked Aclysia, tilting her head quizzically, ¡°How peculiar, I am to be a guide. Then again, I was supposed to be awakened by a human.¡± The metal fairy reached out to shake the tentacle.


    The slime slimed around her hand. A feeling of disappointment hit it as it realized that it still couldn¡¯t eat this thing that just appeared before it. Metal, dead or alive, was not affected by its acid. At least it guessed that from the fact that the metal fairy up and down motion seemed playful rather than an attempt at getting out of its body.


    Also, it continued to make these weirdly calming sounds. What a strange and wide range of noises for an animal to make.


    ¡°I do have to admit that you smell rather nice, awakener,¡± Aclysia continued on as her hand was released. It was completely unharmed, indeed the slimes acid only attacked biological matter or things that were directly part of living beings. It would dissolve clam shells, but not armour. Fringe cases notwithstanding.


    A fairy entirely made from sentient metal? Not an exception to the rule.


    The odd creature sniffed the air around the slime. ¡°Very attractive,¡± she continued, leaning against his form.


    Having gotten what it wanted, something interesting to remember of today, the slime turned around and slugged its way towards and up the stone walls. The axolotl eyes vanished, but the slime knew exactly which path it had followed. All it needed was an ant¡¯s nose, and it could follow its own pheromone trail back to its base.


    The fairy followed it. ¡°Uhm, awakener,¡± for the first time its tone wavered, but the slime had no idea what that different frequency meant. ¡°Where are you going? Do you not wish¡­ to¡­ commune¡­ with¡­ me¡­?¡±


    It slowly dawned on the metal fairy that it had been accidentally awoken by a creature that had no idea what it had done and was incapable of speech. Did it even understand her? She flew overhead of the blob and asked, ¡°Awakener, do you hear my words?¡±


    The easy answer to that was: Yes, it felt the vibrations dully in the air. Although, even if the slime had known what they meant, its vibration sense wasn¡¯t quite good enough yet to discern the words from each other. It just heard the tone and the tone was non-threatening, so it moved on.


    The metal fairy hovered on the spot, dumbfounded. It had been sent to this plan by the 33rd god of the omniverse decades ago. Whoever was to find her, so her creator, would be her awakener and she was to help him become a person of greatness. Hero, villain, inventor or conqueror, all of that had been left unsaid, just someone who went and left his, her or (as it turned out) its mark on the omniverse


    And it was a slime.


    Aclysia gathered herself and flew after her awakener. ¡°It seems then that I am bound to an oddity,¡± she spoke, more to herself than to the slime. ¡°Perhaps you have more underneath your green membrane than my eyes can discern? A slime with mana and patience to awaken me has to hide something.¡±


    All around, the metal fairy was taking her fate in stride. There was no reason to be downtrodden or disappointed, in the first place her mission was incredibly vague. For now she would play the observer over this slime.


    As night began to fall on the mountain, the slime came to a halt inside its den and stretched out its branches. Aclysia blinked at that display and gave a small, pale-pink lipped smile. Seemed like her awakener was unusual indeed.


    With nothing better to do, the metal fairy followed its instincts and settled down on the floor. Her quick beating wings folded behind her back, as black and white as the rest of her body. She inspected herself, from the long, straight, white hair and pale skin to the black, one-piece dress she was wearing. Hands and feet, arms and legs, were also veiled with long pieces of black exterior, serving no other purpose than giving her the appearance as if she was wearing stockings and gloves. The only thing that really stood out in her colouration were the brilliant green eyes, the colour of fresh spring leaves, which she directed at the floor around her awakeners¡¯ resting place.


    The chaos nature had made of the lawn affronted her eyes. Withered twigs and unruly blades of grass were laying around in an unacceptable non-pattern. If this was to be her and her awakener¡¯s home for the immediate future, then she would clean up this place. Not like she had anything better to do while the slime slept.


    Of course, the slime didn¡¯t sleep, so it spent the night wondering about the curious creature it had awakened by mere boredom. Keeping track of the tremors, as she cleared up tiny branches of the forest floor and stacked them up elsewhere, the slime thought about how this was at least something to concentrate on during the night.


    Then it went to update the map inside its mind, maybe the next days would bring something else that was different?

 The metal fairy 3

    The slime indeed managed to find something interesting. It was a predatory plant. Disguising itself as part of the grass, a network of earthbound vines waited patiently. If a deer, a bunny or anything suitable in size happened upon it, the vines grappled onto the creature¡¯s legs. Then, it proceeded to just hold them until they died. Accordingly, this plant was called grip-root. Adventurers weren¡¯t known for their naming sense, even if they had a doctorate in biology at the side.


    Afterwards, the vines covered the animal and just let it rot away. As this was simply a strategy the grip-root had developed to increase soil quality, getting regular food wasn¡¯t necessary. Which was good for it, since only young, unlucky or inexperienced animals would fall for the obvious traps.


    ¡°What a ghastly way of digestion,¡± Aclysia commented for herself, looking at the resulting boneyard. Feeling like she would go crazy if she didn¡¯t hear some voice every now and again, she had picked up the habit of monologuing.


    The slime was slowly coming to the idea that there were different things expressed by the change in tone in the metal fairy''s growling. It had yet to decipher what though. It also didn¡¯t try particularly often, feeling that, without ears, that was a lost cause.


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡± Aclysia flew over to the site of a grip-root and plucked one rabbit¡¯s skull off the floor. The grip-root moved out of instinctual response, but was unable to find the flying fairy itself. Taking off with the skull, she dropped the acquisition in front of her awakener. ¡°¡­could you eat that and get one of your new Growths?¡± she had spent the last few days deciphering the slime¡¯s abilities and, unorthodox as they were, found them to be rather simple to understand. At least the base of it.


    The slime, wondering the same independently, began its encapsulation of the mortal remains. For a start, it found that the rotting flesh bits tasted most foul. It recoiled a bit at the taste, almost tempted to just not eat this and get something different. However, since the taste was already in its everything, it might as well buckle up and get done with it. For science.


    At least the bone tasted okay. Not particularly intensive, but the steady, slightly sweet taste washed out the bitter, disgustingly sweet but also sour mixture of rot. It was like rinsing down a serving of putrid fish with honey mixed with water.


    The result was nothing. While the slime felt sated, no new Growths revealed themselves to its mind. Eating corpses was, apparently, not an option. To be more exact, eating things it hadn¡¯t killed itself wasn¡¯t, the slime had continued growing from the tree long after the lack of branches had finished it off.


    It wasn¡¯t growing anymore though, so a stationary plant like this was pretty welcome. Also, those vines looked like they would be of help. There were varying sizes of them, so the slime could hopefully get something that grew with it for a bit.


    ¡°What are you doing, awakener?¡± Aclysia asked as the slime simply crawled over to the vines. ¡°Should you really¡­. Right, there is no reason for me to worry,¡± she scolded herself for being silly, having forgotten for a moment that her awakener was a blob with only one internal organ.


    The grip-root had absolutely no way of harming the slime, even as it dragged itself within its reach. The green vines wrapped themselves around the amorphous creature, but failed to grapple anything. In return, one of those very vines got stuck in the slime, who then proceeded to slurp it up like spaghetti, only very slowly.


    Because that put its membrane into a peculiar state of vulnerability, the slime was very careful in this process. If the grip-root had pain receptors, it could have sensed what was happening now and jerked away, leaving a giant hole in the slimes side. Because the goop creature was aware that such a wound would have been devastating to recuperate from, even though not impossible, it limited the amount of root inside it any time so that, if the worst-case scenario came about, the wound would be shallow.


    Luckily, the plant stayed blissfully unaware about its ongoing digestion. Noticing this, the slime soon sped up by pulling more of the vines inside it, increasing the ongoing digestion.


    Despite this it took the slime over three days to eat the entire plant down to the roots. Hours spent repeating the same process. Start at one vine, slowly dissolving it towards the centre, move back out, get onto the next vine. The longest ones were easily triple the slimes size, putting them at around a metre, but only a few centimeters thick.


    ¡°I notice that you are done,¡± Aclysia spoke up, having spent the time whirling around the surrounding area and keeping watch. She was pretty weak in her current stage, but she could take care of some pests that would interrupt her awakener.


    The slime grew out a vine appropriate for its size and attempted to use it as an arm. Only it couldn¡¯t. Confused, it grew a second one, the result being the same. They simply flopped around. Aclysia fluttered down and folded her moth-like wings, black and white like most of her, behind her back, making it seem like she had a fuzzy cape.


    ¡°Are you not able to use these?¡± the metal fairy wondered, touching vine. In response, it coiled around her, or attempted to as Aclysia took to the air again, the wings beating so fast they became a mere grey blur behind her back. The vines were quick enough to secure a grip on a trotting animal¡¯s foot, not on an alert fairy.


    Realizing that it couldn¡¯t control the plant part, the slime quivered in frustration. The indication here was pretty clear, Growths based on greenery could only do what they were supposed to instinctively. That made them inherently less useful to the slime.


    At least it got a nice size boost out of it, so eating a second one would be worth it. Even if only to finally grow beyond what those pesky eagles would try to take on a surprise and deadly flight on.


    Aclysia, a bit confused as to why her awakener had tried to grab her, but not upset in any way, saw the slime pulling the green vines back into its body. Then it went to search something. When that something turned out to be another grip-root, which it began to devour in much the same process, she resigned herself to another few days of boredom.


    Luckily, she was a patient girl.


    ¡°Yo, Hizulu, watch out!¡± a different voice ripped her out of her thoughts. It was berating, deep enough to be identified as male and generally annoyed. ¡°If you run too fast around here you may break your ankle! Grip-root and all that.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± a second, upbeat and clearly female voice answered. A sniffing sound accompanied her approach. ¡°I am just smelling something amazing, I tell you!¡±

 The metal fairy 4

    The woman that came into view was a beast kin, a breed of humanoids that took on animal traits. They had been a staple in the omni-verse since their inception, and many gods saw it as their goal in life to think of new animals just to cross them with humanoids and see which resulting female had the cutest ears. There was a figurative war in heaven whether anybody could even challenge the cat girls in that regard. It had actually been literal for a little bit, but that was a story few ever talked about.


    This particular specimen was of the dog variety. Wolfish ears peeked out of her brown hair and her deep tanned body moved over the ground on all fours as she continued sniffing her way around. A fluffy tail wagged at her lower back. Judging by the light leather armour and the crossbow strapped to her back, she was a ranger.


    She was also a cute young thing, in her early twenties, with a round face and lively brown eyes. Her body was lean and athletic, she didn¡¯t have a killer-figure but because of how good of a shape she was in there were few men who would have scorned her. Unluckily for most guys, she had too much energy to be chased after.


    The man accompanying her was one of those men who didn¡¯t care about her, namely because her personality was way too much upkeep for him. Also, because he was her instructor from the Brancher¡¯s Guild, the organization that was out to explore the leaves of the omni-verse.


    He was strict, stood tall and wielded the unorthodox combination of a sorcerer¡¯s staff and plate armour. Being somebody who liked his life and often went on solo-quests in his youth, he had specialized in a way that was versatile. On his face, showing the beginning of wrinkles, was a near constant scowl and he checked the sky every few seconds. Every other second he used to check if his gelled back black hair was still sitting in place.


    ¡°What are you looking for, Hemle?¡± the dog girl, Hizulu, asked.


    ¡°Either an eagle or a vulture, that¡¯s what we are here for, remember?¡± Hemle asked. His job was to protect that energetic girl as she went out to tame her first proper pet.


    ¡°Ah, right!¡± Hizulu perked up for a moment, ¡°I completely forgot!¡±


    Hemle shook his head, why was he stuck with this kind of airhead again? Right, because he needed to finance his son¡¯s magical college tuition. ¡®Do it for him,¡¯ Hemle thought, he generally liked his job as an instructor, but days like these made him wish he was stuck in a pencil-pusher profession instead. ¡°Just what are you after though?¡± Hemle asked, sniffing. ¡°Huh, now I actually smell something nice too.¡± His human nose finally picked up on the pheromones.


    That was what Aclysia picked up from her position in the tree.


    The slime noticed two giants heading for it and, in response, flattened itself next to a tree. There was no way it was going to fight those titans. For a moment, it cursed just how huge it was in comparison to its original droplet state. It would have had no problem hiding from those oddly-shaped things back then. Come to think of it, weren¡¯t they shaped like Aclysia, but just scaled up? Also, they were continuously letting out growl sounds.


    It took a few more sentences out of the two before the slime finally got that they were communicating with those sounds. In other words, the metal fairy had tried to inform it of things. Now the slime felt like an idiot.


    An idiot that was also confused by the humanoid body shape. Two of the three he had met so far moved on two legs, only the one that was now approaching him moved on four. Where was the logic in that? Were the metal fairy and the metal-skinned one hurt and somehow managed to keep their balance on just two legs? Seemed unlikely, but that was the best the slime could come up with at its current sample size.


    Either way, the tailed one was steadily approaching and it did not like that. Moving would have immediately given away its position. Then, the immense quivering of the creature¡¯s likely nose finally made the slime realize what was at fault there. Immediately, it ceased pheromone production.


    ¡°Gotcha!¡± the brunette shouted as she grabbed the slime.


    ¡°Hizulu, are you insane?!¡± her instructor immediately scolded her as she raised the blob of amorphous slime off the floor. ¡°Grabbing a slime is the quickest way to get ones gloves dissolved! Have you forgotten the lectures already? Always poke a slime with a stick first to see if it is a biting, non-biting or sinkers species!¡±


    The difference between them being whether it was a slime that immediately tried to gnaw on what was touching it or not. Alternatively, there were slimes that didn¡¯t have an outer membrane, thus having the hand ¡®sink¡¯ right in. Usually those weren¡¯t acidic, but it was still a worthwhile thing to check.


    Didn¡¯t quite work for this specimen, since it was sapient and could make the decision every time it was encountered, but still.


    ¡°Yes, yes, sure, but look, I think he likes me!¡± Hizulu answered, waving around the kitten-sized unmoving blob in her leather-clad hands. ¡°If it is a he, could be a she, are you a she?¡±


    The slime had opted not to attack the enormous creature just yet. If they tried to eat it, the acidic blob would try what had worked with the eagle, namely sacrificing some of its current mass to burn the inside of their mouths and then flee when they lost interest.


    Hopefully they weren¡¯t as vengeful as ants, otherwise that plan would be turn into a pile of shambles quicker than its nucleus would.


    ¡°It¡¯s a slime, it¡¯s an it!¡± Hemle kept lecturing the beast kin. ¡°Which is weird enough in and of itself, Ctania is an explored leaf and slimes are only reported to have been seen on the watery continent north of here.¡±


    ¡°Must have swam a long way then,¡± Hizulu guessed. The slime was wondering if it could jump off and used a bounce to run away.


    ¡°Impossible, if it lives here its not a saltwater slime, it would have never survived,¡± came the prompt answer. ¡°It must be one of the chaotic aligned deities trying to change up this leaf.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you lecture us repeatedly about how this is a safe world?¡± asked Hizulu. ¡°The covenant would prevent all gods aside from the original thirty-three from getting involved with it, would it not?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°And the original thirty-three usually announce changes to safe worlds, do they not?¡±


    Hemle quietly cursed the girl for remembering the one thing of his many classes that smashed his best theory. ¡°Well then, I am as clueless as you are,¡± he admitted and went back to scowling. ¡°Anyhow, kill or leave it, we should continue searching for an eagle.¡±


    ¡°How about I try taming this instead?¡± asked the dog girl. While the smell was slowly waning, it was still fresh and pleasant in her nose. Very alluring, she wanted to cuddle this soft thing and use it as a pillow.


    ¡°¡­mhm,¡± the battle mage didn¡¯t put it aside immediately, he thought of the practical implications. ¡°It is a rare occasion, so you may get yourself something good if you do. Or it might be a regular old, green slime that does nothing special and you will have to hire me for help a second time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Hizulu decided. Even if the slime did turn out to be useless, she would just keep it at home or in the ranger¡¯s farm. At her level of aptitude, she could only keep up one mental connection to an animal or monster. She put her eyes intensely on the thing.


    The slime, only sensing that things were suddenly silent, kept standing still. An anticipating gust rolled over the mountainside, causing the leaves of nearby trees to rustle with the whispers of a fateful meeting. The sun peeked through the clouds, even the sparrows kept their quiet.


    ¡°Uhm¡­I can¡¯t seem to do it,¡± Hizulu stated.


    Must have been a fateful meeting elsewhere.


    ¡°Are you sure you are applying your mana correctly?¡± the instructor asked, crossing his arms over his crystal-tipped spear-staff hybrid.


    ¡°Channelling it through its nucleus, should be easier than the normal application,¡± usually the process of taming involved the difficult act of channelling a ranger¡¯s mana through an animal¡¯s heart and brain at the same time. With slimes only possessing a nucleus, which was usually a pretty basic brain, there had been training animals that should have been harder to tame. ¡°It just straight-up doesn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Greetings,¡± Aclysia finally made her entrance by flying in front of the ranger¡¯s face. ¡°My name is¡­¡± she was interrupted by the dog girl shouting in surprise and falling backwards, tossing the slime into the air in the process. ¡°¡­Aclysia,¡± she continued all the same. ¡°You are incapable of taming this slime due to its status as a sapient being.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay¡­ that¡¯s weird,¡± Hizulu said, rubbing her shapely butt while looking at the metal fairy. The slime, in the meanwhile bounced twice from the excess force. It did not like the feeling of its nucleus being catapulted through its body whatsoever. If it could, it would have puked. ¡°I mean, I know there are slime people, but I haven¡¯t heard of a sentient slime yet.¡±


    ¡°Sapient, she said sapient,¡± corrected Hemle. ¡°Sentient means that it can perceive and feel things, all slimes are sentient to some degree. Sapient beings are able to think and plan.¡± He looked at the metal fairy. ¡°Nevermind all of that, did you say Aclysia?¡±


    ¡°That is my designation, correct.¡±


    ¡°The divine quest sent by the 33rd god, Hashahin?¡±


    ¡°That is one of the names my, usually bored, creator goes by, correct.¡±


    ¡°¡­It has been 64 years since your arrival on this world has been announced, ceaseless Brancher¡¯s, Walker¡¯s and Climber¡¯s have tried to find you and now you appear before us randomly,¡± Hemle shook his head in disbelief. ¡°I will take your divine quest!¡±


    Divine quests didn¡¯t have their name for show. They were of unparalleled difficulty, length but also reward. Whether it be legendary weapons, favours from the gods, complete control over one of the many leaves of the dimensional trunk of the god¡¯s home dimension in the omni-verse, even immortality wasn¡¯t out of the picture.


    As such, they were immensely coveted. Sadly, getting to be on one was more often random than per will. If one was lucky, they got picked by a god and put on the path. Others were given by walking through a door at the right time. Some gods just wanted to see who could give them a certain amount of tribute first before handing out the quest.


    So, when one had been announced to have its starting point in a safe world, everyone had scrambled to get there. In his youth, Hemle himself had tried to find it, hence why he had a greedy look in his eyes now.


    ¡°I have to disappoint you, my existence is already marked with the mana of the slime,¡± Aclysia informed the instructor, leaving both him and the beast kin dumbfounded.


    ¡°You want to tell me, that a slime that nobody knows where it came from is strolling around this place,¡± Hizulu began.


    ¡°Affirmative.¡±


    ¡°And that it is a sapient creature.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡± that was Hemle talking, ¡°that it took the divine quest that people have been searching for, for over sixty years.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia¡¯s answers kept coming somewhat monotonous. She had wished for a conversation, but her serving nature kept her words to simple confirmations.


    ¡°If I kill the slime, does it become open again?¡± Hemle asked.


    ¡°Affirmative, albeit I rather you wouldn¡¯t,¡± the metal fairy answered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± the instructor opened his folded arms and gripped his weapon tight. Killing a small green sapient slime or foregoing a divine quest, even for an ex-adventurer the choice there was pretty obvious. ¡°Where is that thing?!¡±


    The slime was pretty close, just a few metres ahead to be exact, sitting in the hole where a grab-root had been before and disguising itself as the same. It had taken the first opportunity to do that, as everyone seemed to be distracted talking to each other.


    Being an experienced instructor, Hemle dodged the annoying plants for the whole hour he ran in circles in search of the slime, before Hizulu finally convinced him that he had another job to do. Luckily, the slime had disabled its pheromone track and it would be more careful with that thing in the future.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± the battle mage guaranteed and then went back to watching the sky. Aclysia waved him goodbye.

 The metal fairy 5

    The slime stayed in the ground for a couple of days. ¡°Awakener, they are gone,¡± no amount of speaking from Aclysia could persuade it that it was safe. Just because it now knew she was trying to communicate with it with those sounds didn¡¯t mean it was suddenly aware what she meant. Didn¡¯t help that it still only heard her tone and couldn¡¯t discern the words.


    For the moment, it would be a plant. An absolute vegetable, just sitting around and being inconspicuous. Those two Aclysia-esque things, those bi-pedalled freaks of nature, they scared the slime. Because they were strong in a way the slime hadn¡¯t encountered yet. They were the first things that felt like itself, like they had more goals than just surviving. That made them unpredictable.


    The slime wasn¡¯t fundamentally against unpredictable things, on the contrary, it really liked the entertaining value of it. The fun stopped when they could kill it though and the way the metal-skinned one had stomped around most certainly made it feel like he wanted to do exactly that.


    Even if the slime was to move, the question was where to. The energetic one had found it through the pheromones, so the tree stump was out. That area was positively drenched with the stuff. Maybe it would serve as a distraction because of that, so not all was bad.


    While the slime still pondered about its next moves, occasionally getting nudged by Aclysia¡¯s tiny index finger, something rather unexpected happened. A young deer ran straight into the slimes grab-roots. That was a nice gift from fate. Although the total of twelve tendrils the slime had grown (the current maximum of Growths it could maintain) were pretty few for a grab-root, it had chosen the sturdiest ones out of instinct.


    Nevertheless, it was quite lucky to have a deer running around these parts, to the best of the slime¡¯s observation these more often than not strolled around at the edge of the forest below. Then again, this little assembly of trees and grass was somewhat like a miniature forest. Either way, the vines did what the vines did and were keeping the deer in place.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t like this hunting strategy,¡± Aclysia crossed her arms, looking at the poor animal, struggling against the gripping greenery.


    After minutes of trying, the deer managed to free its front hoof and tried to dart away, but by then one of its back hoofs had also been grabbed. The dash thus ended rather abruptly with the slime getting halfway pulled out of its earthen hiding place and the deer losing its balance. Now on the ground, it had no chance of getting up again, especial with its liquid captor snuggling back under the lawn.


    It would have met a slow death of exhaustion and famine, as the slime had no interest nor knowledge or tools to end its suffering quickly. Flying down to the struggling deer, Aclysia gently touched its neck, searching for the spine. The touch seemed to calm the much larger animal. ¡°I will grant you quick sleep,¡± the metal fairy promised and conjured magic.


    Mana pulsated inside her god-crafted soul and filled this tiny vessel. It was impossible to wield a lot of it, it would break what she currently was. However, enough to give this sorry thing a quick death, that she could do.


    That was when another unexpected thing happened, something that Aclysia should have seen coming but her inwards cast gaze failed to. There was a reason why Hemle had stepped towards the grab-roots field and that was carcasses. Every carcass attracted many things wanting an easy feast. Insects and rodents were among the unappetizing things, but there was a large bird that liked to take partake in it as well. One of the two that Hemle had been tasked to help find.


    Vultures.


    The grey-feathered bird landed on the immobilized deer, wary of the roots that had made its prey easy pickings. It had been circling its usual route in search of food, a route that took it around the entire mountain once per month or two, depending on the number of findings. Wherever grab-roots bloomed, these carcass devouring animals could not be far. Famished as this particular individual was, it didn¡¯t hesitate to dirty its own beak to end the deer.


    The long neck descended, the thick fur at the base standing on edge. Red blood soon sullied that grass as the curved beak of the creature drew it fresh from the young life of the deer. The vulture drew back its head and shook it to get rid of the few spurts of vitae that had spurted out of the vein it had cut open. On blood and red meat, it planned to gorge today.


    Unlucky for it that the magic Aclysia had already gathered needed some sort of outlet. ¡°My awakener will surely appreciate a feast,¡± she stated. She didn¡¯t feel animosity towards the vulture for doing what she planned to do, if in a bit more brutal a fashion. Like stated, her priority lay indeed only in helping the slime.


    The pin-point blade of mana she had meant to conjure to sever the nerves at the deer¡¯s neck changed into a sharp gust of wind. Spread out like that, the force was too small to do more than cut a few feathers in twain. Aclysia¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t to cut, however, but for the still half-open wings of the massive bird to catch the wind. Under such conditions, the vulture lost its footing on top of the carcass, a less than optimal standing position in the first place.


    Tumbling backwards, the bird fell on top of one of the unoccupied grab-roots of the slime. The creature that had taken advantage of these plants all its life now became victim to it. Nature couldn¡¯t just be cruel, it could also create sick irony. Or a large, several day lasting meal for a slime that was only vaguely aware what just happened.


    It just hoped that the kill on the deer was still eligible for its consumption and emulation ability. Since it had caught it, it should count. Right?


    It did.


    Eating both of those animals, much larger than the slime currently was, had taken the blob quite some time. Regardless, there it was, belly full and with a whole array of new things. Number one object of appreciation: vulture eyes. These things were so good, it almost physically hurt the slime to use them. There was so much it could now see, it was astounding.


    Most of all Aclysia.


    She was really cute and sexy, and that was the first time the slime had thought of anything that way. Sure, she was small, even compared to it, but she had aesthetically pleasing curves. Her simple, no longer blurry, black-white colouration and pale skin made her definitely more pleasing to look at than the boring green everywhere. Her backwards flowing hair, way too orderly for this wild, made her look like a word the slime didn¡¯t know and would have no reference to, either ¡®civilized¡¯ or downright ¡®noble¡¯.


    Before the slime knew what it was doing, it was nomming on Aclysia. Not to eat her, but just because it felt like the right thing to do. ¡°This is weirdly pleasant,¡± the metal fairy said in a tone the slime thought was appreciating.


    Feeling as if she got a full body massage, the divine quest giver let herself be devoured for a few minutes. Then the slime remembered that it had to go elsewhere. There would be more time to inspect her body later.


    It rapidly tried out all new Growths it had, only stopping to eat off another grip-root, increasing its size and replenishing its energy. The deer¡¯s legs and mouth were pretty useful, but overall the vulture had easily the more useful features. Not only were its legs more suitable for the slimes current size, but the beak was better at ripping stuff apart than the herbivore¡¯s teeth were. The ability to grow antlers was kind of cool, however. Shame that, much like a shell, that would take time.


    The king of all of these new acquisitions must have been the wings, however. At a total wingspan of over one and a half metres on a thirty-centimetre wide body. Sure, it was a translucent, drop shaped body, but they still managed to get the slime off the floor.


    Its first attempts at flying sent it two feet forwards, fluttering and then splattering against a tree. It experienced a world of hurt when its nucleus clashed against bark from the momentum. Luckily, it stayed inside its body, so it was just like a human running their forehead against a doorframe.


    It would have to experiment with that a bit more.

 The metal fairy 6

    Above Mount Estania, the easternmost peak of the disk world leaf of Ctania, soared a creature. It was beyond strange to look at, even seasoned Branchers, the highest and most dangerous adventuring profession, would have stopped to look. Even the gods didn¡¯t erect such mockeries of nature that often.


    Yet, there it was, a chimera of the strangest design. The most inoffensive parts of it were the large wings it carefully navigated the air with. Except there were four in total. The main body, however, was even weirder. Two pairs of vulture legs stuck out of a translucent body, which was stretched into the shape of an elongated egg. The wide tail end sported a sudden growth of feathers, a wide fan the slime had found necessary to properly navigate.


    A long neck that seemed like it was a return to normalcy extended from the front. The grey pelt of a vulture leading up to the head and beak. Sadly, lowering one''s eyes to the ears of a deer, surrounding the base of the neck, would make one realize rather quickly that they still weren¡¯t looking at a normal vulture.


    They may not have liked it, but this was what current slime peak performance looked like. The slime was just too heavy to be lifted by one pair of wings and to make a stable landing and pick up enough speed it had found four legs much better than two. Feeling the air in them, the slime made a quick correction on the position of the deer ears.


    It was nowhere near as nimble as other airborne creatures, but it could fly, and travelling via air was way faster than crawling. Also, it had found that its new, freakish appearance caused other animals to straight-up run away.


    ¡°This is certainly entertaining,¡± a surprisingly light metal fairy announced, sitting on the slimes back and holding on to its current neck. Although it could now clearly discern what the words were, it still had no idea what she was saying.


    The question of how that communication of hers worked had to be delayed until the slime felt it was safe. Obviously, it needed to go somewhere else before the metal-skinned one returned. Either that, or get strong enough to face that thing, which the slime doubted it could do in a short span of time.


    However, just relocating at the current point felt like a waste. It had gnawed itself through most of the local food chain. True, it had never succeeded in eating a bunny, but if it just managed to get to the top here it would get another scaling attribute, a True Growth, whatever it should be called. It was direly needed as well, as the slime had a hard time remembering how to construct parts it acquired a while back.


    Not consuming the source of something for a long time would eventually lead to the slime forgetting about how to replicate it. A very frustrating thing but ultimately it made sense. After all, the blob was aware that it was only borrowing structures, to truly make them its own it needed to keep on improving and strengthen its nucleus through becoming the apex predator of numerous biomes and risking danger every time. Just amassing lots of stolen attributes would do it no good in the long term.


    In other words, to keep evolving it had to keep challenging itself.


    Maybe because it was its nature, but the slime kind of liked that idea. It was rapidly developing a daredevil persona. It wasn¡¯t bad yet, however, nobody could know what kind of path the monster would eventually be walking down.


    For the moment, it wasn¡¯t daredevil enough to challenge the eagles that dominated this area. Particularly the one whose beak the slimes acid had damaged was something it wanted to take out. Not out of vengeance, not mainly at least, but just to realize how far it had come since leaving its birthplace.


    For now, it was hungry and its vulture eyes looked around. These things were criminally good, it could see better than the previous axolotl eyes by an order of magnitude. They were so good; the slime was happy again that it didn¡¯t choose the eyes of the axolotl. Then again, as they would have scaled with the slime, those wouldn¡¯t have been to terrible at the current time? Either way, the pheromones would certainly be good for something someday.


    All of this and more crossed the slimes mind as it looked for food. It spotted something moving in the grass a kilometre below and began its dive. Well, dive was putting it quite harshly, more like four-winged sailing.


    At first it thought it was approaching a rabbit, but it soon turned out that this was an entirely different creature. Something that that slime found to be quite odd indeed, if it was even allowed to think that. It was just¡­ yeah, it was basically just a head on a tail. No legs, no arms no nothing.


    ¡°Awakener, you are not planning to crash again, are you?¡± Aclysia asked, she had seen the slime half-splatter against various surfaces at least twenty times over the last few days, trying to learn how to fly and figuring out which Growths it did and did not need.


    Her human quality eyes were not quite good enough to spot the snake until the slime was already upon it. In turn, the snake only noticed when the two front talons of the slime were already nailing it to the ground. The flexible creature, even if pinned, had enough room to lash out at the slime.


    Who now had its first meeting with the concept of poison. It was not a happy first date.


    Instinctively going for its assailants¡¯ neck, the snake¡¯s twin fangs appeared only once its mouth was wide open and quickly vanished inside the flesh at the base of the long neck, where the Growth and the translucently green main body were melding together.


    While the loss of a Growth was essentially non-important to the slime, it could just replace them after eating something new to replenish its mass, there was something very different about this time. A liquid was pumped into its body, not a lot of it, but something, and because the fangs had penetrated the neck at a downwards angle the poison was delivered to both the Growth and the slimes main body.


    The effect in the main body spread quickly, being one liquid mixing with another. The slime developed a rather sudden and brutal nucleus-ache. It felt like its whole membrane was expanding only to collapse again, while at the same time not moving at all. Hot and cold washed over it and a sluggishness overcame it,the kind it hadn¡¯t known before.


    As quickly as all that came, it was gone again. The acidity of its inner digestion fluid also made for a pretty good neutralizer of natural poison, purely because it quickly dissolved them into less dangerous parts. A feeling of bodily apathy remained, as if the slime¡¯s body just didn¡¯t feel like moving, but the pain and pulsating were gone.


    The Growths, on the other hand, reacted like their proper biological sources would and went increasingly numb until the slime could not control them anymore and they simply limped to the floor. Now blind, without functioning ears and noses, the slime pulled those Growths back into its body.


    An incredibly unwise decision, as it delivered into itself another batch of the poison and, together with it, another wave of torment. At that point the slime was 90% sure it knew what other animals felt like when trying to eat it and understood why the eagle had quickly discarded it like its own waste.


    Afterwards, it felt just bad. Like, physically ill to the literal core. On one hand it wanted to get away from this odd, worm-like creature. On the other it was already done with the suffering and this poison stuff looked incredibly useful.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Aclysia made a sudden sound and, her hand on her awakener¡¯s back, began gathering magic. She felt a bit stupid for not realizing immediately what the limping of the slime¡¯s ¡®head¡¯ meant, especially with the snake still lodged in place. ¡°You have been poisoned. I can fix that¡­if it is just a natural toxin, at least.¡±


    The slime felt something cool starting from the metal fairies hand and from there travelling through its entire body like a slowly unfolding ripple. It perked up, reinvigorated and freed from the sluggishness. Now it wished it hadn¡¯t pulled the Growths back in.


    Whatever, the slime decided that it was time to eat this pesky thing and then give its helper some more slime cuddles.

 The metal fairy 7

    Having finished its meal, the slime regrew its earlier discarded head construction, a vulture head save for the ears, and then added another right next to it. That second head was just a vulture¡¯s neck ending on the otherwise featureless maw of a snake. Testing, the slime opened its new appendage.


    The tongueless mouth opened, revealing the successful reconstruction of the fangs. Reaching out of their hiding place in the flesh of the upper jaw. There was just a minor problem here.


    Vulture Neck x2


    Vulture Head


    Vulture Eyes


    Vulture Beak


    Vulture Legs x2


    Vulture Wings x2


    Vulture Tail Feathers


    Pheromone Glands


    Vulture Nose


    Snake Head


    There were a total of fourteen Growths the slime was currently sustaining. As it so happened, that was also the upper limit of it. The annoying thing was that it still needed the poison bag for the fangs to pack the proper punch. Something had to go.


    It couldn¡¯t make the pheromone glands vanish. While having the Growth become a part of its own body came with a slew of advantages, such as a wider and continuously relevant array of applications, it was also permanent. No getting rid of that one.


    Going through the rest of the options, the slime ultimately decided that a sense of smell was not that important, so it got rid of the vulture nose and sported a poison bag. Now it only needed to produce the poison.


    ¡°I wish I knew what is going on inside there,¡± the metal fairy, whose exterior was squeaky clean from getting a thorough cuddling session, poked at the slime¡¯s exterior. A less experienced Aclysia would have made a surprised noise when the slime suddenly started moving again, but at this point the suddenness of her awakener¡¯s decisions could not bother her. She was pretty good at going with the flow.


    Galloping as best as the thin bird legs allowed it, the slime gained momentum. After a few metres, it spread its wings and beat all four of them at once, raising it off the ground just enough to give it time for a second beat. The back and front pair of grey feathered wings gradually went from large synchronized strokes to a tandem where the slime went from maintaining height to gaining it.


    Taking advantage of the natural winds, it soon glided effortlessly and watched over the landscape.


    It should have kept its eyes higher.


    ¡°Awakener!¡± the urgent tone fell on deaf ears and the slime suddenly found the winds underneath its wings ripped away by a magical gust from the opposite direction. Its whole world tumbled around and Aclysia was catapulted off its back. With a majestic screech and sporting its sickle-like talons, dark grey on yellow feet, an eagle was heading for the slime.


    Not any eagle, but exactly the one the slime wanted to fight, given away by the acidic burn marks on the black-tipped yellow beak. The king of the air had tolerated this pretender in its domain long enough and now moved in to teach this creature a lesson. Unaware that it was facing its former prey, the Ctanian mountain eagle clashed into the chimera and then both of them turned into a kicking, scratching and biting assembly of limbs in free fall.


    The slime did not like this whatsoever. It had planned to face the eagle, but it had wanted to do so on its own terms and with poison in hand. Instead, it had been the one who got ambushed, the eagle was now on its defenceless back. Even worse, with all the recent growing it had done, getting rid of the useless poison bag and replacing it with something more useful was not an option. It would only leave the slime famished and it shouldn¡¯t risk losing energy in the middle of a fight.


    Not that the speed at which it all happened even allowed it to think about it in mid-combat adaptations. This was not an axolotl thrashing periodically, this was an eagle in full flight, picking its curved beak at the slime¡¯s eyes.


    Picked and succeeded. At the same time as the talons ripped open the slimes outter membrane, it lost an eye. Acidic and faux blood spluttered into the air. The slime¡¯s only retaliation was to try and use its newly acquired fangs to deal some damage in return. It hit. Hit and bit into a mouthful of dense feathers, only barely reaching flesh with the tips.


    Without poison, that wasn¡¯t enough.


    The long neck of the vulture, which the slime thought was an advantage at first, turned out to be a massive weakness. Once the attack of its first head had been evaded by the skilled predator, the eagle moved in. As great as a long neck was for mobility, it was also a large and exposed weak spot. The eagle had killed more than one vulture in its days.


    While it was true that the corpse eaters were generally bigger, the eagle was better in almost every other aspect. Its talons were sharper, its beak more dangerous, its sharp form allowed for quicker and more nimble flight and this particular breed even wielded minor air magic.


    Torrents of electricity flooded the slimes body. Not a harmful amount, just enough to paralyze it for a few seconds. Which was all the eagle needed as it let go of the slime. Their fight had been about to end in a double suicide, the ground too close. Letting an enemy shatter on the rocky floor of the mountainside was a normal way to end prolonged battles in the air, be it by taking away their wings or paralyzing them.


    A streak of white and black passed the eagle. Having spent the entire time since being catapulted of its back chasing after the slime, Aclysia stretched her hands towards it. An angry eagle set after it, whatever this small creature was, she was an ally of the invader of its territory. It would end her and the slime and once again be uncontested in these heavens.


    The metal fairy had no particular reason to feel strongly for the slime. After awakening her on accident and basically ignoring her since due to a lack of knowledge, the time spent with it was often boring and mildly humiliating for a divine construct.


    Still, the slime had potential. It had shown her warmth recently, a continuous process that showed it was capable of learning. Even without those reasons, Aclysia was duty-bond to save her awakener, as the 33rd god, her creator and last of the great ones, had commanded her.


    ¡®This vessel for your life,¡¯ she thought as cracks began showing all over her body. Glowing from within was a magical energy that vastly exceeded her capabilities, a calming white. The tip of her fingers touched the slime.


    It was a mediocre healing spell, something that could recover a humanoid from a simple sword wound. To the vastly smaller and less complicated slime, it might as well have been a full recovery. The electrical shock that had turned its nucleus into a thoughtless orb of hard material was undone, as were the injury of its eye and membrane.


    Beating its wings at the last second, the slime turned around. The eagle, not particularly well-versed in healing magic, was completely dumbfounded by this. Trying desperately to beat its wings and gain a better angle of attack, it was slow enough for a moment for the slime to reach it with its mouths.


    Beak and fangs closed around the thin stilts of the eagles legs. The slime stopped beating its wings and, despite the eagle¡¯s hardest tries, they fell together. The drop from a few metres did little to damage either party, but now the ground was the arena of their fight. Keeping the eagle¡¯s feet in its clasp, the slime shook its long necks violently.


    Side to side the aerodynamic, light body flew. Now it was the eagles turn to be disoriented. It only felt that it was smacked down on some rocks, its feather¡¯s cushioning most of the damage from that as well.


    It would quickly recover from its confusion, but not quickly enough for the slime to get on top of it. With two heads and four talons, it viciously tore at the smaller bird. Without the homefield advantage, the eagle¡¯s many advantages were lost. The only thing the slime was still wary off was another gust of wind or electricity, thus why it kept used its hindlegs to pin the eagle¡¯s talons, while the front two were ripping and shredding the eagle¡¯s chest.


    Feathers flew everywhere, lose ones at first but more bloodied once followed soon, ripped out of their home in the eagle¡¯s body with the kind of brutality only civilization could prevent. The eagle rejected death with every fibre of its being. It was born as the most majestic creature to soar the skies. Nothing but age itself should have been able to topple it, yet it should be an abomination and a small black and white streak that did it in? Preposterous!


    While the eagle wasn¡¯t smart enough to think these things, those were what fuelled its instincts as it desperately tried to fend off the repeated strikes from the two heads. Now the long necks were an advantage again, as they allowed the slime to strike and then quickly pull back.


    Bloodier feathers tumbled. A bare chest like mincemeat. Angry and violent screeches were made. An eye for an eye was taken, swallow by a snake¡¯s mouth and travelling down a vulture¡¯s windpipe to end up in a slime¡¯s body. Ultimately, the eagle¡¯s body convulsed a few more times, desperate protests, then it stopped moving.


    The slime had no idea what had finally allowed it to win, but just knew it had to do with the metal fairy. Exhausted but victorious, the slime looked around. It spied the tiny creature lying on a rock, in a position no one and nothing would find comfortable. Upside down, her long white hair, her arms and her long moth-like wings were all hanging downwards. The green eyes looked dull and her mouth stood open. Her body was covered in ugly grey cracks, from the black, smooth shape of her feet to the tip of her pointy, elvish ears.


    Completely forgetting about its new feast and the revelation that it was granted a second scaling Growth, the slime stalked over to the metal fairy. Gently, it stubbed her with the tip of its beak. All that was dislodge Aclysia¡¯s skirt from a piece of protruding rock that caused her to remain in place, sending her falling to the floor with a disheartening ¡®clunk¡¯.


    The slime continued to poke the metal fairy for several minutes. It couldn¡¯t believe she was gone. She had been with him for several weeks now, had been company and now she was dead? Just like that? It had saved her and now she just lay there.


    For the first time the slime felt loss. Not just sadness over suboptimal circumstance but genuinely like it was robbed of something it couldn¡¯t comprehend and didn¡¯t even know it had possessed.


    It reverted all of its Growths and just enveloped the fairy¡¯s body. This was the only sign of affection it knew. No more senses, just the one that allowed it sense vibrations, just the one it had itself. All was darkness and silence. The world was nothing but where its membrane ended. Nothing but the occasional gust of wind.


    In that darkness, it saw two lights. A fledgling sense born from recent increases in biomass, incapable of working outside its own body or if competing for the slime¡¯s attention with its other, borrowed senses. Just a whisper of magic. The light of its nucleus, a magical heart of compressed minerals, and the light of Aclysia¡¯s body.


    It was faint, but it wasn¡¯t fading away. The slime rejoiced. She wasn¡¯t dead, not truly. Instead, it seemed that she was asleep. With such good news, the slime went on to eat the eagle.


    Still inside the slime¡¯s body, Aclysia¡¯s state remained unchanged for a week. In that time, the slime moved as little as possible. The fear of getting caught by the metal-skinned one was minor compared to the slimes worry it might again lose the metal fairy. However, neither her body nor her magic showed any sign of recovering. The grey cracks remained in place and her aura faint.


    In the process of healing it, Aclysia had broken herself permanently. The slime understood this while pondering over the fight that had caused this state. If that was the case, just staying put would do neither of them any good. What could it do?


    That was when it remembered how it had met the fairy in the first place. The pool of liquid metal. While the original source was gone, maybe if the slime could find another one, Aclysia could use the extra materials to heal herself?


    A theory at best. With nothing else to go on and a strange desire to try its best and save its short-time and first companion, the slime nevertheless decided to try. Maybe it would have a better idea on the way, but just sitting around any longer and hoping was not how it liked to live its life.


    It had to take the risk and hope the body of the fairy was as sturdy as it felt, able to survive a long journey. With the resolution made it finally spent its newfound potential and picked the eagle¡¯s wings as its second permanent Growth.


    They unfolded to either side of the slime in a brilliant display of long, green feathers. They had the colour of emeralds or a healthy grass plane. Whether that colour came from the chloroplasts still tinging the slime¡¯s main body a translucent green, or a desire to hear the green-eyed fairy¡¯s voice again, was unclear.


    The slime took to the skies.

 Exile 1

    The slime would have been ecstatic over its new wings, were it not for circumstances. Carrying its body on their emerald span, they allowed it nimble movements through the air and were perfectly capable of lifting its body, much denser than a hollow boned bird¡¯s. To say the least, they were more reliable than the clunky four wing solution it had used prior.


    Much faster as well and nimble to boot. It would have done a couple of loops if it hadn¡¯t been carrying the body of Aclysia inside it. Reminded of the current predicament, it flapped its wings and kept looking around with the pair of eyes it sported on its underside, growing directly out of the slime. A second pair was sitting on the snake-vulture-deer construction, its current only head, and keeping a look around. It would have loved more eyes, but found that too much input on a single sense was the recipe for a nucleus-ache.


    If it could avoid it, the slime wanted to never get ambushed in the air again. Or ambushed period. Being the one doing the hidden assault was glorious, now that it had experienced twice what it was like to be on the receiving end, it also understood why. There was just no telling what was going on in the moments of confusion.


    Thinking about it, didn¡¯t the metal fairy screech something before all of this happened? Maybe she had seen the eagle and had tried to warn it. Now the slime was sad and depressed, its liquid main body becoming droopy and not at all aero-dynamic. Without it noticing, its flight path went from a straight progression to a slow descend.


    A flicker, like a lightning bolt without any thunder or electrical shock. The lowered altitude must have made it hit something. There was a weirdly symmetric block of wood underneath it. Flicker, and it was gone.


    The slime blinked all of its eyes repeatedly and checked behind it. There was just forest. What had that been? Something clearly magical, it reckoned that much.


    Curious and in search of magical things that may help it with its situation, the slime turned around to see what it had accidentally flown upon. Taking a large turn also robbed it off a fair bit of speed, the slime carefully entered the area where it estimated it had been a moment ago.


    Flicker. A circular cut-out of the forest vanished and gave room to the block of wood again. On second glance, it looked even weirder. It was as if somebody had sliced multiple trees apart and then stacked the thin pieces of dead wood on top of each other. A slanted ceiling capped off the brown¡­. Flicker. It was gone.


    Now the slime had a rough idea where the outline of this illusionary barrier lay and it turned around once more to enter a circular flight that would have it slide along the edge. Flicker. It looked at the block of wood again, this time it noticed a few irregularities over its shape. Like that rectangle shaped board that was placed vertical where all the others were aligned horizontally. Or these translucent squares through which it could look at the other shapes made from dead wood and stone inside.


    A walkway made from cobblestone split in front of the house and connected it to a small pond of water on one side and separated into many sub-paths on the other. Those, in turn, separated and framed eight hills of fertile brown soil on which several herbs grew, the kind the slime hadn¡¯t seen before. The rest of the circular area was dominated by simple and healthy grass and surrounded by a tall fence of grey metal.


    It hadn¡¯t drunk or eaten in perhaps too long, judging by how its entire body urged it to plunge right into the pond. The fact that its urges quickly overpowered its consciousness only showed just how far the slime had stretched itself. With two flaps of its wings and at a moderate speed, the slime sunk into the clear water and began replacing what had evaporated through prolonged exposure to sunlight.


    The air pockets between its feathers kept the slime from sinking completely. Getting rid of the wings completely was impossible, just like with the pheromone glands, but it could size them down to just a few centimetres if it was so inclined. However, as it needed them if it wanted to flee quickly and those times of transformations took time and energy, it refrained from doing so. In the first place, floating wasn¡¯t really a problem.


    Then it felt the steps of someone approaching and turned its head. It didn¡¯t react with a panicked flight due to the way the walk towards it felt. Those weren¡¯t the hasty movements of a charging predator or the sneaky, barely noticeable quivers of soft-soled sneak attack but the simple walking of a deer that was grazing nearby.


    Simply put, it was not the kind of behaviour the slime felt like it needed to be afraid of on the face of it. It still looked alarmed at the approaching humanoid. Something that it immediately felt rather silly for.


    The lack of the chest extensions put it what the slime guessed to be the male of the species. It made that guess somewhat comfortably, as the metal fairy currently inside it had what passed for the recreation of a vagina (even if it was just on the surface and under a layer of cloth-esque skin) and it made the connection between those and the secondary sexual organ that were the mammary glands. By inverting that logic, it meant that a lack of breasts meant that this creature had the dangly parts, talking statistically likely between his legs.


    Although the slime only saw a large brown assembly of cloth, the stained robe of a monk to anyone who knew society, instead of legs. It felt that there were two underneath and really had to wonder about humans and how many different kinds of skins they had. Made very little sense biologically, so what, were they wearing the skins of other animals over their own ones? Questions for later.


    This particular male specimen needed a thick piece of wood in addition to his own legs, slowing his movements to a crawl. His hunched forward form reminded the slime of the very first insect it had eaten, slow and easy to prey upon. If they slime had been more than fifth that human¡¯s size, it might have attempted a takedown. Well, there was another reason aside from size why it didn¡¯t.


    ¡°My, my, what do we have here?¡± a surprisingly energetic voice reverberated in the air and the slime understood it. Not the individual words, of course, but the general meaning was somehow apparent to it. Like the content of these words were deciphered and broadcasted right into it, with the arriving sound only being secondary to the intent. ¡°I would call you a chimera, but I have never heard of a chimera that is part slime around these parts. Much less of one that carries a fairy inside it.¡±


    The man slowly bowed down to the pond. His hands quivering on the cane and strained breathing made the slime feel like doing that much was an enormous exercise for the man. The only parts of him that seemed to be alive where those light blue eyes in his deeply wrinkled face. What little of his grey hair remained was combed back rather poorly.


    After finally making it down to his knees, this old and odd man extended a quivering hand, covered in age spots and loose skin, towards the slime. Warningly, the snake head hissed and snapped its mouth a few centimetres away from the man¡¯s fingers. Just because it wasn¡¯t afraid of the man didn¡¯t mean it would just let itself get touched.


    If it could have figured out how to, it would have thrown a warning shock the man¡¯s way. However, despite theoretically having the parts for it, the slime was incapable of figuring out how to weave magic. All attempts had just ended with it sitting somewhere and wondering what to do.


    The indicated bite seemed enough of a warning though, as the man pulled back. ¡°Not a trusting fellow, are you?¡± he asked in an amused tone. That the slime understood that the tone was ¡®amused¡¯ only made it more suspicious about all of this.


    ¡°Can you talk?¡± the man asked after grabbing his staff with both hands again. The slime remained motionless, how was it supposed to answer whether or not it could communicate in the humanoid way if it couldn¡¯t? The old fellow quickly realized his mistake. ¡°Ah, of course, I can take that as a no but for the future, if you want say ¡®Yes¡¯ do this,¡± he moved his head up and down by the neck. ¡°and for ¡®No¡¯ do this.¡± He shook his head sideways. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    The slime slowly nodded with its head and the man smiled a bit.


    ¡°Splendid, you learn quick,¡± he complimented. That was the first bit of flattery the slime had gotten, it rather liked that feeling. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± the old man asked. Again, the slime nodded. ¡°Would you let me feed you?¡±


    The slime shook its head, not only would that feel degrading it would also go against the whole thing where it needed to be involved in the murder of its prey in order to absorb parts of it.


    ¡°Mhm, okay then¡­would you let me show you what you can eat around here?¡± the man asked. Cautiously, the slime nodded, that would work. Although it could just have eaten the grass. ¡°Follow me, then.¡±


    Even slower than he had kneeled down, the man rose again and guided the slime, following in a sensible distance and through fluttering jumps, to the beds of herbs. ¡°Just don¡¯t eat all of one kind, otherwise regrowing them will be difficult,¡± the man warned and stepped aside to give the reluctant slime a comfortable amount of space.


    Slowly, the slime approached. The first herb it came across was of a pleasant purple and smelled quite intensely. ¡°That is lavender, I use it to chase away small bugs,¡± the man explained as the slime gnawed a bit on the plant. After being convinced it wasn¡¯t poisonous, it went about to gobble down multiple of it. A snake¡¯s head wasn¡¯t the best at that, so it pulled back that particular head and replaced it with a neckless deer.


    ¡°Oh?¡± the man wasn¡¯t shocked by the sudden appearance of yet another animal¡¯s parts on the slime. Sure, he had never heard of anything like this, but he had lived too long to believe he had seen or heard of everything or that new things weren¡¯t thrown out into the omni-verse quicker than anyone could scribble it down.


    The slime, in the meanwhile, felt its taste-liquids fill with lavender. It wasn¡¯t unpleasant, but after getting through half the field it got overly intensive. Thankfully, it was also full by that point and quite a bit bigger. Once it had digested this, it would chow down on the other seven plants. Each field sported a different herb after all, so it should help its growth a bit.


    The slime regrew the snake-vulture-deer head, that neck was better to nod or shake than simple deer maw it had used to chew. Food in smaller parts was easier to digest, thanks to having a bigger surface area it could apply its acid too.


    ¡°Are you still hungry?¡± asked the man, getting himself a shake of the slime¡¯s head in answer. ¡°Good¡­ May I take a look at that fairy?¡± That was a harder question, but ultimately the slime nodded and, for the first time in over a week, let Aclysia out of its body.


    Not a bit of acid stuck to the cracked shape of the metal fairy. Her green eyes still stood open, lifeless, and she just lay in the grass where the slime gently put her down. Deeply saddened by that sight, the slime instinctively started stubbing her with the snout of its head again. Hoping that anything would be different this time was, by definition, insanity. Even a monster understood that and even a monster didn¡¯t care when grief was involved.


    Again, the slime warningly snapped its jaws at the protruding fingers of the man, who had kneeled down. ¡°What?¡± the man blinked in confusion, freezing as he was being hissed at. ¡°Ah,¡± again he was quick to realize his mistake. ¡°May I touch the fairy to take a good look at her?¡±


    Vehemently, the slime shook its head. Aclysia looked so fragile, it didn¡¯t want any force applied to her body, particularly not big, quivering ones.


    ¡°Alright, I will go get my glasses,¡± the man then said. Minutes passed during which the slime carefully, if not down right paranoid, looked everywhere and guarded the body. When the man finally returned, he had a weird apparatus on his nose. Six circular pieces, of the same translucent material that was filling the rectangles of his house, sat in frames of metal, one ahead of the other. Together they shaped a sort of cone. The man made sure the array of lenses sat correctly on his face and kneeled down again. ¡°Ow-ow-ow-ow, this is not wise with my old bones,¡± he half complained and half joked.


    Now the slime felt kind of bad for the man, but that feeling took a backseat to listening to the translation of meaning that reached its nucleus. ¡°Mhm, a clear case of vessel damage. This soul used more magic than her body could use¡­ This kind of metal, the waved alignment of its structure¡­ Eclysiat, the metal of the divine¡­ Ah, this must be Aclysia¡­¡± for the first time the slime realized that this word wasn¡¯t just another part of a communication like any of the others that these humanoid barked out, but something more clear than that. A name. ¡°What a considerably strange day this is.¡± The man hummed to himself.


    Unlike Hemle, upon finding out what he was dealing with, this old man showed no greed or aggressive intent. Instead, he just seemed ever more amused. ¡°A divine soul in a cracked vessel, her soul has returned to the root dimension of her creator, but the spark that anchors her in this body remains.¡± He looked from the body to the slime. ¡°Is it restoration of this ones life you seek?¡±


    Strongly, the slime nodded.


    ¡°Then I could be of help.¡± Hope, so soon after taking on its journey. The slime rejoiced. ¡°However, you will need to trust me. Do you do that?¡± Slowly, the slime shook its head. ¡°Could you learn to do that given time?¡± It nodded. ¡°Then you are welcome to stay in my humble abode, if you help me with a few things that is. In return, once you feel ready to let me take her, I will show you how to restore her.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°My name is Gizmo, it wasn¡¯t always but that is what I go by nowadays. Do you have a name?¡± Having literally learned about what names were moments ago, the slime could only shake its head. ¡°Can I give you one?¡± Gizmo asked.


    The question was weird. There was no ill-intent in it, no wish to take control of the slime in any way but a considerable amount of hope for something the slime could only barely understand. A wish to leave something of worth with someone.


    Seeing no danger, the slime nodded. ¡°Mhm, then, seeing how you seem very keen on eating things¡­ a predator¡­ yes, how about Apexus from apex predator?¡± he glanced at the metal fairy again and the amount of protection the slime gave it. ¡°With your leanings, I am sure a male-sounding name is most fitting.¡±

 Exile 2

    A day after Apexus¡¯ arrival, it had looked at almost everything in the illusionary space that was outside the house. The pond never lost water, no matter the amount of water the man filled into buckets and took back into his den or the slime drank. What was planted in the herb beds grew in a matter of hours. The metal fence was pretty odd, patterns covered the three levels of railing that ran horizontally from pole to pole. Wherever a strut and stanchion intersected, there was a thorn of metal that pointed towards the inner centre of the illusionary bubble.


    One week after Apexus¡¯ arrival, it trusted the man enough to enter his den. It only had a single room. In the far-left corner stood a bed, if it even deserved that title. Frame with enough cloth between the body and the wood to invoke the appearance but none of the comfort of the bed would have been completely accurate, but that was too long a title. There were three desks. One that stood lonely in a corner of the room, two of the three chairs dusty and clearly never used. A second that was right next to the bed and had paper, ink and writing utensils orderly stowed away.


    The third, and largest, was more of a desk construction than a single table. On cupboards and shelves nailed to the ceiling and walls stood flasks of many colours and with many coloured liquids inside. Little sacks of seeds were orderly stored away in labelled boxes.


    After two weeks Apexus asked what those weird shapes on the labels were supposed to be. Asking being it staring and prodding its head at them until Gizmo figured out what it wanted. From there on out, the old man started teaching it words and letters. Although the former was a side-effect of the latter.


    After three weeks, this little scene took place.


    ¡°Apple,¡± Gizmo stated, pointing at the red fruit in his hand. Apexus stared at the fruit for a few moments and then reared its head. Grabbing a large brush with its mouth it dragged four oversized letters on a piece of paper. After the brush returned back to the small casket, where the black paint wouldn¡¯t drop on the wool carpet, the slime presented its work to the old man.


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± he laughed warmly but with a necessary amount of scolding in his tone, ¡°Ap-ple, not Ap-le. This word has a double p¡­ I would ask you to form the syllables with your own mouth, but if you could form a human one, you would have done so already¡­ can you?¡±


    Apexus shook its snake head.


    ¡°Can you explain to me why not?¡± Gizmo wanted to know.


    After thinking about it for a moment, the slime nodded and wrote down a couple of words. ¡°Have not killed you,¡± the old man read out loud and raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you mean? Do you need to kill someone specific in order to replicate parts of their species?¡±


    Apexus shook its head and thought about how to make it clearer in the words of the man. It just didn¡¯t know the order of letters yet that expressed what it wanted to say. Unable to find an answer, it reached out to the apple acted like it took a bite.


    ¡°You need eat a specific individual?¡± Gizmo asked, his ability to translate words into meaning proved as vital as ever. In this leaf of existence, he was one of the few people who could properly communicate with and teach the slime. Reverberating Meaning was a magic few learned and even fewer could use passively in every word they spoke.,


    The slime nodded and shook its head in that order. ¡°Mhm¡­ Ah, you need to kill and eat a member of a species kind?¡± A nod. ¡°So, you have to kill them yourself?¡± Another nod. Gizmo¡¯s lively eyes seemed to grow as dark and old as the rest of him for just a moment. ¡°I see,¡± he mumbled in a depressed tone, ¡°I see how this tale ends.¡±


    Apexus was confused. Remembering a gesture Aclysia had often used, which, in retrospect, probably was born from the same feeling, the slime tilted the posture of its head. ¡°Not important. For future reference: Kind.¡± Gizmo wrote it down, ¡°Have not killed your kind, that¡¯s the proper sentence for what you meant. ¡®Killed and ate your kind¡¯ would have been even better.¡±


    Why did the ¡®you¡¯ suddenly gain an ¡®r¡¯? Human communication was so complicated.


    A month after the slime¡¯s arrival, it finally decided that it was time to trust Gizmo. It wasn¡¯t something it just suddenly came to. The night prior, the old man had woken up long before his usual time. Not of his own volition, but because a heavy coughing fit shook his body. It lasted from that point until the sunrise and even when it had finally passed Gizmo was bound to his bed for that whole day, pale as pastry and quivering underneath his blanket as if he was freezing.


    That was the first day Apexus properly realized that this man was old and that old people would die, sooner rather than later. Not trusting him for even longer might extinguish the first and only lead the slime had on healing Aclysia.


    So, it one day placed the metal fairy¡¯s body on the alchemic worktable as Gizmo was watching a potion brew over an ever-burning candle. To signal it was serious, the slime then backed off until it was out of striking range. That range was considerably longer now, while it may have forgotten just about everything from back in the cave and the Growths from its adventures on the mountainside were slowly fading as well (It was afraid it wouldn¡¯t be able to regrow its snake-vulture-deer combination if it ever let it fade at this point), Apexus had grown considerably.


    Gorging itself on the many, many different kinds of herbs Gizmo planted in his garden combined with Apexus¡¯ natural affinity to grow more upon plant consumption, had caused the slime to now be as large as a guard dog. Gizmo had measured it to be 68 centimetres across.


    Smiling, the old man reached out, his glasses already sat on his face, as they always did when he worked on his potions. In those moments, when he wasn¡¯t interacting with the slime, the old man always looked the most vulnerable.


    Apexus had to hold back to not flutter his wings and attack the man like an angry pigeon, the moment Gizmo picked up the cracked body. However, it managed to keep its reaction to a nervous quivering, which slowly subsided as he watched the delicacy with which Gizmo handled her.


    ¡°Yes, it seems my initial prognosis was correct,¡± he confirmed to himself after putting her down on a piece of cloth. He slowly ascended up a two-step stool. He was now face to face with a part of the shelves that was hidden behind a lock. ¡°The good news is that it is easy to treat, as long as one has the necessary ingredients,¡± he announced, fishing a key out of his stained robes. The slime perked up. ¡°The bad news is that this old man lost the means to enact the proper rituals.¡±


    Apexus sank together until he was a thin, small-winged puddle on the table, exuding the smell of misery through his pheromone ducts. ¡°Don¡¯t be saddened, I have some of the necessary stuff in storage. We can use that to start the process. We will just have to improvise on the rest,¡± Gizmo said and pulled out three flasks.


    They looked different than all the other bottles around, who were just basic cylindrical containers with a bottleneck and sealed with a piece of cork. These were elegantly curved and covered in golden lines that looked like they had dried yesterday. A piece of perfectly fitting glass, with a pointy extension to pull at, kept the liquids inside from spilling out of the thin neck. One contained a black, the other a white liquid but both contained swirls of gold. The third was a vile green.


    ¡°Essence of Natural Depth¡­,¡± Gizmo said, putting the black flask down on the left side of Aclysia¡¯s head. ¡°¡­and Essence of the Ordered Omni-Verse,¡± the white one followed at the right. ¡°Mixed with Essence of Divinity, the three basic ingredients to create an immortality potion¡­ or to restore the connection of a divine being to this world.¡± He placed the third vial at the side after looking at it for a moment. He mentioned it with no further word.


    Apexus almost became a square at how shocked it was. This man would give up immortality just to help it? Gizmo was as quick as always and picked up on this with a saddened smile.


    ¡°I have lived a long, long time, Apexus,¡± he said in a tired tone, ¡°and that life doesn¡¯t deserve to be eternal. In no small part because of why I happen to possess these things.¡± He carefully, aware of his own jittery hands, opened the flasks. ¡°That aside, as I said these are the basic ingredients. There are more things outside of the leaf that I would require to concoct a proper one. Better to use these essences in the service of a good for the oddball that keeps me company.¡±


    Gizmo giggled at the pun that his magic failed to translate into proper meaning. Despite that explanation, Apexus felt the deepest gratitude at witnessing this man¡¯s sacrifice. After taking a second piece of fine cloth and covering Aclysia¡¯s body with it, the old alchemist simply emptied the contents of the bottle onto her, The black and white soaked into the grey fabric.


    The essences dominated the original colour and turned the fabric into a display of white and black swirling around each other, never mixing. Superfluous amounts began to run over the table, Apexus was unsure if such a waste of the probably priceless materials was wise, but Gizmo didn¡¯t move.


    It soon became apparent why. The golden swirls in both liquids connected to each other and formed the outline of Aclysia¡¯s body under the cloth. From her toes, over the wings, to her ears and even her sprawled out hair, a perfect silhouette formed. Letters of providence appeared on the inner rim, forming sentences whose meaning refused to stay within the slime¡¯s nucleus no matter how often it read them. A light rose from the cloth as the superfluous liquids changed their course, flowing backwards and being absorbed.


    ¡°Ah, divinity,¡± Gizmo mumbled and took a relieved breath, as if he had just been delivered from a sin. ¡°it is so beautiful, but deserves to rest not in the hand of the greedy.¡± Shadows fell back over the wrinkles in his face, there were none the fewer. ¡°If there is one thing you remember from your time here, Apexus, even if you change your name or your entire nature, do promise me you will remember that.¡±


    The slime slowly nodded, unsure what to make of this scene.


    The cloth underwent a transformation in the meanwhile. From two simple squares, laying above and below the metal fairy, they folded and warped until they gripped the outline of Aclysia tightly. She looked like a mummy, albeit a black, white and golden one. The outline of an eye appeared on her chest, between the soft rising of her breasts and where her naval would be.


    ¡°Now,¡± Gizmo cleared his throat, ¡°this is theoretically enough to repair a divine vessel, but we also have to call back her soul once the process is done. For that, I will need you to gather a couple of ingredients.¡±

 Exile 3

    Under the watchful eyes of Gizmo, Apexus crossed under the lowest joist of the fence. ¡°Remember, if you want to return you just need to seek something,¡± the old man shouted after the slime. ¡°The runes on this place will guide your steps towards it!¡±


    So THAT was why the slime had found it. Personally, it had just thought it had lucked out for once. Didn¡¯t seem to be the case. As to why it was crawling into the forest rather than flying, that was because it was to find a list of things commonly found on the forest floor. Also, because it wanted to explore these parts.


    The list of things it had to get was incredibly simple, which made it odd in its own way. A smooth pebble, a deep green-leaved plant, a piece of white bark and the antler of an animal. Gizmo had instructed Apexus to bring all of these things back fresh.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter what kind of pebble or plant, it¡¯s more of a symbolic thing,¡± he had said, ¡°but make sure to bring them back of natural origin. I don¡¯t think Hashahin will mind his sacrifices grown from you, but I don¡¯t want to risk it.¡± Apparently, it was really fortunate that they already known under whose authority Aclysia had been created, that way they could skip a ritual that was going to take a whole lot more time.


    Gizmo had tried explaining the details of the ritual to the slime, how each of the parts was a stand-in for another aspect of the 33rd deity, but that went over the still savage creature¡¯s head, at least for the most part. As far as it was concerned, a smooth pebble was a polished piece of rock, not a physical metaphor for the shining beacon of steadfast hope that was the stone-skinned angel at the side of the summer¡¯s patron.


    That last part was the only thing that really stuck with the slime. Apparently, there were seasons, but this leaf, whatever that was supposed to be again, was eternally stuck in the warmest of them. Apexus wouldn¡¯t complain about that, the few experiences it had with colder times were entirely unpleasant.


    One day it would learn more about this whole omni-verse, but today the slime embarked on a small and pretty easy journey. The only condition there was that It had to bring all of these things back at the same time. Which was another thing it didn¡¯t understand, but as long as it worked, it didn¡¯t care.


    With more than a few days to spare, the repair process of Aclysia would take its time, the slime forced itself not to rush things. Taking unnecessary risks to get back to a body still being repaired would mean it would have to spend the time waiting in excruciating boredom and tenseness, with only Gizmo¡¯s communication lectures to spend it.


    Those were okay, but the slime was more of a ¡®do¡¯ kind of personality. The only plans it liked to hatch were the kind used in hunting.


    It slugged its way forwards and a few metres after the gateless fence was left behind, it hit the edge of the illusionary barrier. A warning flicker of bright sparks indicated that it was out and looking back the slime only saw the same woods as they were all around it.


    The trees stood at an incredible density, blocking sight in every direction more reliably than but the densest of mists could. Shallow running roots covered the floor in an unsteady weave of gnarled wood, difficult to stand and step on. This was actually good for Apexus, who could traverse that kind of terrain as well as any other (or as bad as any other, in its own opinion).


    It would have willingly starved itself for a couple of days for a way to shrink and use its wings to get through the forest that way instead. Sadly, that wasn¡¯t an option, so it remained earthbound, the wings downsized so they acted like a mediocre shield protecting Apexus¡¯ top half. With the chimeric head still attach to the front of it, the slime currently looked like a swan-slug-horror as it crept onwards.


    In the distance, it felt the massive steps of the beast that had previously convinced it to stay away from these parts. Curiosity made it wish to go over there and finally lay eyes on the creature. All it knew about the thing was that it had to be massive. If push came to shove, the slime could just fly away using the path of broken trees made by the creature itself.


    With that resolution made, and thirsty for some sort of new surprise to break up the monotony of the past month, Apexus made its way over. Greeted by an onslaught of small rodents fleeing away from where it was going, the slime was pretty sure it was heading the wrong way. Not that it was even possible to miss these sorts of vibrations.


    By now the slime¡¯s original sense encompassed a metre around it in absolute detail. Everything that touched the ground around those parts carelessly was immediately detected. It still had to be wary of predators that could soften their movement or didn¡¯t touch the ground at all, such as snakes and birds. As the sense didn¡¯t suddenly stop at the metre mark, what the slime felt beyond that were immense tremors.


    Such as the foot-steps of an eight-legged reptile that was fifteen metres long, covered in scales of red and had one eye in the centre of its elongated head filled with the tranquillity of a herbivore as it mowed down entire trees with its jaw, easily large enough to swallow the whole and then some.


    The slime was seriously awe-inspired by that thing. Its scales looked too thick to be destroyed by anything. Thousands of small little antlers stuck out like chimney¡¯s and exuded a thin smoke in the air that filled it with an ashen smell. Half of the monstrosities entire length was dominated by an immense, muscular tail that it swung around with the kind of laziness that could shatter every single bone in an attacker¡¯s body.


    It moved its feet, round and flat like tree stumps, and took a step forward. Its mass casually tore down a couple more trees, which it then began devouring leaving only splintered wood and scattered leaves. Behind it, the creature left a path of fresh, brown earth. The slime wondered how far it had to travel down that way to find saplings and eventually trees again.


    Much more did it wonder if it had just stumbled into an eco-system whose highest-ranking member was an herbivore. That just felt wrong, but from the way absolutely nothing was even attempting to move on this extremely slow creature, there was no other explanation.


    Apexus guess was indeed correct. This was the Ctanian Forag Drak or Forester Dragon as they were commonly called. While not actually related to any dragons in any other way that its creator god had also created some dragons in its time, this oversized, herbivore lizard bore several striking resemblances namely size, shape and the existence of a fire bag. The massive difference being that, for the Forester Dragon, it was used as part of their digestion process rather than as a weapon to spew fire.


    Due to its massive size, intimidating smoke effect and organic armour, the Forester Dragon had no natural predators. In the first place, the Ctanian central forest was a pretty forgiving biome, with only big felines and snakes being the hunters around this area.


    It was too bad for the Forester Dragon that it and its antler-like chimneys had entered the attention of a certain slime. Searching for a nice pebble amongst the upheaved ground, Apexus was crafting its plans.


    Sapient hunters were unfairly good at killing big game.

 Exile 4

    Being sapient didn¡¯t just give Apexus the magical power to kill the Forester Dragon. Although it probably did help with learning magical abilities. Not the point. Apexus needed to prepare a few things for this next step. For that, carrying a nice and polished pebble inside it, the slime took to the sky. Once up there it noticed about half a dozen of the faint smoke signals in the distance.


    Forester Dragon¡¯s continuous smoking weren¡¯t just a warning signal for predators, but also served to see each other from a distance. Generally, these lizards were seclusive, but during mating season they had to find each other somehow. The smoke signals females gave off were different enough that other members of the species or experienced hunters could tell.


    The slime couldn¡¯t, neither did it care. Instead, it was trying to understand and predict the path these giants took and would take. That was easy, as they progressed on fairly straightforward ways, only course correcting if a particularly juicy tree tickled their fancy. Once Apexus had looked over a fair number of the faux-dragons, it picked the perfect specimen for its plan.


    For once the question wasn¡¯t which was the easiest or oldest target, but instead which was crossing certain points the likeliest. Once it picked its target and prepared everything for the ambush, the slime had to wait.


    Apexus was really bad at waiting.


    Therefore, rather than sit on its below, it went to find the remaining two things required for the ritual. As it had a huge boulder and a smoking faux-dragon as its landmarks, the slime wasn¡¯t too worried about finding its way back.


    Finding a deep green-leaved plant was actually surprisingly difficult. Most of the trees that were around, Apexus would have described as light or average leaf green. It even found the white bark before that plant, although it had to eat something with claws before it could scratch some off.


    Something with claws was, in this case, a black cat creature that tried to cross the road left by a Forester Dragon at a bad time. Ambushing from the sky was just entirely unfair, the impact force basically transporting the entire cats right into the slimes inner layer. There was a load of struggling afterwards, the slime having a hard time containing the writhing creature within it, but ultimately the cat caught a lungful of acid and died.


    In good news, that meant the slime finally had access to some new Growths it could use. It kept the vulture-deer-snake combination active for the moment, simply because it liked the poison and the long neck, but now it could also wobble around on the cat¡¯s legs. Or that was the plan, but the legs proved simply inadequate to reliably support the slime¡¯s weight. Therefore, Apexus opted to not use them after getting some of the bark.


    Keeping digestible things inside it with the expressed purpose of not eating them was really weird, not to mention straining. It was like keeping a mouthful of drink and not swallowing. Eventually that turned out to be too uncomfortable and the slime decided to place the piece of bark and the pebble somewhere safe.


    Namely, in a tree top that it had given the same treatment as its old den on the mountainside. Within the carved in the trunk, these two items were left securely while it went out to take care of the rest of its stuff.


    After a few more days of searching (always keeping an eye on the ever so sluggishly moving Forester Dragon) the slime finally got what it needed. It was more of a stroke of luck than anything else. The white barked trees were at least common within the forest, so tripping over one of them was just a question of time. In contrast, what Apexus picked as its final offering was anything but.


    A plant that a bored god had infected with a version of vampirism, the blood-vein ivy was a species found in numerous dimensions of the omni-verse. It was an odd one, its life cycle consisted of attaching to a tree and sucking it dry of any and all sap. Once it had finished one off, the ivy then grew a stilt that anchored on another tree. From there, all nutrients of the old ivy were absorbed into that stilt, proliferating the growth of the new network.


    Lucky for forests on all leaves everywhere, the blood-vein ivy in all its forms could not truly procreate. Being a vampire, and as such largely immortal, the plant was practically an undead creature. Sometimes normal ivies got infected by vampirism, but that happened on a fluke. While this forest-eating pest couldn¡¯t truly be eradicated, it also didn¡¯t spread at any alarming rate either. It was just another part of the forests eco-system.


    And one of the exemplars was currently being devoured by the slime. While vampirism, being akin to a curse, wasn¡¯t something that the slime could replicate, Apexus was still hungry, interested in growing and in need of a part of the plant.


    Might as well eat the display on this tree. With its current size, it could pick the bark clean in a few hours. The hooks, used to draw out the sap from underneath the bark, were something the slime didn¡¯t really know what to do with, but the dark green leaves with the blood-red veins running through them surely qualified for the ritual.


    Now it finally only needed the antlers and then it could head back to revive Aclysia, the anticipation positively reverberated in its body as it sat atop the boulder and slowly brought it out of balance.


    The reason why sapient creatures were great at hunting big game was quite easy. The larger a creature was, the more they relied on their defences and power. The best way to counter that combination was intelligence.


    If one lacked the capabilities to slash through fur, why not to try stabbing with a sharpened piece of wood? If one was afraid of the counterattack from mighty claws, tails or whatever else a giant could be armed with, why not try throwing the piece of wood? If one had no idea how to make tools and was faced with a foe that had impenetrable scales, what was a slime to do?


    Wait until the prey made the unwise decision of eating its way by a cliffside and then drop a giant stone on it, that was the conclusion the slime had come to. The boulder tipped past the point of no return and slid off the edge. The slime flapped its wings franctically, having used its own bodyweight to set this into motion.


    An unpleasant, wet sound, like somebody slapping their hands around a patty of fine mincemeat, and the green and brown forest had a whole lot of red added to the canvas. The brutality was both disgusting and entirely ethical, as the fifteen-metre-long creature had the middle of its body crushed and thus splattered out underneath it, killing it pretty much instantly.


    Small birds all around were flying away, rodents running even further from the walking deforestation, all of them chased by a small explosion from the Forested Dragons fire bag. It was too weak and short-lived to catch onto anything anywhere.


    Apexus nodded its snakehead to itself, deciding it had done good and swooped in to grab one of the many broken off antlers. The clean kill thoroughly reimbursed it for the many hours spent digging away at the dirt that had kept the boulder in place. Hells, it had even accidentally caused another one before finding the correct balance with that second one.


    After stashing the antler away in its nearby den, the slime returned to the sight of its kill. Surely, once it was done eating this thing, it would be granted another permanent evolution.


    A process that took another two days. Of course, the slime couldn¡¯t just envelop all of the beast, it was way too small for that endeavour. The red scales also turned out to be almost indigestible, being made a large part from iron. After losing hours on a just three of them, the slime decided to concentrate on the meat and bones instead.


    The Forester Dragon tasted, quite frankly, bad. The meat was stringy and tasted almost entirely like burned wood. The bones made for a tastier treat, but also suffered from needing three eternities to be eaten. In the end, the natural garbage dispenser of the forest struck and began dissolving the rest of the corpse, which began to rot in the summer heat. At that point, the slime decided it had eaten its fill and backed off.


    Like it had hoped, there was another permanent evolution available to its nucleus and so it began to rack its mind. There wasn¡¯t a whole lot available right now, but hesitation, it just knew, would leave this rush of magic it currently felt fading and ultimately wasted. The permanent evolutions were, after all, not a blessing by any god but a peculiar feature of the slime¡¯s unique bio-magical composition.


    If the rush of conquest faded, so did the surge of power. It had already been a wonder that it was able to wait a week during the Aclysia situation.


    Cat paws would have been a decent choice, but Apexus had already made its choice to take the route of finally getting at least one sense permanently affixed to itself, so legs and the kinds were out. Having wings, it also didn¡¯t feel the immediate need to upgrade its mobility.


    As it could only pick between Growths it could currently remember, its selection of sensory organs was rather limited. As a flier, it best go with eyes as well. Those were by far the most important senses in the air.


    And there it only had two choices, cats and the Forester Dragon. Apexus already had gathered some experiences with cat eyes the past few days and they were pretty good, particularly at night. The Forester Dragon¡¯s singular eye was also quite good, but it was specialized on short-distance tree-analysing. Ultimately still a predator, no many how many plants it ate to grow larger, Apexus went with the cat eyes.


    And so, two colourless cat eyes grow on the elliptic shaped slime¡¯s front and slowly blinked before curiously looking around. They were worse than the vulture eyes from up in the air, but the slime also didn¡¯t quite need the insane view distances those were capable off. It didn¡¯t make a habit out of flying that high.


    With its third acquisition squarely attached to its shape, the slime turned took of the ground and towards its den. Once there, it would scoop up the materials and make bee-line back to Gizmo.


    It didn¡¯t want to be tempted to eat the resources inside it for any longer than necessary.

 Exile 5

    ¡°Ho-hooo,¡± Gizmo looked at the antler with a fair bit of respect, ¡°I wish you had the mouth to tell me how you got your hands on this, my much-grown friend.¡± Indeed, the whole expedition had turned the slime into an even larger blob.


    Moving around in the house began to become a bit awkward, as the environment clearly wasn¡¯t fashioned for a creature that was wide rather than tall. It really was a shame that changing its shape was such a headache. Apexus was, for the many forms it could imitate, not actually a shapeshifter. While it could stretch out parts of it and even modify its measurements to a large degree, maintaining such things was like running around with a turned neck and a clenched jaw. Immediately unpleasant - long-term painful.


    Still, the slime turned into a cone-shaped thing, its newly acquired cat eyes sitting at the front of the head-like bulge at the top, and watched Gizmo do his work. ¡°This is as well,¡± the old man waved around the ivy, ¡°I am not sure how the summer god will react to having a minor vampire sacrificed to it. Maybe he will laugh. Anyway, let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    A process that Apexus watched with great impatience unfolded. It started well, with Gizmo simply putting the stone to the east, the bark to the west, the plant to the south and the antler to the north, with Aclysia¡¯s mummy at the centre. He used a small compass for that endeavour. Then he began, with much ¡®mhm¡¯ and ¡®hum¡¯ to adjust their positions ever so slightly.


    ¡°In any ritual, you need a circle that represents the space,¡± the old man explained, just to fill the silence and to give the urgently staring slime some explanation. ¡°The smaller the ritual, the smaller the representation needs to be. For most rituals, you draw something on the floor and place items as representations of the room¡¯s furniture or whatever direct surroundings you have. This allows the called souls from the root dimensions to create a hole in the dimensions. Like a pore in a leaf, in many ways.¡±


    The slime got about half of that, magic mumbo-jumbo really wasn¡¯t its cup of tea. Gizmo continued nonetheless. ¡°Since we want to call to a divine being, we best put up the biggest circle we can. Thankfully, we are in a leaf created by the god we are wishing to contact, thus, this whole world is our basic circle,¡± the old man checked the compass and slightly shifted the stone position further north and closer to the mummy. The whole thing was very asymmetrical. ¡°So the things on this table represent the four large landmarks of this dimension. The mountain to the east, the coral continent to the north, the white wood city to the west and the great forest, which we are inside of, to the south. We just got to place these things relative to our own position in this world and then¡­¡± the golden writing on the mummy began to glow, ¡°¡­then the rest should take care of itself.¡±


    The materials on the table disintegrated into particles of black and white, slowly swirling upwards in a vortex that gathered in a single point. From the chin upwards, they constructed a face. It had empty eyes and was more of a mask without a wearer, white with black lines on the left side and symmetrically inverted on the other. When it spoke, it lips open and closed as if it was merely emulating speech, the movements not matching up with the syllables that came out.


    ¡°Apotho, brave of you to call on me,¡± spoke a voice, reverberating with quiet authority. The kind that didn¡¯t need to be raised or bolstered by gestures or rituals. It was just natural that the speaker was mighty, almost almighty in some ways, and that everyone who heard him understood.


    ¡°Please,¡± Gizmo glanced over to Apexus, ¡°I no longer go by that name.¡±


    ¡°Yet I see that man inside you still,¡± the 33rd god ridiculed. ¡°The coward and the sinner. Only in your last breaths will you change, old foe. Alas, I think I understand the situation and you are a mere pawn in it, by your own design. What piece will you be exchanged for, I wonder?¡±


    ¡°As you say,¡± the old man lowered his head respectfully and gestured at both the slime at his side and the mummy on the table. ¡°I have been giving aid to this creature in an effort to restore what it lost. Will you be so kind to grant it to it?¡±


    ¡°Of all the things you would use their essences for, it is selflessness,¡± Hashahin¡¯s projection shook its disembodied face, ¡°I approve, yet this turn of fates is leaving me speechless. What a bitter victory for me. However, I will grant this one its desire, for the sins of the mentor should not be the sins of the student. May you find peace, Gizella-Morha, greedy one.¡±


    The mask developed a series of symmetrical, grey cracks around a vertical split right down the separation between the black and the white half. Finer and finer became the cracks until the gaps between them were so small that it almost seemed entirely grey. Then, it shattered into thousands of ephemeral pieces. Like a hail of arrows, they bombarded the lying mummy, copying the outline of the cracks onto it. Ultimately, the cloth that enveloped Aclysia¡¯s body met that same fate and disintegrated into nothing.


    Into view came the metal fairy in her old glory. Her pale lids were closed, but her sleeping face was beautiful, from the surprisingly fine nose to the light pink¡¯s lips, open only a small gap. Her long white hair was as orderly combed backwards as always, leaving her short, pointy ears visible. Wearing a shoulderless one-piece dress, that span over her average sized chest over her flat stomach to her wide-hips, her slightly awkward angle revealed white undergarments. Legs and feet were covered in a layer of black, running from just below shoulder and hip to the tips of fingers and toes.


    Her chest raised as she drew breath and Aclysia¡¯s upper body rose from the table. Raising her arms, moth-like wings of white and black fluttering testily, she stretched. ¡°I awaken once more,¡± she said and opened her eyes, the brilliant green shining out of her otherwise so colour neutral appearance like a polished emerald out of a field of pebbles, ¡°an unexpected, but not unwelcome, turn of events, I admit. You have grown quite a lot, awaka-¡°


    That was as far as Aclysia got before Apexus suddenly splat on top of her and gave her the deepest, most sudden slime-hug anybody had ever experienced. The metal fairy simply let it happen, with the patience of a person who just had gone through a very long and nice nap. In the first place, this wasn¡¯t new for her and it was like getting a full-body massage.


    After a few minutes of this, however, Aclysia was too curious to just stay inside. She moved until she could gently pop her head out of the slime¡¯s membrane. ¡°My god is a cryptic one, he told me to be wary of you, but not why or who you are,¡± the metal fairy stated towards Gizmo. ¡°Nevertheless, you have my thanks for recovering my vessel. It would have taken years past the death of this awakener for me to regenerate normally.¡±


    ¡°You should be wary of me,¡± Gizmo shifted with visible discomfort. ¡°Besides that, Apexus, may I suggest you stay with me a while longer?¡± Aclysia tilted her head for a moment before she realized that her awakener was being addressed with a name. ¡°Just long enough for you to learn how to communicate with people who aren¡¯t me. Basic writing and some more listening.¡±


    ¡°My awakener has a name?¡± Aclysia blinked rapidly. The vulture-deer-snake construct looked at her and nodded. ¡°And he understands my words? It seems a lot of things have happened whilst I was gone.¡±


    ¡°I have been teaching it for a few weeks now¡­it is not particularly skilled at writing,¡± Gizmo admitted and the slime, finally tired of holding its cone shape, collapsed into its usual elliptic form. ¡°With time, he may become passable. So, what say you, Apexus?¡±


    The slime nodded. It liked the old man and writing sounded like it would be necessary so it may communicate back to Aclysia¡¯s words. Although it wasn¡¯t quite sure how it would do so without paper.


    ¡°Splendid!¡± the old man seemed very happy. ¡°Then let this old man eat some herbs and then we may start. There are many things to learn about this Omniverse of ours.¡±

 Safe Leaf 1

    The odd trio was sitting around the kitchen table, or rather the area of the one-room house down from the foot end of Gizmo¡¯s bed where the old man cooked. A kettle was hanging on a hook above the fireplace, the water inside slowly boiling the tasteful and medical properties out of the herbs inside. The smell of lavender filled the air, that and Apexus pheromones, spreading a calming sensation.


    Only somewhat sure why, the slime had the urge to keep the well-smelling up around its metal fairy companion Aclysia. It was looking rather plain these days, having lost all of its borrowed Growths over the last few months that had been spent around this house. Months spent doing very little of value.


    As such, Apexus, having gorged itself on a mostly vegetarian diet, had grown very little and wasn¡¯t as confusing to behold as usual. It was just a clear blue slime. Admittedly, it still possessed downscaled, green wings that sat atop it like feathery ears and the colourless eyes of a cat along with a surface that was ever so slightly more abrasive than the water-surface like texture of a normal slime, but generally it didn¡¯t look that weird.


    The reason why it was without head or mouth or any Growths wasn¡¯t all around its choice. After eating something called chamomile for the first time, it had its first experience of falling asleep and during that reverted to its base form. Sleep had been odd, to say the least, and the slime was still debating whether it liked the exchange of losing consciousness for a couple of hours for that refreshed feeling it had afterwards. At the very least, it made sure to remember the taste and smell of the flower to avoid it in unwanted situations.


    The slime was sitting on top of a tree trunk it had heaved into the house itself. Human chairs were unsatisfactory for its elliptic shape and even if Apexus had been fine with sitting in them, the one time it had tried Gizmo had given it a conflicted look the likes of which the slime didn¡¯t like. Therefore, it had gone to melt its own chair.


    Aclysia, on the other hand, was simply sitting on the table, and had most of Apexus attention. She was just so cute, sitting there and grooming her surprisingly flexible moth-like wings, combing the little hairs with her slender fingers.


    The old man in the brown robe was sitting in the same chair as always. In the otherwise meticulously clean house, the two unused chairs were highly unusual, gathering dust. It was especially outstanding when Apexus realized that they were the first thing the old man saw every morning.


    Speaking of Gizmo, he was knocking on the slimes exterior to let it know he was perfectly aware that it wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°You can marvel at Aclysia in your free time,¡± he reprimanded in the warm voice of an old man who hadn¡¯t forgotten what young love felt like. Even if Apexus wasn¡¯t exactly aware yet of what it was feeling, it would take a fool of the same level to miss it. ¡°For now, we have been pushing back this lecture for months, so listen carefully! It is very important.¡±


    With a disappointed flutter of its wings, the slime turned its gaze towards the way less pleasantly looking, wrinkly and spotty old man. It was true that it had to concentrate pretty hard to listen. While its tremor sense had advanced far enough to be used as ears when need be it was far from practical. Its range was limited, it required focus and in fine-tuning it that way the slime lost the ability to use it as the detection sense that it actually was.


    ¡°I feel complimented that you think I am worth beholding,¡± Aclysia stated, just as oblivious to the slime¡¯s feelings as she played with her hair. About her own view on Apexus, it was a bit harder to figure out. On one hand, she was a divine being, so a certain amount of wisdom could be expected. On the other hand, those rarely had any experience in mortal endeavours, particularly the ones oriented towards order.


    When the sound of her clear voice rung through the room, Gizmo knew he had lost the attention of the adolescent blob again and sighed. ¡°Aclysia, why don¡¯t you do the explaining on this one,¡± the old man conceded, realizing that he had no chance to keep his pupil¡¯s attention in the presence of the pretty fairy. He unrolled a scroll on the table, layers upon layers of words were written on it, turning it into an indecipherable mess.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Aclysia nodded, the old man getting up with a groan and making his way over to his pot. He reached it just as it began whistling and took it off the hook with thick mittens shielding his hands from the heat.


    Meanwhile, the metal fairy touched a corner of the paper. A circle of words became highlighted by virtue of them beginning to glow in a faint silver in the ocean of black scribbles. Then the words began to fly upwards, changing shape and finally taking the form of a tree.


    This wasn¡¯t Apexus¡¯ first experience with a Blessed Parchment. It was a special kind of paper, of which Gizmo possessed quite a lot for some reason, that could hold basic spells, divine exceptions notwithstanding. Gizmo used it to visualize most of the lectures, since the slime wasn¡¯t the most scholarly of students and didn¡¯t like reading a whole lot. Even though it was now passable at it and writing.


    With that out of the way, Gizmo had moved on to lessons about the world around them a few weeks ago. He had started with all the boring things, how a day was measured, what a centimetre was, some math and so on. Now it seemed that the monkish exile was willing to show Apexus something more interesting.


    ¡°This is the omni-verse,¡± Aclysia began, gesturing at the image of the tree that was about twice as tall as herself. It was a silver trunk with leaves of a gentle green and roots that turned dark, burrowed into nothing. For Apexus, it was small, but even it could appreciate the awe that radiated from this symbol idol. ¡°Or rather, the standard visualization of it. The tree that lays at the foundation of all trees, blossoming new dimensions like plants blossom leaves. With roots in the everlasting dark that surrounds us.


    ¡°The silver trunk is the dimension of the gods, where they rest and form new branches. In there, with them, rest the souls of beings divine. It is a plane of raw energy, to be focused into shapes of beings that have ascended from sapient, to apostle, to immortal and then to god. Those ascended are not inferior to those that came first, but they are too numerous to all be remembered. The thirty-three original gods live high up in the ever-rising crown of the first branches.¡± Aclysia underlined her explanations by flying around the particularly densely leaved spire of the illusion.


    ¡°On each branch hang several leaves, dimensions that exist independent from each other but are all interlinked,¡± she continued on. ¡°We roughly separate leaves into four categories: safe, explored, discovered and unknown. A safe leaf is as close to utopia as humanoids can hope to live, lands of stability with bountifully resources and not particularly dangerous, as long as they don¡¯t act like fools. The covenant of the divine prevents gods from easily fooling with the mortals in safe leaves, forcing them to announce whatever changes they may make to them. Ctania is such a safe leaf.¡±


    ¡°One of the more coveted ones at that,¡± Gizmo chimed, sitting back down on the table with an iron cup between his hands. Steam rose from the top, yet the old man held the cup as if it was lukewarm. Doubtlessly another one of the magic gadgets in the house. ¡°The worlds of the summer gods are always more densely populated.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Aclysia nodded. ¡°Hashahin, my creator and maker of this leaf, is one of the eight summer gods. Of the thirty-three original gods, thirty-two of them are divided into the four seasons, while the divine father, head of the gods, resides over all four of them and a fifth one seldomly seen in all the dimensions called Sorcia.¡±


    ¡°The season of magic,¡± Gizmo mumbled, staring into his cup for a long second before carefully sipping on it.


    ¡°The remaining three categories are easier explained,¡± Aclysia continued on, glancing at Apexus to make sure he was still listening. The slime was, if only for the fact that it found it interesting that the tree and the metal fairy shared the same colour scheme. ¡°Explored leaves are those that are widely known, but have no protection against changes and as such become playgrounds for bored gods every so often. Generally, the adjustments made are small in scope.


    Then come the discovered leaves, worlds that are known to exist and have basic information available about them, but remain a mystery to all but those who inhabit them. Most of the times, not even they know all about their worlds.


    Lastly are the unknown leaves, as the name implies these dimensions haven¡¯t been touched by any non-native species.


    We call the people that explore the subtle changes in explored leaves Walkers, those that seek out to find out more about discovered leaves Climbers and those who explore the branches of the omni-verses in search of unknown leaves Branchers. In order of general difficulty,¡± Aclysia took a small pause to let all of that sink in.


    A pause Apexus needed. The sheer scope of things was blowing its nucleus. From a drop in a pond to the idea that there was an effectively infinite number of worlds out there, hanging from a tree so big it couldn¡¯t even fathom, the slime had been on quite a journey to even get to that idea. The sight of the illusionary tree growing and growing as branches and leaves were added to it by invisible hands helped somewhat.


    ¡°The leaves of the omni-verse have but one thing in common and that is magic,¡± Aclysia continued on. ¡°For they are all made from the same, they all obey the same rules of magic, even if the gods decide that gravity is reversed in a dimension or if the world is round rather than flat, possesses moons and no suns but no tides, whatever the design of a dimension is, the rules of magic remain the same. There is only one kind of being, one that does not stem from the omni-verse and does not follow the laws of magic. We call them Parasytes.¡±


    Aclysia¡¯s hand gestured down to the dark roots of the tree. ¡°They stem from the great darkness where the omni-verse is rooted, where it absorbs the power of the space that is not. Those are the root dimensions, and the closer to the darkness one gets, the more corrupted and demonic the creatures one encounters. To meet these beings of malevolence, one must either summon them or travel to the root dimensions. The Parasytes themselves, luckily, are unable to enter leaves. Instead they nest on the branches, chipping away at the great tree in an attempt to drag it and all of us back into the endless dark. That is the basis of the structure we exist in.¡±


    The tree that had started merely twice as big as the small metal fairy had turned into a huge structure of silver and green that reached underneath the ceiling, its ephemeral roots spread all over the table. Cracks appeared on the bark as Gizmo added a last comment. ¡°One day, so the divine father, the omni-verse will no longer be able to hold all the fruits of godly labour, or the many ascended wills contained inside its trunk. Then, it will all collapse under its own weight.¡± Bark and branches began to fall off, leaves tumbling into a greedy black mist that crept up from below to the cries of billions of souls.


    ¡°An age of darkness will follow. Paraytes will feast on or, at the very least, corrupt every leaf they touch,¡± the tree withered away completely leaving nothing but the dark mist. ¡°However, some leaves will resist and successfully weather the assault. Even if they won¡¯t, some gods will have prepared mighty fortresses inside the bark. Seeds of a new tree,¡± spots of silver light appeared, slowly blossoming into saplings. ¡°And from the remains, new omni-verses will be born, making the name somewhat inaccurate. Whether this process has already happened before or whether this tree is the first of its kind, we do not know.¡±


    The mist and saplings all faded away, scattered into letters and were absorbed back into the Blessed Parchment. Gizmo rolled it back together and sealed it with a simple string. ¡°Put this back for me, would you, Apexus?¡± the old man asked in a coarse voice, beginning to cough heavily soon thereafter.


    ¡°We will continue with some math, once you can multiply properly, we will continue with what can be found on the leaves.¡±

 Safe Leaf 2

    ¡°You are a very peculiar creature,¡± Gizmo mumbled, somewhat impressed, as he watched Apexus work on a number of problems it had presented it with in text form. Many of them were simple mathematical questions. It solved the basic ones at a moments notice, not even stopping to think for an answer no matter the numbers involved.


    Normally, that would have indicated at least some natural skill with math, but the second the slime hit something more complex it slowed down to a crawl. Then, when it hit questions that had mathematical problems packed into text form, it usually wrote down an answer that utilized no numbers whatsoever but instead the tools of its body.


    A sapient monster it may have been, but Apexus was still a monster. The ability to count and calculate the amount of Growths it currently maintained as well as situational thinking had always been more important than the question of how much water fit under the curvature of a twenty-metre bridge. In the first place, the slime had never asked itself something like that, it sounded like a highly irrelevant question as far as it was concerned. It wasn¡¯t going to build a bridge, it had eaten and developed wings, it could just cross the river as it was.


    As such, Gizmo decided to end the test he had devised for the slime early. Obviously enough, it had no talent for advanced math. Glancing over to Aclysia, who took the same test and had already arrived at the last question, he didn¡¯t worry too much about his pupil¡¯s future, however.


    Drawing the letters in thin, artistic lines by dipping her finger into normal pot of ink right next to her, Aclysia mumbled her progress. ¡°As I know the angle and the two adjacent sides I can calculate the hypotenuse, thus acquiring the height of the halved triangle. Using that as the radius for the circle at the base of the cylinder I get the volume of the figure B¡­¡± a few moments and fluid calculations latter she had correctly finished the calculation for the size of the top hat.


    Gizmo gathered that test as well and, after looking over them for just another second, waved them in his hand. Magic poured out of his hands and into the Blessed Parchment, causing the inlaid spell to activated and wipe the ink right of the paper. Having only a limited amount of it and being too weak to press new sheets himself, this was how Gizmo kept his stash of writing utensils stocked up.


    Apexus took the comment made by its teacher in stride. Not being told it had done something the wrong way generally meant that it had done something right, so it would take the victory. ¡°I do have to admit that your problem-solving skills are pretty good and utilize creativity. That is good, that will get you far in life,¡± Gizmo elaborated, the slime glowing with pride at the compliments. ¡°However, your handwriting is still barely decipherable, your grammar slips at points and at the speed at which you calculate anything beyond basic additions is bound to make you like a buffoon. We will practice that more in the future.¡± The slime deflated into a puddle that sat miserably in its bowl of a tree-trunk. Aclysia giggling a bit at Apexus¡¯ expense only made it feel worse.


    ¡°I am very sorry, awakener,¡± the metal fairy apologized seeing the sorry state, flying over and landing atop the blue puddle of misery. ¡°I find bluntness entertaining. You shouldn¡¯t beat yourself up over it, these are problems you can fix with enough learning.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, rinse and repeat¡­¡± the old man laughed, an unusual undertone underneath the usually friendly sound, ¡°getting you a proper hand would he-¡° a shocked expression hushed over Gizmo¡¯s face, then he tried to play it off by waving his hand dissuadingly. ¡°¡­no, no, forget I mentioned that. It will be fine as is.¡±


    The slime, pulling back into the proper elliptic, smooth shape, tilted its eye¡¯s positions in perfect synchronicity with Aclysia¡¯s head atop it. Both of them looked questioningly at their host, who continued to wave off.


    ¡°It is off no matter,¡± he insisted, patting the slime on the top in nonchalant fashion. Gizmo was never afraid to touch Apexus, no matter how many times he had seen the slime dissolve things within it. ¡°You will do fine with what you have¡­ for now,¡± he mumbled those last two words in a way that sounded like they slipped out against his better judgement before hastily following it up with. ¡°Enough of math, then, how about we continue our lessons about the omni-verse we inhabit?¡±


    That was an immediate and effective topic change, as Apexus was much more interested in hearing more about the details of the world it had to survive and eat through. ¡°There are a couple of topics more we should clear, mostly regarding magic and fighting arts, but for now we should continue our talk from last time and clear what usually can be found on leaves.¡±


    Confused again, the tilted eyes made their return. Apexus had been under the impression that the leaves were so different from each other in manners of appearance that linking them outside of their existential condition was impossible.


    Gizmo laughed, in his normal benevolent tone, and leaned back in his chair. ¡°I can see your befuddlement. Let me explain. Albeit we seldom know what manner of weirdness or grandeur, from the most chaotic swamps to the greatest of golden cities, the gods come up in a particular leaf, there are many similarities between them that we can explore.¡±


    ¡°We also haven¡¯t talked about fruits yet,¡± Aclysia added.


    ¡°Ah, indeed,¡± Gizmo nodded, ¡°let us keep that for the end, as we need to cover the bases before we get to the final product.¡± The old man stopped, his coarse throat turning his voice raspy and unpleasant before he began coughing strongly. He grabbed his teacup but found it empty. Quickly he extended a quivering hand towards the kettle, the other raised to his mouth to quell the unhealthy sounds.


    Quick for an old man perhaps, but Apexus was still quicker, grabbing the uncomfortably hot thing and pouring its mentor a fresh cup. With a thankful glance, Gizmo downed the strongly herbal smelling brew and cleared his throat. After a few more gulps and repeats of the process, the sound Gizmo made no longer raised the suspicion that one of its kin was living at the back of the man¡¯s maw in the slime anymore.


    ¡°My apologies,¡± the old mage mumbled, his voice mostly recovered. ¡°My old age and its problem aside, the topic at hand: leaves, as different as they may be in execution, usually have three things that can be found in all of them.¡± Gizmo used the empty test sheets and the writing utensils already on the table to illustrate. ¡°Histories, monsters and dungeons. Let¡¯s start with the first one.¡±


    As he spoke, Aclysia flew off Apexus and over to the alchemy area, gathering the necessary herbs to put a new kettle over the fireplace. She didn¡¯t need the lesson and was worried for the mentor¡¯s health. She lacked the physical strength to actually lift the thing, especially once it was filled with water, but she could do that much. Doubtlessly without a fuss, her awakener would do the rest.


    ¡°We say a history rather than a people for two reasons. Sometimes, gods like to create simple staging grounds for their newest beasts to compete for the food chain, or as peaceful paradises for herbivores to simply live out their days in. Experimental or zoo-like places without much thought put into them where the history is merely the shifting of the land over time. Other places don¡¯t have a sapient race inhabiting it anymore by virtue of them being wiped out. Whether an apocalypse was caused by their own greed, the violent ascension of a god, a powerful adventurer wiping out the place or something else entirely, what history that place has lies in the ruins.¡±


    Gizmo cleared his throat probingly again and nodded when the problems seemed to have been fixed for now. He took a sip of tea before continuing nonetheless. ¡°Monsters are then the animals inhabiting the leaf. While leaves containing only animals that can be qualified as cattle aren¡¯t entirely unheard of, their percentual share,¡± that was a concept Apexus barely knew what to do with, but it just accepted the point, ¡±is so small they might as well not exist for the sake of statistic.


    ¡°Monsters are a quick way to identify which god created a leaf, or was at least involved in it. For experienced Branchers, seeing a certain monster they have encountered many times before tells them a lot of things about the leaf as a whole. Just by seeing a dragon soar, one can deduce that there must be enough meat to feed such a creature, the colour of its scales and size usually give away the rough details of a leaf¡¯s biome. There are people who specialize in this, but we will talk about how adventurers organize themselves, at least in my heyday, another time.¡±


    Apexus had a hard time imagining the decrepit old skeleton as a young man capable of adventuring. Sure, the man was clearly a mage of some power, otherwise how would he have built that fence, illusionary barrier and have access to all that Blessed Parchment, not to mention the translation spell he could use. However, just trying to see him as anything younger than what he currently was, was difficult.


    ¡°Believe me or not, I was once a scarlet-haired legend,¡± Gizmo berated the doubtfully looking slime. Then he sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s move on though, the last things gods like to throw into their worlds are dungeons, a term I always found terribly unfitting. Adventurers love it, dungeons make it sound like they are heroically conquering dark prisons and dangerous places. In reality, dungeons aren¡¯t even necessary structures. Landmarks would be more accurate, places that are unusual even in the leaf they are placed in, holy forests or castles guarded by animated armour. Simply put, places of great danger and great reward.¡±


    ¡°You are forgetting one aspect of the divine¡¯s creations,¡± Aclysia chimed in, putting a clean bag filled with herbs and made from rough cloth on the table where she landed. ¡°They don¡¯t just add dungeons to the world, but also mysteries. Simple things that pose riddles or challenges to the people discovering them, often unsolved for centuries,¡± she gestured at herself, ¡°I, myself, would be an example for such a mystery. Although they usually aren¡¯t accompanied by divine quests¡­¡±


    Aclysia¡¯s voice trailed off and she blinked rapidly. Then she turned towards her awakener ever so slowly. ¡°I never disclosed the details of mine quest to you!¡± she exclaimed, only now realizing this. Between not being able to tell Apexus due to its inability to understand, her physical form failing and then the simple flow of living in this house she had completely forgot about it. It wasn¡¯t urgent, but now that she finally got the reminder, she decided to disclose it.


    Gizmo leaned back, the metal fairy drew breath, the slime stared.

 Safe Leaf 3

    ¡°My creator wishes for you to gather the rest of my body,¡± Aclysia stated after a moment of thinking. ¡°Now that I have been awoken, the fountains of divine metals all over Ctania have opened. Though I know not their location in detail, I can roughly locate them.¡±


    ¡°A gathering quest, pretty tame for a divine one,¡± Gizmo commented. In the meanwhile, Apexus grabbed some paper and wrote a single word on it in the usual scraggly fashion.


    ¡®Reward?¡¯ It was a simple question from a basic understanding that fulfilling quests was supposed to net one something in return. In all due honesty, albeit it was hard to express that without a face or tone, the slime felt greedy towards the idea of getting something. While it would have done it regardless just to please the cute little fairy, there had to be something bigger in it.


    Aclysia nodded, ¡°A minor wish shall be granted to you, awakener. A strong weapon, a blessing of might, a protective amulet, what you desire as a help on your journey into the leaves you shall receive. Just be aware that this will not be the grandest of rewards, compared to other divine quests that is, due to its nature of being located in this safe leaf. Lower risk bestows lower rewards.¡±


    That was a concept Apexus was nicely familiar with already. ¡°And with your purpose fulfilled, what will happen to you?¡± Gizmo asked. The slime perked up, that it hadn¡¯t thought about.


    ¡°With the divine quest resolved I shall return to my creator, awaiting further orders in his realm,¡± the metal fairy spoke. A hint of sadness reverberated in her voice, after all this was her first physical existence and she rather liked the people she knew right now. As few as there were. Or not even people.


    Apexus stretched upwards in its seat and possessively spilled over the metal fairy like a crashing wave. The black and white lady was only as big as Gizmo¡¯s hand, and as such easily encapsulated. Like the ebb, the slime then pulled off the table with the metal fairy inside. She let out a relaxed giggle as the full-body massage began.


    The slime put forth a conviction in that moment to simply wish for Aclysia to stay when the time came. It needed no fancy sword or blessing. More time with this adorable little fairy was all it wished for. That and maybe try some unsavoury things with her, but those urges were currently being unfulfilled.


    Much to Apexus¡¯ dismay, the metal fairy had no genitals. This bothered it because it really, really liked the white-haired woman and wanted to try this whole mating thing its instincts whispered to it. A thing that was currently impossible.


    But maybe if it found some more parts of Aclysia¡¯s metal, she would grow and something like that would become possible? It would remain to be seen. At the prospect alone, however, Apexus began eagerly quivering like an excited child on its birthday. It should drop all of this education nonsense and go do something interesting again.


    Gizmo hit the blue blob over the figurative head with the empty tea kettle. ¡°Young thing, don¡¯t get overly worked up about things within your own mind,¡± the old man hackled, the fact that he had succeeded in the motion being a testament to Apexus¡¯ lack of attention. ¡°Remember what I taught you. If you want to do something, write down a plan that is understandable for everyone involved.¡±


    Immediately, the slime scribbled the words, ¡®Metal searching¡¯ on the paper. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be wise,¡± Gizmo shook his head.


    ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t be,¡± Aclysia agreed, shaking her head, the only part still sticking out of the slime. Apexus underlined the word. It really wanted to get out of the little sanctuary. To eat meat. To have a little adventure. ¡°It seems my awakener insists,¡± the metal fairy sounded conflicted. While she wanted to further the divine quest her maker had given her to fulfil, it would be better for everyone involved if Apexus learned a bit more about the world before it headed out there.


    ¡°Yes, indeed¡­¡± Gizmo mumbled, then fell into silent pondering. ¡°Apexus, would you get water for fresh tea? I may have an idea how we can solve this.¡± The condition of its mentor¡¯s throat in mind, the slime agreed immediately. Grabbing the kettle, after releasing Aclysia from the cuddling, it made its way outside.


    It wasn¡¯t a long or hard trip by any stretch of the imagination. A bit of a balancing act, for certain, as Apexus had to put the kettle on its top, but nothing hard. Once it reached the pond of clear water that had coerced the slime to land in this place in the first place, it simply jumped inside. That way, the submerged kettle was filled up with water while the slime could do some drinking itself.


    On its way back in, Apexus spilled some of the superfluous water to spare the dead wood inside the wetness. The fact that the kettle itself was covered in the basic fluid wasn¡¯t going to be important. It would all evaporate while the tea was heating anyway.


    Gizmo cleared his throat as Apexus carefully, incredibly wary of the fire, curved its body and hooked the kettle at its rightful place. Barely having returned to its tree-stump of a seat, Apexus was confronted with a piece of paper that held the old man¡¯s plan.


    It was a simple three step program. Lectures, then a search for a part of Aclysia, then repeat. ¡°This way we both should get what we want,¡± Gizmo said.


    Aclysia fluttered her moth-like wings as she looked at the simple array of words in hovering flight. ¡°That seems a viable middle ground, indeed,¡± she agreed, an upbeat tone in her soothing voice. ¡®I look forward to growing,¡¯ she thought. It wasn¡¯t like a divine being to feel competitive over such trivial things as size, but her awakener continuously getting bigger and her being stuck in a frankly weak shape was frustrating. Being of use was her major source of satisfaction, and right now she wasn¡¯t even certain she could cast a satisfying heal on Apexus.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Gizmo turned towards the primary hinge of this decision. Nodding with its whole body, the slime agreed. As dull as it found grammar and advanced mathematics, it would need to get better at these things to not get laughed at by Aclysia again. ¡°Great, one piece of advice, keep to the areas where you are unlikely to run into people. If she gets bigger by the divine metal being collected, you can eventually pose as adventurer and familiar.¡±


    Apexus just took his word for it. The concept of a city was still alien to it. A hive for people rather than ants sounded odd, especially with their total lack of cohesion. All the slime hoped for was that the scary armoured man it met back on the mountain wasn¡¯t going to find it. To that end, going to untravelled ends of the leaf seemed like the best idea.


    ¡°Alright then, I am not going to keep you here much longer then,¡± Gizmo stated. ¡°You can leave tomorrow, for today I will need to put some more information into your core.¡± Leaning back in his chair, the old man recalled where they had left off before this tangent. ¡°I think you know the basics about the branches, leaves and life upon them now¡­ ah, yes, the fruits, that topic we danced around.


    To put it basically a fruit exists at the very tip of a branch once enough the leaves that hang on it have had their mysteries uncovered. It is a self-generating creation of omni-verse tree, an edible manifestation of its power. Only those who helped in great part to explore the branch may claim the fruit, but as there is only one per branch at any given time, conflicts over who deserves the fruit the most are often bloody. The fruits are, after all, what allows the adventurer to become a god, should enough of them be consumed a single individual.¡±


    The slime wrote down a question. ¡®Just once?¡¯


    ¡°A branch may be fruitful again after many years have passed,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°No fruit shall ever be as potent as the coveted first one, however. This is why Branchers are infinitely more likely to ascend. The fruits themselves are not direct creations of the gods, rather they are manifestations of the energy released during the creation of mysteries and dungeons and the likes. As such, the more dangerous a leaf is, the more potent the phantasmal energy of the fruit will be. Because they prolong life and restore youth, they are greatly wanted.¡±


    Now Apexus was just hungry. These things must have an incredible taste, with all the trouble it was to get them. It wondered if it would ever get to eat one. Its first goal was still becoming stronger, simply because that was what its survival instinct told it to do. Chances were that, if it continued on down that path, it may one day find itself able to spread its goo around one of these tasty sounding treats.


    ¡°And now that we are done with that topic,¡± Gizmo clapped his hands. ¡°What is the root of nine?¡±


    Apexus needed a minute to remember that that was a math question.

 Safe Leaf 4

    Apexus was sitting in the grass in front of the house. Its wings had been grown back to a size where their green feathers could carry the slime¡¯s whole weight into the sky. Its proverbial belly was filled to a satisfying degree, not that it would have a problem scavenging for food. Being able to eat and digest just about everything was a great trait to have, the slime realized after having observed Gizmo¡¯s limited diet.


    ¡°I wish you a safe journey,¡± the old man said, waving with one hand. The other was gripping onto the head of his cane, quivering as more of his weight travelled through the arm than nature ever intended.


    Apexus felt a bit unsure all of a sudden. Leaving his teacher in such a state was a risk. What if he came back to find a house inhabited only by a corpse? With no idea how else to put it, the slime ate a couple of words into the grass. ¡°Be here,¡± Gizmo read out loud, for some reason these two words alone caused the old man¡¯s eyes to turn wet. ¡°I will, I promise,¡± he stated with a smile. ¡°Now go, the sooner you come back, the sooner we can return to teaching you.¡±


    Gizmo backed away and gave Apexus all the space it needed to flap its wings. On the broad space between them, on the slime¡¯s back, Aclysia was doing her best to hold onto the smooth surface. To make things easier, Apexus pulled her lower body inside itself. Then it took off.


    Gaining altitude took a couple of moments, as gravity desperately tried to keep its gluing claws in the mass of Apexus. With the strength of its pale green wings, the slime managed to escape, rising from the ground, over the house and finally over the trees surrounding them.


    In search of a helpful breeze, Apexus flew a little circle, taking one last glance at the house. It felt a strange attachment to this place, from the wooden box to the pond and the metal fence. Perhaps, that attachment only existed because of the friendly old man inside that box, though.


    A flicker, like lightning crackling in the space around it, flashed around Apexus as it broke out of the illusionary barrier that separated Gizmo¡¯s house from the rest of the forest. Now the space behind them was simple tree-tops. It was a place impossible to find unless one was seeking to find it. Apexus had been in the lucky position of searching for something that Gizmo had, thus allowing it to find that place without realizing it.


    Aclysia tried to get her awakener¡¯s attention by patting the part of its back in front of her. Words failed now, as the earless Apexus had not the concentration to spare to allow it to hear with its tremor sense alone. Acquisition of ears was something, the slime decided, that should get done as soon as possible.


    Not stupid whatsoever, the metal fairy had already realized that and was pointing Apexus at the right direction via drawing lines with her finger upon its back. Despite what its math skills may make one believe, the slime wasn¡¯t dumb either, and so it adjusted its course until Aclysia stopped and they simply sailed onwards.


    Apexus had a look around, moving a frontal blob of its shape as a make-shift head. Moving its eyes alone would have worked as well, but changing their position in the slime too much or too quickly usually lead to some nucleus-ache. Its body really didn¡¯t like it when Growths were used in too abrupt a fashion.


    The landscape was pretty boring, just green, green and more green, an assembly of trees one could barely see for all the forest. Only a few cliffs and the trenches of Forester Dragons on their feeding path broke up this total monotony.


    Under the protection of the leaves tumbled, undoubtedly, hundreds of lifeforms that Apexus could have devoured for a set of ears. As it was, even as Apexus spied the occasional squirrel, there was no chance for a successful dive in the broad daylight. Not even worth the try.


    They went on in silence. Apexus wasn¡¯t all that bothered by that, the feeling of Aclysia inside him was kind of nice. More specifically, the pulsating of the magic inside her which he faintly sensed gave him a feeling of companionship. That was in addition to the simple glee that was being close to one¡¯s crush, although the slime still failed to realize what exactly that meant.


    To give the metal fairy something she could enjoy in the meantime, Apexus put his pheromone glands on the height of production. The last time it had used them in such active a fashion had been before the run-in with the two adventurers. In such a remote corner of the world, the slime felt like there was no real danger of running into someone with such a fine nose.


    Their journey took them four days. The first two days they needed to escape the greenery, then they spent a day flying over an ocean and finally arrived on the continent in the north. Ctania may not have been the biggest of worlds, but traversing it still took more time than taking a casual stroll down into the nearest pub. Especially as they were heading for a remote corner in the north-east of the leaf.


    Granted, they lost a lot of time because Apexus had insisted on doing a couple of things during their travel. First, the slime did not want to fly over the ocean. It knew it had to and trusted Aclysia enough to eventually do it, but flying over a massive body of water of which it couldn¡¯t see the end, only to turn around and see the land shrink in the distance, was an incredibly scary experience the first time around.


    Apexus flew in circles to get used to that foreign experience and eventually they did make it. Aclysia¡¯s internal knowledge of where to find the next piece of her formed their compass. Once they had reached the other side, the slime made the mistake of drinking saltwater.


    It could swim inside the ocean perfectly fine, its membrane was strong enough to prevent the two liquids from mixing. Unless it actually invited that saltwater in. Which it did and regretted. It tasted awful, cold and gave it the slime equivalent of cramps. It was way thirstier after the fact than it had been before, meaning they had to divert some time on finding water.


    Luckily, that was an easy task. The northern continent had no official name, people just couldn¡¯t agree to one, but it was commonly referred to by two names: the watery continent or the coral continent. The two names came from the two defining characteristics, one inland and one for the shores.


    The northern continent was incredibly shallow around the rim. Much of it disappeared under the water during high tide. When the ebb came, however, a rather unique ecosystem stayed behind in the form of corals. Pink and blue, these stone-like trees survived the temporary waterlessness by shutting all holes and staying moist on the inside for the few hours they had to. Then the tide turned and the cycle in their favour. There was doubtlessly more about it that Apexus could learn, and he was interested to find who was the boss in that particular environment (and if it could eat it) but he didn¡¯t have the time.


    Watery, then, the continent was called for its incredible amount of inland seas. It wouldn¡¯t be inaccurate to say that there was more water than not, the stone paths between them often narrow or partially submerged. Apexus had no problem in finding a freshwater source in that environment and so it was that, at the end of the fourth day, plunged into one of those lakes.


    As if somebody had dropped a rather large rock suddenly into it, water flew everywhere. Apexus vanished under the surface just as a metal fairy gracefully fluttered over to a nearby rock, having had no desire to submerge herself like her creator. ¡°What an energetic being I watch over,¡± she giggled to herself as she sat down.


    Slinging her arms around her legs, just below the kneecaps, she waited for Apexus to rise up again. She could see it¡¯s wings even under the wavering surface, understandably disturbed by the sudden invader and its movements.


    Their destination was a few more kilometres to the east, but the temporary stop didn¡¯t bother her. Especially when her awakener burst out with what she understood to be glee. The slime passed under a moonlit sky perfectly, the god that was having a race with his brother around this leaf shining through Apexus.


    The silver light of the moon was transformed by the translucent blue and the wide spread wings carried the entire elliptical shape upwards. Aclysia bated her breathe for the single second that somehow majestic picture lasted, a slime that looked like an angel was an impossibility in her mind. WAS an impossibility.


    Then her awakener landed on the stone next to her. Without legs, it was a bit of a difficult process to land, but with its bounciness simply dropping the last few centimetres at a moderate speed was no problem.


    Aclysia found that her cheeks were burning for some reason. Something inside her was stirring and she couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. Her life as a creation of her divine father had few experiences in the emotional sense.


    And so it was that two unknowing beings of unlikely overlap shared a full-moon with each other in silence.


    They were supposed to keep moving. Instead, they kept sitting there for a long time. Something about the world of still lakes evoked a feeling of perfect tranquillity. Like a landscape of mirrors, their smooth surfaces reflected the stars and moon above. A second sky, with veins of rock running through it.


    Surely, part of the want to remain still came from the cold Apexus experienced. A being without internal heat, the slime felt sluggish following its dive into the lake. Only when the sun rose would it be able to shake that feeling off.


    The much bigger reason was Aclysia, however, as the metal fairy had crept closer and was now leaning with head and shoulder against Apexus. The tenderness of that limited contact made the slime shiver, a visible tremor travelling down between its wings. It was a perfectly fine feeling, great in fact. For her part, Aclysia had no idea why she had the sudden urge to rest her body in that position, much less why she was obeying it.


    Apexus put a wing around her and they continued to sit there. A faint vibration, Apexus felt against its side. It took him a moment to realize that the metal fairy was speaking. Focusing its tremor sense, the slime listened.


    Sweet tones of an unknown language kissed its mind in their harmonious structure. This wasn¡¯t speech but something different. Consistent notes travelled over the water and reverberated down to Apexus¡¯ core. Melodious and more beautiful than the light of the moon. Singing, that was what this act was called, the slime soon realized. A word whose meaning it had only learned, but whose only example had been a coughing old man trying his best.


    It was barely even comparable to the voice of Aclysia, who weaved together from her voice alone things artisans couldn¡¯t with strings of gold. Whatever the song described, Apexus felt like it was a happy one and when it finally did come to an end, it left a void.


    Aclysia opened her eyes. They had been closed during the entire performance. The colourless cat eyes of Apexus were looking back, only a thin black ring separating iris from sclera. ¡°I hope you liked my performance,¡± the metal fairy spoke, the moonlight barely illuminating her lightly reddened features. Eagerly, Apexus nodded, stubbing her in a wanting fashion. ¡°You wish to hear me sing more?¡± she asked with a happy undertone. Again, eager nods were had. ¡°Awakener, I will act on your wishes then,¡± the metal fairy smiled. The night was filled with melody, a steady comment to the moon¡¯s travel over the horizon.

 Safe-Leaf 5

    Shortly after the sun did rise, Aclysia finally ceased in her song, urging their journey to continue. As little as Apexus wanted to, it had to admit that it was out of excuses to prolong the existence of their moment. Bathing in the warmth of the sunlight, it soon felt liveliness return to its mass and at that point sitting on a rock all day was also fleeting in interest from its mind.


    There was a whole different thing that caught its attention though. A translucent blob, crawling out from a small cave in the rocky landscape. Flying over, Apexus got a better view, Aclysia following with interest as to what her awakener was this excited about.


    Apexus was staring at the tiny slime in front of it. It was so small, it would barely have filled a tea cup with its body. Unbothered by the presence of its gigantic brethren, the normal slime put itself into a nice spot to do some sunbathing before going about its business, searching the ponds and lakes for small fish or plants and eating them.


    ¡°Right, this is the first time you meet something of your kind,¡± Aclysia commented, standing next to that small thing. ¡°This must be a pretty young one.¡± At more than double its height, even the metal fairy looked big in comparison. There were a couple of things Apexus felt while looking at the blue translucent shape. Adoration, for it was small and cute, hunger, out of curiosity, disgust with itself, for wanting to eat something that looked pretty much exactly like it had at the beginning, and jealousy because Aclysia was standing that close to it. Pretty much all silly feelings, Apexus found, pushing them aside. It watched curiously for a couple more minutes for the slime to do anything, but the small blob seemed intent on just existing around.


    Ultimately, Apexus felt disappointed and lonely. Aclysia hopped on its back as soon as her awakener spread its wings. From up in the air and equipped with excellent eyes, the slime saw more of its lesser kind crawling around the place, the biggest of them reaching the size of pigs. None of them were special in any way, just blobs of acidic gelatine.


    This was the confirmation for Apexus that he was truly unique. Given the circumstances of its birth and abilities, that had always been the basic assumption, but now that it had confirmation it left the taste of shells in its taste receptors. It was alone.


    Aclysia¡¯s presence felt doubly reassuring in that moment, as it may have been alone in kind but not in reality. That, at least, was a great feeling. Taking its eyes off the floor, Apexus concentrated on the horizon ahead, their destination was not much further now.


    The landscape rose. Not slowly over the course of the many kilometres they were leaving behind them, but in perfectly visible steps. It looked like somebody had dropped circular slabs of stone on the otherwise flat plain of rocks and water, stacked them in an uneven fashion and then left them to be worn down by the elements for a couple millennia.


    That was basically what had happened back in the days of this leaf¡¯s¡¯ creation. Hashahin, wanting to create a landmark, had simply elevated the ground and then dumped immense amounts of water on top of it. A marvellous, but truly lazy piece of work.


    As to what the landmark was for, the answer could be found at the very top of those stacks. Aclysia patted Apexus on the back three times, the pre-discussed signal that they had arrived. Somewhere around here, they would find a source of the living metal that the fairy¡¯s physical form was forged from.


    While hoping not to find it the slime flew a giant circle to look anyway. They had come all this way, to just get what they desired without any trial would be immensely boring. Luckily, the slime was not treated to such an easily gotten gain. After having finished scanning the ground, they descended towards the peak of the slanted stack of rocks.


    What lay at the centre of the highest and smallest of the segments was a large natural fountain surrounded by an arrangement of pillars. It looked like an ancient ritual site, the water shooting into the sky like a never-ending geyser. Rather than pooling, the massive amounts of liquid flowed outwards through six channels. From there they dropped onto the next lower platforms and continued on that way until they reached the lowest levels of the coral continent.


    The pillars surrounding that endless fountain were organized in between these channels and connected through withering bridges that once were a marble white, but now looked more like a washed-out grey. Five pillars stood on each of the segments of land, three directly next to the fountain, another two a bit distanced. Between them, staircases spiraled underneath the terrain.


    This was the entrance to the Clearwater Dungeon, a beginner friendly underground structure befitting of this safe leaf. Just being for beginners didn¡¯t mean it was perfectly safe, however, and due to its placement at the fringes of the leaf it was pretty unpopular. There were more readily available dungeons closer to the city in the west, Haralry, so the only people that ever came here to train were eccentrics, those who had something to hide or who wanted something very specific from this place.


    Apexus, technically, was all three of these things. Changing the shape of its wings to something more easily foldable, doubling as makeshift shield on it back, the slime was ready to get in there and eat whatever it came across. The only things it had eaten the past few days were plants, a fish and several dozen ants. Last of which had been a somewhat lucky encounter, as the slime had been in desperate need of a working nose. Except that ants didn''t have noses, they smelled with their antenna. So that''s what it had. Regardless, it was a working sensory organ for air tasting, if small in scale.


    The duo descended down the stairs. Always staying aware of troublesome tremors, the slime took one step at a time. They were slippery from the high humidity in the air, which only got worse the deeper they went. The stairs wound around the underground source of the fountain, evading each other by running parallel. No matter which one of the flights Apexus would have taken, they all led it and Aclysia into the same chamber.


    The shape of a ring, the sound of rushing water prevalent through the thick walls of the central pillar, they arrived at the start of the dungeon. The very first room of these structures was traditionally safe, allowing adventurers to make their plans. Only the most sadistic of gods placed a trap right at the start.


    Hashahin was, thankfully, not of such evil a nature and thus Apexus could take a look around unobstructed. The walls were smooth, covered in a repeating pattern of large knots and crosses. Towards the ceiling, the walls curved towards each other, meeting at a sharp point. Every few metres, a glowing crystal fixed inside the meeting point was giving off light, illuminating much of the dungeon.


    Aside from the stairs that led back up, several dozen hallways in equal distance from each other invited the duo into the labyrinthian structure. That was the dangerous part for most adventurers, getting lost inside these corridors was quite easy. Luckily, Apexus could leave trails of pheromones behind to find its way back.


    Other adventurers solved this problem by either buying or making maps. This worked splendidly for starting dungeons like this one, higher ones tended to have some way to readjust their layout in random intervals.


    Apexus crawled three laps around the central room to leave an extra strong mark on the area before picking a corridor at random. Their adventure had begun. With eagerness, the slime began to creep its way forward. This place had the air of a potential biome to be conquered, which raised an interesting question. Was each appropriately difficult dungeon a way to acquire a permanent Growth? If yes, Apexus would have great fun climbing, discovering, and eating its way through these places.


    It didn¡¯t take Apexus too long to encounter the first monster. Inside dungeons, monsters were created from special breeding rooms, the magic of the world itself giving birth to them and keeping them nourished even in the absence of adventurers.


    It was a spider the size of a wagon-wheel. It had fuzzy legs as broad as a clenched fist, but a surprisingly small abdomen and main body. It sat still under the ceiling, in the twilight between two illuminating crystals. Its grey body made it blend well enough with the background, but not to the point where it was hard to spot or anything. Especially not for the dark-sensitive eyes that Apexus had developed.


    The slime and the spider had a stare-off. If the spider knew that it had been discovered, it made no show of it. At the same time, Apexus wondered if it could simply take another route. It was pretty clear that the spider was waiting to get a drop on whoever passed underneath it. Its twin fangs were at the ready.


    The common dungeon spider, as this creature was called, was a monster that impressed only with its size. It couldn¡¯t hide very well, it wasn¡¯t venomous and aside from ambushing, its combat abilities were actually under-average. What made it such a staple in beginner dungeons was that they taught adventurers some basic awareness skills while also facing them with a commonly feared animal. Adventuring was not for the faint of heart. The gods were nice enough to give the newcomers a chance to drop out before throwing the actually deadly stuff at them.


    As to whether or not the spider had seen Apexus, the answer was a clear no. These things were almost blind and reacted mostly following what they could sense through their hairs and the strings attached to their feet. While the slime was not aware of these things, Aclysia was.


    With minor worry, Apexus watched the metal fairy fly up to the spider. She did so with no further announcement, but the slime trusted her enough to let her. Once there, the metal fairy gently tickled one of the spider¡¯s leg hairs. A thusly triggered monster with a brain relative to the size of a walnut thus lunged in that direction, diagonally down the wall. Where an action ready slime then pounced on it in return. Sloppily, sure, without legs or the room to fly it could just stretch as fast as possible, but sloppy was just good enough when dealing with a confused spider.


    Once Apexus had latched onto the back of the creature, the win was in the bag. Large as it was in its entirety, most of that was the span of the spider¡¯s legs, and to score a kill those were optional, that much the slime knew. Weighed down and with a sudden pull at its back the spider was forced to the ground. A vengeful bite successfully tore into Apexus¡¯ side, but it took that damage in stride, encapsulating the spider¡¯s main body over the next minute.


    Having eaten that, the slime now had access to a couple of very useful tools, namely the legs and fangs of the spider. Carapace and spinneret could also be viable, but the former took time to grow while the latter took skill, neither of which Apexus had time for.


    There was one thing the slime became aware of as it continued on in the dungeon though, and that was that it should go ahead and explore this whole place very carefully. When it eventually did meet whatever was the big boss inside here, and according to all the slime had learned there usually was something worthy of that title, and defeated it, Apexus didn¡¯t want a repeat of the Forester Dragon situation. Having a limited pool of options when picking what it wanted to keep sucked, so it best clear the dungeon only after having eaten everything it had to offer.


    Thus, the slime began munching its way through most of the dungeon¡¯s different inhabitants. First was a large snail, which tasted quite good and came in large numbers, but aside from that was uninteresting. Apexus could kill these with one bite from its newly acquired fangs.


    Then there was another staple of beginner¡¯s dungeons, giant rats. That finally gave Apexus access to a new set of ears and it liked that being¡¯s nose better than the ant one it used up until then. After confirming that the new nose could indeed smell the pheromone trails, the slime disregarded the insectoid one.


    It spent a long time skittering around the place, dodging encounters that seemed too crowded for its liking by travelling along the ceiling. Taking out one rat was pretty easy, three rats grouping up underneath a spider behind what looked like slippery trail of snail slime? Yeah, Apexus was good without that engagement. It helped that it eventually became so monstrous looking that the inhabitants of the dungeon were confused as to whether or not they were looking at an intruder or not. They wouldn¡¯t want to attack one of their own.


    Apexus was currently digesting a snail as it wondered how long exactly it was down in the dungeon already. Resting by hanging underneath the ceiling, hiding a crystal underneath it, it tried to make an educated guess. The slime had no need to ever stop and recharge, the crystals were not only sources of light but also of heat, meaning that Apexus was always wide awake. Without the sun to follow, the slime had no idea how much time was passing. It had been at least a day, but it could have easily been three. Something in that range. Probably.


    They had mapped out large parts of the dungeon at this point, pheromones marking wherever they had been already. ¡°I guess we have discovered about a quarter of it,¡± Aclysia told Apexus, seemingly reading its mind. She was sitting on its belly in a diligent fashion, her butt resting against her heels, hands orderly folded. While it couldn¡¯t actually see her, Apexus just knew she was sitting that way. She almost always was.


    They were currently taking a page out of the spider¡¯s book and it worked very well in leaving them unbothered. Aclysia was apparently in need to recover her magical energies, or something to that effect. The slime was very much supernaturally illiterate still.


    While lost in some fantasies involving Aclysia tangled up in spider silk, her body forced into some enticing poses, the slime felt something very unusual: footsteps. Not the barely noticeable skittering of a spider, not the consistent crawl of a slug and not the running of tiny rat feet, no, footsteps. The kind Gizmo had, just lighter and quicker.


    Whoever they belonged to was running away from something and directly towards Apexus. Suddenly, underneath the slime, appeared the figure they belonged to.


    ¡°Come on, some fucking thing,¡± she spoke, out of breathe, taking quick looks around in a hasty, desperate fashion. Dark red hair flew from one side to the other, a perfectly messy cascade of crimson, shining and voluminous despite a clear lack of proper care. A pair of pointy cat ears atop her head were moving separately from her eyes.


    She had an athletic body, the kind of attractive that fit right into the fantasies Apexus had been having moments ago. Her clothes may have hid something once upon a time, but the skin-tight leather was hanging in black tatters now, hiding only her breasts and crotch reliably. With nicely proportioned breasts, bigger than Aclysia¡¯s but also not in the truly large category, that curved perfectly into a flat midriff and from there into a tight ass and trained thighs, she looked soft in all the right places with the bonus of muscles shifting subtly under the surface.


    Her skin was of a light brown complexion and stripes that tended more towards the black side of things covered her in an interesting pattern. It was a cat girl, or a tiger girl to be more exact, and a sexy one at that. Her boots, the only part of her outfit that had survived, vibrated over the ceiling as she jumped back in reaction to a loud howl.


    ¡°Shit,¡± she cursed, slowly backing away from the corridor she came from. Glancing over her shoulder to find a group of rats, she realized she was cornered between them and the creature that had chased her there. Tapping in came a canine creature. It had fur the colour of red itself and was rather large.


    It was something like a fox, except much larger and more muscular. Its front paws had large claws, but even they were only there to hurt and weaken its prey. The long, black snout with the sharp teeth was what this creature used to kill. A fluffy tail waved around at the end of its body, not attached to any regular spine but a magical extension of the monster¡¯s body, a clear show of the fox¡¯s excitement.


    Such a tail could only belong to a Spirit Fox and at one it was the lowest of its kind. Still, a rather rare find in a dungeon of this level. Rare and highly unfortunate for the tiger girl, who had no weapons or armour to speak of.


    Still, she roared like a beast herself and spread her fingers, brandishing her own claws. That took the Spirit Fox back a single step, but it sensed that it was facing weakened prey and then took two more steps forwards.


    That was when Apexus dropped down.

 Safe Leaf 6

    Reysha had been through an awful couple of weeks. First, she was thrown out of her adventuring group for pissing off the priest, and the healer veto was an incredibly powerful force. Then, she was late on rent, as going into the dungeons alone didn¡¯t allow her to tackle the harder, better paying challenges. Next she knew, she was unable to pay back the beginner¡¯s loan for equipment the guild had given her and now she needed some serious money. When she failed to provide that, she was thrown out of her home and put before a simple choice: work off the loan or run away.


    She chose the latter and spent some time in the wilderness, figuring out what to do. Returning to the city of white wood was an impossibility for the near future, so she had to skim what she had on her. There was her armour, a black leather piece that allowed her to move effortlessly and slip from one dark corner into the next, befitting of an assassin. Well, she was a rogue, getting training as an assassin was something more advanced. Point was, she was the sneaky type.


    Her remaining equipment was a pair of daggers, an enchanted adventurers¡¯ bag (bigger on the inside than the outside, although not by much at the beginner¡¯s level) and a map of the Clearwater Dungeon. Whatever way she chose to deal with her debt problem, it would involve money and skill. It was unlikely that she could gather enough to pay off her loaners on her lonesome from a beginner¡¯s dungeon, but maybe she could get enough to get some inconspicuous clothes and then simply get to the Rooting? Simply starting again on another leaf was certainly an option, she just needed to be able to leave this one.


    Thusly, she made her way over to this distant part of the world. It was a long, arduous journey, but she rather enjoyed having nobody to talk to but herself. With her last coins, she bought a ferry over to the watery continent, successfully evading people that could have known she was a debtor fleeing from the consequences, and set out.


    From there, she reached the dungeon rather quickly. She stepped down the stairs and began her exploration of these unpopular corridors. That had been two weeks ago. Disaster struck her in waves. First, a rat, hiding behind an illusionary wall, hit her with a surprise attack. While the fight itself wasn¡¯t too much trouble, she had been checking her map before it started. And, of course, it sailed right into the nearest puddle of water. Cheap in quality as these beginner maps often were, the ink washed out and was basically unreadable by the time Reysha got her hands on it again.


    ¡®Unlucky, but I already got some valuables, so I can try again another time,¡¯ the tiger girl had thought at the time. The next disaster thus hit when she was tracing back her steps to get out. A crowd of snails had been gracing her path with their touch of mucus. Rather gracelessly, she fell, then had to run away from a bunch of rats that had been alarmed to her presence, working together with a Spirit Fox. Those magically adapt creatures were as large as wolves and seriously bad news. She was a silent killer; direct confrontations were not her style.


    She was certain she could have taken either the three rats or the Spirit Fox on their own, but in combination that was above her certain skill level. She did manage to lose them eventually through a combination of running very quickly and Sneaking, one of the earliest skills Rogues were taught.


    However, safe as she was at that moment, she was now lost and without map. Then she lost both of her daggers. Then her rations ran out. Then she even lost the bag. Then she just went, ¡°Fuck it,¡± and let the savagery run wild.


    It had to be said that Reysha had never been the most normal of individuals. The reasons that brought the priest up against her were a list of continuous innuendos, getting incredibly drunk when she had the chance to, having the laugh of a crazy person, a pretty loose moral code and ended with an incident involving the stabbing of unsavoury individuals the priest had insisted just needed a stern talking too. A bit more brutal than normal rogue behaviour, but still in the acceptable range.


    Now, after weeks spent on her own in the wilderness, followed by immense stress and topped by the need to gorge herself on the raw meat of dungeon monsters, unable to find the exit, the redhead tiger girl was right up at the edge of sanity. Her only moment of calm had been when she miraculously stumbled over a Vitality Fountain and been able to take a bath. The surprisingly warm water had healing qualities, as long as one was inside the dungeon of origin at least. It was a basic way for adventurers to refill their health potions.


    Her armour was the only piece that she still owned at that point and it was already torn to a point that only kept her decency. Better than nothing, though, so she kept it on and headed back out, still wanting to find her way out of these damned walls.


    Expecting the worst was pretty wise at that point, as the Spirit Fox found her again. Without her daggers, she was less enthusiastic about the earlier statement. Sure, she had sharp claws, but her training in melee combat was all hand to hand, not hand to teethed mad.


    And that was when Reysha picked up a sweet scent. Her sensible nose couldn¡¯t believe that something aside from stuffiness could exist in the dank heat that was the underground complex, but there it was, as alluring as honey. It was either a dungeon trap or a human simply drenched in perfume. At that point, she was willing to take her chances and she ran towards the source.


    When she found an empty corridor, she was disheartened. The smell extended to other parts of the complex, parts she had not yet explored (or didn¡¯t think she did), but it was strongest where she stood. If she had been given more time or had been in less of a hurry, she maybe would have looked up, but instead she was placed between a pack of rats and the Spirit Fox. ¡®This is the end then,¡¯ she thought, assuming her best fighting pose after roaring in an attempt at intimidation. ¡®I will claw that fuckers eyes out, if it is the last thing I will do!¡¯ she swore to herself.


    That was when the Spirit Fox took two steps forwards. Now, if there was any hope for Reysha leaving this dungeon as the, if not sane then at least socially acceptable levels of mad, then they were in clear jeopardy when a nightmare construct dropped on top of her assailant.


    She had trouble even understanding what she was seeing as the creature pressed the struggling Spirit Fox to the floor and sank its spider fangs into the back of its neck. It had eight fuzzy legs, that part she could work with, having fought a lot of spiders in the past two weeks. However, that they were attached to a clear blue slime was where her understanding began to waver. The two folded green wings that protected the being¡¯s back under a shield of feathers just didn¡¯t fit with the now bloodsoaked fangs that were placed underneath a pair of colourless cat eyes, the snout of a rat, complete with whiskers, between them and the eyes above.


    It was like some god had decided to play puzzle with a bunch of creatures and had given up at the main body, creating this¡­ thing. A thing, she realized that was the source of the smell and a thing that had just saved her life.


    ¡°Behind you!¡± a female voice suddenly cried out to Reysha and reminded her of the trio of dog-sized rats at her back. They were quickly storming down the corridor, already in jumping distance. One of them was intercepted by a small body of white and black, but the other two made a jump for it.


    Reysha couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the absurdity of her new situation and her crazy laugh most definitely had not gotten any saner. Definitely too loud and ranging from shill too deep, it reverberated from the stones. ¡°Oh, who cares anymore?!¡± she asked out loud as she swiped at the quicker of the two rats. The hardened nail of her ring finger scratched deep into the monster¡¯s left eye, the remaining claws screeching over bone.


    The rat let out miserable sounds as it was swiped off course and crash landed on the floor elsewhere. Having more luck, the second rat bit into the soft tissue of Reysha¡¯s lower thigh. ¡°That hurts!¡± she complained, bringing her foot around with as much energy as she could muster and slamming the body of the rat against the wall.


    Stunned by this, the rat could only keep its jaws clenched. That was sure to keep doing damage, but it also made it a stationary target and Reysha¡¯s claws soon began turning the monster¡¯s back into mincemeat. By the time the first rat finally recovered, its comrade was already dead. In an act of suicidal revenge, it made a reckless jump and bit Reysha¡¯s right arm.


    The tiger girl hissed in pain and moved with immediate primality. Her bloodied hand grabbed the rat below the neck. The comparatively small paws scratched at her, adding shallow wounds to her just recently healed state, but adrenaline pushed all of that aside as she sunk her teeth in the gap between her hands and the creatures head, right into the softness of its neck.


    A humanoid she may have been but a tiger was the cross that had been used, and as such her fangs were sharp, perfect to rip and tear. Hot blood filled her mouth, the taste of salt and iron, drenching her dark lips in a colour as crimson as her hair. The meat tasted foul, but it was nothing she hadn¡¯t had to eat before and so she simply discarded the cadaver. Before it even met the floor Reysha was already pouncing on the last rat.


    On their own, such a rat stood no chance against their natural predator. It didn¡¯t help that it had been occupied with the attempt to catch a metal fairy, keeping its attention with flashy, if immensely weak spells. When it was suddenly pressed to the floor by thick leather boots, it was already too late. With savage brutality, Reysha kept the chest of the large critter pinned while her hands closed around its neck and squeezed. To break it, she didn¡¯t think she had the strength with her injured arm, but consistent pressure she could hold.


    Eventually, the rat stopped as much as quivering, and Reysha stood up straight. Only to fall against the wall and then slowly slide down. She giggled some more, ¡°Holy shit, I am alive,¡± she thought out loud, running her bloodied hands over her face and then looking over.


    Apexus didn¡¯t mind any of the brutality, it had seen and done worse. As a matter of fact, it was currently visibly dissolving half of a Spirit Fox while part of it were still sticking out. The thing was simply too big and needed a bit to be encapsulated fully.


    All the slime paid actual attention too was the woman¡¯s face. Small tiger stripes stretched symmetrically from her upper neck to the edge of her features. Separate, but also natural, kind of stripes surrounded each of her eyes like born warpaint, almost meeting at her nose. Her lips were curved in a wide, slightly unnerving but deeply attractive smile and the stubby nose that sat between her sharp eyes was cute and fit nicely into her heart shaped face. The blue colour of her iris, sitting in the white of her eyes, was the only thing about her that didn¡¯t seem to be red at that moment.


    Apexus made a rough gesture with one of its spiderlegs. Immediately the tiger girl attempted to jump on her feet. With the adrenaline subsiding, her hurt leg protested against the endeavour and she fell back down not even halfway standing. When the slime didn¡¯t move, she looked somewhat relieved.


    ¡°Crazy world,¡± she mumbled, ¡°absolutely crazy.¡± She ran a hand through her crimson hair, the chaotic mess falling back into place, slightly clumped up from the life fluid now sticking to it. Apexus repeated the gesture. ¡°WHAT?!¡± she wanted to know. ¡°Don¡¯t wave your leg around, if that even is yours, you¡­ thing!¡±


    Hurt, Apexus pulled its leg back and pouted. Reysha felt a tiny fist hitting her shoulder and finally laid eyes on the black and white fairy. ¡°My awakener most certainly does not need such disrespect,¡± Aclysia berated. ¡°His question, if I understand correctly, is rather simple,¡± she pointed at the three rat corpses. ¡°Are you going to eat that?¡±


    That was the final nail in Reysha¡¯s fleeting sanity. After all the stress and the danger, this nonchalant question was too much. Something inside her broke completely, to never be restored, something that had been rather fragile within her to begin with.


    Unbeknownst to her, this was actually not the worst thing. There was a thing to be said about it being advantageous for adventurers to be a bit on the insane side of things. Common sense could get in the way if one was traversing multiple dozens if not hundreds of different worlds and cultures. Sometimes, just having a warped sense of everything that was at least one¡¯s own was a nice anchor amidst all of these different normalities. Time would tell how it would work out for her or just how far gone she actually was.


    Simply glaring at Aclysia, without any question even entering her mind what the fairy was or why she was hanging out with Apexus, just accepting that this was part of the omni-verse, for a prolonged period. After the silence began to grow tense, she replied. ¡°Yes.¡±

 Safe Leaf 7

    The Spirit Fox had an interesting taste to it. It had that basic meat saltiness, blood and bones adding special notes as they dissolved. While the fur of this creature, like all others, was mildly disgusting, it was definitely worth getting through. Especially for the magic that dwelled within the meat.


    Apexus had noted this while gorging on the lesser beasts of the dungeon, but magic infused life was delicious. It added a rich sweetness to the food the kind of which the slime found unprecedented. This was why it was mildly disappointed when the tiger girl had decided to keep her hunt to herself.


    However, she had killed those rats herself, so it would have been unbecoming of Apexus to take her food. Instead, it wondered whether there were creatures with mana-rich flesh outside of dungeons.


    Reysha herself was slowly awakening to the taste of dungeon critters herself. Well, less the taste and more the satisfaction of eating something that could kill her. There was just something primally satisfying about feasting on other predators, but she would have preferred them cooked and seasoned. Then again, the raw meat did have a special note to it. With insane gluttony she discarded the first rat, having stripped all of the tender meat and leaving the guts and chewy stuff. ¡°You want this?¡± the tiger girl asked her unlikely saviour.


    Apexus nodded and the carcass was thrown its way, landing on the floor and being left there for a bit. Room had to be made within the slime¡¯s mass before it could absorb even more meat. Reysha went on to the second carcass, the two of them observing each other as they went on.


    There was an instinctual attraction to the tiger girl, an internal buzzing in the slime that let it feel that she would be theoretically able to carry healthy offspring. A very basic and plain instinct, present in basically all living creature. Helped that she was sexy to boot. She had cute ears and her red tail, covered in black stripes, looked nice and fluffy. Underneath all the blood and ripped clothes she had a killer body as well. Apexus just wanted to wrap around her and slide into her reproductive organs. It was the same urge that it had for Aclysia, except it was very much a possibility with Reysha.


    In return, the tiger girl was still weighing her options. Her luck seemed to have turned for the better. Whatever this monster was, it wasn¡¯t interested in killing her. ¡®If it wanted to, it could at any point,¡¯ Reysha thought, with the injuries she had sustained she was easy pickings for this creature. Even if she had been completely fine, going into unarmed combat against a slime was stupid. Particularly one with digestion acid so strong that she could visibly follow the disappearance of the Spirit Fox.


    Something inside her shambled mind could also not help but feel that this thing that had saved her was kind of cute, from the fuzzy spider legs to the cat eyes. Then again, her brain was making that assertion because she was now indebted to the slime. The only part she didn¡¯t like were the rat nose and ears. Much to her surprise, the latter one disappeared and were replaced with the ears of the Spirit Fox, the black-tipped orange contrasting awfully with the light blue of the slime¡¯s body.


    ¡°Do you require assistance?¡± the metal fairy asked, pointing at the wound on her leg. ¡°It may take me a while, but I can mend the injury.¡±


    Reysha gulped down the last strip of rat meat, tossing the third cadaver to the other two. There was more meat on that third one, but she was seriously filled up now. Stress and a weird desire to not stop eating before the slime had caused her to overfill. Now she was feeling bloated. ¡°By all things unholy, please,¡± she answered, suppressing a small burp.


    Stretching the injured leg out, Reysha watched the metal fairy land. She was so small; the tiger girl could have squashed her between her hands. A large part of her really wanted to do that, just to find out what the reactions would be. However, she wasn¡¯t insane enough to anger her saviours or start beef with yet another healer, especially not while she was healing her.


    Aclysia stretched her arms out towards the injury and gathered magic. Careful, as to not overcharge herself and break again, she began to weave together a very basic healing spell. While weak, she could maintain it almost effortlessly. ¡°May I inquire about your name and purpose in this place?¡± she asked, eager for a conversation.


    ¡°Reysha,¡± the tiger girl answered, then suddenly laughed when she remembered why she was even in this dungeon. ¡°This is going to be a long story.¡± She quickly retold the events that had brought her to this place, by the end of which Aclysia had a surprisingly understanding look on her face. ¡°What? Aren¡¯t you going to be a bitch like the other healer?¡± the redhead blurted out.


    ¡°I have great understanding for your situation and wish not to offend you any further,¡± Aclysia bowed her head.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Reysha was flabbergasted, then she cackled. ¡°Why the fuck was I expecting a fairy accompanying a¡­ slime, to behave like all the priests? Dumbass me. You are a cutie, little girl.¡±


    ¡°My name is¡­¡± the metal fairy stopped in her answer, remembering what had happened last time. Apexus extended a tentacle towards her, nudging her in the side, and then transforming the end of the protrusion into something that could charitably be called a thumbs-up. Basically, her awakener was giving her the go-ahead. ¡°Aclysia,¡± she continued, the understanding of who she was dealing with immediately reflecting in the tiger girl¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Mighty stupid of you to tell me,¡± Reysha answered, looking over to Apexus, ¡°there is a bounty on your¡­ core, I suppose. High enough for me to get debt free and still have money to spare.¡±


    The slime had no idea what a bounty was, but it sounded bad. ¡°A bounty means she will get money when she delivers proof of your death,¡± Aclysia explained. That didn¡¯t clear things up, Apexus only knew of the concept of money. ¡°She can get lots of food and other valuable in exchange for your life,¡± the metal fairy tried again. That caused the slime to perk up, that was bad.


    It still would have wanted the tiger girl to know though. Because she was attractive and the slime was an inexperienced thing with a very real wish to not just fantasize about intercourse but actually do it. To put it bluntly, it was thinking with its consentacles. Aclysia, herself inexperienced, was not yet realizing this, she was just following along like she felt she had to.


    However, something inside the metal fairies¡¯ chest was tugging unpleasantly. Having been sent to this leaf with the clear purpose of serving whoever awakened her, what she thought could not get in the way of what her awakener wanted. That she was clear on. Why then was she feeling this adversity?


    ¡°No worries though, I won¡¯t tell anybody,¡± Reysha promised. ¡°All I want to do is get off this fucking world and start somewhere else. Although¡­¡± She had a crazy idea, in other words, she had a brilliant idea. Without any hesitation, she followed the impulse. ¡°Yo, can I work with you?¡±


    ¡°An extra member surely wouldn¡¯t hurt,¡± Aclysia stated, doubt swinging her voice. Evidently, Apexus was happy with the suggestion, but she was shaken by uncertainty. Not only was it dangerous to just trust a random person they met, although that threat had already peaked with her knowing who they were, but the addition of a female member to the party bothered her. It wasn¡¯t that she wanted to keep Apexus¡¯ company to herself. The thought of the two of them interacting was no source of annoyance to her. So where did this pull in her chest come from?


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± Reysha grinned too widely, bloodstained teeth and gums showing. ¡°So what do you people even want here?¡± It would have been wise to ask that question first, but Reysha didn¡¯t care about wise decisions anymore. ¡°Are you just here to eat out this dungeon?¡±


    ¡°We are in search of more of me,¡± Aclysia answered directly. ¡°Metal of my body is spread throughout the leaf and I can feel some of it residing within this structure. Have you encountered a fountain or something like that in your past weeks of lost walks?¡±


    Reysha blinked once, moving her leg a bit to test it. The wound had almost closed at that point. ¡°Yes, actually,¡± she answered.

 Safe Leaf 8

    ¡°This is not what I had in mind,¡± Aclysia stated as they entered a circular chamber. It was filled with steam, not awfully hot but rather nicely warm, originating from a large pool of water that filled all but the outer rim of the room. It was only half a metre deep on the outside and went no deeper than a full one at the centre, where a steady stream of water bubbled up and caused the pool to overflow into metal grates in the floor, where it vanished somewhere underground. ¡°I am, however, not complaining.¡±


    The metal fairy flew over the water and then dropped. Immediately upon entrance, dirt and dust that had gathered on her during the journey began swirling in the clear water around her. While there was no hygienic need for her to be clean, it felt infinitely nicer.


    The filth was immediately diluted and washed away. Apexus sat at the edge of the water making big eyes, basking in the sight of Aclysia as she broke back through the surface, throwing her white hair back in an elegant gesture. The metal she was made from was incredibly light, it needed to be to allow her to fly, so she naturally floated on the surface. She was small, but her wet face was a sight for slimy eyes, especially as she smiled. The tugging in her chest was gone.


    Then it returned with a vengeance when Reysha loudly threw her two-piece leather armour and boots against the somewhat dry wall. An action that immediately ripped both Aclysia¡¯s and Apexus¡¯ attention away from each other and towards the tiger girl and her naked body.


    Her breasts were nice and firm, almost defying gravity with how firm they were, only sagging the slightest bit despite their decent size, her nipples were of a reddish brown, darker than the rest of her tanned body. Her midriff was as great without the frame of ripped clothes as it was with and her ass was even nicer without the tight leather. Athletic and tight, smooth skin of a delicious light brown, the lower end of a balanced hourglass figure where nothing stuck out too much but the curves were profound nevertheless.


    She stepped into the water and then spread out her arms, simply dropping forwards. The grime and blood that was washed off her body hid her from view for a moment, then she resurfaced on all fours. ¡°Nyaaaaaaaaaah,¡± she sighed in a cattish tone, stretching her back by extending her arms forward and pushing her ass out. The further she stretched, the more her backside looked like the symbol of a heart. Well, the symbol Gizmo told Apexus people used, despite all biological reality.


    The slime could see two holes over her smooth thighs, one of them puckered and tightly closed, the other a long slit with pretty pink lips, surrounded by a small sprouting of crimson hair. Over that even was her tail of the same colour, waving back and forth slowly in a content motion. Reysha dropped back under water, then resurfaced in a kneeling position, using the warm water to wash away remaining dirt. The claws on her hands had retracted into the bed of her fingernails.


    Watching the tiger girl run her hands through her crimson hair, Aclysia finally realized what that tugging was. She was jealous of the fact that she was a fully working female and Aclysia just had the appearance of one. The dress and the gloves, those were her skin, there was no getting naked, no attempt even at fulfilling her awakener¡¯s sexual attention. The fact that the slime entered her thoughts almost immediately upon her realization sent her mind into a confused tumble.


    Apexus failed to notice that, enraptured was he by the sight of Reysha and her smooth skin. Tiger girls were one of the races who were created by a definite pervert, the goddess Phroadi. The male birth rate amongst them was abysmal, leading to harems being the norm in their home leaf of Ragressa. Furthermore, they all had great figures and could either be described as cute or sexy. The only places on their body that naturally grew body hair were their head and their crotch, everything else was as smooth as the day they were born.


    As such, even after being banished from the civilized world for months now, those little hairs around her pussy were all Reysha had to complain about. As to why other gods cursed females of their races with bodily hairs, only they knew.


    Apexus was not sure what part of her to keep his eyes on. The pointy ears were a weird draw, as was her back and the sides of her breasts. Each of the lines that covered her from neck to rib cage was a potential draw and even the figure of her ass, distorted by the swirling water, the slime wanted to behold. The obvious solution would have been to grow a whole bunch of eyes, but too many sensory organs, particularly of the same type, lead to major nucleus pain from the information overload.


    The place his eyes did finally rest on was on her eyes when she turned to look at him, her lips curving into a knowing smile after a surprised second. ¡°Oho, my saviour is checking me out?¡± she asked, prowling through the water towards the slime and then sitting down on the edge of the water. All her remaining wounds had disappeared, only then did Apexus realize that this was a healing fountain. In its defence, there were very nice thighs radiating heat next to it.


    Reysha had a sudden idea and, as the last couple of sudden ideas she had had worked really well for her, immediately spouted it out. ¡°Hey, could you make me smooth again?¡± she asked, spreading her legs wide open. ¡°This hair is annoying.¡± It took a special kind of person to ask the acidic chimera monster to function as pubic hair removal. ¡®What¡¯s life without a little danger?¡¯ was the tiger girl¡¯s justification for being that special kind of person.


    Now Apexus hated the taste of hair but it desperately wanted to be inside or at least close to an attractive woman¡¯s nethers and this was an opportunity on a silver platter. Rat nose, spider legs and all other Growths that could have gotten in the way disappeared into the slime¡¯s mass as Apexus spilled over her.


    ¡°You look way cuter without all that extra shit,¡± Reysha purred, scratching Apexus¡¯ left ear. That touch sent shivers into the slime the kind of which it hadn¡¯t ever known. It was different from all other pleasing things it had experienced, just a direct signal through its liquid nervous system that what it was currently experiencing was not just good, it was downright the best.


    The pheromone ducts impregnated the air around Apexus with a mild aphrodisiac as the slime¡¯s lust awoke. Sweet fumes filled the tiger girl¡¯s sensitive nostrils and her purring continued in her throat as the little teasing turned into genuine curiosity. What would it feel like to get fucked by a slime? Today had been a continuous up after a long phase of down and there had to be a climax somewhere.


    Her pussy began to glisten slightly and Apexus carefully descended upon it. It had very little experience in aiming its acidic capabilities. However, as the acid was magical in nature, there had to be a way to only dissolve certain things if the slime so desired. It had previously succeeded in concentrating its digestion process on clams to create a hole in their shell, this was just a harder version of that.


    ¡°Prickles,¡± Reysha stated as Apexus opened its outer membrane around the hairs. Its body wanted it to do something else entirely, but that instinct was ignored until the slime succeeded in doing the basic thing it had been told to do. Once the tiger girl was pleased, hopefully she would let it continue.


    The comment caused Apexus to dial down the acidity to the point of effective neutrality. He didn¡¯t want to attack that wonderful skin in any way, just the short red hairs that were covering the swelling flesh underneath. Thanks to a rather wide and accurate amount of eaten up knowledge about biology, the slime was pretty aware that both that swelling and the liquid oozing out of the slit were a good thing.


    Speaking of the juices, they tasted wonderful, sweet, like a divine nectar. Just another thing Apexus had to ignore as it slowly figured out how to dissolve only the hairs. After several minutes it succeeded. ¡°That¡¯s really neat and nice of you,¡± Reysha said in a tone that made Apexus hopeful. ¡°I think you can pick a reward.¡±


    And there it was, its way into the tiger girl. Something changed with Apexus¡¯ body the second it was done with the hairs. The smooth, elliptical shape was broken up by several tentacles, sprouting from all over the slimes body. Normally changing its shape required concentration and was tedious to maintain for prolonged periods. This was an exception as it was not a conscious effort. Rather these tentacles were the rough equivalent of Apexus having an erection.


    They wound around Reysha¡¯s legs, who made pleased sounds as she looked at the slightly engorged ends of the individual tentacles, filled with sensitive nerves. Apexus flowed back a little, to get a nice view, one of its tentacles brushing gently over the now smooth pussy. Jolts rushed through the protrusions into the slimes nucleus, like lightning full of bliss. The slime was about to push inside, lose its virginity to this piece of hot ass, a wish that it had fostered for a long time. Since seeing Aclysia, truly seeing her, for the first time.


    A sobbing sound reached Apexus¡¯ ears and the many tentacles froze. Reysha¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, the natural dark stripes around her blue iris only emphasizing it, when the tendrils that had almost reached her breasts slithered backwards. All of them disappeared back into Apexus¡¯ body as the slime immediately fluttered over to the source of the whimpering.


    It found Aclysia curled up at the opposite side of the room, head burrowed between her legs. Her wings hung down loosely, like sick leaves, and her usually so orderly, backwards running hair was falling down the sides of her face and hiding everything but her long ears from view. She looked even more fragile than that one time she was actually broken.


    Very carefully, Apexus touched her on the shoulder with a normal tendril. Her whole body jumped and her head whirled around. The white of her sclera now had red mixed into it and her eyes as a whole seemed like they were under the surface of a lake. Small droplets ran down her cheeks and she sniffed audibly.


    ¡°Apexus¡­¡± she whispered its name and touched the tendril with the index finger of her left hand. The tugging in her chest had turned into a stinging pain when Aclysia had witnessed Reysha seducing her awakener. Soon thereafter, she had distanced herself, to not disturb her awakener¡¯s happiness and to sort herself out. This had failed, unable to make sense of herself, the feelings eventually burst out as she failed to contain them.


    Why did she feel this way when seeing the slime do something with someone else that she herself couldn¡¯t do? When did she start feeling attracted to Apexus? She was a divine being, to fulfil her creator¡¯s wish and then return to his realm for further instructions. Why did he make her with the capability to feel such pain in her heart?


    Was it the way it treated her, with niceness and respect? How it made her laugh? How it was with her whenever she wanted company? Was it just the amount of time they had spent together? The image of a moonlit night in the land of endless lakes flashed in her memory. Aclysia couldn¡¯t grasp it, but these feelings were there now. Even less she understood why she was jealous of not Reysha taking Apexus¡¯ attention, that was fine with her, but that she took it in a way that the metal fairy herself couldn¡¯t.


    It slowly dawned on Aclysia, that their act of perversion had come to a sudden end. Her awakener not getting what he obviously wanted due to her actions was an obvious source of shame for her, who prided herself a loyal servant. Worse was the enormous relief she felt despite what she wanted to feel. A helpless loss of control over herself,crowned this tornado of self-doubt.


    She pulled her hand back, but Apexus wouldn¡¯t have it. Flowing around her, he gave her the full-body hug that had started their relationship. The slime didn¡¯t understand what was going on, but Aclysia was sad and remedying that was more important to it than some quick sex. Being surrounded by her awakener¡¯s warmth did help the metal fairy calm considerably.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Reysha tapped her way over. While she was a bit miffed at the fact that she had just been left unfucked, the tiger girl wasn¡¯t heartless enough to complain. ¡°What has you crying over here?¡± Aclysia had saved her just as much as the slime had, so the least she could do was ask.


    ¡°I¡­¡± the black and white servant poked her head out of her awakener¡¯s body. Knew not how to answer. How could she say this without it sounding ridiculous? She couldn¡¯t. If she said nothing, however, this pain was to stay, and that would be more terrible than being laughed at. ¡°I am fine with Apexus being interested in other women than me,¡± she said, ¡°but I don¡¯t want to see him have intercourse with other females before me.¡±


    Apexus felt confused and ecstatic. The circumstances were unusual, but the words she spoke there confirmed that its interest in her wasn¡¯t unrequited. If it had a mouth, it would have declared its love for the whole world at that moment. Instead the slime jumped on the spot like the world¡¯s happiest bouncy ball.


    ¡°Fuck, okay, I get that,¡± Reysha had no ridicule for that whatsoever. In the reverse situation, she wouldn¡¯t have been bawling but instead scratched the competing girl¡¯s face off and dumped her crippled body on the nearest waste-site, so she got away pretty well in her opinion. ¡°I thought you two already did it, wasn¡¯t looking to claim any first times.¡± For her people harems were the norm, so it wasn¡¯t anything odd to her that the head girl was to sleep with the man first. ¡°I¡¯ll keep my claws to me until you get with him, okay?¡±


    ¡°That would be greatly appreciated,¡± Aclysia sniffed one more time, surprised at how smooth this thing had gone despite how stupid a worry she had. It felt so below her divine origin to be hung up over such a worldly a thing. Yet here she was. ¡®Perhaps I should stop defining myself by my source,¡¯ she realized, a thought that was derailed when Reysha started masturbating. ¡°What are you doing?¡± the metal fairy asked.


    ¡°Still¡­ need¡­ to get off,¡± Reysha stated, rubbing her crotch for both of them to see. There was not a dot of shame inside this tiger and she was really horny right there. Apexus and Aclysia were both left interested if slightly ashamed voyeurs.


    And they watched her from beginning to finish.

 Safe Leaf 9

    Funatic


    A second bath later, as both of the girls had some body fluids of vastly different origins to clean off, they continued their way through the dungeon. ¡°So, what is his name?¡± Reysha asked, following the once more spider-legged slime.


    ¡°Its name is Apexus,¡± Aclysia answered, flying at a point between the two of them. The chimeric slime, the fairy and the redheaded tiger girl walked through a dungeon. Surely, somebody would be able to spin a joke out of that line.


    ¡°It? Please, this guy is clearly a guy,¡± Reysha scoffed, stubbing Apexus¡¯ behind with the tip of her boot. She had to make an overreaching step to accomplish that.


    Apexus was somewhat inclined to agree, but it also wasn¡¯t. Until it actually had intercourse for the first time, it didn¡¯t feel like it was set in either gender. It was like part of its genetic code still hadn¡¯t decided what should be written there, so it possessed inferior versions of both possibilities, waiting for the slime to take action and decide. It was just that the thought of stuffing parts of it inside others was a nicer thought than being stuffed.


    Maybe that would have been different if it had seen suitable males before females, but Apexus felt pretty set on what gender it wanted to breed with at this point.


    ¡°The awakener would have to specify itself. As a unique existence without any physical marks of either sex, only Apexus can tell us what it is,¡± Aclysia took the careful approach.


    ¡°I am going to say he,¡± Reysha didn¡¯t care whatsoever and they went deeper into the dungeon. Now in a party, the tiger girl¡¯s wish to leave was lessened tremendously. There was a yearning for sunlight, for sure, but her main concern had been safety and that was cleared now. ¡°Because those tentacles surely wanted to be all up inside me.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Aclysia cleared her throat, feeling a bit awkward about the conversation and the recent memories it invoked. ¡°As you please, Reysha.¡±


    Apexus now felt its lack of a mouth more than ever before, failing to be part of this conversation. Between Gizmo and Aclysia, there had only been few words and they had been focused around topics the slime had very little care for.


    Now, however, it desperately wanted to be part of the talking. Not because what was said was that interesting, but because it was happening between two girls Apexus was really interested in. The only way it could get that was a humanoid mouth and the only way to get one of those was to eat a humanoid. None of the ones the slime had met so far, it wanted or had the opportunity to kill and devour.


    Maybe time would present it with a solution, for now things were as they were. Rather than keep brooding about it, Apexus skittered up the walls and engaged in a short scuffle with an oversized spider, ending in the predictable demise of the thing. Apexus preferred digesting carapaces to hair, but the legs of these things were just the worst of both worlds. Therefore, it just ate the delicious, if small, body and bum of the spider.


    The legs fell to the floor as the connecting segment was melted away. Reysha stretched out one of her hands and one of the dismembered limbs fell into it. She grabbed the upper edge of it with both hands and then used her teeth to pry open the biological armour, revealing the soft flesh underneath.


    Reysha ripped into the sweet spider meat with immediacy. Compared to the rats earlier it was a delicacy, like lobster was to pigs. The better question was why she was hungry again. She had eaten not too long ago and a lot as well. Still, she shoved more and more of the creature¡¯s meat into her mouth as if she had been famished for days, eating all eight of the fallen legs with glee. By the end, her hands were sticky with the spider¡¯s hemolymph, the lifeblood of arthropods. She licked her hands until they were clean again, same for her lips.


    Neither Apexus nor Aclysia had anything about the display they found odd, one of them was a glutton itself and the other a being of metallic structure that knew not how much was normal for a humanoid to eat. She just possessed general knowledge of the world at large and detailed about the affairs of the divine, for everything else she had to learn just as much as the next physical being.


    They continued on their way through the structure. In the labyrinthian outline of the Clearwater Dungeon, it was hard to feel like they made any progress towards their goal. Everything continued to look the same no matter where they went. Simple stone walls, smooth enough to be of intelligent design, stretched around them in the shape of arcs and glowing crystals in the ceiling gave light and warmth.


    Only the pheromone trail Apexus left behind was a steady mark of their progress. The fact that they just had to walk back their cold trail to get a guaranteed, if unnecessarily winding, path back to the entrance area, was a perfect security net.


    As to the question of where they were going to, Apexus was under the impression that it had devoured just about everything that this dungeon had in variety. Adding to that that the slime had already found something it wanted to permanently acquire, being the Spirit Fox¡¯s ears, and Apexus had decided that they were now heading for the boss. It had informed the other two of that decision by scribbling that word into the condensation covered walls of the health fountain chamber.


    The tiger girl agreed because she was feeling her luck turning and really wanted to take revenge on the dungeon. While the structure itself was nothing she could do anything about, the boss was about as close a physical manifestation of it as she could reach. Aclysia on the other hand was halfway convinced that the next part of herself was located there. It made more sense than hiding it at some random point in the rather large structure.


    Reysha noticed movement in the edge of her periphery when they went past a crossroad and immediately jumped on it. The large rat was still aiming its own pounce, so the swiftness of the tiger girl¡¯s movement completely took it by surprise. Its life was snuffed out just as quickly, when Reysha rammed her fangs in the exposed neck.


    ¡®I never thought these would be that useful,¡¯ Reysha thought as she picked up the corpse. Having grown up in a civilized leaf, biting things to death was a thing she only had to learn recently. Similarly, her claws had only ever seen playful usage before she lost her daggers. She looked at the rat, she could have gone for a post-meal snack, but she didn¡¯t want to be stained in blood again. ¡°You want?¡± she asked Apexus, who nodded in its slimy way (more of a bob really) and consequently caught the rat in its spider fangs after the corpse was thrown its way.


    The slime gobbled the rat up in a few minutes. It had eaten so many of these things, its body must have figured out how to dissolve them quicker. Either that or the continuous increase in size also helped the slime in acidity. It surely felt stronger all around, compared to when it had entered the dungeon. Its diameter had also increased noticeably, although that growth rate was slowly declining. Apexus wasn¡¯t bothered by this, it didn¡¯t want to end up like a Forester Dragon, too big to ever move about unnoticed.


    Most encounters with enemies were laughable now that they had two proper fighters in the party. Being able to keep each other¡¯s backs free from ambushes was incredibly valuable, as was the intimidation factor of being in their own group. There were still some cases were sneaking past was the better idea. One example was a room filled to the brim with spiders, who didn¡¯t even try to hide, situated around a pedestal. On top of that stood a large chest of a brilliant red with rims of cold, a trapeze shaped lid inviting people to explore what lay below.


    However, Apexus liked its life more than tools made for human hands, thusly useless for itself. Reysha grumbled a bit after they had rushed past that room and went elsewhere, but as she had lost her bag she wouldn¡¯t have been able to carry whatever they found anyway. Chests, like monsters, just appeared within dungeons and missing one was considered somewhat of a shameful display in the adventurer community.


    ¡°I have been meaning to ask,¡± Aclysia struck up a new conversation as they had yet another food pause. ¡°What is your level?¡±


    With two gluttons, these breaks were pretty frequent. Apexus spent this one trying to figure out how to use the Spirit Fox tail. It was odd to have a Growth that was hovering on its mass, rather than being directly attached. Much like with the eagle¡¯s lightning magic before, the slime was unable to figure out how to use the thing to make spellcraft happen. Didn¡¯t help that it had murdered this specimen before even seeing what it was supposed to do. Soon after, it got rid of the Growth again, sensing that it was just too supernaturally illiterate to get this working.


    Reysha cupped her breasts, ¡°These you can C for yourself,¡± she answered. She laughed out loud when Aclysia made a confounded face. ¡°Just messing around. Last estimate was about four,¡± the tiger girl answered earnestly. ¡°But that was before I got stuck here, so I would say I made it to five now.¡±


    ¡°That sounds accurate,¡± Aclysia stated, having thought it to be around that herself. As Apexus looked at both of them questioningly after that exchange, the metal fairy went on to explaining what she had just asked about.


    There were two ways adventurers got stronger over time. One was raw experience, continued engagements with life-threatening situations honed one¡¯s skills. The other was a process referred to as levelling. Each monster killed, each dungeon beaten, each mystery solved, whatever an adventurer did, they would be exposed to magic and some of it would settle in their body over time. As such, adventurers slowly rose above the natural limitations of mere mortals.


    There were tests to accurately gauge a person¡¯s level and spread of abilities among stats, but those cost the actual time and effort of a skilled Analyst and were thus reserved for the ones who went up further the ladder than Reysha had yet. A Scribe could provide a basic level esitmation, but none of those were around either. ¡°Lastly, it should be noted that those who get carried through challenges far above their current level usually get the bursting sickness,¡± Aclysia finished, her simple explanation having turned into an elaborate lecture at some point. ¡°In that their mana vessels expand too fast by absorbing the powerful magic and are left permanently damaged.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t get shortcuts,¡± Reysha grinned, ¡°adventuring is a business of talent and dedication¡­ and luck.¡± She added the last part with an unsteady laugh, aware of the twists of fate that allowed this conversation to happen.


    They continued to fight and eat their way through the dungeon.

 Safe Leaf 10

    Their dungeon crawling continued for a long, long time. Easily several times as long as Apexus had been in there already, making it anywhere between one and three weeks. ¡°Scout, I want one, now,¡± Reysha complained on one occasion.


    They were weak fighters, at best giving mediocre ranged support, but they had an arrangement of skills that made them incredibly important for every party that wanted to explore. One of which was the ability to tell the time without any need of outside assistance. With varying degrees of accuracy, depending on the level of the Scout, but way more accurate than Apexus¡¯ guessing.


    All of which was yet another thing that the slime needed to have explained to it. It seriously felt like it knew nothing of the world in moments like this. Really begged the question as to why it had learned so much about math instead when it hadn¡¯t needed to solve a single equation since leaving its place of schooling. One would think what was realistically applicable would take the most amount of time in any education.


    ¡°A Scout would be a welcome luxury,¡± Aclysia agreed. ¡°However, we cannot go into the city to hire one as it stands.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sucks, doesn¡¯t it,¡± the young tigress scratched the back of her head, her breasts stretching nicely as they followed the motion. Her upper armour had unravelled completely during their continued stay, leaving her only with her boots and leather pants that had been reduced from ripped all over to a jagged piece covering only her ass and crotch. While that was a feast for everyone¡¯s eyes, it was not particularly safe. Her ears turned slightly and her voice dropped to a whisper. ¡°To the right, F-R-R.¡±


    Apexus had noticed the approaching enemies itself; the quickly skittering up the walls to prepare an ambush. Wordlessly, Reysha hid herself by pressing against the corner and waited. Squeaking and growling, a Spirit Fox and two rats came hurrying down the hallway, guided by their dungeon dweller¡¯s instinct in the pursuit of adventurers.


    Serving as bait, Aclysia stood in plain sight on the damp floor. The tiny fairy seemed like a dwarf standing up to a rat the size of a horse. Not that it mattered, as she flew upwards the moment the enemies tried to trample her down. Somewhat confused, the trio of monsters stopped and turned around.


    That was when the trap sprung.


    Apexus dropped down, burying a rat entirely underneath its mass at the same moment as Reysha pounced on the other one. She had developed a perfect technique to kill them at this point. One hand on the snout, another at the lower spine, a knee right of the neck and the rat was completely immobilized under her body weight, allowing her to sink her sharp teeth easily into the neck.


    The Spirit Fox was quick to react, summoning a little, blue flame that hovered over its bushy tail. Before it could fire the projectile, Aclysia was suddenly in front of its face and used a weak light spell. While it dealt absolutely no damage, at that range it succeeded at blinding the canine creature, giving both Apexus and Reysha the time to recover from their successful takedowns.


    Retreating backwards and shaking its head in attempt to get at least a blurry vision of what was going on, the Spirit Fox activated its spell. The flame turned into a projectile and, through either luck or instinct, it actually flew for Reysha¡¯s head. With an insane giggle, the tiger girl executed a forwards stepping pirouette that had her narrowly go around the projectile. Using the momentum, her boot crashed into the Spirit Fox¡¯s head, who was now both blinded and staggered.


    Apexus was in the air at that point, a combination of the spider legs and the wings allowed it to jump quite well and thus it landed on the back of the Spirit Fox. The stolen fangs ripped through the fox¡¯s fur and into its spine. In a full body grip, Apexus began to envelop the fox¡¯s head and soon thereafter it was dead.


    Rather than absorbing it completely at that point, the slime retreated and left the spoils to Reysha. This was only the second Spirit Fox they had encountered and it had gone flawlessly. ¡°For me?¡± Reysha mused, it wasn¡¯t a genuine question as she was already in the motion of taking her sweet revenge for the hunt she had to endure at the paws of the first fox.


    The trio had gained a good understanding of each other over the time they had spent together and developed a group dynamic that worked well. Reysha was the best at noticing threats at a long range in the group, so she would do the warnings. The de-facto leader of the group, Apexus, had the greatest situational awareness in a combat situation thanks to the tremor sense only it possessed. Both of them preferred to ambush their prey, although Reysha was willing to play dirty even if the situation didn¡¯t require it whereas Apexus liked an honest fight of dominance when the odds were even.


    Lastly, Aclysia wasn¡¯t the greatest in actual combat, but her small size and versatile, if weak, arrangement of spells allowed her to function as great bait. Without any large communication, the party thus found a nice way to work with each other¡¯s strengths and amplify them.


    ¡°I really fucking hate being naked all the time,¡± Reysha growled between two bites of her meal. As time continued, she only seemed to grow more feral in her approach to food. Currently, she was pinning the carcass down and ripping strips of flesh off with her teeth alone. Apexus could read from her tail¡¯s slightly curved tip that, despite her aggressive words, she was in a good mood.


    Aclysia rested on her digesting awakener. ¡°You say that, yet whenever we find a healing fountain, you strip and masturbate immediately,¡± the metal fairy had lost all shame regarding this by now. It was an occurrence whenever Reysha had the time for it, at least every other day. Sometimes they would even backtrack to take a bath and just relax for a few hours.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it, I am so horny,¡± the tiger girl answered cutting away fur with her claws. ¡°I don¡¯t even know why¡­ I just need it,¡± it wasn¡¯t quite clear whether she was still referring to touching herself or the meat she was devouring with savagery.


    Even Apexus was slowly catching onto the fact that something was not quite right with the way Reysha was behaving. He had seen five humanoids, if counting Aclysia, since being born and the tiger girl had a bunch of irregular behaviours.


    Laughing randomly, overly aggressive strategies and her immensely open sexuality were all things the slime could have booked under ¡®individual weirdness¡¯. However, she was eating several times more than the slime had ever seen Gizmo need and this only increased as time went on, together with the primality which she employed in her feeding frenzies. Also, and this might just have been his imagination, but her sclera seemed to slowly gain a grey tinge.


    It was probably for the best if they got this affair done with as soon as possible.


    Luckily, they finally found the boss room not too long thereafter. It was set-up in a very beginner friendly way; a stone gate clearly marked with a rim of dull gold, located at the other side of a health fountain. It was literally the only door in the entire dungeon. Not only did this setup allow adventurers to decide when they wanted to start the fight, they could also heal beforehand. There even were two chests in the room to give those who didn¡¯t feel like they were ready to tackle the boss with their current party somewhat of a reward.


    Chests Reysha ignored in favour of doing as Aclysia had analysed. Her remaining clothes hit the floor and the second she was clean her fingers were rubbing her smooth pussy. ¡°Ah, fuahck,¡± she purred with a stretched-out tongue. It felt like her whole body was on fire, no amount of raw fucking she had gotten before these recent times had felt this good. The only things that successfully distracted her from this lust was fighting and in these safe rooms that pretence vanished.


    Normally, one would have been worried about such changes to their body. Reysha just didn¡¯t care. Nothing about this felt harmful, on the contrary, since the idea that normality existed had dropped from her mental landscape, she felt more alive than ever. Her body was on fire, yes, but what she ate tasted better than the boring prepared food that she remembered and even her fingers gave her more satisfaction than any dick ever had. As far as she was concerned, she was changing for the better.


    Apexus had wondered if maybe it was the source of the lust, but the pheromones had nowhere near that effect on Aclysia. All they were supposed to do, in the first place, were smell good to them. It didn¡¯t have any brainwashing attached to them or anything. The aphrodisiac it had used accidentally also had long dispersed. Something else was going on.


    ¡°Almost¡­ there,¡± Reysha panted, her body causing ripples in the shallow water, head resting on the circular platform around the pool, as she writhed in sudden movements. Her moans were cries of desire in those halls that were only graced by the sound of running streams otherwise. Her shoulder was jittering quickly as she rubbed her clit with immense speed. The sounds that left her mouth became higher and higher in pitch.


    In a moment of highest perversion, moments before the climax, she pressed her second hand against her asshole and pushed one finger inside. She had done so before, but never had it created such a sudden outburst of raw pleasure. Her hips broke through the surface as her body arched up. Both Aclysia and Apexus forgot their worries at the sight of the striped girl¡¯s orgasm, squirting a clear liquid into the streaming fountain.


    She was silent, despite her wide-open mouth, her whole body tense. Then it suddenly relaxed and plunged back under the surface. ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck, I needed that, but want mooooreeee,¡± Reysha stated, a feverish glance going out towards Apexus. Her mouth opened and snapped close again, wanting to beg for the slime to actually fuck her this time. However, the metal fairy right next to it, she knew the slime wouldn¡¯t disrespect her in that manner. Even if Apexus would have done that, she couldn¡¯t have done it over the guilt she felt.


    ¡°Another time, another time, then I will cum so hard,¡± Reysha mumbled to herself, suppressing the urge to continue masturbating and climbing out of the water. Following her with a worried gaze was Aclysia. The only thing that kept the white-haired creation from commenting was the fact that they would have plenty of time to talk once they were out of there.


    Instead Aclysia decided to concentrate on the chests. ¡°Shall we see if something of worth is inside?¡± she asked the tiger girl, who was grinning wild and already had her hands on the lid of the first one.


    ¡°Fucking yeah!¡± she screamed and shoved open the lid with way more force than was necessary. A pole stretched towards her and Reysha grabbed it with a raised eyebrow. Then she pulled out a spear. The chest wasn¡¯t anywhere deep or wide enough to contain that weapon, but before anybody could question how that worked, the lid forcefully snapped on its own and locked itself audibly.


    The spear was a simple design, a polished pole of light brown wood ending in a diamond shaped iron tip. A single rune was carved into that sharpened piece of metal. Reysha turned the weapon downwards and stabbed the stone floor between her feet. The reverberating sound of the strike was accompanied by a fizzle of electricity. It was far from impressive, but it was an enchanted weapon. For a beginner adventure, such a weapon was a giant upgrade from the basic weaponry they usually were equipped with.


    ¡°Too bad I suck with spears though¡­ the weapons, I mean, the others I like to suck at,¡± Reysha made a joke that flew over both of her companions¡¯ heads. Aclysia was too innocent and Apexus wasn¡¯t familiar with the common metaphor. The tiger girl still had a laugh on her lonesome. ¡°Guess it¡¯s better to have than no weapon.¡±


    The second chest contained something more useful, even if not immediately. It was an adventurer¡¯s bag made from black velvet. ¡°This is bigger than my old one,¡± Reysha said and even squealed ecstatically when she found a gold coin inside. Her entire debt was five gold coins and that was enough money to finance an adventurer¡¯s starting equipment plus logistics for about two weeks. In other words, this was a fortune.


    ¡°You are welcome to keep it,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Reysha looked like a kitten that had just been told it would grow up to be a lion. Her ears were standing at attention.


    ¡°We can wield neither bag nor spear, so they have no value to us,¡± the metal fairy underlined her decision with logic. Nodding, Apexus confirmed completely.


    ¡°Yessssss,¡± the naked tiger girl threw both items to the side and cuddled the unlikely duo. Due to their odd shapes and sizes, this meant that she caught Aclysia in her hands, rubbing her face against the fairies whole upper body, while pushing her boobs against Apexus¡¯ eyes.


    One of them was way happier with their half of the treatment.

 Safe Leaf 11

    ¡°Are we ready?¡± Aclysia asked the group. In response, Apexus checked all of its Growths one more time. Legs? Worked, all eight of them. Fangs? Wiggling and sharp. Nose? Perfectly acute. Ears? Picking up everything they needed to. Pheromone ducts? Deactivated to not give away its position in the fight. Wings? Sized up to use to fly short distances or as shields. Eyes? Staring ahead and blinking well. It would have killed for some arms, but this was what it had to work with.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get in there and kill the boss,¡± Reysha¡¯s answer was simpler. She didn¡¯t have to check her equipment, given that the only thing she had was her spear and the bag that was hanging from her waist.


    Together with Apexus, the tiger girl leaned against the stone door. Despite its heavy look, it moved quite easily and after the first few centimetres swung slowly all by its own. They were greeted by a second, circular chamber, much larger and with six giant pillars, a clean marble white only at the base and only on the side pointing inwards, the rest of them a decayed grey, supporting the dome ceiling. It seemed like an upscaled version of the healing fountain room they just stepped out of.


    However, there were a few key differences. While the pond at the centre was overall bigger, it took less space in relation to the size of the room. Two walkways parted the tumultuous water, doubtlessly much deeper than the shallow fountain, on the left and right side. What had the water in such constant movement was an unnatural display of water falling upwards, a waterrise, so to say, into which the walkways led.


    The endless torrent was surprisingly smooth, the movement being the only thing that obscured vision through the surface and the source of the fountain that they had seen before entering. A thundering rush accompanied its presence, blocking out most sounds and creating tremors in the floor that made it hard for Apexus to notice as much as usual.


    Then the waves around the waterrise slowly smoothed over. They changed into very unwater-like smooth up and down curves, like those sine wave things that Gizmo had showed the slime during a math lesson.


    Apexus looked behind it, to the view of the stone doors quickly closing. The prospect of being locked in here with whatever was about to awake was not to its liking. However, it couldn¡¯t warn the other two in time and even if it could, running away after coming this far was strictly spineless. Well, the slime didn¡¯t have a spine, but the spirit of the saying applied.


    It was true that gods were merciful towards new adventurers, but even early dungeon bosses were supposed to be a life-threatening encounter. After all, the people that cleared up the mysteries and challenges of the worlds were rewarded with power, fame, a chance at immortality and an even smaller shot at divinity. It was an easy but harsh rule that stood above any other in the codex of adventuring: tackle only that which you are prepared for, or die.


    Even through the constant rumbling in the floor, Apexus felt immense movements from within the water. Not that it couldn¡¯t have noticed the on-goings with its eyes, as the smoothly curving waves escalated further and further by the second. Everyone in the group realized something bad was about to happen at the same moment and scrambled towards the pillars, hiding behind them. Apexus and Aclysia went left, Reysha right.


    They made it behind the pillars, in the nick of time, an explosion of water to ripping outwards. Strong enough to rip Warriors off their feet or break a couple of a Priest¡¯s bones by slamming them against the wall. However, these pillars were fashioned from solid marble and as such they withstood the force, the water breaking on them.


    Reysha hissed as she was sprayed with excess water and her boots were soaked from the backwash. Liking her hot baths was entirely removed from this cold embrace that was stuck in her remaining clothes.


    Following the unnatural movement of the water backwards into the pool, a straight flow towards a point on a level floor, Apexus witnessed the boss monster forming while peeking carefully out from behind its pillar.


    It was a featureless mass of water, the smooth shape of a humanoid torso and about three metres tall. Thick arms grew out of its immensely broad shoulders, attached to a fitting chest. From there, it quickly narrowed, the thinnest point of its body being where the hips would be on a proper humanoid body, then growing wide again as its large base connected with the pool, its dark blue colour changing fluidly into the translucent fluid below. Fitting that the boss of the Clearwater Dungeon would be a water elemental.


    Inside its faceless head swirled around bits of a dark grey fluid, slowly concentrating into a spot. ¡°Fuck you!¡± Reysha screamed out, charging from behind the pillar with a couple of twists around her own axis. This time this wasn¡¯t just a gesture of insanity, the tiger girl was building momentum and unloading it in a mighty chuck of the spear.


    Rogues specialized in two things, stealth and precision. While their usual training went with smaller throwing projectiles, knives, darts or needles, that knowledge could be used to improvise. Even then, throwing the spear was a reckless manoeuvre, one whose resounding success was a miracle.


    The spear went straight through the water elemental¡¯s head, unloading small jolts of lightning as it passed through and clashed against an invisible barrier around the waterrise and then fellalling down into the pool. Laughing wildly as the body that had just formed scattered again, following the disassembly of the grey core matter. ¡°That was so easy!¡± she cackled, turning to Apexus and Aclysia.


    ¡°Dodge!¡± Aclysia shouted in return. Without thinking, Reysha went straight into a somersault. She knew better than to question the metal fairy when she raised her voice. However, she must have used up all her luck in that throw. Five bolts of magic-infused water came for her, their surface strength increased, leaving trails of small drops behind them as they cut through the air.


    Fired in a salvo, it would have been hard to dodge them in the first place. Reysha got away with only two of them hitting her, one grazing her ribcage while the other hit, in all its blunt might, her left knee. ¡°SHIT!¡± she howled in pain when she landed on that leg first, immediately collapsing. ¡°Really, again with this?!¡± complaining, she fell to the ground, her blue eyes glaring over to the pool.


    Rather than one large, the water elemental had split into a quintet of smaller spirits. All of them were holding their deep blue palms together, slowly pulling them apart as new spheres of water formed, ready to be launched at the impaired tiger girl. Of course, her allies wouldn¡¯t just let that happen.


    Apexus skittered forwards, pulling the attention of the small enemies towards it. Each of them was about half a metre-tall. Even if their arms were still rather large for their size, the slime wasn¡¯t afraid of their physical force. Their arms were thick, but the slime¡¯s diameter of almost one and a quarter metres protected its only weak spot under a thick layer.


    Their position about a metre into the water and ranged attacks were bad news though. A punch was one thing, a battering of five bolts another. They threw them in unison towards the slime, just as it had predicted, at which point the spider-legged creature leapt, spreading its wings. The attacks sailed through under it, hitting only pillars and wall.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope this is a shallow problem,¡± Aclysia prayed as she swooped in. The bruised ribs would have to wait, even if the impact had broken something. Given that Reysha was a Rogue that may have very well been the case. Levels increased an adventurer¡¯s capabilities based on the feats performed, as such a class that was busy dodging and sneaking was not known for its endurance. However, even a shallowly broken rib wasn¡¯t going to hinder her combat ability like the hurt leg was. The metal fairy inspected it and then began to cast, pushing herself to the edge to hasten the healing process as much as she could.


    Apexus had reached the edge of the pool and jumped again, this time to descend on one of the water elementals. Although it hadn¡¯t done exactly what she wanted to accomplish, killing the boss in one hit, Reysha had doubtlessly done some damage to the elemental by hitting the grey matter in its head. Although liquid, what was taking a rough spherical shape reminded the slime very much of its own core, the size of an orange and swimming in the centre of its body.


    Apexus pressed the water elemental under the surface with its weight, fangs ramming through the surface. Despite being made from the same liquid, the elemental and the pool they were now inside of didn¡¯t mix. The magical nature of its life had changed its colouration and surface tension and given it a will. While it may have had some advantages in the water compared to normal creatures, none of them mattered when its head was carved open and the grey liquid spilled out.


    The dark blue body began to disintegrate, drifting apart as if somebody had dumped a glass of ink in the water, the second the core liquid had left it. Apexus thus went right onto the next one. Now in the water, however, it was severely limited in its movement. A water bolt hit the slime straight in the face, the blunt force turning an eye into a bloodless pulp.


    While the slime¡¯s main body did fairly well with absorbing force that didn¡¯t penetrate the membrane, the Growths were not as immune and it hurt. It hurt a lot. Desperately, Apexus fluttered its wings to get out of the water, losing the spider legs just to get rid of the weight. In its successful ascension, it was battered by another attack on its underside. That one was largely ineffective, the reverberations only distantly reaching its nucleus.


    Flying a large circle, always with the uninjured eye on its next target, the slime took aim. Depth was harder to perceive, but it managed and then went into a dive. It helped that the elementals were dull creatures, clearly made to execute only simple routines, and didn¡¯t even attempt to dodge. As such, Apexus¡¯ second and even third takedown went over quite well. It was hurt in the process, losing the rat snout as it was broken and the dull pain pulsating was distracting and a sense of smell was unnecessary in this fight.


    The only Growths it had by the time it tried to assault the fourth were the natural ones it possessed along with the spider fangs, which were doing a tremendous job as far as it was concerned. However, that fourth plunge turned out to be the last as one of the water bolts hit its outstretched wing. The light bones snapped immediately upon impact, throwing the slime off balance.


    It was still en-route to that fourth elemental and successfully crashed into it, but the perfect aim at its head had been compromised. Instead they entered a messy fight in the water. The boss shard moved in the liquid environment as if it wasn¡¯t even there, throwing punches at Apexus. Again, the slime benefited greatly from the dullness of the creature it was fighting, the water elemental unable to realize that its attacks were useless.


    The world whirled around Apexus, the nearby waterrise made it hard to sense the correct tremors and the pummelling it received, while harmless, didn¡¯t help in finding the creatures head either. Wildly, Apexus bit with the fangs again and again, simply hoping it would find the weak spot eventually. After over a dozen bites, the slime hit the right spot and the smaller elemental began to fizzle away.


    The fight had sent Apexus deep into the pool. An attempt to reshape its body into something that would somewhat allow it to swim, not a proper Growth but just straining itself to use its slime like a fin, was interrupted by a water bolt hitting it in the back. That one was way more threatening than the previous ones, as Apexus had relocated mass away from around its midnight blue core. In a defensive reflex, the slime stopped and went back to its normal, elliptic shape. If its core got damaged that would be like a stab into the heart and a cracked skull at the same time.


    A large impact went through the water as something, or rather someone, else jumped in with full force. Fiercely clawing, a recovered Reysha ripped the head off the last splinter of the boss, releasing its grey matter into the water. The tiger girl swam down to Apexus with her usual, overly broad grin. This time, however, she kept her eyes on her surroundings.


    A wise decision as the water elemental wasn¡¯t quite done yet. The grey liquids gathered in a single point, forming a single smooth orb. Unlike that seemingly perfectly fine appearance, the body that formed in return seemed unsteady. The shapes of the thick arms were wavering, bloating as the other was shrinking, an unsteady display of damaged enragement.


    Apexus hit the ground of the pool and Reysha dove after it as quickly as possible. She was not looking forwards to being the one to handle the punches of the unstable boss. That and she had spied the spear not far away from the slime.


    Quickly following her, beating its lower body like the tail of a merman, the water elemental was in vengeful pursuit. It stretched out its hand, trying to grab the tiger girl and just hold her. Underwater as they were, just waiting for the air-breather to suffocate was the most basic of tactics.


    The tiger girl passed over Apexus before that could happen, however, with the slime stretching its wings, broken or not, into the way and making it impossible to be ignored for a creature of such dull intellect. A smarter foe would have swam around, but the elemental just saw the bright green enemy in front of it. Like a silent roar, a prolonged wave of vibrations went out from the water elemental as it began to cover the slime in punches.


    It was stronger, way stronger, and Apexus felt every punch in its whole body. It could take one, it could take two, but the punches came quicker than it could completely recover from the last one. Given time, the slime would be flattened and then¡­


    Warning jolts of pain went through it with every impact, its instincts screaming, begging for Apexus to find a solution to get out of there. However, the bright green wings kept the tunnel vision of the monster all on the slime. Long enough for Reysha to jab the spear through the gap between them and right into the elementals head.


    Yellow thunder crackled inside the boss¡¯ head, which threw its arms around like it was cursing the sky. It shuddered, raised them both above its head as if it wanted to pray and then smash both of its enemies at once. However, at the height of the fists¡¯ preparing movements, they began to dissolve. Sending them down only hastened that project, all that hit Apexus and Reysha was a wave of water in turbulent motion, all that was left behind was a spear and a sphere of dark grey.

 Safe Leaf 12

    ¡°Brbrreeaaahhhhrrrrrrr,¡± Reysha made a series of indiscernible noises as she shook her body head to toe, a small number of droplets flying off her. It was a pretty futile gesture, as she lacked both the loose skin and fur of a normal mammal for it to achieve the desired drying effect. Young and smooth as her skin was, the only thing that somewhat flapped around were her breasts.


    She did it anyway, out of the remaining cat instincts that her race had, on behalf of their dirty minded goddess. At least her hair and tail got somewhat drier as a result, but she was still cold. Plus the wetness had ruined the last few strings of what remained of her pants and when she got out of her soaked boots, pulling at the soles, they came loose. As the socks underneath were already defined more by being holes than cloth, it was fair to say that she now owned no clothing whatsoever.


    At least the bruise on her ribcage was just a bruise. It was slowly turning red but was only lightly annoying. ¡°Can somebody light a fire?¡± the tiger girl asked, her teeth chattering. The stone door was still locked and with it her way to the warmth of the healing fountain. On the floor in front of her lay the two items she could still call her own, being the sack and the spear, along with the core of the water elemental. It was damaged due to the thrust that had ultimately killed the boss.


    Apexus was looking at the apple sized thing with the one functioning eye it currently had. The other was under restorative treatment by Aclysia. ¡°This was all very reckless,¡± she berated both her awakener and the tiger girl, ¡°it was pretty slow above water, we could have just kept shuffling its attention and poked it with the spear until it died.¡±


    ¡°That would have taken,¡± Reysha took a deep breathe and then shouted, ¡°FOREVER! The longer a fight goes on the more chances there are to fuck-up and one proper strike from that thing would have done me in. I say this worked out perfectly.¡±


    Aclysia¡¯s face stayed still, but in her silence was an unspoken disagreement. However, due to the fact that their injuries were non-fatal, she had nothing to really make her point with.


    Extending a tentacle towards the orb, the slime gently stubbed it. It was weird to touch, as it looked completely solid but felt liquid. It could be picked up, squished and stretched but it would always revert back to that spherical shape.


    ¡°That¡¯s the elemental¡¯s magic core,¡± Aclysia explained, her awakener was obviously curious and she had nothing better to do. ¡°There are two types of magic enablers in the world. One are specific spell enablers and the other are general magic enablers. You will find the former mostly among dungeon monsters, like the Spirit Fox tail allows them to use that flame spell, or sometimes in the wild, like with that eagle and its low-class paralysis. The latter you will find amongst more powerful entities, such as elementals and humanoids.¡± She nodded towards the orb, ¡°That would be a general water magic enabler.¡±


    That sounded pretty good, like, an actual contender for a permanent Growth. Aclysia continued and shot that idea down. ¡°I suggest you do not waste whatever mechanism allows you to permanently acquire one of your outgrowths on this magic core. There are plenty of creatures out there that allow you to cast spells of all schools and elements, albeit at a lesser natural mastery¡­¡± Her voice trailed off for a moment, ¡°Although it is unlikely that we¡¯ll meet a dragon or another higher monster anytime soon, so the closest choice would be a humanoid.¡±


    Now, Apexus had no idea what schools and elements even meant, but it trusted the metal fairy that it wasn¡¯t worth getting only one of them. People kept sounding tastier though, with all the things humans had and the slime lacked. Well, it did have that tingly feeling in its nucleus that it could pick some Growth, so it decided to go with the original plan.


    The unfittingly red ears atop Apexus¡¯ head switched their colour in response to becoming part of the slime¡¯s body. The black tips switched into a white colour, the same as the fuzzy fur inside, while the orange-red switched into a nice light azure. It was a very close colour to the slime¡¯s main body. Blinking with its largely restored eye, the slime could finally see what was right of it again.


    Aclysia sighed in relief when her awakener looked around. Healing flesh or mending bones was the easy part, intricate designs like eyes, nerves and sinews were harder to fix. It spoke to the slime¡¯s own natural healing factor that it could be restored with that little outside help, a normal human would have damaged sight in that eye until a higher levelled Priest took a look at it.


    ¡°I would still love a fire,¡± Reysha grumbled, less insistent this time. The fact that they could even hear her was odd, the water should have been overpowering her voice. For some reason, the water seemed to grow quiet, however. Almost like the roaring had just been an environmental factor to make it harder for more verbally reliant parties to communicate. ¡°Is it just me or is it getting warmer?¡± the tiger girl added.


    No, it wasn¡¯t just her, Apexus nodded and Aclysia agreed as well that the room was slowly heating up. Eventually, the pool around the waterrise began to exude the gentle mist of warmth.


    Golden letters crawled over the surface of the upwards falling torrent, spelling out a short message. ¡®Brave adventurers, congratulations for weathering this journey. The barrier around the geyser has been lifted and these waters shall carry you back to the surface. I recommend taking a bath in the pool first though, it will heal you from the wounds you may have sustained. Also, don¡¯t forget the loot.¡¯


    The front of each marble pillar began to retreat into the ground, revealing pedestals with items on them inside. Reysha should have been all over that, hoping for clothes, but instead she stared at the magic core that was now laying on the ground without purpose. ¡°Are you going to eat that?¡± she asked.


    Apexus was considering it, but the tiger girl did look interested, the slime had no actual use aside from being interested in the taste and since she did deliver the finishing blow it would only be fair if she got it. When extending it towards her with a tentacle, the slime expected her to stuff it into her bag, however, not try to fit the whole thing into her mouth.


    Reysha had no idea what drove her to that, but once her initial worry about freezing had been cleared the good old hunger had made an immediate return and that core did look oddly attractive. Her teeth sunk into the oddly liquid object, half slurping and half chewing it as she forced it into her mouth. It tasted bland, with only a hint of both salty and sweetness, but the inlaid magic set her nerves on fire.


    ¡°Hrrrrrr,¡± she purred once she was done, shudders covering her body, the tip of her tail waving periodically in a motion of almost ecstatic happiness. Apexus saw nothing wrong with that, it felt a similar way after a good meal, Aclysia raised an eyebrow and the topic though.


    ¡°Reysha, you are behaving very oddly,¡± the metal fairy stated. ¡°Beyond the odd state we met you at.¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ haaaaaah, I feel soooo aliiiiveeeee!?¡± she stretched her words, laughed and then walked off before the sanest person in the party could continue talking to her. Simply not noticing that her fellow party member was genuinely worried, the mad cat was concentrated on the rush of life she was on right now. She felt the desire boiling in her blood again, but this time it was more intense, focused. Self-pleasuring was not the answer to this urge.


    Aclysia decided to not chase after her and press the conversation. If the tiger didn¡¯t want to talk about this now and with the metal fairy knowing very little about whether or not something bad was actually going on (all that happened so far were horniness, hunger and a streak of savage murders). Instead, she and Apexus went to enjoy the warm water. Even with the eye restored, the slime still had its wings to fix.


    Reysha went from one podium to the next and was pleasantly pleased with many of the findings. First was a one-piece suit of an odd material, something between leather and rubber. It was of a midnight blue material, only decorated by a couple of slings at the belt area; it covered every inch of skin except hands, feet, everything above the collarbone and her back.


    Putting it on was a bit odd. It slid effortlessly over her form, stretching and becoming tighter where she needed it to. There were no cords or anything to close the thing at the back, instead there was V-shaped cut-out, beginning where her spine and hips met and ending at its broadest point at her shoulders. It was secure and if she wanted she could peel it off, but the lack of protection of her back was an odd design decision.


    After a moment, Reysha decided that it made perfect sense, though. She was a Rogue and a good Rogue was never caught off-guard, so why would she need a protected back? Either way, she was glad she had some clothes again. ¡®Although just being naked in the wild has charm to it,¡¯ she thought, she felt more drawn towards the weeks she had spent in the forest than she felt back to civilization right now.


    The second item was a simple stiletto. There was no enchantment to it, a simple, well-forged steel weapon. For a beginner, such a weapon was already of great worth, especially if it drove off the need to buy a new one.


    The last item the tiger girl had usage for was a belt. Although it was of a dark, heavy leather and the buckle looked like it was supposed to secure chainmail, she could use this at least temporarily as a way to better secure her bag and the stiletto. Sometime in the future she would get a proper Assassins belt with poisons and throwing weapons, at least that was her plan.


    The remainders were a mana potion in a glass flask, a little jar of some strong-smelling liquid and a decorative necklace with the symbol of Hashahin, a black disk with a mask carved into it in silver, dangling from it. Doubtlessly, useful for Priests or Mages, but Reysha felt nothing upon putting the thing on. It therefore wandered into the bag along with the other things.


    ¡°So, seems like we need to get back in here,¡± Reysha commented once she was disrobed and inside the water, holding onto the edge to not sink too deep. It was just a small bruise she still suffered from, but there was no need to carry it outside either way. ¡°Since we didn¡¯t find that part of your body, Aclysia.¡±


    ¡°That will not be necessary,¡± the metal fairy assured in a deeply relaxed tone. Wings and limbs sprawled out, she was gliding over the water¡¯s surface. Raising one of her arms, she pointed at the waterrise and Reysha squinted her eyes.


    Apexus had already spotted it, an oddity within the endless stream, a sphere that refused to move, without any anchorage or logical way to keep it in place. It was hard to spot through the shifting surface, but without a boss keeping them from having a look, the black and white mass was easily spotted.


    They had found what they wanted.

 Safe Leaf 13

    Reysha stashed all of her unused equipment inside the adventurer¡¯s bag. It was odd to see a large spear simply disappear into a piece of velvet the size of a grapefruit, but Apexus got used to such shenanigans rather quickly. Once exposed to magic, the question of ¡®how does that work?¡¯ got rather old very quickly. Those who didn¡¯t share that opinion and kept asking usually became mages.


    All Apexus knew was that they had to step into the waterrise to get the chunk of Aclysia-metal. The rather important question was if they had to reclear the entire dungeon if they failed to grab the thing in the upstream. That would have been annoying.


    ¡°Let us go,¡± Aclysia didn¡¯t share that hesitation, flying right into the water. As it was her quest he was fulfilling here, the slime simply followed right after on regrown spider legs. Reysha did a backflip in and they were all claimed by the stream.


    It pulled them along quite nicely. The direction was set, but the torrent wasn¡¯t wild in any way that would have sent them into a tumble. Through clear waters they were pulled, able to see easily. Apexus¡¯s worries turned out to be unnecessary. Once the metal fairy had entered the waterrise, the magic that kept the black and white orb anchored disappeared, the sphere suddenly becoming subject to the same draft as they did.


    The world went dark for a moment, as they were swept through the ceiling of the boss room and rose past the labyrinthian structure of the dungeon hidden in the earth around them. Within less than five seconds, they could see light again. Then, they were expelled into the air.


    The force of the water was strong enough to throw Apexus and Reysha just a bit above the surface of the pond, but they harmlessly fell back into the water. The heat from the healing fountain below had also reached this pond, so they weren¡¯t cold despite being drenched again. Its regenerative properties, however, stayed dungeon-bound. To prevent abuses, the waters lost their magic once it was removed from their place of origin.


    Aclysia was much lighter than the duo, however, as was the sphere. Both of them were carried all the way to the top of the geyser, where they disappeared in the fine mist of spraying water. After making their way to land, the slime and the tiger girl waited with bated breath.


    It was early in the day, some unimportant time between morning and noon. A very sober hour for something that had taken weeks to come to fruition. There was nothing, no glowing, no special effects, no nothing, just waiting.


    For Aclysia, the situation was a bit different. ¡®So, what do you desire, my child?¡¯ her creator asked and her mind was shifted from reality into a small room. It was something between a famous actor¡¯s collection of old costumes and a library. Costumes and books covered the walls and floors in a sheet of paper and cloth. The world had no colour, just black and white. Only Aclysia¡¯s green eyes lent any difference to this.


    That and the shining, golden mask of Hashahin, his face that never seemed to quite synchronize its lips movements to its voice. ¡°Come now, state it freely, I want to hear.¡±


    ¡°Is this question not redundant?¡± Aclysia wondered. ¡°I am your creation, divine one.¡±


    ¡°That you are, yet, I cannot know,¡± Hashahin answered, amused. ¡°You must understand that there are two beings of sapience us gods create. One is an extension of our will; the other are the races that inhibit our leaves. Independence is granted to the latter, not so the former.¡±


    The metal fairy understood quickly, ¡°Then you made me the latter, creator?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly¡­ I like to try and create a being in the middleground,¡± the god sighed, ¡°but there are things even we cannot do. Creating a being that is both tethered to my divine will and independent in their thoughts and fate always fails. At the start, you are indistinguishable from normal creations, until you come into contact with the independent. The mind that had only known my will learns individuality and splinters off the collective.¡±


    ¡°I am deeply sorry to fail you, creator,¡± Aclysia bowed, unsure what else to do. From what it sounded like, she was the latest iteration in a long series of experiments.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be, I do this not expecting things to change,¡± Hashahin assured her, putting her mind at ease. ¡°I like seeing you children grow into your own beings. It is a bit more intimate than simply flinging entire races into a world, to leave them to their own devices¡­¡± The gods voice trailed off. ¡°It makes me feel like a father again,¡± he sounded hurt, like he had lost something that he could never regain. He shook his head and then opened his arms wide, his body that of a muscular man, albeit without any sexual traits. ¡°Now answer me, finally, what do you desire?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I desire to be able to help my awakener,¡± Aclysia stated, shifting uncomfortably. Would her divine creator be as understanding as her¡­ friends? It was odd to think of them that way, but that word seemed accurate. More for Reysha than Apexus, the slime was something slightly different, but still. The metal fairy fluttered her wings. ¡°And I want to understand and be able to fulfil the urges of mortal recreation.¡±


    Hashahin snickered, ¡°Ah, the same story. With freedom comes the pursuit of two things, always, pleasure and purpose.¡±


    ¡°Purpose I have, but pleasure I can neither grant nor feel,¡± Aclysia touched her chest. ¡°I yearn to act on these feelings I have in something bodily¡­ Want not to be envious of those who can. Is this wrong, creator?¡±


    The black was slowly drained from the scene, leaving only a landscape of white with two orbs of green and a golden mask. ¡°It is only a sin to indulge in greed.¡± She blinked, then she was back.


    Apexus and Reysha were stacking small pebbles in a tower. It had been several minutes now and the slime was getting worried, but if it knew one thing about magic it was that it knew nothing about magic and absolutely shouldn¡¯t interfere. The patience was eventually rewarded with the well-known voice, the first voice it had ever heard, calling out to them.


    ¡°I am back!¡±


    The duo immediately turned to check what their companion looked like now. The answer was, the exact same as before. White, backwards kempt hair, a black dress, gloves and stockings that doubles as shoes. The only directly discernible difference was that she was much bigger, going from the size of a hand to being as tall as the tiger girls forearm (including the hand).


    ¡°Huh,¡± Reysha blinked, ¡°somehow expected you to grow a second pair of arms or something of that magnitude.¡±


    ¡°I must disappoint,¡± Aclysia stated, slowly descending and then landing in front of Apexus. There was a lot more of her to look at now, so the slime was already happy. The two-coloured moth wings folded behind her back like a cape once the metal fairy was on her feet. ¡°But my creator listened to my plea.¡±


    Her dress suddenly broke into a myriad of tiny particles that tumbled through the air like specs of dust, disappearing after less than a second.


    Although blushing slightly, Aclysia was too anticipating of what was to come to wait for them to reach a more worthwhile place for their first time. The warm summer air brushed over her naked body, the new layer of skin that was now part of her physique feeling a sensitive tinge.


    She had a pear-shaped figure, a comparatively small chest and waist followed by nicely curving hips. Bottom-heavy, that was another way to put it, although it wasn¡¯t unbalanced overall. Indeed, her breasts were smaller than Reysha¡¯s by about one order of magnitude, but the pretty pink nipples that crowned them looked just as delicious as the dark ones on the brown tiger girl. Her milky white skin was completely smooth and hairless. Although the dress was gone, the gloves and stockings had stayed. Weirdly this wasn¡¯t obstructive in any way, simply sexy in a way different from raw nudity. There was not a speck of hair on her, aside from her head of course, the pink of her pussy lips between her legs standing out even more on her white curves, contrasted with her black limbs.


    ¡°I hope I am visually pleasing to you, Apexus,¡± Aclysia said quietly, her eyes fixated on the floor. She wanted this and she felt confident enough to go through with it, but it was still the first time she was doing this. Realizing that she hadn¡¯t shown him everything yet, she turned around and spread her wings.


    Her ass was truly a god¡¯s work. It was completely flawless, like someone had taken the quintessence of the female behind, drawn it again and again, then used that practice to shape marble. Except it only looked as firm as marble when it was still, the twirl Aclysia had to go through to show it to her awakener made the round mass jiggle a bit.


    Apexus had no interest in careful probing to see if it was as soft as it hoped it to be. Instead, the slime did what it did best, suddenly chomping the metal fairy down in its entirety. Sure, it was harder than before, given that she was now about four times as large as before, but Apexus itself had gotten quite a bit larger over the months.


    Still, Aclysia¡¯s head stuck out. ¡°Oh, aw-ah-kennnnerrrr,¡± as she had already realized with the wind blowing over her, her skin was way more sensitive than her normal exterior. However, what could a gust of wind compare to a warm, gelatinous mass suddenly spilling all around her? She was simultaneously massaged and molested at all sides. At some places it only tickled a bit, in most it created a weird feeling she didn¡¯t know before. It was something like physical happiness, a bliss that the mind alone could not create. ¡®Pleasure, lustful pleasure,¡¯ she realized what this was.


    Immediately she felt thrice as happy for asking for this. Her wish to be able to please Apexus would have been a lot less selfless if she had known there was something like this involved. That pleasure didn¡¯t just come and go or maintained a level, instead it built and built. She was eager to find out to what.


    The slime explored every nook and cranny of her body and spent the closest attention possible on her reactions. Quickly it mapped out where on the metal fairy produced the most pleasing sighs in response to its actions. A task made hard only by its concentration being sapped away by the softness of her curves.


    A being made from metal shouldn¡¯t have had curves that were soft in all the right places like this, but it was divine metal so it had to make some bit of sense. Her body was radiating magic like others were warmth, a pleasant tingle within Apexus¡¯ mass. Her breasts were wonderous to swirl around, like small cushions, only the nipples atop, standing erect, were hard and whenever Apexus applied a bit of pressure to them, Aclysia let out a little gasp.


    ¡°This feels¡­ very nice¡­ awakener,¡± she moaned, a sound the slime didn¡¯t even know it needed to hear before its ears received it. The nape of her neck, her inner thighs, her earlobes and even the tip of her knife-shaped ears, they were all areas Apexus could harass to harness more of that tempting music.


    Her ass, however, was what Apexus enjoyed playing with the most. It wasn¡¯t just soft or firm, it was both at the same time, a mixture much greater than the sum of its parts. Even under the limited movements the slime could enact inside its own body, it kneaded it, enjoying how it bent in its shape only to return to the original, perfect roundness once left alone.


    Apexus found a curious little bump, a tiny pink thing, hidden in the upper folds of her pussy lips. Not thinking of anything, it pressured that point. Its ears went ringing when the first ever stimulation of Aclysia¡¯s pussy gave her to the height of pleasure, the climax, and caused her to shout out.


    Aclysia¡¯s world was filled with tiny sparks and bangs, the control over her own limbs greatly diminished. Against her will, her toes curled and her body was tense like a pulled bowstring. What had felt better and better and better as it went on was suddenly unloaded in an intense feeling of raw bliss.


    As she calmed down, the metal fairy was suddenly convinced that nothing was wrong with Reysha after all. ¡®If I had known this, I would have brought myself to this height again and again as well,¡¯ she thought, air entering and leaving her lungs. It wasn¡¯t the only thing her body was exuding, however.


    Between her legs, Apexus tasted something sweet. A nectar of the highest category, beyond even the finest meat it had devoured, only rivalled by the secretions of Reysha¡¯s lust and it came from the same place.


    There was no holding back the slime now as its conscious mind bowed out in favour of the state it had been snapped out weeks ago. Its body went from an elliptic shape into a mass of writhing, translucent tentacles. Each of them was headed by engorged bundles of nerves, a level of sensitivity that made them completely unfit for combat but perfect for what was about to happen.


    Aclysia felt herself being pulled from Apexus¡¯ body by these tentacles. They coiled around her arms and pulled, once she was in the air, they wrapped around her legs as well. It was a sacrifice of feeling her curves all inside it for the slime being able to see her now wet body in all its glory. Her chest was rising and falling heavy breaths, her mouth wide open and guiding the air sensually through it. Her green eyes, usually so awake and aware, were glassy, hazed over with this feeling that clouded the mind in the best way.


    The bit of experience Apexus had over her was minute, for all intents and purposes, this was both of their first times. Even if the slime lacked the normal expressions to show its own feelings, Aclysia could see its own state of mind through the almost supernatural connection she had developed with the friendly beast.


    A single, simple phrase passed over her lips, a combination of words unsurpassed in their potency by most spells or rituals, ¡°I love you.¡± She had no idea what made her say that at that moment or what that even really meant. She just knew that it was true.


    The slime slowed down in its movements to lower her down again. In a simple, instinctive response, it affectionately rubbed the fairy against its face, spraying pheromones of happiness in the process. That was the best it could do to express that this was went both ways.


    The tentacles wrapped around her legs were too big to fit inside her. Just because she was bigger didn¡¯t mean these tentacles, made for normal sized humanoids, could just be jammed inside her. To cope with this, Apexus increased the density towards the tips, causing them to slowly shrink as they extended further.


    The two around her arms slithered around her breasts, squeezing them. Curving away and then towards her again, the tips poked at her nipples. Apexus felt like its entire body was hit by a small bolt of electricity whenever they touched anything, but that soft, fleshy goodness was among the best feelings yet. Some sticky liquid oozed out of the engorged tips and covered whatever they touched in it. The cloud of pheromones around Apexus were replace by a visibly pink puff of exuded aphrodisiac.


    That didn¡¯t work on the metal fairy, she could smell but such things did not have an effect on beings without a metabolism. All it did to her was pleasantly caress her nostrils.


    Apexus¡¯s many tentacles worked simultaneously on other parts of her body. Still figuring out what it could do with these outgrowths of breeding instinct, the slime managed to part one of the tentacles into many smaller tendrils. Like numerous hands at the same time, they began to knead the soft behind. The shifting shadow that went over her in response to the little valleys that were dug into the mounds of marvellous tissue were a hypnotizing sight.


    The tentacle wrapped around her left leg was the one that finally slithered up to the main course. Tight, that was the first impression Apexus had upon trying to part her pussy lips.


    ¡°Please¡­ take it slow¡­¡± Aclysia requested, her voice a melody of desire. The slime was willing to oblige, it had barely any idea what it was doing itself. Instinctually, it grinded the tip of the tentacle over the pink slit a few times, spreading the sticky juice. The metal fairy¡¯s body secreted her own lubricant in spades upon the direct stimulation.


    If she hadn¡¯t made such sweet sounds, Apexus would have been led to believe that the movements of her arms and legs were signs of struggle. Not a word or sound she let out made it seem like she wanted her awakener to stop, however.


    Quite the contrary, ¡°Try -mhhhm- again.¡± Aclysia forced herself to relax as much as possible. It had somewhat of an effect, the slime managing to penetrate the first few centimetres into her. They both froze for a moment, lost in the liquid fire that poured through their nerves.


    It felt odd to be pushed apart like this, odd and deeply satisfying, not to mention ecstatic. The teasing of her skin, breasts and ass was like the appetizer to the proper meal compared to the raw sensitivity that this little area of her body possessed.


    Apexus had numerous erogenous zones, but simply rubbing them against a body, as warm, soft and beloved as it may be, was nothing next to being encapsulated. Wet folds wrung and pulsated around the tentacle, pressured the entire sensitive head and even the lesser concentration of nerves in the translucent tentacle that let up to it.


    As per her wishes, Apexus only slowly went deeper into her. Not that it had any other choice, did it have to push through the clenching tightness. Clenches, just like Aclysia¡¯s teeth, the very first penetration came with a hint of pain. Much more than that was the overpowering liquidation of her thoughts under a storm of this new, blissful sensation. One that grew bigger the deeper it went, the more of her constricting snatch it penetrated.


    Parting another tiny tentacle off, the slime sent it towards that little button that had achieved such a great reaction earlier. The pussy lips that had hidden it before were now parted, the hood raised, blessings went out to its accurate feline sight that it could make out such tiny details. Like a miniature tongue, the tendril began to circle and caress Aclysia¡¯s clit. The reaction was immediate, albeit not as volatile as last time.


    Her fingers quivered, her toes rapidly changed from curled to clenched and back. ¡°Awakener- please- deeper,¡± her voice came out in short bursts and at a much higher pitch than usual. Apexus pushed with some force and penetrated into her. The tentacle went forward and forward, until it hit something at the back, something like a locked muscle with only a tiny opening. Pressing against that produced a genuinely pained sound from Aclysia, ¡°Not there¡­¡± so Apexus pulled back from it and she went right back to moaning.


    Apexus was vaguely aware what lay beyond that, having eaten so many female specimens of other species with similar organs. It was surprising, but not unwelcome, that she possessed a womb. Although, the slime would have done this even if she hadn¡¯t. The feelings it had for her drove it to please her both mentally and physically, sex was a healthy part of that. That much it just knew.


    Realizing that it shouldn¡¯t push against or try to part that bit, the slime pulled back. Testing, it glided back and forth inside her. Her moans increased, everything aside from there was fair-game, evidently. Also, it learned moments into thrusting, now that it had somewhat stretched the tight tunnel, the friction of her sheer endless folds along the head and shaft of the tentacle felt glorious. It was like the initial penetration, but continuous as long as it kept moving.


    Slowly at first, figuring out how to move correctly, the slime thrust its member in and out of her quivering crotch. ¡°Ah-aa-aa-aa-ahhh,¡± Aclysia became louder and louder as Apexus went faster. The slime was now experiencing what she had earlier and was again right now: pleasure, building up towards something.


    The many tentacles at the side were still doing their work, teasing her nipples, massaging her ass, prodding her clit. This time she knew what was about to happen, but she still wasn¡¯t prepared for just how cleanly it eradicated her thoughts down to a blank slate of rushing torrents of bliss. A state that was only heightened when she felt something pump into and over her.


    Apexus had no time to wonder how much longer it could go on. It felt like a strained cord. It was stretched and stretched until finally, it ripped. All the tentacles it possessed that were currently engaged in some sort of a pleasure-seeking activity were suddenly frozen in place and violently ejected a cloudy white liquid.


    It covered the metal fairy¡¯s chest, arms, ass and legs, even the tiny tendril at her clit painted it in this indecent white. The liquid was thick, only running slowly down her body.


    One place was not affected by that freeze, the tentacle inside her pussy rushed in as deep as it could, stopping dead just in front of the area that would have made it unpleasant, and unloaded the biggest amount of semen there. A breeding reflex Apexus couldn¡¯t have done anything against even if it had been in the state of mind to do so or wanted to.


    As it was, the slime¡¯s graduation from virginity was accompanied with the same state of mind as its partner in deflowerment. Nothing could stay, was wiped out immediately in the onslaught of bliss. The sight of the wasted seed on Aclysia¡¯s light skin was somehow erotic enough to make up for it. Beyond their state, they exchanged a gaze that layered upon the physical satisfaction a mutual understanding of happiness.


    ¡°You are a man, now, right?!¡± a panting voice reached both of them. In their shared haze they had forgotten about the one true pervert amongst them, a tiger girl that had been horny before witnessing this and had now basked in the smell of Apexus¡¯ (however weak) aphrodisiac as she watched. ¡°There is no need¡­ no need for me to wait any fucking longer, right?!¡±


    Reysha¡¯s eyes were awake with sexual desire, not glazed over as her less experienced compatriots. She needed this, she had needed this for a while. Curiosity, the attraction of a forbidden fruit, the changes her body had been going through recently, they all whispered into her cracked mind to follow the most basic of instincts. Masturbation had never been anything but a stop-gap measure.


    Without even having touched herself in her voyeurism, the tiger girl¡¯s crotch looked like she had wet herself. The clear liquid ran from her shame over the inside of her smooth thighs, causing them to glisten all the way down to the knees. Her brown skin was flush with excitement, the darker stripes stretching intriguingly with every heavy breath she took.


    ¡°Pleeeeasseeeee,¡± she whined, grabbing one of the thick, unoccupied tentacles. The slender fingers, ending in retracted claws barely different from normal fingernails aside from their naturally sharper tips and a slowly spreading red tinge (a new development), wrapped around and started running up and down in a jerking motion.


    Apexus took a quivering nod, a movement made difficult by his current bodyshape and the sensitive tingles that went through the tentacle in Reysha¡¯s hands, along with the one still inside Aclysia. The simple act of sex had made the slime certain, he was set in what he was now.


    ¡°I need you inside me. Fuck me you strangely adorable goo-ball,¡± the tiger girl¡¯s dark, pinkish brown lips parted wide, wrapping around the large member and sucking it inside her mouth. For a moment, Apexus thought she was going to take a bite off him. Nothing indicated that her sharp teeth were going to close down, however, instead she did her best to keep them away from the nerve-dense tentacle. A slurping sound accompanied her efforts to suck him deeper inside.


    The slime learned within that moment that this hole also felt great to be inside. The wetness and the smoothness of her walls wasn¡¯t that different from the way Aclysia¡¯s pussy felt. It was odd to be inside her foodhole, but if it worked, it worked, right? Having learned his lesson from earlier, he didn¡¯t just slither deeper inside her, instead letting Reysha suck on the thick tentacle as much and as deeply as she wanted.


    Instead he focused what attention he had to spare on wrapping around the kneeling woman¡¯s legs. He had no idea when she had disrobed, but there had been more than enough time to do so. Stretching smaller tentacles towards her breasts, Apexus wrapped around them. There was a lot more to play with here than with Aclysia, but both were soft and had their own aesthetic advantages. If somebody had asked Apexus whether he preferred the smaller or the bigger chest, he would have ignored the question and went back to doing what he was doing now.


    Tiny tentacles peeled out of the larger ones writhing and kneading her breasts, curving up to her nipples and covering them in the slime¡¯s pre-cum as they moved around them like little tongues. Reysha¡¯s own was circling around the engorged head of her chosen tendril, moaning and gasping as she went. The way her hollowed out cheeks sucked him back into her mouth gave Apexus an idea.


    Slithering his way towards the cunt he had almost claimed before, Apexus brought two of his sensitive outgrowths up to Reysha. For a moment, the slime stood still, tried to concentrate. The tip of one of the tentacles inverted and shrunk, assuming the form of something like a suction cup. Tendrils rested on the deepest point, ready to assault whatever this new piece of biological gear was used on.


    The choice predictably fell on Reysha¡¯s clit. Running with great success on pleasuring that tiny area, Apexus did not plan on changing a winning strategy. The larger tentacle slid up and down Reysha¡¯s pussy, beyond the brown colour of her outer lips lay the same light, wet pink as Aclysia. Although robbed of the tiger girl¡¯s heavy moaning, the vibrations that reverberated in her mouth and through it the tentacle she was giving a blowjob made up for it.


    The vibrations intensified when Apexus succeeded in finding the weakspot and pressed the suction cup atop it. Easily targeted in the tiny vacuum, Reysha¡¯s clit was the receiver of the touch of dozens of miniscule brushes. It was a pleasure unlike anything she had ever felt before, far beyond even the most delicate of foreplays. Combined with her current sensitivity, brought about by the changes to her body, just a couple of moments of this play would have been enough to make her cum.


    What did send her over the edge, however, was Apexus slithering inside her with his impressive girth. The penetration she had been seeking for the past weeks finally came in one smooth thrust that scratched her itches deeper than her fingers could hope to reach.


    A clear liquid suddenly poured over Apexus¡¯ tentacle, an overflow of Reysha¡¯s honey, after he went all the way into her. He had meant to take it just as slowly as with Aclysia, but when using the same amount of force had simply parted her in an instant. That was not to say her pussy was loose, just not as chokingly tight as that of the presently deflowered.


    Apexus thought that he had perhaps done something wrong, but rather than pull the tentacle out of her mouth and let loose a tirade of curses, Reysha sucked him deeper. Past her mouth. Into her throat. An area of mucus and tightness, the vibrations of her orgasmic scream even closer here.


    If there was any doubt that Apexus had just done something good, it was cleared when the slime took a look at her face. Her red strands, still sticky from remaining water, stuck to her face in a messy fashion. Through the translucency of his tentacle, he could see her tongue wildly working as much as the limited space it had allowed her. Spit was dribbling out of the corners of her mouth. Her eyes were wide-open, light tears running down as she suppressed her gag reflex. In the dark stripes that surrounded them like warpaint, the fact that her blue iris was rolled up to the upper corner stood out all that much more.


    It was doubtlessly the erotic appearance of someone cumming their brains out.


    ¡°Apexus¡­¡± Aclysia suddenly raised her voice, quivering still but recovered. ¡°¡­I can¡­ take some more, if you want.¡± Did the slime ever want to fuck the cute metal fairy some more, while also inside the sexy tiger girl? Absolutely, he absolutely wanted that.


    All tentacles began to move again, doing what they did best. Tangled up in his sexual protrusions, both girls were victim to Apexus playing with all the soft and wonderful parts of their bodies at once. Meanwhile, the thickest two tentacles were pumping in and out of the sexes of the moaning girls. The sound was muffled for both of them, following Apexus offering Aclysia a tentacle to suck on. Hesitatingly, she did, much less brazen in her actions than the wildly slobbering Reysha.


    Apexus was at his limit pretty much right from the start. The cumulative bliss of being inside four holes, the other minor sources of pleasure in the form of massaging their asses and tits aside, was definitely more than an inexperienced slime was supposed to handle. However, he could be quite the stubborn one and after seeing that erotic perversion of a face on Reysha, Apexus yearned to put that same face on Aclysia.


    Knowing that he wouldn¡¯t be able to cum a third time, the slime tried everything while fighting against the inevitable ecstasy. He caressed Aclysia¡¯s sensitive ears, brushed over the nape of her neck, trailed over her body with the tip of tentacle, quivered along the inside of her thighs. What did the trick eventually was transforming the three tendrils responsible for nipples and clit into the same suction cup that was already working on Reysha.


    The second these tips came into action, the muffled sounds on Apexus¡¯ tentacle became a freed scream, the metal fairy thrashing in her bindings, unable to continue her beginner¡¯s blowjob. The prolonged scream eventually stopped, her mouth just standing open in an O-shape, as she had no more air, the tongue lolling out, curved upwards. Upwards, just like her eyes travelled.


    The moment they reached the edge, Apexus began cumming. This second orgasm was much larger than the first one. Whether it was the prolonged holding back or the slime¡¯s breeding reflex producing more cum in relation to the amount of girls he was fucking, it wasn¡¯t important. Fact was, Aclysia¡¯s body, and her previously clean face, were coated in a second layer of cum, just like Reysha was.


    The tiger girl swallowed the first load, then her gag-reflex allowed no more and she had to pull back from the tentacle. Her red hair and her striped brown skin, they were a much more welcoming canvas for the cloudy white. Not one to pick favourites because of that, however, Apexus simply loved witnessing the cum covered shapes of both of them.


    The way the thick liquid slowly ran down their curves, was stuck in their hair, slowly mixed with the hot sweat they had worked up, it was all too blissful to behold. Once Apexus had pulled out of their pussies, the trickle of white that followed only added an extra layer to the picture. Apexus gently put down Aclysia and then the tentacles retracted back into the slime¡¯s mass, creating the usual elliptic shape.


    Due to exhaustion and the amount of liquid the slime had just lost, he felt that his surface wasn¡¯t as pristinely smooth as usual. He looked a lot more liquid than usual, gravity visibly pulling the whole of it down.


    Reysha coughed, only able to open one eye as the other was plastered across with white. ¡°Better take ANOTHER bath while the water is still warm,¡± she grinned, licking a drop of cum off her lips. She shivered in pleasure, the taste wasn¡¯t anything to write songs about but it succeeded in causing a small aftershock in her satisfied body. ¡°Fuuuuck, I needed that,¡± she purred.

 Safe Leaf 14

    A fireplace was crackling with heat, the dry wood that had been lit with magic slowly transforming into ash. It was a simple construction, a thin stone slab laid across two stunted boulders, a gap for a fireplace in between. The blackened sides on the otherwise reddish grey stones indicated that this wasn¡¯t the first time they had been used for this.


    The fact that it was located right next to one of the few sources of wood, not to mention the way it looked, made it an easy assumption that this was left behind by some prior adventuring group, rather than being a natural formation. It laying within a depression within the landscape, protecting whoever claimed the place from the winds in a limited capacity, only lent further credence to that idea. A place to spend a last night before entering the dungeon.


    The group currently occupying it, consisting of a slime with a multitude of odd protrusions, a tiger girl with a happily curved tail and a large fairy (but small person) in black and white, had no interest in staying the night, however. It was barely past noon, and they were just hungry from post-coital exhaustion.


    Well, Reysha was, Apexus had already eaten and was eyeing the fish frying atop the stone slab doubtfully. He had never had cooked food before and was generally predisposed against it. Why ever somebody would ruin perfectly red meat through the application of fire was beyond it. Then again, all Gizmo had ever eaten was some goo made out of plants boiling in a pot until all that gave away their origin was the fact that the end product was green. Maybe cooked meat wouldn¡¯t be that bad?


    ¡°Can¡¯t wait ¨C can¡¯t wait,¡± Reysha¡¯s excited voice sang out into the landscape. She wasn¡¯t nearly as melodic as Aclysia was and obviously lacked any training in that school, but she had the right kind of voice for that line of work. Although the unstableness of her tone made it clear that she didn¡¯t have the mindset for singing. ¡°Finally, meat, cooked fucking meat.¡±


    ¡°Your enthusiasm seems unbecoming, given how interested you were in the flesh of dungeon creatures,¡± Aclysia pointed out, sitting atop Apexus, as the tiger girl nimbly grabbed the tailfin of one of the fish between her light red tinting claws and turned it around. Some of the scaled skin stuck to the surface as she did, but she didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Reysha continued in her little melody. ¡°And, not gonna lie, I kinda want to get back into that dungeon and see if I can rip open a rat or something, but still. I am out of there, I am alive, I can eat something that¡¯s not raw for a change!¡± She flipped the bird in the general direction of the dungeon.


    They continued waiting for the fish to get done, with Reysha continuously babbling to herself little words of happiness and curses. The firewood cracked, collapsing on itself and causing embers to scatter through the air, a conveniently dry thorn-bush. It had developed a naturally dead, withered texture to be unappealing to the landscape¡¯s prime omnivores, the slimes. If a slime did try to eat the plant despite that, they would usually be dried up from within. That kept the bushes safe, but also made them great firewood. Good for them that adventurers were much rarer a predator in these parts.


    Apexus looked at the flames from a nice distance, but his attention lay definitely with the double spheres that were softly depressing its surface with their curvature. Although bigger, Aclysia had no intentions of stopping using her awakener as a chair. As this didn¡¯t happen out of disrespect or a sense of superiority, but rather the want to be close to him and the fact that the gelatinous mass was incredibly comfortable, no objections were raised or would be even if she reached Reysha¡¯s size.


    It was really convenient that her new and improved curves stayed despite her clothed state, as her sensitivity apparently vanished when she wasn¡¯t nude. Something about her clothes and nakedness being two different modes of existence. Shifting his mass a bit, the slime adjusted his shape to be an even better seat, by creating a backrest for his beloved fairy.


    Since losing his virginity earlier, the slime felt it¡¯s much easier to retain changes in his shape. Picking a gender, effectively, had stabilized the slimes mass, currently holding the potential for both at the cost of some smaller features of being what he was. His default colour had also gotten a bit darker, in response to the outer membrane, keeping the acid that made up most of its internals from constantly burning at everything, growing thicker and denser. With it the colour of his eyes had shifted from a colourless pale to a light blue.


    Even with the shapeshifting being less of a pain to keep up, it was far from a reliable tool. The makeshift limbs were soft and slow, inferior in every regard to whatever Growths Apexus tried to emulate through them. Still, while that newfound elasticity wasn¡¯t going to be useful as limbs, being able to be around in shapes that weren¡¯t the usual ellipse would be useful.


    ¡°Looking goooooood,¡± Reysha grabbed one of the fish off the plate and began juggling it between her hands as she waited for it to cool down a holdable degree. ¡°Food, grilled fooood, grilled fissshhhh,¡± the tiger girl didn¡¯t care that her enthusiasm for seafood reinforced some stereotypes against her people, she was just happy to sink her fangs into the meat.


    The flavour exploded in her mouth like the rancid smell of a shoe that hadn¡¯t been taken off once during a seven-day march through a swamp being held right under her sensitive nose. Rather than the meat going down, she felt bile wanting to go up her throat as she quickly spat out the fish and threw it aside. ¡°Bad one, probably spoiled,¡± Reysha explained under the questioning gaze of her comrades, grabbing the next one.


    Again, with much enthusiasm, she bit into it. This one tasted like some had taken rotten meat, ground it down, had fed a pig with nothing but it for its entire life until it died of food poisoning, taken that entire pig, let it decay until the meat grew eyes, ground that abomination down, repeated the process three times and then had thrown just a sprinkle of salt on it to make that little bit bearable. Reysha quickly threw that one aside as well.


    The third one she only nibbled on carefully. Even that simple act caused her stomach to revolt. All the while the fish smelled fantastic, making her mouth water. The dissonance between taste and smell affected her balance to a degree and she sat down. ¡°These fish taste like absolute ass,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Apexus doesn¡¯t seem to mind,¡± Aclysia pointed out, the slime had a strict policy of not wasting food. Even if it wasn¡¯t going to give him any Growths, there was no need to leave meat laying around. Cooked food, he decided, wasn¡¯t that bad actually. Raw was better, but not bad.


    ¡°He is a monster made of stomach acid that eats things whole, what the fuck would he know about taste,¡± Reysha cussed, in a very bad mood due to her being both hungry and having that disgusting taste stuck in her mouth. Her tail whipped around in an angry frenzy.


    Apexus took great offense to that, bolstering itself up like an animal ready to attack. In retort, Reysha hissed and lowered her posture, ready to pounce. ¡°Control yourself!¡± Aclysia intervened, taking to the air between them. She was swiftly ignored as Reysha jumped on the slime.


    She landed right on his back, grabbing both wings to pin him on the floor. It was a great strategy for everything that had a bone structure, but for a slime it didn¡¯t work, Apexus simply caving away under her leg and shaking violently. Its wings were much stronger than Reysha had given them credit for and they slipped from her grasp.


    What followed was a succession of rolls, assaults and dodges over the stone floor, as Apexus followed right after her and tried to turn the situation around. She was much faster than him, however, and so it was a chase. Occasionally she would try to kick or scratch him, just as he tried to grab her ankles and immobilize her.


    To say it was a messy fight was would have been an understatement. It was also, however, not a real one. Reysha¡¯s claws were retracted at any given time and despite numerous opportunities, Apexus never opened his membrane to let a foot or arm sink inside and begin dissolving it.


    Not that that would have been a smart strategy. Sure, the acid burns would have been nasty, but Apexus was much more concerned about the damage that a perforation of its membrane from the inside presented. The point was, anyway, that this was a tumble, not an actual fight.


    It eventually ended with Apexus as the winner by virtue of the terrain. Sharp pebbles cut into the exposed areas of Reysha¡¯s one-piece and the general hardness of the floor was suboptimal for rolling around. Breathing heavily, she eventually stopped resisting, letting Apexus spread over her as she watched with her blue-in-grey eyes.


    ¡°I give up, you have tastebuds,¡± she announced and the slime retracted after turning his dominant pinning into something like an appreciative cuddle. Sitting straight, Reysha was almost immediately made the target of healing magic. Small cuts were covering the V-shaped cut-out on her back, ending just below the base of her tail and just above the start of her butt crack. ¡°Those are just scratches, no need to bother,¡± she told the healing fairy behind her.


    ¡°Scratches can still get infected, sit still,¡± Aclysia demanded in a snappy tone. Now that her advice had been so brazenly ignored, all of them were in a bad mood. It slowly cooled down over the passing minutes, just like the discarded fish on the floor. Exactly like them, however, the awkward air eventually dissolved, although not inside Apexus¡¯ acid.


    ¡°Well, seems like I will go hungry for a bit,¡± Reysha eventually declared, getting up as her wounds were healed. They continued their way south. Apexus wasn¡¯t strong enough to carry Reysha across the ocean, so they had to go with an alternative solution. Namely, the tiger girl had to take a boat back across. They idea was that they would escort her to the port, then fly over themselves and meet her back south of the town on the other site.


    From there, they would make their way to Gizmo. Although Reysha wanted to leave this particular world, the idea of hanging around a slime, a fairy and an old man in the woods had made her giggle, so she had agreed to that plan for the time being. Interesting things were bound to happen if she did. Additionally, finding a group of adventurers was hard, so she might as well stay with this odd formation that worked. And she wanted to be fucked by those tentacles again. They were all equally good reasons as far as she was concerned.


    A couple of hours later, they rested a second time. Apexus ate, Reysha found some more fish, this time trying them raw. While way more acceptable, it was still incredibly disgusting compared to what she remembered. It was odd, she had eaten these pond dwelling fish on the way and not run into any problems.


    After a day of not having eaten a complete meal, Reysha forced herself, much to the revulsion of her stomach, to just eat one of them. Once she managed to get it down, it wasn¡¯t bad and she felt sated, but that didn¡¯t solve the problem of how excruciatingly vile the taste was. She may as well have drank a glass of pus as far as she was concerned.


    On the third day of this, and with no signs of it getting better, she said in a scarily clear voice, ¡°Something is incredibly wrong.¡± Not only was all food and drink she got in her hands disgusting, but her urges were also at an all time low. She had always been a horny one and in the dungeon, it had been five-times worse, now she felt about as interested in sex as a widowed grandmother. That was despite her witnessing Apexus and Aclysia happily shagging a few hours earlier.


    For the cause of her condition, it was obviously something that had happened inside the dungeon. Was it the length of her stay? All the stress she had been through rebounding? The meat? Now that she asked herself these questions, it was fairly obvious that it had be the meat. The urge to consume the flesh of the dungeon creatures had only grown worse with time.


    She looked at her nails. The permanent red tinge to them had stopped growing in intensity. Same was true for the grey in her eyes. It was easy not to be worried about these things when all they had brought here were greater delight in eating and sex, but now the drawback of these things became apparent.


    Aclysia flew over. ¡°You attempted to warn me,¡± Reysha noted.


    ¡°That I did,¡± the metal fairy stated factually, not wanting to rub salt into the wound. ¡°Be at ease, Gizmo knows a lot of things, so I am sure he knows about your condition as well.¡±


    Apexus hoped that was true, it had been hours since he had seen her smile even a little bit. Without that crazy grin on her face, Reysha looked about ready to let insanity take the reigns and that wouldn¡¯t be fun for anyone around when she finally exploded. That and it just seemed wrong. The slime liked seeing her happy.


    He realized that he was invested in yet another person.


    There would not be a time when Apexus would let anything like Aclysia¡¯s breaking happen ever again.

 Safe Leaf Finale

    The way back was, aside from Reysha¡¯s ongoing condition, uneventful. Learning to work with her new sense of taste, the tiger girl soon managed to find things she could eat without feeling absolutely disgusted. Typically, that came in the shape of things that normally bordered on tasteless.


    As such, she could drink water without a problem, so the most essential thing was already covered. For the solid food, she went for things like potatoes, bread or very long boiled and very watery soup. With a full stomach returned some of her good mood, but by far not all of it.


    ¡°I feel like a Monk,¡± she joked as they made their way through the woods. ¡°Except I am not starving myself for inner peace.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that whatever you are doing can be considered starving yourself,¡± Aclysia had to point out, turning around from her position on Apexus¡¯ back. ¡°Your diet changed, not your eating habits.¡±


    ¡°I stand by my point,¡± Reysha insisted, giving a weak chuckle while she walked after the pair. They were on the last stretch through the forest. Apexus had found an unlucky deer on the way and was using its legs to wander this ground as he travelled upon it. He could have also used the spider legs, but those made him very wide and awkward to manoeuvre through the uneven spacing between trees. ¡°So, we just find the guy?¡±


    Aclysia nodded, she had answered the question before but the tiger girl kept being confused about it. ¡°He states that the magic that guards his home will guide people to him, as long as they have a wish that he could fulfil.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a dumbass enchantment to put on his house,¡± Reysha commented. ¡°Who the fuck would want to be bothered every other day by strangers?¡± She would soon have the opportunity to ask that question herself, as they stepped through the barrier. As usual, it happened suddenly. The camouflage spell worked perfectly, one step there was nothing but more trees before them, the next there was a small house peeking out between the small ring of trees inside the barrier.


    Rather than going up to the metal fence that surrounded the green spot within the forest, however, the group quickly crouched into what bushes they could find. There was a man standing at the fence, armoured from neck to toe with plate. A mixture of spear and staff was strapped to his back, a long, gnarly piece of wood ending in a pointy tipped crystal of a pinkish-red colouration.


    He had dark hair, which he made sure still sat properly gelled back every other moment. The slime recognized that person as Hemle, the adventurer (or rather adventurer trainer) that had threatened to end his life to gain access to Aclysia months ago. Despite their vastly decreased size difference, Apexus didn¡¯t feel like he had any chance of taking that man on even now.


    Lucky for them then that he stood with his back towards them when they entered. Crossing the barrier created a visual effect like a small lightning strike, but no sound. As long as they remained put and perfectly still, there was a chance for them to stay out of Hemle¡¯s attention. Only Reysha would have had any interest in revealing their position there, she knew who that man was and what his plans with Apexus were from before her self-exile. However, she stayed put.


    The Battlemage was occupied with the old man on the other side of the protective fence anyhow. ¡°You cannot lie to me,¡± Hemle stated, they must have been in the middle of a conversation. ¡°I am an instructor on this leaf, I know who you are and that the only way I could have found you is because you know about that slime I seek.¡±


    Gizmo glanced over to the bushes where the trio was hiding terribly. Unlike Hemle, he had been facing the new arrivals. As quickly as Gizmo¡¯s eyes moved on, the armoured man had no time to suspect something was off. ¡°I see then¡­ but this is a secret that is not mine to reveal, not even in re¡­¡± his words were cut-off by a sudden coughing fit.


    Recognizing that tone, Apexus was filled with worry. Those weren¡¯t the dry and simple coughs that shook the man periodically due to his age, but the heavy and prolonged ones from his worst days, those where Gizmo was bedridden. From the cold sweat on the old man¡¯s face and the unhealthily pale complexion of his skin, it appeared that his condition had taken a turn for the much worse during the slime¡¯s absence. A wonder, in several ways, that his body just refused to stop its prolonged grasping at life.


    ¡°Look at you, Apotho, a husk,¡± Hemle ridiculed, the ever present scowl on his face deepening, ¡°A legend faded. Give me what I want and I will leave you alone to die.¡±


    ¡°Die? Me?¡± a quiet question, one that the Battlemage with his human ears failed to pick up, but Apexus heard clearly enough in the calm forest. ¡°What you seek I can only give you inside,¡± the voice of the old man was still sickly, but a strange charisma was swinging underneath as well. He raised a quivering hand and gestured Hemle to step inside. Who hesitated. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid,¡± it sounded more like a command than an assurance, ¡°I am just a husk, am I not? What could I ever do to you.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Hemle grunted, as if enchanted. He climbed over the fence. An effortless gesture that every child could have executed, the metal construction failing completely in its apparent purpose. Plated feet came in contact with the grass floor, the armour cluttering. ¡°Now show me-¡±


    Quicker than a man of his age should have been able to move, the man known to Apexus as Gizmo closed the couple of steps between him and Hemle. His bony fingers reached up to the instructor¡¯s face, the only part of him with exposed skin, and grabbed as tightly as he could. The walking cane dropped into the grass behind him.


    Hemle felt the cold hands encapsulate his head like death itself. A desperate attempt at shoving the old man back with one arm and grabbing his spear with the other didn¡¯t come to fruition. His body simply refused to move. The old man gave the grin of the wicked, his light blue eyes changing into a crimson red as the wrinkles around them began to disappear.


    ¡°I will NEVER die!¡± Apotho raised his voice. ¡°No matter how often my body withers through time, no matter how much that fool on the surface wants to see us perish.¡± Apexus watched in disgust as the unnatural display played out on front of him and the group. ¡°As long as my spell keeps guiding your greed to me, I will always have more of you fools to consume!¡± Red energy flowed out of Hemle¡¯s and into Apotho¡¯s veins, all the way up to his face, until, rather suddenly, the plate armour collapsed into a pile of dust.


    The man that stood now alone, kicking the steel in front of him with utter disappointment on his face, was still old. However, the age spots over his skin had clearly shrunk and so had the sickness. Picking up the mage staff, Apotho¡¯s chuckles slowly turned into a shocked sobbing.


    ¡°What did I¡­ no, not again¡­¡± Gizmo stared at his hands, immediately dropping the staff he had just picked up. ¡°Apexus¡­ Apexus!¡± he turned towards the slime, who instinctively took a step back as the suddenly unknown person pressed his hands against a wall of green fire that connected with the metal bars in the ground through lines of energy. It had never been a fence to keep things out, always to keep this Warlock in. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ please¡­ please¡­¡± the red in his eyes, slowly fading without an energy source, flared up again, ¡°Drag that other human in here, I need more power to break out this laughable prison!¡± Apotho grinned again, a strange, unnatural undertone in his voice, even as Gizmo¡¯s tears continued running, ¡°The poison of the dungeons runs through her veins anyway.¡±


    Reysha¡¯s eyes widened in fear, not of Apexus, the slime wasn¡¯t making any indication that it would follow that order, but at the prospect of having what just happened to Hemle done to her. He had been one of the strongest people in the city, as far as she knew, and hadn¡¯t even put up a fight against this sick old man. ¡°What do you mean?¡± the tiger girl asked, despite her fear.


    ¡°Your sclera is darkening and your fingernails are slowly turning red,¡± Apotho listed, speaking like a superior to her and with the glee of the self-indulgent know-it-all. ¡°Your senses were at an all time high, especially hunger and lust, but now that you left the dungeon and stopped feasting on its creations they are dulling immensely. You can¡¯t eat normal food anymore, as it fills your mouth with vile taste, but your senses let you know what deliciousness you are missing. You envy people indulging in their worldly desires, but cannot feel them yourself.¡± His grin only grew wider, ¡°You should be proud of yourself. Few possess the gluttony to even fuel this transformation. Most just die of the magic overdose. There is no cure, the rest of your life will be ashen and hollow,¡± there it was again, that sweet authority in his voice, ¡°so you might as well give up and give your lifeforce to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ right,¡± Reysha nodded and begun raising from her crouched position in the bush. Before she could do as much as take a single step, Apexus grabbed her in a slimy growth. Her enchanted movements were dull and didn¡¯t allow her to dodge.


    The slime turned and ran. Ran as fast as he could, dragging Reysha with it. Aclysia was right beside him. ¡°APEXUUUUUS!¡± an angry scream echoed after them. Then, a miserable voice added, ¡°Apexus¡­ come back¡­ one day¡­ come back.¡±

 White Wood 1

    Apexus didn¡¯t stop on his own volition. The legs he had grown were burning with exhaustion, but his mind was terrorized. Whatever abilities Apotho had displayed there, this life draining, it was a frightening display and as such the slime continued to run until it suddenly hit an uneven ditch of a Forester Dragon.


    Tired hooves sinking into the upheaved soil, getting stuck in some remaining roots, Apexus was sent flying downwards as the fragile ankle broke. A few metres away, Reysha landed, carried by the suddenly ended momentum.


    The pain seared the slime¡¯s mind back into reality. What had carried it all the way here was replaced by the sudden onset of understanding as Apexus was unable to bring its legs to move again. The terror was justified, but they had fled from the imprisoned Warlock through the forest. If there was any way that ancient danger could followed them, Apotho already would have.


    ¡°Awakener, are you alright?¡± Aclysia asked as Apexus got rid of the deer legs. The slime nodded, it was in need of food and water, but not too urgently, and a long moment of rest would also help. They both turned towards the sprawled out tiger girl, who had suddenly begun to laugh.


    ¡°What is this shit?¡± she asked, raising one hand and holding it in front of the sun above. ¡°Dungeon poisoning? So, I just survived to get into a life that¡¯s empty of all things worth living for? What a joke.¡± Just as she feared her life to be, her continued giggling was bereft of all happiness. A dull sound. ¡°And I almost ran face first into that old creeps arms there!¡± she looked over to the duo. ¡°And you wanted me to meet that guy?!¡±


    Aclysia landed, her wings hanging loosely in shame and loathing, ¡°We were not aware of his true nature.¡±


    At her side, Apexus wondered where Gizmo started and Apotho had begun. When the old man had previously been that sick, in the time before the metal fairy was restored, that dark side to him had not appeared. Or, perhaps, it had and something had simply prevented the life draining from affecting the slime. What that something was remained unknown.


    ¡°Well, whatever,¡± Reysha let her hand fall to the side again, ¡°not like it fucking matters.¡±


    They fell into momentary silence. The forest didn¡¯t care about their misery. Birds were singing. The wind rustling in the canopies. Distantly, the sounds of splintering wood could be heard. A Forester Dragon was feeding. Time passed, then Apexus had a sudden thought.


    In a sudden hurry, to try and snap the tiger girl out of her lethargy, he searched for a way to communicate. How he wished that he could simply write words on his own skin, but for that it lacked the tools of detailed pigmentation. He could only swap the entire colour at once, not some parts of it. Similarly, he may have been able to spell one letter at a time, but displaying whole sentences as bumps or tentacles was much to straining.


    Perhaps one letter at the time was enough though. He already had both of the girls attention from the buzz he was making. Three simple letters were acted out through a stretching tentacle. ¡°L-I-E,¡± Reysha followed, ¡°Lie? About what?¡± She was obviously confused.


    ¡°Lie¡­¡± Aclysia muttered more quietly, then she understood what her awakener was trying to say. ¡°Right, Gi- Apotho could have lied, Reysha,¡± now confronted with the idea, it was the logical conclusion. ¡°He wanted to absorb your life force. It was in his interest to make you believe that there was no hope for you. That way it must have been easier to manipulate you.¡±


    Both times the Warlock had manipulated them, he had told them about something they already believed anyway. Hemle¡¯s caution had been dulled to non-existence, while Reysha¡¯s despair had been amplified. With Apexus, that had failed. The slime had not even a lingering wish to sacrifice the tiger girl, as such the word-based spell had fallen on deaf ears.


    A sparkle of hope entered Reysha¡¯s blue eyes, ¡°Yes, yes, absolutely. If I wanted to stab a guy, I would tell him I would put out in a dark alleyway.¡± A bit crude, not to mention not really fitting, a metaphor, but good enough. ¡°What do you think then? He lied about the cure but not about the symptoms? That¡¯s fucked up!¡± The genuine outrage filled the so dull looking tiger girl with conviction again. Her tail went into a bushy state as she rolled on all fours and hissed in the general direction they had come from. ¡°If he wasn¡¯t all powerful looking, I would stab that asshole!¡±


    Now that was the Reysha the slime wanted to see. Reckless, sure, but wild and beautiful. ¡°If this was a more common phenomenon, surely they would have taught you about it,¡± Aclysia continued on, ¡°you did have basic adventuring training after all.¡±


    ¡°Incomplete, but yes,¡± the tiger girl nodded, inspecting her feet. She had been bootless until a couple of days ago, when she had bought a used pair in the port. ¡°I was far enough in to have frequented a dungeon with a party,¡± she dangerously narrowed her eyes at that subject, her bushy tail swaying quickly. ¡°Fuck that, whatever I have can¡¯t be unknown. Not like being lost and running out of rations in a dungeon is a rare thing for adventurers!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ but I am afraid I know nothing to improve your condition,¡± Aclysia began to carefully formulate a suggestion. ¡°We therefore need to seek that knowledge elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are obviously not going back to that scary ass hut,¡± Reysha growled. ¡°Before I feed that lying ass, I will just off myself.¡± Moments of silence ensued. ¡°There got to be another place.¡± More silence as Apexus and Aclysia waited for her to figure it out. ¡°Oh¡­ fuck, I don¡¯t want to,¡± the tiger girl finally realized.


    ¡°You do not have to,¡± the metal fairy informed her, ¡°but you will have to search on your lonesome. I am bound to this plane for as long as my quest remains incomplete and should my awakener leave, I shall go rest in dormancy once more.¡± That was the first time Apexus had heard of this, but it was also the first time the topic of leaving the leaf had come up outside of informal discussions.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Reysha plopped down on her behind and threw her hands into the air. ¡°Fine, okay, fine, I don¡¯t want to leave you two behind even if you guided me to a horror show¡­ you are all I have right now¡­¡± the fur on her tail slowly settled as it fell to the floor and refused to move. Her ears turned sideways in a defeated fashion. ¡°If there is one place on this leaf that¡¯d know, it¡¯d be the branch of the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    While she now possessed the necessary capital to offset her debt, after being treated like dirt by the authorities she almost felt it as a point of principle to not pay them. However, there was absolutely no way to hide her presence when walking into the guild itself. Not only because she was a redheaded bombshell of an exotic species, but because the recent adjustment to her physique would have made her the target of rumours within hours. Very few species brandished dark sclera or reddish nails, although the latter could be explained away with paint.


    To hide these things, Reysha lacked the necessary skills and magic.


    ¡°Well then, I will crawl my ass back there,¡± she scoffed, ¡°maybe they¡¯ll give me some respect when I tell them I beat the dungeon on my lonesome at least.¡± The widest grin she had worn in a while appeared on her face. Although the shock of the mild mind control she had been exposed to earlier was still lingering at the rim of her awareness, the state of her mind helped her churn through that rather quickly. Mild insanity came with its fair share of advantages.


    Apexus wanted to point out that was a lie, but he didn¡¯t have lips. Also, he realized that she couldn¡¯t just tell everyone she had beaten the dungeon with him. Unless they told them that Hemle was dead and the bounty was defunct. Which had its own share of baggage and it wasn¡¯t like nobody could potentially want to murder the slime for the same reasons.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s force something edible down my throat and then go on,¡± Reysha declared and got off her ass. Apexus could have rested for another couple of minutes, but it felt better to keep moving. The group set out west, to the white wood city.


    ¡®Apexus¡­ come back¡­ one day¡­ come back.¡¯ The last request of his mentor echoed in the slime¡¯s mind as they walked in a normal pace rather than a fleeing hurry. Having words in his head felt weird, it had always been pictures and emotions he had thought in. Three more made their way into his mind, almost without him noticing.


    ¡®I want to.¡¯

 White Wood 2

    The city of white wood, Haralry, laid on the western fringe of the leaf Ctania. The absolute fringe in this case. Behind a city fashioned mostly from winding, supersized birches rose a funnel of lights diagonally into the sky. Woven from hundreds, if not thousands, of small strings, the display of solid energy combined into a single path.


    This was the stem of the leaf, the place where people could enter or exit this world. Apexus spied on the blueish white roads in the sky, tiny dots moving about like ants. But the distance between them clearly didn¡¯t make it possible that they were ants, the slime was currently far above the ground and flapping his wings. Nothing that small could remain visible at that distance, even with his eyes.


    They had to be people. That idea boggled Apexus¡¯ mind, but it was the only explanation. Once that sank in, it only became more absurd. Those dots were everywhere. Sure, only a couple were frequenting the stem, but the cobblestone streets winding between the organic tree houses were a different matter entirely.


    Much of the city was hidden under the canopies, the birches making this city of eternal summer one of pleasant shade. Parts of it were unhidden, however, be it by the infrequency of nature¡¯s designs or a gardener doing his work. Where Apexus looked, he spied more people than road. There must have been several hundred of them, given the size of those spots in relation to their surroundings. Adding to that the many still burrowed in their houses...


    Around the city was a large plain, the first one Apexus ever saw, of nothing but grasslands. Fences were around everywhere and confined cattle and crops to their individual areas. ¡®Boring hunts,¡¯ Apexus thought simplistically. What thrill or accomplishment was there in successfully felling prey outside its natural habitat. Although those cows and pigs did look rather delicious with how fat they were.


    A single farmer, close enough to be made out in more detail, turned towards the slime. Quickly, before somebody realized that he wasn¡¯t a bird, Apexus turned around to go to where they had set-up camp. Not wanting to attract unwanted attention, the amount of time he had spent in the air had already been risky enough.


    After closing in on the ground, the slime flapped his wings a few times in an effort to reduce his momentum to a minimum. While flying, any of the legs he had would have been in the way. Few things ruined aerodynamics as badly as deer hooves dangling around underneath him.


    Normally, when he had the time and was trying to land, he grew the legs out now and gracefully put them down. It was a lengthy landing process and, in a desperate situation, wouldn¡¯t have been an option. Being far more comfortable than dropping on his proverbial ass the last metre or so, Apexus still preferred to go about it this way. Even if growing new legs made him somewhat hungry from the energy consumption.


    The problem with that was that their current hideout was located at the side of a cliff. Facing away from the city and with an entrance several metres off the ground, it was perfect for a monster that didn¡¯t want to be found. Apexus dropped in the daylight covered entrance area and looked behind him one time to make sure there wasn¡¯t anything new that had happened in the surroundings. That confirmed, he moved deeper in.


    Dank air grew heavy inside, tiny pools of water forming from condensate on the ceiling that was dropping into them. The stone walls were impersonal and the cave didn¡¯t go particularly deep into the tiny mountain it was part of. Despite all of that, Apexus greatly preferred this place to the house he had spent so much time inside in his recent life.


    Not only because of the bad end to that particular chapter, but also because that place always seemed so cramped with purpose. Everything in there had to be something and be there for something. Compared to that, the arbitrary simplicity of nature seemed more closely aligned with Apexus¡¯ nature.


    Didn¡¯t prevent him from being immensely bored, however. ¡°Awakener, you are back!¡± Aclysia enthusiastically fluttered her way over. She had been killing time by gathering pebbles throughout the cave and neatly stacking them in one corner. Not the only bored person around here, the slime was quickly used as a cushion as the metal fairy threw herself atop him.


    Blushing slightly at her own, overly attached actions, Aclysia happily hugged the slime as best she could. Not being around him just felt wrong and every time he came back was a reason for her heart (or rather the bundle of magical veins inside her body that served as the effective counterpart) to jump in her chest.


    Apexus folded his wings and arched his back into the embrace, basking in the electrifying cuteness of the smaller female as well as her magical aura. This helped to stave off the monotony for a bit, as they moved to cuddle around in varying positions of slimy and hugging embraces, for about ten minutes.


    There just wasn¡¯t a whole lot to do for these two. Apexus didn¡¯t stand a snowball¡¯s chances in a lava world to not get discovered when trying to infiltrate the city. Best he could do was eat some animal and assume most of its body shape. That plan was ruined by the fact that Apexus was not a blank slate. Back when he had no permanent Growths, he could have been a perfect copy of an animal that he copied all Growth off (at least on the outside, growing a hide didn¡¯t change the slime underneath). With the wings, the eyes and the ears already present, that plan was in massive jeopardy.


    Even then, they may have been able to sell him as a very exotic creature found on another leaf if they had a team member that could have stood-in as a Hunter, a Tamer or something else along those lines. Aclysia couldn¡¯t do, doubtlessly Hemle had left descriptions of her with the bounty, and Reysha was a known Rogue.


    The best course of action, as unhappy as it made the slime, had therefore been to leave the tiger girl on her own in going into the city. The only alternatives were running the immense risk of going with her or leaving her to deal with her condition out here in the wilderness. Neither of which felt particularly viable.


    Reysha had departed just a few hours ago, but the waiting was already boring everything out of both of them. Even Gizmo¡¯s lectures had been better than just sitting around for hours and waiting for somebody to make their way back.


    Apexus was playing with the thought of going hunting, something wisdom indicated he should only do at night when the risk of being seen was at a minimum, when Aclysia made a much more sensible suggestion. ¡°If you would desire me, awakener, I would currently be open to having sex.¡±


    That very much was something to do while Reysha was gone.

 White Wood 3

    Reysha walked through the streets. Unlike a certain slime, she found them to be almost empty. Ctania was a small world and the narrow roads reflected that, every person there had more than enough space to walk. It was very much unlike her homeleaf Ragressa, which was large and heavily populated due to her people¡¯s tendency to fuck at any given moment.


    The lack of space had been one of many reasons she had left that world to find her luck elsewhere. If she had found it was up to debate. The fact that the smell of the bazaar, a normally rejuvenating mixture of spices and herbs brought in from nearby leaves by daring cross-world traders, was only dully reaching her nose made her currently lean towards no.


    With every passing day, it seemed her senses were just getting more and more distanced from reality. Thankfully, the misery was limited to her sense of taste. At least something amongst the plainness that could be described as a silver lining.


    She attracted several gazes on her path, as was to be expected when a fiercely hot redhead was parading through the streets in a skin-tight one-piece. Most of the city¡¯s inhabitants were long-eared elves of a creamy brown colouration. Wood elves, they called them, a species that appeared on many forested ever-summer worlds. It was only a majority by rank, however, as Ctania was a popular world both for vacations and beginning adventurers. Dozens of different races were buzzing the streets and of all of them there were some interested in the tiger girl. Having always been someone who drew attention, be it with her looks or her mannerisms, Reysha paid it no mind and continued making her way through the city.


    One dullness she was thankful for were her otherwise keen ears. After the symphony that was the wildlife, with all of its quiets and all of its roars, the constant cacophony of the city seemed suddenly unbearable. Were it not for the metaphorical layer of foam in her ears, she would have drowned in the storm of talking.


    The trees loomed over her as if their branches were long arms about to descend in a deadly embrace. Growing hollow in their adulthood, these thick birches were the most common houses in the city and entered a somewhat symbiotic relationship with whoever lived inside them. Between individual trees stretched facades of stones, smaller houses but houses nonetheless.


    She increased the speed of her step, the quicker she got both her answers and out of here the better as far as she was concerned. Back, back into the wilderness and back to Apexus and Aclysia. To a world with little rules and nothing but the sky above, the ground below and the hunt for prey as rules. Not this social place where the houses looked as much like walls as the people inside, erected around them in search of normalcy, safety and routine.


    Reysha left the bazaar with its many shops behind and crossed a street to enter a large plaza, surrounding the largest building on the leaf. All roads in the city ended or started there, at a two-storey tall fortress of untouched stone, much wider than it was tall. Hashahin himself had placed it there, a gift to those that would administer this leaf.


    All newcomers and those who wanted to leave were forced to wander through its sturdy gates. An easy way to control otherworldly influx and keep criminals locked. Like every system, there were ways around it though and Reysha originally had wanted to stick it to the elf and do her best to subvert this whole thing, smuggling herself out in some way. The money on her hips would have gone a long way in that regard.


    Instead she had to swallow all of that and make her way to one of the many impressively large buildings that also lay on this plaza. As it was the first place every new person saw upon entering the leaf, it was also the place any organization stretching over multiple leaves had set shop at. Only one of which Reysha was interested in, being the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    Aside from its size, it wasn¡¯t much, just a bunch of cobblestone, wood and glass stacked together into the shape of a large block with a wooden sign dangling above the entrance to make stand out more from the wall it was part off. Reysha suppressed her urge to hiss at the wooden door as she opened it, then she decided to do it anyway. Everything inside her hated to go back in there, but it had to be done. At least the annoyance washed the dullness right off her senses.


    Of course, walking in hissing and looking ready to jump on the first thing she saw netted her a lot of attention. ¡°Look what the cat dragged in,¡± a slow voice belonging to a broad-shouldered person with a large body greeted her in the tone of someone who was particularly proud of the joke they just made. Reysha thought otherwise and the guy pretty quickly learned not to make jokes about a tiger girl in an assault pose, especially when he was hanging around without his armour on.


    Launching herself right at the guy she toppled him over and went right ahead to try and claw at his face. Being much larger than her, he immediately threw her off by crashing his thick arm into her side. The impact caused Reysha to roll over the floorboards, but she recovered quickly and was right back on her feet.


    A ring of people formed around them rather quickly, amused adventurers ready to witness a brawl. Some of them had trouble standing, were already drunk. The large ground floor of the guild served as a cantina, a bar and a blackboard for new missions. One could find all manner of people at this place, at any given hour.


    Albeit slower, her adversary also heaved his massive body back on his feet. ¡°What the shit, Reysha?!¡± he wanted to know, cracking his knuckles. A Warrior like him had the luxury of being pretty dull, after all his entire point wasn¡¯t the brains but using his body to keep harm away from the rest of the party by standing in the way.


    ¡°I always hated your cat jokes,¡± she growled and then went right back into movement. Keeping her body low, she ducked underneath his arms as they tried to grapple her. Dumb as he was, he possessed battle instinct and pulled his knee up to prevent her from getting any sneaky hits in on his chest or groin. It worked and Reysha had to slow her momentum, dancing to the side.


    The Warrior moved surprisingly nimbly and threw his weight into motion right after her, his left arm about to crash into her again. Dodging would have been an easy task in theory, also resulting in the assailant losing his balance, if she hadn¡¯t needed to stop dead before someone in the crowd put a leg in her way. While she didn¡¯t fall for the age-old trick, and consequently didn¡¯t trip, she now needed to confront the Warrior¡¯s attack.


    Raising both arms in defence, Reysha¡¯s body already thought ahead about how to best get back on her feet again after that one, her active mind currently subservient to raw and primal fighting instinct. However, all thoughts turned out to be unnecessary when she successfully blocked. Forearm clashed against forearms, her body resonated under the impact, but she stood her ground. The room went silent, a known Rogue had just taken a head-on attack by one of the most able-bodied beginner warrior¡¯s in town.


    Who looked much more surprised than Reysha did, who giggled insanely and then grabbed the arm and whirled him around in basic over-shoulder throw. She had no idea why she was this physically capable, but the sound of his back banging on the ground, air pressed from his lungs by the force carried by his own mass, was true art.


    ¡°Fuck you, Martek,¡± she stated before clawing at his face, this time successfully. While she did have the courtesy to keep away from the eyes or anything else important, Reysha felt perfectly justified in leaving some rather deep trenches in his face. Especially since she knew this bootlicker wouldn¡¯t be too far away from a certain Priest.


    ¡°Out of my way!¡± and there she was. Peeling herself out of the crowd, a woman with dirty blonde hair and wearing a blue and white robe interrupted. Immediately she scrambled to Martek¡¯s side and began a simple healing spell. ¡°Have you gone totally insane, Reysha?! This is exactly why we kicked you of the party!¡±


    ¡°YOU kicked me out of the party,¡± Reysha laughed. ¡°This guy just wants to fuck you so he agreed.¡± The broad-shouldered man had no reaction of denial, just glaring at Reysha, one lid closed to protect from the trickle of blood running down his face. Glancing over to the guy who had held out his foot, the tiger girl added. ¡°Guess you got a new Rogue too.¡±


    ¡°None of your business!¡± the Priestess decided, turning around now that the bleeding had stopped, only to find Reysha¡¯s face right in front of hers.


    Blue eyes opened wide, Reysha purred. ¡°Right, it isn¡¯t, so tell your guard dog to not bother me again before I castrate him and sell his balls at the bazaar,¡± a rather clear announcement, loud enough for everyone else in the room to hear. The primary ruffian around had lost the tavern brawl, so the crowd had no interest in getting on her bad side, quickly scrambling to go after their own businesses.


    The Priestess noticed something else though. ¡°What is wrong with your eyes?¡±


    Straightening her back, Reysha giggled and turned around. ¡°None of your business,¡± she mused, walking away in a hip-swinging, happy walk and right up to the counter.

 White Wood 4

    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Reysha asked looking at the fine she had just been given for her fleeing the payments on her debt. After her little brawl she had walked up to the counter and pretty much immediately been told to seek out a higher official in the building. Not the Guild Branch Master himself, her case wasn¡¯t nearly important enough to bother that man, but pretty high up nevertheless.


    The reason for her question was the number on the fine, much lower than what she expected. She had left the dungeon with one gold coin in her possession, which had since translated into 90 silver pieces, from her buying a meal, boots and the crossing back over onto the main continent. The fine she was staring at demanded twenty of those. Sure, that was a couple of nights and meals at an inn of satisfying quality, with clean beds and good ingredients, but compared to what she had expected she basically got away with a slap on her wrist.


    ¡°That is all,¡± the official stated, a nice-looking young man with glasses on his nose and in a set of fine clothes. His lanky body and pale skin made it clear that he was only working at the guild, but himself couldn¡¯t be called an adventurer. Being pale on a world of endless summer was pretty difficult in the first place, he had to spend a lot of time indoors.


    ¡°Peachy,¡± Reysha had a giant grin on her face, ¡°Who are you again? I like you. I will remember you.¡±


    ¡°Lanshe, but I am married so please keep your flirting to a minimum,¡± the official joked and the tiger girl made a mental note not to stab this guy if she ever felt like running wild inside this building. ¡°Would you like to pay now or later?¡±


    In answer, Reysha pulled up her velvet bag and put it on the table. Reaching into the pocket dimension it represented, her hands magically found the item she was searching for. A single silver coin left the bag and was put on the table. ¡°Really should have this in a smaller bag inside this one, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± she asked as she went through the unnecessary process of repeating that motion 19 more times.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t put another spatial bag into this one,¡± Lanshe pointed out. It was a very basic piece of knowledge that forcing a piece of permanent dimension bending magic into another piece of dimension bending magic would cause both items to disappear and take whatever was inside them with them. Although strong artefacts and items have been known to resist attempts at removal through that method. That and certain specializations of Mages had access to dimensional spells and through them made recovery possible, although the exact means and reliability varied immensely.


    ¡°Duh,¡± Reysha rolled her eyes and the pile of money on the table reached its peak. After taking and counting the coins again, Lanshe grabbed an envelope, marked it accordingly to purpose, put the coins inside, sealed it with some wax, and then put the whole thing away. ¡°Can we get to my actual problem now?¡± she asked, pulling her eyes lids wide open between index finger and thumb. The greyed sclera was obvious even without that gesture.


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± the official rose from his seat. To him, this was a workday like any other. Reysha wasn¡¯t the first adventurer with a strong personality who fled from having to work as a housemaid or another form of normal labour for a year to shoulder her debt and she sure as hell wouldn¡¯t be the last. Most of those people returned with their tail between their legs (literally in the case of many of the more animalistic species), some died and even fewer managed to make enough cash to justify that behaviour.


    The guild wasn¡¯t too harsh on that last group, as they were clearly promising in many regards and an investment that returned was much better than a dead investment. Too many of those would lead to increased rates on the loans, to fewer adventurers, and ultimately to a death spiral in the local business. Nobody wanted that.


    Now, the fact that she claimed she had some odd disease was new, but as she was still able to beat an overgrown man and scratch trenches in his face had Lanshe not too worried about her physical condition. Whatever she suffered from was clearly not that pressing a matter. At least that¡¯s what it looked like on the outside.


    Together they walked into a part of the guild that was dedicated to treating the unorthodox wounds one may suffer fighting monsters. Although one wouldn¡¯t quite guess it from the face alone, the Guild housed many facilities, as the building extended far back and even underground.


    Diseases caused by the nasty bites of giant rats, some long-lasting poisons or anything else that needed a specialized healing class found its mending here. Groups that had a Priest tended to do badly with poisons, in contrast, groups with Druids were less apt at dealing with curses. All healing classes had their bonuses and their drawbacks. For what couldn¡¯t be fixed in the dungeon, there was the guild hospital.


    If there was an answer to Reysha¡¯s condition, it should be there.


    And ¡®should¡¯ was the operative word. After being guided to the arrangement of chambers, separated by lines of cloth, the tiger girl was examined by one person. Then, after that woman brooded over the list of symptoms for ten minutes, she pulled a second person to help. Then a third. Finally, the entire staff was looking at her symptoms and nobody had any idea what was going on with her. Luckily, she was the only case that needed attention currently.


    ¡°We will need to check the books on this one,¡± one of the higher ups finally decided. ¡°You just wait there.¡±


    Reysha, who had fallen back into a state of relative lethargy at that point, nodded sluggishly and, without anything else to do, curled up on the little bed she was assigned to and took a nap. Feline genes be blessed that she had the ability to sleep easily and shallowly through the hours.


    Nevertheless, the sound of a heavy book slamming on a desk wasn¡¯t how she wanted to wake up and she darted back upwards, ready to leap at the danger. When it turned out to be that first woman, she relaxed and went straight into yawning, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. ¡°Found it?¡± she asked, eyeing the book with interest.


    It was old and clearly hadn¡¯t seen much usage lately. Where the book hit the table a cloud of dust was dancing upwards and rose into a golden ray of the late-day sun that fell in through a high window. Aside from Reysha, her bed, the wooden desk, the doctor and Lanshe, who must have been notified to join them, nobody was around in the curtain chamber.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered, her happiness about having found the answer was subdued by being the bringer of bad news as she opened the book and simply read the bit about the condition she had never heard of before. ¡°Noir, or Dungeon Poisoning Darkening Condition, short DPDC, is an extremely rare and extremely curious case. The symptoms can be summarized to a dulling of the senses and the character, followed after an immense spike during the initial stages of acquiring Noir. A much easier way to identify this condition is through darkened sclera or reddening nails.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Reysha shouted, way too loud and interrupting the doctor in her reading of the text. ¡°Tell me the rest, come on, go on!¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ yes,¡± the healer cleared her throat and continued. ¡°In my studies, I have only ever encountered three people that had this condition and it is therefore hard to accurately study. The common theme of acquirement seems to be a prolonged period, the lowest I was informed about were four weeks, during which they consumed nothing but raw meat from dungeon monsters and drank nothing but health fountain water.


    ¡°This is highly peculiar, as such cases normally lead to a simple overcharge of the person¡¯s magic systems and death. Particularly the dungeon-exclusive magic of the healing fountain tends to mess with people when drunk in high quantities. Normal adventurer¡¯s offset these effects through a combination of their own rations and cooking, as both these effectively remove the dungeon¡¯s natural influence on the ingredients, or at least lessens them to a safe degree. For further information, I cite the work of Rateruskus on the basis of dungeon deadliness.


    ¡°People affected by Noir didn¡¯t have these luxuries for whatever reason and also survived that diet. What sets these people apart from the normal people is unknown. From my interviews with all three individuals, I can confirm that all of them named an awakening savagery at the start of those testing weeks, so it might be related to a certain state of mind.¡±


    So far, Reysha followed and she enthusiastically nodded. Much of it fit what she knew and what had happened to her. It was the great choice of either dying by hunger or by poisoning that had made her take the gamble, as the latter sounded generally more pleasant. Before finding Apexus she had ripped and torn her way through the corridors basically naked. Savage was definitely the word she would describe herself with at those moments and one she desperately wanted to get back to. The dullness was a terrible weight on her formerly colourful life, like sensing the world through a sheet of paper. She yearned to devour something that tasted again and get her brains screwed out after a bit of a massacre.


    ¡°Whatever the case, once the change began their eyes began to grey and, with varying degrees of delay afterwards, their nails to redden. They all describe a lack of worry at the changes, a continued need to devour monster meat and to¡­¡± the woman hesitated for a second, ¡°pleasure themselves furiously as often as they could took precedent. All senses were heightened, a condition that quickly reversed once outside.


    ¡°The reason for that are, once again, speculative. It seems easy, however, to conclude the meat and the water as the cause. Once the ravenous hunger was no longer being fed and the affected returned to civilization, Noir¡¯s effects could be asserted. Of the three specimen I encountered, one of them went through a rehabilitation period afterwards¡­¡±


    Now that was incredibly important to Reysha¡¯s interest. If Apotho had said the truth, then there should have been no cure.


    ¡°¡­successfully. Through starving themselves of the causes, the subject reported to eventually feel a subsiding in the dullness and finally a return to the normal state of senses. Both the colour of the nails and the eyes returned to normal. The process reportedly took 5 years.¡±


    ¡°5 YEARS?!¡± Reysha shouted out loud in disbelief. That was an absurd amount of time, almost a quarter of her life so far.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all,¡± the healer had a sorry expression on her face, going on. ¡°In addition to the lost time, the person reported a permanent loss of advanced magic skills and a detailed probing with all available tools revealed his level to be permanently stuck at 15.¡±


    15 wasn¡¯t a bad level at all, it was the level of a well-established Walker, somebody who frequented already discovered worlds to scout small changes, solve local monster problems or crawl the dungeons for money and loot. That was, however, about all they would ever accomplish. Reysha herself judged herself to be level 8 at this point, a proper test would reveal that to be true or not. Either way, that drawback were immense. ¡°What about the other two?¡± she asked, hoping for some better news.


    Unwillingly, the healer read out. ¡°A second subject was in the end stages of the process of rehabilitation while I was interviewing him. He was inside a cell, having been locked away by the locals due to his primal behaviour following each dungeon visit. It is the third subject that is most interesting, as they continued to eat dungeon monsters to that day. Their sclera had assumed a completely black colour and nails were crimson red. That person had a voracious appetite and had spend years in dungeons following their discovery of the condition.


    ¡°From them, I learned the most about Noir. The heightened state can be acquired through simple continuous consumption of monster meat. It evidently had strengthening effects, as the person had a physical strength quite impressive for their level and announced class, a Scout of all things. So impressive in fact that I happen to believe that Noir is some sort of special condition class improvement that comes with a sort of curse, much like Darkspeakers and Diviners. That remains, as much else, speculation, however. This third subject also reported the effects lessened once their transformation was complete, although it never vanished completely.


    ¡°I can only conclude this report with Noir being an unreliable condition that we know too little about. It happens infrequently and its onset cannot be observed due to the way it starts with cornered individuals. Testing on this matter would be inhumane and must thusly remain in the theoretical realm, as sad as it makes my curious mind.¡±


    Reysha sat there in silence. ¡°That piece of shit did lie to me,¡± she mumbled, ¡°First he had me look at some disturbing shit and then he lied to me, the massive ass, what an ass.¡± She cursed around for a few more minutes before finally announcing, ¡°Well, thanks, I will be on my way.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡± Lanshe asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you want me to arrange a nice room for you to begin the rehabilitation process?¡±


    ¡°What? No,¡± Reysha gave him a wide, unnerving smile that had the bureaucrat instinctively take a step backwards. ¡°I will go to the nearest dungeon and sink my teeth into everything that looks remotely tasty,¡± she licked her lips greedily and chuckled. What even was that question of his? Like she would sit on her ass for five years, lethargy overcoming her periodically, with a body that could find pleasure in neither sex nor food. Much better to just embrace the rampage and live on a trail of monster blood as far as she was concerned. Wasn¡¯t even a choice really.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ well¡­¡± both Lanshe and the doctor seemed immensely uncomfortable with the prospect of having a mildly insane tiger girl running around as a Noir Rogue, a class they had no idea what it could do aside from the fact that it was somehow better than the norm at the cost of the individuals civility. ¡°Maybe you can tell us more about that person that lied to you?¡± he tried to change the topic to keep her around, hoping she would change her mind.


    ¡°No,¡± Reysha stated and walked away. Not that she was planning to hide Apotho and Hemle¡¯s demise at his hands from anyone, but she had no intention to get herself involved any deeper in that mess, neither did she want to be questioned for hours on something that was clearly some important matter.


    She would write a letter and drop it anonymously somewhere and then the officials could deal with that problem on their own. Reysha just knew there was a creepy old man with insane powers sealed in the woods and she didn¡¯t desire to know more about it than the sealed part.


    Currently, her predicament of not having eaten something that didn¡¯t, at best, taste like a piece of rancid butter in almost three weeks and not having had sex in the same span of time was a much bigger point of concern to her.

 White Wood 5

    Apexus heard Reysha before he saw her. The sound of audible sniffing followed by a giggle was all the indication the slime needed to identify the redhead. A few moments later, her hand appeared over the edge of the cave entrance. The rest of her soon followed.


    ¡°I could smell slime semen halfway up the climb,¡± the tiger girl shouted out the reason for her amusement. ¡°And my senses suck right now!¡±


    ¡°We¡­¡± Aclysia ashamedly cleared her throat, ¡°were killing time.¡± The approaching silhouette laughed some more as she blocked out the nightly darkness of the forest behind her.


    Apexus had no shame whatsoever. Currently occupied with refilling his water reserves by sitting in one of the many ponds, all the slime felt was the nice mellow satisfaction of the sexually fulfilled. That and a rather intense curiosity.


    The metal fairy had the same feeling and asked the obvious question, ¡°You have good news?¡± The tiger girl¡¯s mood indicated that she had learned something about her condition that gave reason for hope.


    ¡°You could say that,¡± Reysha answered and quickly summarized the events of the day to her unorthodox partners. ¡°I wonder how having a special class will influence my Art,¡± she finished her explanation.


    ¡®Art?¡¯ Apexus thought. The way she said that made it sound special and he doubted she had taken up painting recently. Turning to Aclysia, he poked her a bit to indicate he had a question. Attentive as always, the metal fairy realized quickly what he wanted to know.


    ¡°An Art is a special ability, each adventurer finds one around level 50 and another one around level 100. The level 50 one is common, multiple people can be found wielding the same Art, even if they are multiples per class. For the level 100 Arts¡­ I would say they are unique, but as there are technically an infinite amount of adventurers across time and space, overlap is possible. It is almost a certainty that you will not meet two with the same Art, let us put it that way,¡± she explained.


    That sounded positively amazing. Apexus wanted access to these whole classes or to know if being a fully sapient slime technically counted as its own one. Only one of those Scribes with their Analyse Adventurer spells could tell him and he didn¡¯t see himself running across one of those anytime soon. Still, a note for the future should be made to look into it when the opportunity arose.


    ¡°Anyway, you seem pretty okay with your condition,¡± Aclysia noted down.


    ¡°Hey, if I know what it is then I can work with it,¡± Reysha shrugged. ¡°No use worrying about it. Time is better spent rending some flesh off the bones of whatever monster I can eat.¡± Right with her on that one, Apexus moved out of his pond and crawled up to extend a tentacle as something approaching a thumbs-up.


    Aclysia hummed in thought, ¡°If we are to explore another dungeon, we have to tread lightly.¡± The remaining dungeons on the leaf where all within easy travel distance from the main city, making them frequently visited places for every normal adventurer around. It was difficult to enter them unseen. Once inside it would be a bit easier to dodge other groups, thanks to their superb senses being able to take notice beforehand.


    Reysha and Apexus both looked at the metal fairy anticipatingly as she pondered. Eventually, she noticed their stares and blinked in confusion. Before Aclysia could ask, the group¡¯s redhead was already presenting the answer. ¡°You are basically the brains of this group, Aclysia, so you plan this stuff¡­ Although, while we are already speaking about Arts and stuff, what class even are you?¡±


    A justified question. The metal fairy was able to use healing and attack magic. While not unheard off, many healers decided to at least spend some of their time perfecting basic means of offense to be able to do something else aside from waiting for someone to get hurt, it was certainly unorthodox at their current level. Particularly, because Aclysia¡¯s healing and attack magic were about the same.


    ¡°I am a Guardian Angel,¡± Aclysia answered simply. It was a class exclusive to divine creations and thusly a bit above the normal strength level. Like other classes, it evolved into more specialized versions later on. ¡°It is true that am capable of attack and healing in equal measure,¡± she finished her explanation, ¡°but I lack the skill to increase attributes of party members.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t have buff spells,¡± Reysha translated it into adventurer-jargon. Typically speaking, each healer had access to a buff, as did most defensive classes. ¡°Well, trade-offs happen everywhere, so that makes sense,¡± Reysha giggled for a bit and then began straight-up laughing. In the small cave, the shrill sounds that left her bounced around loudly. Apexus put his sensitive ears flat on his body to not bear the full-brunt of that. ¡°Ridiculous anyway. We have a Noir Rogue, whatever the fuck that is, a Guardian Angel and a¡­ let¡¯s call Apexus a Primordial Drop,¡± the slime liked that name, ¡°so our group is already a cut above the rest.¡±


    ¡°Class advances should put adventurers on equal footing as we go along, so there is no justification to be this self-assured of supremacy,¡± Aclysia scolded, giving Apexus yet another run down, on his confused-looking request, in this ongoing series of explanations he needed.


    Class advances were simply the phenomenon of a base class, such as Warrior, going into a more specialized direction, such as Berserker, Guardian, Towershield or an array of others that people had given names to over the years. This was done to prevent adventurers from learning spells they didn¡¯t really need. All Warriors needed basic weapons skills, but not all of them needed to know how to throw axes the size of wagon-wheels.


    People could attempt to learn several specializations, but generally such attempts to go wide gave rise to limited success at best. Berserkers were usually not known for their love of hiding behind shields, for example. Even if they, against all odds, mustered the patience to learn it, it was never used in their usual fighting style. It was a mindset thing.


    The people that did manage to pull it off were the strongest in their level bracket, but while they spent years perfecting other classes on the current level, everyone else simply got better at that one thing they were already good at and continued tackling harder challenges. When a person who had stopped to learn more classes fought against a person who continued striding forwards in the same timeframe, the latter won almost every fight.


    Building tall rather than wide was the common way to success in the adventuring world. As such, most people concentrated on one or two classes and their advancements. The now deceased Hemle, for example, had let his students (one of which had been Reysha) know quite often that he was a Battlemage, a class that was a combination of a Warrior and a Mage.


    They were worse at both the things a Warrior did, due to having lower Strength and Dexterity, and a Mage, due to sacrificing spell power and mana capacity to have the physical strength to wear plate, but they did both satisfyingly, making them a versatile solo class. Adding the skills of Priest to that would have made them a Spelladin, a class that was as goofy as its name as people of that specialization were forced to tackle challenges below their actual levels because of the long time it took to get all of their spells down to a satisfying degree.


    People who made that mistake of overestimating themselves had the great way to fix their path by simply ditching whatever they didn¡¯t need and saving themselves the time going forward. Like a smith who had started a carpenter¡¯s apprenticeship earlier in their life, only to admit that wood wasn¡¯t the material for them, those skills didn¡¯t just vanish, but they never flourished any further and became rusty with time.


    ¡°That is the rough of it,¡± Aclysia finished the immensely lengthy explanation. ¡°It is a convoluted topic, simply due to the many ways people can choose to fight. It is no wonder people try to put a label on everything to make it easier to categorize,¡± the metal fairy sighed, ¡°but reality isn¡¯t quite that simple when everyone puts their unique spins on their fighting styles.¡±


    ¡°Too long, didn¡¯t listen, classes are drawers, not set characteristics. Don¡¯t try to be in many drawers, unless you want to be a torn piece of paper,¡± Reysha scrambled a surprisingly functional word-salad together. ¡°Torn paper is weak paper, be a stack instead! Anyway, where are we going?!¡±


    The question was still unanswered, so Aclysia finally decided. ¡°We will head to the Birshia dungeon.¡±

 White Wood 6

    The choice of the metal fairy was an odd one. Not only was the Birshia dungeon the geographically closest to the city, it was also under the supervision of the Guild. Dungeons on safe leaves were easy and Birshia was no different in that regard. It was simply the designated tutorial dungeon, meaning that instructors were often found accompanying the groups of beginners inside.


    With that in mind, Reysha asked, ¡°So why there specifically?¡± It wasn¡¯t a question of doubt, they were already on their way, just one of curiosity.


    ¡°You did deliver the letter about the happenings with Apotho, correct?¡± Aclysia asked in return.


    The tiger girl nodded, fidgeting with her new belt. Unlike the sturdy one she had gotten from the boss rewards, this one was clearly designed for a Rogue. Thin and with a number of hoisters for throwing knives and glass flasks, it was perfect for her.


    Reysha hadn¡¯t returned to the group straight out of the hospital, as she had needed a bunch of things done. First, she had sold all of the items she didn¡¯t need. The smart thing would have been to do so at the bazaar, where she could haggle for a proper price, but she had been rather impatient so she just sold it to the guild trader. The guy made his living off of being the middle-man. Smart business, given that most adventurers weren¡¯t the long-thinking type (especially outside combat situations).


    Selling the jar of an unknown liquid, the Priest necklace, the mana potion and the lightning spear, she made a nice bit of money. Although she had to reinvest some of it into her debts to keep the Guild from complaining about her leaving the city again, she had plenty to spend on getting new equipment.


    First on the list were a new pair of proper boots. The ones she bought at the port hadn¡¯t been strictly bad, they had done their job, but as a fighter that relied mostly on her footwork to stay alive, boots were the last thing she wanted to skimp on. Therefore, her new ones were made from soft, brown leather and fit as best as the shoemaker could adjust them in an hour. Which was pretty good, not perfect, but they would absolutely do for sneaking. A new pair of socks helped.


    Aside from that she had gotten four throwing knives and two health potions, which (together) filled up the entire belt. For her main weaponry, she kept the stiletto, fixed to her right side to be drawn with her left as quick as possible, but also bought two standardized iron daggers as backup.


    One of them was kept inside her adventurer¡¯s bag. It would be hard to rearm herself with that in the middle of a battle, there was a delay in pulling things out of that bag, which increased as the bag got filled up with more stuff. However, she only had one extra sheath, located at her lower back. A situation in which she lost both weapons at once was unlikely anyhow.


    Her purchases were then rounded up with: a purse, to avoid coin finding situation like with Lanshe. A simple black robe with a hood to allow her to move about less conspicuously. A bag made of leather that was holding water. Some soap for obvious purposes. Three rectangle shaped piece of cloth that could be used to hide her face or as washcloths. A pair of satin gloves. Lastly, a couple of lockpicks.


    Now she was about half her fortune lighter, but at least she felt properly equipped. Although she hadn¡¯t put on the hood, she hated to tuck her ears in for it to sit properly, the cloak itself hid her tools under its sleeveless embrace. Inside the dungeon, she would put it away. The advantage of hiding something wasn¡¯t a big one when fighting monster that acted largely on instinct.


    Everything that she wasn¡¯t immediately using, she stored inside her adventurer¡¯s bag, attached tightly to the right side of her hips. Conveniently, those things didn¡¯t get heavier as they were filled up.


    ¡°Yeah, I delivered the letter¡­. How is that important?¡± Reysha wondered as she jumped down a little drop in the landscape, following Apexus. The slime was simply listening to the conversation as he crept at the head of the group, always weary of potential eyes. They were so close to the city, the slime could sometimes see distant farms between the trees. The forest was pretty dense, where it wasn¡¯t being used by humans for the menial task of food growing, so them getting found would have been an enormous stroke of bad luck.


    Apexus was used to having equal portions of bad and good luck though, so he kept his ears primed for eventual approaching figures, as the girls continued their chatter.


    ¡°I surmise that¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, stop, ¡®surmise¡¯? The fuck does that even mean?¡±


    ¡°I guess, although I have no hard evidence for it,¡± Aclysia laid out, ¡°that the news of Hemle¡¯s demise will cause an emergency meeting that invites most or all capable people that the Adventuring Guild employs. Thus, the security at Birshia will be either lacklustre or removed entirely.¡± That was her wager in summary. ¡°This will be our best opportunity to get in there.¡±


    ¡°And what if it isn¡¯t?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°The security being bad, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Then we simply walk away. I don¡¯t think there is anything there we strictly need,¡± the metal fairy answered. This was true, their current mission was solely to give Reysha the extra bit of monster meat she desired. For this endeavour, any dungeon would do. The only other special thing the group currently wanted were more parts of Aclysia. If she sensed one inside there or the dungeons general direction, she would have informed the group of this already.


    Now it was Apexus who wondered why they chose Birshia specifically. To ask, he simply formed a question mark, much like the letters before. Aclysia quickly understood the slime¡¯s intent. ¡°Aside from being the quickest way to alleviate Reysha¡¯s current predicament, it is best for us if you clear more dungeons to achieve more permanent Growths, awakener.¡±


    It was a bit odd that she persisted in calling him that despite their much closer relationship. The slime had already made the observation that long-term behaviour was hard to get rid of. That and the metal fairy seemed to like the term, so she kept using it. Aside from the oddness, Apexus didn¡¯t mind. Titles had a bit of a flare to them, he liked it.


    The end of the forest came in sight in the form of a rather sudden end to the line of trees. They were approaching it quickly, although Apexus slowed down and eventually came to halt in thick brushes. They avoided the open terrain, where the group would be seen much easier.


    ¡°I also have knowledge, granted to me by my creator, that there is a special kind of monster inside there. One whose ability I do desperately wish you to acquire, Apexus,¡± the metal fairy continued. That sounded interesting.

 White Wood 7

    Birshia was, somewhat as the name indicated, a large birch tree. Although large didn¡¯t really do it justice. Giant was close, but something beyond that would have been even better. Perhaps gargantuan. Whatever the word of one¡¯s choosing, they all had to admit that this was one hell of a tree.


    A hundred metres wide and growing tall into the sky, Birshia was a tree of the same variety that gifted the people of Heralry housing. The fine difference being that not one to eight people were living inside one tree, but rather dungeon monsters were crawling in the hollowed paths and rooms under its white and black bark.


    ¡®Hashahin likes those three colours,¡¯ Apexus thought, the green leaves of the tree¡¯s distant canopy blowing in winds too high to be felt down where they were. Night was falling over the landscape, but the group was currently brooding over the question whether taking the risk of getting in was even worth it.


    Aclysia¡¯s calculation had turned out to be either false or the Adventurers Guild had found enough secondary hands to keep the business running as usual. Before the sole, ground-level entrance to the dungeon, a large arc with a rim of knotted branches in the bark, was a large building, busy with people even on this hour. Everyone who entered or left could be seen, if not stopped and talked to, by those working there.


    ¡°Maybe I could distract them?¡± Reysha suggested, the group sitting in the underbrush that separated the forest from the circular plain around the tree. For a change, it didn¡¯t exist for a manmade reason. The giant branches above simply blocked out the sunlight for competing trees, turning the plain below into place of scattered leaves, piece of fallen of bark and a couple of other things that fell off the branches above.


    Most of which was scavenged over the day, but the slime still saw a sword sticking in the ground. A normal iron one. The slime was sure it was missing something here, a solution to their problem.


    ¡°A simple distraction may be enough for me, but Apexus is a bit too big to get by unnoticed¡­¡± Aclysia theorized. A fair point, even if the slime¡¯s size-gaining had slowed tremendously, he remained quite large. Overlooking a winged, blue slime at over a metre length crawling over the ground would have been an achievement in stupidity.


    The outpost had a reinforced roof. Smart decision, seeing how there were such things as swords and shields falling down every so often. Made the scavenging job itself a bit risky. Although Apexus hadn¡¯t seen yet any objects fall down, so it was probably a rare occurrence. How often was an adventurer realistically on those branches and lost their weapon anyway?


    ¡®Oh,¡¯ the slime thought and suddenly realized their way out of this conundrum. He poked Aclysia and then pointed at the branches above with a tentacle.


    For once, the metal fairy did not get what he meant. ¡°What is it, awakener?¡± she asked. The slime intensified his gestures. Then spelled out the word ¡®UP¡¯. Still, Aclysia was confused. ¡°Up? Yes, we want to go up the dungeon, but we need to get inside first.¡±


    Apexus slapped the tentacle against his face and clenched his eyelids in a moment of exasperation, a gesture he had picked up from his travel companions. As cute and smart as the metal fairy was, she was really prone to think only within a plan already set. Her on-the-fly adaptations were rather lacklustre, basically.


    So, rather than spend tens of minutes slowly breaking down what he had discovered, Apexus just grabbed her, put her on her usual spot on his back and then begun, much to her confusion, to flap his wings. If they weren¡¯t on a stealth mission, Reysha would have probably hurled some curse words after them for being left alone.


    Aclysia was majorly confused by the slimes conduct. More importantly, she didn¡¯t like the feeling that he was currently annoyed with her, as minor as it was. Supposedly, she was the thinker of the group, so if she failed at seeing the other options she was failing in her duty to her awakener. That and, more importantly, feeling like an annoyance to the odd creature she fell in love with was infinite layers of unpleasantness.


    Apexus flew a large path curve, first away from the tree and then approaching it from where the outpost was no longer in sight. Then he made his way from one branch to the next, in search of something that obviously had to be somewhere. It only took him a couple of minutes to find it.


    A branch that was a fair bit thicker than others, with its upside oddly flat, somewhat caved inwards even, like a walkway. Which was exactly what it was, a walkway on the outside of the tree. As it was the lowest hanging one, there was nothing there but a nice sight, but further up the branches got denser. With a high probability, there was as much a labyrinth in the brambles as there was in the trunk.


    For that to be relevant, there needed to be a door in and out, and true enough there was a hole at the base of this particular branch, through which they could simply walk into the dungeon. If there had been no such things, it would have meant that the dungeon itself was raining equipment down on the nearby landscape. That would have been plainly odd, since Reysha had seemed to concerned about her weaponry.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Aclysia made an understanding sound the moment she saw that hole in the tree. ¡°I see now,¡± her tone was downtrodden, her long ears hanging in shame. ¡°I am sorry I wasn¡¯t able to observe this logical conclusion, Apexus.¡±


    The slime, his annoyance washed away at the much more important issue of his beloved fairy looking sad, wrapped himself around her in a tight hug. It remained the only gesture of affection he had access too, well that and tenderly loving her (but this was hardly the place or time for that). Although, perhaps instead of just hugging, patting would also work? Now that the tentacles had some more functionality and movability to them, best he could do is try.


    In a calm and slow rhythm, a tentacle glided over her silky hair. Apexus was careful not to move against the combed back state of it, he couldn¡¯t imagine that feeling too great. After a few moments of this, Aclysia did seem to be more upbeat.


    ¡°You are not angry?¡± she asked.


    He shook his front to that, although that was an odd denial, with her still sitting atop and partly inside him. They all missed some details sometimes. Reysha was incredible at improvising but bad at any strategy that went over a longer timeframe. Aclysia was a good planner but not particularly flexible. Himself, Apexus was great at observing and solving practical problems, be it long or short term, but wasn¡¯t good at theoretic things.


    All of that combined into a cohesive unit. Just because Aclysia did most of the planning didn¡¯t mean that she had to do flawless work or that him and Reysha could just sit on their butts and help with nothing. There was no such thing as a solidary obligation in a functioning party.


    Returning to Reysha, Aclysia then explained their findings to her. ¡°Okay, so you two can enter through the air and then fucking what?¡± the tiger girl asked. ¡°Do you just want me to stumble around on my own? I am not in for getting lost and hunted on my own again.¡±


    ¡°You can find us just like last time,¡± Aclysia answered, now thinking in terms of the new plan. ¡°Apexus will activate his pheromones for a bit,¡± the slime did for a second upon that mention, simply to give Reysha a refreshment on the memory what he smelled like, ¡°should that not work?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no that will absolutely work!¡± Reysha was now grinning ear to ear again. ¡°Yes, GREAT!¡± she said that as loud was possible allowed. Her fingers began to wiggle as if she was already sinking her claws into whatever she found. Blue-in-grey eyes opened wide, she let out a hungry growl. ¡°Just gotta eat something again¡­¡±


    ¡°I recommend you only start feasting once you¡¯ve found us,¡± Aclysia said, when that got no reaction from the salivating tiger girl, the metal fairy moved her entire, forearm sized body off Apexus, flew over to Reysha¡¯s left ear and repeated, louder, right into it. ¡°I RECOMMEND YOU ONLY START FEASTING ONCE YOU¡¯VE FOUND US!¡±


    Reysha, who had been lost in some sort of fantastical world where she was already feeling as great again as she had in the Clearwater dungeon, instinctively retreated away from the loud noise in a hurry. In her hurry, she took a wrong step and got stuck on some root. She caught herself on a nearby tree, her gloves preventing any chafing from occurring, but still hissed at the metal fairy.


    Aclysia didn¡¯t care. ¡°You shall not ignore my warning again,¡± the metal fairy insisted. ¡°I fear that you will go on a binge the moment you sink your fangs into anything. If you forget about us because of that, I will make sure you won¡¯t hear the end of it!¡±


    ¡°Okay, fucking hells and dark-roots, I understand,¡± the redhead rubbed her mishandled ear with an unappreciative glare. ¡°I will sneak to you once I am inside. Don¡¯t you worry.¡±

 White Wood 8

    Reysha went up to the entrance of the dungeon on her lonesome. The smell of Apexus stuck somewhat freshly in her nose, a different smell of grey in a world the colour of lead. Being in this downphase was really depressing and she couldn¡¯t wait to finally snap out of it and feel that burning inside her again.


    Pulling her hood deeper over her face, she simple walked onwards. The outpost was a building with two halves, a walkable space between them. In the walls left and right of her were numerous windows. Behind them, illuminated by magical lamps, sat a couple of the Guild¡¯s Scribes. They watched people enter or exit to give tips. What they forgot to bring, how they should treat injuries that they sustained and so on.


    ¡°Hey!¡± one of them called out to her, which was exactly what she didn¡¯t want, so she just walked on. ¡°Hey! Listen!¡± what an annoying tone of voice. ¡°You don¡¯t want to go in there alone! Take this!¡± The Scribe pressed a standardized Guild card against the glass. It wasn¡¯t much, just a sheet of metal that held the person¡¯s name, level and classes. The kind of metal used gave away the standing a person had with the Guild.


    Copper, bronze, iron, silver, gold, platin, titanium, azurust, orichalcum and finally divinium. Ten metals, which lead to the common disbelief that they were also shortcuts to identify adventurer¡¯s levels in brackets of ten. That the Guild often elevated people along those lines as well didn¡¯t help. Only sometimes, due to bad behaviour (or the opposite) were people held back or promoted before their time.


    The card this current Scribe was holding up was a simple copper one. This made sense, lower employees were not allowed to just hand out higher level cards, usually they didn¡¯t even have access to the blanks. The lowest level cards were handed out like cotton candy though, since copper was a material that could be found on just about any leaf and in rough amounts as well. That was aside from the fact that it was created as a waste-product by Smiths in many operations. Although that was a thing Reysha had only heard about.


    Anyhow, the reason why the Scribe assumed she didn¡¯t have a card was because adventurers usually wore theirs quite openly. It was, after all, a profession most romanticised as great and interesting, particularly on a safe leaf. The Scribe just saw another new arrival on this world that couldn¡¯t be bothered to sign up with the Guild and went straight to the dungeon, only to get themselves killed. Thus the rather aggressive marketing strategy.


    ¡°HEY! LISTEN!¡± the Scribe screamed like a very obnoxious elf would at a hero she needed to protect. ¡°LISTEN! HEY! HEY! LISTEN! HEY!¡±


    ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP!¡± Reysha whirled around and actually expended one of her throwing knives. It buried itself in the wood below the window. Although rare, outbursts like this were the exact reason why the translucent barrier was between the Scribes and the adventurers.


    ¡°Oh, hey Reysha,¡± the Scribe recognized her as she stomped her way over. ¡°Didn¡¯t recognize you under the hood.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what it¡¯s there for,¡± the tiger girl grumbled and ripped the knife back out of the wall. ¡°Now give me that card and then leave me the fuck alone,¡± she had actually forgotten to get one back in the city.


    More to the point, she had been so hurried to get out of the city when she heard what she had to do to get her senses sharpened that she had only thought about the dungeon run. This was as convenient as it would get, however, as Reysha had basically no intentions to return to Heralry anytime soon.


    ¡°Lost your card, eh?¡± the Scribe shook her head. Now, Reysha had absolutely no idea who this was. Guild Scribes just had a reputation of being massive gossipers and with the tiger girl¡¯s conditions¡­ yeah, she was an interesting topic and thus somewhat famous. Sliding a copper card and a needle towards Reysha through a gap between the window and the board below it, the Scribe said, ¡°Alrighty, three drops of blood please.¡±


    Reysha obeyed, pricking her thumb with the needle and then letting the three drops fall on the metal surface. Afterwards, her hand was quickly healed by the Scribe, many of them dabbled in weak healing magic for this convenience, and then she went to work. Blood was the easiest medium to use the Analyze spell on and with a surface it could be combined with Engrave to make the cards.


    The Scribe grabbed a writing feather and swung it over the surface of the copper plate, her lips moving in a silent chant. Although much to soft to actually write into the hardened metal, the feather somehow succeeded in etching into the surface Reysha¡¯s name, class and level into the fields assigned to them, leaving the field for her second class conveniently empty.


    ¡°Huh¡­ what is a Rogue ¨C Noir?¡± the Scribe asked when she put a leather band through a hole on one of the shorted sides of the rectangle shaped card with well-seasoned movements. ¡°Sounds cool,¡± she added when she slid the thing towards the tiger girl.


    Reysha pocketed the card after looking at her level. To her surprise, she was only level seven. Granted, this was only one level off her prediction, but it made her feel like she genuinely had a stronger than average class, given her recent accomplishments. ¡°None of your business,¡± she simply answered.


    ¡°Would you like to hire an instructor?¡± the Scribe asked as Reysha walked away again. ¡°GOING IN ON YOUR OWN IS DANGEROUS YOU KNOW!¡±


    ¡°I DOOOON¡¯T CAAAAAAAAARE!¡± Reysha singingly shouted back and finally made it up to the dungeon. Although it was night, there was a special bit of difference between the darkness outside, illuminated by the stars and the moon, and the one inside the tree. Pieces of sap oozed from the bare-wood walls, doubling both as sources of soft glowing light and sticky traps. It was quite the task to get off these large drops once one got in contact with them. Generally, it was unadvised to get in contact with the walls, as they easily splintered off and caused minor injuries that were annoying to heal. Wounds were easily closed, but things stuck inside bodies had to be removed first, otherwise they could lead to some nasty infections.


    ¡°Help me!¡± a dull, deep and comically distorted voice echoed from somewhere and Reysha rolled her eyes. Like anyone would fall for Archwood Maggots. ¡°Very good!¡± a voice exactly like that seemed to compliment her as she went deeper in. Her eyes were extremely useful in a place like this, working even with the little light she was given. Her ears turned atop her head in constant search of scraping sounds that would give away an enemies location, while she searched for ways upward. With her dulled senses, it was hard to keep both that and her nose fully operating. She would be able to hear an assault beforehand, but by far not as well as usual.


    Eventually, she picked up on Apexus¡¯ scent and thus her path was set.


    He wasn¡¯t terribly far away, surely she could make it there without any difficulties. She gathered the mana inside her to use the most basic spell Rogue spell, Sneak. It did little more than mask her presence, making her steps harder to hear and causing people to more easily overlook her in a hurry or when she was only in their periphery. Of course, that effect extended to monsters as well.


    She could keep this up for a little while. Regenerating internal mana while using spells or physical techniques, like martial arts or stealth skills, was impossible. Well, it was possible, but it would cause some major self-harm, so it was not advised. Mages and other magical inclined Classes quickly learned their way around absorbing mana from the surroundings to get around this phenomenon, but that took a long time to learn and so most physical fighters didn¡¯t bother with it.


    Cloaked as she was (although her actual cloak had been relocated into her bag), the wolf-sized monster sitting in the narrow tunnel didn¡¯t notice her. It was an odd creature, some sort of flightless bird that walked close to the ground and was dominated by its head and the extremely long and straight beak on it. It was just long enough that the bird could still turn around even in these passages. Unaware, it picked at the walls. Not to eat, just to sharpen the splinters sticking out of the walls. Fittingly, these dark-feathered birds were called Woodsharpers. Many other people preferred ¡®preparing assholes¡¯.


    Reysha was inclined to agree, since her nose told her this was the quickest route to Apexus. ¡®Welp, death to you then,¡¯ Reysha thought, approaching in perfect quiet, drawing her stiletto as she did. The bird continued its work. Went on and on until she was in reach. Her thighs tensed as she lowered her posture that little bit more. Her tail was perfectly still.


    Then she jumped. The sudden quick movement finally tipped the bird off, who got a single, crow-like tone out before a pointy piece of steel entered its skull through its eyesocket. Not with quite enough force, though, as the blade stopped at the bone behind the ocular. The bird began to struggle, tried to hit Reysha with its beak. The wall was too close and so the monster uselessly slammed it against the wood.


    ¡°Just die already,¡± the tiger girl growled, grabbing the thrashing bird at the opposite side of the head. The combined pull and shove succeeded in breaking through the skull and the stiletto buried itself within the Woodsharpers grey matter. Blood splattered on the redhead¡¯s hands, a mess that only got worse when she pulled back. Hot and sticky, it covered her palms. The first unsullied feelings in weeks, only this blood on her hands. Everything else was as grey as she had grown accustomed too.


    ¡®I recommend you only start feasting once you found us!¡¯ the voice of Aclysia entered Reysha subconscious as she stood there, breathing much heavier than she would have needed for the little amount of energy she just expanded. It wasn¡¯t the upheaval of the panicked or stressed, but that of a parched person that finally stood before an oasis, only to be told the water was poisoned.


    One lick, she convinced herself, one lick wouldn¡¯t hurt. The thought was formulated long after her tongue already extended towards her palm. The blood spilled on her tongue like the most delicate wine in existence. Nothing could compare, nothing she had ever eaten prior to today. The time that had passed since her last proper meal only made the sweet and salty taste of magic enriched meat that much more delightful.


    Suddenly she was on all fours over the cadaver. Feathers were flying left and right as she tore the pesky annoyances out. Then her fangs buried in the raw meat and the sinewy flesh stretched as she moved her head back. The heart that had nurtured it had barely stopped pumping. It was a fight to rip it off the bones. A fight Reysha won to the sound of tearing and the snapping of bones.


    More and more she ripped off, with nothing but fangs and claws. Each bite was heaven. The image of the finest steak presented on a silver platter now seemed ridiculous to her, what could taste better than this? The feeling, the rush of having killed this monster herself, the life still stuck inside its meat. The savoury richness only mana could provide. What dull preparation and spicing could ever compare to this?!


    The taste caused pulsations inside her whole body as the world assumed proper smell and colour again. Sound became sharp, her body felt lighter, every pulse ending in her eyes, unbeknownst to her darkening that little bit more with each bit of muscle, blood and bone marrow she shovelled into herself.


    A giggle welled up in her throat, then laughter, than downright hysterical screaming as her motions of feasting became downright barbaric, blood splattering onto the walls. ¡°THIS IS WHAT COUNTS FOR LIFE!¡± she howled at the ceiling as she ripped the heart out of its chest and squashed its warm contents into her red-stained teeth.

 White Wood 9

    Mehily despised Reysha. This was a simple truth. The Priestess had never liked the tiger girl. From the moment they had been paired together by the Adventurers Guild, the two of them had clashed. What kind of strategy should they use, how they were supposed to have their meetings after dungeon runs, even mundane questions such as which bread was better eventually turned into fights, with one party dickishly laughing and the other grinding her teeth in frustration.


    It was partly her own fault that they were such a defunct party. Her declaration that her religious beliefs forbade her to work together with anyone who would tame or otherwise work with monsters crossed all of the Hunters and Tamers of the list of candidates.


    The decision to force the party to boot the Rogue under the threat of Mehily leaving had not been one of malice, but she was genuinely done dealing with the redhead. Upon hearing that the tiger girl had lost her apartment, the Priest had even played with the thought of helping her out. Letting her back into the group wasn¡¯t a thing that would happen, but the Priestess was still charitable enough to not let an¡­ acquaintance starve.


    Before she could come to a decision, her intense dislike made her hesitate on doing the saintly thing, Reysha had already fled into the wild. Mehily did feel bad about this, under the conviction that she had accidentally set the Rogue on her path to death.


    She was a little relieved, but mostly irritated to a wrathful degree, when Reysha just turned up in the Guild again. In a pose that aimed to intimidate the entire room, no less. She hadn¡¯t told the group¡¯s Warrior to get all up in the tiger girl¡¯s face, but she also had done nothing to prevent it. Yet again, not exactly a saintly thing to do. Something that she realized she had to pray for redemption for.


    Her god instructed his followers that the only truly important temple was within. As such, she had taken her prayer at the loudest place imaginable. Inner tranquility had to be achievable even at the most chaotic of places, such was a Priest¡¯s conviction. In a party, the healer always had to remain calm. Wasted magic or mistakes could lead to worse wounds down the line.


    Her god, Jersoja, seventh of the thirty-three original gods and god of purity and the first priests, didn¡¯t let her hear a whisper. Not even one of his angels was gracing her opened mind with a word. As a priest, her prayer was not just a sign of devotion, but an actual seeking of guidance by the divine. None such was given. The winter deity must have been annoyed with her in some way.


    At the end of her silent prayer, a Guild employee had approached her with the news of Reysha¡¯s condition. Given that they were the last real people to be in contact with the tiger girl, they hoped that Mehily and her party would be able to convince Reysha to go into rehabilitation. To find atonement, the Priestess, to the surprise of the other two members of the party, had accepted. ¡°If I can save one girl from becoming closer to a monster, maybe my Lord will see it fit to answer my prayers,¡± she said.


    With no other clue where she went, they had made their way to Birshia. Reysha had let the Guild employee know she was heading to the closest dungeon and the giant birch fit that description. They had arrived there, been informed that the tiger girl hadn¡¯t passed and thus decided to wait at least two days.


    Ultimately, that had paid off, although Reysha of course had to go in in the middle of the night, so they had to scramble into their equipment to chase after her. The new Rogue of the group had been the quickest on his feet and left the Warrior and herself a trail to follow. They had caught up with Reysha. Something was clearly off about her, as she didn¡¯t notice the trio tracking her.


    As much as Mehily disliked the Rogue, her keen senses had always been a point of fact. Especially her hearing should have made her able to make out the Warrior and his movements. Nothing of the sort, however, they just slowly caught up with her. The Priestess had been about to call out to the tiger girl, now close enough, when they all had witnessed the fight in the light of the sap.


    Still holding a grudge, the Warrior had prevented them from helping in any way. Not that Reysha had needed it, as she pretty easily disposed of the Woodsharper. Stood there for a second, as still as a shard of ice. Licked her hand. Then began the scene of her tearing the thing down in a wild craze. At that point, them keeping back was out of disbelief.


    As adventurers, even just freshly starting ones, they had seen their fair share of blood and guts. This was something different though. They were used to the slaying of monsters, battle formations and controlled engagements that ended with some disgusting sights. Not a continued display of strings of muscle stretching and stretching until they finally snapped and the crazy, blood-soaked woman, cackling between chewing, eagerly stuffed her mouth with them. Her hands sliding over her curves, smearing the blood over the blue suit she was wearing, in a seductive fashion only added nauseating dissonance to the scene.


    It was the simple sound of Mehily¡¯s stomach acid pumping up her windpipe that made Reysha notice them. Whirling around with revealed, red-stained teeth, her eyes opened wide when she realized who was there. ¡°You!¡± she grabbed the stiletto she had so thoughtless dropped before. ¡°What¡­ what are you doing here, you blonde cunt?!¡±


    There was no white in her eyes, only grey, making the blue of her iris stand out in the shabby lighting even more. The tip her of her weapon pointed straight at the group and her entire posture indicated that she was about to jump. Her unoccupied hand was changing between clenched and stretched. Whenever her fingers were straight, her claws would make an appearance.


    Mehily found her voice again after wrestling down her vomit. ¡°We are here too get you off this dark path you tread upon,¡± she tried to state in a calm voice. ¡°I know I was the one who indirectly sent you on it and for this I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Get bent,¡± Reysha interrupted, laughing wildly, but her tail whipping with anger. ¡°I don¡¯t need your fucking apology. I LOVE this, do you have any idea how alive I feel right now?!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I know you two have history,¡± the new Rogue of the party whispered to Mehily. ¡°But there is no way we can let this¡­ thing go free!¡±


    ¡®You idiot!¡¯ Mehily thought, the tiger girl could hear every word they whispered, those giant ears on her head were hardly for show. Such a sentence wouldn¡¯t help anyone. With a mind quicker than her tongue, however, she didn¡¯t manage to raise her voice in retort. Not before Reysha looked at all of them for a moment and then turned around anyway. ¡°After her!¡± the Priestess finally got out.


    They were much slower than the tiger girl, who navigated the spiked corridors with a mixture of certainty in her own reflexes and sheer recklessness. They would lose her in just a few corridors, this was without doubt.


    Clutching the necklace that was her medium, she prayed yet again. She needed guidance, of any form. ¡®This stray lamb has to be brought back on the true path,¡¯ a voice reached down to her mind and filled her with strength. The angels heard her and the blessing of her faith spread to her team.


    Where the redhead had been but a shadow before them a moment ago, now the entire path before them was filled with crystal blue, cold light. Their steps hastened as their bodies were subject to a sudden burst of power, burning through Mehily¡¯s mana at an immense speed. Not that it mattered, just as long as they caught Reysha beforehand.

 White Wood 10

    Despite her somewhat desperate situation, Reysha was having the time of her life. The insides of the tree may as well have been lit by the midday sun, all her senses were awake again. Like the mold around a freshly cast sword, the dullness had broken away and left her sharp and glowing with remaining heat. They felt more accurate than ever before, although that may have been the simple high following the long period of monotony.


    The light of her blessed hunters came closer, basking the walls around them. Although it had interrupted her meal, this chase was a great way to commemorate her renewed sense of life. An even better way would have been to fight, but she wasn¡¯t insane enough to believe that she could take all three of them head-on.


    ¡°Very good!¡± the deep, dumb voice of a nearby Archwood Maggot commented, warning Reysha of its presence and rough location. The first fork in the winding path she fled on presented itself to her. Without further consulting any other senses, she followed her ears towards the voice. ¡°Hello! Thank you!¡± the voice continued as Reysha passed the creature.


    Camouflaging itself as part of the walls, a plate on the head resembling a carved piece of bark, the Archwood Maggot stretched outside of its burrow. It was a simple creature, a long, segmented body as white as a boiled egg, largely featureless aside from the six legs underneath its mandibles and the hooks it used to stay inside the walls.


    It had a simple hunting strategy, trying to lure adventurers towards it with its distorted voice and then jumping them by suddenly expanding like a spring. As a beginner friendly monster, this strategy was as imperfect as they came and very few people had actual problems or were surprised by them. Reysha, in this particular case, had even wanted the maggot to attack her.


    For the reason why, she was a whole lot faster than it could react, long passing the half-meter body of the wiggling beast. ¡®Perfectly good food¡­ oh well,¡¯ the tiger girl thought as she turned around on her heel and flawlessly kicked the monster in its unprotected side. Ripped out of its burrow from the impact, the Archwood Maggot became a fleshy, squirming projectile that hit the Warrior leading the chasing trio.


    The weight of that thing alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to majorly slow down the towering man full-plate, but, as confused as the creature was, it did locate that it was on something living and thus did its best to go from the assaulting stage of its hunting strategy to the part where it gnawed the targets face off.


    ¡°Get off, you!¡± the Warrior thus had to slow and then stop completely, wrestling with the wormlike creature that had hooked its legs into chinks in the armour. It was a foregone conclusion that he would win out in the end, one of the many swiping motions would throw the maggot off and give it an ending of exploding insect guts under the heavy boot of the Warrior. As a timewaster, it was absolutely successful, however.


    The Rogue and Mehily continued their chase; Reysha simply stood her ground. ¡°Let us talk!¡± the Priestess requested in that ¡®holier-than-thou¡¯ tone that pissed the tiger girl off something fierce. The Rogue was more practically minded, trying to grab her. His motions were quick, the light that increased their speed and endurance still filling the party.


    Jumping back two steps, Reysha narrowly avoided the hand, feeling it brush over the swirling strands of red hair that followed her motions. ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck about anything you have to say, leave me alone!¡± the tiger girl threw back.


    ¡°You are on a dark path!¡±


    ¡°I know, isn¡¯t that the greatest?!¡± she laughed out loud, yet again narrowly avoiding the Rogue¡¯s attack. Her instincts told her it was not yet time to attack and she trusted those deeply. Whatever spontaneous thing dominated her awareness would surely work out if she just twisted and tried hard enough. A way of thinking that was awarded this time around, as the third attack of the Rogue came.


    The moment his hand was stretched out towards her, about to catch her by the shoulder, the light finally burned out. With an ecstatic giggle, the tiger girl suddenly launched into her own attack. The stiletto she was still holding whirled around in her left hand, the steel thorn pointing away from her thumb.


    Being a left-handed person was pretty advantageous in a lot of hand to hand combat, Reysha had long since learned. Particularly when the enemy was presenting his own, dominant right so openly. The stiletto broke through the leather glove and the skin underneath, then Reysha doubled down on the motion with her entire bodyweight, pressing her right against the bottom of her weapon¡¯s hilt. The result was a tormented outcry from the Rogue, as his hand was nailed against the splintered wood wall.


    ¡°You bitch!¡± he shouted, trying to grab his dagger with his left. Like all Rogue¡¯s he was trained to be ambidextrous to some degree, an important skill to have when using tricks, dirty or not, in combat. Against anybody else in his level bracket, the quickness and skill with which he wielded his dagger would have probably allowed him a quick retaliation.


    Reysha was, however, the right combination of merciless, insane, and explosively spontaneous to get ahead in the counterattack by delivering a frontal kick to the Rogue¡¯s groin. Adventurers were advised to wear loin protection and the Rogue had taken this warning seriously. There was only so much a hardened piece of leather could do to shield from an impact, however.


    The combined pain of his manhood getting crushed under the tiger girl¡¯s heel and the hole in his hand growing wider, his body getting thrown backwards from the kick while still being nailed to the wall ripping the flesh, caused him to stop in the motions. The thrust of his dagger became a pitiful forward motion, barely enough to cut the surface of Reysha¡¯s full-body suit.


    In desperation, the manaless Priestess flailed her arms towards the woman she had banned from this very group. Her goal to save her from the darkness was momentarily forgotten over the want to save her new party member. ¡°Stop, you beast!¡± It was not an unfair description, very few people could hurt other humanoids with no hesitation whatsoever. That took either a deranged person or someone who was already used to doing so.


    ¡°NOW you are talking like I remember you!¡± Reysha grinned madly, taking the pitiful strikes by the dirty blonde. At this low level, the strength gap between a female Priest and Rogue was not yet far wider than between normal people, but Reysha had become pretty adapt at ignoring pain.


    First, Mehily¡¯s fist uselessly drummed against the arms and shoulder, a worthless attempt to try and get Reysha to release the stiletto. Eventually, she drew her fist back so far that it couldn¡¯t be more clearly telegraphed that it was an attempt to strike a powerful blow at the tiger girl¡¯s face. With glee, the target thusly dodged narrowly and than sank her sharp canines into the soft meat around the thumb.


    Although trained to remain tranquil at the face of any danger, the Priestess was not often hurt herself. Even that little bit caused her to flinch for a second. Pulling her like a wild beast by throwing her neck and entire body back, Reysha threw Mehily off-balance with her teeth. Then she let go of the nail that kept the still squirming Rogue pinned. A whirl of motions ensued, the dagger on the tiger girl¡¯s back being drawn and pressed against the Priestess¡¯ throat just as the Warrior finally succeeded in killing the Archwood Maggot.


    ¡°What kind of fucking moron are you?¡± Reysha ridiculed, ¡°extending beyond your dumbass of a horny meat shield?!¡± She laughed, drunk on her own power and success. She felt so incredible alive, had just beaten the entire party that had ousted her on her lonesome. ¡°Now you are my meat shield, isn¡¯t that great?!¡±


    ¡°Let her go!¡± the Warrior demanded, taking one step closer.


    ¡°Oh?!¡± Reysha let out an unsteadily toned sound, before licking the Priestess ear, ¡°I don¡¯t think you are in any position to give me a fucking command, dumbass. Back-off or I will bite your cock-tease a hole for ear decorations.¡± Her teeth were already stained with monster and human blood, making that threat beyond credible. Hesitatingly, the Warrior took a step backwards, but Reysha¡¯s mind was already jumping along. ¡°Then again, if I just off your healer, between you and the one-armed bandit over there, I can kill all of you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you wouldn¡¯t,¡± Mehily¡¯s shocked voice was pure music to her happily standing ears. ¡°Reysha, you can still turn from this dark pa-¡°


    ¡°Oh, shut the fuck up!¡± Reysha snapped her teeth next to Mehily¡¯s ear, while the sharp edge of the dagger created a thin red line on the Priestess throat. ¡°Dark path this, dark path that, how often do I have to tell you that I don¡¯t care what you think?!¡± Mehily made the mistake to gulp, only causing the wound to widen. The pain was immense, but aside from that one, foolish movement, her body was still. Only her legs quivered, her bladder in immense danger to stain her white garments in the colour of urine.


    In Reysha¡¯s blue eyes reflected the disdain she had for the Priestess and her overly moral words. Just murdering all three of them here sounded like a very attractive way to get done with this. They had interrupted her in the first proper meal in weeks and she hated their guts anyhow. Right now, she felt like she could do anything. Whatever she wanted to try, Reysha was certain to achieve somehow. The taste of victory was a rush.


    She began moving the dagger.

 White Wood 11

    ¡°Hello! Hello! Help me! Hello! Hello! Help me! Hello! Hello!¡± an oddly high-pitched, immensely annoying version of the Archwood Maggot¡¯s voice distracted Reysha and stayed her hand. Then a streak of white hair entered her vision.


    Stemming her hands into her hips, the metal fairy shook her head in a disapproving manner. The moth-like wings behind her back reduced to a grey blur, as the black pattern melded with the white base from the sheer speed of the flaps. ¡°You ignored my advice,¡± Aclysia stated, ¡°thank Hashahin that I already anticipated this and we begun moving in search of you!¡±


    ¡°I just had a tiny lick of blood!¡± Reysha defended herself, gesturing towards the divine creation with a dagger about half her total body size. ¡°And then some more flesh and everything else! I would have made it in time if it weren¡¯t for Captain Blueball, Saint Nagging, and Rouge the Rogue over here!¡±


    Aclysia looked over to the Priestess, who was visibly relaxed now that the knife was no longer on her throat. Too relaxed, as the smell of ammonia filled the pretty tight space. Disgusted and with mocking cackling, Reysha shoved Mehily away from herself. The dirty blonde woman hit the floor and quickly and quiveringly crawled away, terrorized by how close she just had been to the afterlife. ¡°Sorry, Piss Priest is obviously the more accurate nickname,¡± the tiger girl announced, taking one of the simple pieces of clothes out of her bag and beginning to clean her dagger of the blood.


    Although the Warrior now had no reason to delay his attacks further, the wall of a man simply stood there, frozen. He barely even had the presence of mind to help up his fearful comrade, unbothered by her soiled state. This was because, although the obvious connection between Aclysia and the thing eluded him, he was able to see the creature peeling out of the darkness behind the appearing fairy.


    Apexus arrived on four legs growing out of his sides, each of them as thin as a young tree-branch and splitting into two lightly movable hooks at the end. They carried the slime forwards with steady steps, his light green wings folded on his back, the feathers thick to function as a shield. The gap between them allowed a look at the dark, fist sized nucleus that lay within the ellipsis shaped monster. At the front, two blue fox ears peeked out above a pair of light blue, cat eyes. Between those two sets sat a wooden plate, the same that adorned the head of the Archwood Maggots. Below were three sets of mandibles from the same creature, stacked one over the other, clicking as they opened and closed in unison.


    The Warrior paled at the sight of this chimeric nightmare. His comrade, the Rogue, put it in perfect words. ¡°What the fuck is THAT?!¡± his voice sounded like he was on the edge of breaking down in a panic attack. Understandable, given the recent ten minutes had started their count with his view of Reysha pressing hot blood out of a heart into her mouth and concluded with whatever Apexus was, with a middle part of groin-kicking and hand-penetration.


    Rather than answer, Reysha ripped her stiletto out of her replacement¡¯s hand and began cleaning that as well. Her blue eyes were coldly mustering all of them, not letting them out of sight as her previously white washcloth turned crimson. With Apexus around, she didn¡¯t think any of them would dare to move, but it was better to have an eye on these things. At least that was her current opinion.


    ¡°My awakener, Apexus,¡± Aclysia stated in a matter of fact tone, it wouldn¡¯t matter anyhow. Nobody was dense enough to think there were two slimes (as adjusted as he was, that core was still plainly visible) with a black and white fairy around. Once they calmed down, they would easily realize this. Rather than shed tears over this, Aclysia flew down to the Priestess and begun weaving together some healing magic. Rather than just improvising the intensity, she used her gained aptitude to cast the proper basic healing spell that her class shared with Priests, Mend by Light.


    Slowly, the golden aura that encapsulated her hands closed the wound in the Priest¡¯s throat. Nobody dared to stop Aclysia, as they recognized the spell. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t bother healing her,¡± Reysha pointed out, sheathing her dagger and then juggling her stiletto in one hand. ¡°Now that these guys have seen you two we need to murder them anyhow.¡±


    ¡°We are not killing anybody!¡± Aclysia spread her arms protectively in front of the Priestess. ¡°The sin you were about to commit was the sole reason I intervened!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I was about to commit it,¡± Reysha laughed, the stiletto falling blade first between index and middle finger, coming to a rest with its guard on them.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t sure if you were going to kill her?¡± the Rogue croaked, holding his wrist tightly to hinder bloodflow toward the hole in his hand.


    The tiger girl grinned ear to ear, her sharp teeth glistening dangerously in the weak light of the nearby sap. ¡°I was just going to move my hand, no idea if it was going to cut her throat or just widened the wound a bit.¡±


    At one end of the corridor, the Warrior found his voice again to comment, in a very high pitch for such a giant, ¡°You are insane!¡±


    ¡°Duh!¡± Reysha answered and begun juggling again. ¡°Seriously, Apexus, let¡¯s murder them, you can eat them, then you can fuck me with an actual dick, sounds nice, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± the Priestess couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing and hearing. That Reysha managed to get herself some barely known¡­ disease was one thing. That she chose to deal and copulate with monsters a whole other. At the idea, Mehily finally failed at keeping the contents of her stomach within and vomited after rolling towards the corned of the corridor. ¡°By all of Jersoja¡¯s teachings¡­ you are in league with that THING?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he saved my life, shared some meals, he is pretty sympathetic and I sucked his tentacle-cock. All that while being a mute.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± the wooden plate on Apexus¡¯ equivalent of a forehead reverberated in the high-pitched tone. It hurt Reysha¡¯s ears to listen to that.


    ¡°Was mute.¡±


    ¡°That is heresy upon Jersoja¡¯s teachings!¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡¯im,¡± the tiger girl rolled her eyes that the grey inside them was plainly visible, ¡°he isn¡¯t MY god, he¡¯s yours, get out of my business.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no, there are boundaries and you are crossing too many!¡± Mehily barely managed to raise an arm behind her and twist around to point and look accusingly at the tiger girl. Whose grin became a very impatient scowl in return. Her hand travelled down to the throwing knives.


    Aclysia once more got between them. ¡°You are not killing her!¡± the metal fairy announced, ¡°I shall not - will not allow this conduct!¡±


    ¡°Why do you care?¡± Reysha groaned. ¡°You don¡¯t know them, do you? Right now, all their lives are are a massive roadblock. Does it matter how we remove such a risk factor?¡±


    ¡°It matters a whole damned lot!¡± Aclysia cursed, causing the redhead to raise an eyebrow and take her hand off her belt again.


    ¡°Well, you decide then, Apexus,¡± the tiger girl shrugged. ¡°If Piss Priest¡¯s reaction here doesn¡¯t let you believe it, them getting away means I don¡¯t get to return to Haralry again, making our eventually departure from this leaf very hard.¡± She looked from the slime to Aclysia, who was silently pressing her pinks lips together. ¡°I owe you two my life, so I really don¡¯t give a shit, but the logical thing would be to remove them and just say that they died fighting the boss or something. Apexus could even grow a mouth rather than that odd, five-lines wood plate.¡±


    ¡°What is correct isn¡¯t always what is right,¡± Aclysia, very quietly, stated, knowing that sounded somewhat ridiculous. ¡°Did these people commit any egregious wrongs that would justify such a swift execution?¡±


    ¡°Not really, no,¡± Reysha conceded without a care, that was not her point anyway, ¡°they are just inconvenient is all.¡±


    ¡°I will not kill with such a reason¡­¡± she paused and looked to Apexus. ¡°However, I will bend to the will of my awakener, thus is my oath as his servant.¡± Her whole body tensed as if the gravity of the situation came down to this moment. ¡°I will understand a ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ for us taking action and a ¡®very good¡¯ for us letting them go.¡¯


    The slime did not sign up for heavy decisions today. This whole trip was about Reysha eating stuff and Aclysia wanting to see whether or not Apexus could speak using the Growth from the maggots. Not about a moral conundrum.


    Truthfully speaking, Apexus didn¡¯t care whatsoever about any of those three. Sounds of a chase had even allowed them to locate Reysha¡¯s position, after spending some time eating the creatures Apexus currently borrowed parts from. There had obviously been some sort of fight and their behaviour also underlined a hostile stance towards not only Reysha but himself.


    The insane tiger girl was, oddly enough, making the reasonable suggestion. One that Apexus was inclined to follow, for the advantages that it brought and the disadvantages avoided. However, and this was the crux of it all, Aclysia was looking at him with deeply concerned eyes. Although one was logical, the other was tied to what the slime truly cared about.


    There was also another realization that the slime had when noticing the fear the threatened party exuded. Fear and resolution, particularly in the Warriors case. Although he was the only one who could sensibly get away, being both physically able and unwounded, it was clear from his stare and posture that he would stand his ground until the very end.


    ¡®If I kill one of them, people will miss them, like I missed Aclysia,¡¯ the slime thought. That was a pain he wished not upon anyone, a void in their hearts that could only and justifiably be filled with resentment for Apexus himself. He didn¡¯t fear being hunted again, not as much as becoming a being with eyes like Apotho.


    ¡°Very good,¡± echoed through the room and the enemy trio relaxed visibly.


    Reysha shrugged it off, not caring enough about this to get upset. Having already kicked their asses, her only annoyance with the situation was the she wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the city she already disliked. ¡°Okay, you can go and suck somewhere else,¡± she yawned like a cat that was suddenly uninterested in the mouse it had hunted down.


    Aclysia looked immensely relieved, flying over to her awakener and hugging his face, whispering, ¡°Thank you,¡± into his ear as the party, slowly backed away from the trio. The Priestess looked over her shoulder with unveiled disgust one last time. Although Apexus had spared them the pain of loss, a resentment of similar fervor was seemingly directed towards him and Reysha now. ¡°Although this truthfully complicates things¡­¡± Aclysia addressed the tiger girl again, currently cleaning her claws of drying bits of flesh, ¡°I am thoroughly disappointed in you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, spare me the lecture,¡± Reysha hissed, ¡°unless you want me to slap a thousand ¡®I told you so¡¯ in your face when this eventually bites us in the ass ¨C which it will. Right in our nice, round, jiggling asses.¡±

 White Wood 12

    If an Archwood Maggot was left to its own devices for long enough, it eventually transformed into a bigger, slightly more dangerous creature. Stalking on four, extremely thin legs, the Archwood Walker covered its previously revealed segments under thick chitin of a dark green, metallic colour. The mandibles in front of the face grew more massive, just as the entire body became thicker and the plate previously used to emit the luring sounds elongated into a horn, completely losing its former functionality.


    Not that Reysha really cared about any of that after she cut the head off the creature and began breaking open the hide to access the white meat underneath. ¡°Insect meat is weird,¡± she said ripping a piece out of it with her bare hands. Although her continued feasting in the last couple of hours had caused her savagery to become acceptable, it was still savagery. She looked over to Apexus with an unhidden desire to get some tentacles to slither under her suit again. However, that was for later and somewhere safer than these winding tunnels under the bark. ¡°It feels totally different¡­ the texture and everything,¡± she threw the piece in her mouth without hesitation, ¡°still good though.¡±


    ¡°Are you sated now?¡± Aclysia asked, clearly impatient.


    ¡°I feel pretty good, but I¡¯ll eat a whole lot more,¡± the tiger girl tilted her neck to look at the metal fairy, shoving yet more food in her own mouth at the side. ¡°No idea when I get to next.¡±


    Aclysia took that as her signal to speak. ¡°We have to talk about your actions earlier.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Reysha spoke with a full mouth, ¡°Am shorry about eahtinh befoher meeting with you,¡± she gulped after chewing the soft, white tissue thoroughly, ¡°happy?¡±


    ¡°¡­Partly,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°It is your disregard for humanoid life that I need to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, you are still on about that?!¡± the tiger girl groaned. ¡°Fine, fire off your complaints if it makes you happier.¡±


    Aclysia¡¯s lips went white as she angrily pressed them together, ¡°Do you feel nothing at the prospect of killing?¡±


    ¡°I feel a bit sorry for the people that will be left behind, but in this particular case I would have mostly been a very happy tiger at seeing Mehily and her moral self-jerking grin in the dust,¡± Reysha narrowed her eyes in a threatening fashion. ¡°Funny, you are beginning to remind me a lot of her right now,¡± she added growlingly.


    ¡°Are you implying I am self-righteous?¡± the divine being sounded genuinely offended.


    ¡°No, I am SAYING you are self-righteous,¡± the tiger girl mocked with a purr. Although Aclysia was getting ready to, the redhead continued to talk and drowned out the retort. ¡°Would you let people live no matter how much they threatened you, mhm? Is there no line at which you would say you would have to kill even the best person because it is your life that is taken otherwise?¡±


    ¡°Obviously there is,¡± Aclysia conceded, there was a point for everyone where they would defend themselves ¨C to the death if necessary. ¡°You cross that line too easily, that is what I am trying to tell you.¡±


    ¡°That is your opinion,¡± Reysha pointed out. ¡°Which I already caved to, so what the fuck do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°I want you to think about your actions!¡±


    The Rogue groaned and dropped her meal for the moment, ¡°Really conceited coming from you after you just begged Apexus to let them go, no matter the consequences. Just because it¡¯s what your holy little mind tells you.¡± Tail swiping aggressively, Reysha pranced towards the metal fairy on all fours. ¡°Let me tell you something, I come from a world where being an assassin is a normal career.¡±


    Ears pressing closely to her head, lips pulled back to reveal her teeth in an animalistic fashion, Reysha slowly extended her hand towards the much smaller girl¡¯s head. Halfway out, her claws stretched out. The red-tinted extensions had only gotten sharper since they saw regular usage.


    ¡°Everyone hears ¡®tiger¡¯ or ¡®cat¡¯ people and just thinks about cute, striped girls sitting in the sun all day, occasionally going into heat,¡± she continued, in front of her a metal fairy unsure whether she had to dodge or she even could. ¡°Those people only remember their cute, domesticated cats, not the fact that it¡¯s a predator. The nights in Ragressa see much blood. I didn¡¯t become an adventurer for fame, but for fortune, not to do good but to do what I want.¡± Her claws closed in front of Aclysia, and pulled back, thanks to a thin leg extending between them.


    Apexus had no idea why this was happening, again, or how to properly handle this, so he had just looked in confusion at the remarkably unphysical fight. Now that it looked like it may get violent, however, the slime decided to establish his presence again. As she still respected him for saving her and as the pack leader by virtue of his strength, Reysha backed off and went back to her meal.


    ¡°What separates you from a monster like Apotho then?¡± Aclysia quietly asked.


    ¡°Mhhhhm,¡± Reysha wondered for a moment. ¡°Power, I guess? I can see the appeal behind living longer by sucking the life juices out of others. Not sure I would do it, but still,¡± the tiger girl looked at the metal fairy, who seemed shocked at the answer, ¡°is the immortal judging me for my wish to live?¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­¡± Aclysia stopped to find her train of thought again. ¡°Is that really the entire difference you see between you and the man that lied to you to try and absorb your life as well?¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck that lying business,¡± Reysha laughed, ¡°I am not doing that. I also refuse to ever get locked up like that, however he let that happen. Probably wouldn¡¯t murder random people just to get younger again as well. I have SOME respect for life, you know?¡± She cupped her breasts and played with them for a bit, ¡°Although having these sag would be a crime against the omniverse.¡±


    The joke fell on deaf ears in the fairy''s case. ¡°Probably? Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Oh my everything!¡± the tiger girls mood suddenly swung around completely and her smile vanished as her face flushed with anger. ¡°YES, FUCK OFF! Go judge someone else you sanctimonious piece of rust!¡±


    ¡°Your morality is¡­¡±


    ¡°NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS!¡± Reysha pulled one of the knives from her belt and was halfway through the motion of throwing it when Apexus grabbed her arm. With a sudden movement, the tiger girl ripped herself free, but the knife found its resting place in the corpse of the Archwood Walker instead, as she used it to carve out more of her meal. ¡°Get off my case.¡±

 White Wood 13

    The usual coordination of the group was currently dysfunctional. Between Reysha and Aclysia, the atmosphere could charitably be described as frosty. Now, Apexus actually had no idea what frost felt like, but he was pretty certain that it fit, since it made him shiver whenever the two began another fight. It was like they were trying to eat each other¡¯s arguments by throwing copious amounts of word-acid at each other.


    Worse enough, their fights pretty quickly spiralled away from the initial topic, which had been unproductive enough. Through the hours and eventual days they spent exploring the tree, it devolved from a strained silence to either of them occasionally making a small comment that then exploded into an argument. About basically nothing at all. In many cases, the thing they were opposing each other on was just a fight to be had while not mentioning the actual thing they disagreed over.


    Apexus realized that it eventually just became about one of them being right, the ¡®what about¡¯ ceased to matter the further communication dissolved. To the point where they were arguing about which path in the road to take despite having no idea where either lead. The slime wasn¡¯t even sure why the two girls were behaving that way, it wasn¡¯t exactly in either one¡¯s interest. Normally, Reysha would just have laughed it off and Aclysia would simply forego such unnecessary engagements in favour of more advantageous procedures.


    It was like their ire had pushed some rock past the point of no return, much like the slime had done himself with the Forester Dragon. That rock was now slowly tipping over and about squash their well-oiled group into a mess of ire and bitter comments.


    And every time he had to play tiebreaker, Apexus felt part of that ire from both girls land on him. He wanted to cry out ¡°Help me!¡± repeatedly in this situation, asking for whatever god to just tell him how to handle this. The one time he did dare to make the sound, however, he had gotten glances from Reysha and Aclysia that had made him wish he was suffering from snake poison again. Followed by some pretty clear comments that his voice was immensely annoying. Which almost caused a crack in his nucleus.


    Women could be really vicious with their words, he learned. It wasn¡¯t his fault that the wooden plate resonated different on his semi-liquid body than it did on the Archwood Maggots, causing an annoying high-pitch rather than a dumb, dull, deep voice. It was just his only way to raise some voice, so he kept it.


    ¡®How do I deserve this?¡¯ Apexus asked the darkness of his thoughts, feeling a lot more liquid than usual. This was stressing him out, causing his surface to lose much of its usual tautness. Due to their constantly bad mood, neither of the girls were willing to have sex either, which robbed the slime of that particular, very effective relief method.


    At some point, the slime decided that the dungeon must have been at fault and simply hurried them all along to find the boss room and get out of here. Maybe that would magically fix it. Much to their luck, finding it was rather easy as well, at least for them.


    The boss room was located at the very top of the tree, the narrowing top of the massive trunk. Something Apexus simply scouted ahead and found when they were walking on an outside part on the dungeon¡¯s branches, giving him the opportunity to fly. He laid a thick layer of pheromones around it and then they only had to find the correct path upwards.


    Only, being a bit of an understatement. Not because the monsters were particular threatening, Apexus even wondered sometimes that this area still qualified for that awakening tingle he felt where he could beat the challenge for a permanent Growth, but because¡­


    ¡°We could certainly skip this entire walking if you would just wait for us, Reysha,¡± because of comments like that.


    ¡°So, you want me to just sit on my ass, is that it?¡± the tiger girl hissed back and Apexus felt pulses of tired pain radiating from his nucleus, as if somebody was pressuring it just a little bit from all sides. It began again.


    ¡°It would certainly be more effective if we flew to the top without you,¡± Aclysia stated in a dismissive tone. ¡°That¡¯s all you are concerned about, isn¡¯t it? Effectiveness.¡±


    Apexus had to wonder where that line of argumentation even came from. The tiger girl had never said that and that seemed like an unfair oversimplification to the things that only went in that direction.


    ¡°No, but since all YOU seem to care about is hurting our chances of survival, why don¡¯t you just fly down to the base and tell them exactly where we are so they can hunt us down easier?!¡± Reysha shot back with the exact same kind of rhetoric.


    So far, they had encountered no search parties. Which made a large degree of sense, it had only been four days since that encounter had happened and between the two days it took to travel to and back to Haralry from where they were, the Guild would also need to decide if they wanted to organize parties in the first place and whether or not it was smart to send them into Birshia or just have them wait on the entrance.


    All of which things Apexus normally would have given some thought to, but this really wasn¡¯t the atmosphere to think more than one step ahead. ¡°I only have my awakeners best interest in mind,¡± the metal fairy insisted.


    ¡°No, you have your best interest in mind and want everyone else to also make that their best interests,¡± Reysha retorted.


    ¡°Mass murder is not a viable interest,¡± Aclysia declared, crossing her arms and daring the redhead to challenge that position.


    ¡°Nobody ever talked about MASS, you worthless piece of shit,¡± Reysha growled and flipped the metal fairy off. After which the discussion only became even worse. Apexus could feel his membrane liquify further, his elliptic shape looking more like a half-melted candle at that point. They couldn¡¯t get out of there quickly enough.

 White Wood Finale

    The crown of the massive birch was surrounded by a dense net of branches. Although made out of relatively thin pieces, they were woven so tightly together that walking on them wasn¡¯t much different from walking on normal ground. If one could ignore the fact that they were several hundred metres above the ground.


    From up there, Apexus felt like he could look over the entire leaf in its flat entirety. The coral continent, the ocean separating it, the vast forest that filled the middle of the world, even the mountain underneath which he had spawned into existence could be seen from here. Somewhere down there, Gizmo¡¯s house was as well. The chimeric slime had no idea where though. Even without the illusionary bubble around it, it would be impossible to make out such a small gap in the forest from this distance.


    It was sight he would have enjoyed more without the sound of Reysha and Aclysia bickering over the limited water supply. This dungeon didn¡¯t have convenient pools, but rather small waterfalls spilling out from within the wood. For taking a quick bath, those were less useful, since only one person fit in at any given time. Neither of them wanted the other to be first. That was the level of pettiness they had reached.


    In the end, Apexus intervened by having Reysha open the chests first, dragging her off with clear intent. Once she got the message, she stomped the rest of the way in a manner more fitting of a Forested Dragon than a cat. Behind her, Aclysia showed a very pleased, self-righteous smirk. One that evoked in the slime the want to push her under the surface of the water for a prolonged period and hope she somehow developed lungs that she could feel suffocation with in the process.


    The dark thought left quickly again and Apexus was left feeling somewhat guilty. ¡®Rubbing off on me,¡¯ Apexus thought and blinked tiredly. He wanted to sit down and digest something in a nice quiet. He wanted to have sex. He wanted to find a cliff, jump down, splatter on the ground and somehow only die for however long this stupid conflict took to unravel on its own, to then be revived into a working relationship. Was that really too much to ask?


    ¡°Nothing useful,¡± Reysha reported after returning, impatiently waiting for her turn under the water.


    Apexus basically zoned out for the remainder of their individual showers. Not only did he not have the mental fortitude to deal with his tentacle-sprouting erection right now, but much less did he have the patience. He simply closed his eyes and thought back to that night he had shared with Aclysia on the lake and the playfight with Reysha shortly after they left the Clearwater dungeon. Precious memories, much sweeter than reality was right now.


    Eventually, they put their bickering aside for long enough to get done with the preparations. The trio opened the door to the boss room, a thick assortment of brambles in the trees bark. The moment Reysha put a hand on it, they began to change colour, from white and black to green, as they became younger, smaller, and began to disappear as if they were aging backwards. The moment the group had passed them, however, the bramble quickly grew back into place.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with,¡± Reysha growled and it didn¡¯t quite sound like she was talking only about the boss fight. The room was rather simple, if oddly shaped. The floor was curved like a bowl, not a single flat part anywhere. Through the branches closing behind them, they were forced to step into the terrain. Something the tiger girl did quite willingly, taking four steps ahead of them.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Aclysia warned in a better-knowing tone.


    ¡°No shit!¡± the redhead retorted as they all looked for the boss. Quickly, the Rogue danced to away from the centre of the room when she saw something hang under the ceiling. Its round shape and wooden covering had given it decent camouflage, but it was still a large bump in the middle of the otherwise horizontal cut of the room.


    ¡°Hello ¨C how ¨C are ¨C you?¡± a chopped-off, dull voice asked tonelessly before a bunch of clawing, short legs began to carry the insectoid creature to the edge of the ceiling, where it suddenly dropped down. For a moment, the group got to see the underside of the creature, a bunch of legs and mandibles squirming around like worms in a bucket, then the wood-plated exterior stretched and closed above as the boss monster began to roll towards Reysha. Slowly at first but, thanks to the room¡¯s layout, quickly gaining momentum.


    ¡°What kind of stupid boss is this?!¡± the tiger girl laughed and jumped to the side. The dodge was easily successful and Apexus attempted to attack the rolling monster with a stab of his Archwood Walker legs. The action bounced off uselessly, the spinning momentum on the monster making for a good defence in combination with the thick wooden defences.


    ¡°Be ¨C careful!¡± the dull voice echoed Aclysia¡¯s earlier statement. It was clearly coming from the exoskeleton of the monster, and as it had remarkable similarities to the head of the Archwood Maggot, it was clear that this monster was in the same family, a more advanced or different evolution. For a lack of another idea, Apexus dubbed it the Archwood Roller.


    The Roller reached the edge of their arena and its momentum stopped for a moment as it turned around. Shifting its weight, the monster aimed for Apexus this time. Although generally not afraid of physical attacks, the boss was about two times as wide as Apexus and doubtlessly weighed as much as a large pile of rocks. That kind of squashing would outright shatter the slime¡¯s nucleus.


    Beating his wings, long enough to raise off the ground, the slime managed to dodge narrowly to the side. Unfamiliar as he was with his new legs and exhausted as he was from the recent verbal fights, the slime made a slight miscalculation. The two back legs snapped under the birch-like exterior of the boss, causing Apexus¡¯ landing to happen half on his flat lower half.


    ¡°Awakener!¡± Aclysia was right by his side, but there was nothing she could heal. Thin as they were, the legs had snapped clean off. Instead she turned to the boss as he rolled on in a straight line. ¡°The moment of weakness lies within the moment it has to turn,¡± she stated, gathering magic in her small hands. If she couldn¡¯t be useful as a healer, she could at least throw out her offensive spells. Divine light gathered between her palms and took a flickering form. A healing spell was steady, a soothing light, in comparison, this was spell looked like the heart of a raging fire.


    As the creation of a summer god her spells were blessed with warmth and the attack she threw out concentrated this into a bolt of searing heat. The Sunlight Bolt flew across the room, right on the mark to hit the Roller at his point of standstill. Only to hit a suddenly appearing Reysha instead.


    Having noted the exact same weakness, the tiger girl had started her own offensive at the same time as Aclysia had begun casting. Having not seen her use a single offensive spell since joining the group, Reysha hadn¡¯t even been aware of the possibility and the heat that now hit her unprotected back, where her suit had a fatal weak spot, threw her forwards and right into the path of the boss as he began moving again.


    Against the protest of her scorched back, the tiger girl twisted her body out of the way. Still scraping by her, Reysha¡¯s face and left hand were covered in unsightly scratchings, quickly turning red. ¡°What the shit, Aclysia?!¡± the redhead screamed when the boss rolled away.


    ¡°I told you to be careful!¡± the metal fairy screamed back, both of them red in their face from frustration.


    ¡°LIKE FIVE FUCKING MINUTES AGO!¡±


    ¡°Which only goes to show how bad your short term memo-¡°


    ¡°Hello!¡± was all the contribution Apexus could make to pull their attention away from each other and towards the Roller that had alternated his usual strategy to roll in a quick circle. Although that overall reduced the boss¡¯ speed, it allowed him to make a quicker return to the spot he had just been at. Unprepared, the two girls scrambled to dodge in the oddest fashion.


    Both of them tried to throw themselves at the other in an effort to push them out of the way. Thankfully, Reysha was heavier and bigger than Aclysia, making her own effort the superior one and saving them both from being rolled over. A balance in their weight, and they both would have turned into bloody paste.


    Apexus saw a moment of weakness in the Roller, as his move now forced him to open his hide and crawl back to the edge of the arena. Slow as he was, the boss would have relied on its thick hide to protect it for the entire duration of such a travel, but Apexus had a way with biological defences. With graceless flaps of his wings, he landed as a splatter atop the boss and began dissolving the bark.


    ¡°Ow ¨C Ow ¨C oOooowww¡­¡± the voice repeated sounds of pain a couple of times and then vanished completely. Apexus quickly jumped off the boss when the edge of the room drew near, the damage was already done.


    When the Roller tried to enact his namesake move again, he turned once around himself and then the partly-dissolved piece of its back cracked with the sound of splintering wood. Its momentum was absolutely ruined, the soft flesh underneath exposed. It turned around itself one more time before coming to a halt on its back, legs and mandibles squirming helplessly.


    As they had basically won, Aclysia and Reysha went right back to fighting. Even with the threat, the hostility hadn¡¯t ceased, so with it removed they were back at full capacity. The word-acid was thrown once more.


    ¡°What kind of shit healer are you, that you throw attack spells at your allies?!¡±


    ¡°Well, what kind of Rogue doesn¡¯t have an eye on their surroundings?¡±


    Apexus crawled over to the boss and began to process of properly eating it. The other two were too preoccupied to notice.


    ¡°The kind doesn¡¯t know their HEALER can throw FIREBALLS!¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a fireball, it was concentrated solar energy!¡±


    ¡°Potato ¨C po-tah-to,¡± Reysha erratically retorted, thrusting her index finger against the metal fairy¡¯s chest, causing her flying form to be pushed backwards. ¡°You hurt me more than that boss did, you stupid cunt! Stick to what you are supposed to do in fights!¡±


    ¡°My purpose is to support Apexus ¨C what is so funny about that?!¡± the redhead had started laughing out loud the moment Aclysia had uttered those words.


    ¡°Just that you only say that when it suits you. Does it come with praying to higher beings that you turn into a massive hypocrite? I wonder if somebody wrote a study on this yet¡­ ah, why bother, it¡¯s pretty obvious.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am sorry that we sane people like to actually think about getting along with one another,¡± Aclysia answered with biting sarcasm. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do it like you and never think about anything. Let¡¯s just kill each other whenever it¡¯s convenient and put all of civilization to the torch. That will resolve ALL of our problems.¡±


    ¡°You clearly have some experience with torching,¡± Reysha mocked, a pained expression crossing her face when she strained her back again. The fist-sized, very raw and red looking spot on her exposed back only hurt more when she move her back and the tips of her wild hair irritated the blank nerves.


    Guilt hushed over Aclysia¡¯s face but she visibly wrestled it down in favour of not losing the argument. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter to this discussion whatsoever. This isn¡¯t my fault.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s mine, huh?!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Their argument turned in circles for several minutes until they both looked ready to burst. Reysha screamed out loud, ¡°OH, BY YOUR GOD OR WHOEVER ELSE WILL MAKE THIS STOP! Just shut ¨C up ¨C already! Not everything that comes out of your mouth is true!¡±


    ¡°I do not believe that, although you seem to assume this about your own statements, given with how little doubt you look back at your- Ow!¡± the metal fairy cried out when she was suddenly stabbed in the side, harmlessly, by the forked tip of Apexus¡¯ stolen legs.


    ¡°Hah! He is on my si- OW!¡± Reysha was also stabbed and then both of them looked at the slime. Suddenly they felt rather small, as the dark blue creature had formed his mass into a tall wall that loomed over both of them. His green feathers were spread out, adding even more to this intimidating illusion of size.


    ¡°Quiet,¡± neither of them expected to suddenly hear a voice from the slime, particularly one they didn¡¯t find annoying. Originating from the wooden carapace freshly stolen from the Roller, Apexus voice was impressive. Deep and smooth like a learned baritone singer, a stark difference from the previous annoying high-pitched squeaking. ¡°You two, entirely stupid right now¡­ ARE¡­ ARE entirely stupid right now!¡± The impressive voice was likely a side effect from his intense wish to not sound annoying to his girls, something he had been informed about numerous times in the last couple of days. When he had acquired this Growth permanently, it had bent a bit to fill his desires. ¡°I am absolutely liquid¡­ LIVID right now! No more patience!¡±


    ¡°You can spe- OW!¡± Reysha tried to say something but was stabbed again.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± the slime answered. ¡°You two were¡­¡± he had to stop every now and again, already unfamiliar with thinking, finding the right formulations and assortment of words was difficult. ¡°¡­focused, so focused on hating each other that you missed that I¡­¡± there were so many words for eating, it had no idea which one was the most accurate, ¡°fed on the boss, completely ate it¡­¡±


    The two girls did look over where the boss had been and where only a wet spot on the floor, from the spilled haemolymph (insect blood), remained.


    ¡°Even got to grow the entire¡­ double large thing now on my back, then shrink it down after making permanent¡­ making IT permanent¡­ carapace, making the overly large carapace permanent,¡± Apexus stumbled on with the lecture.


    ¡°Well,¡± Aclysia gave Reysha some side eye, ¡°if she didn¡¯t keep talking back with insults and bad arguments then- OW!¡± The metal fairy couldn¡¯t believe her beloved slime would stab her in the stomach twice, but there they were.


    ¡°Quiet! Just, be quiet!¡±


    Silence.


    Apexus loved every second of it.


    ¡°Wh- OW!¡± Reysha was shot down when she tried to talk up again.


    Some more silence.


    Apexus sorted his words.


    Then he gave up and just spoke freely.


    ¡°Okay, listen, unsure how to say this,¡± the slime stated, ¡°you two are behaving badly. I don¡¯t like it. Reysha has a point, sometimes we need to do the stuff that is objectively bad to save ourselves. Aclysia also has a point, ¡­ which¡­ are?... is! Which is that we shouldn¡¯t do that stuff so easily or take glee in it. Okay?¡±


    After a moment of looking at each other and the still very present and pointy legs, the two girls nodded.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Apexus continued. ¡°Why hate¡­ you and the other you¡­ each other over this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate her,¡± Reysha stated, ¡°I just don¡¯t want her to annoy with this shit all the time. I am more than a bit wrong in the head, I already know, I don¡¯t need her to remind me every time I do anything that she thinks is remotely wrong.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t do- OW!¡± Aclysia got stabbed yet again.


    ¡°No accusations, no more!¡± Apexus told the fairy. ¡°I love you, Aclysia, please don¡¯t make me more angry and stab you more. I want to stop this already!¡±


    Taking a deep breathe, the metal fairy whispered, ¡°Okay¡­ I love you too¡­ sorry¡­¡± then she turned to Reysha. ¡°I am sorry that I am ¡®zealous¡¯ in this regard, but I also don¡¯t hate you. I am afraid that you might become something that I would hate if I don¡¯t put across that there are things you shouldn¡¯t do just because they are convenient for you¡­ you almost killed somebody!¡±


    ¡°No, I almost maybe killed somebody!¡± Reysha retorted.


    ¡°Do you not get how that is worse?¡± Aclysia shook her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t even know if you wanted to kill her, you treated a life like a dice roll. There was no goal behind that aside from your own amusement. Where is y- ow!¡± Apexus stopped Aclysia before she could voice yet another accusation.


    At that, the tiger girl was quiet for a moment. ¡°Well, if you put it like that¡­¡± she slowly admitted. ¡°I just really hate her guts¡­ but yeah¡­ now that you point it out¡­ that would have been a crossed line¡­¡± scratched her head. ¡°Urgh, but I still REALLY want to stab that bitch.¡±


    ¡°I can¡­¡± it was clear that, after days debating this, the metal fairy struggled with the next word, ¡°concede, in turn, that it would have been correct for our safety to end their existence.¡±


    ¡°So you admit that you are w- OW!¡± one last stab by Apexus, then he lowered his legs and his entire body back into the elliptic shape.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he warned and let out that long, exhaling noise that seemed to be a signal for relief. The worst seemed to be over. ¡°You two don¡¯t need to agree, just please don¡¯t make a stomach out of the world. I feel like I am dissolving in your constant word-fights.¡± As if to prove him right, his body didn¡¯t stop reforming at the usual elliptic shape, but continued to flow into an amorphous blob instead. When he attempted to pull himself together, he suddenly felt the tiredness of the last few days crash back in as the heat of the moment subsided. He blinked once and failed to open his eyes again.

 Pieced Together – Prologue – Inquisition

    The temple of the thirty-three was quiet. It was a peculiar building, north of the city of Heralry, roughly as far distanced from it as the Birshia dungeon was, and sat isolated on the edge of the world. Literally, the semi-circle shaped build partially stretched over the end of the leaf. It was an immensely sturdy building, thousands of stones melted together as a dam against the invisible barrier that surrounded the world, preventing people from just falling off. Other flat worlds weren¡¯t designed with that kindness.


    Where the circle thus passed over the edge, like a child peeking over the edge of the table, thirty-two towers grew evenly out of the temple. Each one a single chamber dedicated to one god. From Hashahin¡¯s, located at the southern edge and closest to the city, the number counted downward. Aside from the last tower in the north, dedicated to the progenitor, father of gods and godhood, they were all equally sized.


    The temple of the thirty-three was quiet. The walls were thick and like every church reverberated even the tiniest sound, causing everyone to move with patience, not to disturb this aura of divinity. Ctania was not known for its religious population. Quite the contrary. As the safe leaf created by the thirty-third god, Hashahin, people here didn¡¯t devote themselves to the divine. The few that lived by the decrees of the god of actors were Priests in origin only.


    Their skillsets inevitable melded with Rogues¡¯, making them Tricksters, the divine equivalent to the Illusionist. Amongst those in the clerical professions, Tricksters were seen as something like the Berserker to the Knight. Technically in the same group, but at the far fringe.


    As a world made by such a god was not a place where the church would flourish, but as an organization that crossed over many worlds, they had the funds to secure a facility such as this. Even if it were just a few Priests recruited here, the Cardinals wouldn¡¯t miss the opportunity to guide new adventurers on the right path. Every Priest recruited was, after all, a potential missionary to countless new worlds. Although all created by the gods, many species in the omniverse had still to learn what it means to worship.


    The temple of the thirty-three was quiet. Which was why the steps behind Mehily echoed so strongly. Still, her eyes stayed closed and her lips moved only in quiet prayer. Her cold hands clutched around her medium, raised up to the flawless block of glass in front of her. It was a mere representation of the eternal ice that was Jersoja¡¯s symbol, just like her pendant, a cube carved from crystal.


    ¡°Priestess Mehily, your prayer must end, the angels still need of you and if you punish yourself longer, there will be no more service you can give,¡± a friendly voice, one she wasn¡¯t familiar with, spoke in a chastising manner to her, finally causing the addressed to open her eyes. The lids only raised sluggishly and her acquiescently lowered head felt stiff.


    She faced infinity. Where everything in the building was stone or altar, only the floors in these chambers were made from glass. As they hung over the edge of the leaf, it meant that the believers could see the omniverse, or at least a part of it, below them.


    Mehily¡¯s dry eyes saw the uncountable numbers of silver branches spread out below her. Most of them so distant they were nothing more than a thin vein, yet so numerous that they formed together a layered carpet through which only one uncovered dot fell into her eyes. A simple, not even nail sized piece of the nothing below the roots of the omniverse. Next to it, even the concept of black through a lightless midnight would have looked like a warm colour. The complete and utter void pulled at her soul and filled her mind distantly with their fear. Their endless, numbing fear.


    Whoever had spoken grabbed her forcefully by the shoulder and pulled her away. ¡°You are not ready for this revelation yet, child,¡± he spoke and shielded her eyes from the world with his right hand as he turned her around. Below, the branches swayed and left but a glow of silver below them.


    ¡°Who¡­?¡± Mehily wanted to ask when the hand was lifted from her head again, used to better support her weak body instead. Her throat was parched and denied further words. Now that her posture of prayer was broken, she could no longer move. Weakly, her eyes fell on the man¡¯s garb. Where her own was white and blue, his robe also had the colours of dark green and red mixed into the stripes, the colours of autumn and summer gods. Combined with the thin, golden embroidery on the base of his sleeves, right around his shoulders, there could be no mistake.


    She was face to face with Cardinal Remezan, one of the thirty-three members of the third highest rank in the church, subordinate only to the Ecclesiarches and the Progenitor¡¯s Chosen herself. A man several hundred years old and veteran of many adventures. Bald but with a long, bushy beard that only had a couple of grey streaks running through its black mass, the tanned man had a look that matched his friendly tone.


    Why there always was a Cardinal on this leaf, nobody had ever quite understood. They usually were busy on frontiers or guiding the faithful where catastrophe had struck. It was not a rank known for sitting in safe leaves, neither were they known for speaking to neophytes.


    Remezan produced a golden cup out of seemingly nowhere and held it against her lips, the purple red liquid inside running against her split lips. ¡°Drink, it will rejuvenate you for a few hours,¡± he promised, ¡°but it will not be a replacement for a proper meal.¡±


    Undeserving of such honour, Mehily still opened her mouth and gulped down the magical drink. It tasted like the finest wine, far beyond what any vinery she had ever encountered could produce. Sweet and cold, it ran down her parched throat and spread like a cool, soothing waved through her body. When the last drop had left the cup, it disappeared as if it had never existed.


    ¡°Y-your holiness,¡± Mehily began trying to free herself from the man¡¯s grasp to prostrate herself. However, he held on with a benevolent smile. Despite this, Mehily felt like she was on a verge of a panic attack. She had never heard of a Cardinal interrupting anybody¡¯s prayer before, she must have done something wrong.


    ¡°Relax, Priestess,¡± he stated and pressed two fingers onto her forehead. A more intense, forceful calm settled on her mind, a state bordering on apathy. ¡°You have been kneeling in front of Jersoja¡¯s altar for two straight days. Your devotion is admirable, but your lack of self-preservation will lead you nowhere but an untimely grave.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± she calmly nodded. ¡°Is this why you came to help me, Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he answered, ¡°under normal circumstances, it would have been the angels that would have informed you about your misdeeds, but these aren¡¯t days that will pass as normal.¡± Letting those words sink in for a moment, the Cardinal chose his next slowly. ¡°It is¡­ admirable that you came to report to use as quickly as you did. This¡­ slime¡¯s existence is deeply disturbing to us. In all of the divine archives, spanning countless worlds and countless creations, I have never heard of something like it. Similar things, yes, but nothing exactly like it.¡±


    ¡°It was a creature unfitting of any world and unfitting to procreate with humanoids, your holiness,¡± Mehily agreed quickly. ¡°An assortment of stolen, divinely shaped limbs in an impure amalgamation. I could not feel the slightest touch of divinity in it.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ which worries me deeply¡­ especially with your acquaintance Reysha carrying a disease so rare¡­ and another report about a matter I cannot talk with you about,¡± the Cardinal kept it cryptic but quickly continued. ¡°I will be honest with you, Mehily, we need to catch this amalgam and question it about this secret matter. These things happened too close to one another to rule out a possible involvement.¡± Giving her an apologetic tone, ¡°This is as much as I can tell you, my apologies.¡±


    The Priestess didn¡¯t mind at all, she was already thinking about another thing. ¡°Then you will chase down this threat yourself?¡± Mehily¡¯s voice was hopeful, if a Cardinal was going on a hunt, that slime was as good as dead.


    Her heart sank when Remezan shook his head. ¡°I cannot leave this place, as is my oath. My presence here is the lock to a greater evil.¡±


    ¡°A greater evil than a godless being?¡± the Priestess felt like her world was slowly getting ground down from the outside. There were so many things of terrible nature she didn¡¯t know about.


    ¡°A greater sin than being born without a divine spark is to forfeit it through hatred towards the silver heavens,¡± the Cardinal cryptically spoke and quickly moved on, having already said too much. ¡°And this slime you describe seems to at least have an inch of morality, it let you and your comrades live after all, did it not?¡±


    ¡°Who knows what abominable thoughts led it to that action!¡± she spewed the words out like a mouthful of poison. In her mind, there could be no empathetic reason this creature would let them go.


    ¡°...Who knows indeed,¡± Remezan said slowly, taking a more charitable stance towards this beings intentions. There was still a chance that monster had no relations to what he feared. The fact that it hadn¡¯t murdered where convenient for it had to mean something. ¡°By the end, I hope to know. I do not trust the Guild alone in this, Mehily, yet I cannot go myself. I have asked my gods and the angels have delivered me an answer,¡± his brown eyes stared deeply into her, right down to her soul, a golden cross segmenting his pupil. ¡°We are forming an Inquisition.¡±

 Pieced Together 1

    ¡°Huurgh!¡± Reysha cried out, as did her back. Although her body, naturally trained and pushed beyond its physical limitations through her feats of adventuring, was strong, her back very much agreed with her tone of voice. A jolt of pain let her know that she had just made a severe mistake, ¡°Ow- ow- ow-!¡± the tiger girl made a series of pained noises as she moved along, despite the pulled muscle.


    ¡°My deepest apologies,¡± Aclysia flew over to her back and began gathering energy from the surroundings. A safe leaf¡¯s magic was always easy to absorb, it helped that her mana was the same that laid on the foundation of this world. Through a simple touch, she eliminated the back pain.


    ¡°For not helping me lift this FUCKING HEAVY PIECE OF SHIT?!¡± Reysha screamed as she finally heaved Apexus body out of the wooden bowl and onto the flat floor of the reopened entrance. There was no easy way back to the entrance this time, neither would they have taken it if there was. With it being guarded, it was simply not the wanted escape route. ¡°Or for being such a massive bitch lately?¡± she almost felt Apexus jab her in the side again. ¡°Sorry, that was out of line.¡±


    Aclysia swallowed down what was the first thing that came to her mind. If those last few days and the fact that her beloved had actually jabbed her multiple times had proven anything, then that the quick answer was not the one that lead to a desirable outcome. ¡°I meant to apologize for the former, but I can apologize for the latter too if you so desire.¡±


    ¡°Nah, spare me, we both said things we didn¡¯t need to,¡± Reysha said and thus the entire thing was done for her. She wasn¡¯t one to dwell. ¡°Why did he have to grow so much before falling asleep, though?!¡± having a much more present and physical problem definitely helped. ¡°Not like it''s hard enough to pull the fucker in the first place!¡±


    Apexus was still knocked out and had put on at least ten centimetres. Theory had it that this substantial increase in size had come from the boss being largely made from wood, a material the slime¡¯s physiology used more reliably to increase his mass. Either that or the slime had actually grown steadily the last four days and both Reysha and Aclysia had simply not given him enough attention to notice. Given how preoccupied they had been with bickering, their only real moments of interacting with Apexus being complaining about his voice at that point, that sounded all too possible.


    ¡°Now I have back pain and feel bad!¡± the redhead growled as she let out another sound of prolonged strain, taking a slow step backwards and dragging the semi-liquid body with her. Parts of the slime got stuck on bark or other uneven parts of the ground, ripped off and turned into harmless drops of water. The nucleus magic, taking what was once just water and turning it into a membrane around acid, evidently got lost the moment part of the slime¡¯s body got properly separated.


    Still, given how much surface area Apexus had, dragging him was a massive chore. It would have been already under normal circumstances, now that his elliptic smoothness had made place for, what Reysha would describe as, the aesthetic of a half-molten piece of cheese, it was just that bit worse. Didn¡¯t help that there was no real place to grab the slime.


    The wings were the first place she had attempted to pull him by, but there was no proper way to get a grip on that. Not without skewering her hands anyway, below the soft feathers laid their sharp quills after all. The second attempt had been to lift him, but it was downright impossible to lift something that was giving away under her hands. Which was also why Aclysia wasn¡¯t helping, attempts to shove Apexus from behind had only been met by her bulging in the membrane until she actually mustered enough force to sink in.


    Reysha could have tried to get under Apexus and put him on her back, but she had no idea how to get there, if she even could lift herself up afterwards nor if she could secure the slime in position, given his back-heavy form, with the wings and the new carapace and whatnot.


    In the end, she had found that the only way to move the unconscious blob was to put her hands into the wing-gap in his new back plating. This only enabled her to drag him sideways, since those slits were located on the broadest part of the slime, by putting both hands into one gap and then going backwards.


    ¡°Pretty stylish thing,¡± Reysha commented on the new Growth. Although originally birch wood, like any other permanently acquired part, it had changed quite a bit upon becoming part of Apexus body. The light blue, wood-like material was mostly smooth, only a few black cracks running through it and giving the segmented whole a cohesive feeling.


    Although gapless in its protection of Apexus¡¯s back, there was a clear separation of different plates both in length and width. The latter was much more visible, a thick middle row and two side rows that grew off it shortly behind Apexus¡¯s ears. They were directly adjacent to the middle row for most of Apexus¡¯s length, only a circular and complete parting present where the wings reached out.


    The design had to compromise there and create that large opening for aerodynamic reasons. Showing the wings was nice and all, but they also needed to have the space to flap around. There were no such gaps along the length, though. Starting with a triangular one between his blue fox ears, the plates grew above the base of the ones succeed them, forming a protective ridge. They weren¡¯t quite as well locked as the Archwood Roller¡¯s had been, so Apexus wouldn¡¯t be able to curl together like the boss had, but it was still a pretty great defence.


    Reysha¡¯s feet hit the brambles and she groaned. At least the bowl had been smooth. ¡°Well, good thing you are unconscious, Apexi,¡± the tiger girl joked as the branch-woven ground tore more and more small chunks out of the slime until she finally succeeded in shoving the heavy liquid into the healing fountain. Aclysia had already tried healing the slime, but that hadn¡¯t done anything. Therefore, they didn¡¯t expect Apexus to wake up from this, but they couldn¡¯t let him lie in the boss room either.


    It seemed he had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion and no spell (at least none Aclysia knew how to use) could fix that. Since they had no idea how long he would sleep for, they couldn¡¯t risk him laying there when a new boss spawned in. Also, there was a chance the slime was dehydrated or something, so they decided this was as good a place as anywhere.


    . ¡°¡­He can¡¯t drown, right?¡± Reysha asked and hissed at Aclysia when the white-haired flying girl raised an eyebrow. ¡°He is a batch of primordial soup that can grow fucking legs, I know he is basically made from water but how the fuck would I be sure?!¡±


    ¡°I did not mean to condemn your assumption with my glance,¡± the metal fairy apologetically lowered her head. ¡°To the best of my knowledge, Apexus has been born inside an underground lake. This information is based on a conversation had on paper when he was less fluent with words, however, so it might be incorrect.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can ask him ourselves when he wakes up,¡± Reysha said and rubbed her exposed back while stretching like a middle-aged man after chucking wood the whole day. Just about twenty times more enticingly, since she pushed her fairly sizable chest out in process. The motion transformed into her stretching just about every limb she had. Tension falling off her as she yawned. ¡°Alrighty, I am going to check if we got any rewards,¡± the tiger stated, since they had nothing to do but wait anyway. She headed back into the boss room. ¡°Going to be back in a bit.¡±

 Pieced Together 2

    ¡°I¡¯m so booooreeed, wanna play a game?¡± the question reached Apexus¡¯ ears as he slowly shifted out of unconsciousness. Although he heard the words, he wasn¡¯t really able to make sense of it. The part of his core that was tasked with listening comprehension hadn¡¯t quite woken up yet. Instead, he only slowly got control of his senses one by one.


    First to awaken was the most fundamental sense the slime had, being its tremor location. The water running over it made the sense pretty unreliable, everything outside its direct surroundings was as if observed through multiple layers of tinted glass. The second most valued sense followed soon after, being the slime¡¯s tasting. Not that there was much to taste, just the faint sweetness of magic-infused water.


    Beginning to move, Apexus carefully stretched his feathers. His right wing felt numb and was tugged uncomfortably underneath him. Oddly angled, the other was partly drenched and partly dry. Also an unpleasant feeling.


    ¡°I think he is waking up,¡± yet more words that his ears picked up but his nucleus refused to decipher just yet. At least he identified the voice as Aclysia¡¯s, wherever he was, he was clearly not in danger. Otherwise, the metal fairy wouldn¡¯t sound that relaxed.


    ¡°Sure he is, it¡¯s totally not him just moving in his sleep again,¡± the other voice he realized as Reysha¡¯s. ¡°Anyway, I spy with my little eye something that is-¡°


    ¡°Is it black and called the sky?¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    ¡°We ran out of subject to guess at a while ago¡­ No, I am certain he is awakening.¡±


    Apexus opened his eyes and closed them again immediately. They were awfully dry, despite the overabundance of water around him, so he clenched his eyelids in hope that it would change. Opening them just minuscule gap again, there was a giant silver light that caused the squinting slime to want and keep them closed. However, if he ever wanted to see, he had to get adjusted to the light, so he blinked his way back to his eyes working, at some point along that process, his thoughts also started working again ¨C his hearing with it.


    ¡°Apexus!¡± the happy voice reached his ears as he crawled out of the water. A moment later, most of his vision was blocked by moth-like wings and the body of a small person, but big fairy. Aclysia was hugging his face dearly. ¡°Are you okay? Do you need to be healed? Have you slept well?¡±


    A series of questions that he forgot for a second he could actually answer. Well, if he remembered how to use his voice again. ¡°I hungry¡­¡± he stopped when his previously deep and pleasant voice sounded oddly sick and dull. After a moment, he realized that the wood was so soaked with water that it caused the reverberations to sound odd.


    He stretched his body into a very steep curve, increasing the gaps between the plates until they became visible. Part of the water begun running out. A couple of testing sounds, not words just notes, informed the slime that he hadn¡¯t cleaned his vocal plate thoroughly enough. As a next measure, he pulled together like a worm on the move. This put pressure on the middle plates, pressing yet more water out of them. After repeating both motions a couple of times, the slime finally had dried the wood enough that he sounded close to the deep tone he wanted to address them with.


    ¡°I hungry¡­ I AM hungry. Don¡¯t need healing. Don¡¯t think sleep was particularly¡­ good,¡± he answered the questions in order, fluttering with his right wing as feeling returned to it through something like a thousand thorns pricking into the limb under the feathers. Not in a particularly painful way, just deeply bothersome. It quickly became better though, so the slime soon folded both wings into their proper positions, rather than the odd angles they must have laid in during his slumber. ¡°Eyes burning¡­ feel¡­ tired? Unused to it. Want to sleep more. Also don¡¯t. Saw bad images.¡±


    ¡°You were moving around a lot,¡± Reysha observed, kneeling down and poking Aclysia until she backed off Apexus at least enough for the slime to see the tiger girl. Since she moved with the usual smoothness, the slime guessed that she had been healed. The fact that neither of them were glaring claws at the other was also a positive sign. ¡°What did you dream?¡±


    ¡°That was dr¡­ a dream?¡± Apexus spoke while correcting himself. Since he already sucked at math, he didn¡¯t also want to be bad at speaking. He didn¡¯t want Aclysia to laugh at him again. Much rather, he hoped that she would one day be impressed with his wordiness. ¡®Elo-kensh¡­ eloquence!¡¯ Apexus found that one bigger word. ¡°Saw you two and teaching old man, were all ridiculing me. Then you left me to be eaten by walking steel-man. Dream was awful¡­ Awful dreams nightm¡­ ARE nightmares, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aclysia gently caressed the base of his ear. That was a nice place to be touched on, sensitive in a pleasant way, different from the sexual stuff. ¡°I will never leave you, awakener, do not worry. The nightmare is over now.¡±


    Not too long ago, Apexus had been convinced the only thing that could separate him from Gizmo was the old man¡¯s death. That had turned out to be wrong. Despite that, the slime decided to believe those words. What he felt for the fairy was vastly stronger than the bond of studentship it had possessed with the leech in man¡¯s skin.


    ¡°Yeah, while we are on the prospect of me also not leaving,¡± Reysha raised herself into their awareness. ¡°We need to get a couple of things done. First, me and Apexus got to eat. Then, we got to fuck. THEN we got to get out of this thing without using the entrance, somehow.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be wiser if we switched step 2 and 3 in order,¡± Aclysia offered a correction.


    ¡°And I think I need to get my holes ravaged so badly I might start masturbating to an attractive looking piece of wood,¡± Reysha put against that. ¡°Seriously, I have been in need since I first ate something. The whole fighting kept me from even masturbating. If another thing gets in my way, my pussy is going to drown in its own juices. Hell, I can take off this suit and show y-¡°


    She was already moving her hands when Apexus extended a tentacle. As always, during sleep all of his temporary Growths had disappeared, otherwise he would have raised a leg. Currently, he felt too famished to grow a new one. ¡°No, not necessary,¡± he stopped her. ¡°I in agreement wi- I AM in agreement with Aclysia. Don¡¯t want scary people finding us. Not during procreation, especially. Want to have procreation in safety.¡±


    ¡°Urgh fine¡­ can I still strip?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be able to concentrate if you did,¡± Apexus told her. The tiger girl¡¯s hand moved and revealed the naked skin of her shoulders. Two dark brown stripes spanned over her muscles, a few shades darker than the rest of her.


    Aclysia flew up to her and poked the tiger girl¡¯s nose, ¡°He said no.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I¡¯m teasing him,¡± Reysha stuck out her tongue but then, with a giggle, pulled her suit back into position. The fact that this bit of shoulder was enough to get Apexus dangerously close to changing into tentacle-state was evidence that he too really wanted to get laid. Still, not the place for it. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re agreeing on the food then, right? Because I¡¯m going to load my guts before the dullness sets in again.¡±


    ¡°Want to ask just one other¡­ thing,¡± Apexus presented a small interference. ¡°Did we get rewards? Something useful?¡± Although Apexus didn¡¯t have the capabilities to wield any equipment yet, he had respect for it after seeing it in action. The dagger was more dangerous than any claw the slime had come across and clothes had deflected various blows. Eventually, the sapient blob wanted to try his limbs on those things as well. ¡°From anything. Never asked what rewards before boss were.¡±


    ¡°Well, we got four items in total,¡± Reysha answered and went to rummage inside her bag, pulling out one item after another. ¡°Guess Hashahin isn¡¯t that generous here because just about everyone goes into this dungeon, but nobody goes to Clearwater. Anyway, as I said, these two are useless. To us, at least,¡± she showed Apexus the two items the chests before the boss had spewed out. One was a giant mace that would be hard to wield even with two arms and the other was a little feather. ¡°This would sell for a lot, Scribe items are pretty rare and sought after,¡± Reysha stated, pointing at the latter, ¡°but we¡¯re wanted now, so whatever.¡±


    ¡°If useless, can I try eating it?¡± Apexus asked. The feather was black and reflected the moonlight with an intense shimmering that didn¡¯t seem natural.


    ¡°For all I care,¡± Reysha extended her hand towards Apexus, who enveloped her down to the fingertips. In this, he was careful not to digest her a little bit. A successful attempt at holding back, her fingers came away unscathed even as the feather was pulled inside. The slime had become pretty adept at this. ¡°For your info, you¡¯re heavy as shit¡­ and also not acidic while you are unconscious.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are there¡­ are there excrements as big and heavy as me?¡± Apexus asked while trying to eat the feather. Nothing happened to the item. It simply existed inside him and radiated a magic aura, somewhat like Aclysia but way weaker. That reminded the slime to try and perceive Aclysia purely on the basis of her magic. Only the part of her that was touching him, her butt and legs, he could actually feel.


    Those were the specific parts he could feel because she had found her resting place on his back again. He had even shrunk down one of the plates just to feel her directly, rather than just be faintly aware that there was something sitting on him. The natural armour had a massive disadvantage, if he couldn¡¯t feel those firm thighs and soft ass of hers.


    ¡°¡­Are you seriously not aware of metaphors?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°¡­Ooooh!¡± Apexus made a long sound. ¡°It was a metaphor! I do get it now! I am sorry, never understood all of speech in all of its windings.¡±


    Aclysia chuckled and gently touched his nearby feathers. ¡°That¡¯s alright, you will learn, my awakener,¡± he could hear the smile in her voice, ¡°I love your voice, I would love to teach you to use it more eloquently¡­ I mean, give you more wordin-¡°


    ¡°I know that word!¡± Apexus was quick to assure her. ¡°Know most words, just hard to remember them. You and Gizmo were talking in lots of terms. I¡­ am very observant!¡±


    Reysha snapped her fingers numerous times to interrupt them. ¡°You two get to flirt when I get to have sex!¡± she declared. ¡°Anyway, other two items, give me a second.¡±


    She pulled two pieces of dark wood from her inventory. One was extremely long, smooth and reinforced with metal at the caps. Some sort of fighting staff. The second was much shorter, barely longer than Reysha¡¯s hand, and seemed more like an unworked branch. Twigs grew out of the upper end and formed some sort of cage.


    ¡°This thing is at least somewhat useful,¡± the tiger girl stated, holding it in her right. After a few moments, the inside of the cage began to glow, the brightness increasing steadily. ¡°Low-tier magical torch. As long as someone with magical power holds it, it emits light. With our line-up, not all that necessary.¡± She put everything back into the velvet bag on her hips, even the feather, as Apexus found he couldn¡¯t eat it.


    ¡°Alright¡­ now we hunt,¡± Apexus declared.

 Pieced Together 3

    ¡°Having legs¡¯s nice,¡± Apexus announced as he stretched the four thin stalks. Although he was a bit bigger, those things carried him reliably. They were surprisingly strong. If he hadn¡¯t needed to yell at his two companions, then he would probably would have considered growing those instead.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t use a contraction there,¡± Aclysia informed.


    The slime thought for a second. ¡°Having legs is nice?¡± he repeated what he thought to be the corrected version. As he was given a nod for that, he tried to remember this rule. ¡°Language is weird. Will get better.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll¡­¡± Reysha stopped to slurp down some thin piece of meat, the insides of the same legs Apexus now had. It was sucked into her mouth, aided by its own fatty exterior, in a continuous stream until it vanished completely. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. How do I look?¡± The answer was obviously bloody, a unavoidably side-appearance of ripping out monster guts all the time. What she meant, though, were her eyes.


    ¡°Darker, but not black,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°Somewhere in the middle. Not really getting any black anymore. Might be similar to me and growing? Can¡¯t grow if I only eat the same stuff.¡±


    Aclysia hummed, ¡°Alternatively, it might be that your level is simply too high now. Noir is, as I understood it, magic poisoning that the body somehow reacts to by mutating rapidly. Well, this is just a theory, I can¡¯t claim to know more than the fellow who wrote the book you initially got the information from.¡±


    ¡°Okay, lemme just mash these two theories together: the poison is too weak and I have partly immunized against it so my condition isn¡¯t getting ¡®worse¡¯,¡± Reysha summarized in a bored tone, licking the remaining blood of her claws while Apexus got over and devoured the rest of the carcass she had been working on. ¡°And since its not getting worse, my body doesn¡¯t need to adapt further.¡±


    ¡°Something to that extent, yes,¡± Aclysia agreed.


    Apexus turned his ears. ¡°Clacking steps,¡± he warned, regulating his voice in volume to be as quiet as a whisper. ¡°There is a steel man coming.¡± The group quickly fled into a dark niche. In this case, a side room that had not a single piece of illuminating sap inside it. Having been through this area before, the trio was aware of several such areas. This wasn¡¯t the first group they had to avoid after all.


    Reysha held her stiletto at the ready. Deadly blow or not, if they were discovered it could prove fatal whether they got the first attack or not. ¡°Guys, I really don¡¯t think we should be in here!¡± they heard a whining, barely male voice. It was high-pitched and definitely annoying.


    The tip of the stiletto quivered as Reysha giggled. ¡°That¡¯s what you sounded like,¡± her words were barely more than a breathe, a Rogue spell called Aimed Whisper preventing it from bouncing back from the walls. Instead, it travelled only directly into Apexus¡¯ ears. Despite its limited range, it was rather useful for secretive communication.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Well, that was the theory. Since Reysha now had to discover all spells of her weight class on her lonesome, having only learned descriptions of their function to work with, flawed attempts were to be expected. ¡°I definitely heard something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you heard something the last fifteen times as well,¡± a second voice grumbled, judging by the rough tone, probably the Warrior of the group. ¡°Now, let¡¯s move along¡­ hm?¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s unusual,¡± a third, melodic and clearly female tone spoke. ¡°There is blood here.¡±


    ¡°By the darkest roots, what of that is unusual? We are ¨C in ¨C a ¨C dungeon!¡±


    ¡°There is no corpse, you woodbrain,¡± the female chuckled, followed by a sound of wood, presumably a staff, dinging on metal, a helmet. It sounded pretty hollow. ¡°Also there is blood EVERYWHERE. Just seems unusual.¡±


    ¡°M-m-m-maybe it¡¯s that r-r-r-r-rare monster the Guild warned us about?!¡± the whiny first voice stuttered, Apexus could practically hear his kneecaps repeatedly clacking against one another.


    ¡®That¡¯s all the info they have?¡¯ Apexus wondered. ¡®Expected more, honestly.¡¯


    Suddenly the Warrior shouted, as if in massive pain, and the whiny one let out a high-pitched scream. There was the sound of a person falling down and hearty laughter from the two others. ¡°Relax, will you,¡± the (alleged) Warrior said in a good mood. ¡°See, no rare monster around. Even if there was, we could probably kill it. We are a pretty good group, us three.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± despite being ridiculed the whiny one seemed relieved. Two hands met, somebody got back on their feet. ¡°Okay¡­ okay, I will try to be calm.¡±


    ¡°Some paranoia is healthy,¡± the woman mused. ¡°I do wonder what happened here, but it probably won¡¯t affect us¡­. Speaking of paranoia, do we want to explore that room?¡± There was only one room around and it was dark.


    The hiding trio tensed up. ¡°Nah,¡± they relaxed again. ¡°I am not going into rooms without light in this place. One extra item isn¡¯t worth the injuries.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± the melodic female answered and soon the steps went from moving to distant. Once they almost couldn¡¯t hear them anymore, Reysha and Apexus nodded and left their hiding place.


    ¡°Need to train that some more,¡± the tiger girl said, rubbing her throat. ¡°They say base skills are easy, but you still gotta practice them a teeny weeny itty bitty bit.¡± Base skills were basically what made the starting classes the starting classes. What separated one class from another in practical terms was the way their spells worked. Rogue¡¯s were all about manipulating the effectiveness of their movements, whether that more quietly sneaking or stabbing particularly effectively.


    All of that utilized the same mindset and typically utilized the same techniques for mana manipulation. Rogue¡¯s affected their joints to be more flexible and find mean tricks, Warriors strengthened their bones to be sturdier and Brawlers their muscles to pack more of a punch with their melee attacks. That was a rough generalization, but it painted a generally true picture. The spells and skills hadn¡¯t come about because the classes existed, the classes existed because spells and skills fit into certain applications.


    The base skills somebody specialized in or showed talents for pretty quickly brought them on their path. Although Reysha was a gifted individual, that didn¡¯t mean she was just able to learn all of them immediately. If base skills were so easy that just anyone could learn them quickly, every living humanoid would at least be a starting level adventurer. Even within a class, it was highly unusual to have an individual who mastered all base skills. Most of them took the creed of ¡®build tall, not wide¡¯ to heart and dabbled only in what worked.


    ¡°Anyway, I guess we¡¯re leaving then?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°Because, as fun as this all-I-can-eat is, this tree is getting on my nerves.¡± She showed a very dangerous smile and began stabbing the thorn-like weapon in her hand at the wooden walls. ¡°I would loooove to burn this whole fucking thing down.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t burn it,¡± Apexus raised his voice. ¡°I¡¯ll eat it¡­ though? Is that a word I can use there?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ and why would you eat it?¡± Aclysia wanted to know.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a branch,¡± the slime began walking on all fours, always careful to stay away from the spiked walls. ¡°Easier to explain there.¡± It didn¡¯t take them too long, maybe two hours. It would have gone faster were it not for the adventuring groups roaming around. At least they learned what was going on currently, apparently the Guild had issued a warning about a rare monster that could roam freely and was currently hiding in this dungeon.


    It wasn¡¯t an unheard off thing, sometimes a monster was born from the dungeon without possessing the dungeon instinct. Since they were, for all intents and purposes, fully functioning animals, the monsters then vanished into the wild. As they were still rare enough to never find a mate out in the wild, such strays died out in one generation. If they weren¡¯t culled by somebody out for the bounty. Farmers didn¡¯t take kindly to giant lizards running around, biting their livestock. Neither did empires to drakes, burning down their citizenry. All a question of scale.


    ¡®At least that¡¯s what Gizmo said,¡¯ Apexus thought as a breeze rushed over his feathers. ¡®No idea what empire¡­ an empire even is¡­ many people, but how many?¡¯ There was a fine summer rain that fell down around the tree. They were mostly shielded by the branches above them, only an occasional gathering of water making it down in one large drop. In the distance, Apexus saw Haralry. ¡°Is that an empire?¡± for everyone else, the question must have come out of the blue.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s just a city,¡± Aclysia told him.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t a city a type of habitat and empire a type of government?¡± the slime wanted to know.


    ¡°Yes, but the two are intertwined,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°More people mean more elaborate systems of governance are needed. An empire is made out of many kingdoms, kingdoms are made out of many duchies, duchies are mostly one large city with many lands. Although not always.¡±


    Apexus remembered that lecture, but the refresher helped. ¡°Bigger animals need more complicated organs. Humanoids grow organs in their minds that keep order. Like that?¡±


    ¡°Largely accurate,¡± Aclysia nodded.


    ¡°I see. Will ponder more about that later. Seems interesting and overcrowded¡­¡± Also entirely useless for him, since he didn¡¯t plan to engage with humanoids if he could avoid it. Their track record didn¡¯t speak out for him being safe around them. Nevertheless, something to riddle about when he was bored. ¡°Plan¡­ my plan,¡± Apexus went for the actual topic. ¡°Reysha can¡¯t get out through the main entrance, right?¡±


    ¡°Thanksh for pointing out the obvioush, again,¡± Reysha rolled her eyes, peeling some remaining meat out between her teeth. Her light red claws looked like there was still blood stuck under them. ¡°How is you eating the tree going to help.¡±


    ¡°Highly magical tree,¡± Apexus explained, ¡°should make me much bigger. Hopefully, big enough so I can fly you down.¡±


    ¡°Aaaaaaah,¡± the tiger snapped her finger, ¡°Gotcha. Works for me.¡± The alternative was trying to sneak out the front gate, probably highly guarded right now, given the circumstances. It was either taking a potentially lethal dive with a chimeric slime or getting imprisoned and having to listen to Mehily and the rest of her sanctimonious lot. The former sounded way better. ¡°Alright then, you sexy voiced batch of something, you start eating that and I will try to munch on something else before we leave!¡±

 Pieced Together 4

    ¡°Can you hurry it up?!¡± Reysha groaned, licking her hands clean of the third meal she had taken while Apexus was busy trying to gnaw on the dungeon structure. ¡°You have been working on that branch for like four hours now.¡±


    ¡°Is dense material,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°IT is dense material¡­ Keep¡­ I keep forgetting the first word in sentences.¡±


    The tiger girl yawned, to show just how little she cared about the slimes imperfect speech patterns. ¡°Gimme an idea of what you¡¯re doing then, so I can share in your plight,¡± she requested, a sudden curiosity coming over her.


    ¡°I need to get the exterior¡­ the bark under my exterior¡­ my membrane,¡± Apexus had to stop twice in the sentence to find the correct terms. ¡°I can¡¯t properly digest things just on my body. They need to be in.¡± All the while he spoke, mandibles of the local creatures were working on a branch and slowly chipping away on the surface.


    This was the second outgrowth from the main, broad path of wood that extended out of the giant tree dungeon, that Apexus was munching on. The bark was the real problem, since the mandibles were meant to eat the somewhat softer core-wood of the three and thus had little problems once past. Little problems meaning that it still took way too long to tear into the wood, there was a reason why Archwood Maggots were staying inside one burrow for the majority of their lives.


    Apexus had taken on quite a bit of mass already. If Reysha, herself a pretty tall humanoid, laid down next to him, she would havee been only about one head longer than him. Since he was also quite a bit broader, not to mention one massive ellipsis compared to the many segments the tiger girl¡¯s body was separated into, it was fair to say that Apexus had outgrown her by now.


    If he would have copied her rough outline, with four limbs and those egg-shaped tops humanoids had, Apexus imagined he would have been taller than her by quite the margin. Well, depending on how broad or slim he made himself. It was just a thought experiment, he didn¡¯t find that shape particularly convincing in use. At least as long as he didn¡¯t have hands, feet and, most importantly, a bone structure. If he even wanted one of those.


    Open questions, very open questions. For now, Apexus¡¯ personal next goal was a proper mouth. Not for talking, but to have a more reliable biting and ripping tool. On the topic of questions, Reysha had another one.


    ¡°So, wait, if you need to have things inside you, how did you eat the boss then?¡±


    ¡°You mean when he was dead or when alive?¡± Apexus asked, then stopped to ask Aclysia something. ¡°Can I drop the second when in that sentence?¡±


    Stopping in her somewhat paranoid watch of the surroundings, the metal fairy flew over, ¡°Yes, that is not a required piece in the sentence to keep it understandable.¡±


    ¡°For the record, I mean alive,¡± Reysha kept them on topic. ¡°When its dead and not squirming around, I get it. You can just search for a spot that is convenient and eat it from there¡­¡± She suddenly started giggling, ¡°Like you did earlier.¡±


    What she was referring too was Apexus trying to eat a branch from the tip downwards. That was the logical idea, just wrap himself around some thin part and dissolve his way down. The last time he had tried something like that, it had worked perfectly. Last time, he had also been a lot lighter. Rather than the easy eating Apexus had hoped for, he indeed had the branch bend under his weight until he fell downwards like a massive drop of water.


    Fortunately, he caught himself and flew back up before he could splatter on any surface. The slime could only imagine the amount of force behind an uncontrolled impact his current size would bring with it. After landing back on the safe wood, he had instead opted to cut the branch off piece by piece and digest those. Immensely more work, but way safer.


    ¡°Did not really¡­ didn¡¯t really¡­ I didn¡¯t really!¡± The wooden plate let out a frustrated groan after Apexus realized he needed three attempts to formulate a normal sentence start. Since he was a beast that grew through continuous efforts, rather than gaining sudden explosions of power, he had the patience to continue regardless, but sometimes it got annoying to be inept at new things. ¡°I didn¡¯t really digest it, just managed to dissolve enough of the abrasive surface to make it too weak to sustain its own weight. Would be like making the bark smooth. Small meal, not helpful right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay,¡± Reysha nodded and then looked at the remainder of her own remains of food.


    ¡°You always leave a mess,¡± Apexus noted. ¡°Can you not eat innards?¡±


    ¡°I guess I could search for the liver,¡± Reysha noted, looking at the bird corpse behind her. The Woodsharper had decided to do its dirty work in the wrong corridor and was now, as Apexus has rightfully pointed out, a mess. Most of its feathers had been ripped out and muscle fibres all stripped of the bones, partly broken, leaving a bunch of organs scattered on the floor, still loosely connected and bloody. ¡°But I am not going to fill my mouth with bile, stomach acid or literal shit¡­ did you ever eat shit?¡±


    ¡°When I was a drop,¡± Apexus told her, much to the tiger girls amusement as she began laughing. Loudly, in an immensely shrill tone that could probably be heard four branches over. Which was why Aclysia was quick flying up to her and held the redheads mouth close as best she could. The slime was still talking without caring about this, ¡°First thing I ever ate was a small insect that survived off¡­ well, wasn¡¯t exactly shit, was matter settling on the floor of a small pond in a state of decay. Pretty sure there was defecation amongst it, though. Tasted awful, I went on to hunt and eat moss instead.¡±


    ¡°Right, I can ask you this now,¡± Aclysia flew over and settled on her usual spot on his back. Although her eyes still were on the look-out for any sudden adventurer attacks, ¡°Can you actually tell me where you are from? The description you gave me and Gizmo was rather short and lacklustre.¡± To be fair to the slime, it had been one of his first extended writing assignments ever.


    Reysha, biting her lower lip in an effort to keep down her laughter, a gesture that looked purely accidentally sexy, nodded. ¡°Might help you¡­ hihihi,¡± she started talking, only to immediately giggle insanely, ¡°Whew¡­ sorry, bad at controlling myself. Might help you get better at talking, is what I wanted to say.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Apexus started, ¡°I cannot tell you much. There was a flash and then I just was. I came into consciousness and needed to eat. Then I knew how to copy. Then I ate different things. I grew, I ate bigger things.¡± The slime took a moment off his work to point at a drop of rainwater that was hanging from a nearby leaf, ¡°Was even smaller than that.¡±


    Aclysia hummed, this sounded entirely different from being created by a god. When she had been created, she had actively felt her soul forming and slowly growing stronger, a body being added later at the behest of her creator. ¡°Does this match up with the usual mortal experience?¡± she asked Reysha. Not that she was actually that uneducated about the basic mortal reproductive cycle, it was just better to ask.


    ¡°Oh hells to the no,¡± the blue-in-grey-eyed woman waved off. ¡°We need like 14 to 18 years to grow up and basically nobody remembers being a baby¡­ even if many people still are giant babies¡­ speaking of that, how old are you anyway? Sheer curiosity.¡±


    The crunching of wood underlined Apexus¡¯s words, he had finally made it through the bark. Now he had to carefully take hold of that segment of the branch and separate it entirely. Aclysia had the decency to help him, flying underneath it and holding it up. If it fell away, it was just lost. ¡°Impossible to say accurately. There was no sun in the cave. I know I spent like half a year with Gizmo¡­ at least that...and time has passed since. Maybe two years now?¡±


    ¡°We should give you a birthday sometime,¡± Aclysia decided, then let out a stressed sound as she felt the weight of the wood genuinely on her arms. She wasn¡¯t a divine creation designed for physical labour, a small one to boot and the wood was, as Apexus had said, dense, which made it heavy in turn. It only took Apexus a moment to take proper hold of it and pull it inside him, however.


    ¡°If you want to,¡± the slime had no concept whether this birthday thing was any use or not. What was it going to get him, delicious food present with an awesome hunt? The wood dissolved inside him with an earthy, rich sweetness with a heavy aromatic undertone. ¡°Seem to have gotten all I can out of this,¡± he let the duo know, Reysha kicking the Woodsharper corpse off the branch with an ecstatic shout.


    ¡°Finally, movement!¡± she threw her arms into the air.

 Pieced Together 5

    They waited until night fell over the land before making their attempt. Regardless of how many hunters interested in taking over Aclysia¡¯s quest would be after the group, it was best if people had no confirmation on whether they were still in the dungeon or not. As someone who had followed tracks and stalked prey before, both Apexus and Reysha were unified in their natural understanding that leaving fewer tracks was a good thing.


    So, a week after entering the dungeon, they the tiger girl sat down on the large slime. ¡°At least you aren¡¯t too tall,¡± she noted, the curved back of the blob only reached up to her hips. That didn¡¯t make her position less awkward, she had to spread her legs to an uncomfortable degree in order to sit on the broad back. She wiggled her ass on the wood for a bit. ¡°I expected this to be harder.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the bosses proper armour and even then, it¡¯s just¡­tree skin¡­ bark!¡± Apexus voice vibrated out of the carapace. Although still part of his exterior, the Roller¡¯s exoskeleton was not quite the same as this organ Apexus had acquired. ¡°Won¡¯t make for good protection forever. Works for talking, will have to downsize and replace at some point¡­ why are you moaning?¡±


    This was not meant as a complaint, the slime rather enjoyed the feeling of the tiger girl grinding against him. Even if the plates between them made his perception rather dull. The sweet sounds of pleasure coerced his ears undiluted, so he noticed that first. ¡°Fuck, I already thought your voice was sexy,¡± she groaned and stopped moving, ¡°but these plate are like¡­ buzzing like a bee against my pussy and that feels awesome.¡±


    Apexus couldn¡¯t quite understand how a bee buzzing on her sexual organ was supposed to sound anything but annoying. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that in safety,¡± he decided, coercing one more moan from her as the high frequency went out. Then he spread his wings.


    He usually kept them downsized while indoors, even if they were at their maximum size, when folded their sheer length went by largely unseen anyway. Now that he was about to fly again,neither of these conditions were true. Carrying something of the slimes size and mass was an almost inconceivable task. Although they had been originally taken from an eagle, the muscle strength behind Apexus¡¯ wings was more comparable to a dragon, a small dragon, but still something that didn¡¯t enjoy the perk of hollow bones. Despite that, his total wingspan still went up to four metres. A grown man could have laid down easily on just one wing.


    That size made it somewhat difficult to spread them out, given all the branches in the way, but Apexus barely managed and then began the slow process of approaching the edge. The slime was like a kid jumping from stone to stone along a river and coming across one that seemed just close enough to make it but also far enough to land in the waters or, worse, only reach the edge of the stone with his metaphorical shins.


    Still, this was the only way down, so Apexus fastened Reysha¡¯s position by wrapping tentacles around her legs. In response, the tiger girl pressed herself flatly onto his body. She was extra weight and would mess with his balance, but in this way she was as little an obstruction as was possible.


    Aclysia looked downwards. They were several hundred metres above the ground. The field below them was empty, brown earth, the Guild building was on the opposite side of the massive trunk. ¡°I hope that this will not end in a catastrophe,¡± the metal fairy stated.


    Rather than give an answer, Apexus decided to take the fall. The nearby branches whispered, the beating of the chimeric creature¡¯s wings whirling up a small current. One, two times the emerald feathers cut through the air, then, at the third time, it carried him and the redhead atop him forwards.


    Everything seemed to work perfectly. Although Apexus didn¡¯t quite dare to flap around anymore, their goal was to reach the ground and, in that, gliding was perfectly acceptable. With outstretched wings, their altitude decreased ever so slowly. It was smooth and boring descent. Then the world had to throw a wrench into their plans.


    A gust of wind suddenly caught them. The middle of the air wasn¡¯t known to have great cover and although it wasn¡¯t anything close to a storm, it was enough to throw Apexus of balance. Their smooth glide became a tilted, accelerating dive. Having last flown with a way smaller body and without meaningful luggage, the slime overcompensated and then did it again into the other direction.


    His body turned, rolled like a barrel and Reysha let out a panicked laughter, the sound of a maniac fully aware that everything between her and a sudden death were half-liquid tentacles around her legs and her fingers desperately clawing under wooden plates.


    They were falling like stones now, gravity steadily increasing its grip on them. Aclysia was helpless and doomed to watch, too slow to catch up and unable to do anything meaningful even if she did. It was the height of their starting point that saved them, giving Apexus enough time to, despite the body loosely holding onto him, turn back on the right side.


    He beat his wings in an effort to slow their movement, no longer straight down, but still more steep than he would have liked. A crash landing was basically inevitable at that point, the question was just how bad it would be. The sea of dark green under them, canopies lit only by faint moonlight, rushed by. There had to be something that could make this whole thing less threatening.


    Then he saw it, a body of water between the trees. He had no idea how deep it was, but even a muddy lakebed would have made for a better impact site than the forest floor. With desperate flapping, he attempted to get the rest of the distant crossed. The tips of tall trees scratched his soft underside, closely followed by the tips of normal trees, then all trees. Immense pain seared itself into Apexus¡¯ consciousness as one of the last trees he had to fly across shaved the entire membrane off his lower body, sending a fair portion of his liquid innards flying down onto the forest floor as a harmless rain.


    Then the world suddenly became dark and wet, the remaining momentum forcing Apexus deep under the surface. His body restored the membrane as quick as it could, but yet more of his slime was lost upon impact and mixed with the water of the, thankfully deep, lake. The massive hole in his slimy hide only healed from the rim inwards. Although that was a quick process and reduced the leaking area by the second, that still made the slime feel himself become smaller by the second.


    It was, however, lucky that he had taken the brunt of the impact. His slime was much easier restored than Reysha¡¯s bones were unbroken. Inside the water, their movement quickly came to a halt and the tiger girl detached herself from Apexus to swim to the surface. The slime himself had to fold his wings and settle on the floor of the lake, crawling his way to the shore. Since he didn¡¯t have to breathe, this was only annoying with how long it took.


    By the time he crawled out of the water, Aclysia had caught up to them and Reysha was squeezing water out of her hair. ¡°Whew, that was fun,¡± the tiger girl grinned earnestly.


    ¡°You almost died!¡± Aclysia half-shouted, the worry clear in her voice.


    ¡°But we didn¡¯t, so that was fun,¡± Reysha grinned from ear to ear.


    Realizing that this was not worth a discussion, the metal fairy turned to the slime. ¡°Are you alright, awakener?¡±


    ¡°Membrane is healed now,¡± Apexus answered quickly. ¡°Will need to eat to regain mass, but I am not¡­ having¡­ sustaining further loss. I suggest we go look for a hide first¡­ also I want to procreate.¡±


    ¡°Well, lady luck may be smiling on us,¡± Reysha pointed at something in the distance. Turning to see, Apexus quickly spied what she meant. At the edge of the lake stood a natural formation of rocks that provided shelter from the elements and eyes. Three large boulders, one of them slanted and stuck between the other two, with a depression in the ground that was marked by a circle of stones.


    It had every mark of a frequented resting spot, currently it was empty, however. ¡°Not a place to stay long, but for one night it will do,¡± Apexus agreed when they arrived there. ¡°Do we have procreation now?¡±


    ¡°First, I want to be warm,¡± Reysha exclaimed, shivering as she was still soaked in cold water and even summer nights weren¡¯t quite warm enough to offset that. Within a matter of minutes, she had gathered some dry wood from the nearby forest, Aclysia lighting it on fire with a bolt of her magic. Stripping out of her lightly damaged, skin-tight suit, and using it as her seat, the tiger girl held her hands close the fire.


    Upon that sight, Apexus could no longer withhold the transformation, his remaining, and still quite impressive, mass turning into a bunch of tentacles. Despite feeling the burning desire, he still waited for Reysha and he couldn¡¯t fuck Aclysia anyway until she decided to morph herself.


    ¡°By the by, why do you keep saying procreate?¡± Reysha suddenly asked.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s what we are doing?¡± the slime wasn¡¯t quite sure what that question was supposed to mean.


    The tiger girl sneered, ¡°Yeah, okay, like you could knock me up¡­ you are a slime, my dude.¡± Monsters couldn¡¯t breed with humans. Monstrous humanoids, yes, and some monsters were perfectly able to fuck (more commonly referred to as rape in those situations) adventurers, but that¡¯s where that stopped.


    ¡°I can,¡± the slime insisted.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ sure¡­¡± Reysha¡¯s dismissiveness slowly crumbled, as she realized that she wasn¡¯t talking to any old slime here. Normalcy may not apply.


    ¡°No, I mean it, I can,¡± Apexus stated and then tilted his body to express his confusion more understandably. ¡°That¡¯s the purpose of sex, isn¡¯t it? Procreation, I want to procreate, like all other living beings. My instincts say I can only do it with humanoids. Other lifeforms are too weak.¡±


    There was a moment of silence around the campfire. ¡°¡­What the fuck, Apexus?!¡± Reysha suddenly grabbed a knife and dangerously wiggled it in his direction. ¡°I was doing this for FUN and because I was HORNY, I am not looking for some half-liquid cat to crawl out of me!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Apexus blinked in a honestly surprised fashion. ¡°I was¡­ under the¡­ impression¡­ no, too weak a word¡­ conviction that the pleasure was a nice side effect.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, no, NO, NO, just NO, okay,¡± the redhead growled, her claws extended. ¡°I am twenty, I am not looking to be a mother yet and I certainly don¡¯t want to be pregnant while running away.¡±


    ¡°We could solve that when we come to it,¡± Apexus stated, still wondering about the prospect of her not wanting to breed. He had seen life in two categories so far, being ¡®things done to keep living¡¯ and ¡®things done to have offspring¡¯. Well, with his recent decision to do what he felt was right rather than what was safe, those were compromised anyway. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to procreate?¡±


    Reysha rammed the knife into the ground close to where one of his tentacles was currently hovering. ¡°Is that clear enough?¡± she asked in a sharp tone.


    Carefully, he slithered that tentacle elsewhere. Getting those cut wouldn¡¯t hurt, it would just make him wish he was able to put himself into a coma to escape the torment. ¡°Very clear,¡± he stated in a tone of respect.


    ¡°If I am pregnant already, I will murder you,¡± the tiger girl stated with absolute clarity. ¡°I will pull your nucleus out through your gouged-out eyeballs. Okay?!¡±


    ¡°Rather you not,¡± Apexus felt his horniness quickly quiet down as this whole thing took a very different turn than he had thought.


    ¡°If you would let me, I could see whether you are pregnant or not,¡± Aclysia informed the worked-up cat, her bushed-up tail stopping in its movements.


    ¡°You can do that?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°It is a relatively time-intensive spellwork, but yes, us healer classes have means to tell whether or not somebody is carrying a life within them,¡± Aclysia informed her.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Reysha gripped her weapon closer, but sat still, ¡°Do it. Might as well check yourself while you are at it, since splurge-master here apparently put his seed everywhere.¡±


    ¡°That will not be necessary, I cannot have children,¡± Aclysia said.


    Apexus was not sure how to put this next part across. ¡°Actually¡­¡±


    With a deeply flabbergasted expression, the metal fairy looked at her awakener. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Apexus, I don¡¯t even have a womb.¡±


    A sound between rubbing bark and clearing one¡¯s throat echoed from Apexus, ¡°Actually¡­ yes, you are¡­ have¡­ yes, you have.¡±


    Silence, once more. The metal fairy didn¡¯t seem angry at that revelation, but not particularly psyched either. ¡°Oh, Hashahin, divine father of mine, what the fuck?¡± the whisper cut through the swirl of emotions she felt at that moment. Jubilation, annoyance, shock, a sense of wonder, all deeply drenched in confusion. ¡°¡­I will just cast the spell now,¡± she said, this was something she had to do either way.


    To Apexus, the whole thing looked rather unimpressive. Simply resting a hand on both of their midriffs, the metal fairy stood there with closed eyes. A sun-like glow of gold extended from her palm. The slime was more focused on the blue cat eyes that continuously stared at him, laying in darkness despite the flickering campfire, ready to descend on him should their owner get the wrong news.


    ¡°Neither of us are carrying anything,¡± Aclysia announced after ten minutes of silence, causing Apexus to relax as Reysha¡¯s mood immediately swung back to her usual, overbearing happiness. The knife left her hand and landed in the nearby dirt.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, very good, yes, very good, I don¡¯t have to stab a bitch!¡± the tiger girl grinned from ear to ear. Apexus was actually not that surprised to hear that, he knew that he could impregnate them, but didn¡¯t peg his seed as particularly compatible. Yet. ¡°Fat chance, but you can¡¯t make yourself infertile or something like that, right? Because I don¡¯t want to just masturbate after all this, but I am not taking the risk.¡±


    Inside civilization, there had been several alchemical means for both men and women to prevent pregnancy. Suddenly, she very much missed the city. The carefree sex after an evening of drinking had been pretty great. Well, the tentacles still felt better, but the carefree part was now ruined.


    Apexus rummaged through his body composition, that was a part of himself he hadn¡¯t explored before. Once he found it, it turned out to not be that hard. Compared to growing limbs or resizing organs, keeping the semen that he produced from being fertile was actually a rather easy change. ¡°I can¡­ but what would be the point of sex then?¡±


    ¡°It feels really fucking good?!¡± Reysha laughed out loud.


    Aclysia nodded, ¡°I am in agreement there.¡±


    Apexus also felt himself unable to argue that point. ¡°Change done.¡±

 Pieced Together 6

    Funatic


    Author¡¯s Note: I usually design my sex scenes in a way that they are entirely skippable and confined to one chapter. If you aren¡¯t here for the lewds, be aware that this chapter is just that: Lewds.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Apexus whined as both girls took a seat on his carapace. Although they were stark naked, he couldn¡¯t see either of them or feel their round asses press into his body. The image in his core alone made the lust tentacles rise from his surface again.


    ¡°Too bad, this is your punishment,¡± writhing on top of him from just that little vibration, Reysha giggled. This had been her entire idea, the curious cat wanted more of this new sensation she had felt earlier. For the slime, pleasuring them with the vibrations of his voice yielded nothing in return. ¡°Start humming, you hunk!¡±


    Waiting just another moment, hoping Aclysia would maybe change her mind about this, Apexus resigned to his fate as a pleasure provider and exercised the might of his vocal wood. Making a continuous sound, the plates of his carapace buzzed at a high frequency.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Aclysia gasped after a few seconds, ¡°Hi-aah-ghly interesting¡­¡±


    Reysha had something less articulate to say, ¡°Fuck, fuck, f-aaahhh-ck yessssss,¡± she cursed and moaned. It tickled a bit, this unknown way of pleasure, but more than that it was intense. Although they didn¡¯t reach too deep, the vibrations had her pussy lips and clit at a constant state of stimulation. It was way better than just rubbing herself with her fingers, even getting eaten out would find it hard to compete with this.


    Although initially unenthused, the sweet sounds coming from both of them gave Apexus enough reason to put some more force into this. Only a light drain on his stamina, the slime could maintain his voice for a while and decided to intensify. The humming grew louder, like standing right next to a beehive.


    ¡°Ohhh, Awaakeneeerrrr,¡± Aclysia¡¯s voice went even above that buzzing sound. Running her hands through her orderly white hair, her lower body grinded back and forth over a smooth bump in Apexus¡¯ hide. It was a slick motion, lubricated with her lovejuices, flowing eagerly. ¡°I am¡­ I am cumming¡­ I am already¡­¡± her voice grew higher and higher in pitch, until she lost words entirely.


    Even through the wood, Apexus could feel her thighs clenching. A long shout escaped the metal fairy, a sound of pure delight, as the stress of the past days found a relief in a sudden orgasm. Her hips rocked up and down, her body both craving and shying away from the overstimulation that his continued vibrating provided. Each time she came into contact with him, her entire body jerked and her slowly dying shout was reinforced again. It made her aftershocks their own little, almost torturous, orgasms.


    The second her pussy calmed, Aclysia went back to grind against him. It wasn¡¯t just the slime and the tiger girl that had desperately wanted to fuck these past days, the white-haired divine creation was simply less vocal about it. Her pale skin reflect what little moonlight there was as she panted.


    Reysha, on the other hand, was howling as she wildly rode the slime. Her entire approach to this thing had quickly changed from ¡®trying something new¡¯ to ¡®get herself to cum again and again with abandonment of every bit of ladylike behaviour¡¯. Her legs were straddling the, thankfully a bit smaller, slime, securing her in position as she leaned forwards. Her entire pussy was pressed against the buzzing surface, her ass and chest both pushed out, spine curved.


    Her deliciously brown body with the even darker tiger lines was quickly growing sweaty. Breathing immensely quickly and close to the fire, she felt like she was running a marathon. One hand helped keep her balance, the other currently pressing fingers into her mouth to suck on. Index and middle finger, pressed together, her luscious lips closed around them. Yet, saliva still escaped and ran down her palm, the whirling of her tongue creating dirty, slurping sounds.


    When they were entirely drenched, the Reysha pulled them out and reached behind her. Her hand slide between the taught skin of her ass and the two wet fingers soon pressed against her sphincter. Who cared about how filthy things were if they felt good? She didn¡¯t even ask herself that question, she just wanted to feel even better.


    She let out a long purr as she probed her own ass at the same time as she was pushed over the edge. ¡°Yes, oh my everything, yessss,¡± her erotic voice reached Apexus keen ears, together with a small beg, ¡°Fuck my face you perverted blob!¡±


    Easier said than done, but the slime was up for the challenge. Unable to see them, he sent several of his tentacles to the two beauties grinding on his back. They slithered around their curves, gave the slime something better than view, the feeling of their smooth skin under his grasp. The heat they radiated against him, their softly writhing forms, constricted loosely by him, the feeling of their breasts.


    That last one was always wonderful. Making his way around the soft lumps of meat and the valley between them, squishing them, it was just as great as touching the firmer but overabundant meat of their asses. Pressing into them and being half-enveloped by their warmth was just the greatest. Well, greatest behind being actually fully enveloped by them by getting inside them.


    Although Aclysia hadn¡¯t asked for anything, Apexus found himself guided into her mouth at the same time as he found the source of Reysha¡¯s moaning. The shouts of lust ceased, were replaced with quiet, throaty groans and sucking, slurping echoes. A trade the slime was all too happy about, feeling all of it on his sensitive tentacles as they slid back and forth inside the confinements of their hollowed cheeks and mucus covered throats.


    All the while he fucked their mouths and caressed their forms with his greedy tendrils, Apexus could imagine them perfectly as they writhed upon his vibrating forms. He sensed movement best anyhow. The rising and falling chest of Aclysia, the ecstatic writhing of Reysha, the not-so-subtle change of a woman pleasured and one at the climax, from fluid motions to jerky and sudden, he felt it all.


    Always working at the edge of how deep they were allowed to go, he felt his sensitive, engorged heads push through the blissful tightness of mouth and throat. Every so often, he remembered to let Reysha breathe. It was a hard thing to resist to see just how long he could abuse her mouth for. Something about establishing dominance even in sex deeply resonated with his predatory instinct. It pushed him closer to the edge. Then he went right over it.


    The white liquid pumped out of all of the tentacles that were touching their bodies. Covering them in the thick seed and sending it guzzling down their throats. Reysha and Aclysia both swallowed it without hesitation, eagerly even. Apexus¡¯ pheromone ducts released a potent cloud of lust-increasing smells, designed exactly to make the females cum at the same time as him with its short-term effect.


    It worked like a charm, both of them freezing with every muscle in their bodies quivering. Shivers of release rolled over their spines as their ecstasy suddenly spiked. Unable to move away from the vibrations, they were hit by the full force of thought-annihilating bliss, their pussies being continuously assaulted. Spurt after spurt of hot white landed on their bodies.


    As the spurts became dribbles, Apexus felt clarity of thought set in and his tentacles retract into his body. He didn¡¯t quite have the vigour today to cum twice in a row. Reysha purred deeply and bowed down to his ear, ¡°Ready again when you are.¡±


    Apexus stopped buzzing, finally, to say, ¡°Give me a bit.¡± A few minutes rest would surely be enough to get the tentacles growing again.


    They fucked four more times that night.

 Pieced Together 7

    The next morning, Reysha was forcing herself to chow down on a bunny she had caught. After the rich meat she had recently enjoyed, going back to this sour, downright filthy taste was like crashing from the life of a noble down to eating mouldy bread out of a rainwater seeped trash heap in less than a day. At least the fact that it was cooked through made it mildly less egregious.


    Still, she had to load at least something nourishing into her stomach to keep her strength up. Even if her taste buds revolted against it. ¡°Dumbass fucking, disgusting bluargh,¡± the tiger girl let out numerous sounds between the bites. She chewed the meat as little as possible, and forced it down with plenty of water. At least that tasted like nothing,


    Aclysia flew around the cursing redhead. ¡°Do you judge the effects of withdrawal to have lessened?¡± she asked, looking with interest at the further mutated woman.


    ¡°No clue,¡± Reysha growled back. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad the first day, took like a week until everything started to blur to grey. We¡¯ll see how it comes along¡­ although I fucking hope I won¡¯t have to deal with too much of that stuff¡­¡± she ripped another strain of muscles of the small prey¡¯s cooked bones and then stared at it for a moment. ¡°¡­You know what I find odd?¡± she raised her blue eyes and fixated them on Apexus instead, ¡°Your cum tastes just fine. Maybe I should use it as seasoning.¡±


    ¡°Seasoning?¡± the slime was confused what the change of weather patterns had to do with wasting his seed by putting it over meat. Then again, he was currently shooting the equivalent of empty clam shells anyway, so it was a waste even if it went into the proper holes. ¡°Get the feeling this word means a thing I don¡¯t know about.¡±


    ¡°It means,¡± Aclysia hovered back over to her awakener and took her usual seat on his back, ¡°to put herbs, spices and other heavily flavoured light objects onto a food item to adjust its taste.¡±


    ¡°¡­you make rat taste like bunny?¡± Apexus asked, then thought about it for a second longer. ¡°No, you make a rat taste like mint? Why would you do that to meat?¡±


    ¡°Because humanoids have different taste buds that make spiced up meat more appealing,¡± Reysha explained, throwing a gnawed down bone over her shoulder. ¡°Not that I share that idea anymore, but that¡¯s how the normals look at it.¡± With a disgusted grimace, she went after the bunny¡¯s second leg.


    ¡°Normals sure are odd,¡± Apexus hummed in genuine confusion. ¡°Want to kill me because I have something they want. Honourless to steal someone else¡¯s¡­ Aclysia, would you be offended if I called you my prey?¡±


    The metal fairy cleared her throat, blushing as she said, ¡°I was most certainly your prey last night.¡±


    Reysha broke out laughing, the hysteric sound carrying far over the lake. Throwing a small beam of sunlight at the striped girl, Aclysia made her shut-up. They were still between the shelter formation of rocks, there was no need to attract scouts by making such loud noises. Despite this somewhat rude way to keep her jaws clenched and good mood limited to body-shaking chuckles, the redhead had no curses for her travel companion, ¡°Nice one, AC.¡±


    ¡°It is still interesting, however, that part of my awakener¡¯s bodily fluids does not trigger your disgust,¡± the metal fairy hummed and thought back. ¡°It didn¡¯t fend off your withdrawal last time, however.¡± Aside from their first time above the Clearwater Dungeon, they had sex a number of times before Reysha¡¯s symptoms had gotten so bad that it killed her libido entirely. ¡°Perhaps we should experiment around this? It might just be that Apexus¡¯ sperm didn¡¯t contain concentrated enough magic.¡±


    ¡°You want to eat me?¡± the slime was definitely not happy to hear this announcement. ¡°Reysha wouldn¡¯t have a face after she tried¡­ I like her face. She looks good¡­ gorgeous, that¡¯s the better word.¡±


    ¡°Awww, thank you!¡± the tiger girl said in a creepily innocent, high-pitched tone. ¡°You¡¯re cute or something¡­ don¡¯t ask me, I am just crazy!¡± Switching right back into a serious mode, she used this entire discussion as an excuse not to eat more. ¡°Seriously though, if I could nibble at you to make the in-between dungeons easier, that¡¯d work out for all of us.¡±


    ¡°Well, again, face will melt if you try to just bite me,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°We can test cum again over the next few days. That won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Wiggling one of his current legs, the slime was thinking. It wanted to avoid losing more mass, since it was already smaller than it used to be, while its nucleus remained at the same size. Apexus actually wondered what would happen if his core was separated from the mass. Would he just die or would he be like a functioning brain without a body?


    That aside, it really would be for the best if they did the experiment. With a functioning food source for Reysha, one of their larger problems would be eradicated. In return, all he had to go through were momentary pain and some extra time spent dissolving wood. Therefore, he agreed and one of his legs was quickly chopped off.


    In all aspects, it was the exact same as an adult Archwood Walker¡¯s leg, something Reysha had feasted on numerous times the past days. As such, she slammed her canines into the soft meat that poked out of the point where the carapace had been cut with wild enthusiasm. Only to almost vomit at the first bit of taste, disregarding the thing as quickly as she could.


    ¡°This is even WORSE!¡± she complained, one thing raised up to her mouth and gulping repeatedly against the rising contents of her stomach. After a minute or so, she was finally calm enough for their talk to continue. ¡°Holy fuck, that was like gargling piss or something, that is inedible!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it might be because it¡¯s not a permanent Growth,¡± Aclysia theorized and analysed Apexus for one of those that was temporarily removable. Although both her and the slime were not particularly happy with the pain that Apexus felt during this process, it was important to know whether or not this was an option.


    Reysha spat a mouthful of water onto the ground after swirling it inside her mouth for a bit. ¡°Why does it taste WORSE though?!¡± she complained. ¡°What¡¯s up with that?!¡±


    ¡°It might be because, whatever Noir exactly is, it still functions through the mana of dungeon born creatures, ultimately divine in origin,¡± the metal fairy presented the first idea she had. ¡°As monsters are born from the dungeon and the dungeon was imagined by a god. This might be confirmation that Apexus wasn¡¯t created after all¡­ or he was created using a different method¡­. There is no way to verify this.¡± She shook her head, ¡°Excuse me for getting side-tracked. The reconstruction of limbs may be missing the magic that your body now craves, be it completely lost or Apexus own is simply incompatible. If the latter is true, this will also taste rancid.¡±


    Reysha carefully took the slice of Apexus¡¯ ear and, after a few moments thinking if the potential of tasting something that disgusting again was really worth the potential knowledge, carefully took a bite. Seeing that she didn¡¯t immediately was about to vomit again, it seemed to at least be okay.


    ¡°Tastes like leather,¡± she reported, surprised herself. ¡°Neither disgusting nor delicious. Very odd.¡±


    ¡°Then we have no idea,¡± Aclysia sighed deeply, healing her awakener. ¡°Deeply sorry to wound you like this, Apexus,¡± her voice betrayed earnest worry. ¡°It didn¡¯t hurt too much, I hope?¡±


    ¡°Went through worse,¡± the slime truthfully reported. In the first place, it wasn¡¯t that bothered by most pain. ¡°So, I can¡¯t sustain Reysha?¡±


    ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t disgusting, so that¡¯s better than hunting meat that I want to throw into a chamber pot instead,¡± the tiger girl rubbed her hands with a manic giggle. ¡°Not a lot of edible stuff on you though, best might be eyes.¡±


    ¡°You are not ripping my eyes out,¡± Apexus decided outright. ¡°I do like you, but not to the point that I¡¯ll let you rip me apart for every meal during the day. Not that immune to pain.¡±


    Reysha nodded, ¡°Yeah, I get that, it¡¯s fine. Still, I am very confused as to WHAT you are. The parts you create are even more disgusting than normal animals and the permanent Growths you have taste like stuff I ate before I changed.¡±


    ¡°An enigma,¡± Aclysia agreed.


    ¡°Is it important to know where I came from?¡± Apexus tilted his front in confusion. He had sometimes thought about the question, but since it had never led anywhere had eventually dropped it.


    ¡°In these worlds of divine creations, a lifeform that doesn¡¯t have the divine spark but isn¡¯t a Parasyte is unheard of,¡± the lovable fair answered, clearly still wondering where he and Reysha were ready to move on. ¡°Nevertheless, this riddle will not be solved today.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Reysha went back to her bunny. ¡°Better question: what are we going to do now?¡±


    Apexus already had an answer for that. ¡°We want to get the remaining parts of Aclysia,¡± a certain tone reverberated from the wooden plates. ¡°Once we have them, we sneak off this leaf. I want to see this omniverse and get away from here. People here are stupid.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find that they are stupid everywhere,¡± the tiger girl cackled.


    ¡°That aside,¡± Aclysia chimed back in. ¡°This seems like a proper plan to me. Once my quest is completed, they will lose their reason to hunt you. At least, the biggest one, they will doubtlessly be the few who want to kill you just because you are just another monster in their eyes, if not a worse than usual one.¡±


    ¡°What worse than usual monster doesn¡¯t kill?¡± Apexus asked. Not that he was asking for a reward or anything, but he felt like people would give him at least some credit for not being a murderer.


    With a full mouth, Reysha reprimanded, ¡°Don¡¯t expect them to think that logically. Knowing Mehily, she¡¯ll delude herself into thinking you are the problem with the stick in her ass or something.¡± The barely chewed meat slowly ran down her throat when she gulped. ¡°Just another reason why the world wouldn¡¯t have missed her.¡±


    ¡°The excesses of the worst people do not justify the fall of the best,¡± Aclysia held against that.


    ¡°Please,¡± Apexus pleaded with a single word when he saw the conflict looming again in the opened mouths of both women. Snapping shout, they chose to leave their disagreement where it was. They had made up, but the fundamental divide did and would always remain. Even people that were friends could disagree quite heavily.


    With that avoided, it was time for Apexus to fill up on his body mass and then it was high time they headed out.

 Pieced Together 8

    Getting ready to leave took a while. While they didn¡¯t have a whole lot of things that needed packing, nothing to be perfectly realistic, they still aimed to obscure the fact that they had been here by obfuscating the more obvious signs that it hadn¡¯t been a normal adventurer party that had been here recently. Mostly, that included the depressions Apexus¡¯ resting body caused in the ground, alongside the small footprints from Aclysia, alongside the little marks she left in the soft dirt when her wings started beating at their blurring speed.


    The remains of the bunny were left behind, since the fresh ash of the campfire already gave away the somebody had rested there, putting remainders of food should cause at least some confusion. Slimes, even if they didn¡¯t have sapience, weren¡¯t known to leave any food wasted. Unless somebody had the mystical gift for accurately guessing how much ash should have been left behind by the fire and that it didn¡¯t line up with the average of sticks that should have laid around the area, eaten by Apexus, they had their bases covered in that regard.


    Granted, a masterful tracker may still have been able to gather enough from even their obscured footprints, but doing much more would have made it clear that they were obscuring things and that raised red flags with everyone.


    Next on the list of making tracking as hard as possible was for Reysha to move on by herself while Apexus and Aclysia took to the sky. The possibility of being seen from the distance was worth avoiding the massive drag-marks that Apexus normal slugging around caused. The alternative was to use the pointy legs of the Archwood Walker and that was only slightly more subtle. Compared to that, flying was really stealthy. No tracks and even if he was spotted, catching up to him and finding where exactly they had landed was pretty hard. Reysha had her own Rogue tricks to avoid leaving too many footprints.


    Ultimately, the only hard thing would be to get together again by the end of the day. Apexus wanted to avoid leaving pheromone trails, since that was just a giant ¡®COME FIND ME!¡¯ request pasted all over the landscape. They would manage though, Aclysia could make some signal lights or something if they missed each other in the darkness.


    Their next goal was just a couple of days away. According to Aclysia¡¯s senses, there were two more parts of her. Given how much she had grown the last time, this sounded about accurate to Apexus. Although that didn¡¯t have to mean anything, since her god could dictate that she should just be twenty metres tall whenever he so desired, for all the slime knew.


    Aside from covering their tracks, the journey ran smoothly. So far, no hunters to be seen, although Apexus was under no illusions how quickly that could change. Once they had been located, it would be very hard to shake off whoever was searching them. If humans were even half as adept at circling strategies as ants were, they would be as trapped as an animal once encapsulated in his slime.


    That image aside, they did arrive at their destination with utter confusion. It was a completely smooth hole in the forest, no trees, just grass and flowers with black and white petals. The typical triumvirate of colours when engaging with things relating to Hashahin. Following their sway in the soft, warm breezes of a beautiful summer day was quite nice. Indeed, it invited them to lay down and just enjoy the eternal summer.


    If this location hadn¡¯t been so far from anything else important, it would probably have been quite the renowned relaxation spot. Apexus liked soaking in the heat, it got his slime properly warmed up and kept his reflexes quick. Generally, he felt more awake like this.


    All of that was nice. Not what the trio was there for, however.


    Logically, one would expect the new source of Aclysia¡¯s metal to be found in the middle of this area. However, all there was was a patch of grass. Not even a remarkable patch of grass. There were flowers there like everywhere else.


    ¡°I am highly confused, my creator,¡± Aclysia uttered after half an hour spend traversing this, admittedly large, hole in the forest. They had paced the rim, looked for secret messages in how the flowers were arranged from the sky and looked at a whole bunch of greenery. She landed on the floor, Apexus feeling her tiny feet cause the smallest impact through his tremor sense. ¡°What are we to do here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we are at the wrong place?¡± Reysha suggested, walking her way over. It was a desperate suggestion, one with the expected answer.


    ¡°No, I definitely feel it nearby¡­ if we were to leave, I would just feel the urge to turn around again,¡± Aclysia stated and fell on her back. ¡°I don¡¯t get this. What kind of riddle did my creator want to present us? He is normally quite forward with his challenges.¡±


    Apexus hummed, brooding over this himself. ¡°Maybe we have to unlock them in the right order?¡±


    ¡°I would expect to have knowledge of that,¡± the metal fairy rolled onto her side and, unaware of her own movements, hugged tightly onto her awakener¡¯s side. For the first time, she was feeling frustration towards her divine father. It made her pout quite a bit, closeness to her loved one helped soothe that feeling. ¡°I can not dismiss the possibility, however.¡±


    As their thinking continued, Reysha eventually changed the topic. ¡°By the way, where did you two meet?¡± the tiger girl was curious. ¡°You were always that legend that everyone was looking for, so I really have to wonder how Apexus was the person who unlocked you after all that time.¡±


    ¡°I found an odd thing near the peak of the mountain,¡± Apexus explained, pointing at the incredibly small peak in the far-off distance. ¡°It sucked mana from me, I gave it, Aclysia was formed¡­ then I tried to eat her.¡±


    ¡°I always thought it was a handshake¡­ but that makes more sense in hindsight,¡± the metal fairy mumbled, quickly drowned out by Reysha falling to the floor laughing.


    ¡°SERIOUSLY?! You were just existing out in the open and everybody missed you?!¡±


    ¡°I suspect nobody wanted to take the gamble with the mana absorbing metal,¡± Aclysia presented her theory. ¡°My location wouldn¡¯t have helped either. Although it was a depression, it was still easily overlooked from a distance. Although I admit that it is odd that it took people 64 years to find it. Sometimes, luck just works out that way¡­ and I am happy for it.¡±


    ¡°Do that again,¡± Apexus suddenly stated.


    Aclysia smiled and hugged him a little tighter, ¡°I can tell you I that I am happy to have met you as often as you want to hear it , Apexus.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± the slime felt like he could really easily say the wrong thing here. ¡°I would be happy to hear it numerous more times¡­ but I meant Reysha falling to the ground.¡±


    ¡°What, why?¡± the tiger girl found that odd.


    ¡°Want to confirm¡­ I want to confirm something,¡± the slime urged the redhead. ¡°Could you please?¡±


    Reysha jumped back to her feet and smirked, ¡°Shit, I am down, might blow away the greyness.¡± As her mood indicated, it wasn¡¯t as they hoped and her state had not reached the same low as before. Although she still had much duller senses then usual and periods where she just looked through the landscape with glassy, unmotivated eyes. ¡°Here I GO!¡±


    With way too much motivation and a hysteric cry, the tiger girl body-slammed the ground. All of the usual senses ignored, Apexus only concentrated on the one he was born with. The tremors of her movement travelled through the ground, normally they would simply be lost, but something about the way the ground underneath them shook felt¡­ wrong.


    ¡°We need to dig,¡± the slime told his girls, ¡°there is a cave underneath us.¡±

 Pieced Together 9

    None of them had proper digging equipment, so Apexus¡¯ request turned out to be slightly difficult. The best they had was the slime growing a bunch cat paws and then using them to rip at the dirt while balancing on the Archwood Walker legs. It looked a bit goofy (or nightmarish to people not used to the chimeric slime¡¯s sight) but it did the trick.


    Bigger limbs would have been better, but there were only deer and the Forester Dragons that qualified for that around. One had the drawback of being hooves and lanky, while the other were strictly too big. In other words, the cat paws remained the best option.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you grow just front paws?¡± Reysha asked, watching her slimefriend dig deeper. Although strong, the back legs of a cat were not the greatest for the quick motions used for this endeavour. The slime lowered himself into the earth bit by bit.


    Still, as the dirt flew away from under it, it had ample time to answer. ¡°No, some Growths come in sets.¡±


    ¡°But why though?¡± Reysha wondered.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you live off eating treebark?¡± Apexus asked in return. ¡°Is just nature¡¯s way, some things are as they are. Arms and legs in four-legged creatures come together. Skeletons always¡­ are always one growth, external or internal. Teeth don¡¯t count into that though.¡±


    ¡°And why¡¯s THAT again?!¡± the tiger girl grew just more confused. Hooking her index fingers into each corner of her mouth she pulled her brown lips far open, revealing her maw. ¡°Thish,¡± she spoke rather sloppily as the expected result, ¡°ish clearly bone.¡±


    The slime would have shook his face, if he hadn¡¯t been preoccupied. ¡°Incorrect,¡± he stated. ¡°Teeth aren¡¯t the same material as bone. They are something like hair... also bone-y¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you on about?¡± Reysha laughed out loud, cleaning her fingers on some blades of grass. ¡°Hair? Seriously? That¡¯s the dumbest thing I¡¯ve heard in a while.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true nonetheless,¡± Apexus insisted and then felt his paws scratch over something. Getting off his digging position, he checked what it was. Curious, the girls joined him.


    Under a layer of healthy, brown dirt peeked out something black. It appeared to be stone, with a surface too smooth and too wide for being just a regular boulder underneath the ground. Additionally, as Apexus found out by carefully probing that thing, ¡°It is hollow.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Reysha laid down on the steep decline of this hole, holding down onto the edge as best she could, and then brought her heel down on the stone. It cracked, hard but brittle. A second kick, the lines caused jagged shards to protrude out of the smooth surface. The third time, she broke through, sounds like clam shells shattering echoing from within this cavity when the shards hit the floor.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Aclysia noted, flying down to the hole. Underneath, it was pitch black, all they could see was some sort of pillar illuminated by the sunlight that peeked through. ¡°I shall scout ahead,¡± the metal fairy offered, ready to squeeze herself through. Only for Apexus to step in and block the hole with one of the thin Walker legs.


    ¡°No,¡± the slime stated in the tone of absolute conviction.


    Aclysia blinked at her awakener. ¡°I can easily fly out again while shining through the dark with light spells, Apexus.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± This time Apexus put extra emphasis on making it clear that he wasn¡¯t having a discussion about this. Her scouting ahead in dungeons where she knew the enemies and that she could get away was one thing. Sending her in first into something that she, the declared guide, didn¡¯t know existed wasn¡¯t happening. Not on the watch of a slime in love. ¡°I¡¯m not risking losing you again.¡±


    Even if she wanted to continue arguing, Aclysia felt that it was futile. Reysha weighing in on Apexus¡¯ side didn¡¯t help. ¡°Info would be pretty good, but I am also against sending our healer in first,¡± the tiger girl made a sound point. The topic was thusly decided.


    Instead, they went on to widen the hole. It was a bit easier now, Apexus and Aclysia were holding onto Reysha as she kicked away the rim of the porcelain-esque material. More shards and earth fell down into a pile, one the trio eventually landed on. For Aclysia, the descent was no problem at all, Reysha had a bit of a rough landing, the drop was around three metres, but nothing a tiger girl Rogue wasn¡¯t equipped to handle. Indeed, it was Apexus who came down last and somewhat awkwardly. The hole was nowhere big enough to fly, so he had to take advantage of his semi-liquidity, stretching a Growthless part in front of him and then, when most of his weight was extended that way, dropping down.


    A ¡®Splat¡¯ sound accompanied the sight of all of Apexus¡¯ organs squishing together in a tight clump, from ears to nucleus. It was a deeply uncomfortable but thankfully short moment, then everything began to flow back to where they belonged. As they would have gotten in the way, Apexus was now without additional Growths, except for the Walker legs.


    Near absolute darkness kept a grip on the chamber around them. The noon sun was casting an equal cone of light around them. That got quickly lost between the pillars, odd-looking things, like connected drip-stone that had been smoothed down. How big this area was, none of them knew, a likely idea would have been the size of the flowered area above.


    Magic gathered between Aclysia¡¯s hands in an orb of golden flames that had an odd flow to them, as if the tongues were fluid rather than flickering heat. She threw the orb into a random direction and it travelled forwards, illuminating some sort of odd bump curving between two pillars. A smooth curve about as tall as Apexus or at the hips of Reysha. The light went as quickly as it had come when it hit a pillar and dispersed.


    ¡°Well, seems like we¡¯re alone down here,¡± Reysha smirked, keeping a grip on her stiletto and her posture ready to move despite her own words.


    ¡°Do not relax until we get confirmation,¡± Aclysia warned. Moments later, she repeated the spell, throwing it past Apexus into the darkness right of herself. It didn¡¯t make it past far beyond the cone of light. Rather, it collided with a massive, elongated head. Eyeless, covered in smooth black scales and sitting on a body that was entirely one long lean muscle, coiled around some sort of sphere.


    Although it was just a flash, Apexus got a perfect view of the rows of teeth of the creature. The front set looked sharp, with oddly serrated edges, and the neighbouring canines were clearly curved to secure prey in position, while the back were as broad as the teeth of a herbivore. Ideal to rend flesh from bone and crush the latter once there was nothing more to gnaw off. As the slime quickly learned, trying to move away, just as great at ripping through wooden plating and slime.


    The toothed, giant serpent had already been about to strike. The last second warning had barely allowed Apexus to get a foot off the ground before the jaws snapped closed around him. With one simple bite, the slime was robbed of a wing, its speech plating torn apart and experienced the pain of having a sharp tooth scratch over the surface of its nucleus, barely missing it. The frontal teeth cut, destroying the structural integrity of his plated back, then broader teeth at the back moved on to splinter and crush.


    In return, the guardian snake had to suffer a mouthful of acid. Although it failed at protecting Apexus, the wooden plating still kept the snake from just penetrating straight through. Even better, at least from a raw damage perspective, the boss monster had a harder time pulling back.


    Apexus physique made him the absolute nightmare of strike predators such as this. Although he lost a massive amount of slime in the process, the holes in his membrane filled the snake¡¯s mouth with more acid as it pulled away. Immensely sharp teeth were reduced to stubs before the removal from the slime¡¯s body caused the searing liquid to neutralize, becoming nothing but water as the magic inside petered out.


    ¡°Motherfucker!¡± Reysha was anything but amused about somebody striking at the slime this way. Before the snake could pull back into the darkness, she rammed her stiletto through the scales. The weapon was made for penetrating armour, oddly perfect for this fight. It vanished halfway down into the meat, then got stuck in the thick skull of the creature, before being wrestled from the tiger girl¡¯s hand by the snake jerking backwards.


    It vanished once more into the darkness, occasionally hissing angrily. ¡°Awakener!¡± Aclysia¡¯s worried voice reached Apexus as he dissolved his legs, two of them were broken and he didn¡¯t have the energy to spare to worry about them while having so many punctures in his membrane. A puddle of water began to form underneath him. ¡°Stay still!¡± the metal fairy began her soothing healing spell.


    ¡°Krrkrkktt¡­rrktt,¡± Apexus wanted to say something to the effect of ¡®Thank you¡¯, but those cracking sounds were all the broken plates produced. The healing spell that washed over him quickly aided the recovery of his membrane, keeping further slime loss from occurring. His bit-off wing was laying on the floor to his side.


    ¡°Motherfucker!¡± Reysha growled for a second time, desperately trying to spy the snake in the darkness. Her eyes were as little able to perceive the monster as Apexus¡¯ tremor sense. Despite its enormous size, it was moving with scary efficiency. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ trkrarge¡­ can¡­ btrkeed¡± Apexus managed to get out as the continued healing stitched back together the plates. It was really a horrible idea to use it as both plating and the only means of communication. ¡°I muskrkr¡­ gekrkr krkrail.¡±


    ¡°You must get what?¡± Reysha asked nervously jumping from spot to spot.


    Aclysia recognized the pattern in the mistake quick enough to provide the answer. ¡°Tail, Apexus wants to get the tail!¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, sure, whatever!¡± the tiger girl didn¡¯t care for the part where they explained to her the why, this was definitely not the time. Toothless as the serpent may have been now, but it still had a strong jaw big enough to swallow her whole if she didn¡¯t watch out. Once Apexus was in decent shape, healing the entire wing was far down the line of priority in this cave there, the trio separated. Aclysia and Reysha kept together, searching for the head of the beast to distract it. ¡°OY YOU BIG BLIND ASSHOLE!¡± Reysha screamed, the area around her illuminated by Aclysia keep a sphere of sunlight hovering between her hands.


    It worked like a charm, the head of the snake emerged from the darkness. A direct charge was nowhere near as quick as the strike earlier, not having the force of a curled up body suddenly bolting forwards, but still strong enough to break and swallow an entire human. The opened maw seared through the air and snapped closed. Rather than ripping flesh, the remaining stubs of teeth broke off when the snake bit into a pillar of stone.


    Laughing insanely as she always did, Reysha was having way too much fun with the situation. In a move that was as bold as it was reckless, the tiger girl turned on her heels and delivered a perfectly aimed, straight kick to the hilt of her weapon. It didn¡¯t do anything, the skull of the beast much thicker than she had bargained for and keeping the thorn-like blade from penetrating any further.


    What it did succeed in though, was making the already furious creature focus in on her specifically. Thrashing its enormous neck around, it tried to swipe at Reysha, its blind nature becoming an immense disadvantage when the Rogue used her magically charged wrist and ankle joints to catch her bounce back without as much as a single sound.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you dumb, giant, long danger noodle,¡± Reysha whispered, depleting her internal mana by using the Aimed Whisper technique. For what it did, it sure was straining, as were most things that used the neck joint, but the effect was clear, as the words reverberated in the snakes ears not from Reysha¡¯s position, but after bouncing back from a pillar. Attacking the stone in vain, the boss monster was utterly confused when it suddenly heard the redhead giggle from the opposite direction.


    Fortunate for all of them that the fight had begun with the snake searing off its tongue and smelling capabilities with it. All because Apexus was the first target that had made a sound when he had landed the way he did.


    The slime had, in the meanwhile, found his target. So long that its lower body moved only rarely, while its head tried desperately to track Reysha, the toothed serpent was fighting an opponent that was teleporting from its perception. Although it depleted her mana every time, Rogues had the advantage of quickly regenerating their internal reserves. Furthermore, she was supported by Aclysia, still illuminating the area and making her movements easier.


    Under these circumstances, wrapping around the creature¡¯s tail was pretty easy. The snake didn¡¯t even notice, too enraged at the tiger girl, not until Apexus was past the disgusting scales, tasting bland and yet salty, and began tasting blood, a much more pleasant flavour of salt.


    At that point, the snake began just thrashing in its entirety, but it was too late and the slime let himself be catapulted by the first, comparatively soft, movement. Apexus had no qualms about how this fight would go. They lacked the proper numbers or size of knife to create any mortal wounds, so it would be a fight for exhaustion. By creating a large wound, the slime aimed to simply bleed out the large creature as it kept desperately thrashing.


    ¡°Stay defensive!¡± he thus cried out, after making his way over the light in the darkness. The trio engaged in the rather honourless but deeply effective tactic of triggering the snakes aggressive reflexes over and over again. It didn¡¯t take long for it to slow down, eventually to the point that Reysha handled it with cruel ridicule.


    ¡°Aww, your gums are looking pretty bad, you know?¡± she asked, poking the bloody, toothless maw. After having been tricked into biting stone several times, they were in absolutely terrible shape. The jaws snapped closed a second after she had pulled her hand out of reach. The creature¡¯s neck was hanging down and it was clear that it was done when its thrashing became too weak to throw Apexus off its head.


    It had lost too much blood and been fooled into too many wasted movements. Doing it the favour of finishing it off as quick as he could, Apexus dissolved the target¡¯s head.

 Pieced Together 10

    ¡°You know, this thing tastes pretty good,¡± Reysha stated as she happily put the monster¡¯s meat into her stomach, confirming the obvious that this was, indeed, some sort of dungeon spawn. ¡°This leaf has existed for thousands of years, yet nobody ever found this place,¡± she continued on as she ripped some more of the scales off to access more of the meat underneath. ¡°Guess that goes to show that gods are crafty bastards.¡±


    ¡°In absence of reason, discoveries are seldom made,¡± Aclysia stated, gaining herself questioning gazes from both Apexus and Reysha. ¡°People don¡¯t need to try and find things such as this chamber if there is an ample amount of easily accessible dungeons on the surface already.¡± After simplifying the concept like that, the other two nodded to the metal fairy¡¯s statement.


    ¡°No need to find new hunting grounds if you are fed just fine where you are,¡± Apexus still felt the need to utter a metaphor more comprehensive to himself, if only to show the metal fairy he was intelligent enough to get the concept.


    Reysha giggled, her senses going into overdrive again as she got a refreshment on them. That was the last thing she had to add to the conversation.


    A constant tingle was dominating the mind of Apexus as he ate. Two tingles, actually, one was his regrowing wing, not entirely unpleasant but definitely itchy, the other was the awareness of a new permanent Growth being available. Originally, Apexus had wanted to get this thing¡¯s sense of smell, but it was too good. How that was a problem was bound to the fact that it was the snake¡¯s tongue. Apexus didn¡¯t have a mouth to retract that thing into. Having it would be like being permanently blasted in the face with the marking scents of cats until he acquired a maw.


    So, rather than put the knee before the foot and be blasted with all the stink in the world until he got a mouth cavity, Apexus considered his other options. The snakes skeleton was useless to the slime, it didn¡¯t have arms and legs and without the musculature surrounding it, the way it crawled on its belly couldn¡¯t be emulated. Even if Apexus could, he was actually looking forward to some permanent legs that meant he no longer had to drag himself through the dirt by default.


    What else was there? This snake didn¡¯t have a poison gland, was blind, and the only other thing remarkable about it was its sense of movement, which the slime already possessed naturally and the two didn¡¯t play of one another. It would just be like have a second set of eyes that looked in the same direction as the first. That left Apexus with the teeth, but teeth were¡­ complicated.


    To deliver a bite, he wouldn¡¯t need just teeth. He would also need something those teeth were fixed on, traditionally a jawbone, a way to quickly ¡®unsheathe¡¯ the teeth and to have force behind the entire motion. The last two he could simulate by opening his membrane and manipulating his internal slime. Weaker, in all regards, but at least it would work.


    This was why the slime favoured mandibles normally. Way easier to grow and way less complicated. Those also could only sheer, which was way less versatile.


    As it stood, the slime really wanted nothing the snake had. However, wasting a permanent Growth was not an option and it wasn¡¯t like the slime didn¡¯t want teeth one day. These thing''s teeth were pretty good, their serrated sides let them cut through harder materials and they were pretty sturdy, acid damage notwithstanding.


    Yes, Apexus decided to go with the teeth. They wouldn¡¯t be terribly useful immediately, but they also wouldn¡¯t hinder him. After being permanently acquired, they changed very little. The frontal teeth stayed largely the same, as did the curved canines, both of them clearly predatory teeth. Even the ones further to the back stayed large the same. Located just beneath the surface, they formed two parallel rows under his eyes.


    An attempt at biting yielded the expected result. It was weak and the moment they hit something harder than fat, they began to shift in their position like Reysha¡¯s breasts when he poked at them with his tentacles. He could extend them outside at least, but that was a pretty slow process that no prey that wasn¡¯t already immobilized would ever fall to. Basically, they were useless, for now.


    He explained this in a few short words to his female companions, ¡°Teeth without jaws, currently all sharp and no bite.¡±


    ¡°No prize for me either,¡± Reysha announced, having looked around for loot or anything like that for the past minutes. ¡°I guess we got what we came for though,¡± she gestured at the sphere.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aclysia had waited for the complete recovery of her awakener before approaching the next part of herself. Now that Apexus had chosen his new Growth and his second wing seemed to be successfully restored, she was sufficiently calmed that she decided to land next the sphere. Still coiled around it, her feet landed on the corpse of the snake and carefully extended herself towards it.


    Golden light filled the cave, blinding Reysha and Apexus, the sound of their displeasure became distorted and vanished completely as Aclysia felt her consciousness pulled away to her creator¡¯s domain.


    He hadn¡¯t cleaned up his room since last time or, if he did, the chaos had immediately taken lead once again. Sheer endless amounts of costumes were hanging from the walls of the black and white world, if they were treated with enough respect, that was. Not a few of them, religious garbs more often than not, were scattered between the towers of books that grew all the way under the ceiling.


    ¡°And there you are yet again,¡± Hashahin sat in a chair, his gold masked face one of two sources of colour in this space. ¡°I am afraid, I come with a warning for you this time, little Aclysia.¡±


    The metal fairy¡¯s green eyes widened, what could be important enough for him to warn her about? ¡°I listen, creator, what is it that what you wish to inform me about?¡±


    ¡°There is¡­ disagreement between some of us gods about how to handle your awakener. Never enough for us to get hostile over¡­ the ascension¡¯s curse ensures this¡­ but Jersoja has sent his followers his verdict, so it is only fair that I do the same.¡± That was the limit of divine intervention, messages and information, seldomly when unasked for. Gods were allowed to aide the mortals in their convictions, but they were not to manipulate their minds. Every decision made in the leafs of the omniverse was that of a mortal for himself, such the Progenitor God had decreed. ¡°You should know that an Inquisition has been called to hunt Apexus. That¡¯s as much as I am allowed to say.¡±


    Aclysia felt a tinge of panic in her stomach but she quickly relaxed when she thought about it more calmly. ¡°This information¡­ I value it, but it changes nothing about our plans. We were..." the metal fairy stopped herself, realizing that she wouldn''t be part of that ''we'' anymore, "My awakener planned to leave the leaf when we got my last part anyway.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Hashahin reached out and pulled a book out of a nearby stack. It fell over, away from the chair, but the god didn¡¯t care, simply opening his new reading material. ¡°You should go back and go about this, then.¡±


    Despite having had her eyes open, Aclysia opened them. It caused a dizzy feeling for a moment, seeing only blurred shapes that were duplicated and tumbling through her field of view. There was a soft poking of her side, Apexus¡¯ creating a tentacle no doubt. Blinking a few times, she managed to get her sight back under control. She raised her hands and looked at them, same as always, then she got up. That wasn¡¯t the same as always.


    Reysha let out an overacted sniff, ¡°They grow up so fast.¡± Putting her hand on the metal fairy¡¯s head, her cries pretty quickly became giggles as she dropped that act.


    ¡°I certainly seem to have grown a bit,¡± Aclysia agreed, standing on her own two feet, her eyes at the height of Reysha¡¯s stomach.


    As she continued being pat by the redhead, a thought crossed her mind, ¡®I really hope I get taller than her¡­ this feels demeaning.¡¯ She looked to Apexus, whose face was now below her own. ¡°This will take some getting used to,¡± she mumbled, hesitating for a second she uttered the words, ¡°It seems an Inquisition was called on us, so my creator has warned me.¡±


    ¡°I FUCKING knew it would bite us in the ass,¡± Reysha laughed triumphantly. ¡°I told you so! I¡¯ll leave it at this one time, but I did!¡± A moment of silence ensued, then the tiger girl added, ¡°Is that even bad?¡±


    ¡°On this leaf? I don¡¯t suppose so,¡± Aclysia stated, unable to contend with the earlier parts of her companion¡¯s words. ¡°In effect, it means that the faithful are under order by the church to help in the search of our whereabouts. It is not unlike the price already on your core, awakener.¡±


    ¡°So, we are being chased by church and Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°That is the current situation.¡±


    ¡°Same plan as before then?¡±


    That was the agreed procedure.

 Pieced Together 11

    This last piece of Aclysia was all that kept the trio interested in this leaf. Reysha had wanted to go somewhere else from the start, Apexus just wanted to be somewhere safe and the metal fairy was to follow him. Well, there was actually a slight difficulty in that plan, one that the white-haired woman was not aware off.


    To the best of Aclysia¡¯s knowledge, once they got the last piece, she would return to the realm of her creator. Her purposes on this leaf fulfilled, she would have to await further orders back at the place where she was created. This was her nature. Pride in her work and fear for Apexus¡¯ life had kept her from speaking it out loud but she actually hoped they would hit some more roadblocks. Just so she could stay with her awakener and Reysha a little while longer.


    Her personal feelings on the matter had to take a backseat. If their time was limited, then the metal fairy had to accept this. It was also best she already found out what her awakener desired, so the whole process would go over smoothly.


    ¡°What is your wish, awakener?¡± Aclysia asked in a hesitant tone, flying with him. Her increased size had, conversely, helped her flying ability. She still wasn¡¯t as fast as him, but they weren¡¯t going at maximum speed anyway, as they didn¡¯t want to pull too far ahead of the earthbound Reysha. Just that she could follow him to that height was improvement.


    Travelling would become a whole lot easier once Apexus got big enough to comfortably carry Reysha around. That would mean he would have to take a more horse-esque shape though. The slime still favoured eventually going on two legs. It just seemed more manoeuvrable and as long as he had wings, running really quickly to bridge long distances wasn¡¯t a problem.


    ¡°Wish¡­? Ah, right,¡± Apexus had to think for a second, since he had made up his mind way back when he wasn¡¯t able to communicate properly, he hadn¡¯t thought of this topic in a while. Once Aclysia was completely put together, Hashahin would grant her awakener one wish of reasonable reward for such a low-level quest. Even if that quest happened to a divine one, asking for something like agelessness was a bit too much. ¡°I am going to ask for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± Aclysia stopped in the middle of that air for a moment, then remembered that Apexus couldn¡¯t do that and hastily followed him as the confused slime was about to turn. This revelation put all of her doubts from the last few days into a new light. She had almost gotten the impression that the slime wanted to get rid of her as quick as possible. ¡°You are going to waste your minor wish on¡­ me?¡±


    ¡°How is waste¡­ how is THAT a waste?¡± Apexus vibrated out his answer. ¡°I love you, want you to stay with me. I don¡¯t even know what else I could ask for¡­¡±


    Aclysia felt a warmth deep inside her that she only ever felt when she was with him. A smile bloomed on her face, wider and more genuine than she had ever made. Speeding up as much as she could, she landed on Apexus back. The sudden motion caused the slime to struggle a bit in keeping his flight balanced.


    ¡°Thank you, Apexus,¡± the metal fairy whispered into his ear as she hugged him as much as her smaller body allowed her too. She had no idea if Hashahin would grant this wish, permanently binding one of his angels to someone perhaps extended outside the ¡®minor¡¯ boundaries. Alone the intention for this made her deeply happy, however.


    ¡°Hold on tight,¡± Apexus warned as he went into a sudden descent. They were too close to their target to approach further without being easily seen when they landed. Instead, they had decided to hide in the shadow of a particularly large tree they had spied the day before.


    Although Apexus had realized that what he had said greatly pleased Aclysia by the hug she had given him, he didn¡¯t expect to be showered in kisses the moment they were settled on the ground. It was one of the gestures of affection he didn¡¯t really get, probably because he didn¡¯t have lips yet, humanoid ones seemed particularly sensitive, but he couldn¡¯t deny that feeling the pillowy pieces of her face pressed on his membrane felt pretty nice. Particularly so because he knew that it was gesture of affection.


    ¡°Thank you, Apexus,¡± she repeated, now hugging his front with her entire upper body. ¡°I thought we were going to be separated. Thank you for trying to make me stay.¡±


    Apexus was almost about to tell her that she could have just assumed that, but decided that interrupting the moment wouldn¡¯t have been worth the conversation. What else would he have wished for after all? Something very nice to eat? Tempting, but not nearly as valuable as those moments he shared with her. Not that he would have minded being alone with Reysha, it just wouldn¡¯t have been the same without Aclysia around.


    Said tiger girl made her appearance from in between the bushes not five minutes later, with Aclysia still lovingly stroking Apexus side in a way that was more relaxing than sexual. ¡°Should I come back in ten minutes or strip and join in?¡± she asked nevertheless. Her mood was pretty good, since the flesh of the toothed serpent had offset the numbing pretty well. It had already started affecting her again but it only made her senses a bit less sharp right now. Nothing to worry about, since they were generally above the average humanoid anyway.


    ¡°We are just having a sensual moment,¡± Aclysia retorted, staying her hand with a sigh. ¡°However, we should discuss how we deal with this. I hoped it would be somewhere outside the village, but the closer we get, the more accurate is my perception that my last part is hidden somewhere inside its structures.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes this entire thing tricky¡­¡± Reysha agreed.


    Currently in the south-east of the leaf, their target was a notable village. Used regularly as a training camp for upcoming adventures as well as the a best place from where to launch expeditions into another nearby dungeon, the village was under heavy Guild influence. There was simply no way there weren¡¯t people there that knew of Apexus, whether they actively hunted him or not.


    Which put waltzing in there out of the list of available options. At least until they knew where Aclysia¡¯s last part was located. Which meant they had to scout, something made much harder by Reysha being basically a known ¡®criminal¡¯ and Aclysia having reached an easily noticed size. What would have been the easiest find for any humanoid to have found her became immensely difficult for this group of monster and outcast.


    ¡°Ah, whatever, not like we have any other choice,¡± the redhead just shrugged it off. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best sneaking about the place.¡±

 Pieced Together 12

    Mehily glanced nervously over the table. Certainly, being put in a leading position of this Inquisition, as small is it might be, had bolstered her resolve in the divine, but that didn¡¯t mean she was comfortable with the actual Inquisitor sitting at the table with her. A woman of slender curves wearing an armour that smelled of burning coal, painted metal reinforcing leather that looked like it had been ripped from scorched animals, decorated with the icy blue of Jersoja. A strip of cloth hid her eyes, or the empty holes that would have been in her otherwise attractive face.


    In return for their eyes, Inquisitors learned to better read the invisible guidance of the divine. It wasn¡¯t as reliable as the Tracking spell of a medium level Hunter, but it gave the rough direction without needing to prior seeing the target. It had guided them here. As the gods preached, it was the mortals that had to make the actual decisions and find the truth of it all.


    The Inquisitor¡¯s name was Evmeria and she was perpetually silent. Her kind was known for a level of fanaticism that Mehily both admired and feared and as the Cardinal¡¯s personal aid, Evmeria had the influence to ban her from the church if the Priest overstepped her boundaries. It wouldn¡¯t cut her from her powers, only Jersoja and his high angels may decide to leave her faith unanswered, but no longer being part of the larger worshipping body was something most priests feared. Those following the more liberally minded deities like Hashahin aside.


    ¡®The people following Trember almost look at it as a necessity to be excommunicated¡­,¡¯ Mehily thought and took a sip of her water. The clear liquid reminded her of the translucent shape of their prey. Would they really find that chimeric monstrosity in this village? Mehily looked over to Berholdth. The massive warrior was all that remained of her starting party.


    The Rogue of their group had showed no interest whatsoever in this whole Inquisition business and been vocal about his absolute certainty of never wanting to face that slime creature again. Berholdth, on the contrary, had just quietly agreed to come with her. As a reward, the Cardinal had sponsored him a new armour, a white thing that was almost more fitting for a Paladin than a Warrior. The resolve he had shown on that day had, for the first time, made Mehily looked at the man as more than just a member of her party.


    ¡®Is what Reysha said about you desiring me true?¡¯ the Priest wanted to ask. ¡®Is your pure greed for my body the reason you are here?¡¯


    No answer came, as Berholdth reached down to his mug of beer and took a huge gulp. He had no qualms whatsoever about appearing improper in front of the Inquisitor, who could smell sin like a snake its next meal. That dastardly behaviour was oddly attractive. That aside, it would take more than a few beers to get a man of his size drunk.


    A man suddenly sat down at their table all of a sudden. It wasn¡¯t surprising whatsoever to see another person, this inn was well visited. There were enough empty tables to sit down at, however, and judging by the state of his beverage he had been here for a while anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s bad luck for two women to sit alone with a man?¡± the arrival asked with a toothy grin on his face. He had a stubby beard, barely covering a generally attractive, if rugged, face. Under his perfectly-sitting hat, fatty strains of hair grew out past his ears. ¡°You religious lot usually believe in such humbug.¡±


    ¡°You reek of cheap whiskey and common whores,¡± Evmeria¡¯s voice was like a shard of glass rammed between blocks of ice, crystal clear, grinding, disgusted and chilling. ¡°What you are in reference to is something that only those unguided would observe. Not that your worldly kind will ever understand something beyond your own carnality.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re saying that I don¡¯t care about anything else than two liquids, pussy juices and alcohol, then guilty as charged,¡± the man laughed, not caring whatsoever that he was surrounded by hostile eyes and repellent words. His voice quiet down to a whisper, ¡°So, I can take it your little Inquisition is here to find that odd monster everyone is on about.¡±


    Mehily¡¯s kept her face straight. It wasn¡¯t surprising that he knew about the Inquisition nor that they identified them. Since the slime was already publicly known, secrecy in the matter would have amounted to very little. Better to let news spread through the public so they would have no trouble convincing people to answer their questions, should they have any. The Inquisitor amongst them in her rank appropriate garb didn¡¯t make things less conspicuous.


    As such, the Priest allowed herself the simple confirmation. ¡°Yes, why do you ask? Are you with the Guild?¡±


    ¡°You could say that,¡± the man kept his smirk. ¡°Name¡¯s Gabrame,¡± at the mention the Inquisitor tensed a little bit. Just enough to be noticeable. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re in this area properly means I got a lucky shot, huh?¡±


    The Warrior of their group growled, ¡°Do your own fucking investigations and you could have found that you-¡°


    ¡°Berholdth!¡± Mehily was quick to reach out to her comrade, the touch on his arm stopping him from saying anything else. The giant had never been the brightest and the way he had formulated his answer had basically confirmed what the hunter had wanted to know. Shuddering, the Priest could basically feel the judgemental, blind eyes of the Inquisitor resting on her.


    Evmaria continued calmly. ¡°By decree of his holiness the Cardinal, the chimeric creature shall be retrieved alive and brought to him. Do I have to assume that the Guild will interrupt in his wishes?¡±


    ¡°The Guild won¡¯t but I might,¡± Gabrame knocked twice on the table and then got up, finishing his drink once he stood and nonchalantly leaving the empty mug on the table.


    ¡°Who are you to-!¡± Mehily was halfway standing up herself, ready to defend the mission of the faithful as the divine given necessity that it was. There was no chance to, Gabrame just tipped his head and immediately went to flirt with one of the bar wenches. By the depth of her d¨¦collet¨¦ it was easily seen that she was the kind whose service didn¡¯t stop above the table. ¡°What kind of scumbag was that?¡± she muttered to herself instead, wishing she had something more potent than water to take the edge off.


    ¡°He came to this leaf 12 years ago, Gabrame, a level 55 Sharpshooter,¡± Evmaria informed her companions, who both inhaled sharply. That put the man that had just talked to them around fifty levels above themselves. Even more than that, it meant that he was a person with an Art. If he had his bow, that guy could have taken the entire rest of this bar on by himself. Even Evmaria was only level 23 and that was around thrice the level of Mehily and Berholdth, 8 and 7 respectively. Inquisitors also paid for their special gifts with bad combat skills.


    ¡°What is a guy like that doing here?!¡± Berholdth was at least quietly outraged. ¡°No, how did I never hear of him? A guy like that should be known to everybody around this leaf as a legendary instructor!¡±


    ¡°Gabrame retired here with no wish to become an instructor. I don¡¯t have all the details. Something about being a friend of the Guild branches current leader. Fact is that he is easily over a hundred years old, accomplished and that he is searching for our target¡­ which means that our chances of success just sank considerably,¡± the Inquisitor¡¯s voice almost reverberated with palpable rage, but she always kept it just under the surface, a sheet of frost over her heating emotions.


    Mehily whispered, without even noticing herself, ¡°Failure cannot be tolerated while acting on the Cardinals behalf.¡±


    Evmaria noted this approvingly.

 Pieced Together 13

    Reysha kept her head low and her presence lower as she swayed through the village like a drunk. A not too uncommon sight at this time of the day. Theatrically, she put one foot across the other, stumbled (predictably) and fell into a dark alley between two houses. A quick exit from the line of sight belonging to a party of adventurers who were coming her way, now only laughing about the (presumed) woman barely able to catch herself by the frame of a backdoor.


    ¡°Maybe we should help?¡± the healer of that group, ever the concerned lot and the last kind of person the tiger girl wanted around right now, suggested.


    ¡°Only if you want to risk your pretty white robes getting covered in whatever that drunkard had,¡± a member laughed as Reysha bowed forwards and let a very unwomanly, croaking sound be heard as if she was about to vomit. The group passed and the redhead allowed herself a moment to stand relaxed.


    ¡®I will need a thorough back massage after this,¡¯ she thought, rubbing her upper spine with circular movements of the back of her hand. Reysha knew her craft well enough to not just go into a village cloaked and think that was enough. At her level of Rogue-craft, she had access to no tools to hide properly who she was. Even under general categorization she would eventually gain access to the ability to change her voice, change her body structure a little bit and obscure her presence so that most people just wouldn¡¯t think of approaching her.


    It wouldn¡¯t be on the level of Infiltrators, the proper, well, infiltration specialists, not the greatest at combat but with enough tools to fool just about everyone. They could restructure their bones and everything else to a degree that bordered on outright shapeshifting, all while choosing whatever voice they wanted and have their aura masked to fool whoever could even see auras.


    Best Reysha could do was walk hunched over and with buckled knees to obscure her actual height under her coat. A coat which she had, very thoroughly dragged through dusty soil and mud alike to give it as used a look as possible. The last time people had seen Reysha in this thing, it had been fresh off the shelves, so it was best it didn¡¯t look like that.


    These were the only two precautions she was able to take and with such a loose safety net, she didn¡¯t dare run around the village during the day. Only when it was night and there was their fair share of adventurer¡¯s stomping around in manners unacceptable in the wider society, did she dare walk around.


    ¡®No giggling, no stabbing and not being able to order alcohol make Reysha a sad kitty,¡¯ she thought and did her best to prevent her lain down ears from twitching in annoyance. Quickest way to get her identity revealed was to lift her cowl off her head with the conspicuous cat ears. She may have been able to get away with ordering a beer or two if Mehily hadn¡¯t been around, together with her oaf of a meat shield and some charred-armour wearing woman. No idea who that was but given what Aclysia had told her and Apexus a few days prior, it was probably an Inquisitor.


    Reysha started moving again, hunching to the protesting pain of her back and getting back into stumbling. At least this she had a lot of practice in, given that she had been drunk past the point of reason a fair few times in her life. With a shocked sting, she realized that she might not have been able to drink alcohol anymore, given her condition.


    ¡®Fuck my life sideways and up the ass,¡¯ she thought, almost cursing out loud, as she stumbled along the street. Finding the right mixture between stumbling drunkenly and not bothering people was difficult. If she made too little of a fuss, people could have been confused what coherent drunk this was, too much and they would talk about her. Reysha wanted neither type of attention. Walking around normally would have made her look just as suspicious. People let drunks get away with odd behaviour such as wearing a hood pulled down deep during a warm summer night.


    Once Reysha had gotten used to the layout of the houses and knew the particularly dark corners, she could attempt to sneak around properly. Just out of boredom, she stopped above a rain barrel and looked inside for an orb of metal. Nothing of the like. The fact that she only had the fact that it was hidden somewhere in the village to work with didn¡¯t help.


    After making a couple more stumbling rounds through the village, careful to not be seen twice by the same people, she eventually began her trip back into the forest. In that, she was even more paranoid about being tracked. The moment she was certain no more eyes were on her, she slipped into the brush and walked normally. About half an hour later, she arrived in their current hideout.


    The large tree they had arrived at had a burrow hidden under its roots, which Apexus had found using his tremor sense. Made accessible through minimal effort, a few dirt covered branches had sealed up a small hole, it would be relatively easy to hide again once they left. Squeezing in was the biggest problem, Reysha almost got stuck with her hips between the two girthy roots that surrounded the entrance, each thicker than her leg.


    ¡°At times like this having a fat, sexy ass is¡­ not¡­ that¡­ HELPFUL!¡± she complained as she weaved herself into the cavity under the trunk. It was dark, earthy smelling, but pretty warm and more than big enough for all three of them to fit inside.


    ¡°While I do not contest that your bottom is quite attractive,¡± Aclysia greeted the redhead in her usual tone of seriousness, ¡°You are not as heavily downwards weight as I am.¡± Gesturing towards her own, proportionally bigger, ass.


    ¡°I¡¯m also a fair bit bigger than you are, so you don¡¯t have these fucking problems,¡± Reysha responded grumpily and picked some random piece of solid matter of the ground and threw it at the fairy¡¯s outline in the darkness. It turned out to be a nail. It missed her and hit the wall of roots.


    Rusted iron rings sizable enough for barrels and the remains of rotten planks indicated that this place had once been used as a smuggler¡¯s den or something of the like. Reysha guessed that it was either abandoned because the criminals got caught or because the roots eventually became too dense to get the wares in and out without hacking at the tree around the entrance, which would have made the entire thing way less hidden.


    It still wasn¡¯t the best hideout they had ever had, the tree was basically a landmark anyone could get to, but it was better than camping out in the open. The low ceiling worsening her backpain aside. Combined with the current hiatus on sex, those sessions always got messy and they had nowhere to get clean afterwards around, Reysha became a very cranky cat.


    ¡°Get back to me when your ass is scaled up to my size you pear shaped bitch,¡± she growled and then sighed heavily. ¡°Sorry¡­ can somebody pull my back into a position that doesn¡¯t hurt?¡±


    A moment later, she felt the liquid body of Apexus creep up on her. She laid down on her stomach and purred as her back was treated to an equal massage on multiple spots. Although the force which the slime could muster behind the movements of his original biomass was pretty limited, for a relaxation of her muscles it was just enough. Not like he had to wear full plate armour. The idea made the tiger girl giggle, imagining that Apexus would simply collapse into a pile of heavy metal plates or move about like a squid trying to walk normally.


    ¡°Found anything?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Nope, no lucky findings,¡± Reysha told them. ¡°Saw Mehily and her ¡®Inquisition¡¯ in the local inn though, so that¡¯s a fucking brilliant circumstance.¡± The movements on her back stopped until she let out a miserable meow, Apexus getting back to his task afterwards. ¡°It¡¯s going to make sneaking around a bit more difficult, but I¡¯ll manage. If I don¡¯t get back for over a day, I recommend you run away though.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should just leave and return at another time?¡± Aclysia suggested, then made a concerned face and asked. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t happen to have an actual Inquisitor with them, would they?¡±


    ¡°They did, so us leaving is pointless,¡± Reysha told the metal fairy. ¡°They¡¯d just find the same general area we are in. If you ask me, the quicker we get this over with, the better our chances.¡±


    ¡°I am in agreement with you,¡± Aclysia stated. Although it was risky, their best shot was to just leave the leaf entirely as fast as possible. Even the whispers of the divine could only guide people so much and when they were on an entirely different world, it would take a mighty Inquisitor to track them down accurately.


    ¡°We do that then,¡± the slime added, barely informed about what any of these classes could do but trusting his girl¡¯s judgement. ¡°If you find anything that could lead us to the last part, let us know as quickly as possible.¡±

 Pieced Together 14

    One week passed before Reysha finally had something to report. ¡°I think it might be the well,¡± she stated while forcing down her mixture of raw meat and water. With glassy eyes, she chewed every bit as little as necessary and gulped quickly. It felt like a veil of darkness was creeping in from the edge of her vision, right up until Apexus pulled her dulled senses back by speaking up.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t look well,¡± the slime spoke in a concerned fashion.


    The sides of Reysha¡¯s lips trembled, then she failed to contain it and she burst into laughter. Landing in the dirt, the cloak between her naked back and the ground, she giggled and let out cacophonic sounds of hysteric euphoria in excessive intervals. Quickly, sealing her mouth shut with her hands as she kicked the air, she continued to laugh for a couple of minutes, sometimes stopping to breathe air only to continue. Eventually, she went down to periodic shivers of cackling, largely in control of herself again.


    ¡°Not ¡®well¡¯ as in I am well, Apexus,¡± the tiger girl informed the slime, who was looking concerned. ¡°A well, the structure you get water from by dropping a bucket into it.¡±


    ¡°Ooohhhh,¡± Apexus made one continuous vibration from his vocal plates. That was one of those sound shortcuts for understanding. Language was so odd, unequally complicated and streamlined. ¡°Why have the same word for two entirely different¡­ stuffs¡­ things¡­ meanings!¡±


    ¡°Cause fuck you that¡¯s why,¡± Reysha floppily answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t make the language, I just speak it and it works. Most of the time anyway.¡± That was fair enough all things considered and Aclysia wanted to stay on topic anyhow.


    ¡°What makes you present that hypothesis? Which well in particular?¡± she asked, inching closer. For a change, the white-haired angel wasn¡¯t sitting on her awakener, since the tree was hanging too low above them. Instead, she had to sit on her own legs. Even flying was impossible, since she didn¡¯t have the space to beat her wings. This was one of the times she would have preferred to be small again. Then again, a tinier body meant less surface area to cuddle her awakener with. It was all good.


    ¡°Behind the inn, there is a well there. The guy running it uses for his private brewery or something I don¡¯t fucking know,¡± Reysha answered, abruptly sitting back up before she continued. ¡°Thing is, apparently the bucket makes some odd sounds when hitting the bottom nowadays. He hasn¡¯t checked, since it still fills up, but that¡¯s the best hint I got so far.¡±


    She combed her hair with her hands, getting out what dirt stuck to it. Although she didn¡¯t mind it on her cloak, since that was the look it was supposed to have anyway, her hair was another story. That crimson brilliance had to stay as clean as possible, it was a point of pride for the tiger girl. That she hadn¡¯t had a proper bath in over a week bothered her partially because of that, since that turned her hair dull. The tiger girl genes were still strong and prevented matting or the like, but a proper grooming was something that brought out the best of her appearance.


    Reysha didn¡¯t even know exactly why being dirty over extended periods bothered her. Not like she gave a shit about other people¡¯s opinion on the matter. Apparently, she just liked being sexy for herself. Another point of the tiger genes, doubtlessly.


    ¡°It¡¯s seriously the best hint I have so far,¡± she shrugged and remembered the past week. ¡°Found no signs of other underground chambers in anybody¡¯s cellars, nothing hidden in their closets, nothing in the nearby forests-¡°


    ¡°Hold on a second,¡± Aclysia interrupted the redhead. ¡°Did you break into people¡¯s houses?¡±


    ¡°What, are you going to scold me for being thorough in your search for YOUR stuff?¡± Reysha crossed her arms and giggled mockingly. ¡°Or what is that about? Because I assure you that I took nothing and was very careful not to leave any tracks.¡± She had really wanted to take some stuff though, some people owned very alluring looking equipment. Her current bodysuit was in for a replacement. Not direly, it was definitely sturdier than her old leather armour, but it would eventually share the same fate of falling apart.


    ¡°No¡­ I mean¡­ I want to, but you are correct¡­¡± the metal fairy sighed and conceded the point. ¡°I am sorry, waiting here all day is not the most entertaining of activities.¡± There were two parties that were searching for Apexus, as far as they could tell, being the Inquisition and a random group of adventurers in it more out of boredom than actually searching for them. Judging by their utter lack of enthusiasm to be thorough, at least. On the other side, the Inquisition was incredibly thorough. Despite having no member that was good at searching woods. It would take a little while longer until that trio reached their neck of the woods.


    There had also been some middle-aged man, but that guy had stopped after two days. Reysha had followed each of those parties in the shadows for a little bit to get a picture on their abilities. Her evaluation had been that they all sucked, especially the old man, who had just turned some leaves and then left to get drunk.


    Not threatening whatsoever. That was what the Rogue felt at the sight of that tricorne wearing drunkard.


    Anyway, all of these parties meant that Aclysia and Apexus were staying put, the latter only going out to hunt when he was hungry. Since he wasn¡¯t moving a lot and not growing anything, that only happened every two days. The rest of the time, they could only talk and cuddle. After a few days, even that got boring.


    ¡°I can¡¯t exactly climb down the well and check for you,¡± Reysha followed up. ¡°So you¡¯ll have to check yourself.¡±


    Aclysia nodded and thoughtfully mumbled, ¡°And since I can¡¯t get down there unseen, given the location... I will need a distraction¡­.¡± She tapped against her upper thigh, the tips of her shoes (or her feet, technically) wrestling with each other. ¡°It would be too much of a risk if I were to reveal myself before an entire inn full of adventurers. That one of them has a spell to restrict me is guaranteed.¡±


    Humming, Apexus gave his own thoughts on the matter. ¡°I can do the distracting bit, just need to show myself.¡±


    ¡°I could set a house on fire,¡± Reysha suggested, ¡°That would be pretty distracting.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Aclysia fervently denied the idea. ¡°We are not Involving bystanders.¡±


    ¡°Sure, your loss then, make it harder on us,¡± the tiger girl yawned sarcastically. ¡°Well, as long as Apexi here stays in the air, shouldn¡¯t be too bad,¡± she stated and looked serious for a moment. ¡°Once we reveal ourselves, every last adventurer there will start searching for us, you know that, right? Doesn¡¯t matter that the Inquisition already knows we¡¯re here, with confirmation, they will chase us until they lose sight, success or not.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aclysia thought about that for a moment, ¡°¡­success or not¡­ we will need a plan.¡±


    ¡°Success or not, you will also need to eat, Reysha?¡± Apexus switched topics a little bit. ¡°As I said, you don¡¯t look well, we should visit a dungeon soon.¡±


    The tiger girl nodded and went back to her disgusting meal. ¡°Been getting worse steadily, I don¡¯t even know if I should sneak around anymore with how bluargh I¡¯m feeling. It¡¯s slower and not as bad as last time, but it¡¯s definitely still there. If we wait long enough, the Noir side effects will make me about as useful as a normal person.¡±


    ¡°I suggest the following plan,¡± Aclysia chimed back in. ¡°First, we will let Reysha look for another two days,¡± she counted with her fingers as she presented the steps. ¡°Second, Reysha will leave and travel north towards the Clearwater dungeon on her own. Third, five days after that, Apexus and I will attempt to find my last piece wherever we suspect it at the time, should that change. Fourth, me and Apexus will, whether or not the operation was successful, split up, flying west and east respectively, until we are certain we are not being followed or have at least left them out of sight. Then we turn north. Fifth, we all meet again inside Clearwater. I will monitor the entrance, waiting for you. You two can find each other using Apexus¡¯ pheromones.¡±


    Reysha and Apexus both agreed to the plan. With that amount of a head start, the tiger girl didn¡¯t need to worry about becoming slower through the effects of her condition. By the time people were looking for her actively, just by proxy of chasing Apexus, she would already be far away. Clearwater would function as a remote landmark and they could even hide inside if necessary. Unlike normal adventurer¡¯s, they would never run out of rations there.


    ¡°We will proceed as such, then,¡± the metal fairy concluded the meeting.

 Pieced Together 15

    Gabrame was nodding off in his chair and waiting. Waiting for several things. For a start, for that perverted little wench of a barmaid to have her shift end. He had absolutely no idea how much money or sperm he had dumped inside that cunt, but he absolutely knew that the number didn¡¯t matter as long as her tits hadn¡¯t started sagging.


    As long as her shift wasn¡¯t ending, he was waiting for his next beer. They had a mean dark ale in these parts, pretty bitter and pretty high in percentage. Exactly what Gabrame loved to keep his liver working on. Retirement was treating him well, although he could use the extra money for all the bastards he had sired. All those whores he had slept with that had either forgotten or purposefully skipped on taking their precautions sure had left him with a bit of a mess. Smart sluts had smelled his money and known who to have their kids with.


    Not that he was unhappy with that, at least not overall. The first time had been a bit of a shock, but Gabrame just taught the little runts some knife tricks when he was around. He had the time. He was more than three times as old as most people in this bar. He had tasted a fruit of the Omniverse. Now, he was quite happy to just grow old and die. Preferably in a drunken slumber. The fact that he would leave behind a pack of kids wasn¡¯t the worst legacy to leave behind. Although he doubted most of them would remember him as a good father.


    ¡®Really been drinking too much today,¡¯ the old hunter thought and adjusted his hat to block out more of the candlelight that kept the room lit despite the late hour. While he was at it, he also scratched his scruffy beard, then his belly, finally his balls. If anybody saw that and was offended by it, he would just laugh at them. Not his fault that he was born with a package that regularly needed readjusting, envious pricks. ¡®Really shouldn¡¯t do that¡­¡¯ he continued to think as he was slowly slipping away into sleep.


    What brought a level 55 Sharpshooter to hunt some random monster in a safe leaf? Favours and money, that was the easy part. Also, immense boredom. Haralry was nice and all but it wasn¡¯t particularly big, so he knew just about every willing young thing around. Since he didn¡¯t polish his skills anymore, some level 40 adventurer probably could have beaten him. That still made Gabrame strong enough to beat everyone in this inn.


    Including that cute little Inquisition. Seriously, that word carried so much weight, but on a leaf like this, three people were all they got together. Gabrame had seen an entire fleet be built on behest of that word, sent out to find a pirate king and bring him to justice. Compared to that, what was this, really? A slime was somewhat unordinary and they were all up in arms about this. How stupid.


    Gabrame¡¯s mission had a much more understandable reason. Greed, pure greed, that was a nice and understandable motive.


    Finally deciding that his current sitting position was too uncomfortable, the hunter slumped forwards onto the table and hit his forehead on his mug. To his surprise, the sound that produced had the sloshing of liquid accompanying it. He had been sure he had emptied the entire thing. ¡°Heerrrr we goo,¡± he sheepishly mumbled to himself and messily poured the remaining contents into his throat.


    Afterwards, his face was stained with alcohol, but he also a bit awake again. Sluggishly, he looked around. That Inquisition was still here and that was all Gabrame needed to know. Well, that and that there was somebody, probably that tiger girl that was aligned with the slime, stalking around the village at night. Two pieces of info that made it completely useless to move out of the area. No idea what his target wanted around here, no idea what a slime wanted aside from eat and split once it was big enough period, but Gabrame knew that there was something here it needed.


    In other words, there was absolutely no reason to go through all of the pains of tracking and scouring the forest. Sooner or later, his prey would come to him. Unless Gabrame got tired with the local assortment of whores and alcohol before then, the Sharpshooter would stay put. Not likely to happen.


    He was about to knack off again, when the loud, wooden rumble of a door being violently pushed open rung in his ears. ¡°There is¡­ some slime creature circling over the village!¡± the voice of the barging adventurer echoed out and silenced the drunken mellowness that took hold of every inn at such an hour.


    It was immediately replaced by busy movements, none of which were more immediate than Gabrame¡¯s. Combat Trigger was a perfect skill to have in situations like this, a burst of awareness and energy rushed through his entire body as he grabbed his bow and quiver and ran out before anyone else. He allowed himself a smirk over the shoulder, the Inquisition group barely having risen from their seats by the time he was out the door.


    The warm summer night was exactly the reason as to why he was spending the rest of his life on this leaf. However, right now, he would have given quite a bit for it to be winter. The cold would have ripped him completely out of the drunken state he was in. Even Combat Trigger could only do so much for him, he wasn¡¯t a Berserker.


    In full sprint, he jumped, one foot landing on the lid of a rain barrel. He didn¡¯t stop moving, the momentum carrying him further up, allowing him to grab onto the edge of the roof and swing himself on the slanted surface. He looked up to the sky as he climbed onto the highest point and readied his bow.


    One thing Gabrame had to admit, the thing was pretty clever. It was diving into range of the torches mockingly every now and again, only to then immediately fly up high, only the silhouette visible against the night sky. The moon was only a slim sickle and it wouldn¡¯t get much darker. Only those waiting for news or quite drunk were awake on this hour.


    ¡®Why is it even showing itself¡­ a distraction?¡¯ Gabrame wondered as he reached for an arrow. His fingers were still sensitive and they had to be to feel the correct kind of feather marking the shafts. For this mission, he had some special arrows made. This wasn¡¯t his first slime hunt. ¡®Well, not that I have to care.¡¯


    He drew out the arrow and nocked it against the metal frame of his bow. With visible strain, he drew back the drake hair string and slowly followed the circling movements of the flying creature. The tip of his arrow was unusual, forked into three parting spikes rather than one penetrating tip. It swayed a bit in its position from his unsteady hand.


    ¡®Seriously thought that thing would be more intimidating,¡¯ Gabrame thought as he kept watching and trying to keep his drunkenness under control. Sure, that monster looked odd, with the teeth under the surface, the wings, the wooden plates and all of these things, but the Sharpshooter had fired an explosive arrow down the maw of a Living Graveyard. By comparison, that thing was nothing.


    All he needed was a moment of clarity. Just a split second. It came when the monster passed a torch far behind it. Gabrame could look through the unprotected underside, just a little bit, but the black dot that must have been the core stood out to his keen eyes. His fingers were relaxing. Somewhere, a certain Priestess shouted in protest.


    A sudden golden light turned the night into day and distracted the hunter. The blinding pillar burned itself into his alcoholically sensitive retina. Just a tiny bit, he pulled his aim off to the side as the sinew propelled the arrow to insane speeds.


    Gabrame blinked several times, unable to see anything in detail. ¡®Where did that¡­ the inn?¡¯ he tried to stitch together where that light had come from. Not the most important question. It probably had something to do with that Aclysia thing, but he didn¡¯t give a flying fuck about that metal fairy. His only prey was the slime.


    The Sharpshooter tried to find the creature. Initially, his eyes failed to find the shadow, but a new, or old sense, rather, quickly helped him. It was like a compass needle was inside his head and it pointed into the right direction. The Hunter¡¯s Mark.


    Gabrame smiled and jumped off the rooftop as he felt the slime soar away at much higher speeds than he felt like running right now. It didn¡¯t matter if the monster had gotten what it wanted. Gabrame was a level 55 Sharpshooter. The generic Art he had gotten access to was called Stalker Sniper. Whatever he hit last with an attack was applied with the Hunter¡¯s Mark and no matter the distance, he wouldn¡¯t lose it until he applied it to something else or dismissed it.


    In other words, he was now in a position to more accurately locate his prey than the Inquisition was.

 Pieced Together Finale

    Apexus was recovering from the shock of his life as he fluttered away as quickly as he could. ¡®Hope Aclysia got away,¡¯ he thought, but didn¡¯t dare go against the plan. Mainly not because of the nagging he would have to deal with if he did so, no, but because he wasn¡¯t sure if he would even get away with flying over that village again.


    Of course, he had noticed that hunter cowering on the rooftop, how couldn¡¯t he have? With his good night vision and the heightened position of that man, the slime would have turned blind to not see him. That didn¡¯t explain what had happened though.


    Throughout the entire distraction, Apexus had been shot at by numerous arrows, several spears and swords had been jabbed in his direction and a few spells had soared past him. As long as he kept moving and didn¡¯t fly too close the ground, he had been basically unhittable. That was the logic. The veil of darkness and his own speed should have guaranteed as much.


    Yet, there had suddenly been a hole inside him. Apexus hadn¡¯t even been able to see the arrow, just felt its forked tip ravage through his body and exit again on the other side. It had hurt, immensely so, one of the sharp tips even scraping over his core. That arrow could have ripped his most important, in many ways the only important organ, right out of him.


    The accuracy, the speed, the experience with which the hunter had taken aim, it hadn¡¯t been a lucky shot, not in the slightest. ¡®Someone strong is there,¡¯ Apexus thought and continued his path through the darkness of the sky. At least he was certain enough that he was quicker on the move than the hunter, thanks to the difference between walking and flying.


    Soon enough, there would be a large body of water between Apexus and the hunter. That would put Apexus at ease. Then, the only question would be if his metal fairy had survived, gotten away rather, and if the wish had been granted.


    ___________________________________________________________________________


    Aclysia sat across from Hashahin who was rolling his head from one side to the other. ¡°Hmmmm,¡± the god hummed, his masked face pointing towards the left. ¡°That is a bit much to ask but¡­¡± He went onto the right. ¡°¡­not like this is an ordinary circumstance¡­¡± Back to the left. ¡°Making an exception seems a bit much though¡­¡± the white and black mask emanated a soft emerald glow. ¡°And you are certain that¡¯s what you want, yes?¡±


    Aclysia nodded firmly, raising one hand to her chest. Now about as big as Reysha was, perhaps a bit taller, she was finally feeling like a real woman. The idea that she could now serve her awakener in all walks of life just as well as any other humanoid could was only deepening her feelings for him. Behind the soft curve of her chest, she felt the beating of magic stronger than ever. ¡°I wish to serve him ¨C forever if I can.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, young love, young love,¡± her divine creator leaned back, the lips of his mask, white with black lines on the one, the inverse on the other side, parting in asynchrony with his voice, like always. ¡°Giving someone command over an angel permanently is a gift way beyond your quest, you see, Aclysia? Especially since I made you with the gift of growth. Getting messengers with free will is an arduous creation process, my good girl.¡±


    Aclysia bowed her head, ¡°I do beg of you, father.¡± A little breeze carried loose pages throughout the monochrome room. There was no open window. There were no windows at all.


    ¡°¡­That is one unfair word to address me with,¡± the god stated in a deeper voice than usual. ¡°Yet, you seem to fail to realize the reality of your situation.¡± Without any movement, Hashahin suddenly stood in front of Aclysia and bowed down. ¡°One of my angels can¡¯t serve a mortal forever,¡± the mask contorted into a sinister smile. ¡°The wish is denied.¡±


    Looking at her creator¡¯s face with wide eyes, spelling out her devastation, she sat there with slightly parted lips. For a felt eternity, they were just looking at each other. She drew breath to speak, only to stop herself at the sight of Hashahin¡¯s mischievously laughing face.


    Had he guided her along, encouraged her, just to take from her what she wanted at the end? Had all of this talk of self-determination been just for nothing?


    ¡°Well, is that all?¡± the god wanted to know. ¡°Is that all you have to say? Your wish to serve not me but another person? Did your precious awakener not leave you with another wish in case he didn¡¯t get his way?¡±


    Was he jealous of Apexus? Was that the reason why the god loomed so menacingly over her, his aura almost oppressing her thoughts? It was like she was back to how she had been before she met the slime, a tool with a will, but nevertheless a tool. However, at the very surface of her existence, one question still lingered.


    ¡°Why did you give me a womb?¡± her lips formed that single question and some of her thoughts became unshackled. ¡°If you truly wish for me to just be an autonomous tool¡­ why would you give me the possibility to bear his child without even asking me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, why would I do that?¡± Hashahin asked in a neutral tone that betrayed a level of pride. ¡°Why would I give a love-drunk woman that has barely known life the capability to make the most beautiful mistake given to the living?¡±


    ¡°Because you approve of him¡­ of us¡­ but why then won¡¯t you grant his wish?¡± Aclysia saw the smile no longer as menacing but as a challenge. The god wanted her to realize something, one last lesson before they had no more reason to see each other again. What was it?


    What did she really know about her creator?


    He had been a man.


    He wanted to be a father again.


    That made her his daughter.


    A daughter that finally found her own way in life.


    What was it that he took issue with in her choices?


    Then, she realized.


    ¡°May I ask to freely wander the Omniverse until the love for my awakener fades?¡± Aclysia presented her new wish. It was so obvious now that she knew it. Her father wanted not for his daughter to be defined only by her serving another person than him. To switch one master for another, despite having learned to think and act for herself, such would have been an unworthy life.


    If she was to keep serving Apexus, then not because of some continued contract, but because it was her choice. A bond of feelings, not oaths of magic made by another party. What proud father would bind his daughter into a contract of slavery?


    ¡°Hmmm, we are getting there,¡± with the blink of an eye, the actor god was back in his seat. ¡°Yes, I will allow this, you may be with him for as long as your love is still aflame like the summer sun,¡± Aclysia was taking a breath of relief, ¡°however,¡± she froze again, ¡°I will have to take things from you until you serve me again. Conveniences taken from you and powers that an angel gets to have naturally, but you will have to work to learn. Most importantly, I am removing all divine authority from you, no Priest anywhere will have to listen to you, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I hear and agree, divine creator,¡± Aclysia bowed her head and the room around her began to blur into grey.


    Hashahin raised a hand to his mask and lifted it just enough for a pair of oddly sultry lips to appear, painted in a bright emerald colour. ¡°Please, call me father.¡±

 Hunt – Prologue

    Reysha was picking some meat remains out of her teeth with the sharp end of a shattered bone. It once belonged to a large rat, but the tiger girl had killed and devoured it a few hours earlier. Now she was just sitting on her ass and waiting. There was a question to be raised: why she even was waiting.


    The initial reason that she stayed with the slime and the fairy because they had saved her life was fading out rather quickly. As far as that thing went, her debt was repaid. So, what were her reasons for sitting on this rock near the dungeon entrance for the second day in a row?


    There was nothing easier than to just get up, walk away and leave the leaf. It would be considerably harder with a slime and a moth-winged fairy in tow. Getting through the controls at the stem of the leaf, the point where the world connected to the branches of the omniverse, was already difficult enough with how much she stood out.


    The bone snapped and Reysha tossed the useless tool away, extending the claw of her index finger to continue the work. Since the Noir affliction started, her nails had progressively turned red. By now, they looked somewhat like heavily diluted wine. Who knew how much redder they would get?


    Reysha snickered to herself as if somebody heard a joke she hadn¡¯t even told. Then she got back to the question. ¡®At the very least, I like Apexus,¡¯ she thought, taking her life decisions seriously was outside of her usual expertise, but she had nothing to immediately distract herself with. ¡®Aclysia is alright, even if she is an annoying cunt sometimes.¡¯


    Were those personal feelings worth the risk of sticking to them?


    No. Not really, they were completely arbitrary, bindings that could be undone quickly as she could end a life. A kill count that would include humanoids already were it not for Aclysia. Getting rid of that shackling influence would be pretty liberating.


    It was also bound to get her in trouble sooner or later. ¡®Maybe keeping her annoying side around wouldn¡¯t be that bad,¡¯ Reysha thought, having found a rational reason to stay around. With her utter lack of sensibilities, having some moral compass around when running around society wouldn¡¯t be the worst decision ever.


    With all of that thought done, the tiger girl decided to just toss it all out the window and just stay just because she felt like it. Sure, it wasn¡¯t the safest or most logical decision, but when had she ever taken those two as her first priorities? It was fun and not utterly suicidal. That was good enough.


    Fun that manifested in her rolling on the floor about thirty minutes later. ¡°Wha-a-a-aaaaaahahhahahaha,¡± she tried to get some words out, but all she could do was cry from the way her stomach hurt and continue to let unnerving amusement echo over the landscape.


    The reason stood in front of her, Aclysia hiding her lady bits with nothing but her angled wings and hands. She was a very attractive woman, tall as well. Reysha herself was already bigger than the average, Aclysia slightly upped that. Her milky skin was a bit dirty from the way, particularly around the shoulders and face, but generally reflected the sunlight brightly. Her curves greatly profited from her now human proportions, long legs ending in a criminally perfect ass and smoothly transitioning over a flat stomach to petite breasts and a slender neck.


    ¡°This is not funny!¡± the metal fairy declared, raising her voice louder than usual, clearly uncomfortable. A blush turned her beautiful face redder than usual, the green eyes opened wide. It was one thing to be naked during sex, outdoors or not, it was a whole thing to just casually reveal her bare form to everyone who could see her standing in the landscape. It wasn¡¯t proper, even if that was just the tiger girl right now, who had seen the goods before.


    Reysha barely gathered herself, sitting up and folding her legs with a giant grin on her face. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you just putting your clothes back on, then? Just do the usual and let them grow.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ cannot do that anymore,¡± Aclysia grumbled. ¡°Upon my final transformation, my creator stripped from me several capabilities¡­¡±


    ¡°Including literally stripping you by taking your ¡®divine garb¡¯ away?¡± Reysha giggled, to which Aclysia nodded. ¡°Leaving you to flee that well on your own, naked?¡± Another nod. ¡°With dozens of adventurers staring at your bubble butt and smooth cunt?¡± No nod, just rapidly deepening redness from shame and anger.


    Reysha fell back down backwards and continued to ecstatically pour the content of her lungs out until she had trouble breathing and grasped the air physically. Offering no help, Aclysia instead commented, ¡°I genuinely wish you would fail at inhaling right now.¡± There was no god around to fulfil that for her, so the tiger girl eventually drew a successful breath and continued on.


    It took a long time for Reysha to stop bursting out in immense fits of terrible glee. Shamed and with only a limited capacity for sarcasm, Aclysia sat down at one of the many stone pillars that surrounded the Clearwater fountain. By pulling her legs to her chest and layering her wings on top, the boneless limbs at least guidable enough for that endeavour, she turned into a glaring head poking out of a black and white fuzzy blanket. For some reason that only prolonged the redhead¡¯s amusement.


    ¡°The look on your face,¡± Reysha managed finally to say. ¡°Absolutely priceless.¡±


    ¡°Is that the end of your ceaseless amusement at my expense?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± the tiger girl snorted and continued to giggle. ¡°No, I will poke fun at you for this FOREVER.¡±


    ¡°Forever?¡± Aclysia¡¯s voice rung out in a displeased fashion.


    ¡°Forever!¡± Reysha assured. Still laughing, she grabbed her adventurer¡¯s bag and started rummaging inside it. Then she pulled out her robe. ¡°Here, since I am not using it right now, might as well.¡±


    The metal fairy looked at it with several blinks, her point ears standing at attention. ¡°Right¡­ you have that,¡± she slowly opened the cocoon of her own wings, the two big ones at the top folded open first, closely followed by the two smaller ones. As she rose, she unfolded them fully. She had a surprisingly narrow wingspan, the tips not much further out than the fingertips of her fully extended arms. ¡°Was it truly necessary to extend my shame for a complete hour?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t THAT long!¡± Reysha stated, watching as Aclysia hovered over. Notably, she didn¡¯t beat her wings to fly anymore, all she needed to keep herself afloat was to keep her wings extended. The moment Aclysia folded them again, her feet came in contact with the ground. ¡°I think.¡±


    ¡°I am halfway certain I am correct,¡± Aclysia countered, completely open for a moment as she reached out to take the cape.


    ¡°Why naked?¡± Apexus asked, suddenly landing next to them. Although this was the last person she minded seeing her in the nude, Aclysia¡¯s face went right back to bright red. ¡°Why are you naked, sorry,¡± the slime corrected himself, thinking that was the mistake that made her flustered.


    ¡°Because¡­¡± Aclysia suddenly realized her awakener was a whole lot smaller than the last time she had seen him. All of her personal shame took a backseat for her worry. Uselessly, she immediately began searching him for any harm. ¡°Are you okay, Apexus? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, many stuffs, but why¡¯re you naked?¡± the slime insisted on knowing first what was wrong with his beloved white-haired fairy.


    Reysha giggled from the side lines. ¡°You two need to slow down and explain everything.¡±

 The Hunt 1

    ¡°An arrow with enough force that it just cut THROUGH you?¡± Reysha was flabbergasted at the idea. ¡°I mean, you aren¡¯t exactly flesh and bone, but I wouldn¡¯t exactly call you gassy. That should have at least slowed down to just¡­ fall.¡±


    ¡°No, went straight through, in a flash,¡± Apexus assured. ¡°Only know it was arrow because saw hunter¡­ That sentence had a lot of mistakes, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Aclysia hummed in agreement. ¡°Yes, but regardless of that, this is worrying news.¡± For a few moments she seemed worried, then she let out a dissatisfied sigh. ¡°I wish I could analyse this more deeply, but I don¡¯t know things outside of the basics for all Classes. Normally, given that I would be an angel of my creator from now on, this would be bestowed upon me, but as things currently stand, I will have to learn for myself.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I get the whole ¡®this is how our wish worked out¡¯ angle,¡± the redhead of the odd group spoke up again. ¡°That¡¯s nice for you, your dad seems like a nice guy, blabla and all that sugary stuff. We should get a full rundown on what you gained and what you lost though, at least the important bits.¡± Apexus seconded that motion by wiggling his body in a nodding way.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Aclysia agreed and began listing. ¡°As just alluded to, I have lost access to in-depth knowledge about more advanced Classes. I do still have the knowledge of the basics that I possessed before, as I do over the machinations of the Omniverse. This means that I know slightly more than either of you.¡±


    ¡°That is so rude!¡± Reysha stated.


    ¡°I am sorry, but I simply assumed that you aren¡¯t the type that paid attention in class. Am I wrong in my assessment?¡±


    ¡°¡­Sometimes you can be really sassy.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, I am sitting only clad in a dirty robe next to a pond and have my wings tucked in at uncomfortable angles,¡± Aclysia shot right back and crossed her legs. Something that Apexus noticed purely by the fact that her weight was shifting around.


    ¡°You could lie down,¡± the slime suggested. ¡°There is enough room on me.¡±


    ¡°Would this not rob you of feeling my butt on your back?¡±


    ¡°Preferably, you are comfortable,¡± Apexus insisted and so the metal fairy went on to instead lay on her stomach over his back. ¡°Is better?¡±


    ¡°Much better,¡± she placed a little kiss between his fox ears. ¡°Thank you, darling.¡±


    Now that was a new word. A wonderful word. Maybe even the absolute best word. Particularly the way she spoke it. Soft, like warm winds through canopies, right into his ear. He was just about ready to remove the need for her to lie anywhere. Just a few tentacles would do the trick, she was still lighter than her size would indicate. Reysha was heavier at the least, and he could still lift her (with enough tentacles).


    Repeatedly snapping her fingers, the tiger girl got the attention back to topic. ¡°I need to get fucked as desperately as the next girl, but can we get this through so I don¡¯t have to bring this boring ass topic up again later?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, my apologies,¡± Aclysia answered with her usual words but a lovey-dovey tone as she looked at the slime¡¯s eyes below her. Now her legs were swaying back and forth in a silent rhythm. ¡°I lost the power to create my own clothes, but you know this already. My body still functions as my own casting medium, however, so I will not need equipment in this regard. As for my magical power itself, I will now have to grow like any regular adventurer. As per estimation, I should be between levels 8 and 10. My Class remains Guardian Angel. Perhaps most importantly, I do not hold any divine authority anymore. This means equally that I hold no sway with the faithful, but also that they won¡¯t be able to recognize my true nature.¡±


    ¡°So, once we leave the area and nobody knows about your quest anymore, you can actually be anonymous. That is going to be helpful,¡± Reysha noted. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°For the sake of functioning optimally, I will need to take in some sort of sustenance, direct mana absorption would be best. I won¡¯t die like a malnourished human, but I may collapse and fall unconscious,¡± the metal fairy answered and hugged her slime lover tightly enough that Apexus felt himself get squished a little. ¡°Food would do it, as would simple mana transfers. However, there is a certain, very effective way to fill me up with mana¡­ one much more fun than simple body contact, darling.¡±


    The sexual advance there flew completely over Apexus¡¯ head. He just realized why she had been draining power from him from the moment they started being in contact. Given that that was how they met in the first place, he hadn¡¯t minded it. More importantly, there was that wonderful word again. ¡°Why ¡®darling¡¯?¡± Apexus was interested anyway. ¡°What happened to ¡®awakener¡¯?¡±


    ¡°As I am no longer bound to you by that contract first, I deemed it appropriate to replace your title with something more fitting for our relationship,¡± Aclysia informed him.


    ¡°Should I call you something as well?¡±


    ¡°Depending on the word, I would appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Clam.¡±


    ¡°No, that is¡­ I am sorry, Apexus, but that is awful.¡±


    ¡°Clams taste good.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but¡­ you must understand that clam is a way to describe a woman¡¯s sex rather crudely. That aside, they look somewhat unappetizing, and smell.¡±


    ¡°Why call your vagina something unappetizing¡­? Ah, whatever, different idea then¡­ dungeon spider?¡±


    ¡°I want to say that is worse, but I am actually not quite sure.¡±


    ¡°It also tastes delicious!¡±


    ¡°I guessed as much, darling, but not everything you like functions as a nickname.¡± Aclysia¡¯s voice had lost its lovey-dovey tone, so Apexus got that he was doing something wrong. He hadn¡¯t caught onto why or what yet though.


    He tried to take the easy way out. ¡°Suggest something then, Aclysia.¡±


    ¡°How about, ¡®honey¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I have been told honey is delicious, so how is it different?¡± the slime was utterly confused now. Himself, he hadn¡¯t had an encounter with that particular food yet.


    ¡°It just is.¡± Aclysia decided.


    ¡°Also, isn¡¯t it bee vomit?¡±


    ¡°Apexus, please,¡± the metal fairy pleaded.


    At this point, the slime really wanted to cave to whatever worked. ¡°Okay, honey then¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Fantastic, now that way out was also blocked.


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°You ruined it. I am truly sorry to be this moody about this, but if this is something you will address me with for the coming years, I need to hold it quite dearly.¡± Although she apologized, Apexus felt a sliver of the irritation from back in the Birchia dungeon.


    Cooler cores had to prevail though. Raking whatever part of his nucleus was responsible for memories for something nice he had ever heard in whatever context he¡­ utterly failed to find anything. Then he tried to think about any moment they shared where she had said something nice about him and how to turn that around.


    In the process, he inevitably stumbled over one of the most precious moments he had, not far from here. A night where they had shared a full moon and he had done nothing but listen to her sing. ¡°My melody, you are my melody,¡± he decided suddenly.


    ¡°Oh, Apexus¡­ that is¡­¡± Aclysia seemed happy with that, again hugging him tightly.


    Reysha giggled, her unsteady tone raining in their tranquil parade. ¡°You two are so gay right now.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t gay mean happy?¡± Apexus asked with confusion. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m very gay right now.¡±


    Reysha¡¯s giggle grew to a mocking roar and she once more made acquaintance with the floor. To that backdrop, Aclysia calmly explained. ¡°In most context, ¡®gay¡¯ has been equalized with homosexual.¡±


    ¡°Homo what now?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Its when two people of the same sex are attracted to one another,¡± Aclysia explained.


    ¡°¡­I was about to ask what sense that makes, since there is no procreation in that, but I already got that lesson,¡± Apexus said. ¡°So, it¡¯s just for fun or what?¡±


    ¡°Lots of people take it all the way to the grave,¡± Reysha stated, ¡°For those its love, not fun and much less logic. So, it¡¯s just the way some people are.¡±


    ¡°Some people just remove themselves from the gene pool?¡± the slime failed to grasp that idea. ¡°Well¡­ I guess¡­ okay? Seems like not my problem.¡±


    ¡°Good stance to have,¡± Reysha complimented, then looked at Aclysia with a hungry expression. ¡°Say, while we are on the topic of being a bit very gay,¡± she prowled over to the two of them. ¡°How about we give Apexus a little demonstration.¡±


    ¡°I am not certain I swing that way,¡± Aclysia gave her opinion. ¡°Neither did I expect you to, to be honest.¡± This caused Reysha to purr in amusement.


    ¡°In case you forgot, where I come from, there¡¯re ten times more gals than guys,¡± the tiger girl¡¯s ears flicked, her prowl stopping, breasts right in front of Apexus¡¯ face. ¡°And our creator goddess is a rather lusty lady. Do you expect us to seriously sit on our firm asses all day?¡± Mere centimetres were between their lips, the answerless Aclysia still laying on her darling¡¯s back. ¡°How about we¡¯ll just try it out, mhm? What¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡±


    There was an undeniable heat swelling in Aclysia¡¯s body at the sultry way the redhead spoke those words, concentrated in her crotch. Green eyes stuck at the seductive swing of the tiger girls brownish pink lips, she thought for a moment. She had looked at Reysha¡¯s sexy body before, of course she had, but ever in an intrigued way? That, she wasn¡¯t quite sure on.


    Fact of the matter was that the suggestion didn¡¯t bother her. Excited her even. That her opposite was a woman who her beloved also fucked removed any moral conundrums she might have had. Obviously, it was wrong to just sleep with someone aside from Apexus without his permission and the thought of other men, oddly enough, bothered her more than the idea of him sleeping with other girls. She lacked the wish to monopolize him, just wanted to be honoured as the woman who he looked at first in everything.


    ¡°I¡­ Apexus, would you like to see that?¡± Aclysia asked. ¡°Because I am curious.¡±


    Deeply intrigued himself, Apexus bobbed up and down. ¡°If you are comfortable with it.¡± There was an almost absolute certainty he would ravish both of them afterwards, but for now he wanted to see how mating would look like between members of the same sex. The images in his core were as odd as they were hot.


    ¡°It¡¯s playtime, then.¡± Reysha smirked widely.

 The Hunt 2 [Erotic Content]

    Funatic


    Although Reysha immediately wanted to start, Aclysia demanded that they at least enter the dungeon before she disrobed again. That was a short, tiger girl grumble filled trip down some staircases, but the reasoning was understandable. Not only was the metal fairy less embarrassed down here, in the shelter, but the surroundings were much more friendly to lovemaking. The air was humid and warm, the stone floor even, with no pesky pebbles or sharp edges that could have poked unpleasantly.


    With Apexus settling on the side line, looking forward to whatever show he was about to get, Aclysia undid the front cord of the robe with dignity, evidently aiming to strip before the act. As per usual, the tiger girl wasn¡¯t one for an orderly procedure.


    The knot was barely undone when Reysha had stepped up to Aclysia, the usual wide grin on her face. Aggressively, the tiger girl¡¯s arms found their way under the open robe. ¡°Fuck, this thing is firm and bouncy,¡± she cussed lustfully when taking a hold of the metal fairy¡¯s ass for the first time. ¡°I thought it just looked perfect but fuck me!¡±


    ¡°I appreciate th-¡° Aclysia started, when one of the redhead¡¯s hands suddenly combed into the hair at the back of her head and pulled her closer. Awkwardly, their lips met, the divine creation having not kissed another humanoid before. Her mouth was closed when Reysha¡¯s tongue darted forwards, causing this first meeting to be anything but perfect. ¡°I am sorry,¡± the metal fairy mumbled when the tiger girl pulled back, feeling like she wasn¡¯t doing her duty.


    ¡°Relax,¡± Reysha purred and lightly tapped her on the ass. ¡°Just follow my lead and I¡¯ll get you to a fuzzy, nice place full of screaming.¡± To surrender to the redhead¡¯s lead excited Aclysia in a different fashion. Fragments of memories bubbled to the surface of the many times she had helplessly hung in her darling¡¯s tentacles, how strangely intoxicating that had been.


    She had no time to figure out whether that was a good or bad thing, as Reysha leaned back in. Their closed lips met, it was tingly and Aclysia smelled the natural musk of the tiger girl, a primal assortment of aromatic brushwork that was calming even as it riled up wilder parts. Although Reysha took her own deep breath, she only smelled the dungeon, Aclysia lacking any sort of odour of her own.


    Slowly opening her mouth, causing a whispering wet sound, the redhead gave the metal fairy ample time to follow her lead. ¡®Absolutely adorable,¡¯ Reysha thought as the normally so strait-laced girl trembled with lust and shame in her embrace. Keeping her hand firmly in place, she pulled Aclysia deeper in, their lips locking.


    To get her used to the motions, Reysha moved slowly at the start. Soft, glistening and sensitive, their mouths rubbed against each other. Carefully, as if she was sneaking through the night, she extended her tongue just a little bit. Aclysia hesitatingly met her with her own. More and more daring, Reysha upped the intensity of their engagement.


    Soon, her tongue was fully extended into Aclysia¡¯s mouth, the metal fairy reciprocating with subordinated movements. It went from a kiss to wild make-out, motions growing more heated and extending beyond Reysha just softly moving her neck. The tiger girl was rubbing her chest against Aclysia¡¯s, hands were clawing into hair and the soft meat of her bubble butt alike. Finally, the first moan escaped Reysha¡¯s lips as she felt the inside of her bodysuit slicken.


    They tasted each other. Aclysia had a metallic afternote. Reysha was deliciously sweet. The tongue of the metal fairy went unharmed, felt a pleasing prickle even, when she brushed over the sharp fangs of the redhead. Now, the white-haired woman also moaned. A sharper, even more erotic sound followed when Reysha slapped her on the ass. She could feel the jiggle spread, loved the light sting of pain. Their pulses accelerated.


    Between kisses, Reysha¡¯s lips formed some hasty words. ¡°You can¡­ use your hands¡­ too¡­ come on!¡± she challenged, the metal fairy was slow on the uptake, not sure exactly what to do with them. Following her instincts, Aclysia grabbed the tiger girl¡¯s waist. Simply brushing up and down the smooth surface of the blue bodysuit, she found herself wondering what to do further than that. Mirroring Reysha¡¯s positions was an option, but that didn¡¯t feel right. Aclysia didn¡¯t want to take control of their deep kisses, enjoyed being on the reactive side. There was one burning desire though: to undress the redhead.


    With her eyes halfway closed and only able to see Reysha, the metal fairy had to rely entirely on her sense of touch. Her hands travelled downwards, following the convex of her hips, then to the back. Even under the leathery texture of the tiger girl¡¯s suit, Aclysia could feel the bounciness of her ass.


    What little Aclysia was doing, Reysha liked it. With a joyful gasp, she grinded her body against that of her white-haired opposite. Her thigh raised up, just a little bit, and grinded against Aclysia¡¯s bare pussy. A crude touch, certainly, but enough to make Aclysia shiver and let out a sharp, delighted sound as her hands went upwards.


    Soon she found the bare skin of the tiger girls back and the rim of her bodysuit. Hooking her finger¡¯s underneath, Aclysia followed the parting paths and ultimately arrived at Reysha¡¯s shoulders. Stretching and pulling, the tight article of clothing became loose under the metal fairy¡¯s efforts and fell past Reysha¡¯s breasts. Shedding it like a second skin, only breaking their kisses momentarily, Reysha was soon entirely nude, kicking her shoes and the bodysuit off carelessly.


    Now it was their nude chests pressed against each other. Hard nipples pressed into the flesh of their tits, the tiger girl¡¯s a full size larger than Aclysia¡¯s. Light brown and milky white skin of erotic squishiness wrestled. Despite being larger in actual height, the white-haired woman was clearly the losing party, her buckling knees making her the upwards facing party as Reysha dominated her with every motion, supporting her weight quite heavily at that point.


    Suddenly, Aclysia felt her wet lips, above and below, exposed only to the air, as her head was forcibly pulled downwards and the grinding thigh removed. ¡°Now we are getting somewhere,¡± Reysha hissed in a lustful fashion. Playfully, the tiger girl bit Aclysia¡¯s neck. The soft pain was exciting, such was every other bite and kiss that caused the metal fairy¡¯s legs to grow weaker and weaker.


    Before she knew it, she was sitting on the ground. The robe sprawled out under her, sliding down her shoulders and leaving her completely exposed to Apexus¡¯ gaze. Unmoving, but clearly in his sexual state, the slime was watching keenly. An enticing prospect that she was distracted from when she felt Reysha¡¯s tongue on her clit.


    Apexus had been under the impression that bigger, deeper penetrations were the key to success in giving women pleasure, but the fact that Aclysia immediately shouted out in delight when the tiger girl¡¯s nimble tongue started working proved him wrong. It was quite the marvellous sight. His beloved fairy was supporting herself with her hands, her angled legs parted widely, the tiger girl between her smooth, upwards stretching thighs. In her own right, Reysha was a delicious display. Her ass was raised high, presenting her glistening folds and striped booty. The lines of darker brown covered her downwards slanted torso as well, her chest and hands pressed against the floor.


    The moans that echoed from Aclysia¡¯s mouth were different than the kind Apexus normally managed to coerce from her. Quieter, less intensely filled with pleasure but more sensible and fuzzy. Despite preferring the wild screams, the chimeric slime wanted to learn how to please his women in all different ways that existed, to be the perfect breeding partner for whenever they decided pregnancy was finally an option and to be the best lay until then. As such, he watched intently what Reysha was doing.


    Aclysia could simply feel it. The tiger girl¡¯s long tongue lapped through her outer folds and brushed over her clit, then circled it with the tip. Slurping sounds closely followed when Reysha sucked on the pink button. Of all the woman the redhead had fun with until that point, Aclysia tasted the sweetest, almost like actual honey. With great delight, she pushed her tongue into her, to taste more of that delicious ambrosia.


    Looking up the flat stomach of the metal fairy to find her face, contorted with pleasure, between her petite breasts was a great view. The white eyebrows quivered, the tips of her elvish ears were flushed red, eyes closed and lips parted with heavy inhales and erotic sighs. Sounds that grew more intense by the minute. Reysha let one of her hands wander to her own crotch, rubbing the heavily swollen sex, puffy lips between clenched thighs.


    Aclysia felt herself simultaneously yearning for something bigger to fill her and hoping this attention towards all the sensitive areas at the entrance of her pussy would never stop. That fuzzy, nice place full of screaming that Reysha had promised her was quickly approaching. Her awareness of her surrounding was diminishing, her skin prickled pleasantly, each deeper breathe left her with less air as it was quickly ejected in louder and louder sounds. Her body was quivering. While this feeling of an approaching climax was the same, it was stretched into a more detailed, drawn out process.


    Quivering, her melodic voice formed, ¡°I am¡­ cumming¡­¡± That announcement turned Reysha¡¯s attack vicious, her sucking and tongue penetration a sudden wild assault. One that pushed Aclysia over the edge and sent her head flying backwards. Her hair was still flying as her voice raised into a scream that bounced of the stone walls. Her toes curled, her finger scratched over the floor, behind her closed lids danced electricity as her senses took a backseat to her climax.


    At the highest point, when her back arched and her thighs tensed, the tongue pleasing her stopped moving and let the rest of her orgasm mellow out nicely. It was a strange relaxation , after all these times being ravaged by tentacles. Her afterglow caused her to shiver a few more times before she opened her eyes and realized she was laying on her back.


    And something dripped onto her face in stick strands from a spread pink display above her. Aclysia had never been this close to another woman¡¯s sex before. She had to admit it looked slightly alien, with all those shifting folds, but more so inviting. ¡°You gotta repay me the favour,¡± Reysha purred and lowered her hips. Once more, a hand clawed into Aclysia¡¯s hair, this time pulling her towards a different pair of lips, one just as wet as the last one.


    Although more proactive this time around, Aclysia¡¯s attempts at using her tongue pleasingly were sluggish at best. Little gasps exampled whenever she did something right, the taste of Reysha on her tongue making her want to do better, but she simply lacked the experience. The metal fairy barely knew how to suck Apexus off properly, this was an entirely different and, evidently, much more complicated set of sensitive spots.


    Nevertheless, she did her best. Not that she had any choice in the matter. Reysha was sitting on her face and didn¡¯t seem interested in moving. All the movement Aclysia was allowed was what the rhythmic pulls and pushes on her hair dictated. The two of them kept eye contact for a long while. Getting stared at like this made Aclysia¡¯s thighs wet as she rubbed them together to pleasure herself in whatever little way she could.


    ¡°Hmmmm, yesssss,¡± Reysha hissed and leaned back, having noticed the metal fairy¡¯s motions. ¡°You¡¯re getting there¡­ suck on my clit you pale pretty pervert you.¡± Immediately, she heeded to command, perhaps even overenthusiastically. The wet slurping sounds were much louder than what Reysha had done earlier. The redhead still grinned and rolled the pleasing words, ¡°Good girl,¡± off her tongue while reaching backwards.


    The slender fingers of the tiger girl were just as experienced as her tongue and began rubbing Aclysia¡¯s pussy, overly sensitive from the previous orgasm. At first it was just a gentle touch. Then, Reysha let out a series of giggles, mixed with moans as Aclysia became more and more certain about where to put her efforts, and curved two fingers into the white-haired lady¡¯s tight cunt.


    Middle and ring finger, they pressed against a particularly sensitive spot that immediately made Aclysia¡¯s hips rock off the floor. Holding on tightly, the base of her thumb grinding against the fingertips from the outside, Reysha secured her position and moved her wrist at immense speeds. It was intense, somewhat similar to riding Apexus'' vibrating top, but with her g-spot teased. Although her head remained in place, she forgot to move her tongue, her own pleasure making it hard to bring the necessary concentration.


    Aclysia felt another orgasm quickly rising, her pussy convulsed already around the jerking fingers, which sped up and stopped.


    At the very edge, her hips already trembling anticipatingly, the metal fairy was left only able to stare beggingly towards the tiger girl, whose smile had a very fake innocence to it. As she talked, it quickly turned sadistic. ¡°Oh? What is it? Do you want to cum? Well, you don¡¯t get to until I do, so move that tongue of yours, Aclysia!¡±


    Perhaps the best worst minutes of Aclysia¡¯s sexual life so far ensured. Fumbling her way around with sloppy attempts to bring Reysha to orgasm as quickly as possible, she was a helpless victim to the tiger girl rubbing her pussy close to the point of no return. Only to stop. Every ¨C single ¨C time. No matter how much Aclysia tried to hold back her own moans or grind her pussy against the redheads fingers, Reysha always knew how to keep her right on that edge.


    It seemed to Aclysia that the tiger girl was actually enjoying that part more than her amateurish attempts at eating her out. The trimmed red hair above Reysha¡¯s clit was basically all Aclysia could see after a while, her eyes completely glazed with sexual frustration. She wasn¡¯t even sure if she disliked being abused like this, something about it had a certain charm. This denial until she had done her duty, it was fair, that was what she told herself.


    Aclysia¡¯s hunch was absolutely correct. For her first time, Aclysia wasn¡¯t half bad at pussy eating, but never before had Reysha found someone this submissive when dominated in this fashion. Particularly not someone she had so much history of bickering with. All of those past fights, reconciliation or not, it made this whole position so much better. The knowledge that the same mouth that had hurled insults, arguments, advice and compliments her way was now lapping up her pussy juices like a loyal dog made her enjoyment spiked.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ just a little bit more you little slut¡­¡± the word slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Aclysia either didn¡¯t hear or care, whatever it was, the metal fairy just continued as before. In fact, she only sped up. As did Reysha¡¯s fingers.


    The metal fairy came for the second time moments before Reysha finally did. Overflowing, the redhead¡¯s honeypot constricted around Aclysia¡¯s tongue. Through the clenching of the striped legs around her head, Aclysia turned momentarily deaf. All she could hear was the ecstatic rushing of magic through her created body, her unfocused eyes barely able to notice the erotically stretched form above her.


    Reysha was still cumming when she bowed down to Aclysia, growling something through her closed teeth. Something insulting or commanding, Aclysia just assumed, trying to move her tongue again. She had to return the favour, the tiger girl was still frantically masturbating her hairless cunt and prolonging her orgasm.


    As hard as it was to keep eating that pussy, despite its odd deliciousness and the deeply satisfying depravity of the act, Aclysia somehow managed. Reysha threw her head back again and howled at the ceiling, gyrating her hips as she rode out her own orgasm. Almost feeling like whimpering when Reysha pulled her fingers out, Aclysia felt her muscles forcibly relax and her bountiful butt sink to the floor.


    ¡°Fuck, I need so much more,¡± those were the first words spoken as Reysha wiggled down her robe turned blanket until she was on all fours above Aclysia, face to face. The white-haired, elvish woman was panting much harder than the Rogue on top, despite one of them not even needing to breathe. Just like the whole thing had started, the tiger girl suddenly launched into a wild kiss.


    Aclysia wondered if that extra flavour she tasted were her own pussy juices. On the contrary, Reysha knew exactly what that residue was. A quiet, sinful sound accompanied the parting of their lips. Strands of saliva and pussy juices mixed connected them. ¡°We should do this more often,¡± Reysha suggested with a reckless smile.


    Weaker, Aclysia mimicked the expression. ¡°Affirmative,¡± she agreed and then realized that Apexus was coming closer. ¡°it seems that darling had enough of watching.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t blame me, so much ass!¡± the slime exclaimed, looking at the two bubble butts, only a few centimetres of air between the two pussies. ¡°Haven¡¯t fucked in days! Thinking hard! All body fluids and think energy in tentacles, not nucleus.¡±


    ¡°Very much speaking my language,¡± Reysha gasped, Aclysia nodding and preparing herself for further pleasure of the traditional kind.

 The Hunt 3

    ¡°I really miss,¡± Reysha whined while repeatedly stabbing a giant rat in a terribly nonchalant fashion, ¡°the ability to put a number on my power. This whole thing is way less tense than last time.¡±


    ¡°Has gotten easier, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Apexus asked while wrestling down another one of the dog-sized rodents, slowly dissolving it while watching the metal fairy of the group raise her arms. One extended forward, the other used to stabilized her aim, Aclysia¡¯s body was revealed by necessity, the sleeveless robe parting at the front as she gathered magic from within her and formed it into an orb that glowed like the sun.


    With a warped sound, it flew through the air, dissipating into scorching energy when it hit yet another rat. The rest of the pack stared at the trio, intimidated, looking for an opening as Apexus visibly devoured their frontrunner. Of the original ten, only three remained, guarding a treasure chest that stood on its lonesome.


    Suddenly turning fervently from mutilating the corpse of her rat, Reysha threw the bloody knife with a half-spinning motion. Burying inside the hindleg of one rodent, it put the remaining two in a panicked frenzy, storming at Apexus and Aclysia. Storming at a slime, particularly one with razor-sharp teeth under the surface, was a terrible idea.


    Although he had no proper way of utilizing those teeth to bite, the rat took care of that for Apexus with its own momentum. Letting the dungeon monster dive straight through a part of his body where he opened the separating membrane. Before his own body fluid could spill out, the rat had already sunken in and stupidly scrapped its flesh over the fangs loosely hanging within the slimes frontal area.


    Attempting to raise the rat into the air, making its absorption into his hungry body a foregone conclusion, Apexus was disgruntled when this dull creature managed to do the correct thing on accident. Stemming its legs on the floor, it pushed itself backwards quickly, freeing itself in a shower of acid, turning into water before it even hit the ground.


    Once something was completely inside Apexus, trapped behind his membrane and barely able to move, all was well. The slime did not possess the necessary suction to ¡®slurp¡¯ something into it, however. It was either fixing an enemy in place and flowing over it or letting gravity do the work.


    Not only did this successful pull-out hurt Apexus, more on a biomass scale than physically, but it also ripped out a bunch of his loosely sitting teeth in the process. Not that he was too worried about those, they would regrow, as any permanent Growth would. That aside, they were stuck within the rat¡¯s fur, making it bleed, and the creature¡¯s eyes were already damaged from the time it had spent exposed to slime acid.


    So, despite that small setback, Apexus was able to finish it off a few moments later. Another bolt of sunlight mutilated the next rat. While not killing it immediately, the rats left front leg was scorched down to the fur, leaving it unable to continue its assault, only to be killed by Apexus a few moments later. Reysha, in the meantime finished off the last rat, the one whose hindleg she had hit.


    ¡°Lucky shot,¡± the tiger girl stated, waving around the blood-coated iron. ¡°Can¡¯t believe that actually hit something.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t intended?¡± Apexus wondered.


    ¡°Oh, it was INTENDED,¡± Reysha giggled. ¡°The same way a drunk guy intends to be successful when he slaps a sexy barmaid on the ass and asks her to marry him. That doesn¡¯t mean it should have worked. I¡¯m good, I¡¯m not THAT good that I could just throw knives accurately while not seeing the target before having whirled around,¡± she tossed the knife into the air, catching it again with ease. ¡°Not yet anyway,¡± then she licked her lips and looked at all the corpses. ¡°Meal time.¡±


    While this abundance of slain creatures was indeed nice, Apexus still had size to regain, it wasn¡¯t the actual reason why they had fought a pack of ten rats. No, the answer was in the treasure chest they guarded. According to both Reysha and Aclysia, they wouldn¡¯t get the pre-boss rewards again and the actual boss rewards would be limited to one chest, since they had already looted those.


    They did, however, need equipment. Clothes for Aclysia were the most pressing concern. Best for her would be some sort of light gown that Priests used. Reysha would also have appreciated an armour replacement and some extra weapons. Also, when they finally decided to get out of the dungeon, it would have been best if they had a bunch of stuff to pay someone with. The larger the amount and the higher the value of the stuff they brought with them, the broader the scope of potential uptakes on the mission. Given that they had to convince someone to ignore both the Inquisition and the money on Apexus¡¯ core, that wouldn¡¯t be too easy.


    That was why they freely engaged into attempts to get whatever treasure chest they could get their hands on. It helped that they were clearly above this dungeon''s intended difficulty already. Not enough to trivialize the encounters, but so that, with just a bit of strategy, they could take out even a swarm of opponents.


    While Apexus and Reysha voraciously did what they liked to do the most, follow the base desire of stuffing their face after a fight, Aclysia kept her everything clean by taking large steps around the spilling blood. Her soles were already dirty enough as it was without getting them sticky in body fluids. Carefully, she opened the lid and was presented with a basic iron cutlass, a sword of the curved kind that ¡®unique¡¯ people from water dominated leaves liked to use while they rolled their Rs.


    She took it while sighing whole-heartedly. ¡°I wish for the day when this nudeness ends.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± Apexus had to admit. ¡°Is distracting, but I like it a lot.¡±


    ¡°YOU are basically naked all the time,¡± Reysha pointed out after swallowing. Compared to the usual, she was pretty civilized at eating her raw meat today. Most likely because she had gotten her fix before Aclysia and Apexus arrived. ¡°If I had your ability to just regenerate most of my body, I would probably wear even less armour myself.¡±


    ¡°To state it as directly as possible,¡± Aclysia informed them. ¡°You two are primality incarnate in two different forms and I want to be civilized. Not exposing my skin to everyone all the time is part of this.¡±


    Apexus would have scratched his membrane in confusion if he had the arms to do so. ¡°Weren¡¯t you technically naked all the time when dress¡­ the dress was your skin?¡±


    ¡°That was different.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°Because it is.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay,¡± Apexus gave up, knowing better than to pursue things deeper than three layers of non-answers. Understanding was optional at that point, it was just a taste thing.


    After the cutlass was stowed away within Reysha¡¯s adventurer¡¯s bag, Aclysia sat down on the now closed chest and watched them eat. ¡°I suggest,¡± she spoke up again. ¡°That we should actually explain to each other the spells we are currently able to use, Reysha.¡±


    ¡°Shur¡¯?¡± the tiger girl answered, with a mouthful of rodent. ¡°Why naow sthou?¡±


    ¡°Because I am beyond the basic Bolt spell by now and you keep pulling new tricks I wasn¡¯t aware of,¡± Aclysia explained. ¡°As well as my mind no longer holding the entire catalogue of skills and spells you should be able to use. It would therefore be much appreciated.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Reysha nodded and Apexus listened closely. This could be rather important for future instances of battle planning.

 The Hunt 4 [Info List]

    Funatic


    Class: Chimera Slime? [Actual Existence of a Class unknown]


    Spell list:


    -


    Equipment:


    -


    Inventory:


    -


    Other Factors:


    Beyond Divinity ¨C Does not possess a divine spark. The exact ramifications of this are unknown.


    Slime ¨C A being who is, at its base, made out of only two components: a nucleus and the name giving liquid surrounding it. The former serves as brain, heart and every other important organ of the creature. The slime around it is a highly acidic substance that is separated from the outside world through a magical membrane. The acidity of Apexus¡¯s slime is also magical, thusly transforming it into a harmless liquid when separated from the main body. Only possess a natural sense of touch, noticing potential prey through tremors, working best underwater and worst in the air.


    Acquiring Devourer ¨C Can grow or replicate limbs, organs and attributes of things he has killed and eaten. Those replications do NOT scale with the size or power of Apexus and they cost varying, but often high, amounts of energy to make. After roughly thirty days, knowledge of these replications fades and Apexus would have to devour a new member of the species. Can keep a Growth around for longer than he remembers how to remake it. Apexus loses all non-permanent Growths when he goes to sleep, something that grows more frequent in need the more complicated his own body gets.


    Challenging Evolver ¨C Upon beating and eating the Apex Existence (Not necessarily Predator) in an ecosystem, Apexus may acquire one of his currently available Growths as a permanent addition. These permanently acquired parts do scale with Apexus¡¯ abilities and will outperform their natural counterpart fairly quickly. If and how this ability would work in social settings, where the Apex Existence is determined not by natural factors, is unknown. Triggers only once per environment and only if its adequately difficult.


    Magic Sense ¨C Can sense magic while in contact with it, differentiating between a normal and an enchanted object.


    Permanent Growths [and their current abilities]:


    Pheromone Ducts ¨C Produces pleasant smells that can manipulate receptive insects. Easy to track by creatures with fine noses, much easier than footprints. After choosing his gender, a slightly aphrodisiac towards the opposite sex was made possible, with stronger bursts possible.


    Bird Wings ¨C Originally the shape of an eagles but the emerald colour of Aclysia¡¯s eyes, these wings can be resized and reshaped to fit better with the current environment. Such a transformation takes time, particularly upscaling, where the creation of biomatter also takes a lot of energy. They also have to beat with more strength than usual wings to be able to even keep the solid body of the slime in the air.


    Cat Eyes ¨C Pale blue eyes, chosen for their superb night vision.


    Fox Ears ¨C Pale blue ears that blend nicely with the slime¡¯s main body, with black tips. Grant superb hearing that is highly adjustable in its directional perceptions.


    Speaking Plates ¨C Wooden plates across the back of Apexus that act as moderate protection. Their main usage is the ability to vibrate, creating a deep, highly pleasant voice. If physically broken, it will not be able to vibrate in a certain way, losing the ability to produce certain sounds, or speak at all. Can be used in other pleasing ways if Apexus hums continuously.


    Toothed-Snake Teeth ¨C Uncannily human-like teeth, although with more pronounced edges and spikes. Currently hanging somewhat uselessly inside Apexus¡¯ front-side, without jawbones to attach to and muscles to deliver a bite.


    Physical Description:


    At the base of it, Apexus is a dark blue, almost black, nucleus core, the size of a clenched fist, surrounded by blue slime. His elliptic shape stretches 1,50 metres from front to back and 1 metre at the broadest point. Most of his Growths are located on his back or front.


    The Speaking Plates stretch across the upper surface, save for the sides, the back and the front, where the slimes ¡®face¡¯ is located. Two holes in the wooden carapace allow the Bird Wings to stretch out and flap without hindrance. A gap between the folded wings is barely wide enough for Aclysia to sit in since she got to her maximum size. Fox Ears, Cat Eyes and Toothed-Snake Teeth are all at the front end, sorted in a roughly human, if somewhat stretched out, layout.


    His texture is slightly abrasive, barely enough for human fingers to notice, rather than perfectly smooth due to the Pheromone Ducts spread all over his body.


    Class: Guardian Angel [Divine Basic Class]


    Spell list:


    Sunlight Bolt ¨C Bolt, the most basic attack spell, limited to the Divine-Light category due to Aclysia¡¯s nature, adjustable in strength according to the amount of mana put into it and the user''s skill.


    Divine Healing ¨C Basic healing spell of all Classes that are divinely attuned, uses a moderate amount of mana for a moderate heal, scaling with the user''s mana input and familiarity with the spell.


    Sunray Mending ¨C Quick heal that consumes a lot of mana.


    Sunshine Rejuvenation ¨C Time consuming heal that is very mana efficient.


    Illumni ¨C Basic Light spell. Creates a stable, pleasantly warm sphere of sunlight that hovers over the users fingertip. Functions as a basic, slightly inferior in terms of range, torch replacement.


    Flare ¨C A flash of harmless sunlight. Highly mana intensive basic blinding spell. Does next to nothing to people not looking in the direction of the user.


    Spark of Life ¨C Analyse a female humanoid¡¯s body to find out whether or not a divine spark is forming inside them, thusly detecting whether a person is pregnant and, if so, with how many children.


    Equipment:


    Dirty Black Robe ¨C Good for hiding one¡¯s identity, bad as a single piece of clothing.


    Inventory:


    -


    Other Factors:


    Divine Flight ¨C Can use her ¡®angel¡¯ wings to hover, as long as there is enough room to stretch them. This consumes a minimal amount of mana.


    Metal Fairy ¨C Is made from a metal that is lighter than flesh. This comes with several factors. Aclysia is heavily disadvantaged in a melee battle, particularly without weapons, due to a lack of weight behind her movements. Aclysia only requires mana to survive, which she can win by eating basically eating anything biological in creation or by absorbing it from a willing other. The latter is much more effective.


    Angel on her own ¨C Does not hold any natural sway over any member of the Church despite being a divine creation by the 33rd of the 33 original gods. This also prevents her from being recognized at a glance by all but the most divinely attuned.


    Physical Description:


    Aclysia is 1,81 metres tall and has white hair, which is always combed back and falls down to the middle of her back, ending at the bases of her wings. Akin to a moth in texture and shape, she possesses a total of four wing segments, they are mostly white and have symmetrical patterns in black running over them.


    Her skin is of a milky white and pristine, not a single strand of hair anywhere. Her bust is of a moderate size, slightly below average, with light pink nipples. Overall, her figure is defined by her hips, giving her a pleasing pear-type body with long legs and nice thighs.


    Her face is defined by her brilliantly shining emerald eyes, sitting inside the usually calm expression of a woman of ephemeral beauty. Her ears are pointy, like an elf¡¯s, but not unusually long. Her nose has a well-rounded tip, her eyebrows are as white as her hair, her lips are pink and pillowy.


    Class: Noir Rogue [Mutated Basic Class]


    Spell list:


    Sneak ¨C Footsteps and other actions are more silent and careless glances glide over the user easily. Basic Rogue spell that helps with stealth.


    Aimed Whisper ¨C The voice of the user travels in one direction only. It will appear is if to originate from the point of impact instead. More advanced versions would make the whisper disappear entirely, if successfully aimed at an ear/organic material in general.


    Dis/locate ¨C Dislocates or relocates the joints in the arms magically. While painful, this does make it possible to slip out of many hasty or loose bindings. The first spell any Rogue learns, as it is fundamental to applying magic to joint areas.


    Equipment:


    Clearwater Bodysuit ¨C A midnight blue one-piece suit, something between leather and rubber. Covers most of the wearer¡¯s body, aside from hands, feat, back (a V-cut out starting just below the end of the spine and going up to the shoulders) and ending at the collarbones. Lightly damaged.


    Steel Stiletto ¨C A basic steel weapon. A thorn of hardened metal designed to slide through gaps in or penetrate weak spots of armour.


    Iron Dagger ¨C A basic iron weapon as replacement, should Reysha need an off-hand weapon, lose her Stiletto or fight an opponent against whom slashing is more effective than stabbing.


    Throwing Daggers (3) ¨C Small, iron knives good for throwing. Worn on belt.


    Velvet Adventurer¡¯s Bag ¨C A pouch of black velvet, bigger than the usual adventurer¡¯s bag. Can store items much bigger than itself, as long as they fit through the opening. The exact maximum is unknown, but can be assumed a bit bigger than a normal Adventurer¡¯s Bag, which can hold up to twenty-five kilograms worth of materials.


    Rogue Belt ¨C A basic belt with holsters for the tools of the trade.


    Basic Boots ¨C Just leather boots. Relatively new, sit well, good quality, but nothing truly remarkable.


    Coin Purse ¨C Separate from the Adventurer¡¯s Bag due to its inability to spit out more than one item at a time.


    Inventory:


    Iron Dagger ¨C Replacement for the first one.


    Soap ¨C Block of processed animal fat used to clean one¡¯s body.


    Piece of Cloth (3) ¨C Normal pieces of linen, originally white, now tainted red from all the blood they absorbed when cleaning weapons. Washing in water only does so much good.


    Waterskin ¨C A bag of leather used to transport water.


    Fingerless Satin Gloves ¨C For the gentle touch.


    Lockpicks (2) ¨C Sets of thin metal tools needed to carefully open doors, chests or other things that were meant to remain closed by physical means.


    Empty Glass Vials (2) ¨C Previously held Health Potions, they are now waiting to be refilled with something.


    Money:


    [Each 100 of a lower currency make 1 of the higher one, there are 10 kinds of coins in total, corresponding with the ten metals used for ranks amongst the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. This is the currency used across leaves and are accepted basically everywhere. Some locations or organizations may use their own form of currency. Only the coin one above the currently owned will be mentioned.]


    0 Gold


    14 Silver


    7 Iron


    87 Bronze


    11 Copper


    Other Factors:


    Ragressian ¨C Tiger girl from the world of Ragressa, created by the lesser goddess Proadi. Possesses formidable sight and hearing, cat ears, eyes and tail, as well as retractable, sharp claws. Has a much higher chance to give birth to females.


    Noir [Advanced Stage] ¨C Increased physical and magical attributes, improved senses. Can eat the meat of dungeon monsters and drink the hostile magic infused water of the structures without problem. Normal food and drink is absolutely disgusting, increasingly so the stronger the natural taste was. When not having eaten the meat of monsters for several days, negative symptoms begin to surface.


    Currently [days since last ¡®proper¡¯ meal]:


    7 days ¨C Reysha can operate normally


    8-14 days ¨C Senses will begin to dull, sexual drive dies down.


    15-30 days ¨C Colour will begin to fade from perception, slowly greying out, constant white noise drowns out previously heard fine noises. Reysha may fall into stretches of time where she is apathetic towards most things going on around her, acting like a half-asleep person.


    31+ days ¨C All emotions and senses are heavily dulled and the stretches of apathy continue to grow longer. Eventually, the body overcomes Noir, restoring itself to a balanced state previous to the condition, at the cost of the subject¡¯s adventuring potential.


    Physical Description:


    Reysha is a 1,78 metres tall redhead with wild flowing hair. Despite her lack of care for it, aside from the occasional combing with her claws and baths, her nature as a tiger girl prevents it from matting and rarely does it look like anything else than a perfect scarlet mess. It grows past her neck and miraculously never gets in the way during fights, partly thanks to the pair of cat ears that grow out of the top of her head, the same colour as her hair.


    With a naturally light brown complexion and a lot of time under the sun, Reysha has a colouration whose exoticness is only furthered by the tiger stripes. A few shades darker than the rest of her skin, they stretch over her body, adding chocolate to caramel.


    From above the ankles, over the long, smooth legs and her athletic, hourglass curves, with the well-proportioned breasts with the pinkish brown nipples up to the last two stripes, the only ones on her face, that run around her blue eyes like natural warpaint. The stripes on her red tail, growing out where the spine ends and adding her primal flavour to her bubble butt, are the only truly black ones. However, they are notably absent from her crotch area, where only a moderate, usually trimmed, amount of red hair decorates her sex.


    When her claws are retracted, her fingernails looks, aside from their progressively reddening colour, like a normal humans. If they come to use, however, they lengthen a fair bit and the tips condense into the curved, needle-like claws of a cat.


    She has a sharp face, with clearly defined feminine features finalized to be both intimidating and seductive, savagely gorgeous, with dark lips often curved into a mad smile, showing the fangs among her otherwise human teeth and a pair of blue eyes contrasting heavily with the reds and browns of the rest of her body. Something only worsened by the steady blackening of her sclera by Noir. She has normal human ears in addition to her cat ones.

 The Hunt 5

    ¡°I understand,¡± Aclysia nodded and the explanations concluded. ¡°It is good to be up to date, although I did expect your spell list to be a bit longer, Reysha.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a fighter, not a caster,¡± the tiger girl shrugged. ¡°The things I¡¯m good enough at to mention are mostly skills, like throwing knives, not magical things.¡±


    That made sense as far as Apexus was concerned. The slime had quietly sat aside the entire thing, having nothing to add. Most special abilities he possessed, pheromones aside, were plainly visible in their origin and those two knew it all well enough. By the end of the discussion, he had replenished his biomass, however.


    ¡°What we do now?¡± the slime asked.


    ¡°What do we do now,¡± Aclysia corrected him and, if Apexus could have, he would have blushed at that stupid a mistake. Instead, his elliptic shape turned a bit blocky from the embarrassment, gaining some harder corners. ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad, darling, you are improving steadily.¡± That, in turn, made the slime tower with pride. ¡°I want to ask about that arrow again, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± she answered the initial question.


    Apexus didn¡¯t, so he quickly broke down the situation again in all details he remembered. Describing the scrawny looking man to the very sudden pain and his flight afterwards. ¡°It was the light of your ascendance that saved me there,¡± the slime ended.


    ¡°Does this description ring any bells with you, Reysha?¡± Aclysia asked the tiger girl.


    Of the group, she was the likeliest to have ever met such a man. A person of that power was very likely to have served as an instructor in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. However, she just shook her head and licked some more blood of her lips. ¡°Nothing, so- No, wait a fucking second,¡± the Rogue had a sudden epiphany. ¡°That motherfucker ¨C Dumbass pointy head, right?¡±


    ¡°Triangle shaped,¡± Apexus affirmed.


    ¡°Yes, saw that guy, he was out and about searching for us. I tracked him to see if he was a threat, but he gave up after just one evening,¡± the tiger girl gnawed on the thumb claw of her left hand. ¡°Did he notice me? Was that why he stopped going out?¡±


    That theory made some amount of sense, but it opened up other questions. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he take you hostage then?¡± Aclysia asked, ¡°To force us to look for you?¡±


    That was a question none of them had a satisfying answer to. They were stuck between two equally odd possibilities. Number one, the archer had not sensed Reysha at all and that tracking attempt had been simply half-hearted. That begged the question of why the guy came out there in the first place and why he then tried to shoot down Apexus with such fervour. Number two, the hunter was way too lazy to actually commit to taking a hostage and bait Apexus out. Very odd, in the eyes of the entire group, but the more likely of the two, given the strength of the arrow.


    ¡°To be able to shoot an arrow straight through your body¡­ I would assume him no lower than level thirty,¡± Aclysia presented her best guess. ¡°At worst level fifty. Although that seems like a stretch.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think a level fifty or higher would miss that shot,¡± Reysha backed the metal fairy up. Apexus had no sense of scale on that matter, he knew that Hemle had been around level twenty and Apotho had been probably several times that, judging by everything he had been capable of doing. He had never really seen either of them fight, so he just had to trust the two of them and their estimates.


    Aclysia hummed to herself, ¡°Do we have to worry about Hunter¡¯s Mark?¡±


    ¡°Hunter¡¯s Mark?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°It is a renowned tracking spell, like half the reason to get a Hunter into your group,¡± Reysha let him know. Like Sneak and its many upgrades for Rogues, Bolt for mages and the particular healing spells of the supporting classes, Hunter¡¯s Mark was rather famous. Sure, there were other Classes that had access to location tracking, but none of them were as accurate, making it famous despite being a bit harder to learn than those basic spells. ¡°But it shouldn¡¯t work at this distance, we should be more worried about Mehily and her lot.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right¡­¡± Aclysia agreed slowly. The Inquisition was the one force they couldn¡¯t bet on forgetting them no matter how much time passed. Didn¡¯t help that they would be able to reach this dungeon eventually. Reason for the metal fairy¡¯s hesitation was, however, that she was forced to echo a course of action she had previously stopped. ¡°They will come here. It won¡¯t take them long to realize we¡¯re in this dungeon either. If we run into them again, using lethal force will be necessary.¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± was all that Reysha had to comment on the matter.


    ¡°Are you¡­ not going to scold me for getting us into this situation?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I did that before and you¡¯re just going to give me some moral justification, aren¡¯t you?¡± the tiger girl put her bloody hands together like a nun in prayer. ¡°Those faithful souls have made their choice despite knowing what awaits them in pursuit of my beloved¡¯s life,¡± she spoke in a mockingly melodic voice. ¡°As much as it pains me, we cannot let them escape again.¡±


    ¡°Insulting¡­ but accurate,¡± Aclysia conceded. Even her disdain for murder had to take a step back when confronted with certain situations. Having a trio of people able to roughly estimate their position from a world over, highly motivated to either kill or imprison and then kill her darling, was such a situation. ¡°I am nevertheless sorry for our current predicament.¡±


    ¡°I made the choice,¡± Apexus reminded her.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have, were it not for your love for me, Apexus,¡± the metal fairy refused his attempt to share the blame. ¡°I hoped it would make them realize that you were more than a monster and that they, at the very least, would give up their pursuit. I let my wish for peace and the best outcome hinder what was the easiest and most reliable way forwards.¡± After a few more moments, she added. ¡°And I find myself unable to promise that I won¡¯t act on these ideals again.¡±


    The slime gave her something approximating a hug by flowing up to her and then wrapping himself around her up to the bust. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t need to,¡± he assured. ¡°Knowing where it led us is a bad way to measure our decision back then. Hindsight is made with a new pair of better eyes. In that moment, I supported your decision, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have made it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, darling,¡± Aclysia put her arms around his liquid form and the two of them just stood there in tranquillity for a few moments. Then Reysha had to be Reysha and jumped into the hug with her crimson stained smile. For some reason, the metal fairy didn¡¯t really mind it.


    ¡°In the root¡¯s name, you two are overthinking this,¡± the tiger girl laughed. ¡°We¡¯ll just deal with this shit as it comes. We might not even have to kill Mehily anyway.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Aclysia asked and then realized what she was getting at. ¡°Right, those three are normal humans. Even if they come here, they will have to leave once their rations run out.¡±


    ¡°While we can stay down here for as long as we want,¡± Reysha grinned. ¡°Our senses are finer as well, so we can avoid them should they ever come even close.¡±


    ¡°And they only know the direction in which to go, not our exact location¡­¡± now that she was no longer hung up on her guilty conscience, Aclysia¡¯s mind was working on the situation at large. ¡°It is likely they will first hit the ocean before realizing we have fled all the way up here. It will take them at least another week to get here. That is, if they hunt rather than buy their meals.¡±


    ¡°They might just camp the outside instead,¡± Apexus informed them about what he would do in their stead.


    ¡°Would that change our strategy in any way?¡± Reysha asked, unnecessarily rubbing the side of her face against Apexus in what was an equally spontaneous and affectionate gesture. She would have done the same for Aclysia, but the metal fairy would have cried about the dirt that got on her face in the process.


    ¡°It means we shouldn¡¯t leave before we¡¯re certain¡­ Right, we should defeat the boss before they arrive,¡± Aclysia pointed out. ¡°Defeating it will leave us with no other option than to be ejected through the fountain.¡±


    ¡°Plan is set then¡­ do you remember the way?¡± Apexus asked.


    That was a very good question.

 The Hunt 6

    They did not. Or, to be more exact, they remembered some of the way, but not how to get to the parts they knew from their current location. Having relied so heavily on scent-tracking last time, the only real bits of their surroundings they remembered were the healing pools. It helped, and they made their way through the dungeon much quicker than last time, but it still took them several days before they arrived at their target.


    Several days measured by the times Reysha had to sleep. Days spent acquiring some more loot from different places and generally having a nice time. Even Apexus slept once, during this final ¡®night¡¯ of their search. During one rest at a healing fountain, spent just lazing around in the warm water, it just happened. His mind wandered off, his lids got heavy, he first snoozed off and then fell into a deep sleep. At that point enough time had passed that he could no longer grow any of the things acquired in the Birchia dungeon.


    Apexus woke up so well rested that he didn¡¯t really care about the loss of that particular great set of legs though. To him, that he even needed sleep was still a new discovery and getting tired came with signals he didn¡¯t quite get yet. It came with the increased complexity of his body, that much he was in the clear about. It did make him wonder if he was eventually going to have to rest once a day like all those humanoids, however.


    To his pleasant surprise, aside from the fact that he was feeling refreshed, Apexus awoke under the two naked bodies of Aclysia and Reysha. The metal fairy didn¡¯t need sleep, but she could enter a similar state to conserve mana. Evidently, she had decided to do so rather than sit alone and wait for something interesting to happen. That Apexus tripled as her lover, a comfortable pillow of soft feathers and slime, and a charging station as her place of rest surely helped. Reysha, on the other hand, curled up next to him in her own sleep.


    The tiger girl looked surprisingly innocent, her sleeping face a relaxed and fulfilled, light smile rather than the broad smirk usually spreading over her attractive face. Indeed, in that moment Apexus thought he was looking at a kitten more than a tiger, although he had never seen either, some pictures Gizmo conjured aside.


    That changed immediately when she opened her eyes, though. Slit pupils adjusted to the dim light immediately, growing just a bit narrower compared to their closed state. Blue in grey surrounded by the dark stripes that covered the area around her eyes like warpaint, they stared up at Apexus with the always present sense of danger. It was something about Reysha that never quite went away, a wildness that could not be tamed and was ready to break out should she feel mistreated at any moment, bringing fangs, claws and every intention to hurt with it.


    It appealed to Apexus¡¯ own savage origin and the bloody necessities of his continued evolution in a way that Aclysia, in her civilized and divine way, just couldn¡¯t. That wasn¡¯t a comparison out to make either of them look bad, just something that made him realize how happy he was having both of them. Feelings were awakening for that insane feline femme fatale that were quite similar to what he felt for his guardian angel. Not the same, not as strong, but present nonetheless.


    Reysha knew nothing about what was going on behind Apexus own blue cat eyes, simply grinned at him and tapped the noodle-like extension he had made to look around without moving his main body. ¡°That looks super weird,¡± she giggled and the slime got back into his usual form quickly. Stretching out like that was unpleasant over long periods anyway.


    Stirred by the shifting slime under her and the loud moan that Reysha let out as she stretched, Aclysia also awoke. Immediately and with movements that Apexus would describe as the opposite of his own. Rather than seem like she had no bones, like him, the metal fairy¡¯s stifled motions seemed like she was only able to move along one axis and one joint at a time. It was almost creepy, more than that, however, it was incredibly funny.


    Reysha began to laugh in her careless, unsteady and very loud fashion while Apexus own amusement found sound through deep, hacked off vibrations from his voice plating. Blinking a couple of times, each time with a bit more awareness in her eyes, the metal fairy eventually looked at both of them with confusion. ¡°Does my way of rising from slumber amuse you two?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Reysha exclaimed out loud. ¡°ABSOLUTELY YES!¡±


    Unsure what to respond to such brashness, the metal fairy just said, ¡°I suppose that is a net positive.¡± Of course, that only prolonged Reysha¡¯s immense giggling.


    They had taken this, the final pause, right in front of the boss room. As such, it only took a bit of refreshing before they were ready to tackle that challenge. Although they had beaten the water elemental inside before and had only gotten stronger since, Aclysia insisted they made a battle plan. The chaotic fashion they had won last time, with quite a risky finish, was not acceptable to her.


    Although Reysha let her know that this was boring, they did agree and quickly discussed what to do in the different phases of the fight. Then they went inside and executed it with very little problem.


    The battle began, like last time, with a bit of a quiet period. The pond at the heart of the room lay still, only for oddly smooth waves to begin rippling all over the surface. Having long taken shelter behind the pillars before the explosion of water even came for them, the group stormed out immediately to face the massive torso of a water elemental.


    The first phase was finished quite easily. In its initial stage, despite looking quite bulky, the creature was pretty fragile. One solid hit at the grey core swimming inside would be enough, as past experiences had shown. A simple three-hit combo took care of that. Apexus initiated, by diving straight at the creature¡¯s head. It was a feint, designed to make it raise its arms and get them out of the way for Aclysia to fire a Bolt at the target. The immense heat sizzled away protective layers of water and Reysha immediately reacted by throwing a readied knife at the target from as close as she could get without entering the water.


    It struck true, causing the water elemental to collapse. After a few moments, five smaller versions appeared, conjuring Bolts of their own, just of the water variety. Reysha¡¯s job in that segment of the fight was to hide behind a pillar and wait while Apexus kept attention on him. The water elemental were not smart enough to realize much beyond having a target and their bolts always came as one volley that could be dodged pretty reliably by flying circles around the pond. Whenever a volley had been fired, Aclysia quickly stepped out from behind her own pillar, snipe at one of the lesser water elementals, and hopefully take it down.


    She missed a couple of times, but it wasn¡¯t even necessary for her to take all of them out. When they were down to two, the volley¡¯s had lost much of their danger and Apexus could pick them off by just ramming through them during a dive. Then came the last phase, the large water elemental reformed and even it wouldn¡¯t fall for that feint a second time. Instead, the group resorted to the safest strategy of them all.


    Hiding behind the pillars and waiting for the boss to make a mistake.


    It was more experimental than the previous two plans, but the metal fairy had vehemently refused the idea to finish this like last time by jumping into the water. The only recourse the water elemental seemed to have to their new scheme was to use the initial spell that explosively flooded the room a few times. Aside from making Reysha hiss when she was hit by cold water, however, that did nothing.


    Then the boss did get impatient and moved his body onto the walkable stone. At which point, the group immediately descended on the dull monster, showered it in attacks and had it beaten within less than a minute. It had perhaps been stronger than any one of them, but between more heat-based spells, Apexus weight crashing into it and the flurry of stabs from Reysha, the water elemental didn¡¯t really have the time or resources to reshape its body and formulate a violent response.


    The grey pearl that was the monster¡¯s hardened essence fell to the floor as one of the pillars opened to reveal to the group the chest with the reward. ¡°That was so dull,¡± Reysha complained as she picked up the remains of the boss.


    ¡°It was safe,¡± Aclysia answered firmly, checking if her robe still hid her body.


    ¡°Yes, I said that,¡± Reysha cheekily returned.


    ¡°You said it was dull.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I said it was safe.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ okay,¡± Aclysia sighed and stepped away to inspect the chest. ¡®I should know better by now,¡¯ she thought to herself.


    ¡°You want or can I has?¡± Reysha asked, waving the pearl at Apexus.


    ¡°You can use has in that context?¡± Apexus was confused by that more than he was hungry for the dropped item. It was supposed to give him magical powers over water, at least for a little while. Last time he ate something that was supposed to do that, he had tried to figure it out for hours and got nothing. Aside from a curiosity for the taste, the slime therefore wasn¡¯t that eager.


    ¡°You cannot,¡± Aclysia quickly shouted over her shoulder.


    ¡°I thinks is funny this way, yes, yes,¡± Reysha stated and then giggled. ¡°For serious though, do you want to eat it or not?¡±


    ¡°You can have it,¡± the slime stated, reading the tiger girl¡¯s want for it on the way her tail was impatiently waving.


    Apexus hadn¡¯t even finished the sentence when the thing was already flying into the redheads mouth. Jumping from one foot one the other, she let out series of delighted squeals. ¡°Thish ish better than chocolate,¡± she announced. Apexus just guessed chocolate was supposed to be something on magical spider meat levels of good.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Aclysia wondered out loud and pulled both his and Reysha¡¯s attention towards her.


    The metal fairy was holding the reward for their efforts. A dress, from the looks of it, but majorly different to the sleek one that used to be part of her body. It matched her colour scheme, mostly black with a long skirt and sleeves, decorated with white frills around the edges and a stretchable white segment around the chest, framed by more black.


    ¡°That,¡± Reysha said, her amusement only held back by the food she was dissolving in her mouth. ¡°Ish a maid dress.¡±

 The Hunt 7

    It was just the dress. No boots, underwear or gloves attached. Quality-wise, there was very little to complain about, it was as soft as spider silk and was easy to put on. It was, however, utterly lacking in any useful enchantments. ¡°Why is this even here?¡± Aclysia wondered.


    ¡°Sometimes dungeons drop items for non-combat Classes or just general items of fine quality,¡± Reysha explained, continuing even as the metal fairy shot her a glance that the question had been meant in an unserious fashion, ¡°That is perhaps one of the rarest outcomes of a treasure chest period.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that is true,¡± Aclysia admitted and stripped of her robe. It was hard for her to get into that piece. Between the somewhat wet skin and having to squeeze her wings through, pulling the cloth over her head seemed almost painful. Like Reysha¡¯s bodysuit, it had an open back, so there was at least one convenient design decision, allowing the metal fairy to spread her moth-like wings once she had freed them from confinement.


    Quickly, Aclysia figured the thing out. A couple of corset cords kept the cloth secure and tight around the waist, with a few more strings that went around the back of the neck providing extra support. The skirt almost reached her ankles, her naked feet still visible, its frilly, folded design allowing for quite easy movement.


    Softly, her petite bosom stretched the white chest segment once she was done adjusting the corset via with the strings. ¡°It looks good on you,¡± Apexus commented when she was done. He wasn¡¯t lying, the colour scheme was the same and such a proper dress did fit her personality quite nicely. The slime also much appreciated that, legs aside, he could still make out her curves. If she had to wear clothes, clothes like this were the optimal choice.


    ¡°You think so, darling?¡± Aclysia asked with a slight smile on her lips, grabbing her skirt and doing a diligent little bow. ¡°That does please me.¡±


    ¡°Fits with your character too,¡± Reysha stated, bluntly but not in a mean way. ¡°Oddly so. Think your daddy pulled some strings?¡±


    ¡°I do doubt that,¡± Aclysia shook her head. ¡°Aside, with the amount of chests we have opened down here. Pertaining to your initial comment¡­¡± her wings folded and added the effect of a neat little cape to the servant¡¯s outfit, ¡°¡­I feel that you are correct. Attending to my darling¡¯s needs is indeed my highest priority.¡±


    ¡°Dawww, can you be any more precious you black-white-green muffin?¡± Reysha giggled and swallowed what remained of the boss pearl. At the same time, Apexus took the more direct approach of wordlessly coming over and full-body hugging his beloved fairy.


    Since their way back was sealed now, they had to exit through the roaring stream that endlessly catapulted water upwards. Their plan to simply re-enter the dungeon and stay there hadn¡¯t changed. At least for another month, that was their current idea. Less time would likely be necessary if they could get out the news that Aclysia¡¯s quest was completed. That should have removed a considerable amount of interest of hunting Apexus, money was to be had elsewhere but a divine quest was too rare for many to pass up on.


    However, they had no means of getting those news out there bar catching some adventurers and telling them, or going to some gathering. Both had a considerable risk of getting them caught, not to mention that adventurers were unlikely to believe their target that there was no reason to hunt it.


    Remaining still was, therefore, the smartest decision.


    At least that was what Apexus thought until he was ejected from the fountain to the greeting of an arrow barely missing him. ¡®Oooooh nooooo¡­¡¯ the slime thought, immediately having all alarm fluids rippling. Didn¡¯t take more than a second for him to find the source of the arrow too. It was a man with a hat the shape of a triangle. That was about all the slime needed to know.


    Reysha was laughing when she was ejected from the water stream, she was laughing less when Apexus quickly caught her by swooping by underneath her. Heavily, she landed on the ragged surface of his wooden back, knocking the air out of her lungs. The impact almost ruined Apexus¡¯ balance, slanting him dangerously. Between Reysha¡¯s first reflex in this situation, being to hold onto the slime¡¯s back and evenly distribute her weight, and him flapping desperately, they somehow stabilized.


    ¡°What¡¯s your proble- FUCKING DEEP ROOTS!¡± her question became moot when her left arm was suddenly penetrated by another arrow. The tri-forked tip burrowed down to the base into her flesh. Hurting like absolute hell, she had just unwittingly saved Apexus himself from getting skewered. ¡°THAT¡¯S THAT FUCKER!¡±


    Moment¡¯s after that shout, Aclysia was on the surface as well, spreading her wings in a shower of drops that would have been impressive to behold normally. Hovering over the endless fountain, she looked around, to find Apexus and Reysha storming away.


    Reacting nowhere as quick as the two more spontaneous members of the group, she hung in the air confused for more than a few seconds, analysing the situation and only slowly formulating an intricate response that in the end had to be tossed for the thing that Apexus was already doing. Simply getting away without looking back.


    On the ground, the hunter was nocking a third arrow, but only kept aiming at Apexus as the slime tried to stay in the air as best he could. Flying with someone more than the weight of a feather on his back was still difficult, much more so when the start had been to barely fish the tiger girl out of the air.


    It had been the correct thing to do, at least as far as Apexus¡¯ consciousness was concerned. From a raw survival instinct, it would have been wiser to ditch the earthbound Reysha and flap away as quickly as he could. Finally, Aclysia managed to combine her darling¡¯s erratic flight with the person on the ground and the arrow sticking from Reysha¡¯s arm, the redhead pressing her body tightly onto Apexus, hoping that this time they wouldn¡¯t enter a terrible dive.


    They might have, if the metal fairy didn¡¯t catch up to them as quickly as she could and added what little strength she had to carrying Reysha. As her flight was more akin to hovering and immensely stable, syncing it up to Apexus pace was surprisingly easy.


    The hunter quickly stowed his weaponry and began running after them. Granted, Apexus wasn¡¯t flying as fast as he possibly could, but to see a human storm over the rocky landscape after them at a speed that more than kept up with them was dangerous nonetheless. The question rose why he never stopped to take another shot, but the slime really wasn¡¯t about to question that blessing.


    ¡°What are we doing, awakener?¡± Aclysia asked, falling back into her old titling from the panic she felt. All she could do was follow his lead, she needed time to formulate a proper response, time she didn¡¯t have in on-going situations like this.


    ¡°Water!¡± Apexus answered a single word as they kept heading south. As quick as that human was, there was no way he could cross the ocean after them, not without losing his equipment. Unless that immense speed somehow allowed him to run on water. The slime sure hoped not.


    It was a straining chase, not because of any more arrows, but because the hunter simply remained present and kept throwing up the same question: How was he here? The Inquisition was nowhere to be seen, how did he already know where they were and managed to get here?


    Once the open sea came close, the man suddenly stopped running under them and turned west, towards the port city. The good news being that he could not follow them over the water, the bad that he knew exactly what Apexus was planning. Not daring to turn around, risking to open himself to another attack, the slime only concentrated on reaching the other shore as quickly as possible.

 The Hunt 8

    They landed on the first beach they came across. Not out of any immense necessity. Stamina wasn¡¯t the problem, it was a hot day and as a cold-liquided being, as long as the environment was hot, Apexus¡¯ only limit was the food supply. He may very well have been able to go until nightfall and sometime beyond that. In that, it was rather lucky that they had been ejected from the dungeon midday.


    No, the reason why they landed was that Reysha desperately needed the break. ¡°Tigers aren¡¯t meant for the sky,¡± she declared as she rolled off Apexus and onto the sands, where she sprawled out her arms and dug her claws into the ground. It was as if she wanted to claw onto the world itself and never let go.


    ¡°You flew before,¡± Aclysia pointed out.


    ¡°That was a fucking skydive and kind of awesome!¡± Reysha shouted back way too loudly. ¡°Not an hours-long flight across the ocean with a gods damn arrow in¡­ my¡­ ARM!¡± she ripped the projectile out with a quick yank and then tossed it into the salty waters. Aclysia quickly moved in and began healing.


    When it took longer than she thought, the metal fairy blinked and inspected the wound more closely. Rolling back the sleeve, Aclysia saw the thee impact pints around a heavy bruise. ¡°Your ulna is broken.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you, I noticed,¡± Reysha drily returned. ¡°I am just going to assume that¡¯s the name of the bone.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia mumbled and quickly went back.


    Apexus looked back across the water. ¡°How did he find us? The Inquisition wasn¡¯t with him¡­ even if they were, they shouldn¡¯t have gotten there that fast.¡±


    ¡°You saw the fucker run,¡± Reysha stated. ¡°He could have definitely chased us in that time.¡±


    ¡°That would have meant he knew exactly where we were,¡± Aclysia added.


    The tiger girl gave her a deadpan stare. ¡°Yeah, because that¡¯s exactly what the fuck is going on,¡± she returned. When the metal fairy opened her mouth to retort, Reysha was already continuing. ¡°I know it sounds impossible, but if your maid-ass has a better theory how a hunter with that,¡± she waved around her half-healed arm, ¡°kind of power found us than him having an ART then I am going to listen with all four of my ears!¡±


    ¡°¡­You wouldn¡¯t still have an arm if he was level 50,¡± Aclysia suggested.


    ¡°Maybe this bodysuit is actually that sturdy or maybe I am or maybe he is out of fucking practice,¡± Reysha countered and rolled her blue eyes. ¡°Use whatever metal-brain is in that pretty skull of yours, there is literally no other way that he has found us this quickly than Hunter¡¯s Mark and Hunter¡¯s Mark doesn¡¯t track for that distance on its own. Unless you know something about that spell that I don¡¯t, he has a fucking Art.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ yes,¡± Aclysia had to concede. ¡°This spells dire for our situation.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Apexus tried to get back into the conversation. ¡°We have to assume we can be tracked wherever now?¡±


    ¡°Well, you and me, yes, since we got hit,¡± Reysha confirmed and snickered. ¡°Kind of exciting, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Her mad antics were ignored as Apexus and Aclysia brooded over the situation. ¡°We can¡¯t face that man,¡± the metal fairy mumbled.


    ¡°Neither can we stay,¡± her slime lover stated the obvious. ¡°This leaf isn¡¯t big enough. Our best bet would be to hide in the dungeon again, but he can find us even there. We also can¡¯t get stronger than him here, if understand¡­ if I understand levelling correctly.¡±


    Although even the beating of challenges far below one¡¯s own power feeds into the divine spark of adventurers, that eventually became such a miniscule addition that it was akin to trying to fill a barrel drop by drop. Apexus worked in a similar way, despite not having a divine spark.


    ¡°We can¡¯t run here and even if we could, there would be no hope in sight,¡± Apexus finished his thought. ¡°We have to leave.¡±


    Aclysia thought about this for a little bit longer, only speaking up when the golden light around her hands ebbed away and Reysha rolled her sleeve back over her now healed arm. ¡°Yes,¡± she agreed with the assessment. ¡°We can¡¯t stay here. I am not sure if fleeing from this leaf will solve this problem, but it is definitely more likely than staying. If we assume, he is an adventurer in retirement here, then I can¡¯t imagine he is after more than money for this mission. He may just drop the chase if it becomes too much of a hassle.¡±


    They were banking on a lot of maybes there, but they didn¡¯t have another idea. ¡°Question is how we get off the leaf, then,¡± Apexus stated, remembering what he had been told about the stem and the rules of this world.


    This was a flat world and as such it had an edge. Unlike most worlds of that kind, this one had a barrier surrounding it, making it impossible to just fall off. Similarly, it was impossible to fly over the edge and approach the stem from the side. No, they had to go through the city of Haralry. The border fortress, to be more exact. Getting through the gates would be the problem. If they got caught, they were as good as dead. If they didn¡¯t try, their time, or Apexus¡¯ at least, was also limited.


    ¡°You said you knew smugglers?¡± Aclysia asked the redhead.


    ¡°Comes with the profession,¡± Reysha answered with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s a bunch of short-term relationships, but I have someone in mind who could help us. Hates authority, the church and loves to smugly laugh about all the things he¡¯s pulled that nobody knows about.¡±


    ¡°Could we trust him?¡± Aclysia didn¡¯t like that description.


    ¡°Trust?¡± Reysha laughed in a truly amused fashion. ¡°You¡¯re asking whether or not we can trust a criminal whose job it is to get things through under people¡¯s nose?¡± She weighed the adventurer¡¯s bag on her hips. ¡°I would trust him exactly as far as I can throw this.¡±


    ¡°Well, I trust you as tall as Birchia,¡± Apexus chimed in and got two semi-confused glances. ¡°I am sorry, did I misunderstand and trust isn¡¯t measured in distance?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a metaphor with negative connotations to say you trust someone as far as you can throw something,¡± Aclysia told her beloved awakener. ¡°It doesn¡¯t quite work in the reverse.¡±


    ¡°But why though?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t say something is untasty either. Unless you wanted to try and be oddly poetic.¡±


    ¡°You really wouldn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°No, you would say it tastes awful,¡± Reysha giggled.


    ¡°But that¡¯s way longer!¡±


    ¡°Yes but¡­¡± Aclysia stopped herself. ¡°This certainly isn¡¯t the time for this. We have to hurry while we still have an ocean between us and that Hunter.¡±

 The Hunt 9

    Mehily was feeling ashamed. Not because she had any particularly good reason too. Indeed, she had every reason to feel relieved instead. Yet it was that shame that stuck.


    After sighting the chimeric abomination and letting it escape, the trio had returned all the way to Haralry. Although they could have followed Inquisitor Evmeria¡¯s lead, the Cardinal had to be informed about the happenings. Especially about the involvement of Gabrame, whose true reasons for getting involved in this were still unknown to them.


    They may have chosen to instead follow the Sharpshooter, trusting that he may have the Can¡¯t Hide Art. As far as level 50 Arts went, the ones shared amongst people of the same classes, Can¡¯t Hide was fairly typical for Sharpshooters, particularly those that went for dirtier jobs. It had a certain level of infamy, although not so high that Mehily had heard of it before Evmeria had told her about it.


    One hit, be it a strafe or a shot right on the money, and a Hunter with that Art could keep his Hunter¡¯s Mark up for any conceivable distance for any amount of time. It wasn¡¯t the most useful thing for dungeon crawling parties, who had more interest in skirmishing strength, but for those after hunting rare game, be it legendary animals or things of a more ethically dubious description, it was perfect. Not every first arrow could kill. Many of the higher level animals that were worth the effort could turn invisible or fly. In those situations, the Hunter¡¯s Mark was as much a necessity as a Scout was to extended dungeon crawling.


    If there was a numerical limit to this ability, Mehily did not know and she hadn¡¯t dared to ask. Evmeria had been pissed enough, as Gabrame had first spent the rest of that night drinking like any other, seemingly not bothered whatsoever by his missed shot, and then vanished long before any of them had gotten up.


    There was no way for them to catch up and thus the decision to make the report had been made. It had been Mehily who carefully suggested it, Evmeria had agreed, although clearly bothered by her failings, while Berholdth had just grunted in agreement, not bothered to make any decisions outside of combat.


    A few days ago, they had arrived in Haralry. The Cardinal had listened to the entire report with a gracious smile on his lips, only interrupted by concerned wrinkles on his forehead once or twice. Then he had dismissed them without any repercussion, telling them to prepare to continue their mission tomorrow.


    No punishment had come to her or Berholdth. Evmeria had been punished ¨C by herself. For her failure to capture the slime at first sight, as inaccurate as that saying may have been for the blind Inquisitor, she had retreated to the chamber of Jersoja. Mehily hadn¡¯t seen her since. She presumed she was locked in a similarly fervent prayer as the Priest herself had been before being appointed to the Inquisition.


    Since then, Mehily was patrolling the temple, walking past the 33 chambers dedicated to the original gods and sorting her thoughts. Witnesses had said that a naked girl with the wings of a moth had risen from the well amongst the golden light that night. Undoubtedly the angel Aclysia, grown once again. The Cardinal Remezan had guessed that this meant the Divine Quest had been concluded and, after holding conference with the messengers of the gods, had come back to them to confirm it. No Divine Quest of any god was currently active or waiting for someone to take them on, on the leaf of Ctania.


    It was a message he was intent on spreading as soon as possible. Between the death of the instructor who originally had put out the bounty for the creature and with this new development, few adventurers would be interested in pursuing this path further. It worked well for the servants of the church, who were interested in capturing the beast for noble reasons, whose fulfilment were their own reward. Giving them less competition with their own goals would only work for their benefit.


    Hopefully Gabrame himself would retreat back into obscurity once he heard that money was out of the equation. ¡®Unless he is being paid by someone else?¡¯ Mehily wondered, the Sharpshooter had not gotten involved earlier, there had to be some reason for that. Well, nothing she had to worry about.


    Indeed, the thing she found much more horrendous was the idea that this slime thing had completed a divine quest. That was downright blasphemy on the good name of the gods. ¡®Would you approve of this, venerated one?¡¯ she thought, finishing her path up the sheer endless corridor that connected all entrances to the individual gods¡¯ chambers.


    There was no door to enter the tower dedicated to the Progenitor God. Only a barrier in the shape of a rectangle. Much like his name was unheard by all but the most enlightened priests, it seemed that the original divine of might and magic was barred to be prayed to by mere beginners. She was barely beyond an acolyte.


    The first god was one of the greatest mysteries to Mehily. They called them the 33 original gods, yet one of them was called the Progenitor. What made the other 32 original, why were they separated along the seasons while only this nameless god was a god of the rare season of Sorcia. If was somehow even older than the other 32¡­ then what was he that made him so different?


    Mehily had a lot of questions like this and they were part of why she decided to follow the path of priesthood. With how hands-off the gods were in guiding them, only giving their followers principles to abide by, seeking answers to the theological mysteries of the world was actually encouraged. Higher levels of the church knew more about things pertaining to what happened in the trunk of the Omniverse. As did some renegades, but Mehily had only disdain for those.


    She knew she shouldn¡¯t have, but as she stood before that barrier, her hand began to move towards it. It had an indescribable colour. In one moment, it seemed purple, in another green, then yellow, not actually shifting but simply something her eyes couldn¡¯t properly interpret. People in the church were warned not to mess with things that went beyond their current understanding. Yet, Mehily couldn¡¯t resist. Like the dark hole between the branches, her attention was just sucked in, the world dulled until all she felt was her hand.


    Her extended fingers came in contact with the barrier. It was¡­ cold? Was that the right word? Hot may have been just as right. It was something beyond.


    Before she could think about it any further there was a whipping sound, a door opening with such force that it smacked against the wall. Mehily turned towards the source of the sound. What came out was Evmeria. Wearing an icy blue robe, the woman¡¯s only sign of her special class were her eyes. Normally hidden by a veil of cloth, two orbs of shining glass met Mehily¡¯s gaze.


    Only after a few moments, did it dawn on the Priest to pull her hand away from the barrier. ¡°I-I am sorry,¡± she hastily stated as the Inquisitor rushed towards her.


    Evmeria furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. ¡°Sorry for what?¡± Mehily was about to answer truthfully, when she realized that the Inquisitor was genuine.


    It wasn¡¯t Mehily¡¯s breaking of the rules that had caused the Inquisitor to suddenly break out of her prayer. Although that left the blonde Priest herself confounded, she was saved this time by the blindness of the black-haired woman. Despite sensing the other person around, Evmeria hadn¡¯t been able to see or perceive that she had touched the barrier.


    ¡°Never mind that,¡± the Inquisitor clearly had enough of waiting for an answer. ¡°Get ready, something just changed. The creature has entered the city.¡±

 The Hunt 10

    They travelled as fast as they could and with minimal pause. Only once during the entire trip did they stop to sleep and rest, as Apexus himself needed to get some shut eye, at all other times, they were moving. Either with Aclysia and Apexus flying low to the ground, with Reysha running underneath, or with the two of them carrying the tiger girl as she slept as best she could while moving.


    Not more than two days, then the Hunter would have come over the sea and be able to chase them with his own ridiculous speed. If they escaped off the leaf, it would be on a hairs-width. Nevertheless, they managed to enter the city unseen through a sewer vent that Reysha showed them.


    It was clearly some sort of thief¡¯s hideout, judging by the lock that Reysha first had to pick open and that then magically locked itself behind them again. ¡°We don¡¯t have the luxury of fucking around with our choices, do we?¡± Reysha mumbled as they moved on the thin walkway that ran parallel to the stream of gunky water. The floors lack of cleanliness made Apexus wish for legs. Thankfully he couldn¡¯t taste with his membrane.


    ¡°Once we reveal ourselves to whoever smuggler we pick, we best stick to them,¡± Aclysia agreed quietly, unsure who could be listening in the dimly lit tunnels. ¡°And we don¡¯t have the time to scout for the best candidate. Didn¡¯t you allude to having someone in mind?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s see if I can still find the way,¡± Reysha¡¯s cat ears turned a bit as she was listening for something, then they begun their track through the innards of the city. Apexus found it interesting that such a large gathering of people solved their waste problem by digging giant tunnels. With all their individuality, the slime hadn¡¯t thought it quite possible for humanoids to come up with such group-oriented structures. Yet, here it was.


    They had to be somewhat careful, other people were stalking around these tunnels, searching for their own associates. Outside the law or not, the group wasn¡¯t about to reveal themselves to anyone unneeded. Every so often, Reysha stopped and listened again. Eventually, Apexus found what she was searching for.


    It was a disharmonious scratching. As if somebody tried to emulate Aclysia¡¯s singing voice by dragging something over something else. It wasn¡¯t a painful noise, just amateurish. Following it eventually carried them to a door, meticulously clean, especially compared to the surroundings. The sounds echoed through a small, iron-bared gap at head-height.


    Reysha hammered against the door and the noises stopped. A moment later, somebody stepped up to that gap. ¡°Who is th- Reysha? Girl, shouldn¡¯t you be on the fu-¡° when the grumbly voice on the other side interrupted itself for the second time, their eyes had evidently fallen on Apexus. Understandably, as well. It was harder to overlook him than it was to spot him, as the slime had stretched into a taller position to muster what was going on with curious eyes.


    ¡°Hey, Trebby,¡± Reysha grinned widely. ¡°Interested in the job of the century?¡±


    An initial answer came by the door swinging open. Apexus wasn¡¯t sure if the man he was looking at was oddly muscular or fat, as he had a pretty opulent mass but moved smoothly. What little fur humanoids tended to have on the head was apparently falling out of this fellow, as it had receded to a couple of long strands that formed a semi-circle around his blank and polished dome. Brown eyes looked amusedly as he invited them in with a swing of that odd tool he was holding. Some small, swung contraption of wood, with sinews stretched across. There was also some sort of small staff with a similar design. Much too elegant for the broad hands holding it.


    ¡°A nice violin you have there,¡± Aclysia commented as all of them entered.


    ¡°Thank you, my grotesque rape of music lures my customers,¡± Trebby answered and hastily closed the door behind them. The room they were now inside was stuffed with luxurious furniture. There was barely enough room for the six massive bodyguards to stand in the corners of the room and at each end side of the seat Trebby fell down into. Their rugged exteriors and dark leather armours clashed quite heavily with the purple surroundings. Even the owner himself didn¡¯t quite seem like he belonged there.


    Indeed, Aclysia in her, miraculously still largely clean, maid outfit almost fit the best, as she sat down on the couch opposite of their host and folded her hands in her laps in a diligent fashion. Reysha fell on the cushioned thing with a relieved sigh, while Apexus preferred his place on the ground. The table was low enough that he wasn¡¯t bothered by this and humanoid seating just wasn¡¯t fashioned for elliptic shapes.


    ¡°Look at that thing,¡± Trebby inspected Apexus closer. ¡°I have never seen such a huge slime, much less one with so many¡­ extras¡­¡± the smuggler stopped at the blue eyes, narrowing his own as if he was searching for something. ¡°Are you here to sell the parts to me? Wings of that colour and size probably go for a lot.¡±


    ¡°I am not to be sold for that shiny round metal you use to trade stuff,¡± Apexus answered and everyone in the room, aside from Reysha and Aclysia, jumped. Some of the bodyguards even gripped their weapons, causing the tiger girl to hiss warningly from the couch. ¡°What is happening?¡± the slime wondered, looking around. ¡°I thought we were talking here? Aclysia, is this some sort of courtesy don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know about?¡±


    ¡°No, if anything, they are being tremendously rude right now, darling,¡± the metal fairy responded and everyone relaxed a little bit.


    ¡°I am sorry¡­¡± Trebby cleared his throat. ¡°Just didn¡¯t expect this. You must understand that you look rather alien to us and hearing a human voice from that is¡­¡± he struggled for a word.


    ¡°Adorable?¡± Reysha suggested honestly, although she couldn¡¯t suppress her laughter when Trebby shot her a doubtful glance. ¡°Let¡¯s skip the small-talk Trebby, we have an Inquisition on our ass, can¡¯t be in your best interest to keep us occupied until they find us.¡±


    Apexus, feeling like he wasn¡¯t welcome in the conversation anymore, didn¡¯t add that there was also a Hunter who had marked him. Much to Aclysia¡¯s relief, since the metal fairy was aware that that would have made negotiations a tad harder.


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Trebby grumbled. ¡°Since Hemle isn¡¯t around to pay his end of the bounty and the Divine Quest has been marked complete.¡± The trio had absolutely no idea why they knew about that, but they took it. ¡°Honestly, without that, killing you two and trying to get her might have been worth the hit to my honourable reputation. As it is, I honour even one of my guards lives more than whatever market value the body of your friend has¡­ or your eyes, Reysha.¡±


    ¡°Sucks to be you then,¡± Reysha stuck out her tongue, her blue eyes in their grey sclera glinting dangerously as she kept one hand close to her belt of throwing daggers.


    ¡°We seek your aid in leaving this leaf,¡± Aclysia kept the talk on tracks. ¡°All three of us.¡±


    ¡°Smuggle the three highest profile individuals we had in the last few decades off the leaf. I wouldn¡¯t be able to brag about it for a while, but in a few years that would be one hell of a story,¡± Trebby hummed. ¡°Plus I would stick it to the church, Zimber would surely love seeing that.¡±


    ¡°So you will help us?¡± Aclysia asked, already hopeful.


    ¡°What¡¯s really in it for me though?¡± Trebby finished his thoughts and leaned back. ¡°Hemle¡¯s money aside, the Guild still wants you for whatever reason¡­.¡± he trailed off, looking to his visitors as if they could grant him an answer.


    None of them had any idea. Aside from that one time Apexus had spared some people, he had never harmed anyone. His mere existence shouldn¡¯t have been enough to warrant any sum worth the hassle. Then again, there was the possibility higher ups thought that they were directly responsible for the death of Hemle, but revealing the details of that to the smuggler would have meant that they also had to reveal Apotho and that whole issue. A story too long and too unusual to just tell and expect Trebby to believe it.


    As the silence stayed as his only answer, the smuggler just continued on as if the pause had been purely aesthetical. ¡°What can you give that would be worth it? Aside from the story and my continued reputation as an honest businessman.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see¡­¡± Reysha grabbed her adventurer¡¯s bag and began throwing stuff on the table. First, the coin purse, which was also emptied of its contents, then all the items they had gotten in the Clearwater dungeon but couldn¡¯t use. A curved sword of steel, a caster pendant with water affinity, pauldrons for plate armour and a bunch of intact rat teeth as well as other valuable monster parts. ¡°You can have the money now, if you agree,¡± she said as Trebby hummed approvingly at the selection.


    ¡°And the rest?¡± the smuggler asked. ¡°This is already less than the Guild would give me. I am not trusting you to just leave it somewhere for me to find.¡±


    ¡°And I only trust you as far as I can throw this,¡± Reysha returned, dangling the now empty bag of velvet between her fingers, before dropping it on the table as well. ¡°The offer is literally on the table, Trebouran¡± she finished, leaving Apexus confused for a moment before he realized that Trebby had been a nickname the entire time.


    The smuggler hummed again, then smirked. ¡°Well, you honestly had me from the start¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Reysha laughed mockingly. ¡°You totally aren¡¯t smearing honey around my mouth right now or something you absolute cockwaffle.¡± The redhead chuckled unnervingly. ¡°Just say yes or no already.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I will do it,¡± Trebby apologetically raised his hands into the air. ¡°Well then, guess I will have to call in some favours to get this done by today.¡± Even Reysha looked surprised by the announcement, now it was the smuggler¡¯s turn to chuckle. ¡°You think I am this daring with my jobs just because I like going against the church?¡± he collected the money off the table and neatly closed Reysha¡¯s former pouch when he was done. ¡°I¡¯m the best at what I do and the sooner I get you out of my shop, the sooner I won¡¯t have to worry about the Inquisition.¡±

 The Hunt 11

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready to get nice and comfortable,¡± Trebby announced when he came back a few hours later. Shortly thereafter, he guided the trio through numerous tunnels in the underground. The bodyguards were always looking at Apexus, crawling along, despite having a redheaded tiger girl with pretty open weaponry around. ¡°Because getting three people out of the city at once is going to be a bit more difficult.¡±


    ¡°What, I thought you were good at what you do?¡± Reysha teased and earned herself a scoffing mumble. ¡°How much harder can it be than just put us under some sacks and cart us out of here, huh? Come on, I can see that you want to boast about your business strategies, you absolute unit of a smuggler.¡±


    Apexus just had to interject. ¡°What unit?¡±


    Several people looked confused, Aclysia was the one who reacted first. ¡°Reysha is using it metaphorically in this case. She isn¡¯t talking about any units of measurement.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Sorry for the interruption. Feel free to boast now,¡± the slime innocently continued to listen.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re actually endearing, despite of how odd you look,¡± Trebby admitted after a moment of silence.


    ¡°You¡¯re actually friendly, despite of how awful your music was,¡± Apexus responded in kind. ¡°My gratitude for getting us off this leaf.¡±


    The smuggler was unable to deal with such honest and nice words from a creature whose initial appearance he had felt repulsed by. A mixture of embarrassment and validation stirred in the man¡¯s soul. Not a particularly common way to feel in this line of work.


    Trebby cleared his throat, ¡°Yes¡­ well, I am in it for the money.¡± Quickly turning towards things he was more used to, he stepped up to a door and unlocked it with a very complicated looking key. ¡°See, when you¡¯re going for illegal activities, there are three ways to remain on the loose. First is to just not be known, but when you¡¯re active for any measurable length of time that¡¯s pretty much impossible. Sooner or later people will just know about you. Especially if you remain local. So that¡¯s out for me.


    ¡°The second is to be unofficially in charge of things. Sadly, the hotpot of guild leaders that make up the local government aren¡¯t exactly corruptible. Especially since we have a gods damned Cardinal sitting on this leaf, who only ever partakes on meetings via letters,¡± Trebby groaned and kicked open the door. ¡°Even if it was possible, I don¡¯t have that kind of money.¡±


    They entered a room were a bunch of modified equipment stood around. Wooden logs that seemed perfect as firewood, but were hollowed out, seamlessly fitting lids sitting nearby. Mountains of differently sized barrels. Wax paper to wrap packages as smell-neutral as possible. A bunch double-bottomed crate. In the middle of the room stood a large horse cart. A surprisingly small assortment of adventurer¡¯s bags hung from a distant wall.


    Apexus had to wonder about that. ¡°Why not use those more often?¡± he asked. ¡°Small bags stuffed with stuff should be easier to hide than most other things, no?¡±


    ¡°In theory,¡± Trebby seemed happy to answer that question, even though it interrupted his other explanation. ¡°Three problems though. Adventurer¡¯s bags enchants cause them to bind to their current carrier in some odd way that prevents more than a few bags to work for one person at any given time. They turn into simple bags until somebody else comes along to pick them up.¡±


    ¡°That would still only limit operations on the leaf,¡± Reysha continued, wandering around the cart while Trebby¡¯s henchmen prepared everything for their departure. ¡°So that¡¯s why he has a few of them, the sly dog.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Trebby waved off. ¡°The other two reasons are that they radiate magic. Scribe¡¯s can detect them quite easily, just like they can make an Inventory Analyzation. They can¡¯t just magically write out a list of illegal items hidden inside hollow logs. Third reason, specifically for cross-leaf travel, is that I don¡¯t feel like dealing with Parasytes.¡±


    Something about the way he said that word made it clear that he wasn¡¯t talking about tics or mosquitoes. Before Apexus could ask about it, the conversations moved back to the original topic.


    ¡°Anyway, like most of my colleagues around here, I take the third and easiest way to not remain in the business,¡± the smuggler gifted all of them with a broad smile. ¡°I keep up the fa?ade of a honest businessman that nobody got the solid evidence to disprove off.¡±


    ¡°Well, bully for you, that¡¯s how I would do things as well,¡± Reysha suddenly stepped across the room, did several twirls, stopped behind Aclysia and gave her a big hug. ¡°But somebody said morality is more important than thoroughness.¡±


    The metal fairy pouted. ¡°You assured me this topic had reached its conclusion.¡±


    ¡°Conclusion? Sure. Fun-making material? No,¡± Reysha giggled, then almost burst out laughing. ¡°Hey, remember that time when you flew across the entire continent buck-naked because your daddy got issues?¡±


    Aclysia went from pouting to flushing deeply, something that only got worse when the tiger girl planted a quick kiss on her cheek. ¡°This is a disgrace!¡±


    ¡°You liked the last time,¡± the redhead couldn¡¯t help but tease.


    After a few frustrated noises, Aclysia managed to say, ¡°This is not the time nor place for foolery like this!¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Reysha suddenly stood straight as a pole and awaited further developments. Although her face didn¡¯t mirror that stern pose in the slightest. ¡°What¡¯s the plan, Trebby?¡±


    The smuggler just looked like he was having fun with all of this. ¡°Alright, come up here,¡± he told them and climbed on the cart. It was solid wood and pretty large, which also meant it was pretty tall. Reysha athletically pulled herself up, while maid-dressed Aclysia just spread her wings and hovered.


    Apexus didn¡¯t have enough room to fly, not without creating an absolute chaos, so he had to slime his way up the wheels. Getting up steep surfaces had been much easier when he hadn¡¯t had all this extra weight on his back. Well, when he had been lighter in general. Nevertheless, he got up there.


    The main surface of the cart had pretty flat, broad chest built into the middle of it. ¡°You will get in there and then we¡¯ll throw normal wares on top,¡± Trebby explained, knocking on the chest. ¡°My buddies at the Stem will ¡®randomly¡¯ select us for a control. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ll just peek around enough that they can write a report about nothing going on.¡±


    Apexus had to admit that that was kind of ingenious. Fooling a security system by playing along with it sounded pretty smart. Like letting a rat dive face first into his own mass. Except he had somehow told the rat that was exactly the strategy to follow.


    ¡°Normally we only smuggle one person off at a time¡­ You will have to really cramp down in there,¡± Trebby looked doubtfully at the slime and then at the box. ¡°Thing is your liquid body¡­ sorry, Apexus, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the slime answered.


    ¡°You¡¯re way too thick,¡± the smuggler stated right out of the gate. ¡°That¡¯s a problem I didn¡¯t think about¡­¡± he made a sour face and looked around. ¡°Maybe we could load you into a barrel? That¡¯s going to be a problem if there¡¯s a single strait-laced guard on shift with my buddy. Much easier to get them to ignore the stuff in the middle of the cart than a giant barrel¡­¡±


    ¡°I make myself thinner, give me a few minutes,¡± Apexus answered and Trebby raised an eyebrow. With that massive carapace and equally big wings, he didn¡¯t see how the slime could bridge the difference between him and a lying person. To his surprise, both of those began to shrink visibly.


    Aclysia used this time to ask another important question. ¡°What are the precautions in case we get caught?¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re going to make a run for it,¡± Trebby stated quite clearly. ¡°And you¡¯re never coming back. I can weasel my way out of prison by bribing a few people here and tell everyone you forced me to do it or some bullshit like that. Unless they get your ass and you confess to something different. If they do catch you, you had a fourth accomplice who had my wife at knifepoint and his name is Derek, understood?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Derek, knife-point, we force you,¡± Reysha yawned and looked over to Apexus, who had shrunk all Growths, aside from eyes and ears, down as far as he could. ¡°How ya doing, slime boy?¡±


    ¡°Well, somewhat hungry,¡± Apexus answered with the tiny remains of the Speaking Plates. His voice was as deep as usual, if a fair bit quieter in its maximum output.


    Reysha made a surprised sound. ¡°Expected you to sound all squeaky now. Honestly, I am disappointed¡­ anyway, guess we¡¯ll have to fit in like this. Otherwise, we¡¯ll cut you down.¡±


    That was indeed another possibility and one that slime much wanted to avoid. Being sliced into tinier parts was a very unpleasant experience. With wings smaller than his fox ears, Apexus flowed his way into the open chest. Reysha and Aclysia soon followed.


    It turned out to be a surprisingly comfortable experience for those two. What normally was nothing but a wooden box with nothing in the way of padding now turned into a slime cushioned bed. Cramping all of his Growths into one corner of the chest, off Aclysia¡¯s left shoulder, the only way all of them fit in there was for Apexus to spread himself all over the square floor and partly spill around their bodies.


    Not only was this uncomfortable, holding things outside of his natural elliptic shapes for prolonged times was akin to keeping a muscle wilfully tense for prolonged periods, but it was also pretty hard not to get turned on by this complete feeling up of their curves.


    To put it shortly, the girls were having it surprisingly nice, while Apexus was hoping this whole thing was over quickly. ¡°Sure hope none of you are claustrophobic,¡± Trebby joked when he closed the lid above them, leaving only a miniscule breathing hole and small gaps in the wood for light to enter.


    Then a constant drumming of sacks being thrown on top of them began.

 The Hunt 12

    The cart rolled over the streets. Apexus could feel every bump, every depression and even every slant in the road in his liquid form. With eyes and ears basically useless, little managed to get through the layers of corn sacks that had been heaved on top of their confinement, his tremor sense was working to compensate.


    Which only made the entire experience even more unpleasant.


    Not a single word was spoken. They weren¡¯t supposed to move nor do anything else that could make any sound whatsoever. Apexus hadn¡¯t expected that getting out unseen was going to be pleasant, but being stuck inside this box for some indiscriminate amount of time was almost akin to torture.


    It was simply monotonous, the time dripped along like counting waterdrops falling from a stalagmite. They came to a halt, Apexus hoping they had arrived at the gate, but apparently it was just some sort of traffic jam as they soon moved again. After what felt like an eternity, and many stops later, something did finally change.


    There was talking outside. More footsteps around the cart. Without the constant bumps, Apexus could feel at least a bit. Not how many people were approaching, but the dull vibrations in the wood when men spoke in their deep voices. Somebody knocking on the driver¡¯s seat from the side. Laughter about an unknown joke.


    As they had been warned, stuff on the cart was moved around. Sacks around the outer rim, for the most part, were lifted and then thrown back once their content had been confirmed. There was rumbling right above them, Aclysia and Reysha tensed. Whoever the guard above them was, they only lifted one sack, looked inside, and dropped it again.


    Not only did they not reveal the box, with how flat it was, it was almost impossible to make out its existence without hitting the very edge of it. More words were exchanged, more laughter, then they moved again. Aclysia and Reysha were about to relax when they came to another halt.


    Loud voices reverberated in the wood. A dull one, a firm one and a zealous one. Three new voices and massive complaints by Trebby. ¡°You¡­ just¡­¡± Apexus actually made out in the shouts.


    ¡®Curses,¡¯ the slime thought as all three of them got ready again. Someone massive and heavy climbed on the cart and began plucking the cargo of the vehicle and tossing it to the ground at the side. Stealth was unneeded at that point, so Apexus whispered, ¡°Get ready, I¡¯ll attack first.¡±


    Berholdth grabbed another sack of corn and tossed it aside. His reinforced boots drummed on the wood when he had finally unearthed himself a place to stand firmly. Barely listening to the two women continuously haggling with the owner of the cart, he continued his work.


    ¡°You have no right to do this!¡± the smuggler complained.


    ¡°We have every right,¡± Evmeria snapped back, her leather armour radiating some level of cold despite the charred appearance, illuminated by the endless summer sun. ¡°And every reason. I can see the lies hanging around you like a veil of flowing gold.¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s hand stretched out towards him, grabbing something invisible, then extending her index finger to point directly at Trebby. ¡°In my mission, such clarity can only be granted to me towards those guilty of hiding the suspect. My faith undoes your corruption, traitor on divinity.¡±


    The smuggler swallowed his answer and suddenly, and very loudly, changed his approach. ¡°Thank you, holy men of the Church!¡± he exclaimed for everyone to hear, while Berholdth uncovered something beneath the corn. Some sort of chest. ¡°You are my only hope!¡± The Warrior grabbed the lid and ripped it open.


    Apexus bounced outwards as quick as slimely possibly. Which was more than quick enough to surprise a less experienced Warrior off balance. Pulled together slime hastily extended and latched onto his face, causing him to scream as the left half of his face suddenly experienced acid burns.


    ¡°Berholdth!¡± Mehily shouted, but didn¡¯t have time to do much more when Reysha hastily moved out of the cart. While the Priest was still busy pulling magic inside her, a throwing knife penetrated her shoulder.


    Reysha jumped right after her weapon, on top of Mehily. The impact and weight of the tiger girl forced her to the ground. ¡°Ya just can¡¯t stop chasing my tail, can you?¡± Reysha hissed into her former comrade¡¯s ear. The words may have been playful, but the tone was as sharp as glass.


    ¡°You keep sinning,¡± Mehily hissed back, then screamed in pain herself as a stiletto was rammed through her other shoulder and into the ground below.


    ¡°Shut up and stay right here,¡± Reysha returned, not feeling like killing her here after having kept the Priest alive for so long.


    Trebby was running for safety in the arms of the guards. Not exactly accidentally, he tripped and fell into the city defender actually out to do his job. His partner, the smuggler¡¯s contact, walked towards the danger, but at a pace at which he would never arrive in time. No reinforcement came for the Inquisition, at least not for now.


    Aclysia had already flown upwards, engaging in a duel of spells with the Inquisitor. A duel defined by the metal fairy¡¯s attempt to throw several Sunlight Bolts at Evmeria, who somehow unravelled them with a wave of her hand. Divine spells would do no good towards an agent of the gods.


    Even when Reysha came to help her friend, the Noir Rogue was met with largely neutralizing hand gestures. Every stab of her dagger, towards vital areas or not, was met with expert defensive maneuvers that pushed her arm to the side. In a display of ambidextrous mastery, Evmeria continued to dismiss both physical and magical attacks with one hand each, while her blind eyes looked for something else than both of them.


    Apexus pulled off the blinded Warrior, afraid his thrashing may accomplish something eventually, and turned towards the Stem. They were already partly past the gate, the massive stone construct that oversaw whoever came into the leaf. There was no ground underneath them, just an ever-shifting assortment of silver lines that interwove like a floor made from twigs.


    With no time to question any of this, Apexus flowed off the cart as quickly as he could. He was already upsizing his wings again, but for the moment he was earthbound. As he dropped of the cart, a triumphant shout could be heard.


    ¡°I have found you!¡± Evmeria declared, unbothered by the wounds the other two had suffered, not even aware of them. All she could see was the slime. For her vision, he was a multi-coloured frame with an empty core. The sight of a being without a divine spark was revolting and she finally saw the end of her mission before her.


    Icey blue energy gathered between her hands and exploded outwards in a nova. It passed through Aclysia without doing any harm, even Reysha was little more than inconvenienced by a momentary bit of pain. However, when it touched Apexus, the spell unfolded its full tormenting power.


    A high-pitched sound involuntarily reverberated from the slimes downsized speaking plates as pain actively ravaged every part of its being. Slime that had barely pulled into its intended elliptic shape writhed and moved like the surface of boiling water. Yet, what Apexus felt wasn¡¯t heat, but unrelenting cold. Thin as a sheet of paper, the spell wave moved through him. What it touched at any given moment was as frozen. The touch of the winter god by his Inquisition¡¯s target was doubly effective against the slime.


    Evmeria seemed rather pleased with herself until Aclysia drop-kicked her right in the face and Reysha kicked her in the side a moment after. An Inquisitor¡¯s spells were only truly effective against their hunted targets. Kicking the woman while she was down, knocking all wind from her chest, Reysha ensured no such spell would come their way again. In her zealotry, the Inquisitor had tunnel-visioned on her objective and now paid the price for it. Flying over, Aclysia quickly checked on her darling.


    ¡°Can you move?¡± the white-haired angel asked and Apexus answered by beginning to crawl as quickly as he could, his form still unsteady and overy liquid from remaining crackles of pain. While tremendously painful, the spell had done no real damage. Evmeria had taken her order to get the slime alive seriously and as such went with an incapacitating part of her arsenal.


    The element of surprise had been on their side, then numbers, but the former was spent and the later would soon change. Bells rung, alarming the guards, who streamed out of the border fortress in pairs of two. It wasn¡¯t an army, barely even a dozen, but more than enough to overwhelm three adventurers.


    Reluctantly, not wanting to harm anyone but well aware that reason was out of the picture, Aclysia threw one bolt after another. Without his wings, Apexus was simply slower on the move than running humans. This was the reality of a crawling body.


    It was to their advantage that the Stem was a slowly upwards curving path, that narrowed towards its end in the sky. A sky which slowly faded, turned darker, blacker, with silver branches announcing their presence from behind the blue firmament. The pull of the leaf weakened, they were almost gone.


    ¡°What about Trebby¡¯s payment?¡± Apexus asked, feeling like that had forgotten that.


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Reysha suddenly, stopped and turned on her heels. In the rotation, she grabbed her adventurer¡¯s bag and then tossed it back towards the city as strongly as she could. It landed miraculously right in the face of a random guardsmen, who then tumbled and hit the back of his head on the cart they had just inhabited.


    Sure, it wasn¡¯t the stealthiest payment transferal, but Trebby just appeared and quickly put the bag away. Whatever explanation he would muster really wasn¡¯t the trio¡¯s problem.


    Allowing herself to stand there for a moment, since Apexus was dragging down their maximum speed anyway, Reysha grinned and cracked a joke. ¡°I said I trusted him as far as I could throw th¡­at¡­¡± her voice petered out as she stared at something in the distance. Looking from their heightened position on the Stem, over the stretched fortress, onto the main plaza and down the street leading up to it, she spotted something.


    A dot fast approaching, much faster than any other thing on this leaf rightfully could. A dot that soon gained the outline of a person. A person insanely fast on his feet, with a tricorne on their head and a bow on their back. ¡°RUN!¡± she screamed when she realized who was about to beset them.


    The Hunter himself had arrived.

 The Hunt Ends

    Everything became much more imminent. It flashed through Apexus¡¯ mind that they had already lost just by the over-levelled sniper¡¯s appearance. Even if they got off the leaf, wouldn¡¯t he just chase them that little bit onto wherever the Stem led them?


    ¡°Keep on going!¡± Aclysia nevertheless shouted out. She knew things that Apexus didn¡¯t about the space they needed to reach and thusly her voice was hopeful. That tone was enough for the slime to continue its effort to crawl as quickly as he could. Ignoring the hunger, he continued to grow out his wings, flapping them desperately.


    They were still too small to lift him off the ground, but at least they provided a bit of a boost.


    Near to the gate, a medic of the city guard was helping Mehily and Berholdt recover. They extended their offer to help to Evmeria, but the Inquisitor was ignoring all of them, already back on her feet, if swaying, and stumbling after the trio.


    Reysha grabbed her last throwing knife and just blindly tossed it in the direction of the approaching guard. It bounced off a raised shield without any meaningful result. Desperate, the tiger girl threw any and all remaining weaponry she had at their pursuers, just to give Apexus more time.


    The sky had turned into a dark blue at this point. The world behind the trio seemed less and less like a place they were at and more like at a cut-out of a landscape viewed through a looking glass. Indeed, it slowly seemed to shatter, individual fragments showing different parts of the world, all separated by silver veins. The name leaf hadn¡¯t just been chosen because of the branching nature of the Omniverse, it seemed.


    Apexus had no time to marvel at any of this as the Hunter broke the border fortress¡¯ arching gateway. The speed at which he moved caused nearby guards to almost fall when he cut closely by them. In one fluid motion, the Sharpshooter stopped his run, readied his bow and pulled an arrow from his quiver.


    From previous encounters, Apexus knew very well that he was in the range of the Hunter¡¯s strikes. He was also a much slower and less defended target than ever before. This constant checking of what was behind him caused the slime to get slightly off course. A shocking revelation hit him in time: there was no border barrier to this narrowing path. He was hanging a slight bit above the nothing and retracted in time.


    Under other circumstances, a tactical fall may have been possible, but Apexus would need at least another minute before his wings reached flying size. There was no telling where he could fall in that time.


    While he recovered from that shock, he realized that not a single arrow had flown his direction yet. Instead, the Hunter had gotten to running, with the arrow ready and the bow lowered. While this bought them more time, it wasn¡¯t exactly a reason to relax.


    The guards formed a corridor and just let the Hunter pass. Even if it was their official duty to act here, none of them was foolish enough to make a stand where they could be catapulted into the Abyss. Same could not be said for Evmeria, who shouted something unintelligible when the Hunter passed her.


    Gabrame, just slowed down for a moment to give her a toothy grin. ¡°This is my prize, Inquisitor,¡± he mocked, then eyed the slime in the distance again. Sure, it was ever shrinking, but he really shouldn¡¯t stop to boast like this. Once they were off the leaf, he would have to try to drag that thing back by purely physical means or risk something else showing up and complicating the entire ordeal. Possible, but unneeded and difficult.


    The slime occasionally leapt with his wings beating at this point, so Gabrame knew he had to hurry. ¡°¡­Fine!¡± there was a sudden outcry from behind him. ¡°Better your prize than escaped!¡± An ice blue energy bolt suddenly flew by Gabrame, quicker even than he could run.


    Apexus saw it coming as well, its straight trajectory was bound to hit him. The sky was basically black at this point, the world behind him nothing more than a leaf-shaped assortment of landscape images. The path was at its narrowest point now, broadening in front of him again. Connected to something massive, silver like the veins and the Stem, but with many shades to it. It¡¯s fissured appearance seemed to be massive bark and powers of all colours pulsated under the semi-translucent surface.


    A branch of the Omniverse, it was right in front of Apexus and his allies.


    ¡°We are upon freedom, my darling!¡± Aclysia exclaimed with a huge smile on her face, spending as much of her magic as she could dare without falling into a passive state in order to obstruct the Hunter¡¯s path.


    ¡°Finally, off this awful fucking place!¡± Reysha exclaimed with insane enthusiasm.


    Indeed, all Apexus had to do was leap one more time. Dodge that spell and jump into freedom at the same time. The three of them would escape, side by side. His wings raised, then moved down with immense force. It propelled him up and forwards. The spell would sail right under him.


    It would have. Were he not the target of the Inquisition.


    As it was, the mass of pale energy adjusted its course ever so slightly. Before either Reysha or Aclysia could react, it struck Apexus in the back. Just like the last spell of Evmeria, it dealt no damage but the terrorizing amount of pain caused Apexus wings to tense at the wrong time, ending even this little flight.


    It was just a few seconds. However, the scope of the current happenings, it might as well have been several minutes. By the time Apexus came back to control over his senses. The Hunter was jumping over the trio and landing in front of them.


    Against their better judgement, so close to the goal, the Reysha and Apexus prepared to attack the much higher levelled adventurer. Gabrame, with a self-assured smile, pulled on his bowstring.


    Reysha was the quickest of them, but neutralized by the old Hunter without him even taking a hand off his bow. Two kicks, faster than Reysha could react to, sent the redhead flying back down the path they had come from.


    While Aclysia was stunned, struck without magical power or a plan, she could only watch as Apexus rose into a wave of slime, about to crash onto their assailant and devour him whole. For a moment, it looked like that could be a winning strategy. Then Gabrame had pulled back the bow all the way and loosed the arrow in the same moment.


    The arrow with the forked tip ripped a fist sized hole into Apexus body, which ceased moving immediately. Gabrame took a quick step back while he nonchalantly lowered his bow, while Aclysia felt a cold hand grip her heart and guts.


    The large mass of slime slumped down. Slowly at first, then very suddenly, as slime was converted into water. Disconnected body parts were washed down into the void to the satisfied stretching of a Hunter whose retirement money was saved. ¡°Job¡¯s done!¡± he exclaimed and wandered off.


    ¡°Job¡¯s¡­done?¡± Aclysia asked in a state of absolute disbelief. She landed in the puddle that had been her awakener moments ago and touched the quickly dispersing water. Grotesquely, a single wing laid on the floor, one of Apexus¡¯ blue eyes rolling past it. It looked dull and lifeless, as if the sentience behind it had never existed. ¡°Apexus¡­ darling¡­ awakener?¡± she asked while looking for any signs of life remaining.


    ¡°You got to be fucking kidding me¡­¡± Reysha growled as she saw the scene from her position further down. ¡°That¡¯s where it ends?! YOU COCKSUCKING PIECE O-!¡± she jumped at Gabrame but she was treated to the exact same treatment as last time, a shin slamming into the pit of her stomach and catapulting her even further down, right into the arms of the ready standing guard. It took three people to keep the thrashing tiger girl fixed on the floor. ¡°WHY?!¡±


    ¡°Money,¡± Gabrame answered quite easily and strolled past her. Reysha had a much longer, extensive tirade of curses for the Hunter, but he didn¡¯t listen. ¡°It¡¯s just a monster, calm down.¡±


    ¡°Monster¡­? Just A monster?¡± Reysha stated in a quiet tone, then began giggling. A giggle that quickly became a shrill laughter that made every last guard around here wish she would just continue struggling instead. They could deal with physical threats, but this unnatural display of amusement disturbed them deeply. It was like the redhead was scratching on their soul with her words. ¡°I see enough monsters still here.¡±


    Mehily looked at her former comrade from a distance, with more worry than she had ever felt. A feeling she couldn¡¯t dwell on for too long, as Gabrame passed all of them. ¡°The angel is still around,¡± the Hunter pointed out, pointing up the stem where Aclysia was still searching for life in the escaping water. ¡°I guess she¡¯ll be able to tell you enough of what you want to know. We all win.


    ¡°So, it seems,¡± Evmeria agreed and walked towards the metal fairy to take her into custody. That she was still around despite her quest being fulfilled and her awakener now defeated was its own mystery they needed to crack.


    Mehily wasn¡¯t quite as sure if this was a victory and she stood still, occupying herself with checking on Berholdth¡¯s healed face for the third time. Just an excuse to look after Gabrame, trying to figure out what he had even wanted out of all of this.


    Stuck to the fortress wall, between stone and the three-parted tip of the arrow that had killed the slime, she found the answer. The fist sized nucleus of the unique beast, a pearl the colour of midnight and unique in all records of the Omniverse. A trophy worth a lot of money to the right person.


    Gabrame gave it a greedy smile as he held it up to inspect its status. Specialized arrows, only shooting at perfect angles, he had gone through a lot of pain to make sure he got this thing without a scratch. It was good to see it all paid off.


    Without any further care, he threw it into his bag. It was time to get his payment and get drunk.

 Requiem – Prologue 1 – The monsters

    Aclysia was ordering the teeth on the table for what may have been the hundredth time. The pearly white pieces slid over the table, taking their place one by one in an imaginary, jawless, maw and around a single emerald feather. It was all she could do to keep her mind occupied. Ten teeth and a single feather, that was all she was able to save from Apexus¡¯ body. Everything else had fallen into the nothingness, was unfitting to be keepsake or too large to be taken with when the Inquisition had dragged her away.


    She barely remembered what had happened after her beloved awakener¡¯s death. A terrifying neutrality had taken hold of her, the kind of emotional shock that prevented further mental damage from occurring immediately. One that she had been stuck in for the short time since. When they had tried to take her away, she had struggled and broken free once, unwilling to move away. That was when she had hastily clamoured whatever parts of the slime weren¡¯t subject to biological degradation. Afterwards, the brute had dragged her away.


    The same brute that was now in the room with her.


    Berholdth, a name she had heard by chance, just like the other two. He was a giant man with dark hair and light brown eyes. A square jaw and broad shoulders completed the look of a person who was made to be a Warrior. With fists of that size and the right training, there would be very few problems violence couldn¡¯t solve. In a rugged way he looked good, but was not particularly handsome.


    Next to him, outside of her charred leather armour and into her blue robes, was Evmeria. The Inquisitor was a good-looking woman. With the fine black hair, cut relatively short, and her lanky build, she would have made for quite a noblewoman. Much like the stereotypical noblewoman, Evmeria also radiated a cold dismissiveness and even though her eyes were nothing but blind glass spheres, they seemingly radiated some sort of scorn.


    Last of the trio was Mehily. A person that only lived thanks to Aclysia¡¯s own intervention. The blonde had the face of a Priest aiming to be an adventurer. That was to say, it had hard shapes, a clearly defined nose, a reddish mouth, thick eyebrows. She wasn¡¯t gorgeous by any means, she was, however, attractive for those who liked their woman to look strong and capable.


    Capable enough to rip two loved ones apart, certainly.


    Mehily herself, although she stood there diligently, as duty commanded, was internally squirming as the angel of Hashahin stared at the three of them. Aclysia was a beautiful being, pale skin, a wonderfully symmetric head, from the facial features to the pointy ears and even the basis of hair. Her body would make countless men¡¯s head turn. ¡®Not just men,¡¯ as the Priest herself had to admit, unable to withhold pity for the metal fairy and her sheer endless stream of tears that dropped onto the lap of her halfway ruined dress.


    They had offered her whatever she wanted, food, drink, new clothes, but so far, the divine messenger had not broken her silence. She had just sat down on the table in this room and waited since. Always reserved for angels and their kind, it was a highly luxurious place, on the highest floor of the Church of the 33. Every bit of furniture was dominated by glass, finely cut into crystal shapes. What wasn¡¯t as clearly polished as the air itself was some sort of artistic relief. Even the floor was one continuously expanding painting of the circle of seasons, showing a tree from above in the numerous stages of holding leaves. Decay, death, rebirth, life, a never-ending cycle to the colours of brown, blue, green and red. In the middle of it all, a circle of perfect white, the branches and leaves clearly outlined with black lines.


    Aclysia turned back to rearranging the teeth, trying to find where they had been in Apexus face exactly. That she wasn¡¯t sure where which one belonged irked her to an illogical degree. If only she had paid even more attention to him, maybe she would know. Maybe this wouldn¡¯t have happened at all.


    ¡®If I hadn¡¯t held Reysha back then¡­¡¯ Aclysia thought but only felt her tears more clearly. That wasn¡¯t the solution to this problem. It wasn¡¯t their mercy that caused this situation. Quite the reverse was the true problem here.


    The door to the room opened with a quiet whisper as well-oiled angles swung inside. Aclysia looked to the side long enough to perceive the new arrival. A man of advanced age entered. Tanned skin, bushy black beard with grey streaks, a bit tall and definitely muscular. Most important was his robe.


    As all Priest robes it was white at the base, to pay veneration to the Progenitor god, and then added the colour of the gods he was further serving. Icy blue, dark green and a neutral red. If she had wanted to, Aclysia could have analysed which exact gods he was serving by the shades. As it stood, she could only barely see the golden embroidery on his shoulders, which gave him an incredibly important rank throughout all the multiverse.


    One that she honoured reflexively despite her current state of grief. ¡°Cardinal,¡± she said, respectfully lowering her head, even now her voice was as clear and wonderful as the ringing of a crystal chalice.


    ¡°Angel of Hashahin, Aclysia,¡± the man answered. ¡°My name is Remezan, for a divine such as you, that will be enough.¡±


    ¡°I have no claims to my divine birthright,¡± Aclysia retorted and went back to assorting the teeth around the feather.


    Slowly the Cardinal came closer, sitting down opposite of her as if he could shatter her existence if he moved too quickly. His tone was just as carefully prodding. ¡°And why would that be?¡±


    ¡°I forfeit it, to remain on this world, remain with him,¡± Aclysia responded.


    ¡°IT,¡± Evmeria violently interjected, her disdain for the slime in question and the metal fairy¡¯s decisions as clear as the driven snow in her voice.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± Remezan lashed back at her just as violently and the Inquisitor lowered her head. Not in shame, but in simple submission to a superior. When he addressed Aclysia again, the ever-crying angel acted as if the interjection had never happened. ¡°Could you elaborate on that? I have been wondering how you remain here, with your Quest fulfilled and your awakener dead.¡±


    ¡°What good would it do you to know?¡± Aclysia wondered.


    ¡°I need to understand a lot of things,¡± Remezan continued to calmly but firmly push her to answers. ¡°So, please, answer me. What harm does it do to you?¡±


    Indeed, there was no more harm to be done to her. Only truth to be spoken. ¡°Upon the completion of the quest, Apexus, my awakener, my darling, asked of me to wish for me to stay by his side. Happily, I obliged, bringing the quest to my father. Hashahin was not happy with this. He did not wish for me stay in servitude¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­to a monster, no surprise.¡±


    ¡°Evmeria!¡± Remezan growled and the earlier play repeated itself.


    ¡°¡­he wished me to, if I were to remain, do so as a free person, not as a tool to Apexus. Therefore, we came to decide that I could remain walking the leaves as a person as ordinary as I can be for as long as I love him,¡± Aclysia gently caressed the feather in front of her. ¡°A love that won¡¯t die soon.¡±


    ¡°You loved a monster?¡± Mehily could not help but ask.


    The metal fairy¡¯s head flew up, her green eyes reflecting with such terrible wrath that the Priest could not help and take a step backwards. Divine anger mixed with the irrational retribution of a sorrowful lover in Aclysia voice, ¡°Monster, monster, monster,¡± Aclysia felt something break inside her on that question, the dam that had kept reality from properly creeping in on her. ¡°You keep repeating that word like it¡¯s a mantra that justifies your actions. Whatever did my darling do that was so monstrous? How many people did he hurt? Unlike you, who would rather see him dead than captured, he spared your lives. Indeed, the only monsters I can observe as of this moment are you.¡± She looked back down, to the infinite, unsolvable puzzle of Apexus incomplete, unique jaw. ¡°Leave me alone, your presence itself disgusts me.¡±


    Remezan pressed his lips together, feeling that he won¡¯t get answers to the questions of Apotho right now. ¡°If you need anything, please, call for the servant in front of the door,¡± he stayed nice and rose. After he left, Evmeria followed, as did Berholdth and Mehily.


    The blonde priestess looked back to close the door. Wondering if, perhaps, it was indeed them who had acted the part of the monsters.

 Requiem – Prologue 2 – The sinners

    Water dripped from the cobblestone ceiling. One small bit after another, it fell into a puddle that formed inside the room an eternity ago, and had since transformed much of the ground into a slippery mess, covered with a layer of small algae. The puddle only grew on rainy days, when the ground water rose and prevented the constant dripping from seeping through the cracks.


    The only thing illuminating the cell were the two iron-barred windows. One in the upper corner of the cell, up the slippery wall and even if reached, too narrow for people to fit through. The second, in the heavy wooden, metal reinforced door. Through those openings, limited amounts of torch and sunlight entered the room. The only furniture was a slab of stone with rough sleeping equipment and a bucket in the corner.


    And inside this room, the worst cell they had for prisoners, Reysha was yawning. Her eyes closed for a moment as her mouth opened wide and lips pulled back. At the same time as her fangs were revealed, her scarlet red cat ears turned and went somewhat flat on her head, giving her a fierce, if bored, look. As her features relaxed again, she was reduced to just the bored part, staring at the person at the other side of the door. The slits of her pupils were wide, perfect to focus prey even at the low light level of the cell.


    ¡°I ask again, criminal,¡± the stern voice of the interrogator echoed, the steady scribbling from a protocol writer behind him. ¡°How was Trebouran involved in your fleeing operation?¡±


    ¡°We had a sympathetic guy with us who threatened his wife in order to force him to smuggle us out,¡± Reysha answered in a beyond bored tone. ¡°How many more times do you want to hear that?¡±


    ¡°Until you speak the actual truth.¡±


    The redhead¡¯s tone suddenly switched into a deliberately infuriating cuteness, ¡°But what if it is the truth, officer?¡±


    Of course, both she and him knew that it was utter horse manure. They also both knew that, unless he found some contradicting parts between her story and the one Trebby and his wife were telling, he had to work with what he got and let the smuggler run. The couple was unlikely to do anything that would rat the other out and they had years to decide on a story that was believable.


    Therefore, the interrogator was pushing on the weakest link. ¡°What did the guy look like?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know, he was always keeping himself covered and we only met in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Why did he help you?¡±


    ¡°Not a fucking clue.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what your helper looks like and why he helped you?¡±


    ¡°He had his own ass to cover, obviously successfully, given that you are too shit at your job to find him,¡± Reysha mocked openly, standing up from her seat on the bed. They had taken her armour from her, leaving her wearing clothes that either were made from or had the same quality as a potato sack. Same aesthetic as well.


    As she walked, uncaring about the cold squishiness of the slimy ground between her naked toes, she swayed her hips in a mockingly sexual matter. That her hands were bound behind her back didn¡¯t help.


    ¡°You can either believe me or stop bothering me with this shit,¡± Reysha growled quietly, once she was as face to face as the door allowed. ¡°Seriously, you can go ride whatever guardsmen¡¯s cock you want and leave me alone.¡±


    The interrogator was quiet for a few moments, then apparently decided to play his trump card. ¡°You¡¯re going to be executed.¡±


    This actually hit Reysha as somewhat of a shock. She had guessed a minimum level of detainment until Noir had faded and several years on top of that. After all, the sum total of her crimes was working with a smuggler and missing her loan payments. Everything else were things that society at large and the Church in particular didn¡¯t like, but technically nothing illegal.


    ¡°What for?¡± was the therefore justified question.


    ¡°Beats me,¡± the interrogator shrugged, his guardsman armour, a full plate thing, clinking along with the motion. ¡°The council decided and what they say is law around here. I don¡¯t care why they want you killed, just that I¡¯ll be able to lessen that sentence if you cooperate with me.¡±


    ¡°That so?¡± Reysha giggled and blinked fashionably a few times, lowering her head to show her cute side. ¡°You should have led with that,¡± she said with genuine sweetness. Taking a step back from the door, so the interrogator could see her in her entirety, she added, ¡°I¡¯ll be open to give you whatever you want, in that case.¡±


    She didn¡¯t leave any doubt over her intentions when she turned around and pulled down her sorry excuse for pants as best as her bound hands could. Which barely revealed a bit of her naked ass, but even that invitation of brown, round flesh was enough to water the appetite of any grown man.


    ¡°Ah,¡± she moaned and suddenly snapped back. ¡°We Regressians go into heat sometimes, you know¡­ I really need it right now¡­ can barely think¡­ it makes me all mooooody.¡±


    ¡°Crazy bitch¡­¡± the interrogator mumbled, under the misconception that she couldn¡¯t hear him if he spoke quietly. With less blood in his brain than in his lower half, he looked around once, to make sure none of his colleagues were around, then grabbed his keychain. The scribe that was with him sighed in a way that made clear this wasn¡¯t the first time something like this happened.


    ¡°If she¡¯s one of the really horny ones, call me when you¡¯re done,¡± the second man said as he turned to leave.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t take sloppy seconds,¡± the interrogator bantered. They had been together in this business for so long, this was just the usual job talk to them. From the official dirty things they had to do to the unofficial dirty things they did to make this job worth their time.


    ¡°Usually not, but I was there when they took her clothes. I don¡¯t mind with her,¡± the scribe was heading for the stairs. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll have a quick beer. Later.¡±


    ¡°Later,¡± the interrogator waved off and pushed the key in. The heavy lock echoed when the iron in the mechanism snapped back. ¡°No tricks!¡± he warned Reysha.


    Horny or not, the interrogator wasn¡¯t stupid enough to think this was guaranteed to go without incident just because the captive had her hands bound. As the overseer of the worst part of prison, he had to deal with a lot of scum over the years. A lot of which, like her, had offered some niceties in exchange for better treatment. If she was going to do anything stupid, the guard would just pull forward the execution date, so to speak.


    Reysha seemed very perceptive and honest, however, her face flushing, biting her lips, eyes darting towards the groin piece of the armour. None of the usual telling signs that some irrational mass murdered was about to jump on him. In his plate armour, he would have just laughed at the punches anyhow.


    Instead, she backed away, to the bed, where she laid limply and waited for him to come closer. Still a hand on the hilt of his sword, the interrogator followed. If she really was in heat, he wouldn¡¯t even have to try and make her enjoy this. At least if the rumours about catgirls in general were true.


    He took one more step towards her, begun bowing down to tug that sack off her curves and see that attractive body in all its glory. Suddenly all of that enticing sweetness dropped from her like ripped off bandage. Reysha¡¯s eyes went wide, her body curled up, only to deliver a forceful kick to the interrogator¡¯s legs, close to the ankles.


    It didn¡¯t hurt him in the slightest, the metal plating doing its job. However, what that sudden impact did do was throw him of balance. Torso bent forward, feet sliding over the slippery floor, he was dropping down. His forehead slammed against the edge of the stone slab that served as the bed.


    For a moment everything when black in front of his eyes. Sounds became dull, but he could clearly make out a prolonged cackling as the tiger girl showed her true colours again. ¡°By the roots, you¡¯re a fucking idiot,¡± she called him out. ¡°Who actually believes Regressians go into heat?¡±


    The interrogator had no time to agree with his own foolishness. In his ten years in this post, none of the prisoners had showed this level of methodical vileness. Right now, he had to spend more energy on trying to grab his weapon though.


    Something that Reysha let happen, just watching as the dazed guard unsheathed his sword. Even with that weapon in hand, she didn¡¯t feel threatened by him. The impact still left him without proper orientation and she had no intention of letting him get back on his feet properly. The tiger girl launched a simple tackle that threw the half-raised man back off centre. This time he landed on his back and Reysha lost no time seizing the opportunity.


    Leaping on top of him, her fangs sunk into his throat. ¡®Should have worn a helmet, you ass,¡¯ she mocked him mentally, no time to form actual words as her teeth viciously tore into him. Not just once, that wouldn¡¯t have done it. Trained humanoids, men especially, had a lot of muscles that prevented bites like this from being necessarily lethal. To make sure she got the job done, she needed to maul at him over and over again, tearing out piece by piece and separating tendons and nerves.


    Human blood tasted as foul to her as any other food. She had expected the iron, salty taste, but instead felt nausea and disgust as a flavour like five week old rotting compost filled her mouth. Just a tinge of what may have been the original fruit, before the composting, a hint of delicious sweetness, laid under all of that.


    A deeply bothersome crunch came along with the tearing of the voicebox. The interrogator gargled and twitched, trying to raise his sword arm to stab her in the side, if only as a final act of vengeance, but Reysha had it fixed under a knee.


    Eventually, she felt the twitching under her stopping. With a disgusted, ¡°Bluargh,¡± she spat out the mouthful of human flesh. She had the desperate wish to clean her tongue. Well, her everything, tearing someone¡¯s throat out was a pretty bloody business. ¡®What now?¡¯ she asked herself.


    She hadn¡¯t even done this to escape. She had just really wanted to murder someone involved with Apexus¡¯ death. Only now that he was gone, did she realize that she had perhaps felt more for the slime than a simple friendship. She hesitated to call it love, at the very least it wasn¡¯t anything close to the feelings of Aclysia, but for sure did she want to stab every last fucker that had done this to her.


    However, she was way too weak for that right now.


    ¡®Well, first step is getting out of here,¡¯ she told herself and looked to the drawn sword. The question was if she could use that edge to cut open her bonds before the scribe, or anybody else, came down here.

 Requiem – Prologue 3 – The greedy

    ¡°It looks so nice,¡± Lubrin hummed, turning the black pearl-like object in his hands. He wasn¡¯t even touching it directly, not wanting to stain his newest acquisition in any way. Instead, a pure white cleaning cloth laid between his hands and the shining smooth core of the odd slime creature. ¡°You always deliver, Gabrame.¡±


    Sitting on a nearby couch, finally somewhere comfortable after the weeks of actual work he had to do to get that thing, the sharpshooter tipped his hat in a lazy, moderately tired way. ¡°And you always pay me,¡± he pointed out, waiting for the massive bag of gold on the heavily decorated table to switch owners.


    Lubrin was perhaps the richest person in Heralry. That was a ¡®perhaps¡¯ that only applied to raw money in his possession. If one were to combine holdings, owned structures and social capital with that, Lubrin was without a doubt the richest person in Heralry.


    Himself an accomplished merchant, he was also the head of the local Trader¡¯s Guild branch. Every piece of import or export had to go through his administration, unless they wanted to be banned from the large market square and try to sell their things somewhere else. As such, Lubrin could enrich himself not only through the advantages he gave his own company, but through bribes from all his fellow traders as well.


    That money seldomly rested with the merchant himself. Instead, it was invested into houses, shops, loans and other such things that would return some interest over time. There was one thing, however, in which Lubrin didn¡¯t quite think like a merchant.


    And that was his own house.


    It was packed to the brim, which was an accomplishment in its own given its size, with luxurious items. Pottery from distant leaves, cured, tropical wood of dark and light colours, little plants that looked like fully grown trees, spices in glass jars, themselves works of artistic mastery.


    Those things were scattered all throughout the mansion, for everyone to see and marvel at. They were works of great value, sometimes worth more than adventurers would be able to earn in an entire year, but showed off only one thing: that he had money. Anyone with the necessary sums could get those things.


    The unique stuff, he kept elsewhere.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the vault, then,¡± Lubrin announced, wrapping up the fist-sized core in the now slightly damp cloth. ¡°You will get your money once this rests in its rightful place.¡±


    With an unsatisfied groan, Gabrame rose from the couch and they both walked away. Thankfully, the way wasn¡¯t too far. The mansion laid at one of the most secure locations of the city, directly adjacent to the barracks of the city guard.


    The location of the vault was just another example of Lubrin¡¯s wide-reaching influence, being in those very same barracks. ¡°Your hobby is really odd,¡± Gabrame commented when they reached the massive stone wall that surrounded the arrangement of structures. All forged from grey stone and metal, they had a menacing feel to them.


    Aside from the sleeping grounds of the guards, many of which were sleeping there outside of their prolonged shifts, the training grounds and the prison, the city guard also had a number of empty buildings that could be used for numerous purposes if needed.


    As unlikely as it was, Ctania could always come under siege by an expanding empire or something like that. Best to have the extra space. Right now, a good portion of that space was being rented by Lubrin. An entire warehouse, including its own shift of guards, was being paid for by the Trader Guildmaster.


    They entered without much of a problem, the guards on shift asking quickly to see proof that Lubrin was himself. The merchant was paranoid enough that he even thought about potential shapeshifters stealing from him. Granted, if an Infiltrator of a high enough level were to come to Ctania, this warehouse was the only worthwhile target.


    After Lubrin showed an intricate card made from multiple metals, all welded together to show the face of a trickster, and answered a series of security questions, they were guided to a massive door. All three locks were opened, each of the two guards and Lubrin himself having a key, and only then were they finally inside.


    ¡°I mean, you have all of this stuff and you show it to nobody,¡± the sharpshooter said and gestured at the immense treasure trove before him. Trophies upon trophies, gathered from countless worlds and originating from countless different things were arranged here, each on its own pedestal, on display, with glass cases separating them from the surrounding world.


    There was the tooth of a dragon, as long as Gabrame¡¯s arm. The preserved claw of a Tharnatos-class demon, three fingers and two thumbs on opposing sides, all ending in razor-sharp claws. A scale from a Creeper Titan. A half-rusted sword with a ruby in-laid into the handle, radiating a constant red light. Most importantly for Gabrame, there was a jar full of the eyes of a Living Graveyard. Pitch Black, with a single white dot for the pupil, the creature he had slain so long ago still seemed to stare.


    Gabrame just yawned, the only thing it reminded him of was how he first got into contact in the first place.


    ¡°Seeing my trophies is an honour I do grant some people,¡± Lubrin waved at the sharpshooter, indicating what a great favour he did him by even letting him come along. ¡°That aside, just possessing things that nobody else has is¡­ just the greatest.¡±


    ¡°The gods don¡¯t like the greedy,¡± Gabrame grinned as he cited a pretty common wisdom. ¡°At least you aren¡¯t cruel as well.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s what I pay you for,¡± Lubrin answered with a laugh, carefully unwrapping the slime core. ¡°Not even a single scratch on it¡­ really nice work.¡±


    Gabrame was a bit surprised by that. Even though he had landed a perfect shot, the force should have etched at least the three thorns of the arrow into the sphere. However, he wasn¡¯t about to mention that. Certainly, he was just that good. ¡°Maybe I should get a bonus,¡± he suggested.


    ¡°Yes, maybe you should¡­ what is that?¡± loud bells suddenly rung from outside the warehouse, along with shouts that escalated bit by bit. Something about an escaped prisoner. ¡°¡­Maybe I should reconsider my security,¡± Lubrin mumbled, then looked at the Hunter. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to check it out?¡±


    ¡°Why, are you going to pay me for it?¡± Gabrame shrugged it off, mentally in the next tavern already. ¡°Not my damn problem what the guards fuck up.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Lubrin searched for an empty pedestal and soon found one at a distant wall. ¡°This one is truly unique, nobody has ever heard of a creature like this,¡± the merchant was tremendously excited about this. In one of the few acts the rich man still did himself, he carefully dusted off the pedestal, choose a light blue pillow, harmonizing with the almost black, midnight blue of the core, and put it down.


    Only when the corners aligned perfectly with the square base of the pedestal, did the merchant put the sphere into the depression in the middle of the pillow. The fitting glass case had been left nearby and Lubrin grabbed it with gleeful anticipation. Then let out a shocked gasped. ¡°It¡¯s cracked!¡±


    Just because he didn¡¯t have anything else to look at, Gabrame checked on that statement. Indeed, the case had a large scar running through one of its sides, with a miniscule opening where some shards had fallen off. ¡°Just get a replacement.¡±


    ¡°I have none of this size ready!¡± Lubrin grumbled. ¡°I will need to get one done. Bah, my day is ruined!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care. Can I have my money now?¡± Gabrame asked, wanting to finally get away from the merchant. All he cared about was the money the guy had, their relationship didn¡¯t extend beyond that. Rich people had all these oddities to them that the Hunter disliked.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± Lubrin rummaged within his expensive clothes and pulled out the massive sack of coins. ¡°250 gold coins, as agreed,¡± he said and then, after a moment of thinking, grabbed a much smaller sack and pulled a single, silver-white coin, which he showed for a moment and then put into the gold purse. ¡°And one platin, for the perfect condition.¡± Then he threw the entire thing at Gabrame.


    The Hunter caught it and didn¡¯t even bother looking inside. Lubrin had never undercut him before, so there was no reason to assume he would start now. ¡°Pleasure having done business with you,¡± Gabrame said.


    ¡°You say that like it¡¯s going to be the last time,¡± the merchant noted.


    ¡°It might be,¡± Gabrame shrugged. ¡°All this running around got my old bones going. That aside, I don¡¯t want to be on the same leaf as a Cardinal who I potentially pissed off, so I¡¯m leaving for at least a few years. Maybe get some youth back, make some more bastards elsewhere, who knows.¡±


    ¡°Ah, how sad¡­ I will miss your reliability,¡± Lubrin stated.


    And that was really all he would miss.

 Requiem 1

    Two knocks on a wooden table. ¡°I call,¡± said Filch, grinning at his hand of cards. His victory was basically guaranteed. Opposite of him his fellow guard on the shift, Delgue, made a disgruntled face.


    ¡°Bloody hell, dude, if this continues, I am going to be eating at the cantina exclusively for the next month,¡± he announced as he threw his cards on the table. The losing hand landed right between a wooden mug of water and his helmet. Aside from that and his gauntlets, Delgue was wearing the complete steel plate of the city guard. The armour clunked as he moved to take an annoyed sip.


    ¡°Just be happy that you get free food in the first place,¡± Filch suggested with a giant grin, gathering the cards back up to shuffle and start another round. They were being hyperbolic anyway, they only played for a few copper each round. It was the only entertainment they could get while guarding the vault of Lubrin.


    ¡°You say that like people are starving in the street,¡± Delgue grumbled, running a hand through his short black hair. A look that Filch shared, including which armour pieces he had removed, although his own hair was brown. They also shared blue eyes. ¡°This is a summer leaf,¡± he continued, ¡°we have cattle and grain abundant.¡±


    ¡°Really makes you wonder how people on winter leaves get around,¡± Filch mumbled as he dealt the cards for both of them. He picked his own cards up and laughed loudly, almost knocking his mug of the table in the process. Managing to catch it at the edge of the table, where it remained for the rest of his giggle-fit, he answered Delgue¡¯s questioning gaze by showing his hand.


    It was a Royal Flush. The round was over at the very first draft. ¡°Fuck me sideways,¡± Filch grumbled, shoving another copper over the table. ¡°Soon, this extreme luck streak you have right now is going to run out and then you¡¯ll be sorry for using it all up on stupid card games!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I should probably go to the pub. The first girl I meet is practically going to beg to marry me,¡± Filch mused, turning his head to properly look at the mug while moving it back into a comfortable reach. Without thinking a lot about it, he took a large gulp, emptying the remainder of the mug. ¡°Sadly, I can¡¯t get away from here, so I am stuck with your superstitious, paranoid as-¡± he was interrupted by his own coughing, a scratching in the back of his throat causing him to almost spit the water out again.


    ¡°Look at you, you can¡¯t even drink correctly,¡± Delgue mocked, ¡°what girl would want you?¡± He was shown the middle finger in return, a gesture that perfectly conveyed the intent even without words. While Filch continued to get his coughing back under control, Delgue first shuffled the deck and then went to get both of them a new filling of water from the pump outside.


    By the time he came back, Filch was down to the occasional clearing of his throat. ¡°Water went the wrong way, I guess,¡± he grumbled.


    ¡°Happens to the best of us, buddy,¡± Delgue pat him on the back after placing the refilled mug in front of him. ¡°Although you are definitely not in that group.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a massive dick,¡± Filch pointed out.


    ¡°And you have won the last 25 rounds,¡± Delgue retorted. ¡°I am allowed to be quite annoyed! Just be happy I am not letting you run yourself. Now, do you want to sweat to death in this blissful endless summer or continue playing games?¡±


    ¡°You just ask that because you think that was the sign for my luck running out,¡± the brown-haired guardsman responded. ¡°Just see, the moment the shift ends, I¡¯ll get called by the superior and be promoted to interrogator!¡±


    ¡°Dude, would you really call being promoted to that luck?¡± asked Delgue while sorting his pretty mediocre hand by numbers.


    ¡°Pay is better, plus you don¡¯t have to run circles and deal with drunk adventurers every second day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you get to hang out in the damp dungeons instead only to eventually get murdered by some crazy catgirl,¡± the luckless man continued and wished for a moment that he could justify drinking something as strong as whiskey on his shift. However, if anything happened to the vault under their watch, the owner would make sure they never worked a day on this leaf again. As a guardsman or anything else.


    ¡°I guess¡­ bad thing that,¡± Filch mumbled, remembering the absolute chaos of that day. By the time the break-out had been discovered, they had already lost two more guardsmen to that Rogue. The guards around here were trained and used to dealing with beginner adventurers, particularly of the rowdy variety.


    This girl, Reysha or whatever her name had been, had stolen a fair bit of equipment from their armoury before disappearing completely. Any attempts to find her for the past week had been completely in vain. By now, they had put a bounty on her head and let the more experienced and stronger members of the guard and adventurers take a crack at it. The order was dead or alive, no wonder after she murdered three people.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Delgue agreed grimly. ¡°Bloody idiot as well. Went into her cell.¡±


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡± Filch asked, that was the first time he heard of that. His colleague gave him a long stare and it clicked after a few moments. ¡°Oh¡­ oooooh¡­ I guess that job is even more boring than ours, huh?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± shrugging the two of them continued to play cards. Eventually, Filch coughed again. ¡°Man, that is really sticking to you, huh?¡±


    The formerly lucky guard rubbed his throat. ¡°Yeah, feels like I am coming down with a cold or something. Guess I am heading to bed early today.¡±


    ¡°Not testing your luck in the pub after all?¡± Delgue teased in the tone of a friend.


    ¡°What luck?¡± Filch grumbled, assorting his absolutely terrible hand.


    Luckily for both of them, their shift ended relatively soon thereafter. As the sun set towards the horizon, two other guards came along and took over. While mugs, helmets and gauntlets were all taken with their owners, the cards remained on the table. Nobody even knew who had brought them there in the first place, probably a guard that had been promoted out of shift duty by now, but as they were the only past time they all had, they hadn¡¯t left that table in years.


    The two of them walked over the cobblestone plaza and towards the barracks. Inside, they separated, going for their individual rooms. They weren¡¯t much, just a bed, a table, a chest and an armour stand. It was good enough though, rent free and the stone walls were relatively thick. Not that it mattered, having people over was forbidden. These rooms were only for sleeping, writing and armour polishing. If a guard wanted to see a loved one, they had to go visit them, not the other way around. Officially, at least.


    Filch coughed again. ¡®I really did get a cold or something,¡¯ he thought, feeling that characteristic little pressure at the back of his throat, likely a lump of mucus that was stuck. At least his nose wasn¡¯t running. Yet, anyway.


    As it was the end of the month, he would usually prepare a couple of letters now. He was a guard mostly for the pay, which he parted into three equal parts, keeping one to have fun and sending the other two away, one to the bank so he could save up for retirement, the other to his family at the outskirts of Heralry. They were just farmers, so they could use the extra money to make up for the workforce their oldest son could no longer provide.


    However, the heat was getting to him and this lump was giving him slight troubles breathing, so he should be keeping those letters for tomorrow. It wasn¡¯t an urgent matter anyway. As such, he took off his armour and laid down.

 Requiem 2

    Reysha finally managed to break out of the city¡¯s sewers. After her successful breakout, she had made the mistake of sleeping in one of the many smuggler¡¯s corners she knew about. This had given the city guard the time to formulate a response to her. After the ease with which she had been able to escape the prison, she had honestly underestimated them.


    Once the higher ups took over and put some more intense resources on the case, however, she found all of the gates, publicly known or smuggler preferred, guarded in some capacity. While the tiger girl liked her tactics with a dash of recklessness, she preferred to still be able to win. Just not as clean, quickly and unadventurous as more rigid people wanted engagements to go.


    While she was pretty confident that she could take out most if not all adventurers that still saw this leaf as a challenge, the instructors were a different matter entirely, as were the higher ups in the guard. Luckily for Reysha, they were few in numbers, so they couldn¡¯t both guard all the exits and search the quite vast system of tunnels.


    For an entire week, she had been dodging the few scout parties that existed and subsiding off rats and whatever little clean water she could find. Another lucky break for her was that her condition was something the enemy was barely informed about. If they had taken the time to read up on it, they would have found out that Reysha would eventually turn into a pretty apathetic character that would basically not care about being spotted.


    Instead, after a week of not finding her, the people trying to find her, instructors and promoted guardsmen that had many more interesting, safer and better paying things to do, the first of them just decided that this wasn¡¯t worth their time. Just a few, many more were committed to finding the murderer, but enough that Reysha found a gap in the security and went for it.


    And just like that, she escaped into the wilderness.


    ¡®What now though?¡¯ she asked herself as she hid inside that cave in a cliffside that, months ago now, Apexus and Aclysia had inhabited before they all went to the Birchia dungeon. It seemed like a good hideout and, more importantly, it had a natural source of water. Cold or not, she could at least drink it and then scrub the filth off her while she was thinking.


    Noir was still laying low. Surprisingly so, since it had been about two weeks now since her last dining on monster flesh. At least some dulling of the senses should have occurred by now. While she had episodes where she felt a bit of  grey creeping in, generally she was doing fine. For all she knew, that was because Noir continued to evolve her.


    ¡®I obviously won¡¯t be able to leave for a few months at least,¡¯ she thought, realizing full well that the city would keep extremely close eyes on the Stem. She would maybe be able to infiltrate the city again, but that was a big maybe with how easily she was distinguishable from other people. Doubly so now that she didn¡¯t have her robe.


    Indeed, she had none of her former equipment. Against all reason, she had hoped to maybe find it in the armoury, but all she had found there were standard guard equipment. Not that that was too big of a detriment. She had stolen a complete plate armour, used it to disguise herself, making it much easier to leave the city guard¡¯s building complex, and then ditched all of the heavy metal bits in some alleyway.


    That the guard was equipped with serialized armour that was supposed to make all of them look like equal, shining enforcers of the law once the heavy visor was down, was pretty useful in situations like that. Even without the armour, the brown leather undergarment was pretty good protection, if basic and not as stretchy as she preferred.


    Same went for the weapons, the short sword she had gotten was longer than the daggers she usually used, and certainly heavier than the stiletto she had used for so long, but it was of stellar quality. She had gotten off with only one of those and a knife that was more for cutting ropes then people. There had also been spears and shields, but Reysha was largely unused to those. She still would have taken some, if she had an adventurer¡¯s bag with her.


    ¡®With Noir, I basically have to get to a dungeon,¡¯ the tiger girl thought when she had rinsed herself off and got dressed again. Her cat ears turned constantly, scanning for the tiniest noise of human feet. She still was rather close to the city, so caution was key to her survival. Nothing unusual reached her, however.


    By the end of the day, she would hopefully be so far away that nobody save the Inquisition or the Sharpshooter, should the Hunter¡¯s Mark be on her, be able to find her. ¡°If the trio zealot, dumb and dumber tries to find me, I¡¯ll stab them all,¡± she giggled to herself in a grim manner, a giggle that vanished pretty quickly, as Reysha tightened her belt.


    Done putting on her new garb, she stood there, uncharacteristically quiet and with a completely neutral expression. Then, with a sudden shriek, she ripped the short sword out of its sheath and began banging it against the wall of the cave. Again and again, metal clashed against rock, singular sparks flying off, vanishing as quickly as they appeared.


    ¡°WHY DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP RUINING MY LIFE?!¡± the redhead screamed, imagining Mehily¡¯s face against that grey surface. Her ears were turned backwards, laying flat against her head. Every hair on her tail was standing on end, the relatively short limb itself curved in a question mark like shape. ¡°YOU ABSOLUTE CUNT!¡±


    Reysha stopped as suddenly as she had started, looking briefly at the sword in her hand, now bent out of shape. Without a second thought, she threw it into the pond she had bathed in and the sheath soon followed. More out of reflex than anything, she moved a hand up to her face and wiped a way a drop that was running down her cheeks. That it was a tear didn¡¯t cross her mind until she realized that she had her claws out, accidentally cutting herself over the cheekbone.


    ¡°Piece of shit,¡± she growled, sniffing. She didn¡¯t even remember the last time she cried. Then she began laughing again, loud and at an unnervingly shrill tone that made some birds outside the cave decide that there were better trees around. ¡®I¡¯m gonna murder her,¡¯ Reysha decided, climbing out of the cave and going into the forest. Running at full speed, she only cared about one thing.


    Not the surroundings, not the trees or stones in her way. Not the up and down of the surroundings or the ever more dense-growing forest. Not even the Forester Dragon that stomped with its massive body close to her, ripping out entire trees with its massive maw.


    She needed power. The power to kill every last member of the Inquisition. Then the power to kill Gabrame. To free Aclysia and get off this deep-root damned ¡®Safe Leaf¡¯. ¡®I don¡¯t fucking care how I get,¡¯ the already somewhat insane and grief-driven Rogue thought. ¡®Years of grinding inside that fucking dungeon, a cursed weapon, a pact with some dark power, I¡¯ll take whatever the fuck I must to get my revenge.¡¯


    And just as she had finished that thought, a house suddenly appeared in front of her.

 Requiem 3

    The charming little house stood in the middle of a well-kept opening in the forest. The green grass was short, although it didn¡¯t look like it got cut but rather just stayed at a certain length out of respect for the owner. Via paths of flat stones, the house was connected to a pond of fresh water and several rows of fertile, brown earth on which herbs grew.


    Herbs that an old man in brown robes was currently watering. Watering way too much, as he had turned towards the flash and was looking at Reysha with open-mouthed surprise, holding the can at a slanted angle and continuously causing water to sprinkle out of the metal neck.


    Reysha¡¯s first response wasn¡¯t to snap back, as it should have and likely would have been under other circumstances. Instead, she slowly stepped closer to the fence. ¡°You¡­ you can help me!¡± she stated. There was no other reason why she would have been brought here. She still remembered what this man had said about the conditions to find this place. That someone needed to desire something he could provide.


    What his malicious alter-ego had said, as became apparent rather quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± he shouted, dropping the watering can and stumbling backwards. Gizmo wasn¡¯t afraid of her, they both were very much aware of that. ¡°Don¡¯t give him any chances!¡±


    Reysha listened, instincts and reason both screaming at her, stopping two steps away from that metal fence that surrounded the house. It was a nasty looking thing. Raw metal, blank and unrusting, covered in runes, with thorn-like protrusions that pointed inwards. The intent behind it was quite clearly to keep things in rather than out.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± she raised her hands, indicating that she had no intention to take one more step. The man still bore the signs of the recent rejuvenation. His blue eyes shimmered with guilt as he gathered himself, his spotty skin wrinkly and his movements slow. If it hadn¡¯t been for Hemle, he may have died of old age now. Although that was a difficult prophesy to make, as Apotho would always cling to life, far beyond the reasonable expectations of a body.


    ¡°I do remember you¡­ you were with Apexus when¡­ it happened,¡± Gizmo stated and sat down on a log of wood. The depression on the top was smooth and looked like it was made for someone with an ellipsis shaped behind, rather than a normal human. Nevertheless, it was the only seating the old man had. Grabbing a cane that was more decoration than actually needed, he asked, ¡°How is he?¡±


    Reysha clenched her jaws. ¡°Dead,¡± she told him outright and then told the entire story.


    By the end, Gizmo¡¯s head was resting against the folded hands over the grip of his cane. ¡°And yet again, the world devours a good being that did nothing and leaves me behind,¡± he whispered, barely loud enough for Reysha to hear. ¡°I hoped he would return, you know? One day come back here, so that I may teach him what else he needs to know and then¡­ kill me.¡±


    Letting out a mocking laugh, Reysha only stopped when Gizmo raised his eyes and looked at her directly, confused wrinkles on his forehead. ¡°You¡¯re being for serious?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°How the fuck would he have done that? You could just suck the life right out of him.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s just it,¡± Gizmo responded, shaking his head. ¡°Apotho¡­ I couldn¡¯t do that. If I could, he would have done so at some point during his stay here. His alien nature made Apexus one of the beings that the life leech could not affect. Different lifeforms have different life forces that need to be extracted differently. Humanoids are not the easiest, but the most common, which is why Apotho is so good at it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fantastic, you and your mage Classes have brilliant problems,¡± Reysha hissed, reminded of what she actually wanted. ¡°Not that I care. You¡¯ll help me take revenge.¡±


    Gizmo tensed for a few moments, shifting in his seat and then lowering his head again, so that she couldn¡¯t see his eyes. ¡°Why would I do that, girl?¡± he asked in a dismissive fashion. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t bring back the one who is meant to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Because the fucking Church has Aclysia and you still care about her, right?!¡± Reysha growled, remembering how the metal fairy had been dragged away under constant sobs and mindless protests. ¡°Apexus would want her free, so you¡¯ll help for his sake, you old wrinkly sack of shit.¡±


    There were moments of silence, Gizmo shifting in his seat some more. The knuckles went white as gripped his cane harder. ¡°Yes,¡± he responded angrily, adding after a few moments, ¡°¡­Apexus will be avenged. I can help you with that.¡± Very slowly, he raised his head again, blue eyes staring with the helplessness of a sealed man, hands now hiding his mouth. ¡°Listen carefully, Ragressian, in the depths of the underground, carved into the stone under the Church of the Thirty-Three, north of Haralry, they have sealed an item of great power. It may seem inconspicuous, like a large, twenty-sided die, but you will find it hard to miss once you find the correct room. Once you remove it from the contraption its part of, you will have your revenge.¡±


    Reysha listened carefully, for anything she knew that might be a lie, but she found nothing. The eyes remained blue throughout all of it, for all she knew that meant Gizmo was in control. Even if he wasn¡¯t, she didn¡¯t care anymore. She was already determined to do whatever allowed her to get her revenge and she was just in the right mood to take a shortcut and fuck the Church in the process.


    ¡°So, I just have to sneak into one of the most secure places in the leaf and steal some dumbass artefact thing,¡± she summarized, looking at the fence. Her gut told her that this could easily end quite poorly. It didn¡¯t take a genius to know that he could lie to her. It wouldn¡¯t have been the first time.


    However, she was drowning in the current state of the world. The adventurers in Haralry were monsters, the Church was filled with snakes and the people of this leaf would only ever think that another freak abomination had been killed, rather than the sapient creature the slime had been.


    None of them had ever cared about her happiness, her safety, why should she now return the favour? Even if it consumed her, that was a price she was willing to pay as long as she took everyone else with her.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it,¡± she stated and even though the man didn¡¯t move, Reysha thought she could see a smile behind his folded hands. ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me more about the layout.¡±

 Requiem 4

    ¡°Dude, get up!¡± Delgue shouted, hammering against the door. ¡°Did you actually get a cold? You know that that¡¯s a real achievement when you live on an eternal summer paradise, right?¡± He stopped for a moment in his constant knocking. To rest his hand, as it wasn¡¯t the most pleasant motion to make with a metal gauntlet on, and to give him the opportunity to answer. There was none, so he took the handle and began shaking it when he found the door locked. Just to make some noise. ¡°Seriously, man, we have to guard the west district today, that¡¯s safe enough that you can do it even with a cold! Don¡¯t let me do that entire walk on my own, it¡¯s super boring!¡±


    There was a noise behind the door, a loud rustling. Delgue recognized that noise quite easily, it was one every guardsman encountered on some days. An armour stand toppling over. Now he was actually trying to open the door out of worry.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked out of genuine concern. ¡°Hello, are you there or do I need to break open this door and drag you to the healers?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes,¡± a surprisingly deep voice answered from the other voice. It was hard to make out through the door, but a proper cold could distort people¡¯s voices quite a bit, so Delgue wasn¡¯t too weirded out by this.


    Relieved, he answered as a joke, ¡°Yes you¡¯re there or yes you need me to break in?¡±


    ¡°Former,¡± the quick answer came from the other side, accompanied by the scraping sounds of armour being dragged over the floor.


    From experience, most of it hungover (which was a fairly similar state to a bad cold), Delgue knew how long it would take to get the armour assembled again. ¡°Dude, you can just let me in, I¡¯ll help you,¡± he offered. ¡°If the cap¡¯ asks, we both overslept.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but not needed,¡± the voice from the other side responded. After just a few more seconds, the door suddenly opened and the guardsman stepped out, wearing his full armour. The blue eyes were barely visible behind the gap in the visor. ¡°I¡­ re- I AM ready for guarding¡­ friend.¡±


    ¡°¡­Did the cold get to you really badly or something?¡± Delgue asked, looking at his comrade up and down. The armour fit perfectly. Filch was a tall, if somewhat lanky dude and, although the armour was serialized, it was fit to every guardsman that had more than two years of service. Still, for how quickly he must have put it on, it sat almost a bit too well. ¡°You sound kinda guilty.¡±


    His opposite had nothing to say to that, only hanging his head in shame. The situation remained like this for a few, awkward moments, while Delgue waited for his friend to banter back.


    In the end, he just laughed it off. ¡°Wow, don¡¯t let this get to you that much,¡± the luckless guard stated and punched his comrade¡¯s shoulder in a friendly fashion. It felt a bit weird, as if he wasn¡¯t entirely solid under that armour. ¡®Better be very careful with him today,¡¯ Delgue thought, ¡®that must be a serious sickness.¡¯ ¡°Okay, seriously, we¡¯re getting you to the healers,¡± he said with a supportive smile, extending his hand in a helpful fashion.


    Hesitatingly, the fully armoured male took it. They walked together, very slowly. It felt as if every single step needed to be taken consciously, with limbs not designed for the task. ¡°Thank you,¡± he told Delgue, his voice still sorrow-struck.


    ¡°Bloody hell, dude, calm down,¡± Delgue pat him on the back with another laugh, equally concerned and meant to calm them both, ¡°you¡¯re so sick you almost sound like a different person.¡±


    The guard stopped mid-step for a moment. A moment during which the light from a nearby window fell perfectly into the eye slit of the armour, illuminating the blue eyes. Although the armoured male continued moving, Delgue did not. He had just clearly seen it. A slit pupil widening from the sudden increase of light.


    ¡®I must be¡­ no, that can¡¯t be,¡¯ the luckless guard thought and scolded himself. He had to also be affected with something. Nevertheless, his mother had always said something that had guided him well in his career as a guardsman. Trust but verify. ¡®Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, buddy,¡¯ Delgue thought and suddenly moved in.


    Although the armoured male tried to sway away from the assault on his helmet, it was already too late. The luckless guard had his finger under the edge of helmet and pulled up. His heart stopped, sunk like a heavy stone, when he saw the first bits of skin.


    The helmet came off completely and Delgue let out a mixture of sounds. A panicked scream, a call for help and the gargling someone about to throw up all combined at the sight of the head under the helmet. Both of them were frozen, although for different reasons.


    Dark blue slime surrounded a human skull like a layer of translucent skin. Sunlight reflected on its smooth surface, only interrupted by a pair of half-formed fox-ears and two sorry-looking cat eyes. There was no nose or human ears whatsoever and the mouth was nothing but a lipless, slit that parted slightly, along with the overly sharp teeth that didn¡¯t seem properly attached to the jaw whatsoever. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Apexus said one more time. ¡°Certain he was a good person¡­¡±


    ¡°MONSTER!¡± Delgue finally managed to scream, hastily grabbing his sword. The slime simply fell over, dodging the angry and panicked strike. The sound of rattling armour and more shouts from the luckless guard causing everyone else in the barracks to be alerted.


    People stuck their heads out or simply stormed to help, many frozen the moment they came onto the scene. Delgue whirled around, trying to find his footing, only to witness the creature peeling out of the plate armour like an insect out of its old hide. Human bones, dislodged to allow Apexus to crawl out through the relatively small neck opening, flowed out along with the slime. With the first ribs, folded over one another, came the emerald wings.


    The feather seemed to explode in volume, once they were no longer cramped into the armour, and grew even bigger with each passing moment. Delgue saw in those wings a weakspot. He moved in to hack at them, but was thrown back by the very same Growths, as they beat once in a large defensive gesture.


    More like an ape than a human, Apexus¡¯ bones assembled on the other side, his wings continuously beating to keep the ever-growing number of guardsmen at bay. People shouted for spears, a much more effective weapon in this situation, while Apexus now sprinted on all fours towards the window, whose light that had given him away. It was wide open, like on all days that weren¡¯t rainy, and so he could simple leap out and beat his wings. The new shape was unfamiliar to fly with, but he stayed in the air anyway, gaining height as people chucked spears at him and hastily fired arrows.


    Although two of them hit, they simply sunk into the slime without dealing any damage. Then Apexus soared over the garrison¡¯s walls. His makeshift limbs became part of his body again, arms fusing into torso, legs melding together.


    Apexus lived.

 Requiem 5

    After the jolt of pain, Apexus had sensed nothing.


    And that was an alien feeling indeed. No sight, no sound, not even the tiniest vibration reached Apexus. All he was, was a bundle of thoughts within his core. ¡®Is this the afterlife?¡¯ the slime had wondered at the eternal darkness. The concept of a life after death had been strange to him and now, it was downright terrorizing. Left alone to brood in his thoughts, with no way to know what had happened after the arrow had ended him.


    After having been able to perceive time passing for so long, this darkness seemed eternal to the slime. His thoughts swirled from the start of his journey to this very point over and over again. With nothing else to do and nothing to look forward to, all Apexus could do was wonder where he had gone wrong.


    There were a lot of mistakes along the path.


    The first one had been to pick the pheromone duct. In the moment, that had seemed useful, but it had been based on the ultimately faulty information that ants were some kind of super predator that dominated the overworld. Without it, he would have never found Reysha, however.


    ¡®Reysha¡­ I hope she won¡¯t take this too hard,¡¯ Apexus thought, wondering how much the tiger girl had truly appreciated him. It had always been a bit hard to read her, between the slimes own inexperience with people and the redhead¡¯s unsteady behaviour.


    The second mistake would likely have been to awaken Aclysia when he did. Without any understanding of the humanoid tongue, or that speech existed in the first place, he had painted a pretty large target on his back. For his beloved metal fairy, Apexus just wished that she kept him in mind fondly. Selfishly, he would have loved if she stayed attached to him forever, but for her sake he hoped that she got over him quickly. It couldn¡¯t be pleasant for her to be bound to the earth for feelings that were only bringing her grief now.


    Funnily enough, trusting Gizmo hadn¡¯t been a mistake. The old man had taught Apexus a number of things and the reveal of his alter-ego came at a cost not to Apexus, but to his assailants. If there was a further mistake, the biggest one perhaps, it was to let the group of adventurers around Mehily go.


    However, as often as it had been discussed previously and no matter how often Apexus played out that scenario with shifting actions on his part, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that he had made the right decision. Maybe he was illogically rationalizing things. It was certainly true that there were a number of paths that he could have taken that were safer. On all of them, however, he would have needed to become a character of ruthlessness at best and cruel sadism at worst.


    He wouldn¡¯t want to be that. Nor would he want to force Reysha and Aclysia to live with such a person. Particularly the metal fairy, delicate in her morals. Would she even have presented the wish to stay to Hashahin if Apexus turned out to be such a monster?


    That question was where his brooding was suddenly interrupted by a feeling. Not a particularly pleasant one, it had to be said. It was as if the utmost layer of skin was peeled of him with a washing cloth. Which, as Apexus realized when it happened again, was exactly what was happening. The sense towards vibrations, the only one the slime possessed naturally, appeared and disappeared again as his nucleus got polished.


    It took a couple of repeats, but eventually the slime figured out what was happening in detail. He wasn¡¯t dead. He was bodyless. The hunter had removed the core from his slime without destroying it and now Apexus was stuck within the single important organ he had. An organ that, sensing it was clearly oversized for the amount of slime surrounding it, was now trying to dissolve to supply that body mass.


    It was a process, so tiny and far in the background, that Apexus had never noticed it before. He had just found out that his core grew or shrunk with him, not giving that any further thought. It hadn¡¯t come with a lot of changes, the tinier he was, the harder it was to execute more detailed motor functions. He had thusly just assumed the size came with more ¡®thought-power¡¯ so to speak.


    That it was also his own equivalent of a fat deposit had not sprung to mind.


    It was a wonderful revelation to not be dead, but Apexus didn¡¯t really have any idea what to do with that knowledge. Not as long as whoever was holding that cloth kept swiping away the little slime that formed off the core.


    Eventually, however, Apexus was put down somewhere. No more washing cloth. Just time alone. The core shrunk and the slime could finally sense again. There was air above him and something soft and fuzzy below. A cushion, presumably.


    As the core shrunk, hunger flared up more and more intensely. Energy reserves had been burned and the little amount of water in the surroundings made Apexus feel like he was closer to a block of gelatine than liquid slime. It came to him that this state of survival was more borrowed time than an actual second chance. If he didn¡¯t find food and water, the latter much more urgently, any time soon, that would be it.


    Another, immediate problem presented itself. When Apexus¡¯ core had shrunk from the size of a clenched fist to that of a big marble, the regeneration attempted to also restore his permanent Growths. Apexus was highly certain he had no energy to restore all of them, even in an adequately miniaturized state, in his still shrinking nucleus.


    So, he had to spent all of his mental capacity, struggling against hunger and thirst, on figuring out how to guide that process. It was a process with mediocre results. The best case would have been to completely control the rate of slime regeneration and which of his Growths regrew completely in which order. Much like a humanoid couldn¡¯t control their sweat glands and only had limited control over their heartrate, however, Apexus¡¯ efforts were rewarded only with the prioritized regeneration of his eyes.


    A highly viscous slime began exploring his surroundings with immensely slow, crawling movements. A being that had been about two metres long, reduced to the size of a thumb. It took almost a minute just to reach the edge of the glass case that was surrounding the podium. Half grown; flightless wings lay still on the blue creatures back as he looked beyond the translucent barrier.


    There was a bunch of stuff elsewhere, displayed under their own glass, much of it edible, as Apexus reckoned. However, he couldn¡¯t even pass this one case. The glass was inedible and even if he somehow managed to get through the cushion, acid doing no good against things that may have been organic and nature, but had clearly been dead for a while, and his teeth being just short, dull stubs right now, there was hard stone underneath.


    Hopeless, Apexus trailed the outside of his confinement. If it came to the worst, he would have to wait, hiding as best he could and wait for someone to check on this room. He wasn¡¯t quite clear what this was, having all of these powerful or tasty things standing around unused or uneaten alienated him, but everything was clean so there had to be people checking every now and again.


    That plan was unneeded, however, as it seemed that luck was on Apexus¡¯ side for one small thing. There was a crack in one side of the case. Not particularly large, but certainly large enough for a semi-liquid creature with only one truly solid organ to fit through.


    From there, Apexus crawled down the side of the podium. If there was one advantage to being this small again, it was being light enough to not care about slants and the pull of gravity. Afterwards, Apexus was presented with a gamble. To try and search for a way out or for a crack in one of the many food deposits. Not wanting to push his luck, and not seeing anything that looked like it contained a whole lot of water around, the slime decided the latter.


    Although it may have been more accurate that his instincts decided at this point. The need for sustenance was slowly overwhelming whatever reason he possessed. He crawled over the ground, feeling the slightest draft of air and following it towards a door. Squeezed his way down under a frame. His halfway functional ears picked up a conversation, the grumbling sounds of humanoid males exchanging words. More importantly, he heard the quiet sound he was all too accustomed to. The sloshing of water.


    His eyes quickly localized the source. A container for liquids that humanoids used. A wooden mug. Two of them, to be exact, standing on table a terrible distance away for the slow and weakened slime.


    Instincts dictated the need, suppressed all thoughts of morality or doubts and forced the active mind to create a plan to get access to that water. Survival, only survival matters right now. Anything else was a luxury for the survivor. The guards were distracted playing cards. Even if they weren¡¯t, missing Apexus wouldn¡¯t have been too odd. Parts of his mass were now falling off as the nucleus ran so low on energy that it was unable to control even the minimal amount of slime. Apexus had been reduced to a fingernail, by the time he positioned himself on the ceiling above the table.


    Then, in a manoeuvre that would decide life or death, he dropped. If he missed, that was it. If he got noticed, that was it. That not a single thought about that desperation entered his deprived mind was just another sign of how close to starvation he was.


    Plop.


    Making an almost unnoticeable sound, he landed in the water. Immediately, his mind was hit by a wave of clarity. The most immediate urge had been quelled. It wasn¡¯t enough. He needed to recover at least some mass. There was no middle choice, he had to go through with the plan his amoral survival instinct had birthed.


    He almost wished that he hadn¡¯t gotten enough reason back to realize that he was about to kill a man. All he had to do was wait. Eventually, the mug full of water was raised, lips pushed against the round edge and then, the whole thing was slanted. With a torrent like a waterfall, Apexus was washed down into the man¡¯s throat.


    Priming his teeth, Apexus let himself be guided entirely by his tremor sense. He hit a wall, squishy tissue, the back of the man¡¯s throat, and held on with teeth and slime as tightly as he could. Immediately, the body surrounding him began to quiver and convulse, sensing some unwanted intrusion into its system. Powerful currents of air blew over Apexus, almost dislodging him and sending him flying back out the way he came.


    Pressing himself tightly down, Apexus remained anchored like a tic. Time passed, the slime only wanting to remain undetected for the moment. It was best to wait things out for a little while, let more water come his way to leech off and give the guard time to retreat to their own room for the night. As far as Apexus had been told, people tended to be alone in those moments.


    ¡®I am about to commit a murder,¡¯ the slime had known perfectly well. He hadn¡¯t wanted to do it. If he didn¡¯t, however, he was absolutely certain to die. The humanoids around here had not given him any indication that they would ever see him as anything other than a monster to be hunted. That didn¡¯t make the act any easier for the slime, as he very slowly began to eat.


    Drop by drop of blood at first. Then piece of miniscule piece of flesh, Apexus carved out and devoured. It must have taken hours. With every piece consumed, the slime grew a bit larger, allowing him to eat quicker. He blocked the windpipe to prevent his victim from screaming, not wanting to alarm those on the outside anytime soon.


    It was a terrible fight to the death. Not in the sense of difficulty. All Apexus had to do was to remain in the way. Just in the length of time it took for the guard to suffocate. Apexus hated all of this. The only thing he would hate more, however, would be to die, to end his own being and leave behind a suffering Aclysia and a Reysha whose reactions he still couldn¡¯t gauge, but really wanted to learn to.


    He wasn¡¯t yet done with this world.


    With his unwilling host killed, Apexus made sure his surroundings were safe by taking an unpleasant peek out of the mouth. They were in a bed chamber of some sorts. Apexus didn¡¯t need to know a lot more. He was still famished and his instincts urged to finish what he had. Over the course of the night, Apexus devoured the man. Every last bit of him, from the hairs to the toes, nothing remained.


    And his reward was another permanent Growth. Humanoids were, doubtlessly, the apex predator of the leaf, so that wasn¡¯t too surprising. It was a hollow victory, however, and one sacrificed to necessity a few moments later as Apexus searched for his way out and found it in a suit of armour nearby. The complete metal casing would be perfect to walk unseen, but the liquid body of Apexus couldn¡¯t properly carry it. Its design didn¡¯t go along with a boneless, limbless creature.


    The bones that Apexus could get as a normal Growth would be the human average. Crawling into the armour, still on the stand, the slime realized that he wouldn¡¯t be able to properly move in this one, as it was a custom fit. Still, he would have tried it, if a voice at the door hadn¡¯t startled him.


    ¡°Dude, get up!¡±


    There were more words, but Apexus missed him over the attempt to keep his balance. Something that ultimately failed, as the new bones were a bunch of static, jointed things in a body that had been previously internally fluid. He fell over, the armour loudly rustling even with him in it.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± the voice from the outside echoed genuine concern, only reinforcing the guilt Apexus felt for what he had to do. ¡°Hello, are you there or do I need to break open this door and drag you to the healers?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Apexus answered, hoping his voice wouldn¡¯t be too far removed from whoever he had eaten.


    A relieved joke came back, ¡°Yes you¡¯re back or yes you need me to break in?¡±


    ¡°Former,¡± Apexus answered quickly and decided quickly to just acquire the bones permanently. He needed to get out of here and he couldn¡¯t be caught as what he was before he got somewhere from where he could fly away. Armour scraped over the floor as bones lengthened according to Apexus¡¯ will and the slime tried to get up. It was easier now, the bones could carry the distributed weight quite well. Without muscles and with his much squishier body, it still wasn¡¯t optimal, but Apexus could move in it now.


    ¡°Dude, you can just let me in, I¡¯ll help you,¡± the friendly guard offered. ¡°If the cap¡¯ asks, we both overslept.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but not needed,¡± the slime got up with slow movements. He made sure every bit of his true body was hidden under metal, all ahead that the visor was down. Then he opened the door. ¡°I¡­ re- I AM ready for guarding¡­ friend.¡±

 Requiem 6

    ¡®Aclysia,¡¯ that was Apexus first thought when he broke out of the confines of the city. ¡®Where could you be? Reysha, where did they take you?¡¯ Those thoughts were delayed by the immediate need for more food. He was still a good bit away from his former size, quite hungry and could go for more water.


    Obviously, he couldn¡¯t land anywhere close to the city. For all he knew, the Hunter was still around. Not that the normal city guard wouldn¡¯t be able to end him, if given the opportunity. He considered the cliffside cave, but that was too close for comfort. Although he had gotten out of the city, he was still a clearly visible spot in the sky. He would best land somewhere in the vast forest. There was enough food and water there.


    Apexus came across a small pond eventually, a couple of animals, predominantly cats and deer, sipping from the water on this hot day. The former were too nimble and compact a target, so Apexus picked his prey from the deer. One healthy, large looking male with large antlers was currently standing with its head down. Ideal conditions for a dive.


    The impact of the slime alone was devastating. The full, highly accelerated mass of Apexus rammed into the upper back of the deer, causing its front legs to give and the head of the overwhelmed creature to sink under the shallow water. Thusly brought into an awkward position, the struggles of the animal were diminished in their effectiveness.


    That wasn¡¯t to say, however, that they weren¡¯t wild.


    The deer was throwing around in sudden and erratic movements. A larger Apexus would have been able to rely on his weight alone to make these movements entirely useless, but right now it could have still succeeded in throwing him off. The slime had already anticipated this, however, and used his new bones in the same manner that he had used clam shells in the past. In a sort of hug, the arm and leg bones of his humanoid skeleton spread around as much of the deer as they could reach and pressed. At the same time, Apexus fixated himself with a weak bite at the neck.


    His prey was forcefully exhausted, just as its back progressively dissolved as more and more of the slime spread over it. Eventually, the large animal collapsed, half of it landing in the water, and died, leaving Apexus to enjoy the rest of his meal. The other animals around the pond had run away, searching for a more secure watering hole.


    That meal and plenty of liquid later, Apexus felt at least largely restored. He had escaped from death¡¯s grasp. ¡®What now?¡¯ he thought as he looked at his reflection in the still pond. Back looked a pretty odd creature.


    Blue fox ears sat on top of a human skull, a layer of slime separating and connecting both of them. Eyes of a cyan colour had found their place in the sockets meant for the humanoid counterpart. Teeth, sharper than normal but overall quite human, sat along the jaw, the speech plate inside the mouth as Apexus had feared it would make odd noises if it rubbed against the inside of the armour.


    His torso looked pretty normal, all things considered. Sure, the bones visible through the translucent, dark blue slime was unnatural, but from the dimensions, from the ribcage over the spine down to the hips, looked all around average. Apexus realized that his core was localized in that boneless middle where humanoids, and a bunch of other animals really, kept the majority of their internal organs.


    ¡®Not a good place for that,¡¯ Apexus thought, shifting on the excess mass that gathered around his folded legs like a blob and raised one of his arms to test the new bones more accurately. Formerly, his elliptic shape had come from all parts of his body mass being most effective at a roughly equal distance from the core, combined with the dictate of gravity. Now, despite being stretched into several directions, and quite asymmetrical at that, he didn¡¯t feel any of that unpleasant sense he got when changing out of the base shape.


    Apexus made a fist, slowly. Muscles and sinews were still necessary to make the skeleton work optimally, designed to pull parts of the body at increased rates, but he could move as it was. He opened the palm again, looking at the slime that spread between the different fingers like webbing. That had, albeit much lesser, that same feeling of long-clenched muscles. When he stopped holding it, the webbing flowed back and the slime surrounded the segments of the finger bones.


    It seemed the skeleton acted as an extension of his core in some ways. Slime could rest around it without a problem. Which, combined with the fact that this was a humanoid Apexus had permanently acquired, opened a whole lot of possibilities. He could, after all, rearrange the size and length of the individual bones and, in a more limited capacity, the place.


    It was impossible to grow a third leg, a tail or any other extra limb, just as it was impossible to exchange the places of the upper thigh¡¯s bone with the lower one. However, things like putting the shoulders down to the hips were, while wholly ineffective, entirely possible.


    Apexus stared at his reflection for a few moments. It would take time to figure out all of the things he could do now. Time he wasn¡¯t quite sure he wanted to invest. He desperately wanted to find out what happened with Reysha and Aclysia. ¡®What if I find them and I am just as helpless as before though?¡¯ he caught himself thinking.


    That was, irrefutably, a concern he needed to wrestle with. Aclysia was an angel, so she was probably in the custody of the Church. The exact implications of that were something that Apexus had no idea about. Reysha, on the other hand, was likely in some sort of prison. Neither were places that the slime could just waltz into and expect to have any chance of success in getting his beloved party members out.


    It was, therefore, entirely necessary to get as strong as he realistically could right now.


    What didn¡¯t help was that Apexus had no idea how long he had been in his stasis. It could have been a few hours, days or weeks for all he knew. Maybe even months or years. He doubted it was too long, the core shrinking had never been something that had taken too long to occur, but he had no real precedent to reference this with.


    They may have been dead already.


    ¡®Should have asked the other guard before getting unmasked,¡¯ Apexus scolded himself. In the moment, he hadn¡¯t thought about it, the survival instincts, guilt and panic that his voice may give him away at any second had been at the front of his core. Hindsight wouldn¡¯t get him anywhere though.


    He made up his mind after a few more moments. For the moment, he was going to assume that both of the girls were still alive and somewhere on the leaf. Which meant his first priority had to be to prop himself up.


    He concentrated on his insides. The first act was to move his nucleus to a more secure position. The inside of the head, maybe? It was a pretty thick construction, even better, it protected from basically all directions.


    It was also the most obvious weak point, shared amongst all humanoids and most animals. It was where his ears and eyes also where. Maybe putting all the organs in one bone basket wasn¡¯t the smartest thing. Limbs were obviously out. That only left the torso. Granted, that was also a common weak spot, but was a lot broader and, after Apexus caused the ribs to expand and meld together into an almost solid wall of bone, moved his nucleus to sit a bit behind the sternum. There, it couldn¡¯t be seen from almost all angles and was pretty safe from attacks. Unlike other animals, he had no need for a highly flexible ribcage, mostly because he didn¡¯t have lungs that expanded underneath.


    With that out of the way, there were a number of details to work out. First of all was the issue with the teeth. So far, he hadn¡¯t had the time to attach them to his jaw, but it was theoretically possible. Apexus hadn¡¯t combined two Growths before, only arranged their proper existence next to each other.


    It came as a pleasant surprise when the process was as natural as moving an arm. A detailed, guiding thought where which teeth was supposed to go, and their bases attached to the empty jawbones like swords into sheathes. Testing, Apexus opened his makeshift mouth. That was also a lot easier now. With all the bone surrounding that area, creating a rift in the surface that exposed the teeth was pretty easy. The humanoid head shape wasn¡¯t optimal for biting, sadly, with its flat face and all that, but it was good enough.


    To make sure he understood everything correctly, Apexus tried to dislodge his teeth again. If combining two Growths in such a manner was a permanent thing, he would need to know that in the future. It turned out that he could indeed separate permanent Growths again after having combined them. Although that endeavour left him quite hungry again. The amount of energy this internal managing consumed, despite the little amount of biomass being used, was insane.


    Apexus wasn¡¯t too afraid right now. ¡®I can just eat a few trees, here,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Should be careful about it in the future though.¡¯


    The next few question were a bit more difficult. First, should he move the speaking plates currently in his mouth? After rationilizing for a few moments, he decided to keep them where they were, even going further and integrating them to the mouth, attached to the upper jaw. It had turned out to be awful protection and, more importantly, having it break during combat limited his communication abilities, which seemed rather important to have.


    He didn¡¯t like having it in the head, but the surfaces were out and this was the space he was most used to opening and closing quickly, so it should work quite nicely. Having it melded to the bone would hopefully prevent it from breaking or sliding around inside when he was biting something that was violently struggling.


    Getting the wings attached to the spine, ribs and shoulder blades was a decision Apexus made only out of curiosity at first. With the knowledge that he could detach them, he had just wanted to know what difference it would make. Just from a few testing flaps he could say: quite a bit. Having the muscle strings tethered to a proper, rigid place gave them a whole lot more stability and a bit more power. Not that Apexus had troubles with flying in the past, but there was little speaking against having more ability in that area.


    He tried the same for eyes and ears. There was no noticeable difference there in terms of perception, but the speed at which he could turn his ears or move his eyes improved slightly. It was something that he took, but that he didn¡¯t think was vital.


    That then covered all of his current permanent Growths, which only left the problem of his shape. During the flight a short while ago, he had folded himself back together to an ellipsis, because that was the shape he knew and that he was comfortable with. Now that he wasn¡¯t trying to escape anymore, at least not from immediate danger, the question was whether or not he wanted to go back to that.


    The question was a pretty obvious no. Although having been useful for a long time, being a formable blob had a set of crippling disadvantages. First and foremost: on the ground, he was incredibly slow. Having a pair of legs was the best way to alleviate that problem. Arms had a good amount of reach and were easier to control than tentacles.


    However, Apexus wasn¡¯t quite sure if he agreed with a few things about the whole layout. First off, did he really want a neck? Past experiences had taught him that necks were more cumbersome weak points than all that useful. On inspection, however, he found that turning his head was pretty useful to look around more quickly.


    ¡®Its pretty short, so its probably going to be fine?¡¯ the slime thought. Unlike normal animals, he wasn¡¯t going to die just because something bit him in the throat anyway. ¡®Don¡¯t think two-legged works best¡­ bipedal is proper word, I think,¡¯ the slime continued to analyse, lengthening his spine a bit and balancing the span of arms and legs until they were all roughly equal.


    The ends still looked different, but Apexus didn¡¯t really mind. He just kept the fingers close together and kept the slime fused so the hands formed sort of pseudo-feet. The result was a pretty alien mixture of a translucent human, a bird and a wolf. The chimeric slime walked on his four limbs, quite happy with the result.


    Then he began to run as quickly as he could. Not nearly as fast a wolf, but still at a decent speed all things considered. Humans would still be able to catch up to him, but this new speed would buy him a few precious seconds. Enough to hopefully spread his wings and fly away. Just as Apexus was doing right now.

 Requiem 7

    The new form turned out to have a new problem. One that only really crystallized as Apexus continued to eat and get back up to his former size and then a bit beyond that. Having devoured a member of the human species had given Apexus a boost in his potential, unsurprisingly. Although that boost was only a difference of a few centimetres. Growth had been slowing for a while. Apexus himself didn¡¯t know if there was some point at which he would top out.


    All of those were expected, however, while this new problem was a surprising nuisance. All of the extra slime he now had was impossible to properly control around the bones. Basically, he had a lot more mass than surface that he wanted to cover with it. There were three solutions he had found so far, but none of them were satisfying and now that he had restocked all of his energy reserves, about a day of munching down one and a half trees later, the superfluous amount was downright crippling.


    The first solution Apexus had worked with was to keep the extra slime close to the core. That did make it easy to control, to the same extent as Apexus had over all of his body before. However, it soon became unworkable. Thanks to the regained mass, a massive blue bag was soon hanging from his chest, making walking a chore and creating a dangling centre of gravity where he was just getting used to his new weight distribution. So that had to be dismissed.


    Second off was trying to distribute the slime equally over the bones anyway. This worked, for a limited time. Control over mass that was more than a few centimetres from the bones was hard or downright impossible, depending on the distance. It culminated in that extra slime ¡®sliding¡¯ down Apexus¡¯ form whenever he wasn¡¯t paying attention, all gathering at the feet, causing him to slow down or (much more annoyingly) to just drop off slime in medium sized chunks from his stomach. If it wasn¡¯t getting stuck in the influence zone of the nucleus anyway, which looped right back to the problem of the first solution.


    Then, the third thing Apexus managed to come up with, was to just upsize the bones. More surface area meant more place to control the slime. This created a whole new set of problems with the environment, however. Getting thicker bones made him slower again, longer ones created a body that was hard to manoeuvre through the dense woodwork of the forest.


    A balance of the two was the best way Apexus had found to go about it so far, but now that he was at his current maximum size again, he was almost three metres from hands to feet. He was much narrower than before, courtesy of giving up the elliptic shape, and it showed in that length. It was absolutely impossible to keep this size, unless Apexus aimed to adopt some slow lifestyle like the Forester Dragons. It was too easy to spot for any sort of ambush and, more importantly, couldn¡¯t manoeuvre very well.


    So, now that he had a moment and was no longer craving food to stock up on his reserves, Apexus sat down and dealt with that problem. Sitting on the stony shore of a river, the deformed humanoid of a slime sorted a couple of stones into random patterns, as he thought. A simple exercise he had taken to in order to train more with his new hands. An incredibly needed thing, since his fingers had become as thick as the fangs of some dungeon spiders he had eaten. They were almost impractically stubby.


    ¡®I have two ideas,¡¯ Apexus managed to scramble his thoughts together, literally turning his nucleus upside down in order to shake out a few thoughts. Not that the organ cared about the way it was aligned with gravity. ¡®First¡­¡¯ the slime then tried to exercise even more influence over his nucleus, in an attempt to forcefully convert some of the slime into extra layers of his core. Essentially, he was trying to reverse the process that had allowed his own ¡®revival¡¯ to occur.


    With absolutely no success whatsoever.


    It was like a human trying to slim down by just thinking a lot. There was just no way that was going to work. Apexus had no control over the process and just severely limited experience with the actual regeneration. No matter how hard he concentrated on his core, slimming down this way was impossible for this slime.


    ¡®Other thing, then,¡¯ the chimeric creature thought, not resigning even at the seemingly inedible problem. If he couldn¡¯t store the extra slime elsewhere, he just had to make what was there denser. Easier said than done. It was another area that the slime hadn¡¯t experimented with before, but his mass was an area he had considerably more control over than his core.


    From all that Apexus knew, his slime was mostly water. Not just water, as evident by Reysha once wondering if she could drink his separated slime and finding it to taste salty and metallic. Overall unpleasant and unfit for hydration, but still water, as she hadn¡¯t complained about the usual foul taste she experienced when eating proper things.


    The acidic parts of it all came from being part of the (somewhat) solid unit that was Apexus himself. A sort of magical solution that dissolved what was inside it as long as the slime''s mana pulsated along. Something that also allowed him to digest selectively, like corroding a hole into a clamshell.


    Following that logic, it should have been possible to reduce the amount of water in the slime, shaving a good amount of overall weight and size off. There was even precedence in his own body for this. The membrane, as thin as it was, that separated the highly liquid acid from the outside world had a different makeup to it. Which was good most of the time, Apexus didn¡¯t want his trails to be even easier to find by accidentally eating the plant life every step or crawl along the way. Also, without that surface tension, holding any shape that didn¡¯t look like puddle would have been difficult.


    Obviously getting a thicker membrane had its own problems. First and foremost, that Apexus would need a longer time to open it to swallow something. As far as he was concerned, however, that was less of a problem, since he was less favourable towards eating live prey whole anyway. The bigger, more powerful his food got, the higher the risk they would struggle inside of him to a degree that hurt his nucleus. Better to kill, then swallow, and in those situations the speed at which he did that was pretty unimportant anyway.


    ¡®Only matters, if I manage to do it, though,¡¯ Apexus told himself, as he continued to shift this or that. A nearby group of wild cats spotted the incredibly odd creature, sitting still aside from the hands, on the incredibly long arms, that still toyed with stones, and decided to go somewhere further up the river to drink.


    A decision they took with double the speed when the thing suddenly opened its mouth imperfectly, strands of goo connecting the upper and lower jaw, stretching over the teeth of the translucent, blue creature. A skeletal nightmare straight out of the land that should not be. Throwing his hands into the air, Apexus let out a triumphant little, ¡°Yay!¡± before feeling incredibly odd at his mimicking of such human expressions. ¡°Not like anyone is around that can understand me anyway,¡± it echoed out of the unmoving (and practically non-existent) lips, all speech being formed by the vibrating plate attached to the skull.


    The reason for this joy was a simple success. Apexus raised his hand and looked at it. The index finger looked incredibly odd in comparison to its neighbour. A shade darker in its blue, from azure closer to midnight, thanks to the higher density, the slime sat much closer to the bone, also removing the problem of his fingers being too stubby for purpose.


    The following hour was spent giving the rest of his body that treatment and shrinking down a fair bit. Bones were sized down again, both in length and thickness, while Apexus covered all of his limbs in this new, thicker membrane. Around the torso, he kept the membrane thinner, while he didn¡¯t change anything about the head. Logic being that these were the areas he ate and spoke with. The limbs being largely unused for that purpose, them covered almost entirely by membrane, only a bit of actual slime around the bone, was no problem.


    Overall, it reduced Apexus¡¯ size by about half a metre, measured again from the fingertips to the toes. More importantly, it made him a good bit leaner. It also dawned on the slime that there would be other advantages to having a thicker hide. Namely that he wouldn¡¯t be hurt as easily and that he would need less water to survive. The question was, if he could maintain this state for long periods without it naturally converting back.


    Time would tell, the slime had to get moving. All this internal shifting had made him hungry again.

 Requiem 8

    ¡®And now?¡¯ Apexus wondered, once he had filled up on leaves. The new form had one drawback he had discovered, namely that melting his fingers together was practically impossible. That was something he had only done for the ease of walking on four limbs, however, and was not even necessary for that. Walking on a clenched fist was, while less comfortable, just as possible.


    He walked around, testing and thinking. There seemed to be no improvements or degradation of his movement from this change, save the one brought by being slimmer. For all intents and purposes, he was now at the height of his strength. Was it already time to assault the Church? ¡®Is there anything else,¡¯ Apexus wondered, ¡®that I can eat to get stronger?¡¯


    His head passed through something invisible, a flash of light accompanying the penetration of the invisible barrier, as the slimes desire for something wove into the spell hiding a small house in the forest. At the sight of the metal fence, animalistic instincts immediately kicked in. Between fight, flight or freeze, Apexus subconscious chose the last option, as his blue eyes spotted the old man in the brown robe.


    Who stared back just as frozen. ¡°Apexus¡­?¡± Gizmo¡¯s voice was trembling as he slowly rose from the stump the slime used to sit on and stumbled towards the fence. ¡°Is that you? You¡­ you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re alive!¡± his hands hit the invisible barrier, which flared up with green fire, connected to the spikes of the fence through lines of magic. ¡°I met¡­¡± suddenly, he shut up, his open mouth snapped close as if clenched by an invisible force. ¡°¡­A member of the church came here to taunt me over your death,¡± he continued, now calm despite the tears rolling down his face.


    The slime wasn¡¯t clear on how to react. There were no red eyes, filled with monstrous greed for the lifeforce of others, that had burned themselves into Apexus¡¯ memory like a fire into a growing tree. ¡°Is it really you, Gizmo?¡± the slime asked.


    ¡°You can talk!¡± the old man exclaimed, so happy about this. ¡°You sound well but¡­¡± Blinking away the tears, the slime¡¯s former mentor more closely examined the chimeric creature¡¯s appearance. ¡°Apexus, how many have you killed?¡±


    ¡°Just one,¡± the slime said, walking slowly up the fence and sitting down more than a hand¡¯s reach away even from the barrier, from which Gizmo now took a forceful step back. ¡°One too many¡­¡± Apexus added, regretfully, ¡°¡­but I had no choice, it was either to do it or die.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Gizmo sat down in the grass opposite of Apexus, the two of them silent for a long time, hanging their heads in shame. For what they had done and for what they were powerless to change. The old man attempted to speak several times, each time his open mouth produced no words. Tears welled up again, although Apexus was unable to discern why. Finally, he pressed something out. ¡°The man¡­ the monster that you ran from, Apotho¡­ Apexus, he is the original inhabitant of this body. I am just a crack in his psyche, born from trauma. Every day I am fading more and the change is only accelerating. Even now he¡­¡± an odd pause, but Apexus didn¡¯t think too much of it, ¡°¡­is taking back control.¡±


    Apexus was unnerved knowing that, but had no idea what to do with that information. ¡°Can I help?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the answer was immediate and harsh. ¡°Don¡¯t cross this fence. I might absorb your lifeforce.¡± The old man swallowed his tears and asked. ¡°What brings you to me, Apexus? What reason do you have to return to me?¡±


    ¡°I am¡­ I¡¯m trying to become stronger,¡± the slime responded and then quickly reported what had happened since he had last seen the old man. He nodded along, listening eagerly, commenting with a headshake towards the actions of the Inquisition, how illogical they acted, and voiced surprise that a Hunter of this level was on the leaf.


    ¡°I am able to help you,¡± Gizmo said, after having heard everything. ¡°Listen, there are two things you must know. Under the mountain to the east, they imprisoned a demon that Apotho summoned once upon a time. It lives in one of the many caves underneath. Killing it might allow you to grow a little more.¡±


    Apexus listened carefully to that. It sounded almost too good to be true. A worthwhile opponent as far away from the city was possible. Presumably well-hidden, nevertheless exactly what the slime needed. ¡°Is he bad because he is a demon?¡± the slime nevertheless had to ask, not wanting to kill anymore sapient things if he could avoid it.


    ¡°He is practically an animal,¡± Gizmo assured with a nod. ¡°Capable of little more speech than the Archwood Maggots you encountered. He also killed more than a few people himself.¡± The old man¡¯s voice again hardened, but in a different, resolute way than the hardness from before, ¡°He is being tolerated because contact with an Impreh level demon is essential for the early training of Warlocks. Killing him will give less people the chance to even attempt their hand at this best forgotten Class. Just look out for his hide, he is a Skinwalker type.¡±


    Apexus had barely any idea what that meant. Before he could ask, however, Gizmo suddenly reached to his head, groaning in pain. Nervously, Apexus stumbled over his words. ¡°Happening what is you okay? Need tea?¡±


    ¡°He is¡­ just being a pain¡­¡± the smooth-voiced Warlock growled. ¡°Listen, the second thing. In a week¡¯s time, the Day of the First Ascension will be held. A person with a three-coloured robe will attend, for just a few minutes, between city and church, when the sun is about to set. Approach him, mention my name if you must to keep his attention, and he will lead you to Aclysia, you understand? Only on that day and only at that time can you ask him. It¡¯s a human tradition.¡±


    Apexus found that incredibly odd, but between the building of streets, their nonsensical language structures, their love for squares and bloated communication systems, it wasn¡¯t surprising for the slime to hear about some odd rule that you could only approach people in three-coloured robes at certain times and then they had to oblige.


    ¡°Now go!¡± the ancient sorcerer suddenly shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t come back here! I can¡¯t hold him back much longer!¡±


    Apexus was once more confused, wasn¡¯t he secure on the other side of this fence? Why would that matter? ¡®Gizmo sounds very urgent, I should listen,¡¯ the slime, however, trusted his old mentor enough to follow his words, despite his doubts, especially after he had just been told of another way to become stronger in the waiting time. Even if that strength might not matter.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Apexus said as he quickly turned around. Walking through the barrier, he found himself back where he had been, close to the river, an endless distance away from the real location of the barrier. As such, the slime had no hope of hearing the mixture of sobbing and laughter the old Warlock let out.


    ¡°Blessed be the liar who stumbles upon the na?ve, for his manipulation still holds weight before they learn,¡± Apotho mused to himself.

 Requiem 9

    ¡°Has she talked yet?¡± the Cardinal asked, causing Mehily to shake her head wordlessly. All Remezan could do was sigh and scratch his bald head. ¡°This is just one giant disaster,¡± he mumbled, not for the first time in the week, ¡°The monster-tainted Rogue flees the night we captured her, killing several people on her way out. Then the monster we aimed to catch somehow comes back to life a week later, eats another one of the guards, flees for everyone to see and the Hunter able to track that thing has already left. All the while, an angel refuses to speak to the priesthood. We learned nothing, lost control over one beast and may have created a second one.¡±


    It had been a silent agreement that both Mehily and Remezan had come to independently that this slime, Apexus, had not been the mere creature they had thought him to be. Once was a fluke, twice a coincidence, but three times was a pattern. Once the slime had spared Mehily, at the time she thought it was to ridicule her. The angel, still locked in her room, had made it very clear that the slime had never been a bad being and looking at the track record objectively, there was no denying her side of the story. Lastly, the report of one very distraught guardsman had painted a picture about an incredibly regretful creature, no matter how nightmarish it had looked.


    Thus, the two of them had arrived at the conclusion that their way to approach this had been twisted. The same could not be said for Evmeria and Bertholdt. While the Warrior simply remained stubborn in his path, not asking a whole lot of (in his opinion) unnecessary questions, Evmeria was fully aware of all of those doubts, but had only expressed faith in Jersoja. Something that Mehily had been struggling with recently. Was it her god¡¯s commands that were simply flawed or had she been misinterpreting them from the start?


    The second seemed much more likely. Jersoja¡¯s teachings taught that the monster was impure. Associating with them was simply unclean and generally bound to bring more trouble than they were worth. In an ordered creation, this made absolute sense. The monsters living on leaves were created as living tests, the Parasytes were dangers older even than the Omniverse and the demons in the Roots were tainted beyond repair. All of them were clearly evil or at least adversarial, there was no doubt there. Which, in turn, meant that this ¡®Apexus¡¯ creature was not part of the current order of creation. That was even more terrifying than her or her god having made a mistake.


    ¡°If only we could call upon another Inquisition,¡± Remezan leaned back in his tall chair. If Inquisitions were an easy thing to form, the Church would have used them all the time. It was a tool that was severely limited in numerous ways. The first and obvious one, an Inquisitor was needed. While numerous Inquisitors could join the same Inquisition, there was at least one needed to start the entire thing. Second, the whole thing needed to be of interest to the divine. An Inquisition was, in all technicality, the request for continued divine guidance towards a particular individual.


    If there was no interest in providing that guidance, none would be given. With how non-interventionists the gods normally conducted themselves, their help was reserved for the cases of extreme oddity, danger or as a rare reward for the truly faithful. Then there was a number of other limitations that didn¡¯t apply to this case: Range, the need for a clear and accurate description of the target and a proper temple to do the ritualistic prayers at.


    The last thing, one very rarely important, was that an Inquisition could not be called on the same target twice within ten years. There was no gaming it either, by targeting a usual ally of theirs, for example. Such attempts would just incur scorn from the divine messengers. The rules were the rules and the enforcers strict.


    In other words, now that they had caught and lost Apexus, they had even less ways to find him than before. ¡°One would think finding some sort of giant blue blob with a skeleton would be easy,¡± Remezan complained, also, not for the first time, ¡°but nobody has seen it¡­ him. We still don¡¯t even know if he has any connections to¡­¡± The Cardinal stopped himself, before he could accidentally provide the secret he had kept from Mehily for so long. The Priest herself knew it was probably for the best if there were things she didn¡¯t know yet. Great minds had broken, that much the United Gospel taught.


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± Mehily carefully intervened in the Cardinal¡¯s thinking session. Since he kept inviting her to his office, a room entirely defined by the outlines of luxurious furniture that Remezan had removed upon taking over from his predecessor, she had taken the opinion that he must have wanted some second opinions. Why his holiness would choose her for that was beyond her. ¡°Perhaps we should tell the angel about this?¡±


    Aclysia was still in the dark, both about Reysha¡¯s breakout and the slimes revival. ¡°No, not yet,¡± Remezan shook his head. ¡°Telling her would only awaken a wish to leave. She isn¡¯t cooperating right now, but at least she is staying. If the slime is genuinely not a monster and as much in love with her as she is with him, he will come to save her eventually. We will try to capture him then.¡±


    ¡°He also doesn¡¯t seem to be too stupid,¡± Mehily added to the theory. ¡°It will be necessary to reveal a weakness or a chance for him to talk to us on safe terms.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I have been thinking about how we could make that happen¡­ sadly, we do not have a way to communicate with this ¡®Apexus¡¯,¡± the Cardinal sighed again. Something that only grew more frequent as time passed. ¡°I would send some scouts that simply shout the message into the woods or something, but the public will see any negotiations and respond with outrage.¡±


    The guards were generally held in high regard on Ctania. As such, the death of not one but several of them in a couple of days had the people at the cusp of rage. If the Church was to step into that situation saying that they wanted to have a calm talk with one of the two culprits, particularly the one that had been so high profile these last months, there would be an outcry for slimeshed. That the leader of the local Trader¡¯s Guild outpost took personal (and now public) interest in re-obtaining the core only worsened the situation. Where outrage didn¡¯t talk, money surely would.


    ¡°I will invest more thought into this after the Day of the First Ascensions,¡± Remezan summarized his thoughts. He needed to gather energy first, make sure things were secure even for the little break he took. Afterwards, there might be some room to take minor risks.


    Mehily simply nodded. That made sense. It was one of the three days in the year on which the Cardinal left the building. The Day of the Original God, dedicated to the Progenitor Deity, the Day of the First Ascension, in honour of Trember, the second god and godhood in general, and the Day of the Thirty Third Ascension, to honour the creator of this very leaf. Each time, he was only out for about half an hour, travelling to the festival site, delivering a public prayer, and returning to the church.


    ¡°Once that ordeal is over, I will have the energy to think about these things in all their complexity with the appropriate amount of energy,¡± Remezan put the temporary final note on this topic.

 Requiem 10

    Aclysia hadn¡¯t been peaceful.


    She had been watching.


    ¡°Would you like to talk to the Cardinal today?¡± the servant that visited her every day at noon asked. There was a second one, presenting the same question at midnight. Each time, it came along with a simple, piteous, meal. Dark bread, a little bit of meat, fish, cheese to top it off, and some water.


    Aclysia wordlessly began to eat, only as much as she needed to maintain an optimal level of mana. Without Apexus, or anybody else, that would give her mana, she was bound to extract it from physical sources instead. A less effective, not to mention vaguely unpleasant procedure. Not because the food had to leave the body again, unlike mortals she turned her food into magic, not sustenance, leaving no waste by the end of it. Instead, it was just a lot of internal work that made her unnecessarily sluggish. Taking in physical matter was a last resort for a divine creation, not something to be relied on.


    The servant left, the thick door closing behind her with the sound of heavy iron locking, and soon Aclysia pushed away the remains of her meal, only to once again stare at the teeth and the feather she had been left with. Days ago, she had finally stopped sorting them in different patterns. Not because she had finally found the one that seemed correct, but because she had finally resolved what she would do.


    Leave.


    It was a remarkably short-sighted plan, especially for her. She had no idea where to go afterwards, aside from elsewhere. She wanted nothing to do with this leaf anymore, with these people or anything associated with them. All she wanted was to be free to travel and see the things her beloved could no longer see, until she was satisfied with her life here and returned to the Trunk. Then she would see her father again and be the angel she had always been supposed to be.


    That it was the Church she had to escape to fulfil that, well, her father was one of the less convinced gods that such an institution even had a place in the Omniverse. It was an opinion Aclysia had now come to share, even if her initial thoughts on the matter had been in the opposite direction. They failed to be the bastion of decency and ethics she had sought. All they had for her were questions.


    How to leave, however? The door was always locked and she lacked the ability to overwhelm the servant while they went inside. At least, without using potentially lethal magic. Even if she did muster the conviction to do so, what good would it do? She was still stuck within the walls with dozens more Priests, Paladins and servants running about.


    There was a second option, the windows, but the Cardinal had thought of that. A magical barrier was layered over the windows, as she had found out while opening one a while ago, in search of a way to flee. Some sort of defensive installation by nature, doubtlessly, but just as effective at keeping things in as it was at keeping things out.


    Regardless, those were her two paths outside. Trying to fight her way to the outside or forcing herself through the barrier. For the former, she could strike at an opportune time, when the guards were in bad positions or something to that end. She would have little influence over this, but all she needed was to reach some point from which she could fly away. Once she took to the skies, she was safe. There was no way she could rely on or hope for any luck in the second strategy. It was harder, less likely to succeed and painful.


    Regardless, she chose it.


    When the sun vanished behind the horizon, hours before the second servant would visit her, Aclysia took a deep breath and finally decided to move. She had gone through so many variations of this event, thought and doubted how this attempt could go. There was nothing left but to try.


    She opened one of the windows. The crystal glass reflected the light of the full moon. Careful Aclysia stretched her arm out, only to stop before she could touch the invisible barrier. Any flare at this dark hour could have alarmed somebody, every second could count. One last breath. Then, she pressed forwards.


    Blue fire spilled out around her, a basic magic discharge. At first it was just a warning, cold burning that didn¡¯t harm her in any way, an unpleasant prickling on her skin, as if the hand had fallen asleep. A prickling that soon turned into a sensation more akin to needles stabbing into her every pore. The harder she pressed against the barrier, the more of her physical and magical power she threw against it, the stronger it fought back. The metal fairy felt as if her palm was melting, turned liquid by the sting of urchins.


    Then her hand managed to get through.


    The pain only got worse.


    The barrier tried to close the hole in itself with the same natural force as water would. To the cold burn and the stings now came an immense pressure. Aclysia¡¯s vision blurred as tears of pain rose into her eyes. Yet, still, she carried on, gripping the frame on the outside of the window. ¡®Anywhere¡­ anywhere but here¡­,¡¯ she thought as the skin was seared off her forearms, revealing the black, metal bones underneath. ¡®Apexus.¡¯ The name simply appeared in her mind, gave her the strength to carry on.


    The rest of her arms pressed through with relatively little issue. It was her head that gave the biggest trouble. Bit by bit she pressed through, screaming despite her best effort to keep quiet. If the constant blue flickering hadn¡¯t alarmed anybody yet, those screams did it with absolute certainty. Screams that she could have spared herself if she had just been willing to hurt or kill.


    Finally, her head was through and by comparison, the rest was a cakewalk. Shoulders, chest, the clenched fist she held in front of it, every bit of her that followed through, it all hurt, but it was manageable. There was a ruckus behind her, several people storming into the room. They witnessed the legs of the metal fairy getting through. A particularly quick interventionist reached her in time to grab her by on her moth-like wings.


    It was too late by then. Gravity helped Aclysia¡¯s cause and the base of her wings was too damaged to even hold a little weight. Like a wilted flower petal, it ripped off her back, creating only a tiny spark of pain.


    A burned and partially crushed body fell three stories down to the hard ground below. No human could have survived going through a barrier like that. Indeed, even for a divine being, that had been a test. Aclysia was blind, largely without skin and whatever had remained of her maid uniform was just ash now. Still, she began to crawl the moment she knew again where up and down were. One hand was clawing at the dirt, the other was pressed against her tormented, false flesh. Healing magic flowed into herself. Soon she went from a crawl to a three-limbed hunching, then to a stumble, finally to a run.


    Little more than her legs and eyes had healed. She couldn¡¯t expend too much mana, if she did, she would simply collapse into unconsciousness. The rules of her supernatural body limited her in this regard. It was also what prevented her from flying, having not nearly the power to restore an entire wing.


    She was slow. She could hear the people screaming behind her. Heard their trampling steps in the grass, then cracking over the thin branches that covered the forest floor. ¡®I just want to be free¡­¡¯ she cried in her mind, knowing that these monstrous humans would not listen to her. ¡®Please, leave me, please, I just want¡­ I just want to see him again¡­ Apexus, please,¡¯ her limited vision blurred as the pain and the panic made her once again lost in grief as her body mechanically moved along. ¡®Please, come back to me, let me see you¡­¡¯


    She stumbled, didn¡¯t even notice the flash of light in the night. She hit the ground hard, the flat grass, and the fist she had held tight until that moment opened. The sight of the feather caused the tears to run over her face uncontrollably. At the ends that had peeked out of her hand, it had been seared black, while the emerald in the middle, so close to her own eyes, was crushed to the point that nothing but the colour was of any beauty or grace anymore. The one keepsake she had resolved to take with her and it too was ruined.


    ¡®Can¡¯t¡­ give up¡­¡¯ she thought, resolving herself past her sobbing. She had already come so far. She needed to get back to her feet and keep running away from the Church and¡­


    The trampling behind her was gone.


    Confused, she blinked numerous times, raising her head. Even through the blur, she spotted a colour that shouldn¡¯t have been in the forest. A familiar metallic colour, ordered in a thorn fence and a face like a grinning skull behind it.


    ¡°And so we meet again, little angel.¡±

 Requiem 11

    Aclysia would have jumped back if she had the energy left to move in any meaningful ways. ¡°Giz¡­mo¡­¡± she said, her charred lips unable to properly formulate a sentence.


    ¡°No, no,¡± the warlock shook his head, ¡°the false one isn¡¯t here, Aclysia, its only I, Apotho. The one who got locked away by his misplaced regret,¡± leaning on his stick, the old man slowly pushed himself up into a standing position. ¡°How infinitely interesting that you too would so easily find your way back to me. People who have been here before must be able to penetrate the Field of Desire around this place more easily. I must admit that there were no people before who escaped to test this.¡±


    There was a sting of relief when Aclysia realized that Apotho must have been right. After all, none of the people chasing her had suddenly entered behind her. Something she was doubly thankful for, since this meant that the warlock would receive no fuel for his continued life due to her attempt at freedom.


    Apotho moved towards his house, returning shortly thereafter with a potion that he placed close to the inside of the barrier. The blue colour already gave away what it was, ¡°a Mana Potion,¡± Apotho declared, looking down at the angel with his blue eyes. There was no pity inside them, only a calculating menace. ¡°I would just throw it at you, but¡­¡± he raised a second, empty glass vial and threw it forwards. In a flash of green fire, that caused Aclysia to flinch from the recent memory of what the barrier had done her, the bottle was thrown back. ¡°¡­as you can see, even this much is impossible for me.¡±


    ¡°Why would I trust you¡­?¡± Aclysia¡¯s raspy voice reached out.


    ¡°Trust?¡± Apotho laughed at her with such blatant ridicule that his old body failed to keep up and caused him to harshly shift into a series of cough. Amusement was turned into irritation as the growled, ¡°You see this frail form I have to put up with? There is no need to trust me, if you have half a brain you realize that I would have long absorbed you or that slime creature, when he was still alive, if I had the ability.¡± He prodded the sitting potion with the end of his cane. ¡°Now drink, I am not having a talk with half a corpse.¡±


    The ghastly manner with which that reminder was delivered was to the disliking of the metal fairy, but she was forced to agree. Slowly, she crawled towards the fence. Until the very last moment of her pulling the bottle back beyond the barrier, she doubted the earnest intentions of Apotho, but she had little choice in the matter.


    Sip by sip of the mana potion, she healed herself. She was completely naked, only the ash of her own skin giving her the slightest amount of cover. The warlock stared at her with unveiled desire once she was completely recovered. It was such a stark contrast to the way Apexus had always looked at her. Apotho was simply interested in her body, blue eyes that stared with greed at thing he lusted for, the person behind that beautiful face beyond his interests.


    Regardless, the greedy sinner had better things to do than waste his time wanting to use her body. As it was, he had no chance to do so anyway. ¡°Now we can talk properly, little angel.¡±


    Hiding as much of her as she could by sitting on the floor and angling her arms, Aclysia nodded. Now that her mind was no longer dominated by pain and panic, she could actually think about what Apotho had said so far. ¡°I¡¯m not the first one that recently visited you for the second time,¡° she surmised, ¡°you would not be able to guess that access is easier by just one person alone¡­ and you knew that Apexus is¡­ is dead¡­¡± Needing a moment to gulp and control her feelings, the metal fairy finally arrived at the conclusion, ¡°Reysha was here?¡±


    ¡°A little bit on the reaching side for the conclusion,¡± Apotho raised his eyebrows as if he was surprised. ¡°However, accurate in this case. Indeed, your Ragressian friend was here. It was her wish for vengeance that opened her way to me.¡±


    ¡°What did you do to her?¡± Aclysia raised her voiced, glaring inquisitively at the trapped warlock.


    ¡°I sent her on the correct path, one that you¡¯ll not be able to intercede in, little angel,¡± Apotho spoke true. Even if Aclysia was skeptical, she had nothing but his word to go by. ¡°Is it vengeance that also brings you here?¡±


    Opening her mouth to answer, Aclysia hesitated. In truth, it had been the desire to see Apexus again. Revenge was not what she truly and deeply cared for, although there were some she wished would be tormented by their actions. By lying, maybe she would be able to coerce the true plan from Apotho.


    However, the wish to see him again had brought her here, which meant that Apotho had the ability to somehow enable this. Lying here could very well cost her the opportunity to see her love again.


    There was nothing she wanted more in this world but to see him again. To hear his voice again. Feel him again. To silently sit with him under a moonlit sky again.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said despite all of this, ¡°I want vengeance.¡±


    No matter how much she wanted to have Apexus back, making a pact with this murderous sinner for it would cost, with almost absolute certainty, more than she was willing to pay. More than she wanted Apexus to live knowing the cost for.


    ¡°Good,¡± Apotho grinned, then suddenly contorted, his whole body thrashing as if he was suffering a stroke.


    ¡°Acly¡­sia¡­¡± the old man¡¯s voice was the same, but the tone desperate. ¡°He lies¡­ Vengeance is¡­ cannot be your goal¡­ Apexus¡­ you can see him on the Day of the First Ascension.¡±


    ¡°He is alive?!¡± Aclysia jumped to her feet in excitement, no longer paying attention to her nudeness.


    ¡°Y...You can¡­ see him¡­ again¡­¡± the same words echoed. It wasn¡¯t a confirmation to his life, at least not a certain one, he would have used other words if that were the case. At least, that was how Aclysia understood it.


    ¡°QUIET!¡± Apotho snapped control back from the split character. ¡°Meddling fool, accusing me of lies,¡± the warlock stated, leaving Aclysia confused on the ground. ¡°Listen, all that will be there is his core, being paraded around, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s just a corpse on cushions.¡± Aclysia felt as if her heart was being ripped out at that. It was too cruel to be true. Then again, what hadn¡¯t been recently? ¡°Reysha will be trying to assassinate the Cardinal on the Day of the First Ascension, at the very start of the ceremony, this is the only truth. I know not where she is hiding until then, but if you want vengeance, and nothing but vengeance, you will help her that day.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ cannot¡­¡± Gizmo forced himself to the surface. ¡°Reysha¡­ will help this monster¡­ The church, she¡¯ll be at the church¡­ North¡­ she will be¡­ north¡­ the building... His own goals are....¡±


    Apotho turned inwards to fight his meddling other side, while Aclysia thought. Gizmo was desperately trying to give her the full-picture, it was obvious the Warlock was lying, be it directly or by omission. The only things that she could trust were the words of the friendly old man that shared the same body. That those were so hacked off made interpretation difficult.


    She would have to analyse this for several days before coming to a proper conclusion.


    Apotho visibly relaxed, having retaken full-control of him. ¡°Now, listen to me and me alone and listen careful-¡±


    ¡°I will not,¡± Aclysia stated outright and Apotho¡¯s expression darkened. Being interrupted alone was enough to slight the master of dark arts, her disobedience only furthered his anger. ¡°I will not sacrifice a single life to you or your plans,¡± she spread her wings and hovered off the ground. ¡°I will stop Reysha and meet Apexus, you will not claim anything I care about.¡± With that she took off, hearing only a single angry roar behind her.


    An angry roar that soon turned into another ridiculing giggle. ¡°Ah, Gizmo, good Gizmo,¡± he spoke to himself with much amusement. ¡°You may have access to my powers, but your reluctancy dulls your creativity.¡±

 Requiem 12

    After all this time, Apexus didn¡¯t imagine he would one day search for a crack INTO the mountain. The caverns below, heated by the magma chamber of a volcano that would likely never erupt, were the birthplace of the slime. Where he had just started existing one day and had gone from there. It had been over two years since. A year down there, slowly eating its way up, through insects, clams and tiny dragons, facing ants by the end. How insignificant that now all looked. Ants weren¡¯t even the size of a finger segment anymore.


    Then the time out on the mountainside. Finding Aclysia. Whatever had she said back when he awakened her by sheer curiosity of what this mana draining was? He could remember that she had made sounds that, in retrospect, had to be speech. For the slime of him, he couldn¡¯t put those sounds back together, however.


    She had broken to save him. He had found Gizmo to fix her. The months with Gizmo. Every day something to learn, however boring it was. Slowly caring more and more about the metal fairy until everything about her seemed just too adorable to ignore. Two years, the slime could only estimate his life to have been so long, since he hadn¡¯t even known what time was for so long of it. A sleepless existence without days made that concept hard to grasp at the start.


    Regardless, here he was now, two days after his reuniting with his old mentor, searching for some kind of crack or cave big enough for him. Quadrupedal, Apexus stalked around the mighty tower of grey rock in search of something. Thanks to the thicker membrane around his limbs, the sharp corners of stones only cut into quickly regenerating tissue, if they penetrated at all.


    ¡®Last time I was here, I wasn¡¯t even heavy enough for this to be an issue,¡¯ Apexus thought, bending knees and elbows before jumping down a small cliff. Spread wings beat and before he could crash into the ground, he was up in the air. That area was also without yield.


    Apexus didn¡¯t dare to stay in the air for too long, soon landing again close to the base of the mountain, where grey shifted into the emerald of the ever-stretching forest of Ctania. On the mountain and in the air, he was too easily visible. If he flew high enough, people might mistake him for a bird or something, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to see what he was looking there from that height either.


    It was best to keep circling the base of the mountain, stay close to the trees and only occasionally venture further up. He would inspect the higher areas and tip of the mountain once he had made the full way around. Although he had to hurry about these things, only five more days until the Day of the First Ascension came, he had to be done before then. It would be best if he could have a day to recover from whatever injuries he might get before then. To batch the thoughts up, he had four more days.


    He needed another two.


    Many potential caves were found, but all of them were too shallow to be what Gizmo meant. On top of that, they were empty, so that was the dead giveaway. Apexus had grown the nose of a cat in addition to his other, permanent, Growths. A sense of smell wasn¡¯t helpful in this endeavour, but it was good to have the last ¡®usual¡¯ sense he was missing at hand.


    Rather, a sense of smell shouldn¡¯t have been helpful in the endeavour.


    That is, right up until Apexus caught a whiff of carrion. The foul smell was unmistakable, wafted from nearby. Apexus hadn¡¯t guessed to find a cave following that scent, but right there it was, half-hidden under a tree that stretched its roots over the shallow entrance. The second Apexus put his head into the gap, the smell intensified a thousand fold, hot air mixed with sulphur and the stench of dead bodies.


    A human would have been repulsed, might have even emptied their stomachs onto the stone, at the intense smell, but Apexus had not just smelled worse things in his life, he had also eaten much worse. The only reason that odour was irritating to him was that he wasn¡¯t used to strong smells due to seldomly having a nose recently. Thankfully, he was built for quick adaptation to new things.


    He needed to crawl in order to move into the cave. Only after a few metres did the ceiling start to rise and give way to dark tunnels. Apexus¡¯ cat-like eyes were good for this environment, however, and the tremor sense allowed him to gauge his rough surrounding just by the reverberations of his steps in the stone. It wasn¡¯t detailed enough to make out were the next corner would exactly be, but he could at least keep detailed track of the wall next to him without having to touch it at all times.


    The air got hotter, more humid. Even with the stench, Apexus felt deeply nostalgic the deeper he got. Especially once his eyes picked up the soft glow of a pale, greyish green moss. The light source of his early life lived wherever it was humid or hot enough, it seemed. What started with one patch soon became two, then three, and ever more moss glowed away the darkness of the depths.


    Apexus kept looking around as his steps carried him down a slope. Marvelling at the carpet that stretched along the walls. Like he remembered, the moss failed to grow up places that were too slated upside down. The ground was no problem, though, the moss happily covered all of the ground.


    SNAP!


    There was a loud sound under Apexus¡¯ right hand, something that had been hidden between the moss. His fingers stretched out. At first he tried to just grab whatever that had been with his entire hand, but that just succeeded in slowly ripping out the entire piece of moss. ¡®Sorry, little plant,¡¯ Apexus thought, not one to end life until he wanted to eat. To at least halfway fulfil that promise, he lowered the ripped out moss to his stomach. The thin membrane there parted and he spilled around the plant before pulling it inside to digest. It was often easier to eat like that, rather than do it like humans and try to chew things and swallow them afterwards.


    He could have just looked down, but at that point this was a learning exercise, Apexus tried to pick up that snapping thing again, this time only using thumb and index finger. It worked and he raised that thing to his face. A fragment of bone, belonging to a creature that Apexus knew only too well, since that was the same kind of bone his skeleton currently was made from. Human bone, he dropped it with a level of disgust.


    People had been killed here, he knew that already, but seeing it was another thing. The end of thinking life was bad, worse was that there were other people who would never see who they care about again. That was the aspect of killing that Apexus despised, those left behind. The shocked face of the guard flared in his memories again.


    Then he heard something.


    It was quiet, a sound that had just started. Apexus¡¯ blue fox ears turned to locate the source of the sound. It was loudest to his right. Like stomping into mud or swirling fluids around, the squelching echoes grew to a certain quiet and stayed there, only noticeable thanks to being the only thing down here to be heard.


    Apexus turned his view, walked, the amount of bones grew. The further he went in, the more of them mounted, the closer he got to that sound. Soon the moss covered bones made way for semi-complete skeletons. Jaws parted in death into an endless death scream, cowered into tiny balls or stretched out. They hadn¡¯t died a sudden death, that much was certain. The squelching sound was so close now, Apexus tried to sneak as best he could, but bones snapped under his weight again and again, like a pathway laid with dire twigs.


    And at the end of that path sat the Skinwalker.

 Requiem 13

    ¡°Lay-Maker. Depth-Strider. Truth-Seeker.¡±


    Cheery, clacketing words echoed from the squelching sounds, a disgustingly mechanical contrast, now that Apexus could see the demon. To call it a creature would have been an affront to living creatures. It was a physical impossibility made flesh and that meant quite a bit said by a slime.


    ¡°Skin-Bringer. Dark-Stalker. Spell-Flinger.¡±


    It continued to rant on, always three batches of two connected words, spoken in a steady rhythm, all while Apexus still tried to understand what exactly he was looking at. It was like a carpet of human skin, stretched out in a grotesque way and stitched together with tiny legs, like a centipede¡¯s, still wiggling around at times.


    ¡°New-creature. Lightless-Reaper. Bone-Creeper.¡±


    It was wider than some houses, a show untypical of its kind, showing just how many people it got to consume over the years. Laying on the floor like a fleshy carpet, the surface of white, brown, black and all different kinds of skin moved eternally like an unsteady ocean.


    ¡°News-bringer. Freedom-Ringer. False-Speaker.¡±


    The rippling had the same source as the squelching sound. Apexus could see this when managing to glance under the surface, seeing yet more of the thin legs of varying sizes wiggle in the little ways an exoskeleton allowed. The legs were directly attached to some sort of semi-liquid membrane, to which the human skin was attached.


    ¡°Hello-Monster. Greetings-Creature. Salutations-Friend.¡±


    Apexus took a step backwards as the demon rose, the centre of it thin body pulled upwards by some invisible hand. A centre patch of skin as black as tar was now clearly visible, towering far above Apexus as the horrid monstrosity transformed from a carpet into a tower. The ground it had previously covered revealed withered moss, the shreds of torn, blood red robes, and a number of decaying bodies.


    None of them had even a single bite taken out of them. Indeed, it seemed like they hadn¡¯t been harmed whatsoever. Save for their skin, which had carefully been removed by the longer legs of the creature. Like a worm knew to dig, a bird how to sing, so did the Skinwalker demon know how to perfectly rip off the human epidermis.


    It rose to be as tall as the ceiling allowed it to, its body a grotesque warping of a humanoids under a robe, legs protruding outwards. Short and thin, curved like sickles, they stretched out the gaps between skin patches and the holes where mouths and eyes of its victims had formerly been.


    It was the sheer amount of murder that Apexus saw stitched together that managed to make him sick to the acid. All while the cheery, clacketing voice continued, barely overpowering the squelching of the demon¡¯s singular internal organ continuing to cling onto the skin and birth more and more legs.


    ¡°Friend-Foe? New-Apprentice? Demon-Tamer?¡± the Skinwalker spoke from that central, pitch black patch, piece. Now that it was fully upright, it looked like an armless, cowl-covered torso. The head had all the right pieces of human exterior, lips, nose, ears, but they all had a smoothness to their surface that made it seem more like polished stone than proper skin. Furthermore, the sockets of its eyes were empty, and its mouth only filled with more centipede legs.


    Apexus continued to back up, now in search of a way to defeat this thing. They both seemed to have bodies with similar baselines. Large, slow, heavy and flexible, but the Skinwalker had two clear advantages over the chimeric slime. The demon was the superior in all of them and his killing method, those sickle-like legs, had a tremendously longer reach than Apexus¡¯ acid.


    ¡®Own advantages,¡¯ the slime thought as he continued to analyse his way around the battlefield. The Skinwalker followed, more curious than hostile. It seemed the superiority in all aspects included being the slower of the two of them, at least as far as ground movements were concerned. There was also the obvious thing, the demon wasn¡¯t the dullest thing Apexus had ever encountered, but he clearly wasn¡¯t nearly on the level of intellect the evolving blob was.


    Taking a protruding sickle, Apexus ripped at it while he took another step backwards. The leg came off easily, the demon didn¡¯t even seem to notice the loss. A new one didn¡¯t immediately spring up, so it didn¡¯t seem like the Skinwalker had enormous regeneration. Regardless, it had several hundreds of these legs, so yanking them out one at a time didn¡¯t seem like a proper strategy.


    ¡®Would it follow to shallower areas?¡¯ Apexus wondered, always careful to follow his own steps backwards to avoid suddenly finding himself back to the wall. Where they currently were, the ceiling was quite tall, allowing the Skinwalker to use its size for a range advantage. Better to spread it out, that black tar in the middle was clearly the centre of the demon.


    ¡°Boring-Walker. Slow-Tracker. Yawn-Inducer.¡±


    Apexus decided that he would see what chattering back would cause. ¡°You are odd.¡±


    ¡°Odd? Yes. Odd? Yes. Odd? Yes.¡± A different rhythm, but the same structure, a sudden red light flaring up in its empty eye socket. ¡°Demon my kind. Impreh my type. Skinwalker my like.¡±


    ¡°Your red eyes remind me of an old man in the woods,¡± the slime stated carelessly, just wondering what reactions he would get out of the demon. It suddenly froze. Every last leg, every last facet of its being, stopped moving. Even the squelching became silence.


    ¡°Aaaaapooooothooooooooo,¡± it¡¯s voice was suddenly deep and revering. ¡°Sparkless-Master. Endless-Desirer. Deathless Greed, his work of Art.¡±


    Apexus felt like he was talking to an ant who had just picked up the scent of its queen. There was a slight sense of dread he felt himself at the idea that the Warlock had this sort of effect by just being mentioned to this sort of creature. Regardless, this was a potential upside the slime wasn¡¯t just going to leave untested. ¡°Apotho would like for me to kill and eat you,¡± he bluntly stated.


    ¡°As-desired. Skinwalker-dies. Hull-decays. Spark returns to roots far down, for the demon shall return to haunt,¡± the abomination spoke that last sentence in an untypical smoothness. Less like something said and more like a song studied in advance and regurgitated without understanding the words. Then the entire thing just laid down.


    Meanwhile, the slime could not believe that worked. He had hoped for it, for sure, but in the same way a lazy man in his bed just hopes a cup of hot tea will just appear on his nightstand. It was so good that Apexus at first didn¡¯t dare to approach at all, first tearing off some pieces of skin along the rim.


    Wherever skin was ripped from the demon¡¯s body, a sticky liquid oozed out. Once in contact with air, it quickly evaporated, leaving only a clotted, black crust that stayed on top of the squishier main body of the demon, to which the legs were attached. No matter how often Apexus did that, the Skinwalker just remained motionless.


    Once Apexus had shredded and torn enough skin to feel secure, that the Skinwalker wasn¡¯t trapping him in some way, no organism would have to taken that amount of damage when they were already at an advantage, he approached the centre. The demon remained still, Apexus rose up and began to expand his stomach around the heart of the creature. He would feel safer once that thing was for sure dead and he could eat all of him in peace.


    The second the head started to be dissolved, however, there was a sudden shift in the Skinwalker¡¯s behaviour. The body that had laid still rippled in a panicked burning of energy. Apexus was thrown off when the demon rose tall again, ripping a hole into the slime¡¯s stomach, out the side, as the enveloped head was suddenly freed again.


    The legs ripped at Apexus as he fell, creating thin, shallow cuts that healed quickly. Only that central loss of mass was a bit concerning, but even it closed to satisfactory degree once there was distance between them again.


    ¡°SPARK-EATER! LIFE-DEVOURER! ALIEN-MONSTER!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that the Skinwalker was suddenly disregarding his respect for Apotho. There was a different, much deeper sitting reason that the demon no longer dared to risk being devoured by this being. With all of his legs, the Skinwalker rushed towards the chimeric slime.

 Requiem 14

    ¡°SPARK-EATER! SPARK-EATER! SPARK-EATER!¡°


    The demon had lost all semblance of intelligence now and was screaming that single title over and over again as it tried to catch up to Apexus. They had long stopped their slow prowling and now the nightmare of sewn skin and sickle-legs rushed after Apexus, who himself was moving at the best sprint he could muster.


    While a human could have easily outpaced them, the force with which their heavy bodies moved would have crushed numerous bones in a regular person¡¯s body upon impact. Apexus could feel the entire cave shake when he took a sharp turn and the demon rammed into the wall behind him, before using his countless sickles on his top side to crawl along the wall just as he was crawling along the floor.


    The hundred-fold staccato chased Apexus as he kept as much of a distance between them as he could. His earlier estimate about the creature being slower had proven true, albeit it wasn¡¯t quite as easy as that. While Apexus was doubtlessly quicker on his feet, the demon''s speed was consistent no matter where they passed. As the chimeric slime had found out in the last few minutes of being chased and almost getting caught, while heading through a part too shallow to properly utilize his legs.


    ¡°SPARK-EATER!¡± if the vibrations and tiny, individual steps hadn¡¯t tipped Apexus off he was still being chased, the ceaseless screams certainly did. Apexus wanted to understand what had caused this shift in behaviour, this particular phrase to be hurled at him over and over. However, making up a plan to win this seemed like a priority.


    Apexus wasn¡¯t just running away to escape those sickles, although that was certainly a good reason to keep up the distance. In the first place, he had chosen flight over fight because he figured that the injuries the demon had already sustained would soon take their toll. However, there were no signs of the abomination minding any of the black, crusted patches or it slowing down because of them. Occasionally they would crack open, causing a bit of black liquid to trickle, evaporate and instantly seal the wound again.


    The higher up they got, the quicker the wounds seemed to close. Something that Apexus noted along the ever withdrawing amount of moss around them.


    While Skinwalker had no high regeneration capabilities, it was tremendously good at the initial sealing of its wounds. Stamina loss was prevented to the largest part. As such, Apexus initial strategy of just waiting until the bleeding caused the Skinwalker to die of exhaustion, was out. Now, the slime was trying to think of an alternative strategy.


    ¡®Could try to lure it out¡­¡¯ the slime thought, but immediately dismissed that strategy. Not only did he not know what he could achieve outside better than in here, Gizmo had made it sound like this demon was bound to these caves. While that opened the option of fleeing, Apexus didn¡¯t want to take that either. While the wounds weren¡¯t as useful as Apexus had hoped, they were still better than fighting this thing when it was uninjured. Apexus was pressed for time already anyway.


    As such, Apexus turned away from the way that would have brought him back up towards the entrance and instead into some depths that weren¡¯t part of the demon¡¯s lair. Soon, stone made way to glowing moss again. The softness causing both of them to become a tad slower.


    There had to be something else down here, something that Apexus could utilize if he was smart about it. Where there was moss, there was humidity, there had to be water. Where there was water, there were lakes.


    All he had to do was find it.


    A search that sent him through yet another shallow passage. Slipping in as quickly as he could, he used as much of his distance as he could to avoid the sickle claws. The screams, however, were right behind him as he rushed through stone above and moss below.


    ¡°SPARK-EATER! SPARK-EATER! SPARK-EATER!¡° The Skinwalker immediately flattened down and practically flowed into the gap in the stone like a living puddle. Apexus would have doubled his efforts to claw through, if he had any more speed to give. Hands tore out moss in a panicked fashion that didn¡¯t allow for the earlier guilty conscience about wasting food. The sickles were already ripping at his soles, slicing down to the bone, threatening to engulf even more of him.


    Then he grabbed some sort corner in the darkness before him. Pulling into the extension of the cave, Apexus fell down a drop and then rolled uncontrollably. A sharp slope, disorienting him completely, was exactly the thing he needed. Even though it wasn¡¯t pleasant, this created distance once again. Distance that the Skinwalker didn¡¯t regain, naturally choosing to remain in control of its own movements, as it spilled out of the crack in a controlled and secured fashion.


    Apexus came to a halt on the soft moss and hurriedly oriented himself. In the soft glow of the pale plants, he saw it. A lake. A pretty big lake, especially considering how far underground it was. It seemed sufficiently deep, and the humid air condensed on the ceiling, allowing stalagmites to form.


    Apexus felt nostalgic at the sight, was it so close to his birthplace, although undoubtedly a different chamber. He didn¡¯t have the time to revel in this though, as the Impreh-class demon was immediately on his tail. ¡°SPARK-EATER!¡± it bellowed with utmost contempt as it charged once more as quick as its physique allowed.


    Backing off into the shore of the lake, moss hastily making room for the water, Apexus let the Skinwalker approach. The abomination only saw the target it had to destroy before it could grow to become an even greater threat. Towering up high it attempted to slice at Apexus. The slime dodged to the side. The demon stretched its body in a slamming downwards motion, lead by the pitch-black centre of its sewn-together body.


    An attack that Apexus met with literally open arms. Embracing the screeching monstrosity, the chimeric slime held against the attack. His head and chest vibrated under the impact, but the core surface of the Skinwalker had none of the sickle-legs. Which made this anything but a secure position, as there was still a myriad of them digging into his waist and upper legs. Also, they weren¡¯t standing still, the demon immediately tried to free himself.


    Locked into a raw power struggle, one for which both creatures were poorly equipped too handle, Apexus dropped all tension in his body and simply let his mass drop towards the lake. The large monsters disturbed a serenity that had been untouched for years, as they slammed into the surface, causing every last creature inside the lake, from the smallest insect to the biggest axolotl, to scramble from their resting position and go somewhere this source of turmoil wasn¡¯t.


    Apexus dragged the two of them along the shallow water, into the deeper parts of the lake. His legs became unusable for this soon, all slime was scrapped of the bones by the endless scratching of the sickles. By then, they were deep enough that Apexus could utilize his wings for a single beat, propelling them yet deeper.


    Water fully surrounded them, hot, heavy, and the flat body of the Skinwalker was not prepared to deal with a liquid environment. If he had been sprawled out, maybe he could have floated, but all clumped up and with Apexus attached to him, they instead stuck to the floor like a stone.


    And the wounds that Apexus had observed sealing so quickly, they all opened again. The black vapour rising of the wounds as they quickly crusted over had tipped Apexus off that the demon¡¯s blood simply evaporated quickly once exposed to the air, leaving only the hard bits to seal the wound. That this effect had accelerated where there was less moisture in the air was the final piece that had told Apexus that proper, liquid water, would cause the crust to liquify again.


    Not just that, but the demon was clearly not designed to exist under water. Even though the same could be said about Apexus¡¯ current shape, at least he had experience with this environment. Most importantly, however, water hindered quick movements.


    Apexus once more began to flow around the black centre of the demon¡¯s body. On land, that move would have carried the risk of getting thrown off the thrashing abomination again mid-engulfment. Now, however, with their combined weight pressing them into the lakebed, that was no worry. Doubly so, since the Skinwalker was laying on his side, confused and crumpled together, instead in the flat state that allowed it to rise up quickly.


    That didn¡¯t mean that Apexus was safe. In a desperate throw of motions, the demon tried to writhe its body around the slime. Its inexperience with water was what saved the digesting blob the most pain. The Skinwalker tried to move in a spread-out way, to cover as much in one move as possible. That worked through air, but in water it created an enormous amount of resistance against itself. It only accelerated the process of getting tired out from blood loss.


    It screamed still in the water, gargled sounds, coming from airless lungs. Empty eye sockets flared with red light. Even as Apexus engulfed the smooth black skull, the creature continued to scream. The words were gone, but the intent shifted, from anger to panic. Endless panic. Right up until the demon died.

 Requiem 15

    Apexus felt different after consuming the demon.


    Not better or worse. At least not in the sense of any mood. He was feeling more powerful, definitely. Faster, more acute, as if his slime itself had received an upgrade. This was a general trend from every thing he ate, but this time it just felt so much more pronounced. A noticeable jump in his basic power, what laid underneath all the Growths.


    To which he now got to add a new one. Gizmo had been right, not that there was any doubt after seeing the monstrosity. Eating it, Apexus had understood quite a bit about the demon and its rather absurd lifecycle. There had been next to no internal organs to it, only a blood producing lump within the pitch-black main body, few sensory systems and a number of magical cortexes scattered throughout the body, usually one per skin segment.


    Apexus didn¡¯t need blood, especially not that odd stuff. For the sensory systems, he failed to make them work properly. They were based on magic, that much was clear, and the chimeric slime continued to be incompetent in that field. While he definitely wanted to change that at some point, now definitely wasn¡¯t the time for experiments. Same reason he didn¡¯t want that magical cortex, which he formed but failed to use in any way.


    Choosing them as a Permanent Growth would have likely alleviated that problem, but not completely and there was no guarantee. This was, again, not the time for experiments and he didn¡¯t want to get used to rather odd muscle structures.


    On the outside, its skin was fascinating. It extended beyond the pitch-black exterior of the central body that Apexus had seen. The skin could grow on continuously, but, like Apexus¡¯ slime, stopped working if too far removed from the creature¡¯s head. That was, unless it had some sort of magical conductor. A magical conductor it attached to itself by the virtue of its skin being able to thin itself until blood poured through. Blood that turned into some sort of cohesive glue and centipede legs, in these, the right circumstances.


    Apexus realized that the Skinwalker had flailed and worn all of those skins as a way to protect the vulnerable parts of itself. It was like a hermit crab in that sense. Except, rather than an extension of a hard shell, the demon needed flexible skin that could also work with magic to some degree, since the demon¡¯s existence was seeped with it. Every piece of human skin added to its collective allowed the Skinwalker to get bigger, absorb more magic from the surroundings, and served as an extension of its central sensory system.


    The slime was still opposed to the killing of anything sapient, so the demon¡¯s particular prey he found disgusting, but overall it was a fascinating creature. Especially since it so clearly shouldn¡¯t have been alive. It didn¡¯t eat, it didn¡¯t breathe, it didn¡¯t drink, it just existed off the magic in the air and grew by flaying skin off careless humans.


    Without a single human yet devoured, it would have been an armless torso on a fleshy, lightly bleeding lump of flesh, walking on the few centipede legs it could sustain. It would have been barely able to sense anything. On its own, the Skinwalker was short-sighted, could only hear the loudest noises, had a dull sense of touch and Apexus wasn¡¯t even quite sure if it could pick up scents.


    In other words, Apexus couldn¡¯t see how these things managed to start-off on their own. The slime knew fairly little about Warlocks and how happy many of them were to feed a few humans to their demonic companions in exchange for power and loyalty.


    All of that aside, Apexus knew instantaneously which part of the demon he wanted permanently. The skin wasn¡¯t just good for him, it was a natural addition to Apexus¡¯s own physique. It was malleable, which was always good when getting added to a largely liquid being. That it could thin itself out exactly like his membrane was also simply perfect.


    Testing it a bit, it was actually quicker than his membrane in the whole opening and closing department. It was also more durable, despite being thinner, although Apexus still managed to puncture through it with a particularly sharp rock. As a side benefit, it ended the slime¡¯s translucency.


    Apexus wasn¡¯t sure yet how important that was. Just on the face of it, having enemies not see what he possessed of internal organs and where they were located was already pretty great. If there was much usage beyond that, however, eluded him.


    The choice was easily made just with knowing those things. Having picked the Skinwalker¡¯s hide as his Permanent Growth for this victory, however, something unexpected happened. The skin didn¡¯t just layer on top of Apexus¡¯ membrane, it replaced it entirely. Things that became a lasting part of his body usually were modified in some fashion, this time it also modified his baseline.


    ¡®Body must have noticed the superior option,¡¯ Apexus analysed as he got used to that new feeling. Only to feel himself thicken up, particularly around the limbs, as the densed down membrane dissolved into normal slime again. ¡®Nooooo¡­¡¯ he whined internally, not looking forwards to looking for a solution to being too big again. However, it soon turned out to be no problem whatsoever. For two reasons.


    One, Apexus found out, relatively quickly, that he could actually fuel slime into the new skin as well, slightly increasing its stability. And stability was the proper term there, because it didn¡¯t really become harder or thicker. It just became harder to break through, while remaining just as flexible and thin. It was a longshot from something like the armours that guards were wearing, but it sure beat regular human skin.


    Secondly, and that was even more interesting, like his bones, this new skin allowed control of his slime to be extended. This didn¡¯t boost Apexus¡¯ morphing ability itself in any tremendous way, neither in scope nor speed. What it did do, however, was that it allowed him to hold these shifts in shape for long times without developing a slime-ache over it, as he had before.


    It was a Growth that was almost tailored to the slime¡¯s needs. It boosted all of his current capabilities and functioned as a wonderful base for the future. He could feed excess mass into the skin, so the problem of growing uncontrollably was solved, for now. If there was a maximum to this, Apexus hadn¡¯t found it yet. The limiting factor was that the increase in stability, just as the shift back, cost time and energy. It wasn¡¯t something he could do quickly; it was also impossible to focus on chosen areas. It all increased in sturdiness equally.


    As for the looks of it, Apexus hadn¡¯t changed much. He was the same azure blue colour, he just wasn¡¯t translucent anymore. His surface was largely smooth, except for the little bumps and depressions that came from the pheromone ducts. Whether that made him more or less nightmarish to the average person was, indeed, a matter between them fainting at his sight or just soiling themselves. After all, he was still an over two-metres long amalgam of different animals.


    In summary, this skin was perfect for Apexus. More things could be layered on top of it or put underneath and it would be able to take new shapes as needed for them. Aside from those benefits in the future, there was one for now as well. The mass of normal slime that made up the limbs, so closely around a bone and surrounded by skin, was under pretty much perfect control now.


    While it still didn¡¯t reach the level of musculature, it came pretty close now. Apexus trotted out of the cave with smooth motions. He left behind a lake that would soon calm itself again and a huge spot of bare ground. All of those experimentations had cost a lot of moss to be fuelled.

 Requiem 16

    Reysha¡¯s teeth reverberated with an odd pleasantness as she dragged them over the bones. Scraping off whatever remains of meat were on the carcass of the monster she had slain not much earlier. She tossed the stripped bone aside and went to devour the remains of the oversized rat. Her teeth sank directly into the bloody guts, using her hands to secure the body in place as she ripped bite for bite out of it.


    The dungeon she was in right now was popular with adventurers almost strong enough to leave this world behind and begin their proper journeys with their starting abilities fleshed out. North-east of the church, it was much less controlled by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. For the simple reason that it possessed more than once entrance.


    Caveborder, that was the uncreative name the dungeon had. Accessed through one of numerous holes in the ground and landscape in general, it was a system of artistically decorated chambers, connected via normal cave tunnels, that stretched along the rim of the leaf. The chambers stretched out in every direction, especially downwards, however.


    If she had been of a better mindset, Reysha may have appreciated the view. Instead, she was using the invisible wall, that prevented her from dropping into the endless abyss of black and silver below, as something to press her prey against to rip off a particular strenuous piece of flesh.


    Although the dungeon was quite popular, its difficult to monitor entrances and anthill-esque internal structure made it the perfect hideout for Reysha during her wait for the Day of the First Ascension. That she could see sunrise and fall from within those chambers as well was just as important, as she otherwise could have lost track of time.


    And time was the only thing she counted like a proper human anymore.


    Without someone to hold her back or talk to, Reysha had given into her bestial desires for the past few days. There was no reason to be held back by such things as efficiency or decency. Her prey was hunted for as long as it continued to amuse her. Luckily for everyone involved, she still possessed enough common sense to avoid other people. A murder case in the dungeon could have brought unwarranted attention, when she was so close to her goal.


    ¡®Just stay low, Reysha, just stay low,¡¯ she silently repeated to herself as she licked her lips, running with blood. She was still wearing the standardized, brown leather uniform of the city guard that she had stolen. Although it was not quite apparent, having been doused in blood and scrubbed as clean as was possible with bare hands numerous times.


    She had no weapons, the short sword had been unsalvageable following her outburst in the cave and the little knife she in addition soon broke. Not to any of her care, her claws and fangs were as reliable as ever. Additionally to that, Apotho had supplied her with a number of concoctions. Health potions, for the most part, with their typical red colour. More importantly, however, an array of oddly tinted potions, green, yellow, purple, primarily, with other colours swirling inside, that the warlock had explained to her in quick detail.


    All of them there to boost her success rate in what she was going to do in just a few days. Just like he had supplied those potions and the bag to transport them in, Apotho had also told her where to lie in wait and what to do. In essence, it was quite easy: keep Noir satisfied until the day of the First Ascension came. Then, while everyone in the damned Church was out praying to gods that wouldn¡¯t listen anyway, she would get in there and find whatever she was supposed to find.


    Reysha was perfectly aware that she was being used as a tool by a life-sucking warlock sealed to a confinement to die of old age. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t expect these things to take a horrible turn for her. She was simply fine with whatever happened as long as every single person that had made her suffer through these last months suffered ten times as much. Everyone involved in her losing someone she had actually cared about, everyone responsible for making Aclysia suffer that loss, they would all be consumed by her vengeance.


    What that would cost? Well, that part she cared fairly little about. The whole Church could burn as far as she was concerned, self-righteous pricks that they were. Those people unknowing of the situation in the city, well, those should keep their head low and just wait for these things to blow over. ¡°As those uninformed cowards always do,¡± Reysha hissed at the world as she left the remains of her meal behind.


    Loss of life amongst those third parties she accepted as a possibility. She didn¡¯t crave their death, certainly didn¡¯t think that they deserved to die just because they were in the proximity. It was just that she didn¡¯t care if a few of them got caught up in the crossfire. After all, they hadn¡¯t cared for her being executed for having committed no crime either. A favour would always be responded with in kind. As long as nobody did anything stupid, nobody would die unnecessarily and Reysha could live with that.


    Those were rationalizations she had made days ago and that she sometimes, instinctively, combed through again as she stalked through the tunnels. ¡®I should search for a healing fountain,¡¯ she thought. The pools here were spread throughout the dungeon just as they had been in Clearwater. A difference being that they weren¡¯t as pleasantly warm around here. Rather, they were as cold as the surroundings. Reysha didn¡¯t care all that much, she just needed to be clean and at her best.


    Come tomorrow, she would make her way over to the church. One day, she would lie in wait, scout out the area. Then the Day of the First Ascension would come. While the procession would leave towards the south, she would sneak into the building from the north. That was her best shot at getting inside. Apotho had described the path she had to take as best he could, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she had to get down there through guards and a building she had never been inside of before.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t fucking matter, none of it matters, I will succeed,¡¯ she grimly thought to herself. ¡®I will have my vengeance.¡¯

 Requiem 17

    Mehily was following a hunch. It wasn¡¯t much. actually, it was basically nothing, but it was not factually nothing, which was what she would have had otherwise. Aclysia had fled several days ago. Tomorrow would be the Day of the First Ascension. Then they would have all the resources to concentrate on searching for the three escaped or revived targets again.


    That was for the Church at large. Mehily herself had little to do these days. The Cardinal had kept her close, which honoured her to no end. He must have seen something in her or, at the very least, wanted to talk in confidentiality about these current affairs with someone that wasn¡¯t Evmeria. That second explanation seemed more likely, given the Inquisitor¡¯s zealotry.


    A zealotry, Mehily confessed at one of these talks, that she wished she herself could maintain. ¡°I still feel honest disgust at Reysha¡¯s choice of company. I understand the need to catch the slime, even if I don¡¯t entirely know what it is you fear he knows. The angel¡¯s love for it is odd to me. However, I can no longer bring myself to just accept all of these things as wrong¡­¡±


    It had gnawed at her, doubt, it was an emotion she had buried under mountains of prayers. Then, after she had been spared by a monster, under the purpose the Church gave her. Now that her world-view was shook by the slime not being a true monster, neither prayers nor purpose prevented the doubt from creeping into her thoughts, bubbling to the surface.


    She had told the Cardinal all of this with a hanging head.


    ¡°Good,¡± was the last answer she had expected.


    ¡°Good, your holiness?¡± she had raised her head and furrowed her eyebrows. They were a bit thicker than the average woman¡¯s, so the expression had carried her confusion quite clearly.


    ¡°What is faith, Mehily?¡± the Cardinal had asked, grabbing two cups. He set them down and they were miraculously filled with a liquid. It smelled sweet and looked like wine, a reddish-purple colour. It was one of the many forms Ambrosia took, holy food and drink that higher-level Priests could create. At the level of Remezan¡¯s ability, it could be used as a complete replacement of normal nourishment.


    ¡°Belief in the word of the gods, your holiness,¡± she had answered without a moment¡¯s hesitation, causing the Cardinal to shake his head. ¡°Is my definition wrong?¡± she had been confused by this reaction. It was what the Priest¡¯s codex had taught her.


    ¡°No, it is exactly correct, but you make the same mistake as the faithless and the neophytes always do,¡± he had sighed. ¡°You repeat, but you do not understand. You add silent words that change the meaning of the entire definition¡­¡± She had still been confused, so the Cardinal had added a little more. ¡°The gods are no tyrants, Mehily. That is the only hint I want to give you. Even Jersoja, strictest among the gods, has never endorsed a tyrant.¡±


    ¡®Tyrant¡­¡¯ Mehily had since thought about this and today was no different. What had the Cardinal meant? What was a tyrant? Somebody who suppressed his people to keep himself in absolute power. What was faith? Belief in the word of the gods. What silent word was it that the Cardinal meant she added?


    The answer seemed to swim at the edge of her mind and elude her whenever she grasped for it. Did she even want to catch it? It seemed to be uncertain out there, beyond her horizon. She would step into a sea of things she did not know. Worse yet, a place where she couldn''t infer new things properly from her previous knowledge. It was fear that stifled her, fear of the unknown.


    It felt like she was gazing into the darkness between the branches.


    Yet, the darkness inside her mind seemed tiny, incomprehensibly unimportant, compared to the darkness beyond the Omniverse.


    The world seemed to be dominated by darkness in every aspect. Corners of her mind unexplored and dangerous. Corners of the world unexplored and hungering. Starving. Waiting for somebody to look at them, creating new, further corners, an endless carpet of unanswered eventualities that only multiplied with each new question and even answer introduced into the vast carpet of reality. Even just remembering that tiny bit she had seen, it was gnawing at her mind. The hand she touched the door with seemed to tingle and then¡­


    She shook her head and concentrated on her task at hand. All of these things had to wait. Maybe. Her mind was still involuntarily swarming around the questions, as she walked down the dirt road. She had disliked marching previously. Being outside the cities, where the streets were swept regularly, caused the rim of her robes to stain with particles of dust and samp dirt, not quite qualifying to be called mud. This was especially true around here, on the roads that separated farms, where grass had made room for crops, less reliant on sealing up the ground.


    Warriors and even other mages tended to not care about the dirt. On their leather or coloured cloth, it didn¡¯t show a lot. On Mehily¡¯s white priest robe, bleached completely with not a single decoration, every bit of dirt ruined the pristine white. There were no blue stripes on her. For the moment, she had taken off the colours of Jersoja, as she couldn¡¯t bear to wear his colour while she didn¡¯t understand his words. Oddly enough this, too, the Cardinal had approved of, just like this suggestion when she had made it.


    There was a report made to the city guard that clothes had been stolen, not the most unusual thing. People hung out their clothes to dry in the sun, often leaving them out overnight. Be it jesting Rogues in training, mischievous kids, or confused drunks, clothes disappeared every now and again. It was often annoying, but more often ignored.


    This time, a dress had been stolen that seemed to have some sentimental value, so the wife had urged her man to make the report on his next trip to the city. Nobody really guessed anything would come of it, but it couldn¡¯t hurt to try. Mehily had happened to ask about exactly things like this a few hours later.


    The logic was quite easy, Aclysia would need to wear something. Angels of the God of Arts and Actors were universally known for their distaste to be naked. That could be seen as a common sense thing, but angels were under no obligation to obey common sense. It largely depended on their creator what personality traits they would display. For Hashahin, his direct creations usually were dedicated to their one role in life to a degree other might find absurd, Mehily not being one of them, or wore many faces. In either case, their naked bodies were not the usual canvas they used to display their acting.


    Aclysia was, quite clearly, the former type. Nothing of the way she had carried herself had ever shown her to be someone who acted out other characteristics than her dedicated love and respect for life. Even the way she fled had been accurate to her, taking the road most harmful to herself in order to avoid making things difficult for others.


    ¡®Just what have we destroyed?¡¯ Mehily wondered, for maybe the hundredth time, as she trotted along.


    It was just a hunch that Aclysia had stolen that dress. There was no way to know for certain. As a matter of fact, it was entirely unlikely that she had. Even so, Mehily wanted to see for herself. That she was on her own, had several reasons. They couldn¡¯t move as quickly as a group. They were easily spotted as a group. Since she could just fly away once she spotted them, actually trying to catch her was unrealistic. Indeed, Mehily didn¡¯t want to catch the metal fairy at all.


    She just wanted to tell her a simple thing. A simple thing that she shouted at the top of her lungs, now that she had arrived in the area. It made her look like a madwoman to those farmers around going after their daywork, but that didn¡¯t matter. She had accepted that her path as a Priest would sometimes earn her questioning gazes or even scorn. Despite her reason for this, her shaken faith, her resolve remained.


    It was something that Aclysia wouldn¡¯t hear for as long as she avoided people. Something that she needed to hear and that may yet salvage this situation, at least to some degree. ¡°APEXUS IS ALIVE, DO YOU HEAR, ACLYSIA? APEXUS IS ALIVE!¡±

 Requiem 18

    Aclysia had indeed stolen that dress. It wasn¡¯t much. Well, it was much for a farmer¡¯s dress. The cloth was of high-quality, had been treated well enough that it never once had needed to be sewn back together and definitely looked custom made. Only that last point was why Aclysia had taken this particular one.


    She would have been happy to wear a modified potato sack. No, not happy, but willing to. Just something with which to cover her pale skin was a great improvement from her recent lifestyle. All she had done these last few days was wander around, remain unseen as best she could and gnaw on leaves to keep her energy up.


    Meat would have been a much better way of feeding herself, but she abhorred the idea of killing an animal to make her own day easier. She wasn¡¯t a predator like Apexus or Reysha. She understood that they needed to eat flesh, she didn¡¯t take umbrage with anyone doing so. Quite easily, she was even willing to help others hunt. Just she, herself, didn¡¯t want to partake in such a thing when she could avoid it. Eating leaves created barely more energy than the motion needed to eat and digest them, but it would be enough for her.


    Maybe, however, she would have to overcome that inhibition soon in order to create as much of an energy reserve as she, alone, could. After all, she was going to attend the Day of the First Ascension. Watch out for Reysha, first from the crowd, then from the air.


    The crowd was the reason why she had stolen this modified dress. It had a special cut to it, the back being free, allowing Aclysia to have her wings out, while also possessing an attached cape that hid her back. The purpose of this was clearly for a winged kind of humanoid to be able to wear them comfortably while also hiding them from gaze or weather conditions.


    Races with wings were a rarity, as gods had to compromise on a few things. There was a very much outspoken covenant between them that none of their spark-gifted creations could be exceedingly more powerful than another. The gold standard for this was the human. Average in basically every aspect and equally gifted for all kinds of magic.


    A secondary agreement was that, theoretically, all races could multiply with one another. Staying within a certain frame of sizes, shapes, power and such things helped in that regard. Trying to pair a giant with a gnome was difficult, but not impossible. Not that there weren¡¯t huge differences regardless.


    For a race to gain the ability to fly they had to, generally, give up a number of different things. Weight was the first thing to go, accompanied by height in most cases. Certain internal organs may be needed, internal gas bags that took some extra weight off. Hollow bones to compensate the strong back muscles. If the flight was magically supported or entirely on the back of it, then that would mean their magic cortexes, or enablers depending on which person taught, were modified. It made general spellcrafting harder for them than for other, less modified species.


    Aclysia didn¡¯t know what kind of humanoid the owner of this dress had been, but it had to be a magically supported one. Otherwise, they would hardly be so tall that the green-brown dress fit Aclysia. Not perfectly, it was a bit loose around her chest and the skirt was shorter than she would have liked, but pretty well all things considered. That she had found a fitting dress after days of searching had been a lucky break.


    ¡®Tomorrow,¡¯ Aclysia thought, plucking another leaf from a nearby bush and shoving it in her mouth. It tasted bland; a bit bitter all things considered. She made sure she wasn¡¯t accidentally eating any bugs. This time only partially because she would have felt bad for killing them. Sure, she did think of bugs as animals, be it less intelligent ones, but she wasn¡¯t that careful about life that she watched her step to not trample an ant. It was one thing to be respectful of values, it was an entirely different problem if one was dominated by them to the point of paralysis.


    Half of the reason why she was looking out for them was that she didn¡¯t like eating bugs. They squirmed if they were larva and they crunched disgustingly when they were properly grown. She liked neither feeling in her mouth. In the first place, she disliked eating. It would have been best if she had someone to drain mana off.


    ¡°¡­Apexus¡­¡±


    Although her mind went to the memory of her awakener as well, it wasn¡¯t actually Aclysia who either thought or mumbled that to herself. It was a distant sound. Somewhere from the direction of the cities outskirts from where she had stolen that dress. She hadn¡¯t moved too far away. In an attempt to conserve energy and remain hidden, she only moved on foot by night. It wasn¡¯t particularly effective, but she could always flee into the air in the worst case.


    Moving by day just wasn¡¯t too feasible. The stolen dress alone was quite unique, so she didn¡¯t want to go anywhere with it unless she knew there were a lot of people around to act as cover. Similarly, she felt she herself stood out too much. Even with her wings hidden and her white hair hidden poorly under a piece of cloth she had bound around her head she remained ludicrously pale for the inhabitant of a summer leaf. That and she was beautiful. She didn¡¯t think that to flatter herself, as a matter of fact, right now that was more trouble than it was worth.


    ¡°¡­APEXUS¡­¡±


    There was that scream again, a female voice. What reason would someone have to scream his name twice in the evening of a nice day? In the northern outskirts of the farming ring around Heralry, no less?


    There were two possible answers she could come up with. One was significantly more likely than the other. Either this was Reysha changing her voice and throwing a fit in public or somebody was trying to lure her out. Of course, the redheaded tiger girl was insane, sometimes incoherent, clearly immoral to the core and focused on her own desires, but Aclysia also knew her to be focused to a task, once she chose it. If her goal was to assassinate the Cardinal, then parading around like this in public would have been rather counter-productive.


    So, the second one reason was so much more likely that it almost insulted her that somebody would even try. The voice also sounded remotely familiar. She had heard it before, but only a few times.


    ¡°APEXUS¡­ ALIVE¡­¡± it echoed through the trees and Aclysia could feel her heartstrings taut. Anger and sadness rose to the surface. Even now they used his name to try and hurt her? The idea that they really would show around his core at the parade tomorrow didn¡¯t seem so unrealistic now. If she had any wisdom at all, she would have just gotten up and walked away. This was clearly a trap.


    Yet, instead, she got closer to hear exactly what was being shouted.


    It wasn¡¯t that she entirely relied on her ability to fly. If the enemy was smart and had the resources, and she believed the Church to have both, then they would have prepared something, be it as little as an ambush to pin her down. She wasn¡¯t a Rogue, she wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit adept at sneaking, so her steps soon caused rustles and snaps.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t I ever think logically about you, darling?¡¯ she asked a person that wasn¡¯t with her, to the best of her knowledge, would never be again. Even that little gush of hope that his name presented to her, she needed to go and hear all of it. The smart thing would have been to turn the other way. There was no way this was Reysha. There was no way this was the truth and yet¡­


    She spotted the blonde woman between the trees. A square face, not ugly, but with harder edges than was traditionally considered beautiful. Dark eyebrows that seemed a bit odd contrasted to her beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes that scanned around searchingly. That her gaze flew past Aclysia just made clear that she was at awful at finding people hiding as Aclysia was at hiding. The metal fairy just happened to wear clothes that harmonized with the colour of the forest and the underbrush itself was brilliant cover.


    ¡°APEXUS IS ALIVE, DO YOU HEAR, ACLYSIA? APEXUS IS ALIVE!¡± she screamed, over and over again. The only people around her where a few farmers, scratching their heads in the distance. Not a single soul of the Church in sight, only the one Priestess in pure-white robes, stained with the dust of a hot day.


    Aclysia covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stop herself from sobbing. Could it be true? No, how dare this person try something this blatant¡­ But maybe? No, no, no, her comrades had to lay in wait somewhere around, this couldn¡¯t be¡­


    Mehily turned in her direction and Aclysia froze. Had she spotted her after all? Their eyes seemed to meet for a moment. The sky was getting red, the sun setting on a clear sky. Fading light reflected in the Priestess eyes. ¡°It¡¯s getting late, isn¡¯t it?¡± she mumbled to herself, just loud enough for Aclysia to hear.


    The expression that settled on her face, now that she had stopped shouting, caused Aclysia¡¯s grief to overflow and blur her vision. Before her she saw someone who was alone, helpless, with too many questions on their mind and no easy answers in grasp. Someone who regretted a number of choices on their path.


    ¡®Perhaps I am just imagining this,¡¯ the metal fairy thought as she slowly rose out of the underbrush and started walking. ¡®Perhaps I just see myself. Perhaps I just want to hope where it doesn¡¯t make sense but¡­ please, father, Hashahin, you thirty-one other gods, you one true Progenitor, please, let me have faith in your creations and show me that not all is lost.¡¯


    Mehily looked at the angel as she stepped out of the forest, their eyes meeting in earnest. The tears that flowed down her face didn¡¯t match with the resolute expression she wore. Before the Priestess knew it, a question escaped her lips. ¡°Has my faith been rewarded?¡±


    Aclysia could only answer with the first thing that came to her mind. ¡°Did you come here believing or did you come here obeying?¡±

 Requiem 19

    Mehily had been ready to give up. She hadn¡¯t really thought anymore, just concentrated on healing her own throat to prevent it from going too hoarse to keep shouting. Regardless of that neat trick, she couldn¡¯t halt time and the time she had was limited. Then, suddenly, the angel just stepped toward her, looking resolute and crying.


    The question had slipped past her lips before she knew it. Something that bubbled out of her core. That, beyond all the doubt, it was faith she first spoke about was oddly soothing. Beyond all the doubt she currently experienced, she still had that central pillar of herself to hold onto. The question she received in answer, however, was what her active mind was immediately occupied by.


    ¡®Believe or obey¡­¡¯ she thought. ¡®Did I move because of what I believe or because I was ordered¡­ so that was it¡­¡¯ It just suddenly fell into place. The gods were no tyrants. What they taught was not something she just had to follow blindly. Faith was to believe in the message of the gods. Believing did not mean that she had to accept everything at face value. ¡®I have gone to the Church to seek the truth, then stopped and accepted the first answer I was given because it was spoken by an authority,¡¯ she realized. ¡®So that¡¯s it, the mistake that unbelievers and people uneducated in faith equally make, thinking the values presented are complete and unquestionable.¡¯


    That was scary. Unfathomably scary. Not even the message of the gods presented a complete picture of anything, not even they could solve every problem properly. No absolute certainty existed, no absolute authority on anything, only guidelines.


    However, that didn¡¯t suddenly invalidate the gospel she had been taught. She had to think and actually understand it. If it was fundamentally false, then it wouldn¡¯t have survived for so long and had led to such a prosperous organization in the Church and the worlds following the faith would have long collapsed. It wasn¡¯t false, it was incomplete and needed its followers to think for themselves to accurately follow it. What an odd faith that required people to constantly question themselves.


    ¡°Which is it?¡± the melodic voice of the angel ripped her out of her thoughts. Aclysia had no idea what the sudden silence meant. If she had known, she would have been confused. What Mehily was racking her head over was as clear to her as breathing. Not that this meant that Aclysia was without flaw she needed to improve. Just this thing, a tendency towards dogmatic thinking, she was born without.


    Mehily felt a little dizzy for a moment, holding her head. She would have to reflect more on this another time. Better yet, she had to talk to the Cardinal about this. Perhaps, now that she had finally found why doubt was good, he could show her something else. ¡°I am sorry¡­ you have brought me an answer to a question I embodied,¡± she explained herself poorly. No better way came to mind, so she answered the actual question. ¡°I came here to find you ¨C by myself. I came without order, grasping at straws. Believing, I would say, I came here believing.¡±


    Aclysia looked around, then at her hands. In doing so, she lowered her head just enough that somebody could try to get the drop on her. When a rustle in the nearby bushes reached her ears, the metal fairy suddenly spread her wings and seemed ready to take off. Mehily was already raising a hand to try and beg her to come back, but neither of them ever moved from their spot. Only a feral cat tapped close to them, then backed off and into the forest again. Just a curious creature.


    Slowly, Aclysia folded her wings behind the cover of the cape again. Nobody had taken the bait that gesture had presented, it seemed she truly was safe. With that basic thing poorly confirmed, she could no longer hold the question back that was truly burning in her mind. ¡°Did you scream that just to lure me out or is it true?¡± she stared at Mehily with wide open eyes. A spectre of fury boiled under the surface of hope. Which would devour the other, the Priestess¡¯ answer entirely dictated.


    ¡°It is true,¡± Mehily answered and, a few seconds later, when the words registered with her mind and no lie could be seen in her opposite¡¯s expression, Aclysia began to tremble. Her whole body was shaking, the strength sapped from her legs. While the tears rose in her eyes, the metal fairy slumped together. Although the two were nothing even approaching friends, she did not mind when Mehily caught her and then she started crying.


    It wasn¡¯t the same, unbelieving sadness that had overcome her at seeing her darling die. Not remotely in feeling and not even in appearance. Back then she had just cried as her body went through mechanical motions, unable to fully comprehend what had happened. Now the tears were running wildly over her face as her thinking mind entirely shut down, dissolved in a sea of endless, unreasonable happiness.


    There wasn¡¯t even a hint of grace when her sobbing echoed out with each ripple that went through her. Parts of her violently convulsed and relaxed. A deeply unpleasant feeling, her whole body was experiencing it. It was quite odd that such joy was exemplified by turning her body into a mess.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Aclysia managed to press out between sobs at one point. ¡°Thank you¡­ thank you so much¡­¡±


    They both knew that this was a thanks of the highest irony. Without Mehily and her actions, one when she forced Reysha from her group and two when she had reported Apexus as a dangerous existence, they wouldn¡¯t even have stood there. Regardless, Aclysia¡¯s words were genuine. Yes, the past between them wasn¡¯t clear, but for the moment it seemed that news were genuinely good.


    After about ten minutes, during which Mehily was entirely confused as to what she should do with the crying angel, half laying in her arms, Aclysia had calmed down again somewhat. The tears had washed out the superfluous emotions and now she was able to think again.


    Of course, those thoughts weren¡¯t entirely pleasant. Distancing herself a whole step from the Priestess, Aclysia asked, ¡°Tell me everything. How is he alive? Where is he? How is he? What do you plan to do with him?¡± Mehily hesitated for just a second, enough for the metal fairy to grow somewhat suspicious again. ¡°Why do you even tell me this?¡± she put the foremost question last.


    ¡°Because¡­ the Cardinal and I, we have come to the conclusion that we made a mistake,¡± she took a deep breath, knowing this next information could infuriate the angel, and with good reason. ¡°We kept the truth from you, because the Cardinal did not want to risk you trying to flee and meet the sli- Apexus.¡±


    ¡°That worked out perfectly for him, didn¡¯t it?¡± Aclysia asked drily, feeling somewhat surprised herself that such mockery exited her mouth. However, she wasn¡¯t angry. Resigned would be the way she described herself at that point. This all could have been avoided if the people in charge of the holy institution had been closer to humanity and tried less to look at things from above like gods.


    ¡°He planned to tell you after the Day of the First Ascension!¡± Mehily assured, looking at the floor afterwards. ¡°You must understand¡­ he has been very strained. His energy is focused elsewhere. I do not know what he needs to know of you, neither am I aware what he keeps his attention on, but leaving the church will apparently strain him¡­¡±


    ¡°You are quite open in sharing this,¡± Aclysia observed, surprised more so than suspicious.


    ¡°I already said, we have seen our mistake. There is need to do right by you,¡± Mehily explained herself, then paused again as she struggled how to put the other information into words. ¡°As to how, where and his current state¡­ I do not know. Nobody does. I can tell you the exact chain of events of his resurrection, but that is all.¡±


    ¡°Please do,¡± Aclysia said and listened carefully. From what had happened to her awakener¡¯s core, to his resurfacing, his flight and his last sighting. By the end of that tale, Aclysia was fuming. ¡°He was used as a private exhibit?¡± she asked, her voice as sharp as a focused sunray in absolute darkness. ¡°No, worse, you forced him into a position where he had to kill.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mehily hung her head. ¡°That blood is on our hands. As is that of the guards Reysha killed,¡± a remainder of her disliking for the tiger girl caused the blonde to say, ¡°although only in part of that one, she had different choices.¡± Of course, she was unaware of the death sentence that Reysha had supposedly received.


    Aclysia¡¯s index finger stabbed against the Priestess¡¯ collarbone. ¡°I am not remotely interested in your blame game,¡± the metal fairy felt genuine anger right now, that and hearing the Rogue¡¯s name had reminded her of the time and the events to happen tomorrow. ¡°No, Reysha is not perfect. She is an immoral, insane and unsteady person. She might have more character flaws than I can count, but I still care about her. Whatever sins she committed while fleeing prison are not yours to judge. You are neither a part of her group nor a person who runs society. For now, you are just one Priest, so see yourself as such.¡±


    Mehily felt dumbfounded by that sudden aggressiveness, could only nod. ¡°How come you know she is free?¡± she could not help but wonder, however. They had kept that information from her as well.


    ¡°I know more than that she is free, more than you, but less in other regards,¡± Aclysia stated as she straightened herself and closed her eyes to recover her calm. She had to think, think what this all meant. Did Apotho know Apexus was alive as well? If yes, then that would mean Gizmo had tried to tell her that she would actually meet him at the day of the First Ascension. Reysha was also supposed to be there.


    At the building. North. North of what? The place of the parade? Apotho had said Reysha would try to kill him at the start of the parade. There were too many pieces. What was the most likely scenario? How would Apotho profit in the different ways she acted?


    ¡®What are the doubtlessly true parts?¡¯ Aclysia asked herself, trying to stitch together the plan that would most likely allow her to gather the group again, get off the leaf unhindered and also cross all of Apotho¡¯s schemes. ¡®Reysha is going to be somewhere north. Apexus will be at the Day of the First Ascension. What are the questionably true parts? Reysha is going to try and assassinate the Cardinal. Reysha will do so at the start of the ceremony. What are the definitely false parts? I can¡¯t find any.¡¯


    She had no clear knowledge of when she could meet Apexus. However, she had, if doubtful, information of where Reysha would first make her appearance. Even if that was something Apotho had said, if he had actually believed her plead for vengeance, than he would have told her the truth. If he had done so and she wasn¡¯t there at the start of the ceremony, there was a fair chance that Reysha would get herself killed.


    The guards being doubtlessly vengeful aside, Reysha wasn¡¯t the sort of person that would just let herself get captured easily. Either she would be pressed down by an overwhelming force or she would fight until she dropped, dead or otherwise.


    Now it was Mehily that grew irritated by her opposites prolonged silence. ¡°Angel Aclysia?¡± she asked, causing the same to look at the Priestess again.


    ¡®Right, I don¡¯t need to plan as a sole actor,¡¯ the metal fairy thought, although she didn¡¯t quite trust the Priestess yet. ¡°I will need your help to right things as they are,¡± she simply stated, being obtuse where she could and saying what she had to. ¡°Are you willing to?¡±

 Requiem 20

    Apotho hummed quietly to himself. He couldn¡¯t even remember the last time he had hummed. His grasps towards his body had always been too short to create such an expression of joy, too infrequent and laden with interruptions by this guilty splinter of his consciousness. Now, the roles were reversed. Gizmo could only beat against the cage, sometimes reach out between the bars, but he was confined.


    Right now, the splinter was squirming. Apotho could feel that his alter-ego wanted to extend himself to stop what was happening. He didn¡¯t, however, Gizmo didn¡¯t hasten the decay of his fleeting grip on this world by needlessly stretching himself. ¡®How smart of you,¡¯ Apotho mocked, ¡®then again, you ARE me, an erudite mind is to be expected.¡¯


    He raised his hands and warmed them by the fire. It wasn¡¯t particularly large, just two chairs and a stump of wood. For the old Warlock, it had been equally difficult and demeaning to get them on a pile and ignite it. That he, Apotho, would have to do physical labour of such simplicity himself was beyond ridiculous. Such were the times, however, times to which his own knowledge had doomed him.


    The result was worth it. Gizmo squirmed as the two dust-covered seats were slowly devoured by the flames, fed primarily by the dried log Apexus had used as his seat. ¡®Do you have no respect for their memory?¡¯ the guilty splinter asked its origin.


    Apotho could only giggle as he answered out loud. Gizmo could hear either, but speaking simply lorded over the frail character what the Warlock could do right now and he couldn¡¯t. Fitting after over two-hundred years spent. A whole fifth of his long life. ¡°Respect? For resources? Do you respect a can of tea?¡± The line of thought amused him.


    ¡®Your inability for you to understand is why I exist and why you¡¯re locked up here,¡¯ Gizmo responded and immediately caused the Warlock¡¯s teeth to grind, the smile dying. Then, it returned, darker than before.


    ¡°I suppose that is a way to look at it, that it is my flaws that brought me here,¡± he stated, marching towards the metal fence that surrounded his little clearing in the forest. Stretching out a hand the green flames soon met his touch. His eyes, the eyes of a mage that had ascended all common boundaries, tinted red as he saw beyond the flames and to the connections they had to the runes in the physical manifestation.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to create a boundary field that surrounded and locked a single person for eternity. Actually, it was downright impossible. The runes had to be created with the locked person¡¯s blood, written over many days due to the amount of details they necessitated. A barrier was nothing short of a magical circle that locked a part of the world in place. Like all magical circles, be they for summoning, creation or anything else, they needed to represent the local surroundings in an accurate manner.


    When one tried to call a god for a short period, making a rough map of the leaf sufficed. When trying to lock away a being close to a god for eternity in a very specific place, the amount of details were insurmountable. None of them were allowed to change either, not while it was being set-up. The way Apotho was locked here was that the runes on the fence described, in immense detail, the place of the house, the state of the herbal fields and the amount of water in the pond.


    ¡°You would have loved to lock us in here without water, wouldn¡¯t you, Gizmo?¡± Apotho asked as he pulled his hands back from the green flames. When a normal person created magical effects, they tended to be blue. That was the base colour of magic. When a Warlock did it, however, their particular ways of manipulating the currents of magic in a much more selfish manner caused them to tint green.


    It was impossible to lock Apotho away. The preparations for such a thing, the execution, the place, all of it was too hard to supply. Unless he did it himself. ¡®Yes,¡¯ Gizmo responded with a single word, but even that much was unneeded. Although Gizmo had been the dominant half of them following the split by the curse of the gods, Apotho¡¯s clinging to life had prevented him from doing anything deadly to their body. No part of his will was more pronounced than his endless grasp to the waking world.


    ¡°See, Gizmo, good Gizmo, it wasn¡¯t my actions that brought me here, it is the rules of a world that savour safety over power,¡± Apotho touched the barrier again and looked over his shoulder. He was sick of that view. The house, the pond, the little field. If he could have destroyed it all, he would. Like his position to them, however, the place itself was rooted by the rules of the magical circle. The house wouldn¡¯t catch fire, the stones of the pond were unbreakable and the field would just return between the grass.


    If he had more power, he could have smashed it all over and over again, overloading the system, causing it to collapse. That was the easiest way to freedom and impossible for him in his current shape. He reached out with his hand again, the barrier was still there, he pulled back. It was the Day of the First Ascension now, no doubt about it.


    ¡°How do you feel, knowing that you failed at letting time kill me?¡± Apotho asked, still yet wanting to savour more of the suffering Gizmo could provide him with. It was only right, after all the annoyances, coughs and creaking bones the Warlock had to live through. Even the crimson of his hair had been robbed of him. Youth, looks, power and freedom. Wallowing in despair was a rather small price to pay for robbing HIM of all that.


    ¡®I¡­ haven¡¯t failed... yet,¡¯ Gizmo answered and the Warlock burst out laughing at the tone. Even the splinter was doubtful that anything was going to happen now that could cross Apotho¡¯s plan.


    ¡°It was wonderful to feel, you know? Your realization that you made the tools of my freedom,¡± the Warlock snickered to himself. ¡°Reysha, Reysha could have been difficult. I knew so terribly little about her. I tried to trick her at first, but behold, the kitten is a bloodthirsty one. A very sympathetic girl, if she succeeds and survives, I might want to see her again one day. She could be a very useful tool. It was wonderful to just have to lay out the truth. That alone was unlikely to succeed, though.¡±


    ¡®It is still unlikely to succeed,¡¯ Gizmo said, more to himself than to him.


    ¡°The chances of her getting through rise with every second the Cardinal is gone and I have ensured that he will be occupied for a little bit,¡± Apotho continued to snicker. ¡°Ah, yes, Apexus, good Apexus, he trusts you so much and hasn¡¯t been to civilization often enough to realize yet that us humanoids, we lie, steal, and cheat. Really, you should thank me for giving him the lesson that you never gave him. ¡®Don¡¯t trust the greedy¡¯ you told him. You should have told him to be greedy himself, perhaps he would have been able to call my lies if he actually inspected his own gains from them a bit more.¡±


    Apotho again let his hand slide over the surface of the barrier. The green fire pearled down his skin in a wonderful display of power. Now that it wasn¡¯t going to confine him much longer, he could admire the craftsmanship his hands put into action. Green fire would soon fall down on those that had confined him.


    ¡°Aclysia was easy, thanks to you,¡± the Warlock solemnly stated and felt Gizmo¡¯s thoughts run cold with shock as the true owner of the body laid down what he had done. ¡°I knew she was the smartest of them and I knew exactly how smart thanks to the months you spent with her and Apexus. She would lie to me to find out a little bit. She wasn¡¯t going to believe even that bit I told her without discretion. North, you told her, Reysha is trying to assassinate the Cardinal, I told her. She will have no choice but to go for the likeliest chain of events, because she is smart. You think you helped her? You just made her draw the conclusion I wanted her to. That way, she is going to obey me without knowing it. Wonderful how all of this flowed to my advantage.


    ¡°The first doesn¡¯t care for right or wrong and will do what I say, as long as she gets what she wants. Which she will. The second doesn¡¯t know what is right or wrong and will trust what was said. To be fair, I also gave him what he wanted, he will see his beloved Aclysia again. The third does know right and wrong and who she wants to protect. I also didn¡¯t lie to her, her actions will make both Reysha and Apexus incredibly safe. Safe to give the former the time she needs to get her vengeance, that is.¡±


    And the tool of that vengeance was he himself.

 Requiem 21

    Cardinal Remezan slowly exhaled and opened his eyes. They burned a little bit, the lack of sleep making itself apparent. Trying to catch some more sleep before the evening of the festivities came had been a failure. Regardless of that, he raised his upper body from the frame of the bed. It creaked somewhat, as it had for several years now. His predecessor would have bought a new bed with as little as that, but the dark-bearded man was of the mind that things should be kept until they collapsed.


    There were two kinds of thoughts about luxury in the Church, Remezan had found over the years. One was that the men of the holy word should live with humility, using only what they needed. The other was that the Church should display its wealth to show the grandeur of divinity. As he had found, people of the latter belief often stuffed their rooms, which no one would ever see aside from themselves and their closest acquaintances, with untold amounts of luxury.


    Someone of that faction would have countered that the humble tended to create very scarcely decorated churches. Both would have been right. Remezan was somewhat famous amongst his fellow Cardinals for being exceptionally stingy. Everything wondrous about the church building here on Ctania was from his predecessor, including the terribly luxurious room for divine messengers.


    Remezan was not one to destroy beauty that already existed. At least not where it was publicly available. For his own rooms, however, he had thrown out everything that wasn¡¯t needed, sold it, and oftentimes replaced it with a cheaper variant. He preferred sleeping on hard mattresses anyway.


    Just today, his back hurt. He rubbed his head with both hands as he pulled the magic out of the air around him. It flowed through his blessed spark on a metaphysical layer and through his magical cortex on the physical layer. In humans, the organ laid right behind the sternum, and wasn¡¯t particularly large. Surprisingly durable though, as Remezan himself had found out on several occasions where his chest had been shattered. 9 broken ribs and sternum, one of the bone shards had pierced the organ, temporarily disabling him from using magic.


    The magic flowed out of his hands and back into his body, now shaped into a proper healing spell. No permanent replacement for sleep, but good enough for the day. He got up and looked into the mirror. The oddly square scar from the hammer that had been used for aforementioned wound accompanied the naturally light-brown man to this day. As did a number of other ones, scattered all over his broad frame.


    Every one of the white or red streaks seemed to ache today especially.. One would think that a Priest wouldn¡¯t bear scars, were they healers themselves, but sometimes a wound was left to fester for long enough due to various circumstances. The Omniverse wasn¡¯t a forgiving place.


    ¡®I miss those circumstances,¡¯ the Cardinal thought and sighed as he opened a door and found himself in a room with a deep stone tub in the ground. It was filled with lukewarm water. He had been stuck on this Safe Leaf for years now. At the start, he had embraced the vacation, but he was slowly feeling the boredom settle in. His task was of immense importance, but it was also one that shackled him to this location. Someone had to do it and he had no intent to forsake this post, at least not before he had confirmation that somebody would take over.


    Regardless, he had been safe for so long that he barely knew what fighting felt like anymore. The taste of blood in his mouth, the screams of aggression and the trembling fist when he held back his power before the final confrontation. Joking with his comrades around a campfire. Barely escaping a trap inside a dungeon and feeling the rush of being alive. Only the despair of losing someone, he did not miss. He would have been a monster to.


    After taking a quick bath, he dressed himself. The robe he put on, he also felt unnecessarily decorated. It was a white base, like all Priests, that was where it started. Producing a pure white robe was unnecessary work, he would have been all fine with grey. The lines stretching over it were fine. Icy blue, a dark, leafy green and rust red, three colours ran in parallel. Then there was the golden embroidery all over it. Again, unnecessary embellishments.


    However, these were tradition and Remezan valued those quite highly. He still questioned them from time to time, wondering if they were good as they were or where they might be able to improve them a little bit. For this one, he begrudgingly agreed that it was a good look for a Cardinal to have, was it so easy to discern them from other people.


    In his clothes and dry again, he stepped over to his private altar. Three figures had been put there, each on a small tower, one taller than another. A Cardinal usually worshipped three gods, but they valued them differently. Although the fact that there were 33 Cardinals could easily lead to the idea that each god had their own Cardinal as a main worshipper, this was actually false. In reality, it was just being recognized by the 3 gods, no matter which, that made someone eligible to be a Cardinal. From there, it was being appointed by one of the 11 Ecclesiarches.


    For Remezan, his three gods were, in ascending order: Jersoja, symbolized by a flawless block of glass on an icy blue pedestal, god of Priests and Purity, Hesta, symbolized by a decorated lantern on a rust red pedestal, goddess of Friends and Festivities and, on top, Imk, symbolized by an empty compass on a deep green pedestal, god of Where and When. Two things that the Cardinal found himself asking quite frequently in his youth and even now.


    ¡°Let your teachings make this another fruitful day,¡± Remezan finished his morning prayer. He had stopped asking for their guidance in most cases. The gods were sworn to not meddle in the affairs of mortals too much and almost never directly. Asking for their help for something that had to do with the Church was one thing that they would sometimes answer. At least, their angels would. For personal things, the Cardinal had found that sticking to their teachings as guiding principles was the truly important thing.


    He left his quarters and immediately found himself greeted by Evmeria. The Inquisitor met him not in the clothes of a Priest, as she usually wore in these sacred halls, but in the charred leather armour of an Inquisitor. Her eyes, or the orbs of glass that had replaced them, were hidden behind a black strip of linen.


    ¡°You require proper rest, your holiness,¡± the black-haired woman immediately let him know. With her sight of faith, she could immediately see the miracle he had used on himself and drew the proper conclusion from it.


    ¡°I know,¡± Remezan replied with calm dismissal. Evmeria wasn¡¯t someone he would have liked around him if he had the choice. She embodied the dogmatic side of the Church and that was also the reason why he had no choice. Having someone like her around was a necessity, someone who would follow orders without thinking about them and had the powers of unwavering, absolute faith in the gods. Inquisitors were their own beasts, even amongst the people of the Church they were looked at as the boiled down essence of their ideals and their illogical manifestation. As an Inquisitor sworn to Jersoja, Evmeria was all flesh and faith.


    If she minded the way the Cardinal treated her, the Inquisitor hid it behind her usual wall of coldness. ¡°All preparations have been made. If you¡¯re ready, we can go and worship the lord of Death and Decay, as is proper.¡±


    The Cardinal often wondered why the first ascended god had that particular moniker. A god of autumn, of death and of decay. What sort of light did it put on the universe that the Progenitor was followed by such a deity, not by Meriala, the first summer goddess, of Hope and Humility? Was it truly just a coincidence or was there something more to that?


    ¡°Let us go,¡± he had been pondering that for years and he would likely not arrive at a definitive answer in his lifetime. Best he could do was write it all down and hope those thoughts would let someone else further refine them. His latest book was almost filled. Soon he would need to send someone to Illumia for it to be secured in the library. ¡®Perhaps Mehily would be a good candidate for that¡­¡¯ he thought. He hadn¡¯t known the Priestess for long but she displayed potential. Perhaps seeing the heart of their faith would help her development.


    Thinking about Mehily, the Cardinal spotted her outside the temple. He just had to look outside the window. She was next to some hooded figure, looking a bit doubtful, her lips moving in slow speech. Remezan didn¡¯t have a lot of time to inspect either her or her companion for too long, he had other things on his mind as he approached the gate that led to the outside.


    He stopped at the frame of the door for a moment, two guards taking position at his side. Even though they weren¡¯t standing shoulder to shoulder, they could all pass the gate at the same time, broad as it was. The reason for Remezan¡¯s hesitation wasn¡¯t that he was waiting for the guards, however.


    He could feel it. The constant drain that he, himself had bound himself to. In recent days it had been particularly strong, by courtesy of himself increasing the drain. Now that he was about to separate himself from that drain, he felt nervous. Although he had never seen the creature he was keeping shackled, only the alter-ego that had put shackles on. Although he had only heard the tales of his misdeeds. Although he himself was strong beyond many. Despite all of that, Remezan feared the consequences of a single misstep.


    The sun was slowly closing in on the horizon. ¡®Just a few minutes, forty at most,¡¯ he told himself. There was no telling how long he could actually stay away. There were no other prisons like this, tests had never been made. No, in all likelihood, there were other prisons like this, the Omniverse was too vast not to, however they were so exceedingly rare that the Cardinal wasn¡¯t aware of any. Aside from that, those others were likely housing a creature the gods had made to stay in such a confinement, not this special case of a sinner.


    Thirty minutes was just what they knew for certain would work, as the then unnamed alter-ego had assured them as much. Forty was what that could be stretched to in desperate cases.


    ¡®That the sinner is only contained by his own sin sounds like a failure of the Church¡¯s power¡­¡¯ the Cardinal thought then finally separated himself from the contraption that laid beneath the building and stepped into the outside.


    At first, it was just a boring march, surrounded by his guards. Mehily walked close, obviously trying to get his attention. However, he could not afford any kind of delay right now. ¡°Tell her to wait,¡± Remezan told Evmeria, who obeyed immediately and caught the Priestess halfway. Remezan kept on walking, not paying further attention and closing in on the place of the festival, just a short march away.


    The faithful cheered when they saw him and even those who lived by their own values rather than looking for guidance by the gods let a couple claps be heard. There were many, surrounding the street, leaving him a clear path down to the heart of the festivities. With large steps, quick but not hurried, Remezan walked down the cobblestone, waving and smiling at the peasants, soldiers, adventurers and merchants alike.


    With surprise and happiness, Remezan observed the scope of the festivities. Dozens, maybe even hundreds, of tents had been pitched in a large circle around the midpoint between church and city. They were brown like the earth, the colour of autumn. Scary masks were sold or lended, depicting the ghastly face of Trember. Depictions of death, usually in quite whimsical and comedic fashions, stood all around. Skeletons that took funny poses, people with zombie masks behaving stupidly, a person in a black cloak reciting dark poems to little children.


    The god of this day was a gloomy one, but the people of this leaf were not. Between all of the thematic things were the usual displays accompanying a great festivity. Succulent food, drink, music and dance, it all intensified the further away from the church he walked.


    His target was the centre, a round plaza on which a small podium had been put up. Right there, he would hold his speech.

 Requiem 22

    Aclysia kept her head down as Mehily talked to the Inquisitor, this Evmeria woman. It became apparent quickly that they wouldn¡¯t be able to approach the Cardinal. The metal fairy had planned, in first instance, to talk to him directly and tell him what she knew or at least what she thought she knew.


    Remezan needed to be informed about things. If the Cardinal wasn¡¯t on their side, there was a risk for things to turn lethal quite quickly. However, the need wasn¡¯t pressing, not right now. Mehily hadn¡¯t been able to speak to him before the ceremony, for various organizational reasons. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to relay everything anyway, as Aclysia refused to enter the church. She trusted Mehily far enough to work with her, but didn¡¯t think she had the influence to keep the metal fairy from getting imprisoned again, should she be recognized within those walls.


    Instead, they had opted to secure the perimeter. Aclysia had looked everywhere for Reysha that could have been in striking range down the path. That she was nowhere to be found meant that there would be no nasty surprise, for now.


    As she also wanted to avoid making a scene in public, Aclysia didn¡¯t press the issue. Now atop the podium, the Cardinal was quite secure. Reysha didn¡¯t have the means to kill a man of his Level from range. The only way to even attempt it was to get the drop on him, something that she could hardly do from the crowd. A ring of guards made sure that people stayed at least three metres away from the podium.


    ¡®Apotho was truly lying about the time of the assassination,¡¯ Aclysia thought as she sorted through the plans she had made for this branch off point. ¡®The current question is then whether he lied about the entire assassination or not? To what end would he want me here then? What is his advantage of me being here and Reysha not?¡¯


    North, something about north, Gizmo¡¯s words still echoed in her head. Had she misunderstood; did he mean even further north? North of the church itself, even? Was Reysha trying to get into the building to attack the Cardinal once he was back inside? The northside would have been the best way to do so.


    Mehily and Evmeria were still exchanging silent talks, one trying to convince the other to let them speak to the Cardinal right now. The Inquisitor was blind to Aclysia¡¯s true nature, thanks to her current state of being stripped of her divine authority. Ironically, it was the person that previously could have found her anywhere on the leaf that was now unable to see through her minimal disguise.


    There were two things she now had to decide between. Follow her hunch about Reysha¡¯s position or stay and wait for Apexus. By both heart and logic, there was only one decision she could make, which was to stay. She didn¡¯t know, for sure, where Reysha was. However, she could be incredibly certain that Apexus would make his appearance. As terrible as it made her feel, if she was forced to make a choice between the two, she would go with the slime.


    That didn¡¯t mean, however, that she now had to just forego Reysha entirely. ¡°Mehily, we need to¡­¡± Aclysia quietly said and pulled on the Priestess sleeve. Immediately, the Inquisitor turned her head in her direction. The forceful motion looked like somebody had pressured her neck joint for a while and some resistance had finally allowed it to snap into a different position.


    ¡°I know your voice,¡± Evmeria stated and the metal fairy didn¡¯t dare to continue as her eyes widened. She had underestimated the distinctness of her melodic voice or the ears of the Inquisitor, either way, this could be bad. There was a change in the Inquisitor¡¯s expression, her disdain mixing with confusion. ¡°Mehily¡­ tell me truthfully, is that the angel?¡±


    The Priestess tensed up, knowing full well that there was no way out of this situation. Whether she said the truth or lied, Evmeria would know, and therefore make it impossible to wind out of the yes or no question. ¡°Yes,¡± she conceded the point, as the pause itself was already all the answer needed.


    ¡°Why would you return, Aclysia¡­?¡± the Inquisitor asked towards the divine creation. ¡°Are you planning to kill the Cardinal¡­ no, no, Mehily wouldn¡¯t support you in this. She is a struggling Priestess, but faith still burns inside her. She wouldn¡¯t help in anything that would harm the Cardinal or the church¡­¡±


    Mehily actually felt touched by the trust the Inquisitor gave her there. It would have been less touching could she have seen the raw logic that brought Evmeria there and that she disliked the Priestess regardless. From the Inquisitor¡¯s standpoint, she was just recounting the facts. Which caused things to not line up as well as she needed them to.


    ¡°What are you doing here, misguided angel?¡± she asked again and this time Aclysia found the time to answer.


    ¡°Listen, I will make this short,¡± Aclysia didn¡¯t like to make a spur of the moment decision. She was bad at them, she needed the time to properly think things through or at least question them extensively beforehand. She had already wasted enough time, however, and thus she decided to propose a deal. ¡°It might be that Reysha is trying to infiltrate the church from the north right now. I have no evidence for this, just a hunch. I think she might do something horrible if no one stops her. I ask of you to try and do so, catch her alive and I will answer whatever your Cardinal wanted from us.¡±


    Evmeria immediately nodded. ¡°I accept, then.¡± For her, the only thing that mattered was to finally get those answers. The Cardinal needed her protection less than he needed her to finally tell them whatever was for Remezan to know. ¡°Let us go.¡±


    ¡°No, I will stay here,¡± Aclysia firmly clarified.


    That did cause the Inquisitor to reconsider. Aclysia could feel the blind eyes dig as deep into the angel¡¯s being as they could. She wasn¡¯t as easy to read as a human, it was harder to come by experience to read an angel and their nature was different from creations of flesh anyhow. Regardless, unable to detect any ill-intent, Evmeria nodded a second time. ¡°Fine then, I will save your sinner of a friend without you.¡±


    The Inquisitor still thought all three of them as villainous creatures, but if they could get them back under control rather than have them roaming around, that was progress towards whatever fitting punishment there was. If it had been anything but the angel that had proposed the deal, Evmeria wouldn¡¯t have agreed, though. Unlike a monster and a tiger girl that had become half of one, an angel was at least inherently trustworthy.


    ¡°Do not forego your word,¡± she warned.


    ¡°I swear by my father,¡± Aclysia promised and that was good enough for the Inquisitor as she and Mehily hushed into the building.

 Requiem 23

    Reysha tossed the last glass bottle aside with an uncaring flick of her wrist. The sturdy translucent container bounced off the bark of a nearby tree, then fell into the soft dirt with a silent ring. A number of other potions were scattered nearby, all of which the tiger girl had emptied in the last minute.


    Surprisingly, her stomach didn¡¯t feel full, despite all the liquid. Potions were taken in rather quickly by the body, much of their actual volume simply dissolving as part of the magical effects. Remaining crouched, Reysha kept her eyes on her target.


    She had left the dungeon yesterday and had found this hiding spot, a hole in the side of an earthen slope. It had been created by a struggling Forester Dragon passing close to the church building and being shushed away before it could do any damage, in combination with some larger animals excavated nest. A toppled over tree hid most of the cavity from view, while allowing a view of the church from the inside, albeit a distanced one.


    After one last night of sleep, she had sat there still and silent, waiting for the sun to rise to the appropriate level. Then she had started gulping down the potions, as Apotho had recommended. She swiped her lips with the back of her hand and looked at the remaining concoction, a purple smudge on the back of her hand.


    Licking it off, she tasted the explosion of flavour. It was absolutely vile. The herbs primarily used in the concoction were strong in their taste. What was aromatic to a normal tongue was like putting the end product of a still body of sewage water left to spoil for two weeks into her mouth by sucking it through a dirty rag.


    Regardless, she swirled it around with saliva in her mouth and gulped. She could feel the effects slowly settle in. Personality ceased more and more, all but her thirst for revenge was dampened. Even the ever-shifting insanity in her mind, telling her to do things that were less than advisable, was getting quieter.


    At first it was unnerving, but Reysha soon found herself just not caring about these changes. It wasn¡¯t like her identity itself was being erased. Only the parts that didn¡¯t matter right now were silenced and the one thing that mattered, vengeance, was amplified. A mind always filled by thoughts senseless and terrible came to be completely quiet.


    A point was crossed and suddenly the mixture of potions unfolded their full effects. Her scalp tingled, a series of shivers spreading out from there in waves that went all the way down to her feet. They bounced off from there, crawling back up her skin leaving the tiger girl to stretch her joints and muscles to get rid of that feeling. It accelerated the blood flow, the drugs pumping quicker through her body. She suddenly felt hot, gripped the sleeves of the stolen guard¡¯s uniform, and tugged. The already loose seams, having gone through the torture of crusting over with blood and then being washed in a cold healing fountain, came undone. She dropped the leather on top of the potions.


    Although her arms were naked and dry, she felt the current of the air on them as if they were drenched with water. She grabbed the edge of the tree and her hands noticed every little small bump and rise in the withering bark. A piece of it came off as she pulled herself up. The smell of rotting wood filled her nose immediately. All of her senses were at an all time high. Her eyes focused the church once more. Her vision was both narrow and completely clear.


    Then, without any further delay, she started moving. A series of small, pre-planned movements, carried her from one tree to the next. She could see the silhouettes of the guards in the windows. There were so much less today than usual. If she kept a proper angle, she could stay out of sight for a while. That had its limits, however, and eventually she arrived at where the forest ended and the controlled garden around the building began.


    She analysed her approach. Wordless, she thought, like an animal would. Pieces of knowledge combined into different pieces, without the need for something like articulation. The northern gate, could not be used as her route into the curved building. Less guarded just meant that it was still guarded and she couldn¡¯t make a fuss at the entrance without alarming the church at large.


    There had to be another way. Apotho had told her of a few that had been present during his time. She crept away from her current hiding spot and changed position to check on them. The unsecure window on the second story had been fixed, the outline of fresh stones was clearly visible on the otherwise old building. While they may have been an entrance on the flat roof, Reysha didn¡¯t think she could get away with climbing the entire thing unseen. The outside entrance to the cellar where the kitchen supplies were kept, however, was still right where he had described it to be.


    Reysha checked the windows, then the surroundings, then ran over as quickly as she could while Sneaking. The entrance was a slightly slanted trapdoor next to the wall. It was made out of two heavy wooden boards with iron handles, both linked together with a heavy chain and a lock. Luckily for her, the lock looked old. A stingy owner had refused to change it as long as it still did what it was supposed to. Even without the proper utensil, Reysha was able to open it ¨C by delivering a carefully aimed heel stomp at the thing.


    The chains rattled and Reysha pressed herself closely to the wall and waited. Once she was certain enough nobody had noticed, she moved to lift one half of the trapdoor. She didn¡¯t open it completely cramming herself through as little a gap as she could. The wood scraped against her, causing scratches on her arms and face that were just short of drawing blood. However, she succeeded in getting in. The chain was still, if loosely, wrapped around the handles and the trapdoor closed. Unless inspected closely, nobody would be able to see it had been opened.


    Reysha ignored the food stored inside the room and looked instead for a way further inside. This storage room wasn¡¯t connected to the actual cellars of the church, that would have been painfully negligent architecture. For now, she had to get up to the base floor and then make her way to the segment of the building exclusive to the priesthood. There she would find her way further down.


    Her heart beat in her chest. She could feel every ba-dump as if she was at the height of adrenaline. Yet, the rhythm was calm, steady, just like her breathing, calm, steady. She inhaled and noticed a scent that wasn¡¯t cheese or hanging meat. A current of air that passed by her and drafted upwards. She made her way around a corner and found yet another trapdoor, above her this time. A wooden ladder lead up to it. Without any choice, Reysha stepped onto it.


    Her cat ears were standing upright, listening to everything she could. There was nothing above her, the kitchen must have been empty. The cooks inside had left to attend the festival, either as guests or as people of their profession. This was almost too easy. She pushed the trap door open and then was finally in the church proper.


    What followed was a slow progression of Reysha using her superior senses to locate the patrolling guards and slowly weave through the corridors. The size of the building was an advantage to her, in this case, as decorations and corners were her two foremost advantages when hiding. Once or twice, things were in a pinch, but she managed to weasel her way out of it in one way or another.


    She had expected the guards around to be relaxed, given the lack of incidents, but it seemed recent events had made them weary. Of course, Reysha wasn¡¯t in the know about Aclysia¡¯s breakout, but she noticed that people were on edge regardless. Something that eventually, slowly changed. Distant steps she had heard, slow and measured, turned into quick stomps along with half-mumbled orders. She couldn¡¯t make out the words, but very well the intents.


    They knew she, or someone, was there.


    She quickly moved on from the reading table she had hidden under and accelerated her movements. They were going to inspect the surroundings more carefully now, sitting around taking the cautious approach was no longer an option. Just the ¡®how¡¯ they knew, she didn¡¯t know about. The potions also prevented her from caring.


    There was only the goal.

 Requiem 24

    Aclysia was looking at the sky. Standing at the outskirts of the crowd, her gaze aimed eastwards. If Apexus was to fly to this place, he would have to come from that direction. Her own wings twitched whenever she saw something as little as a bird. If Apexus was coming, she would have to intercept him before he could bother the Cardinal and get himself into trouble.


    ¡°¡­in faith, we are all brothers and sisters. All petty squabbles are put aside, be it just for the day in which we honour the potential of us mortal races to ascend and take an earned spot amongst the gods¡­¡± the Remezan¡¯s speech continued on.


    It was a good one, Aclysia found. Well trained, delivered by an austere man with genuine convictions in a manner that was convincing, but not preachy. However, it would have taken a fantastic speech to take the metal fairy¡¯s attention from the promise of being reunited with her beloved slime. If only he showed himself sooner.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know how much more I can take,¡¯ she thought, folding her hands in front of her chest as if she was going to let out a prayer. Knowing that she could soon meet him again put Aclysia¡¯s body on edge. Everything in her was longing for his presence. To be next to him, around him, just to see him, and touch him if possible. A pure desire for nothing but love. It put a worse strain on her than any stress of the past days.


    At the very least, that stress didn¡¯t threaten to shut her down. Mehily had been friendly enough to share her mana, so Aclysia was now at her peak power, without the need of devouring any life. A luxury that she was thankful for in this difficult time.


    The speech of the Cardinal wrapped up and Aclysia¡¯s heart sank when the broad man got off the podium. All that anticipation seemed to collapse in on itself like a failed souffl¨¦, leaving a metal fairy that was too shaken to even cry. Had Gizmo been lying to her as well?


    As the metal fairy stayed focused, Remezan stepped onto solid ground. ¡®Where is Evmeria?¡¯ he thought. The Inquisitor missing was noteworthy, given her constant presence around him, especially during events such as this. Given her zealotry, she attended speeches like this without fail. Either to comment on their lack of iconography or to praise him for an argument of faith well delivered.


    Wherever she was, he would find out soon. For now, he had done his due as Cardinal. It was time to return to the church and relax in the security of the seal staying strong. His steps carried him back up the path he came. People shouted his name, applauded, even as the crowd slowly dissipated and went back to the festival proper. With every step he took, he grew more relieved.


    Just as Aclysia grew more hopeless. Her eyes darted between the sky and the Cardinal. She was taking a risk now, standing amongst fewer and fewer people, but she could not forego the possibility yet. Maybe he was crawling onto the plaza after all? It wouldn¡¯t have been a less stealthy entrance, a massive slime with wings was impossible to overlook.


    In that assumption, she and the Cardinal were both wrong, operating on old information.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ excuse me¡­¡± Remezan turned his head to see a tall person approaching him. He was wearing a dirty, brown robe that was clearly too small for him. A massive hunchback was straining that fact further, pulling the edge of the robe up to the knees and the sleeves close to the elbow. It revealed his hands and feet to without hair or nails.


    His face was mostly hidden. A hood was pulled over his head and bandages wrapped around what was there otherwise. What peeked out was a pair of catlike, blue eyes and a pair of lips and the underlying teeth, sharp and complete in their whiteness. The bump of the nose was completely covered. He was a man of brown complexion. Not overly dark, but like a man that had worked in the fields for the entire summer.


    ¡®What a poor soul,¡¯ Remezan thought, thinking him to be some sort of torture victim from some distant tragedy. It could have been, that he was a natural humanoid, created by a god with a very odd idea of beauty. Perhaps he was a crossbreed of two races, that was also a possibility. In the vast expenses of the Omniverse, very few things about humanoids were written in stone. They had whites in their eyes, they had at least two legs and feet and they walked upright. That and the arrangement and shape of their reproductive organs was about the same. Aside from that, things varied massively.


    Still, this man exuded a very odd aura. The Cardinal couldn¡¯t quite place it, but it was unlike a normal man and felt distantly tragic and torn. Different natures seemed to clash inside the man, forcefully harmonized. Clearly, he was torn by something and in need of guidance. Which made Remezan feel twice as bad about having to tell him off.


    ¡°I have no time for you,¡± he told the man as he marched on. ¡°Feel free to follow me to the church, we can talk there, once I am ready.¡±


    ¡°Been¡­ told you can give me thing¡­ is tradition if I approach you after speech,¡± the man spoke in a slightly incoherent matter, but moved much more fluidly than his hunched form would indicate. ¡°Sorry, worded that poorly.¡±


    Remezan ignored him and kept walking on. The man tried to come out of the little crowd that remained, but the Cardinal¡¯s guards stepped in between and blocked his path. From the sidelines, keeping her head lowered, Aclysia watched this entire thing. That man seemed familiar somehow but she could barely hear what was said.


    ¡°Listen, please¡­¡± the man tried to avoid a confrontation with the guards, stepping left and right, always getting blocked. The armoured bodies also blocked Aclysia¡¯s sight, but she was almost certain now. ¡°Need your attention. Gizmo said¡­¡±


    That caused the Cardinal to stop in his tracks. He knew that name, knew what connection implied. He turned and the guards parted. Not wanting to take any risks of any of this reaching anymore ears than necessary, Remezan grabbed the man and dragged him out of the thinned-out crowd. ¡°Who are you?¡± the basic assumption was obvious, but the Cardinal needed to ask, since there was no translucent skin to be seen.


    ¡°Apexus,¡± he answered, somewhat afraid now. The slime blinked a few times, trying to calm the Cardinal. Not that he knew anything about the religious man, he just felt strong and his hand around Apexus¡¯ arm was like an iron claw. ¡°I want to see¡­¡± it was at this point that Apexus looked at the crowd behind the Cardinal and saw a woman fly at the two of them. ¡°Aclysia.¡±


    Before Remezan could ask any more questions, a mindlessly happy angel interrupted his interrogation.

 Requiem 25

    ¡°Apexus is alive, just show yourself, we won¡¯t harm you!¡± the blonde Priestess shouted, as she passed by Reysha¡¯s hiding place. Having forced herself into a narrow space between two bookshelves and a chair, like a cat into a glass bowl, the Rogue was watching the feet of Mehily enter her field of view on one side and soon exit the other.


    If anybody had crawled over the floor, they would have spotted Reysha quite easily. Adventurers of a higher calibre and guards used to more skilled invaders than the infrequent overzealous thief would have known not to take the common idea off ¡®nobody could fit in there¡¯ and just run with it.


    Reysha remained still for a long while, the ears atop her head slowly turning, listening to all steps in the numerous hallways around her. When it sounded like her opportunity had arisen, she carefully manoeuvred herself out of her crammed state.


    ¡°Aclysia told us you would be here, please!¡± it echoed in the distance.


    The lies that Mehily were spouting entered her ears but were immediately rejected by her mind. Obviously, it was just a series of lies to bait her out. Like something that convenient was true. If Reysha had been her usual self, she would have at least stopped to wonder how else the Priestess could know that she was there. The mixture of magical concoctions pumping through her veins made these things simple, streamlined.


    Mehily was an enemy. She had wronged Reysha in the past. That she now decided to present lies to catch the tiger girl was just another low point. Because Mehily was the enemy, everything she said had to be wrong. If the opportunity arose to kill her without endangering the mission, Reysha would take it. Sombrely and without any crazy glee.


    Just like the emotions were streamlined, the pain from snapping her joints back into their proper positions was nothing. The magic that allowed her this control flared for one moment, then there were sounds more felt than heard and a moment of pain. Finally, she resumed movement.


    She was already down in the tunnels underneath the priesthood area. Patrols here were less frequent. Normal guards weren¡¯t allowed to descend here and even this situation didn¡¯t lift that restriction. Only the Cardinal would have the authority to allow people to enter the inner sanctum of the temple and he wasn¡¯t around to give any such order.


    It made her job somewhat easier. As did the esoteric, rather than practical design of this place. In the windowless, magical illumination of the temple¡¯s underground system, there were many shadows to hide in and many corridors to take if the original one was blocked by a Paladin or higher-ranking Priest.


    That nobody knew what she was after or where she was didn¡¯t help. The guards had spread themselves through the entire building, trying to at least spot her. If they could narrow it down to one certain area, they would have been able to surround her slowly. As it was, their net was full of giant holes and she slipped through unseen again and again until she could simply walk in the middle of the corridor.


    Reysha was now so deep in the temple that nobody dared to enter. Her silent thoughts were still tensed, waiting for anything, as she pried open a lock. It was old, luxurious and hadn¡¯t been exchanged in a long time. The kind that had a key that was quite heavy and large, but also incredibly simplistic. The mechanism inside was more of a strength test than of lockpicking.


    Behind was a completely dark room. It was impressive in its featurelessness. Just grey stone in a large rectangle, a flight of stairs at the far back. The last hall before her target, if Apotho¡¯s directions were to be trusted.


    She stepped through the doorframe and barely managed to rip her arm up to block a strike directed at her head. The blunt object cracked the bone in her arm on impact, but the pain was only registered, not really felt. Reysha reacted immediately, grabbing the baton of the ambusher with her other hand before it could be pulled back for another strike.


    Evmeria clicked her tongue. The Inquisitor had followed a deduction, this innermost was where the Cardinal would go first following his return from the festival. As unlikely as it was that the assassin would know of this, the blind woman decided that she alone could wait here and make sure no trap was prepared.


    ¡°By Jersoja, you have tread on enough sacred ground today,¡± the Inquisitor spat out as the two of them engaged in a raw power struggle. That she didn¡¯t receive an answer was odd, but the glassy focus in Reysha¡¯s eyes told her quickly enough that she wasn¡¯t dealing with the crazed woman she had experienced before. ¡°Surrender. Your angelic friend has pleaded for your life, so I won¡¯t take it.¡±


    Reysha didn¡¯t flinch at the suggestion or the implications. Words flowed around her mind as she twisted sideways and let go. The metal baton they wrestled for suddenly went down, missing the tiger girl by a narrow margin. Although Evmeria stopped the motion before it brought her off balance, she was now too close to avoid the consequent knee to the stomach. Only after letting out a pained grunt, did she manage to put some distance between herself and the Rogue.


    Reysha closed the door, so carefully that it didn¡¯t even whisper. She would rather deal with fighting the Inquisitor with her divine blindsight in the near absolute dark than the potential of someone seeing them, as slim as the chance was. Evmeria had deactivated the lights in this room to better hide her ambush, now it would serve in her battle.


    What little light there was, came from whatever was down those stairs, flowing out in magical tendrils of a bright green past the outline of another door. It was an orientation point in this otherwise pitch-black environment.


    ¡®I can play this on time,¡¯ Evmeria thought, carefully walking backwards. The distance between herself and the only other life she could feel in this space increased. ¡®All I require is to assure is that she doesn¡¯t get to surprise the Cardinal. If he comes in here and sees her, there is no way she can overwhelm his holiness.¡¯


    It was her best interest to avoid confrontation, just evade and use the cover of the darkness to her advantage. Reysha also realized this. Eventually, she would run out of time. Every second counted, every little delay that prevented the Cardinal from returning, running there himself and stopping her with his superior power.


    Reysha also knew that she had a way to force the conflict and sprinted towards the light source. Although Evmeria was unaware that the Rogue¡¯s true goal lay down there, at least until she was left ignored, there was no way the Inquisitor could let the thief enter the one room in the church she herself had no access too.


    Hearing the sound of moving leather, Reysha turned in her path and threw herself to the ground moments before a bolt of pale, blue light illuminated the hall. The magical attack missed her, she rolled herself off, caught herself on her broken arm. If the potions hadn¡¯t made her ignore the pain at this point, adrenaline would have done just fine. Evmeria started running, wanting to relocate to get another easy shot at the tiger girl.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for Reysha¡¯s keen ears, sharpened by her biology, the Noir condition, and the potions, this may have been a good idea. As it was, every running step was like a scream of ¡°HERE I AM, COME GET ME!¡± in an open field. Once more, the tiger girl sprinted, now towards the last roadblock between herself and the goal.


    Evmeria realized her mistake, took a fighting stance, and swung the baton with both hands. The dull weapon hit Reysha¡¯s torso on the left side, broke two ribs. It was an attack the tiger girl had willingly taken. The worshippers of Jersoja may have been arrogant and strict, but they didn¡¯t lie. The baton was not a weapon designed to kill and Reysha used that to her advantage.


    The rod of the weapon was soon stuck under her armpit, her left hand grabbing the hilt. If Evmeria wanted to pull out, she had to give up the weapon. Until then, Reysha was all too happy to use the natural advantage she had. The claws of her right hand extended and drew flash blood, as she wildly swung and achieved some sort of hit.


    Bleeding from shallow cuts on her forehead, the black-haired zealot tried to yank the weapon free, but found much more resistance the she had anticipated. Taking one hand off the baton, she conjured a second Palelight Bolt. It grazed Reysha¡¯s right shoulder. While her spells were less effective against someone who wasn¡¯t a target of an Inquisition, it should still have hurt. All the tiger girl reacted with was another slash.


    This time Evmeria felt the claws rip open her throat. Just shallow cuts, nothing life-threatening, but enough to make her stumble back. ¡®I¡¯ve made a mistake,¡¯ she realized, not just referencing the fact that she had just lost her melee weapon to the tiger girl. ¡®Had I known she would be under an influence that makes her immune to pain¡­¡¯ Evmeria scolded herself, when she got out of this, she would spend a number of days in isolated prayer and disciplining.


    Although her situation was bad now, she still had the advantage of time. She just had to keep dodging, best towards the exit. As much as she hated it, she would have to call for help. The only alternative now was to let the Rogue have her way and that was the worse of the two sins.


    She saw the movement of the tiger girl. Her entire body was visible clear as day, an outline of her features illuminated by her divine spark. As naked and pure as every being was on creation. Too late did she realize what the motion itself meant, only able to see her, not the things she was holding in all their details.


    That she tossed the weapon she had just gotten herself hit Evmeria unprepared. The baton flew into her shoulder. A painful, but not damning hit in itself, it made her groan ever so slightly. That was all Reysha needed to fly right after the weapon, tackle the Inquisitor and wrestle her to the ground. Through sheer luck, Evmeria managed to throw out another magical attack before the tiger girl¡¯s fangs could sink into her throat. The smell of ice filled her nose, then the taste of blood her mouth as fist crashed into her head.


    Even her sight was shaken by the impact. Trying to throw another attack at Reysha, Evmeria raised her hand. The Bolt went flying, but it was so clearly telegraphed that the redhead simply bent her upper body out of the way, then delivered another punch to the Inquisitors face. The next instinctual counterattacked was derived a tad smarter, trying to aim at Reysha¡¯s lower torso, but the Regressian just took the Bolt and continued punching.


    The Inquisitor didn¡¯t get a chance for another attack. The raw savagery of the punches left her dizzy. She could feel her face swelled, how Reysha¡¯s knuckles turned bloody, and how the life was slowly ripped out of her. It wasn¡¯t a quick death, it certainly wasn¡¯t painless and it left her more than enough time to feel the weight of her failure.


    The emotionless Rogue rose from a corpse that was hardly identifiable, were it not for the charred looking leather. She paid the state of her own body no mind, not the numerous broken bones, nor the frostbite and burns she had suffered. All she did was turn and walk towards her goal.

 Requiem 26

    The long steps of the stairs were nice and easy to take, bringing her quickly to the door. Fumes of light still played around the slab of stone that now blocked her path. It kept close, like a drop of tar in water, not even illuminating her hand as she reached out and touched the surface. Numerous runes were etched in, to make this last layer of defence sturdy. The person who had made this had been careful that breaching this thing was as close to impossible as it could be.


    However, there was no magic that didn¡¯t have a condition to unravelling it. There was no guarantee, no way to design something to be flawless in its purpose. No matter how well made a sword, metal could still be melted, no matter how well-made furniture was, wood could still rot and no matter how intricate the magic, it had to be created with rules and a structure that was, ultimately, exploitable.


    Reysha, however, was no mage. It was possible to learn the craft of prying open magic even without being one, but that was something she had no idea of either. What she did hold was the key. A simple phrase, that only Gizmo and the Cardinal should have known, but Apotho had pried from the alter ego who had made this place and bestowed it to Reysha.


    Her voice sounded hollow, uninspired and so sombrely sane that it was scary in its own right, ¡°No strife in heaven, the trauma¡¯s birth.¡± What it meant, she didn¡¯t care about. That she had just killed someone, she didn¡¯t care about. Reysha had murdered before, gleefully whenever she thought her victim deserved it.


    At least, she should have thought about the things that didn¡¯t line up. How she believed that Evmeria hadn¡¯t been there with lethal intent, but didn¡¯t believe that Aclysia had told her these things. The same concoction that made that double-think possible blocked her from questioning it. She took no glee in the murder, she didn¡¯t question it, she didn¡¯t feel any remorse. All there was, was the mission and the revenge. Whatever price necessary, she would pay it herself or have others pay it for her.


    Four lines of green light ran through the stone barrier. They defined the outlines of runes in their almost straight path to the middle, met, then became the rims of the four stone slabs the obstruction turned into. The slabs floated backwards, then opened the way into the room behind.


    It was shaped like a dome, a flat floor with a curved ceiling no walls separating the two. It was the exact same size as the glade the house of Gizmo was located on. Several other things were the same. A carved block of wood symbolized where the house was. A pool of water symbolized the pond. Green painted rocks were scattered around the floor, symbolizing grass. Most importantly, and the only thing Reysha immediately recognized, was an exact replica of the fence.


    Hard metal, covered in runes, with spikes pointing inwards, a construction for keeping something in. What this symbolism was meant to represent, what the magic was meant to affect, was defined by the bright green runes that were carved into every surface that didn¡¯t represent the inside of the glade.


    All the energy flow seared itself into her retina. Even without the immediate lifeforce of the Cardinal getting sucked in to power this warlock designed cage, the sheer power that was needed to operate this thing was ridiculous. Everything about the intricate design and the maintenance of this thing was absurd. A situation where it was the practical solution was so infinitely unlikely to happen that only the Omniverse with its sheer infinite worlds bore the possibility of it being applied between several actors with their own will.


    All of the energy flowed towards a central point. In large arches of green energy, appearing as a mixture of fire and electricity, the power jumped from the tips of the spikes of the fence into an object in the middle. It was pitch black, clearly visible despite the cloud of plasmatic magic surrounding it.


    That was the object she was looking for. Without any kind of self-preservation instinct, she climbed over the fence. The die-like object was hovering too far up, even with outstretched hand, she couldn¡¯t quite reach it. She could have jumped, but this didn¡¯t appear to be a task where she wanted to run the risk of missing.


    Instead, she walked to the carved block of wood. At about half-a-metre tall, it would give her the extra height she needed. When she started pushing it, the whole circle began to screech. Several of the runes flickered, burned out, then screamingly came back to life. The further Reysha pushed the block, the harder it became to move. A magnetic force was pulling it backwards, to the place it was meant to be at. The magical circle was attempting to stabilize itself.


    At the cost of the visible energy flow, the arches of electric fire losing their fluidity and moving in much more erratic, unstable fashions. The energy nexus around the focusing object was most affected by this, turning from a concentrated point into a rapidly flickering nova, expanding, collapsing and flaring in rapid intervals.


    Reysha was unbothered by all of this. Although the resistance grew and would have doubtlessly become too much to handle if she ever tried to move the block outside the fence, she had enough strength to shove the block under the focus. The pull back went into action when she climbed on top, but without a source of fresh power to draw on, the self-correction only worked slowly. Although there was an emergency protocol in place, it relied on someone of the power of a Cardinal to be around to supply magic to properly activate. Multiple parts of the system were failing at the same time, unable to fall back on each other.


    Not to any advantage to Reysha, really, as she reached out to the focus. The torrential energy seared her hand before she even touched it, scorching it properly when she did. An unstable magic barrier encapsulated her arm. The pain was registered, not felt, otherwise she would have screamed, at best, and immediately collapsed from the torment, at worst.


    Remaining magic in the focus prevented it from being moved, while fresh magic still sought to flow towards it. In combination, this meant that Reysha was stuck tugging against an object stuck in the air, while the power that couldn¡¯t find its usual target flowed into her body. Magical energy sought flesh, especially the power of warlocks, twisted to feed off life as a source and be converted into something else. In the right hands, it was malleable, the body of the mage was a conductor, flowing and shaping the energy. Like a flow of water through a pipe that spilled into a beautiful ice sculptur.


    When directed through the flesh of a weaker, magically unskilled person, it was more like a lightning strike hitting a large tree. Except that the lightning didn¡¯t ease off after a single blink, but continued to flow, destroy and sear.


    The pale green force seeped into her arm. The force cooked, then scorched, finally charred and melted, every single cell of skin, muscle and bone, every last bit of tissue, on its way further down. A pillar-like flame of energy excess exploded out the side of her arm as it reached the crack. Her hand was just coal covering half-molten bones now, joints permanently locked into the grasping shape.


    Ruining her arm down to the shoulder, the power continued to flow into her, threatening to make the rest of her body follow the fate of her hand. With the resolve of the heartless, she continued to pull. Although her limb was useless, the rest of her body was still capable. Something would give eventually.


    It turned out to be her footing. The block of wood was sliding back, slowly but steadily, until she had nothing to stand on anymore. She let it, not that she could let go at this point. Gravity pulled her down with more force than she could have. The sorry remains of her sinews strained, locked, molten joints creaked, she dangled.


    A sudden flare of energy, a last excessive overflow of a failing system. A pulse of magic went through her entire body, reaching even her head, causing a torment that even made her dulled self scream. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING HERE?!¡± the words left her, in a sudden sense of realization that she was not right in the head. Even less right than she usually was.


    ¡®The potions¡­ the fucking potions¡­ they did more than make me¡­ focus-¡® She had no time to wonder over just how far the wish for vengeance had brought her, nor to think of the consequences. Not right now. The wave of magic died down, leaving the concoctions to continue pumping through her veins to take hold again as she dropped to the floor.

 Requiem 27

    Tears of joy streamed over her face as Aclysia showered the slime in kisses. ¡°It was true,¡± she whispered, not minding the taste of dirt on her lips as she pressed herself against Apexus. His body may have been hidden by the robe still, but she could feel his wings, easily mistaken as a grotesque hunchback, twitch under it. ¡°It was all true, oh darling, I thought I would never see you again.¡±


    ¡°My Aclysia, my melody,¡± Apexus responded instinctively wrapping his arms around her as well. It had been nerve-wrecking enough to get there, wondering the entire time if having the mere shape of a humanoid was enough of disguise to get where he needed to be. It had been a combination of sheer luck and mediocre stealth that had allowed him to get where he was.


    The guards had already known that he was able to take the shape of a humanoid from his resurfacing incident. What they weren¡¯t aware of, however, was his new skin. The original blue appearance would have thrown them off, but Apexus had found that it could shift its colour. Only as a whole, if he wanted a bit of him to be green, all of him to be that exact shade of green, and only over a number of minutes, but something he could use for limited camouflage regardless. Having that ability proved vital to blend into the crowd. A light brown was much less conspicuous to human eyes, as it turned out, than any shade of blue.


    Confusingly, wrapping his face up in bandages had decreased the amount of attention he had gotten. Glances of disgust had changed to pity. Apexus didn¡¯t quite get it, but the people had found his normal face too smooth and the faux-nose he was wearing (there in an almost correct appearance but without function) to be disturbing. With the bandages, he looked more like a burn victim and that invoked a level of compassion.


    He had gotten all of these clothes from the underground warehouse the smuggler, Trebby, had run until he had been captured. Much of it had already been picked clean, but Apexus had found what he needed. Except that his wings didn¡¯t quite fit under the robe. He could have shrunk them down, but didn¡¯t want to be without his best chance to escape in case things went south.


    Ultimately, it had all worked out, leading him to this point where he once more had the metal fairy pressed against him. Were it not for the layers of cloth separating them, he would have encapsulated her entirety in a hug so thorough only a slime could give it. As it was, these rigid appendages called arms would have to do.


    Her body was so soft in such wonderful ways. Her lips, most of all, especially when they met his. Apexus had never had lips before to feel a proper kiss. The area was remarkably sensitive and he quickly understood why she always liked to press her mouth on him. It was tingly in the best way, allowed him to feel her in so many details.


    ¡°You changed,¡± Aclysia said, it wasn¡¯t a comment for better or for worse, just an obvious observation that he was less blobby than the last time they had seen each other. Carefully, she reached for the bandages on his face. ¡°Can I see?¡±


    Apexus was about to confirm, when the Cardinal loudly cleared his throat, reminding them where exactly they were. Had he not, they would have indulged in the sheer joy of seeing each other for a long while. ¡°You lover¡¯s reunion, touching as it is,¡± Remezan said, ¡°should be located elsewhere.¡±


    The crowd had thinned out, but there were still some people watching. That people made the correct assumption about Aclysia was basically a given, at the very least the mention of her moth-like wings would inform the people that knew. If Apexus now also revealed himself, that would very quickly escalate things ¨C probably even into a full-scale riot.


    If they took things back to the church now, they had the chance to get their business done before believable rumours had spread far enough for the people to be more interested in them than the fesitivities. The longer they lingered and the more people saw more clear things to talk about, the lower their chances. That aside, the Cardinal had to get back to powering the barrier.


    ¡®I still have time,¡¯ he thought, ¡®but I shouldn¡¯t risk too much¡­ I just need these two to come along as well.¡¯ He felt the hope of a blessed day. The luck of the gods must have been smiling on him on that day, that he got two important actors in the recent times of trouble delivered to him on the Day of the First Ascension was nothing short of a miracle. ¡°Please, you will be my guests, I swear by this very day and all gods that you shall not be harmed. I have learned my lesson and will atone for how I wronged you,¡± Remezan stated.


    Apexus was infinitely thankful that he had Aclysia to look at for guidance. Reading humans was still far from his strong suit. That she smiled, indicated clearly that she believed the Cardinal. ¡°Thank you, your holiness. Aside from meeting Apexus again, I have also come to deliver a warning today. Our companion, Reysha, she has been convinced to go after your life.¡±


    Remezan furrowed his eyebrows as they started walking towards the temple. Some of the things she just said didn¡¯t line up. ¡°You say that like you knew you would find him here. Who told you and who convinced - Reysha, was it? ¨C to kill me?¡±


    ¡°The answer is the same person, but differing facets of him,¡± Aclysia¡¯s answer immediately turned the hope Remezan felt into a knot of despair in his stomach. ¡°Gizmo and Apotho.¡± Upon hearing the names, the knot turned into a deep abyss, in which all the blessings he had felt were buried in absolute darkness.


    ¡°Gizmo also sent me here,¡± Apexus added. ¡°Told me to talk to you before you could get back to the church, to see Aclysia again¡­ Are you not well, small, broad man?¡± the slime didn¡¯t know the name nor real significance of this priest, he had never met him before. That he was becoming as pale as a sheet of paper, however, was something even Apexus realized as a generally bad thing.


    Because Remezan realized the true meaning behind all of this. ¡®Apotho would have never sent a beginner adventure after me as an assassin and these two were placed exactly so they would delay my return to the temple.¡¯ He turned to look at them intensely. The innocence in them was clear as day, they had been played like pawns, all because they did not know what was under the temple but he did.


    Just before he could decide to disregard their existence for the moment and make a run back to the deepest secret under this church, something in the very fabric of the leaf cracked. A magical circle that had been affecting the entire forest that made up the centre of this world suddenly became unravelled. A glade without set location was rammed back into real space, a barrier set for generations burst open.


    A gargantuan pillar of green fire exploded in the distant horizon, rose high into the sky and spread like a spiderweb. People were screaming, confused, although the phenomenon was happening in a massive distance, nobody thought this could be anything good.


    ¡°The seal is broken,¡± Remezan gasped, causing Aclysia to understand, at least in rough terms, what had happened as well. Her eyes went wide as she realized that her very effort to play against Apotho¡¯s plan had made her play right into it. He had known what she would choose with the information she was given.


    The Cardinal now had no more need to guide them back to the temple. Anything he wanted to ask them about Apotho was now redundant. One more hard look he took at them, wondering whether he should squash them right then and there. It was their fault that this was now happening. However, he had tilled the ground this seed had now grown on. The guilt in Aclysia¡¯s eyes and the raw confusion in Apexus¡¯ were too clear to be an act. To find and judge Reysha by the same standard, he didn¡¯t have the time.


    The pillar of flame fizzled out, the cracks in the sky slowly mended themselves. An aura hung in the air, creeping anxiety clung to everyone, but people more or less started to relax and talk about this supernatural phenomenon. The Cardinal knew better than to be at ease, this was simply the sign of the storm to come.


    There was just one more way this whole thing could be solved without any tragedy.


    ¡°Guards!¡± he shouted loud, so that everyone could hear him. ¡°Run! Run to Heralry. Evacuate the city! Make the people leave behind everything, there is no time. Flee into the forests, run along the edge of the world, head as far east as you can and don¡¯t stop! Every man, woman and child. RUN!¡±


    With that, the Cardinal stormed at speeds most people could barely even follow.

 Requiem 28

    Apexus was soaring through the sky. Aclysia had explained everything to him, everything she knew about what was happening and everything that she had been told. Something inside the slime had tensed up throughout the entire explanation, then finally torn when she had finished. All he had told her to do was to search for Reysha.


    Even though the metal fairy shouted questions after him, attempted to follow, her beloved was not answering and moving too fast to be caught up with. Soon, he had left her behind - and Apexus found no part of him that had the luxury to feel bad about treating her like that.


    A cocktail of emotions was boiling within the chimeric creature. It was a new mixture, a new feeling, he didn¡¯t get to discover a lot of those anymore and he did not appreciate this one whatsoever.


    The odd thing was that none of the emotions on their own were anything new. Anger: Apexus had been angry before. When Aclysia and Reysha had been fighting constantly, he had snapped. Foolish: Apexus had been foolish before. Numerous times, in small and big ways, he had looked like an idiot. Resigned, resentful: Apexus had been both of these things before. When he had gotten hunted across the entire leaf for simply existing, he had ample reason for those things.


    Right now, he felt angrier than ever before, like a bigger idiot than ever before and more resentful than ever before. He had heard the word for this feeling and it was the second strongest thing he had ever felt, a very close second. Betrayal.


    Apexus headed straight towards the charred scar in the forest where the hellfire had raged. He didn¡¯t have to look long for the person he was looking for. The old man in the plain brown robe, leaving behind a smouldering glade and the ruins of a metal fence that seemed to have exploded between the pillars.


    Loudly landing in the canopies of a nearby tree, the slime already had his old mentor¡¯s attention. Well, the attention of the other person sharing the same body. Apotho looked up with a grin that was an artwork of ridicule, a paternal smile, missing all of the benevolence and warmth normally associated with that and replaced with belligerence.


    It took what little of Apexus¡¯ reason wasn¡¯t buried under the cesspool of emotions to not jump at the Warlock immediately. Although everything he knew and everything Aclysia told him pointed towards Apotho being unable to suck the life out of the slime like he had out of other humanoids, he wasn¡¯t going to attack someone the Cardinal, who moved even faster than the Hunter that had ¡®killed¡¯ Apexus, was afraid off.


    ¡°You lied to me,¡± Apexus instead hissed, from his safe place out of reach. Continuing to walk, Apotho started laughing, finding the slime¡¯s impotent rage to be the greatest joke he had heard in a decade. ¡°YOU LIED TO ME!¡± the slime found himself shouting, hands clawing into the forever fresh bark of the tree. ¡°With your eyes and your mouth¡­ lied to me¡­ you lied to me!¡±


    Suddenly, the laughter stopped, the old man turned and looked up to the slime, his eyes glistening with rising tears. ¡°I am so¡­ so sorry, Apexus¡­ you¡¯re right, I will head back into my containment and let it be repaired.¡± One blink, and the cruel mockery of a fatherly expression was back. ¡°Is that what you wish to hear, you hideous creature?¡±


    It was remarkable how a mere change in tone and body language could change so much about a person. Apotho, however, had perfect control over both, and had learned how to imitate his splintered self completely. ¡°You lied to me¡­¡± Apexus didn¡¯t know what he expected from repeating this statement over and over again, he felt helpless, could only jump to the next tree to follow the Warlock. He wanted answers, answers he didn¡¯t want to hear. Everything about these feelings made him feel like his core was getting hollowed out and the resulting vacuum threatened to make the remaining walls implode.


    ¡°And it was so wonderfully easy,¡± Apotho mused, his self-pleased attitude only more irritating. ¡°You were the second-best puppet I could have asked for. No, actually, you were the best puppet I could have asked for. Innocent, never betrayed before, with something you wanted and looking at a face you trusted. I expected you to be at least a little more questioning, but you must have convinced yourself that I was the one thing that could never deceive you. I mean, what else did you have?¡±


    Just like that the Warlock began to laugh again. The cackling echoed through the nearby treeline, only to eventually be replaced by loud coughing, as the old age took its toll. His grey hair waves as his head shook with the violent spasms.


    ¡°Apexus¡­¡± a wailing whimper rung out, unmistakeably Gizmo. Too annoyed to feel the frailness of his own body first-hand, Apotho had simply shoved his alter-ego into the leading position until the fit subsided. ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop him¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m so, so sorry¡­¡±


    The slime now felt another emotion. Sadness, unfathomable sadness and regret. Not only did he now have first-hand confirmation that his mentor was succumbing to the malevolent being inside him, Apexus himself had also failed. Failed to recognize what was going on and what consequences it could have. What price would be paid was still to be seen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stain my face with your useless tears,¡± Apotho effortlessly took the reins back, growling as he blinked those pestering drops away before they could harass his sight further. ¡°You know, you were my best puppet, but Reysha was a wonderful ally,¡± the Warlock walked a long step forwards, crossing a hole in the grass. ¡°With her, I could be completely honest about my intentions. Not that I didn¡¯t still make her dance on my strings.¡±


    Apexus growled as he took to the air, and had to fight against the resurfacing urge to jump at the Warlock. Many things could be said about the slime, but not that he was a slow learner. From the shape of his original body to his fundamental instincts, all of the slime had been made to evolve. Especially when it was something so practical and essential to survival as discarding naivety. Even more cautious because of how recent his mistakes were, he held back.


    ¡°The potions I handed her,¡± Apotho giggled as he gleefully shook his head. ¡°Ah, low-quality as it is, but a Remorseless Brew is nothing to be underestimated, you know? It finely cuts away everything, except for the one most urgent wish a person has. Amplifies it, until nothing can stop a person in fulfilling their mission but death. With good ingredients, I could have altered her memory permanently for the duration of those events. Could have made her forget them or make it so she wouldn¡¯t be able to discern the horrors she had wrought for a while.¡± He grinned so wide that his teeth showed. ¡°As it is, she will come face first with her own sins in a while. Who knows, maybe she¡¯ll break under it, like my weaker half has?¡±


    Apexus leapt off the branch he was resting on. The mistake appeared to him immediately when he saw the raw anticipation in Apotho¡¯s eyes. Moments before he could collide with the Warlock, the slime¡¯s wing beat with fervent intensity, bringing him back into the air. Where he would have been a moment later¡­ nothing appeared. Much to the Warlock¡¯s own surprise, although he hid it so well that Apexus barely saw any of it.


    To assure himself of his power, Apotho turned to a wildcat that was watching these happening from the nearby underbrush. It wasn¡¯t stealthy enough to elude the Warlock¡¯s gaze, and an arc of red lightning struck the animal, only to return in a green colour. Lifeforce spilled into Apotho, a miserable amount. Animals weren¡¯t a good supply of humanoid lifeforce, their potential was too limited. This was especially true when looking at the vast Level difference between the Warlock and the creatures of this Safe Leaf.


    He could have been draining energy from woodland critter for an entire year, and would still barely reverse his age. No, he needed something stronger and more fitting. For the moment, it was enough to know that he still had his powers. ¡®Which begs the question why I cannot hurt him,¡¯ Apotho thought, having the obvious answer inside him, dying, cowering, suppressed, but still present, ¡®I best avoid goading him into an attack then.¡¯


    Annoyed, the Warlock clicked his tongue. With more of his power returned, he could have plucked that pesky freak of creation out of the sky like it was nothing ¨C unique organism or not. His desire to find out what Apexus really was was only trumped by his annoyance towards past disobedience.


    ¡°You stay up there,¡± Apotho mocked, giving himself confident and walking along, the trees becoming scarcer the closer they got to Heralry. ¡°Watch as I tear down your last hope,¡± he announced, as he suddenly stopped and looked up a cliff. It was the same cliffside that housed the cave that Apexus had hid in in the past. A cliff on top of which the Cardinal stood, watching the Warlock approach from the vantage point.


    ¡°You will try to tear me down, Voidspark, but I have the Gods on my side!¡± Remezan declared.


    ¡°Your gods taking sides doesn¡¯t matter, their blessings won¡¯t save you, only their direct help would,¡± Apotho shouted back, his voice now devoid of any amusement, only hatred present. ¡°I have reached the power of the gods and was denied the privilege I deserved. They didn¡¯t even have the guts to kill me when they made me fail. All because they¡¯re too afraid to wield the immortality they were given!¡±


    Remezan didn¡¯t answer the blasphemy, only raised his hand. A golden spear appeared in his hand, a long silver edge curving straight out of the divinely sparkling metal. Although its brilliance was temporary, from the metal to the gems covering it, its was beautiful.


    Apexus didn¡¯t know what to do and settled on a protrusion of the cliff, resigned to do nothing, for the moment. Maybe he could do something eventually, but for the moment, he was doomed to be helpless and watch.

 Requiem 29

    Remezan¡¯s logic was quite simple; the only time he could hope to defeat Apotho was while the Warlock was still weakened. As a Level 57 Cardinal and an accomplished Walker, he was anything but weak. However, what he was facing had been archived well. Before Gizmo had retreated into the finished barrier, one unfalsifiable assessment of his power had been created. A simple card of Divinium, hidden deep in the archives of the local church, present to give every stationed Cardinal knowledge of what exactly they were guarding over.


    A level 127 Master of the Roots. The highest title any Warlock could attain and a level at which godhood was just a question of desire, not ability. More than twice the level, with the vast array of higher strength spell and skills that came with it and a unique Art, something only those beyond Level 100 had access to.


    Although Remezan had his own, common Art from being above Level 50, those two things were separated in power intensity by a massive margin. Only right where they were, with no other people around that Apotho could use to quickly regain his youth, did the Cardinal stand any chance of victory.


    ¡°Divine Materialization,¡± Apotho clapped, sarcastically congratulating the man on the cliff above. ¡°How befitting of a Cardinal. The liars in the Trunk have allowed you to wield one of their messenger¡¯s weapons. By all means, try your worst,¡± a subtle difference in Apotho¡¯s voice made his next words a seductive offer, ¡°come down.¡±


    Remezan had to strain his entire body to not fall prey to the unnatural charisma within those words. Even the Warlock¡¯s voice was a weapon, able to manipulate people into doing things they would normally put off as quite bad ideas. Rather than let these talks continue any longer, the Cardinal drew his arm back, his salt-and-pepper beard waving in a sudden breeze, then he tossed the weapon with as much force as he could muster.


    Apotho turned his body at a speed nobody that had the physique of an eighty-year-old man should have been able to. His feet dug a semi-circle into the grass, the spear dug into the dirt not far from there, then dematerialized, leaving a perfectly straight line.


    ¡°Is that your plan? Try to throw your spear at me until I tire out or you score a lucky hit?¡± the man who had reached the pinnacle of Dark Arts mocked. ¡°Do you take me for a fool? That I just ran here so I could have a little fight with you?¡± Raising a finger in a lecturing fashion, Apotho let out a series of demeaning sounds. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, I know perfectly that you would try to get people out of the firing range in case you failed here. The population of Haralry is currently being evacuated. Among the rim of the world, I bet. You would have sent them off the Leaf entirely if you thought people would survive that journey in such an unprepared mass.¡±


    It was exactly what Remezan had planned to do and what he had yelled at all the guards that he had come across on the way here. The accuracy didn¡¯t distract him. He materialized the spear again, drew back his arm and threw it. Again, Apotho dodged with ease, dragging his foot through the grass.


    ¡°Nothing forces me to fight you here,¡± the Warlock continued, side-stepping a number of more spears while he talked. ¡°I could just walk north or south and absorb the dim-witted population you swore to protect. It would be a mercy, really. Becoming part of me is a much greater gift than to live, sleep and die by the will of some uncaring creators. I could have done any number of things before facing you, my greatest obstacle here.¡± Yawningly taking a step, this time without dragging his feet, Apotho dodged one last spear before threatening. ¡°If you don¡¯t come down, then I will simply leave. You can¡¯t have that, now can you?¡±


    Although the Cardinal could see that he was obviously being goaded, the fact was that Apotho also didn¡¯t leave him with any other choice. With a mighty leap, the Cardinal catapulted himself down the cliff. The tip of a new spear glinted in the sunlight.


    There was a surprised look on the Warlock¡¯s face, as if he hadn¡¯t expected such speed. With hasty steps, he managed to dodge. Too hasty for proper footing. Remezan seized on the moment, whirled around the moment he landed ¨C and drew blood. A shallow cut along Apotho¡¯s arms, nothing that was cause for concern or jubilation, but a successful hit regardless. Invigorated by this first success, the Cardinal redoubled his assault.


    Step for step, he forced Apotho back, who struggled to regain his balance. With dragging steps and desperate backwards stomps, the Warlock continued to dodge. Drops of his blood fell into the soil, dripping from ever-more shallow cuts.


    Above, Apexus was watching the happenings intensely, trying to follow it. The movements were too quick for him, he could only really follow the slow moments between strikes, but the general direction of the fight seemed clear. Only a few times did it seem like Apotho had a fighting chance, throwing out an assault of green fire that forced the Cardinal back. Each time, it was a sloppy attempt, only hitting the floor and searing a circle into the grass. One, two, three, four times, such an attack was made. Each time it failed to give Apotho the breathing room to pull off something greater.


    So entranced was the slime by the battle, so focused Remezan on his seeming success, that neither of them noticed what was really going on until it was too late. Although Apotho really had no chance of beating the Cardinal in close quarter combat, the wounds he took were genuine, his resistance was not as strong as it could have been. That was because the Warlock wasn¡¯t looking to win an exchange of blows, he was going to win the fight.


    The surprise that he had displayed on his face suddenly turned into a renewed grin. Immediately put off by this, the Cardinal tried to put some distance between them, only playing once more into Apotho¡¯s hand by doing so.


    The grass under Remezan¡¯s feet withered and crumbled into ash as the lines in ground, drawn with their feet and the slices of his spear, flared up in a bloody red. ¡®He drew a summoning circle with the fighting movements,¡¯ the Cardinal realized quickly, analysing the runes with his limited understanding in the short time he had. Even with that, he realized the impossible ambition of the circle.


    Ethereal chains darted out of the four scorched marks from the ¡®missed¡¯ firebolts, wrapping themselves around Remezan¡¯s limbs and preventing any sort of counterattack. The endless dance of the fight was suddenly over, but the Cardinal felt relieved, even as he was immobilized. This was because of the fact that Apotho, as well, was inside the circle and the glow was too intense to escape it now.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be killed by your own spell,¡± Remezan declared, happy to give his life if this was what it accomplished.


    ¡°Killed by my own spell¡­?¡± Apotho asked, now honestly surprised, blinking in confusion, then laughing maniacally. ¡°Did you lose the description of my Art, Cardinal? Was it lost in time, eroded just like I eroded the conditions of my prison?¡± The Warlock grinned as his body began to leak life energy into the circle, changing its colour to a sated, bright green at a quick pace. He was giving more, so much more, than was sucked out of the Cardinal.


    However, where Remezan¡¯s haired turned grey, the wrinkles in his skin became deeper and deeper, and his muscles withered, Apotho was unchanged. ¡°H-how?!¡± the Cardinal groaned, stemming against the forceful removal of his lifeforce. He could slow it tremendously, for the moment he had only been robbed a few years, if he slipped, his entire life could be gone in a few seconds.


    ¡°My Art is Deathless Greed,¡± Apotho revealed, grinning as he fuelled the spell more and more. ¡°It¡¯s a rather simple ability, with wide reaching consequences. Describable in one sentence: I cannot harm myself, your ¡®holiness¡¯.¡± To demonstrate and to give more fuel to the circle, Apotho rammed his fingers into a cut on his arm and pulled the skin back. Skin was peeled off muscle, muscle from bone, no self-preservation instincts kicking in, as the shallow wound was forcefully widened into a disgusting gash.


    Blood overflowed when the Warlock reached his artery. The life sustaining fluid landed on the groundand then crawled towards the lines of the circle like small maggots. The second the warlock let go, the wound reverted back to the small slit it had originally been.


    ¡°No action I take can hurt me. I could cut off my own head and it would reattach itself. I could swallow the vilest poison, as long as I do it knowingly, it will heal. Indeed, if you were so weak that you couldn¡¯t harm me unless I let you, I could even run into your weapon and the wound would close itself. More importantly, no matter what spell I weave, it will come to no cost of my own life. I am a Warlock with an infinite supply of power, the only thing that limits me is preparation and the boundaries of flesh,¡± Apotho raised a hand against an invisible resistance, parts of the circle rose off the floor, making the previous linework a thing of three dimensions. The scorched marks from which chains had come turned into swirling black pits that lead elsewhere.


    ¡°Well,¡± the Warlock continued his lecture, ¡°there is another thing that limits me. My rituals are fuelled completely by my own power, but the demons still hunger, your ¡®holiness¡¯. They want flesh that has its worth from sacrifice and on this measly little Leaf, only you¡¯re worthy to call back my Hounds of Tharnatos.¡±


    If Remezan¡¯s skin hadn¡¯t already become pale from the energy drain, that series of announcements would have done it. A Warlock that didn¡¯t have to sacrifice lifeforce had infinite mana, could keep as many demons under his command as he could convince to make a contract. Even one Tharnatos class demon would have been as much as a normal Warlock around Level 100 dared to summon and Apotho spoke of numerous.


    The warlock raised a second hand, more of the summoning circle expanded into the air. Particles of ash whirled around, obscuring the sun, as the presence of dreadful creatures made the entire Leaf tremble. A giggle could be heard, alluring and distant, a corrupting seductiveness under even those presences.


    All of those sounds and feelings were interrupted when over a hundred kilograms of slime broke through the ash and crashed gracelessly into Apotho.

 Requiem 30

    Apexus didn¡¯t know if he could live with Gizmo¡¯s blood on his membrane. What he, however, was certain of was that the alternative was going to be worse for everyone involved. Presented with the opportunity, he had leapt and gone into a desperate dive.


    The ritual had taken enough of the Warlock¡¯s attention that he hadn¡¯t noticed until it was too late. Apotho was forced half a step back. One foot passed the boundary of the summoning circle. Although that didn¡¯t end the ritual in its entirety, it did suddenly cause it to slow and weaken. The presences that had been waiting for their final call dampened. Only the laughter of the woman grew louder, heavily amused by the summoner¡¯s struggles.


    ¡°MEDDLING INSECT!¡± Apotho screamed, as oversized wings folded around him. All that Apexus wanted at this point was to cause more confusion and buy a little bit more time. His membrane opened as he tried to burn the warlock with his acid. Not an inch of skin was seared. Neither of them was in the mindset to notice. ¡°I will reduce you to cinders,¡± the Warlock growled, focusing his magic energy under his palm. The old body could only channel so much power at the same time: not enough to blast the slime out of the sky, but certainly enough to incinerate him at close range.


    ¡®NO!¡¯ a mental outcry caused the magical energy to stay within his body. Gizmo¡¯s slim remains of being rose up, protecting his student and the only company he had for one of a hundred years in isolation. There had only been Apexus and the metal fairy, both of which he would protect until he completely dissolved into nothingness. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there!¡± the old man shouted at the Cardinal, in control for just the moment.


    Remezan had already started struggling against the chains. The Warlock distracted and partly out of the circle, the spell lost its power. Although he had been weakened, he was not frail. ¡®I am a Cardinal, a scholar of the divine, a follower of the teachings of righteousness and purity,¡¯ he prayed mentally as his mouth screamed and his muscles burned, the ethereal chains moaning, ¡®Gods, let me muster the strength for one final push!¡¯


    The chains shattered into thousands of pieces. One crack and they broke like a connected piece of glass. Remezan¡¯s stance dropped, the spear appeared between his ready hands, and he charged forwards. Aiming the tip of the spear just under one of the slime¡¯s wings, he thrust forwards. The blade buried itself deep into Gizmo¡¯s guts, slided through his body and punched through at the other side.


    The Cardinal attempted to twist the blade, to make it absolutely lethal, but Apotho came back into control. ¡°HOW DARE YOU?!¡± he screamed, his hands trembling, then succeeding in gripping Apexus and ripping the slime off.


    Apexus didn¡¯t even know what was happening, so quick was the motion that removed him from the Warlock¡¯s body. Within a second, he found himself rammed against the cliffside, stunned by the impact. Losing no time, Apotho gripped the weapon that had been buried inside him. Although pain had long since stopped bothering the Warlock, the fact that he could feel his lifeblood draining through the wound sent him into a state of panic.


    ¡°No, no, no, no,¡± he stammered, the blank fear in his eyes. It was that very same fear that had allowed him to overcome even Gizmo¡¯s resistance. ¡°I am living apotheosis, I am Apotho, I can¡¯t die here. I can¡¯t die. Never. I won¡¯t die, I will never die. DO YOU HEAR ME WORLD?!¡± Even if the Warlock was weakened, Remezan had lost even more of his power. Slowly, Apotho shoved the spear out of his stomach, then managed to step back into the circle. Boundless lifeforce fuelled it, to the pleased, alluring and entirely misplaced moaning of that invisible woman.


    New chains darted forth from the re-opened portals, once more binding the Cardinal. The spear dropped onto the desecrated ground and vanished. Apotho¡¯s hands gripped his assailant¡¯s skull, fingers dug into the scalp, as blood ran from the Warlock¡¯s lips.


    ¡°I wanted you to see everything, how I turn this miserable Safe Leaf into a place of death, as fuel for myself,¡± he growled as dark red energy glowed in the little space between his hands and his victim. ¡°You and your Church, you were supposed to witness and be helpless. Congratulations, I underestimated you. You should never have been able to hurt me. NOW PAY FOR IT!¡±


    There was a prolonged, unpleasant sound. Like a titan sharply inhaling through clenched teeth, underlined with screams and disharmonic violins. The sounds of massive amounts of life being drained from a single person. Remezan screamed, in failure and in pain, as his black hair and beard turned grey, then white. Wrinkles in his skin were deepened, age spots grew, until Remezan looked even older than Apotho had at the brink of death, months back.


    The Warlock, in the meanwhile, was rejuvenated. The wound in his stomach closed, then the small cuts. When his age itself began to revert, he forced himself back. Not just because he was absorbing more energy than he needed, but also because Apexus had recovered and tried to intervene again. ¡°You¡¯re just so annoying,¡± Apotho growled and stepped away from the Cardinal. With one hand, he caught the slime by the head.


    Struggling, Apexus tried to do anything, but found himself unable. Apotho was the same. Although he tried his utmost to focus his magical power into a blast, he couldn¡¯t. All he could do were actions that were unharmful to the slime, keeping him at bay by holding him like one would an unruly child. Without the fear of death overcoming Gizmo¡¯s last grasp on this body, all the Warlock could do was defend himself. Annoyed, he clicked his tongue.


    Discarding Apexus by throwing the slime like one would a crumpled up piece of paper, Apotho turned back to the summoning circle. The Cardinal was just a husk now, a sliver of life still in his eyes. If all went well, then he would still suffice as the necessary sacrifice.


    ¡°Why?!¡± Apexus wanted to know, watching with the disability of the powerless. ¡°Why do you do these things?!¡±


    ¡°Should you not know?¡± Apotho laughed, more than willing to chatter while he was in control. ¡°You¡¯re a predator yourself. The lesser creatures are food to nourish the stronger. You feast on animals to expand your arsenal of Growths and thus become stronger to live longer. I take what I need to expand my life. Lesser people are there to feed my existence. Farmers are there to grow my food, smiths exist to make my weapons and armour and all people have one thing they can give to be useful to their better ¨C to me.¡±


    ¡°I eat animals to survive. I don¡¯t rip humanoids from their families,¡± Apexus protested.


    Only grinning, finding that difference to be nonsensically small, Apotho raised his arms high. The chains were pulled tense. The Cardinal had no more life to scream. Even as he was pulled down to the floor, his now frail form getting pulled at more and more, all he felt was resignation. He had failed and thousands would pay the price.


    Then his arms and legs were torn off. The limbs dragged over the floor, leaving trails of blood that arranged themselves into squiggly lines and runes. Apexus had seen enough at that point. Whatever his regrets were, the slime could do nothing else. He ripped his attention away from the perversely intriguing display and beat his wings.


    ¡®Have to get Aclysia and Reysha. Get off the Leaf and just go somewhere else.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t an honourable view on things. However, Apexus wasn¡¯t looking to help everyone he could. His approach was live and let live, and in this case, there was absolutely nothing he could do for anyone on this world even if he tried. With the Cardinal dead, all hope in that department was gone.


    Apotho glanced after the fleeing slime. He wasn¡¯t worried, and simply concluded the ritual. Four heads rose from the four portals at the sides of the circle. Four chains dragged the four limbs towards them. The demons caught them with four arms, their four eyes focusing and devouring the sanctified flesh gleefully.


    The four demons were born from the portals, covered in viscous, clear liquid that quickly evaporated in the air, leaving behind dark, leathery skin that glistened as if polished. Their bodies were humanoid, albeit twisted or changed in many ways. Their heads were neckless things, long and smooth. Four eyes, two at the side of their heads, two on top, moved around independently, with red sclera and pitch black irises. Two large slits indicated a nose. Underneath, teeth, with no lips to hide them, grew directly out of the skin. The maw of one of the demons opened, split halfway down their head. Every single tooth had the exact same shape, an oversized canine, teeth that existed exclusively to rend. A long, pointy tongue tasted the air.


    Their four arms all ended in hands of three long claws and two, comparatively short, thumbs. Although their legs were more than developed enough to support upright walking, ending in four claws themselves, one growing from the heel, they preferred to crawl. It looked more like a spider skittering than a wolf or another mammal. Long and muscular was the build of their bodies, bronze markings covered much of it. Although naked, there was nothing that would have pointed towards reproductive capabilities. A prehensile tail, longer than their legs, grew from the lower back of each of them.


    Although they hissed and growled at each other, they kept their heads lowered when they looked in their summoner¡¯s direction. Tails that thrashed were still and lowered when they reached him. ¡°You remember me,¡± Apotho stated, putting a foot on one of their heads. The demon just took it, didn¡¯t even whimper. They were of the Tharnatos Class, the second strongest category of demons. Their specific designation was Deathhound. ¡°Good. Catch that slime,¡± the Warlock tried to swallow the next word, but it forced itself over his lips in a disgustingly weak tone, ¡°...unharmed.¡±

 Requiem 31

    Apexus heard them before he saw them. The Deathhounds screeched with high pitched voices as they chased after him. They scaled the cliff in seconds, like spiders scurrying up a wall, and made their way into the canopies.


    ¡®No, no, nope!¡¯ the slime thought, beating his wings in an effort to gain height. No matter the enemy, he was safe in the air, that was the adage that had proven true time and time again. The demons, however, were another calibre of enemy.


    ¡°RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡± the disharmonious screams echoed as all four of the Deathhounds leapt into the air. For a moment, it seemed like they would miss the slime, then they grabbed the air itself. It was unclear how they did it, but their limbs definitely found resistance in the shapeless gas and they leapt again. They didn¡¯t fly, they leapt from one invisible footing to another. Although not as manoeuvrable as Apexus, they were much quicker and had soon caught up to him.


    One of the Deathhounds landed on top of Apexus. At over two and a half metres, the demon was more than large enough to grapple the slime and its weight caused them to drop like a rock. That two of the Tharnatos class demon¡¯s arms were holding the slime¡¯s wings still wasn¡¯t helping.


    They turned in the sky, the demon hissing, perfectly aware of its orders. Shifting weight so it was on the bottom, it effortlessly feathered the fall with its remaining four limbs. The landing impact rippled through the dense muscles without harm. Apexus hadn¡¯t been lazy during the fall, opening his membrane and now trying his best to encapsulate the demon. A last-ditch effort to hurt it and somehow get away from the other three.


    The demon looked at the goo spilling on its chest. Each of its four eyes blinked individually, naked terror in the abomination¡¯s behaviour. The long head reared around, inspecting whether its target was hurt and now bleeding on top of it. It gave Apexus enough time to even expand around one of the Deathhound¡¯s arms.


    Enough of it had been covered now that the digestion process began. ¡°Ssssssss,¡± the Deathhound growled, a voice like the hissing of a snake crossed with the growling of an avalanche, ¡°Sparkeater! Grrrrr¡­¡± It was clear that the Deathhound held itself back from completely ripping Apexus¡¯ apart. With as little violence as possible, it ripped its arm out of Apexus mass, then threw the entire slime off itself.


    The opened membrane caused a lot of Apexus¡¯ slime to fly through the air, reduced to basic water. The three other Deathhounds approached the chimeric goo, as he closed his wounds as quickly as he could. If there had been anywhere to flee to from the skittering abominations, the slime would have, but they approached, tails raised, like bear sized scorpions hunting in a pack.


    ¡°Sparkeater?¡± one of the Deathhound¡¯s asked the one that had caught Apexus. ¡°He is a Sparkeater? Rare, too rare, I don¡¯t want it. Is he weak?¡±


    ¡°Laughably,¡± the first one answered, their mouths dripping with black saliva as they spoke. ¡°It has legs to walk but moves in a crawl. Worthless creature, easy target, Master¡¯s prey. Body liquid, body eats.¡±


    ¡°Eats fast?¡±


    ¡°Weak and acid slow. Bones under skin, hard under gripless. I take pain, I take honour.¡±


    The three Deathhounds hissed at the original one, now grabbing Apexus by the arms. ¡°Let go!¡± the slime said, trying to deter the creature by letting its hand sink through the outer membrane. Anything he had faced before would have flinched at having its hand submerged in acid. It was the last and desperate defence manoeuvre he had.


    At the best of times, it came at the loss of a lot of biomass. The predator would usually thrash, tear open the membrane even more, causing a lot of slime to be spilled, as their limbs were suddenly dissolved. Regardless, it had saved Apexus¡¯ life against that eagle and made it easier a few times after that.


    The Deathhound gripped Apexus¡¯ bones and began dragging the slime. The smooth skin inside the slime¡¯s mass just refused to dissolve, no matter how strongly he concentrated on it. Although there was definitely some progress made, the chimeric slime could not cause any meaningful damage.


    And so, with futile struggles, Apexus was dragged back. The other three Deathhounds stalked after them, growling and cursing every step along the way. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve honour of Master Apotho, Kurlesh.¡±


    ¡°Kurlesh deserves nothing.¡±


    ¡°Kurlesh is nothing. He is more Parasyte than mortal. Parasyte!¡± ¡°Parasyte, Parasyte!¡± the other two echoed mockingly.


    The named Deathhound turned around and screamed at his comrades. It was a hateful, prolonged sound, that made birds fly all around the forest. It echoed through the trees, over the canopies, made whoever managed to catch as much of a whisper of it shiver with panic. Apexus felt it down to his core. The reverberations of it still echoed in his liquid mass and rang in his sensitive ears, as the other three Tharnatos class demons snickered among them like hyenas.


    ¡°Your prey, Master,¡± Kurlesh lowered his entire posture, as he pinned Apexus to the floor.


    ¡°Good,¡± Apotho¡¯s voice was neutral. He should have been happier, but couldn¡¯t find it in himself to gloat. ¡®Sink into oblivion already, Gizmo,¡¯ the Warlock thought, shoving the slime¡¯s importance to the side. There were proper things he had to get done. ¡°Kurlesh, you keep watching over him. Don¡¯t let Apexus escape, don¡¯t harm him.¡±


    ¡°Apexussssssss,¡± the Deathhound giggled, his nostrils widening as he sniffed the slime. ¡°What apex are you? The apex of disgust?¡±


    The Warlock turned to the other three demons. ¡°Terlash, there is a Ragressian somewhere in the local building of the Church. Find her. An exiled angel should also be somewhere close to that. Bring both of them to the Stem. Purlesk, Turlesh, split north and south, you will find evacuating masses.¡± Apotho took an artful pause. ¡°Convince them to come to the Stem as well. Just spare the young ones.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, massster,¡± they hissed, then split according to his orders.


    ¡°Now, let us walk, Apexus,¡± Apotho mused, leaving behind the torso of the dead Cardinal in the burned-out summoning circle. ¡°I have something beautiful to show you.¡±

 Requiem 32

    Aclysia¡¯s hands worked steadily, but slowly. The state Reysha was in was grave. Most of her body, she could save. There were little marks all over her, lines of demonic fire that had found its way all through her. With the careful healing the metal fairy was putting forwards right now, there wouldn¡¯t even be scars left from that.


    Her right arm, however, was nothing that could be salvaged. There wasn¡¯t even an arm to speak of anymore, just a molten solid, long piece of bone. Her shoulder was terribly scorched, something Aclysia could at least mend, but those marks would be on her flesh even after the remains of her limb were separated.


    More worrying than that, at least immediately, was the state Reysha was in mentally. She was clearly awake. Her eyes were open and followed things that entered her vision, sometimes she blinked, her breathing was steady, and her ears reacted to sound. As a matter of fact, she reacted to all of these things at remarkable speeds. However, she didn¡¯t speak, she didn¡¯t make as much as a single sound, and although her body was clearly wrecked, there was no sign of pain.


    All she did was lay there and let herself be treated. ¡°Help me get her out of here,¡± Aclysia said, her voice calm. This whole situation was too much for her, she was worried for Apexus, worried about the consequences of today and what would happen to Reysha. The burden of it all made her cave in and take it all with an oddly intense clarity. Although that determination came at the cost of her usual foresight. Her mind was too occupied in dealing with the current happenings to make any plans.


    Neither did she manage to give thought to what she said and who she said it to. Mehily was standing frozen over Reysha, Berholdth behind her. The brutish Warrior knew even less about what was going on than anyone else, but he held the corpse of Evmeria in his arms and there was no doubt about who was responsible for the violent demise.


    ¡°We should just bring her to justice right now,¡± Berholdth growled. ¡°Spare us the trouble.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your place nor right to judge her,¡± Aclysia simply responded with something she had said before. ¡°After all you did, you should know how terribly misguided you are.¡±


    It was a stupid comment to make at the current time, only succeeded in straining the situation. A vein popped out on the dark-haired man¡¯s forehead. ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t break some ancient seal that the Cardinal himself kept secret and make the SKY CRACK!¡±


    ¡°Berth, please,¡± Mehily stated, sounding just tired. ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. We just found this room. I am sure whatever is happening, the Cardinal is going to take care of it and¡­¡±


    ¡°Cardinal, Cardinal, Cardinal,¡± a mocking, guttural voice echoed from the darkness. ¡°You servants of the Church and your hierarchy based on trust. There is only power.¡± Whenever it pronounced an S there was an unpleasant hissing to his tone. "Your Cardinal doesn¡¯t have enough power to stop my master. He has already failed. Your beloved Cardinal is dead.¡±


    They turned around and went pale as a group as the Deathhound peeled itself out of the darkness of the hall and walked into the dimly lit room that had housed the seal. When the creature had almost reached them, it changed to a bipedal stance, towering over even the Warrior. Berholdth dropped the body, drew his sword, screamed, and swung at Terlash. The weapon was swept away with such force that the steel shattered into a hundred pieces.


    ¡°Master didn¡¯t say anything about you¡­ and what Master doesn¡¯t know, Master won¡¯t misssssss,¡± the Deathhound let out a number of forced cackles and let Berholdth take a number of fruitless swings at him, before grabbing his arms and spreading them open. The Warrior¡¯s head was left unprotected. Light spells dissolved on Terlash¡¯s skin like water when hitting a hot piece of metal. The abomination¡¯s elongated maw opened wide and wrapped around Berholdth¡¯s head. Then, with a crunching sound, the jaws closed.


    The chewing motion was even worse than the bite, as the headless, armoured body was left to drop to the floor on top of the mangled form that had been Evmeria. The Deathhound had no lips to seal and its teeth clearly weren¡¯t designed for the task. Furthermore, it seemed it didn¡¯t have any traditional jawbones. The teeth moved almost individually, as the mouth opened and closed. Shards of a skull, a squished eye, pieces of brain, tongue and skin, they fell down to the floor, as the head was reduced to a messy pulp and swallowed by the demon.


    Mehily failed to retain her composure or even the contents of her stomach. Vomit splattered over the floor. Aclysia couldn¡¯t blame her, had she had the same biology, her reaction would have been the same. Dropping back on all six limbs now that the other tall person in the room was nothing more than a bleeding carcass, the Deathhound sniffed at the two bodies.


    ¡°Inquisitor,¡± Terlash hissed, swiping the two bodies away without any respect for the fallen. They flew across the room and bounced off the curved roof. Stinking with fresh blood, the Tharnatos class demon moved up to Mehily. The Priestess stepped away from it as quickly as she could, Terlash hissed amusedly and followed. ¡°Do you fight? Tell me you fight. I am hungry.¡± The long tongue darted out and licked across Mehily¡¯s face, spreading a mixture of black saliva and Berholdth¡¯s blood over her. Still, no reaction. ¡°You bore me.¡±


    Mehily couldn¡¯t believe her luck when the Deathhound turned away. It seemed to ignore her. ¡®Oh, thank the Divine,¡¯ she prayed silently. ¡®I will¡­ I don¡¯t know what I will do but¡­¡¯ her offerings and prayers came to a sudden end, when she was grabbed by the head in a decisively uncaring motion. Without as much as a single moment of hesitation, the three claws of the creature secured a grip and the two thumbs gouged her eyes out.


    ¡°Kssssshhhhksssshkshhhh,¡± Terlash let out a series of amused sounds as he left the Priestess on the floor. ¡°Yes, pain, yes, that¡¯s what I hungered for. Aaaah, yessss, wait and blind and die of nature. Am I cruel? No, I spare you, I spare you, I am no Parasyte.¡±


    One of the four eyes of the creature fell on Aclysia, the other three quickly followed. ¡°Ragressian and exiled angel, the Master calls for you,¡± the demon skittered towards them, but Aclysia didn¡¯t step away, instead protectively cradling Reysha¡¯s body. Terlash reached out, enjoying the distress the creeping motion caused the angel, but its hand stayed closely before reaching them. Moving at the speeds he could actually display, the Deathhound suddenly dropped and begun sniffing the molten bone at the hand. ¡°Master, Empress is here, Empress is here!¡± its fingers clacked on the floor an unnerving staccato, moving in excitement. ¡°I see, I see, tools of the Master, not toys, good, good, fallen angel, good angel, a being born holy turned good, yes, yes. Bury yourself in Roots, come, come, the Master beckons.¡±


    Aclysia had no idea what misunderstanding the demon was falling prey too, but clarifying it seemed against her immediate interest. ¡°We will come in a minute, please, go ahead. We will meet you there.¡± She had no idea where ¡®there¡¯ was, but if she could convince the creature of leaving, there was a chance they could make an escape.


    ¡°Master¡¯s command absolute,¡± Terlash shook his head.


    Aclysia turned her head and looked at the two corpses in the corner. ¡°What Master doesn¡¯t know¡­,¡± she very carefully suggested, ¡°Master won¡¯t miss, right?¡±


    ¡°Kshkshkshksh,¡± Terlash laughed. ¡°I like you, yes, yes. But I can¡¯t oblige it all. I will wait two door from here. You will come too where else you couldn¡¯t be.¡± It was the pettiest of resistances against Apotho¡¯s orders and it loved to do that. Turning around the creature turned away.


    Aclysia felt as if she was about to shatter. ¡°What is Apotho, really?¡± she mumbled to herself. She was absolutely helpless. Today had promised to be so hopeful and now that thing was here. In the face of it, she couldn¡¯t do anything, but a small good. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a moment,¡± she promised the motionless Reysha and got up. ¡°My deepest apologies,¡± she mumbled, when she reached Evmeria¡¯s corpse and only desecrated it further by removing the glass orbs from her eyes. Then she moved over to Mehily.


    ¡°Divine, what is happening?¡± the Priestess was in shock, mumbling desperate prayers. ¡°Did trying to question your tenets do this to me? Do you wish complete obedience after all? Jersoja, Lord, tell me what it is you want?¡±


    ¡°Mehily,¡± Aclysia softly spoke, as she reached out and healed the Priestess eyes. A useless endeavour, the demon¡¯s touch had ruined them so thoroughly the healing spell actually identified them as a harmful entity and healed the remains of flesh away like it would a blistering plague bump. At least the bleeding stopped and that was what she was immediately concerned about. It didn¡¯t ease the blonde¡¯s whimpering though. ¡°Listen,¡± the metal fairy said regardless. ¡°I don¡¯t know where it will take us, but I think you¡¯re safer here.¡± She forced the artificial eyes into her hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can use these, but they¡¯re the best I can do for you. Survive¡­ and I am sorry.¡±


    Aclysia didn¡¯t know why she apologized. She had only ever gone the difficult path of the fewest victims. If everyone else involved had kept it the same way, none of this would have happened. Yet she felt like she should shoulder what she could. ¡°Thank you, angel,¡± Mehily mumbled in a tone, clutching the orbs. Her tone had nothing of someone in this reality.


    ¡°Come, Reysha,¡± Aclysia said, herself not sure how to handle what the tiger girl had released in her thirst for vengeance. For now, it was enough that the redhead was alive.


    A state that might not persist.

 Requiem Finale

    Apexus saw the two women in his life approach with none of the happiness he would normally have. His head was hanging in shame, his eyes widened at the damage Reysha had taken. Aclysia was allowed to reach the slime and soon all three of them were cowering in the shadow of the hound Kurlesh, who snarled, then hesitated and lowered his head to sniff at Reysha¡¯s arm like Terlash had earlier.


    The slime wanted to push the creature back, but remained entirely at the mercy of Apotho and his demons. Nothing he could have done would do more than inconvenience those things that weren¡¯t allowed to kill him.


    The Warlock was currently busy directing Terlash to scratch lines into the pavement. They were in the large plaza between the fortress that walled the city off from the Stem and the many guild buildings. Most of the city had obeyed the evacuation order, the few people that remained weren¡¯t foolish enough to approach the demonic abominations roaming their city.


    Taking a break from that work, Apotho walked over to them. ¡°Ah, Reysha, dear Reysha,¡± he mused, Aclysia and Apexus moving to protect the tiger girl. ¡°Oh please, she is the only one you don¡¯t need to protect from me. Unlike you two, she obeyed me,¡± with a gesture of his hand, he commanded Kurlesh to force the lovers off the tiger girl. With the remaining two arms, it made Reysha sit upright and turned the ashen-bone arm upward. The sorry remains of her shoulder joint played along.


    ¡°What are going to do with?¡± Apexus hated that the nervousness and anger caused his speech to fall into a deeply false sentence structure again. Laughing at this, Apotho inspected the tiger girl closely. That the slime was unable to formulate proper sentences was deeply amusing to the Warlock.


    ¡°I told you, she obeyed me,¡± Apotho told her. ¡°And I reward those who please me. Kurlesh, separate her arm at the shoulder. Then feed her your blood.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Aclysia shouted out, leaving Apexus confused. He had eaten a demon, nothing bad had come from that. ¡°What reward is death?¡±


    ¡°As you command, Master,¡± the Deathhound ignored all of that, and ripped off the arm as one would off a chicken. Then it bit into its own arm and pressed the wound against Reysha¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Drink,¡± Apotho stated, his voice unnatural Charisma that could even convince someone of a mindless state. Although it burned in her mouth and throat, Reysha drank. ¡°It does its job wonderfully, doesn¡¯t it, the potion?¡± the Warlock rolled his neck, made an unhappy face as the stiffness persisted. ¡°It¡¯s a real shame I didn¡¯t have those better ingredients. I could have made her my puppet for a good while. That chance is ruined now. The next time she uses a potion of this variety, it will do less. Certainly not enough to shackle her will reliably for a long stretch of time. Such are the costs of opportunity.¡±


    Aclysia stopped struggling when the socket of Reysha¡¯s arm slowly stopped bleeding. Kneeling with some trouble, his age catching up again after the troubles of the day, Apotho extended his right hand towards the wound. His fingers moved in conjuring motions and his mouth moved, nonsensical words escaping his mouth.


    The blood no longer flowed. A black liquid oozed out instead, followed Apotho¡¯s guidance. ¡°This is something greater than miracles,¡± the grey-haired man stated. ¡°It¡¯s power grown from understanding the world. She has been afflicted with Noir, is able to absorb all kinds of physical mana that should be poisonous to humans. I am a Warlock that has mastered all schools of my Class. Manipulating the blood of a demon is easy to me. Witness my reward.¡±


    The blood began to branch out. In meticulous and slow work, Apotho created a network of veins. Then he created bones, sinews, muscles, fat and finally skin. After half an hour of work, Reysha had received a new arm. Not some monstrous thing, at least not apparently, it looked exactly like the rest of her, down to the dark tiger stripes on her brown skin. Only a pale scar on her brown skin at the base of her shoulder, where the old limb had been ripped out, was left as evidence of what had happened.


    When he got up, he stretched, and old bones cracked and creaked. The plaza was filled with people now, forced back into the city by Purlesk and Turlesh. Many had still escaped, scattered into the woods while the demons had hunted the masses. Less than half of the population of Haralry was driven back into the city. Still, a mass of thousands. Herded like sheep by the Deathhounds so overwhelmingly strong that no resistance could be met with success.


    A few guards and adventurers, however, had the idea that the old man that seemed to be their summoner was a different story. Storming at Apotho when they saw an opening, they did not know that this endeavour was even more futile.


    Apotho took a deep breath as he was encircled. He raised a hand to show the Deathhound¡¯s they could stand back. The adventurers closed in. A snap of his fingers and a shockwave rippled out from the Warlock¡¯s skin, stretching three metres out in a crimson red. It passed through the adventurers, exiting their bodies in a pale green. The magic was now saturated with lifeforce, returning to Apotho and sinking back inside him as the assailants fell dead to his feet.


    ¡°Lifepulse Inversion,¡± the Warlock lectured whoever would listen with the aura of superiority. ¡°Still as useful against weak masses as ever.¡± His voice was now firmer than before and a hint of red seemed to show from his hair. The dozen people he had just killed had shaved another few years off his age. ¡°LISTEN!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Lisssssten,¡± each Deathhound screeched loudly, repeating their master¡¯s statement so that everyone on the plaza would hear. Although Apotho¡¯s voice already carried further than it should, this did serve to reinforce the message.


    ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy slaughtering you like cattle, I have much better things to do. Play along and you will meet your end quickly, don¡¯t and¡­¡± Apotho gesture at a random woman in the crowd. All the demons but Kurlesh leapt at her. Twelve clawed arms tore the woman to shreds in the most torturous slowness that three demons could. Although that was still quite a quick death, the blood-chilling screams left no doubt that this was not how anyone wanted to go. The messy way in which they devoured her afterwards didn¡¯t help. Turlesh carefully cracked open the chest and picked out the heart for himself, while the other two indiscriminately devoured whatever they could.


    Afterwards, the people were compliant. Traumatized and unable to process things properly, they were directed to stand in certain places. For three hours, people were directed to stand here or there. They couldn¡¯t sit, they had to wait and everyone who attempted to disobey was torn to shreds in the most gruesome manner imaginable.


    The only people spared from this were children. Those under the age of 13 were put aside, gathered in the centre of the plaza along with Apotho, and the trio. Aclysia and Apexus were just watching, still not knowing what their fate would be. They did, however, realize what was going on.


    Apotho was making another summoning circle. Rather than draw it into the stone, he made the sacrifices themselves form the lines with their bodies. Thousands of people, forced to shape runes and circles. When the Warlock was finally happy, he picked up Reysha¡¯s former arm and cracked open the molten hand.


    The die-like gem it had clutched fell into his palm and he held it up toward the sun. ¡°Then let us finalize my requiem,¡± Apotho announced and channelled power into the gem. It absorbed power, more and more power, more than a Cardinal could have ever given, more than any one man should have had. In the first place, this gem had been a possession of Apotho that preceded his mental split. Gizmo had appropriated it for his cause, but now it would serve its original purpose again.


    The gem exploded, a myriad of tiny shards scattering through the air in a thin layer. They coalesced above the heads of the sacrifices and created a second, proper layer of lines. All of them were directed towards Apotho. For a moment, it looked beautiful. The shards glittered like tiny stars in the daylight. Then they glowed with infernal power and a greed for more. The massive circle screeched and the golden light of the sun was overpowered by green as thousands of people were deprived of their lifeforce at the same time.


    Apotho laughed manically as it all flowed towards him, entering his body. His spine straightened, the frail body under the robe expanded, lean muscles returned. More and more hair grew from his almost bald head, turned a bloody red, and grew until it reached his shoulders in a combed back tide. Age spots shrunk and vanished, making room to smooth, pale skin.


    The rejuvenated man gripped the brown robe that Gizmo had loved for its simpleness and tore it from his body like a prison. Nothing of the loose skin and wrinkles remained, only a body at the prime of youth with defined muscles. A man of clear beauty, charisma, yet with a sinister look in his light blue eyes.


    And in the distance, there was that giggle again. ¡°Ah, my lover has returned to me,¡± the sultry voice gasped as the people collapsed. It was a painless death, as Apotho had promised. Deprived of all lifeforce, they crumbled and what hit the floor was nothing but dust and empty clothes. The man of Deathless Greed redirected the flow of energy into an invisible point in the air.


    ¡°Stop watching, Jolene, and show yourself,¡± the Warlock demanded, ¡°You have watched long enough to see if I succeed.¡± His command was heeded. A hole tore open, the shape of an eye. A red, flat piece of distorted reality, with a pale, slit pupil. A pupil that reshaped itself moment by moment into the shape of a woman.


    Legs swung out of the portal, pale skin parting a black dress. They gave rise to an alluring figure, wide hips, narrow waist and an ample bosom, all hidden under that black satin. Although her body was attractive beyond realistic means, her face was absolute perfection. Everything was symmetrical, everything looked perfect. Her pale skin seemed to glow from within, auburn locks framed her face and green eyes looked with a longing at everything.


    So intense was this that even Apexus felt a shiver of desire even as this woman landed gracefully in the dust of thousands. The ritual concluded; the particles of the gem streamed towards this woman. The particles formed the nails of her hands, of her feet and the sharp swing of her eyelashes. Obsidian black around the red of her sclera. Deep red lips parted in a seductive smile.


    ¡°You were always powerful, my Master,¡± she sighed and bowed. Every movement she made was so smooth, one could get the impression her body was made for that singular movement. Yet, she continued to defy expectations. Her bow became a kneel, her hands raised, and on her palms materialized a staff of dark grey metal. One end was sharpened, the other a sculpture of runes caging a hovering crystal of crimson red. ¡°Your staff.¡±


    ¡°I am pleased that you kept watch over it for all this time,¡± Apotho said as he gripped it. The physical form he had rejuvenated seemed to ripple as the magic inside him reawakened as well. The dust that covered the pavement was blown as he took a sharp, triumphant breath. ¡°I live again!¡±


    ¡°Empressss,¡± the Deathhounds carefully crawled towards Jolene, making big eyes. Suddenly they seemed just like a bunch of dogs, unsure how to behave now that the hand that fed them had returned.


    ¡°Kurlesh!¡± she let out a joyful squeal, stroking the head of the creature. ¡°Terlash, Purlesk! Turlesh! You should talk more, my little one,¡± she was not much taller than the average woman, yet the Empress seemed to be the superior of these monstrosities. She laughed, without any menace in her voice. One by one, she scratched and patted each of the lesser demons, reducing them to the behaviour of puppies. ¡°You¡¯re still all so adorable,¡± she whispered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. Somehow, she didn¡¯t get any of the blood and guts on herself, no matter how much affection she gave the Tharnatos class demons.


    She laughed as they vied for her attention. It was a clear sound, the look on her face was innocent, motherly. Only the red surrounding her irises and the sharp shape of her teeth betrayed her demonic nature.


    ¡°Oh, but what do we have here?¡± Jolene walked over to the trio of Apexus, Aclysia and Reysha. Aside from them, it was only the group of children that still filled the plaza. Crying silently, they stared at the clothes that were scattered over the ground in the sacrificial pattern. Every step was a farmgirls hop, was a lady¡¯s stride, was a courtesan¡¯s call. She kneeled down in front of Apexus and smiled. It was like the breath of late summer, after the first early autumn rains had fallen.


    Apexus was struck by it. It seemed warm, seemed to promise times of growth, but underneath he could faintly sense the rot of wet wood, eroded by heavy rain and intense heat. Seeing her up close like this, her beauty peeled away. Her face was gorgeous. The hand she stretched out towards Apexus was a grotesquely warped thing with pulsating veins under black skin and nails thin and long like needles.


    The same perfection of her movements now closed in on Apexus¡¯ chest. She could reach through his membrane, his bones, his mass and to his nucleus effortlessly. One simple grasp and that would be it. Somehow, he didn¡¯t feel like struggling. Indeed, the slime found himself thinking that it would feel good if it was her.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Apotho commanded and Jolene stayed her hand. Suddenly, it was just long, elegant fingers that reached out to the slime. Turning around, the Empress looked at her Master with a raised eyebrow. There was a silent communication, then, cheerfully, Jolene jumped to her feet.


    ¡°Of course, my beloved, I will obey,¡± she said and turned to the children instead. ¡°Look at you, my astray sheep,¡± Jolene chirped, walking over. ¡°I will show you a new world of opportunities, my darlings.¡±


    Apotho stepped in front of the trio on his own. He had put on a new robe at some point. It was black, decorated all over with little things and embroidery. Not a bit of it was simple and it was more valuable than the entirety of the Leaf could afford. One last time, he attempted to at least hurt the slime, but all efforts were met with a blocked flow of power. Gizmo was silent. Apotho wasn¡¯t even sure if he was still there.


    ¡°This is where we part then, Apexus,¡± the Warlock announced, his voice deep and pleasant. ¡°Your punishment is delayed, thanks to the splinter yet stuck in my mind.¡± He looked over all three of them and grinned, his teeth were perfectly aligned and white. ¡°I will leave you with your women. Savour the time you have left, with them. One day, when I feel like remembering something as worthless as my time on this Leaf again, and I realize that I have not ended your insignificant existence, I will rip everything from you. I have the power.¡±


    As if that needed to be proven, he gestured with his staff at the surroundings. At the children that Jolene had lulled into a happy herd that followed her, at the dust and the ghost town surrounding them. At the hounds. At the Empress herself.


    ¡°Wherever you hide, I can find you. Be aware of that. One day, I will come and end you.¡±


    He turned and walked away from this Leaf without any more care.

 Requiem Epilogue – Weak.

    The trio sat there for a while. On the empty plaza, where nothing but dust, clothes and blood remained, they were unmoving. The Stem, the way out of this Leaf, that they had sought after for so long, was easily within reach now. No one was left to oppose them. Although that wasn¡¯t going to be a permanent state. The people that remained on the Leaf would come back to find this scene eventually.


    It wasn¡¯t a stretch to imagine that, in the absence of Apotho, the blame would be put on them. Apexus had killed a guard and was an unknown creature people wouldn¡¯t trust anyway. Aclysia had fled from the Church despite being an angel. Reysha was actually guilty of everything one could accuse her off. She had broken the seal, she had killed a number of people to get there.


    Apexus wasn¡¯t sure yet how to handle that, given how everything had ended. If they had managed to stop Apotho, it would have been one thing that she had been played, but by the consequences of her actions, thousands had died. Thousands more might, depending on what Apotho planned to do with his newfound freedom.


    What he knew, however, was that he cared too much for her to leave her here ¨C to certain death by the outraged people. The slime looked at the two women. Aclysia was weeping, collapsed on the floor, powerless in the face of desolation.


    As was Reysha.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want this,¡± she whispered, the tears washing blood, sweat and dust of her cheeks. ¡°I didn¡¯t want this. I just wanted you back. I didn¡¯t want this. I didn¡¯t want this.¡± The effects of the potion had not yet left her, or perhaps she was just too shocked. Either way, she didn¡¯t move, just mumbled those two phrases over and over again.


    ¡®This has to stop,¡¯ Apexus thought, the only clear-thinking person around. Although the loss of sapient life saddened him, there was a certain detachment he gained from being of a different line of creature altogether. Perhaps it was just the survival instincts that let him look at this pragmatically. ¡®They hunted us, they succeeded, Reysha wanted to hunt them, she dealt with things she didn¡¯t understand, now they will retaliate.¡¯


    Apexus slowly rose. Although he was missing more mass than he liked and was quite thirsty, it was too risky to waste time and give people the chance to return to there. Looking at him quizzically as he slung Reysha¡¯s arm over his shoulder, Aclysia asked. ¡°What do we do now, Apexus?¡±


    ¡°We leave,¡± the slime stated offering a hand to help his beloved up. ¡°We go somewhere where nobody knows us. We will hide again. With a few more Growths, I could pass as a humanoid. We deal with what we did by moving forwards. I don¡¯t think any of us deserve for today and I don¡¯t care to wait for those who do. Agree, you don¡¯t?¡±


    That stumble in his speaking pattern made Aclysia chuckle involuntarily. Everything was so desolate that this little thing signalled a piece of normalcy that she desperately needed. Taking his hand, she rose, then helped him support Reysha. It was a purely symbolic gesture, the Rogue walked on her own, as long as they moved. Together they walked to the Stem.


    Because that was all they could do.


    ¡°I just¡­¡± Reysha mumbled. ¡°¡­I just¡­ I just love you¡­ and they took you from me¡­¡± It was the worst time for a confession, but her strained mind blurted the words out regardless. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ is this real? Are you here, Apexus?¡±


    ¡°I am here.¡±


    ¡°Then why did I¡­ why did I want to kill them? Mehily and Bertholdth and all of the Guards and that Hunter?¡± her tears grew more numerous, her steps unsteady as convulsions tensed her body in irregular intervals. ¡°I didn¡¯t know, Apeuxs¡­ I was so angry, I was so alone¡­ I didn¡¯t think that¡­ even at the worst of times I didn¡¯t expect this¡­ not this¡­ I didn¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I believe you, Reysha,¡± the slime tried to calm her down. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this another day, when we had time to think.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just live, for now,¡± Aclysia agreed, as they put their feet on the path of silver light. ¡°Step for step. We all made a mistake today. The final pages of this tale aren¡¯t written yet. There is redemption for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Even for me?¡± Reysha wondered, a question she would have never cared about under normal circumstances. What Apotho said was coming true. The suppressed feelings were rebounding, making her regretful beyond her usual capabilities. Emotions that stress had made her discard to survive back in the Clearwater Dungeon were violently brought back. Whether this helped or worsened her insanity was a question that only the long term could answer.


    ¡°Everyone,¡± Aclysia insisted, clinging onto her hopeful worldview. ¡°It¡¯s never too late to make an effort for the better. Perhaps you can never be forgiven for everything you did, but you can be remembered for more than your evil deeds. Just continue walking. I will do my best to support you.¡± A support she now needed, as Reysha¡¯s feet dragged with every step.


    ¡°We¡¯re terribly weak, aren¡¯t we?¡± Reysha asked. It was unclear on what dimension she was talking about. About them as a group, humanoids in general, or even all beings with sapience. It all seemed accurate and important to ask.


    Apexus chose to go with the lowest level. ¡°We three are and Apotho is strong,¡± he said, an immense oversimplification. ¡°We have been given time,¡± the sky around them faded as they escaped the borders of the Leaf. It was replaced with a dark blue. ¡°If he is arrogant enough, we¡¯ll have the time to grow strong. We can fix this. At least, we have to try.¡±


    Reysha continued to weep and mumble things. Aclysia continued to cry and walk. Apexus looked at the world before them. It was beautiful. Branches and twigs of incomprehensible size were spreading through a pitch-black world. Many worlds were hanging off the branches, each shaped like a leaf. The veins that ran through those distant Leafs separated the vision of the worlds content into numerous fragments. Worlds of ice sparkled white and blue, endless autumn forests dominated by brown and gold, spring an array of vibrant colours, flower waving in winds worlds away and the green of summer that Apexus already knew. Between those four pillars, endless variations and mixtures existed. Too many to be contained in this singular view of an infinite universe. The Omniverse was sprawled out before them and it was beautiful.


    Apexus couldn¡¯t help but look back. Although Ctania¡¯s nature was still beautiful, he could see the scar the initial breaking of the seal had created. More than that, he could see the two minor gods run around the Leaf, emulating sun and moon. They hadn¡¯t slowed, it was unlikely they had even noticed the death underneath them.


    The gods didn¡¯t meddle. They were the final stage of life for people that ascended. They kept to themselves. They kept to their tasks. They kept watching and judging. The gods didn¡¯t meddle, they let things happen as they would. They gave aid when someone prayed to them with the right tools. They gave advice in their teachings. But they didn¡¯t meddle.


    Apexus didn¡¯t know how to judge that either. ¡®Too many questions, too many tragedies for one day,¡¯ he decided, just walking the rest of the Stem up to the Branch it was attached to. They left Ctania behind.


    They left the Safe Leaf behind.

 Drip-Fed Season 1 – Author’s Note

    Jesus, that Arc took a long time.


    Hello! My name is Funatic. You may know me, because you¡¯re reading my work. You may also know me from my other works called The Gamer, CHYOA Edition, where I write a branch, Who a King Must Do, where I make Anduin conquer all the ladies of Azeroth by fucking them into his harem, and Welldark, should that be released by the time these photons hit your eyes (which it didn''t - but imma shill it anyway).


    That¡¯ll be almost all the shilling I will do. Here is a link to my Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Funatic) do please consider sending me some spare change. It helps.


    If you¡¯re reading this already on Patreon, I once more SLAP YOU WITH THE GAUNTLET OF THANKS! Here goes hoping you continue to like what I do and find it support worthy.


    With that done, let¡¯s actually talk about this story, its past, its present and its future.


    Once upon a time, I did a little series of chapters called Sunday Pilots. As you can guess (or remember) these were 1-3 chapter pilots of numerous second projects I had flying around in my head. Thanks to an increase in skill as a writer, I was able to keep producing one project consistently, so putting something else out at the side seemed sensible.


    Drip-Fed was the last entry into the Sunday Pilots. It was my desire to write a story like Re:Monster made manifest. Except I wanted it to be somewhat balanced, with the protag not immediately going ahead and then quickly becoming ridiculous. That was about all I started with. I didn¡¯t expect the 1000-word Pilot, that was slightly rewritten to represent the Prologue, to win the vote that followed.


    And I know it sometimes shows.


    Much of the planning of Drip-Fed is not as thorough as I want it to be. Its worldbuilding from early chapters doesn¡¯t quite line up with some of the stuff said later. Things formed slowly and this being one of now four projects I write doesn¡¯t help. I am not stretched thin by any margin, I just never stopped to give Drip-Fed the proper thinking about its world, made the world as I wrote it instead. It was an experiment in discovery writing, this whole thing was an experiment.


    Drip-Fed was originally meant to be a much, much slower story. More about the exploration of the slime going through ever more dangerous environments, evolving to a stage of communications, joining society, having problems due to his origins. We wouldn¡¯t even be out of the dangerous environments stage yet if I hadn¡¯t received feedback that the story of the slime just eating things was kind of boring. People were missing character interactions. As did I.


    Perhaps the story as I thought it up would have worked better as a comic. I certainly visualized most of it, and visual storytelling often doesn¡¯t translate to the written word. It¡¯s hard to focus so much on action if ¡°And he punched and punched and punched and punched¡± doesn¡¯t have the same visceral impact as a prolonged engagement in Dragonball, JoJo or an actual real boxing match. Visual things can make repetition interesting. Writing deals better with highlighting the important things. Writing does character better. The story I thought up didn¡¯t have characters. It only had one slime.


    I could have stuck to it. I think I could have still made it entertaining for a dedicated fanbase. It would have been a niche thing, it could have been quite fun. It wasn¡¯t, however, something that I felt like I or the readers really wanted.


    And so things had to adapt. Quickly, by writing standards. This was the start of the second arc of the story, the Metal Fairy. Aclysia was introduced, adventurers were introduced, and with them came the whole baggage of worldbuilding that the confirmation of an existent society always brings. Because I had no set vision for this world, only for the premise of the protagonist and his path, things that I hadn¡¯t much thought about became imminent.


    I don¡¯t lament this decision. I like worldbuilding. This is simply to explain how inconsistencies in tone came to be. New ideas would mingle with old ideas. A steady release schedule meant I continued writing. The drawback of the way I publish is that there is little time for rereads. If this was a book, I would have redrafted it several times. Especially this latest Arc.


    But, again, I don¡¯t lament this. My product isn¡¯t perfect. It¡¯s not as polished as I could make it if I had put in the time. That does irk me a little bit. However, I think I can do better within my production schedule going forward without changing that behaviour much. I dislike redrafting anyway. I fix logic mistakes if I catch them, but I am not someone who gets stuck in editing hell. Certainly, for the better for a stream of content.


    All of that complaining being said, the world is pretty firmly established now. The building blocks are in place. Inconsistencies should be drastically reduced now that I drove the nails into the frame, so to speak. I have notes from the decisions I made that I can refer myself too. The foundation has a few loose rocks that fell off, but overall its stable. I could have done better with more time and effort, but it¡¯s there and it¡¯s good. Certainly, good enough to build a house on.


    A number of epiphanies were had while writing Drip-Fed in the style I did.


    I don¡¯t do well with shorter chapters. One of Drip-Fed¡¯s experiments was to limit myself to the 1 to 1,5k word range. I usually go from 2k up to 5k. This will be extended to Drip-Fed in the future. At the cost of more extra chapter releases. It¡¯s pretty clear that me hurrying the pacing along through shorter chapters came at the cost of my characters. Characters are what I enjoy making the most. I like to watch them struggle, reward and punish them where appropriate or where the world leaves no other outcome. I like to see them grind against each other and wonder who will come out on top with the resources I have given them. I often know who before I write it. I don¡¯t before I make an outline.


    Speaking of outlines, I won¡¯t purely discovery write again. I didn¡¯t do proper outlines until The Hunt. The results of this were way worse set-ups. The Hunt is easily my favourite Arc this Season (a terminology I will come to talk about in a minute). Requiem suffered from the lack of structure in previous Arcs. Things weren¡¯t established as well as they should have been because I didn¡¯t know I would need them. The prime example for this is me needing to explain why Reysha had little obstruction the deeper into the church she went WHILE going deeper into the church.


    Explanations about how something is possible should never be given while something is accomplished. Reminders are okay, but the facts need to be established previously. I did a bad job of that despite the Arc already being so long (by Drip-Fed standards) to fit everything else in.


    Knowing that had a severe impact on my writing motivation for a lot of the Requiem Arc. I knew it was actually bad in places, from a story structure perspective. Now that we have slogged through, however, I hope I can pick things up. Structure aside, the beats are what I want and the pieces I now have on the board are things I know how to utilize.


    Another thing I learned was hard to use was the All-Knowing Narrator. Didn¡¯t use that guy before. Harder than I thought. I will keep him around, though. I am not done learning off him yet and I feel a switch of Narrator wouldn¡¯t fit. Drip-Fed is told the way it¡¯s told now. It¡¯s established and I think I can do more exciting stuff with the All-Knowing Narrator once I have mastered the thing. We¡¯ll see how that goes.


    What I can guarantee right now though is that I don¡¯t want to pull away from Apexus as much. During this finale, he didn¡¯t quite feel like the protagonist. Of course, this was predictable, given the forces I put out to be his opponent there, but he could have used way more screen time and chances to do something.


    Whew, nice to have all of that off my chest. In summary, this means that Drip-Fed will have some restructuring going on. I have a second Season to outline in its entirety.


    For the newcomers, here is the explanation: I structure my stories into Steps, Arcs and Seasons. Seasons are an overarching narrative, at the end of which almost all story strands going on are resolved in some way. Arcs are what you will recognize by my naming scheme on this story. These things tell off a chain of events that culminate in something giving and the paradigm of the world shifting. Steps are basically invisible to you. It¡¯s just the way an Arc progresses in smaller instances.


    I will be taking time off publishing this story to the end of that outlining. A month, to be exact. Yes, an entire month. For most of you, even longer than that (an additional 2 weeks to be exact), because I want to put Drip-Fed properly next to my Gamer ¡°paywall¡± and have it be 5 chapters ahead for 10$ and upwards Patrons. Currently, its only 3 chapters ahead for everyone.


    Do not worry, no chapters will be hardlocked. It¡¯ll all reach you in the same release schedule as before.


    I want to finalize the worlbuilding, I want to properly resolve the way the trio handles what they accidentally released, I want to make sure the magic and Class system holds up to scrutiny once it gets a closer inspection and I want to design the entire Leaf they end up on next, so that I don¡¯t have to come up with Dungeons and landmarks on the fly. I do that adequately well, but things don¡¯t fit nicely if I do that.


    Apotho is unleashed, the Safe Leaf left behind. Mystery shrouds the future, uncertainty the present. The trio will once more be the centre of the story, as they move elsewhere, hoping to continue their life, which Gizmo¡¯s dying ember preserved. Worlds await them, worlds I am eager to bring to you.


    Season 2 of Drip-Fed is coming. I shall announce the working title as ¡°Reactions¡±.


    An additional announcement is that I will do a Q&A for this story in two weeks¡¯ time (this is two weeks after this chapter hit the public, so about five weeks for Patrons). Do send me your questions in comments, via PM or on Discord, however you prefer. If I get too many, I reserve the right to skip out on some, but I doubt that will happen. I am not nearly popular enough for that.


    Do ask me questions directly or give questions to the characters. Just specify which ones. Questions towards all characters won¡¯t receive an answer, It would take three eternities to write all of their thoughts out.


    I¡¯ll accept questions until the Q&A is released.


    I think that covers everything. I hope you all enjoyed this story so far, as grim as recent developments have been. Things will get into a lighter note again. I also have a lot of things to say about my characters, but I think I¡¯ll let their future actions do the talking, rather than assure things here.


    As for my goodbyes, I got a nice piece of fanart (or Funart as I like to call it, because I have a bad sense of humour like that) that I want to share with you all.


    (Made by JohnDoe on the Discord server)


    I¡¯d also like to request your feedback in the comments or on the Discord server. Do let me know what your favourite things were, what you disliked in the story, where you think my writing style could be improved etc. I am never done learning and I will need some pointing out of my blindspots and all that.


    If you could write Reviews or rate this story in general, that¡¯s also be splendid. I do aim to do this for a job, so getting pushed in the algorithm is a sad necessity.


    Let¡¯s turn a new Leaf, everybody~


    Funatic


    Addendum addendum: I write this a few days later. This story has made it twice onto the Trending list at this point. While I''m somewhat cheating by pushing out all of these already written chapters out here so quickly, I''m regardless happy for the publicity. Except that it makes me cringe violently that my mediocre writing gets shown as #1 prominently anywhere. That I don''t like. Guess I''ll have to live with it for the potential financial success though...


    Thanks to all of you that made that possible. As much as I hate being displayed as anything outstanding, it is flattering. I hope you''ll continue to enjoy this story and give my other works a glance.


    The link for the above mentioned Discord is: https://discord.gg/X4yFwNd

 Season 1 Q&A

    Alright, Season 1 QnA is a go. Not a whole lot of questions, but this also doesn¡¯t have a whole lot of active readers (yet, hopefully). For the ease of answering, the format for this will be like a typical interview. Let¡¯s begin.


    ____


    From: Grandmasterassassin Doom


    A question for Apexus what is the tastiest thing you have eaten so far and why that is?


    Apexus: On raw taste, boss monster¡¯s win. Magic is best season¡­ Magic is the best spice, better words. Added with gratification, though, eating that eagle that I got my wings from was great.


    ____


    From: ChristopherCraven


    To Acylsia which next permanent Growth would you want for Apexus to have and why if you could choose?


    Aclysia: The answer would be either a proper magical cortex, so that he might learn Skills and Spells, or some sort of musculature, so he can move more effectively. Practicality is the most important attribute.


    To Apexus if you could give a permanent Growth to Acylsia without losing it which would it be?


    Apexus: The pheromone ducts, having her smell sweetly would improve her beauty. Have nothing useful for her.


    To Funatic which was your favorite dungeon on the first leaf and why did you enjoy it?


    Funatic: That would go to either White Wood or Clearwater. Both because I got to do some level designing, Clearwater more because it was the first one and White Wood because story stuff happened in it.


    _____


    From: Wolf of Paris


    To Apexus:


    Since you can alter the size and placement of your permanent growths, what is the loudest roar you can make with your speech plates?


    Apexus: About as loud as a human scream at the top of their lungs. Pitch can be more obnoxious though.


    If you could choose, what would you want your next Permanent Growth to be?


    Apexus: My answer would be the same as Aclysia¡¯s, although I would prioritize the muscles of over the magic.


    Reysha, what part of which monster tasted the best, and why?


    Reysha: The giant spiders in Clearwater. Specifically, the legs. Taste like lobster times three. Insects in general look horribly unappealing ¨C at first, I got used to that shit by now ¨C but are pretty tasty.


    Aclysia, what are your top three qualities for an ideal leaf to live on?


    Aclysia: Ordered civilization, respect for faith and general safety.


    And that¡¯s all of them already. Looking forwards to answering and creating more questions in Season 2~

 Season 2 Prologue – The need for new paths

    The Omniverse stirred.


    Giant silver Branches moved along the sky, contrasting it like metal veins in an obsidian cave. Although obsidian was still rather bright compared to the unfathomable darkness that lay past the Branches. Even the most accurate eyes couldn¡¯t spy anything in it. Yet, one knew there was movement. Like swirls in the mist, there was distant awareness of something invisibly writhing. A myriad of creatures and consciousnesses, laying beyond the reasonable world. They were suffering at the light and they hated it.


    Inside that reasonable world, where the sense could discern what lay ahead, swayed giant Leaves. Even though their size was already incomprehensible, their insides were larger still. Those Leaves served as portals, entrances to worlds, all connected to the Branches through Stems of solid light. Paths glittering like the stars in the skies of the worlds, inspired by those very Stems.


    It was too large to be properly perceived. Every last life, every divine spark, every mortal, every angel, every demon and every god walked, crawled and flew in the confines of the Omniverse. The majority concentrated on those Leaves. Of the demons, most were confined to the Roots. Of all categories, the fewest, at any given time, were those who walked the Branches.


    And one, one single thing, unique in all of this endless, ever-growing expanse, doomed to one day collapse under its own weight, walked on one of those very Branches at that moment. Walked on all fours, having expanded his mass as much as his energy reserves allowed him to. He was carrying a redhaired tiger girl on his back, with a white-haired, moth-winged angel at his side.


    Apexus, Aclysia and Reysha, the three of them had been walking for a long time. It wasn¡¯t clear for how long. There was no way to tell the time, no sun or other mark in the sky that they could have read the passage from. From where they were, not much above could be seen anyway. They were following a trench in the bark, perhaps calling it a valley would be more accurate.


    They couldn¡¯t even use the times they had slept to make a rough estimate of how many days had passed. Aclysia didn¡¯t need sleep, although even she sometimes insisted they sat down for a moment so she could rest her consciousness. Apexus and Reysha, on the other hand, sometimes passed out. Especially the Ragressian Rogue spent much of her time in some variation of sleep. When she was awake, she usually wept. She had stopped asking for forgiveness.


    Few words had been exchanged. The images of Ctania were still burned into their minds, leaving their thoughts as tattered as the clothes they still wore. All that was clear, between the three of them, was that they needed to move far away. Getting one leaf further wouldn¡¯t be enough. Although they weren¡¯t aware quite how, they knew that Apotho had been important in some way. The Church would search for them and the trio was sure of just one thing for now. They wanted to survive. Given how mixed their experiences with the Church were, they weren¡¯t willing to bet on it for their future chances.


    The person they were more afraid of, Apotho and his grudge, they couldn¡¯t escape. The Warlock had said he could find them wherever they went. They believed him, for various reasons. Regardless, it was best to go somewhere nobody knew who they were and where nobody could find it out by chance either.


    Although their choice in this regard would soon be made for them.


    ¡°We need water,¡± Apexus spoke up. That was the one reliable measure of time they had, thirst. More pressing than hunger even, it was the countdown. They had stopped shortly on some Leaves to alleviate those problems for a few days at a time. Time that was now, once more coming to an end. ¡°How much longer, Aclysia?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Aclysia responded, her tone was tired, drained of emotions. That same lack of energy made her rationality cold and mechanical. Not her usual self, but exactly what they needed at the current time to reach a point at which survival was no longer a question of the next week. ¡°I want to change Branches, at least. The more splits we cross, the less likely it will be someone can stumble over us.¡± She looked up, pondering for a moment. ¡°If you could fly, you could perhaps see where the next split is.¡±


    Apexus adjusted his wings a little bit to let Reysha slump into a more comfortable position. Her arms were dangling past his shoulders. The distorted, humanoid skeleton was barely fit for walking on four legs, but it worked well enough. Were it not for the fact that his ears still picked up her soft breathing and the warmth of a living being on his back, Apexus would have thought she was dead.


    Carrying her like this wasn¡¯t too cumbersome. In a slightly lucky stroke of fate, it actually helped him tremendously. The space around the branches was of a mild temperature which, to a cold-liquid creature like the slime, who had only known summer and underground heat for the few years of his life, was uncharacteristically cold. It limited his energy supply by a bit. Reysha¡¯s body heat did quite a bit to counteract that.


    Apexus was about to ask why she didn¡¯t fly herself, when he noticed a black spot on the bark in front of him. He had to blink, make sure he wasn¡¯t hallucinating. Everything around them had been shades of silver for days now. All differences had been in the texture of the bark.


    At the floor of a valley like this, the ground was as smooth as a well-trodden dirt path. The walls surrounding them were more like the bark of an oak, with the ridges of its craggy appearance radiating that steady, silver glow, while the depths only had the colour, but spent no light of their own. This smaller design was true for the larger appearance of the Branch as well. At the bottom of the valley, less light shone from the bark than it did from the plateaus above. What was true on the level of the person translated to the level of the cosmos, in this case.


    This was why the pitch-black dot was so unusual. Apexus leaned in and inspected it closer, wondering what it was purely because it was something different in this beautiful, monotone landscape.


    It had legs. Ten tiny legs, thin like an ant¡¯s. The main body was round, the size of a button. The carapace of its back opened and closed, parting into many smaller pieces like a rose made of shark teeth. Those teeth weren¡¯t black, not really, but the extremely dark purple could easily be mistaken as simple black.


    Apexus, curious, hungry and thirsty, opened his mouth. It had been a while since he had eaten something new. Whenever they visited a new leaf, it was just the basic prey animals or just plain grass that he got to eat.


    The insect squirmed in his mouth when the sharp teeth scraped it off the bark. It was too late though. The thin membrane in Apexus¡¯ mouth allowed for the equivalent of reverse-swallowing to take place. Apexus filled the confined space with slime and, with nowhere else to go, the prey dissolved where it was. Eating small things this way was rather relaxing, normally, at least.


    The slime felt a sudden jolt of pain. It started at the Speaking Plates, fused to the upper half of his jaw, and spread through the skeleton from there. Everything that was connected to the Permanent Growth felt like it was lit on fire. Spasming violently, Apexus got up on his hindlegs. Reysha was thrown off and awakened rather suddenly when her head hit the ground at a harmless height and angle.


    ¡°Apexus?!¡± Aclysia shouted, having no idea what was happening. All she could see was a purple shimmer wrap around her beloved¡¯s bones. ¡°No, no, not you too,¡± she stammered in a panic. Although it was the wrong colour, it reminded her of the dark ritual Apotho had conducted.


    ¡°Please no, forgive me, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Reysha crawled up Apexus, feeling that exact same trauma impede on her, reinforced a hundredfold by the vivid aftereffects of the potion.


    Apexus fell to the floor and rolled on his back. The outer layers of his slime hardened and became brittle, peeling away in paper-thin layers. His life was robbed from him in a cruel and unusual way. It wasn¡¯t drained, the insect sitting in his mouth wasn¡¯t the receptor of any of the energy flow. Nobody was. Apexus¡¯ essence was, instead, pushed from his body by the raw power that tiny insect possessed. He was eating it and it was replacing him with something different.


    With what little control he still had over his body, Apexus opened his mouth and scratched at his throat. There was no word he could formulate, slime and the insect¡¯s body blocked his Speaking Plates. All he managed to get out was a pleading, high-shrieking cry of panic. It was a miserable, scratching sound, like a metal nail getting dragged over a piece of smooth slate stone.


    While Aclysia sunk helplessly to her feet, unable to find any solution to this, Reysha moved with her usual agility for the first time since their departure. Apexus had hunted for her, fed her, kept her alive, held her and now something was happening with him. Noir and the recent trauma kept her in a state where self-preservation was extremely low a priority, but him, she could not lose.


    ¡°Not you too, not because of me, please,¡± she repeated to herself over and over again. Starting with his scrapping hands, she inspected him as quickly as she could. It took her a while to realize what was going on. Between the continued spasms and the tininess of the cause, it wasn¡¯t until Apexus completely unhinged his human jaw and revealed the insides to the silver glow that she could spot the insect. ¡°I¡¯ll save you, at least you, you can¡¯t leave me, I need you!¡±


    Her left-hand dove into the slime. Uncontrolled, it immediately started dissolved her skin, even as her extended claws grabbed the button-sized creature. Tried, slipped and tried again, until two nails got underneath and her hand ripped backwards. Drops of slime splattered about as Reysha¡¯s left arm oozed black blood. For a moment, she held the insect, then it bit her and, surprised, she dropped it onto the floor.


    It started scurrying away, but was stopped by Aclysia, ramming the heel of her boots on the tiny creature. ¡°Die!¡± the angel shouted, her voice distorted by genuine hatred and fear. ¡°Die, unnatural, unwanted thing!¡± Over and over again, she stomped down on it, no calm and no regard for the insect¡¯s life crossing her for even a moment. Once it was nothing more than a crunched pile of dust on the floor, she turned around and fell on Apexus in a sudden hug. ¡°Apexus¡­ you stupid¡­ inexperienced¡­¡± her words trailed off as her arms grew tighter around him.


    Reysha, too, was embracing him with all her might. The pain faded almost immediately, leaving Apexus first exhausted, then confused. Out of reflex, he moved all four of his limbs to awkwardly answer the two women¡¯s hugs. It wasn¡¯t quite the same as he was flowing around them with his entire, liquid body, but it was the closest he could emulate.


    They were a pile of relief and tears. Far more tears than needed. The incident broke a dam, tore down what walls their minds had erected against the collective trauma they had experienced. Emotions poured out in mindless sobs and endless tears and the need to hold onto each other for just a moment''s safety in the silence of the Branches.


    It didn¡¯t solve anything. It was little more than a necessary relief of overburdening pressure. No matter how much they cried and cuddled up to each other, it didn¡¯t make undone the things they¡¯d seen. Nothing would ever do that. Only time and distance from it would allow them to move on from it, look at it with a more reasonable lens. It was too fresh. It couldn¡¯t be solved. Not at that time. It would always be a scar that stayed. For now, it could be treated, although not healed.


    Just like Aclysia couldn¡¯t heal Apexus, not where they were. ¡°It would attract more of them,¡± she explained, when they had calmed down a little bit.


    ¡°What was it?¡± Apexus asked and gained himself silent, confused stares, from both Reysha and Aclysia. It took them a moment to remember what he was. The knowledge he requested was so fundamental to living in the Omniverse that the fact that it had eluded him until that point was equally unsurprising and ridiculous. Nobody ever said that chickens laid eggs, just like nobody ever outright stated what magic attracted outside of Leaves.


    ¡°A Parasyte,¡± Aclysia answered and the name rang some bells.


    Gizmo had mentioned them. As painful as those memories now were, the knowledge he had gained from the godlike Warlock¡¯s split personality was the second layer of how Apexus operated in the world, right on top of his base instincts. He couldn¡¯t discard it, no matter the source.


    Parasytes, creatures born from that vast dark around the Omniverse, desperate to claw this bright existence back into illogical nothing. ¡°Oh, my beloved¡­¡± Aclysia sighed. ¡°Never try eating one again. Even you cannot withstand the raw corruption of all that is holy and good, it is evident.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me,¡± Reysha mumbled something less coherent. ¡°Not again¡­ I¡­ don¡¯t know what I could¡­¡± Again, she was crying. Her unsteady mind evoked memories without her volition. The past thirst for vengeance rose in her mind, only to shatter against the enormous guilt she now felt. Insanity and alchemy mixed to once more drown the little glimpse of the old Reysha that had acted moments earlier.


    Her left arm was healed now, the black crust falling off and disintegrating without a trace.


    Apexus, carefully, started moving. They had exchanged more words in the past minute than in the past¡­ however long it had been. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving,¡± he said, feeling the last remains of dried slime fall off his membrane. The damage was bothersome, but didn¡¯t seem to impair him permanently. The thirst was worse on that front. ¡°We need to find rest somewhere and¡­ and talk¡­ we haven¡¯t really talked in so long¡­¡±


    While Aclysia nodded, Reysha slumped to the side. Noir was once more taking effect, reducing her to little more than a puppet without strings.


    They desperately needed to arrive somewhere.

 New World, Old Problems 1 – No more road to roam

    Flying above a Branch of the Omniverse was a weird experience. The Branch, large as it was, could be conceivably flown around. Its curvature was something Apexus had been distantly aware of on the ground. Now in the air, he could properly see it. Combining this with the continuous gravitational pull towards the centre of the Branch made for a confusing first flight.


    It was also tremendously dangerous.


    Because the Branch looked equally silvery just about everywhere, once Apexus lost sight of where the two girls were, finding them again in the deep, deep trenches of the bark would be really difficult. He couldn¡¯t orient himself by the angle because, no matter where he went, the Branch was always exactly down.


    The other Branches in the sheer endless distance, clearly outlined against the absolute black, could have served as alternative landmarks. They could have. If Apexus would have taken the time to study them for as long as navigators studied the stars that filled the skies of most worlds. Even then, the branches were constantly moving, each of them at individual speeds, influenced by the divine within and the eldritch outside. Nebulas of drifting colours that wafted through the Branches like cosmic mist only worsened all of this.


    Apexus did his best to only fly in small circles and look down often. While Aclysia almost melded with the background, silvery-white hair and pale skin doing her no good, Reysha stood out well. The intensely red hair was a slowly decreasing dot. Thankfully, the slime¡¯s acquired eyes were good at spotting things at a distance. Not the greatest, but pretty good.


    Once he was high above the bark, he took a closer look at what lay in the Omniverse around their current position. The direction they came from, Apexus only managed to identify by the two Leaves in the distance. One had a red trim to its fractured, dimension-revealing surface, the other green. Veins of energy that separated the showing of images of what was on the Leaf. They were a summer and a spring Leaf, respectively. The last two they had visited.


    The distance looked almost unimpressive. The Leaves were enormous and a lack of reference point made Apexus feel like an ant on the branch of a regular tree. An ant could cross the distance between the base of a branch and the tip of it in less than a minute. Perhaps, on a relative scale, the minute it took the ant was accurate to however many days it had taken the trio to stumble their way this far.


    Slanting his centre of gravity, Apexus turned and looked in the direction before him. A Leaf with colours of all four seasons came into view. Then, his wings skipped a beat in shock, causing him to drop for a moment, before he hastily caught himself.


    A vile black garden had sprouted on the pristine silver of the Branch. Twitching legs of giant, half-molten insect reached out of the maze of flowers. Petals of flat, serrated teeth, ribs and other bones, they spread and closed in a steady, breathing rhythm. Each pulse siphoned the light from the nearby tree, dulling the brilliance of the Omniverse. Closest to the mountain of eldritch plant, bone, and chitin, the ground was pulled to a dark, sickly purple colour. Further out, it became a defangingly safe, sweet pink. The least affected area only lost its light for the duration of the pulse, taking a plain grey colour.


    Shambling, some of the flowers rose. A pair of fly-like eyes rose, writhing tentacles wiping them off like malformed lids. They spied Apexus and the entire thing rose up even higher. A gargantuan maw opened, stretching across the entirety of the visible Branch¡¯s width. Where the flowers were made of teeth, the actual inside of the thing¡¯s jaws were filled with spider-like fangs. Always in a pair, they stretched towards Apexus.


    Several dozens, if not hundreds, of kilometres separated Apexus from that thing, but he dived down in a panic regardless. The vile mountain¡¯s presence echoed the pain he felt from tasting the Parasyte earlier. Something that he had no doubt was related.


    Apexus landed with no grace whatsoever. His four limbs bent on impact, making him look like he was prostrating himself for several moments. Worried, Aclysia and Reysha hurried over. ¡°What did you see?¡± the angel wanted to know, following her first instinct and taking him into her arms. Not because he looked miserable, Apexus was recovering from the shock quickly, just because she was happy he was still there. She always was.


    ¡°There is a giant Parasyte,¡± Apexus answered as clearly as he could. Both of the girls tensed upon hearing that, only relaxing slightly when he continued. ¡°Its stuck to the Omniverse. Seems to stretch across the entirety of this half. It saw me. Is that bad?¡± He felt like ¡®bad¡¯ wasn¡¯t the right word here, but the slime couldn¡¯t find a better one.


    ¡°No,¡± Aclysia eased him and looked to Reysha. The tiger girl returned the gaze in a dull fashion. Outside of basic and immediate impulses, it seemed she couldn¡¯t muster the strength to partake in the conversation. ¡°Not if you are certain it was stuck to the tree, darling.¡± She caressed a few of Apexus feathers.


    The slime sat down as properly as he could. With human bones stretched to resemble that of a quadrupedal animal, a wolf was the closest equivalent, something between a frog crouch and laying was the most comfortable. ¡°I am,¡± Apexus answered with a nod, his chin brushing over Aclysia¡¯s shoulder. At least her skin was as soft as ever. In this world that was so much larger, so much more dangerous, than what he could have initially thought, that was a nice constant.


    Having a predator that could kill him one day was much less intimidating than the multi-faceted things he learned were out there. Sociopaths who slaughtered mercilessly. The Parasytes, eating the smallest of which had been the most painful thing he had ever, physically, experienced. Normal people, who had more goals in mind than minds to think them, and an endless range of paths they could take to achieve them.


    The simplicity of ¡®hunt or be hunted¡¯ was a relaxed afternoon clam meal compared to the intricate web of all the sapient things out there competing for places, people and power.


    ¡°It was a pile of teeth and flowers,¡± Apexus put it into the best words he could. ¡°No legs, except those that grew upwards.¡±


    ¡°An Infestation,¡± Aclysia said, once more her words took on that unusual hardness. ¡°An advanced one, at the sound of it, but it is nothing we have to fear. As long as we stay away from it and don¡¯t use magic, the Parasytes surrounding it won¡¯t find us.¡± She stroked the side of his face with her slender fingers. ¡°The gods or their angels will take care of it, be it only when it makes its chrysalis.¡±


    ¡°What happens if they don¡¯t?¡± Apexus asked, finding an echo of his old curiosity.


    ¡°Then it will grow into a stage where it can gnaw off a Stem,¡± Aclysia responded and shuddered at the mere imagination. ¡°Like a tick upon the entire world, the Parasyte will take the place of the Stem and suck all magic from the world.¡± Raw disgust had taken hold of her voice, echoing in every word. ¡°At that point, everyone who lives on the Leaf is lost to that vile abomination. They will either die as their world withers or the Leaf will tumble into the darkness when the Parasyte is killed. Death is certain in either case. Regardless, the Parasyte needs to be killed. If it isn¡¯t, it might grow further. From being able to eat Leaves to eating entire Branches, until it becomes a blight to the Trunk and the Omniverse itself.¡±


    It felt good to hear her talk that much, even if the topic gave her such great negativity. Slowly, Reysha sat down next to them, having stood until then. ¡°How do we go on?¡± she asked, her almost emotionless tone making the question seem much bigger than it was meant to be.


    Focused on the now, Aclysia ignored the parts of that question that she had no real answer to. ¡°Is there another Leaf before the Infestation?¡± she asked Apexus, who nodded. He waited, macro decisions like this were best left to Aclysia and her analytical mind. ¡°We could try to circumvent the Infestation¡­¡± she thought out loud, distancing herself from the embrace in order to look at Apexus, Reysha and her own hands. ¡°¡­No, that¡¯s too risky. Even at our current peak, we shouldn¡¯t challenge Parasytes. We need new rations regardless of what we do next.¡± After several more seconds of thought, the moth-winged angel came to a conclusion. ¡°We will visit that Leaf. If it is a suitable place to stay, then we wait there until the Infestation is cleared. Otherwise we head back to one of the last Leaves we stayed at. Either way, we have to wait.¡±


    None of them liked this. They were on the run and now outside factors forced them to be stationary for a while. If there was any solace, then it was the fact that they were already several worlds away. It would take a while until any pursuer would find out what Leaf they were on and, even when they finally found the right one, where they were within it.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Apexus approved of the plan, only to be suddenly kissed by Aclysia. A kiss she extended to Reysha. It hit the redhead almost as unexpected.


    ¡°We can rest soon,¡± the angel whispered, her voice tired. ¡°By our own volition or not, we can rest.¡±


    With that in mind, they soon began to move. How far they had to go was impossible to say certainly, as these things always were. They marched for hours, slept once, then continued marching. Like before, Apexus spent a lot of the time carrying Reysha.


    ¡°I hate this¡­¡± the tiger girl mumbled at some point. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t feel¡­ I need to feel guilty but its all numb¡­ It¡¯s all so numb¡­¡±


    Protectively, Apexus crossed his wings above her. ¡°You will be fine,¡± he assured her. He hadn¡¯t more to say. Even if he had lied and said that she had nothing to feel guilty about, that nothing was her fault, it wouldn¡¯t have solved anything. ¡°I will be here.¡±


    ¡°We will be here,¡± Aclysia added with something approaching a smile.


    Reysha cried and passed out into her depressed sleep shortly thereafter. By the time she next woke up, the path before them had started to bend. This wouldn¡¯t be too notable if it was short-lived phenomenon, the trenches in the bark often took odd paths, but the change prolonged. Their current valley melded into a neighbouring one, in turn leading into another one, all uniting into the same direction. Patterns like this were a tell-tale sign of a Stem being nearby. When the Leaf had been created, the surrounding Branch¡¯s bark had been altered to make the way easier to find.


    On her insistence, Reysha walked the rest of the way to the Leaf. Apexus kept a close eye on her the entire time. Perhaps it had been the kiss earlier. Perhaps it was because of the crying and hugging before then. Whatever the reason, something switched and small steps in the right direction were taken. Even if such a step was merely Reysha walking on her own for a long time.


    Their path eventually carried them to a gargantuan clearing. It was, by itself, larger than many cities. A kilometre-wide plain, with the Stem in its centre. Hundreds of silver strands connected, then sprawling out, creating a translucent pathway to the Leaf between them.


    The new world towered over them. Until they actually stepped on the Stem, the Branch remained their floor, making the Leaf appear as if it was standing upright. Giving its cosmic size, Apexus had to lean his head back quite a lot to properly see the images dancing over the fragmented surface. He saw images of blue seas and the blue spires. They belonged to white cities and, every few images, showed white landscapes. The majority of it all, however, was green. The simple, honest green of forests. Some darker, some lighter, some with hills, some without mountains, some just oceans of leaves. On one or two occasions, Apexus spied a mountain filled with an orange, glowing lake. On another, a beach that was the size of a forest. A volcano and a desert, if he remembered his lectures and the appropriate names for biomes right.


    This would be their home for the immediate future. They all hoped it would be a good one.

 New World, Old Problems 2 – New World Round

    Stepping onto the Stem was odd. It was anchored at a 90-degree angle. It wasn¡¯t an issue, there was just the moment of relative confusion when one foot was connected to the Stem and the other to the Branch, either being the relative floor. Once both feet were firmly planted on the semi-translucent pathway, however, perspective shifted and it all made relative sense.


    Looking over his shoulder, Apexus saw a few black dots skitter about on the silver surface. ¡°Will we find Parasytes on the Leaf?¡± he asked, concerned what the nearby Infestation could mean for them even before it evolved into a more threatening stage.


    To his relief, Aclysia shook her head. ¡°Parasytes cannot exist within the Omniverse. They can devour it, but they cannot be part of it,¡± she explained and shot a hateful glare at the siphoning garden of teeth-flowers in the distance. Now that they ascended the Stem, she could see the blight upon the great silver tree herself. ¡°As unthreatening as it is right now, it will continuously create new, smaller Parasytes until it is dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Where do they come from?¡± Apexus asked and specified the question a moment later. ¡°I know they are to¡­ they are HERE to drag the Omniverse back into the nothing they come from, but how do they arrive here physically?¡±


    ¡°They ran,¡± Reysha said two words and already was too exhausted, socially, to continue in that explanation.


    Regardless, the white-haired angel picked up from there, ¡°You must understand that the Omniverse has existed for countless millennia already. At some point, the first Parasytes made it past the Roots. By our time, they have spread to every last Branch. Although it is rare that they manage to penetrate the bark and grow into an Infestation, the risk is always there. It takes only one surviving Parasyte to birth ten thousand new ones. It is a pest impossible to contain ¨C we can only scrub it away where we see it.¡±


    ¡°Roots?¡± Apexus asked, blinking slowly as he remembered the term. ¡°Isn¡¯t that where the demons live?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± his beloved metal fairy seemed uncomfortable giving that answer. ¡°Demons were the first creations of the Progenitor God, darling, made to ward off the Parasytes. An eternal battle that twisted them into something else aeons ago. Still, we have to rely on them to protect us from worse.¡±


    Apexus shivered. The image of the auburn-haired beauty appeared in his mind. Even the memory of her seemed to beckon him. Under her seductive exterior, however, lay something primal and brutal. Something so bloodthirsty that even the memory of the Demonhounds paled next to her.


    Next to him, Reysha let out a retching sound and reached for her left arm. Fingernail dug into the skin, but didn¡¯t break through the light brown. Although it perfectly mimicked the rest of her on the outside, they all knew it wasn¡¯t of the same origin. Whatever Apexus felt upon being reminded of the existence of demons, it was much worse for the tiger girl. Before her mental eyes, there was dark red and green fire ¨C and death. Rampant, omnipresent death, consuming everyone.


    The Infestation began to vanish behind a layer of blue, as their location shifted. The transdimensional pathway they tread on delivered them onto its destination. From the endlessly connected Branches of the Omniverse, they entered into a specific world.


    The first thing Apexus noticed was the air. A gentle breeze rolled over them. It was warm, warmer than the Branch, but not as warm as Ctania had been. It carried with it intense, sweet smells. The second thing he noticed was the horizon. It was green, that was expected, a bit lighter green then he was used to, but he was already getting the idea that he was looking at the season of Spring. He had dipped into it before, for short moments, when they had restocked on other Leaves on the way to this one.


    No, the truly odd thing was the firmament softly curved. It limited the distance he could view, as the far-off landscape vanished behind the descent. As someone who had grown up on a flat world, not to mention having spent most of his existence being able to fly, this view was pushing against his habits quite a bit. Luckily, he was an adaptive batch of evolutionary goo and would quickly assume a mental shape that was more fitting.


    In immediate problems, much closer than the horizon, at the end of the Stem, lay a city. As far as entering the Leaf went, this was close to the worst-case scenario for the group. The only thing that could have made the situation even more complicated would have been if other people were on the silver-streaked path with them.


    As proven on Ctania, given a robe and walking on the appropriate limbs only, Apexus could blend in enough to get through crowds. Currently, however, he had no clothes and was a blue-skinned, semi-translucent human-fox-eagle-chimera-slime-thingy. Even if he invested the energy to shift to a proper humanoid, that wouldn¡¯t have fixed the clothes issue.


    Aclysia¡¯s and Reysha¡¯s clothes were also in a rather torn state. Not enough to be indecent, although the tiger girl¡¯s skin-tight leather clothes skirted that line even when fully functional, but definitely enough to garner them a lot of attention on the way through. Going through the city was, therefore, not an option.


    Luckily, they didn¡¯t have to.


    Underneath the Stem was ground. A truly revolutionary prospect for Apexus, who was used to the dark nothing at the edge of a flat world. ¡°This whole world is a sphere,¡± the slime said out loud, looking away from the city.


    ¡°We call that a planet,¡± Reysha mumbled. There was sarcasm meant to be there, but her voice just sounded like someone had stepped on dried bush.


    ¡°Pla-net,¡± Apexus repeated the odd word slowly, only to turn to Aclysia. ¡°We should fly and land somewhere in the wild, yes?¡± he suggested and spread out his wings.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the metal fairy confirmed her own fuzzy moth-wings spreading out. She let out a satisfied sigh, like someone that stretched after waking up and felt all their muscles shake off the nightly stiffness. Not having flown since Ctania, the divine creation hovered off the floor with a weak smile.


    ¡°Reysha?¡± the chimeric slime turned to the tiger girl, who looked at the floor with a displaced attention.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she looked up, then turned to Aclysia. Her brain suddenly realized what had been said in the last few moments. ¡°Oh,¡± she let out a surprised sound then, without any further words, climbed on Apexus¡¯ back.


    If they were lucky, nobody in the city saw them, as they jumped off the Stem and fluttered off into the nearby forest. Even if they weren¡¯t, that was a considerably less conspicuous sight than them getting into the city on foot. For most, they would just be birds or some other adventurers that could fly somehow.


    The first thing they were on the lookout for was what else flew around in the air. If they had, by the twists of fate, landed on a Leaf that was created with much higher levelled adventurers in mind, they could have faced some sort of winged serpent or oversized seagull that picked them straight out of the sky.


    Luckily the Branch they were on didn¡¯t have such worlds. The entire segment of the Omniverse they had traversed had been made to follow up on the Safe Leaf they had left. All they spotted in the air were the usual birds, sparrows, pigeons and the like, along with some larger predators. Nothing more dangerous than what Apexus had already dealt with when he had emerged from his subterranean birthplace.


    The ground didn¡¯t seem any more dangerous. A vast, light green forest sprawled out under them, primarily made up of Birch and Ash. It wasn¡¯t as dense as the one in Ctania, allowing Apexus to spy the game that moved over grass-covered clearings and through the gaps. A couple particularly large clearings held houses.


    Although this Leaf was more populated than Ctania had been, it was also considerably larger. The stretches of land between the settlements they saw were quite extensive. More importantly, there were little to no fields. Nature was left to its own devices. A boon for the trio, who preferred the many hiding places that environment opened up.


    They didn¡¯t have to fly far to find a location in which they could settle. Hunger and thirst was driving Apexus to seek out the first lake they found anyway. Although ¡®lake¡¯ was overly enthusiastic in this case ¡®watering hole¡¯ was closer to the truth. It was little more of an oversized puddle, formed by recent rain, and would dry up within a few days. At least, until the next wet couple of days caused the water in the ground to rise up enough for that depression to fill up again.


    Apexus made a clear landing on the green next to it. Running, he hit the floor. Widely opened wings slowed his momentum, while he passed between two young trees. After five steps, the speed of the flight had been taken out of his movement, allowing him to walk normally. Once at the water, he settled down for a moment, allowing Reysha to get off.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch,¡± Aclysia reported, while the two of them went down to the hole. Wary of things, Apexus stuck one hand into the water first. It was absorbed into him despite the membrane. Once he was certain it really was just water, he walked into it with his entire body.


    Reysha bowed down to drink, but the surface of the water escaped from under her. With a tinge of amusement overpowering trauma and Noir enforced depression, she shot Apexus a short glance. The ever-evolving entity failed to notice this, too happy to replenish some of his water. He had started to feel more like jelly than slime. By the time he looked over to Reysha, the redhead had just bowed down further to get her few gulps of water into her awaiting stomach.


    What had been a watering hole was now little more than a shallow puddle. If they wanted more water, they would need to get it elsewhere. Though what they had gotten was enough for immediate relief. Tomorrow would be a different issue.


    With water out of the way, food was the next big question. Once they had both of those immediate needs covered, they could think about their next steps. ¡°Do you smell anything good?¡± he asked Reysha, trying to hear anything moving in the forest. Since it had been so long, Apexus currently had no temporary Growths and was without nose himself.


    ¡°Senses are too dull,¡± Reysha responded, a little more life in her voice. ¡°I can¡¯t smell shit.¡±


    A moment later, Aclysia returned to them. ¡°Come with me,¡± she said in a quiet voice. Immediately, Apexus dropped lower. Although his body didn¡¯t lend itself to remaining unseen in any capacity, he knew how to make himself smaller. Reysha followed suit, her Sneaking was rusty, but she still remembered the basics. ¡°I found something,¡± Aclysia explained, while she lead the way around a few trees.


    It was a small pond, a proper one that lasted even through dry periods, hidden under the canopies of six trees. Multiple animals sat around it, having come to fill up. Herbivores and carnivores existed nearby to each other. The former knew that the latter only appeared around here if they were already filled up from elsewhere.


    As an advanced predator, Apexus didn¡¯t see a magic scene in that gathering, he only saw an easy hunting ground with lots of easy prey. If there was one limiting factor, it was the fact that they were unknown in this ecosystem. The animals may have gotten too used to safety at the watering hole to be wary of the carnivores among them, but new things scared them. The trio was quickly noticed, despite the quiet approach.


    ¡°What is our target?¡± Reysha asked, narrowing her eyes. That was a question Apexus was also contending with.


    Deer were fast and the distance between them was pretty large. They would dash into the forest and vanish down paths that the local animals were aware of and the three of them weren¡¯t. They had a good chance of running one of those wombats down, but that wasn¡¯t anything close to a proper meal. There were also cats, but those were even nimbler than the deer and they weren¡¯t of the large variety. Some small lizards and other critters also failed to present a proper target.


    Leaving only the bear that sat in the shallow rim of the pond and floppily tossed water onto its black, white-striped fur. An easy target, clearly sated, and distracted by the mixture of cleaning and playing it was doing. More importantly, it appeared to be at least somewhat magical, if the short, white horns were anything to go by. They looked something like very jagged antlers.


    ¡°That,¡± Apexus said and pointed at the bear. It would be the hardest and most rewarding game. Aside from his own hunger, the slime was motivated by the hope that this bear truly was magical in some sense. Reysha desperately needed an infusion of magic. Even if the fading of Noir was still months off, based on the limited information they had, seeing her in this emotion-deprived state was horrible.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Aclysia nodded, only agreeing to that plan because she had similar hopes as Apexus.


    Reysha didn¡¯t even give an answer, only dropped her stance even further and extended her claws.


    All of them tensed up and waited for the bear to look away from them. The moment came and Apexus whispered, ¡°go!¡±


    Although he was the first to move, he fell behind on the other two. Reysha had taken two steps and all animals gathered around the pond immediately fled. All but the bear, who noticed the commotion and reared his head around. Used to being the apex predator around these parts, there was no way its first response was to run.


    Instead it got on all four paws and faced the trio. Reysha charged directly at the bear, who opened his maw and spat out a bolt of lightning. Not a particularly strong one, given the weakness of its light, but magic was magic and it hit the tiger girl unprepared. As present as she tried to be, her body was unable to move with her proper nimbleness. The bolt hit her straight in the chest and sent spasms throughout her body.


    Worse, the attack possessed no kinetic energy. Rather than being thrown back, she stumbled over her own feet and landed in front of the bear, who reacted fast and descended its jaws on her.


    Not quick enough, however, to successfully bite Reysha before a real Bolt spell hit it in the face. Sunlight seared the fur around its eye, but left flesh unscarred. While the spell did very little damage, it confused the bear long enough for Apexus to finally arrive at the scene.


    Face to face with the chimera slime, the bear made the same mistake as any other predator ¨C it tried to bite Apexus. In this case, because he looked so much like an animal in structure, the fangs went directly for the neck. Apexus didn¡¯t try to stop the bear.


    The bite punctured through the membrane and Apexus¡¯ acid filled the creature¡¯s mouth. Before the black&white bear could recognize his mistake and pull back, Apexus wrapped his arms around it and held it tightly in a deadly hug.


    Arcs of electricity bounced between the bears horns and then a cascade of the power rushed into Apexus. It wasn''t the slime¡¯s first encounter with being shocked and it was, albeit not as bad as it had been with the eagle, just as unpleasant as he remembered. Where it entered him, it was harmless. The threat was the fact that it spread everywhere ¨C including his core. The immediate pain was bearable, but Apexus felt control over his own biomass dwindle. ¡°H-orrrrrrrrnnnnsssss,¡± he managed to get out through the Speaking Plate in his mouth.


    Reysha understood quickly, grabbed a stone from the floor and jumped to her feet. Although her body was still numb, the electricity did little to worsen her already degraded state. Immobilized by Apexus and further confused by another Bolt cast by Aclysia, the bear couldn¡¯t dodge as Reysha savagely swung her arm. The rock she was clenching smacked against the left horn. Sparks darted into the air, as the protrusion broke off with a loud snap. Immediately, the lightning torrent dwindled into nothing.


    Now in total control, Apexus pressed the bear down to the floor and lodged his head on its throat ¨C the sharp teeth he had acquired were of great help in that. Secured in place, he then melted away the bear''s neck.


    Not a nice way to die, but, compared to many others Apexus had employed over the years, relatively quick.

 New World, Old Problems 3 – Pond

    ¡°Shhh,¡± Aclysia let out a calming whisper, while stroking Reysha¡¯s head. Laying in her arms, the tiger girl softly wept, as images bolted through her head like flying arrows. Hands, red with the blood of her raw meal, pressed against her temples, as if she could shove her thoughts back into her skull. More of the life-sustaining fluid dripped into the pond, leaving little trails of crimson that quickly dissipated in the much larger body of water.


    Apexus kept devouring the half-shredded bear, while watching over those two. Not only did he want to prevent yet more blood from leaking into their next best water source, but he was also at a loss what else he could do. Aside from silently sitting to the side and contributing nothing but his gawking presence.


    It had been predictable that this scene would surface. Once the bear had been killed and Reysha dug into the magic-rich meat, the tiger girl had lost self-control in several stages. First was the savage rush of Noir getting satisfied. The smell alone had driven her wild and once she started actually eating, there was no holding her back. Teeth had pulled strips of raw meat off the bones, while her claws had done their best to rip away the fur of the animal.


    Feeling had rushed back into her depressed body. It only fuelled the overbearing brutality of her feeding frenzy. Apexus, having expected little else, had just backed off and waited his turn. He and Aclysia had kept close watch on her eyes in particular. The dark grey colour sclera surrounded crazily wide opened, blue eyes.


    Eyes that eventually turned glassy, then wet. Once her stomach was as full as her athletic frame allowed and Noir¡¯s frenzy over, Reysha was left with the emotions the same condition had dulled. It was better that she was able to feel again, everything was an improvement from being traumatized and unable to emotionally approach that trauma. It also, inescapably, meant that she suffered a breakdown.


    Kneeling over the corpse she had shredded with her own two hands definitely did not help in repressing the memory. The blood everywhere had the same colour as the flames that day. The crimson of unsated hellfire. Although the death of the thousands had been quick, Reysha remembered screams, many screams and horrified faces.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault,¡± she pressed out.


    ¡°You have a long life to repent,¡± Aclysia calmly said and kept the embrace tight. ¡°As long as you live, your last failure, however large, doesn¡¯t define you. Focus on bringing yourself in order, then we can see how we might improve the world,¡± patiently the angel brushed through the tiger girl¡¯s hair, ¡°breathe slowly.¡± That was her final advice, before the metal fairy formed her quiet words into a melody. The angelic tongue reverberated softly between the trees as Aclysia sang a calming lullaby. That the quivering redhead covered her in tears and blood in the process didn¡¯t bother the black and white woman.


    Apexus had soon finished the bear and the pond was then relatively clean. For now, they owned this spot of the Omniverse and nothing bothered them. A moment of respite, a short arrival in their flight to somewhere. While the slime¡¯s bones shrunk and shortened to the shape and scale of a normal, if tall, human, he stood over his girls and hid them under his emerald wings. It was just the three of them and Aclysia¡¯s song was only for their ears.


    In the final stage of her loss of self-control, Reysha simply fell asleep.


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    Later, Reysha opened her eyes. It was torture. They felt dry and the last tears had transformed into a crust that sealed her lids in a way that crumbled with an unpleasant sensation, only to get into her eyes as bothersome crystals. She almost made the mistake of rubbing her eyes, but she was vaguely aware of the filth that covered them.


    With a groan, she spied through her light-sensitive eyes. ¡®Falling asleep right after fixing Noir really fucks with perception,¡¯ she realized. Everything had bright colours. After seeing everything as greyish, washed out shades for so long, having a proper view of things was mildly disorienting. She felt that her back was resting against something soft though and she smelled Apexus¡¯ intense pheromones.


    She felt secure thanks to those factors. Nothing else though. For reasons that she was very well aware of, the usual wave of lust that overcame her past these feeding episodes just didn¡¯t surface. She pressed her face into those feathers, took a deep breath and tried to ignite any form of physical passion possible. Nothing happened and, disappointed with herself, Reysha rose to take care of the physical urges that she did feel.


    ¡°Water is right of you,¡± Apexus instructed and gently nudged her in that direction.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Reysha mumbled and smiled. A slight smile, for her standards, but a smile nonetheless. Even with narrowed eyes, she soon spotted the edge of the pond. After washing her hand and throwing some water in her face, she felt a little bit better. A whole lot better, in the grand scheme of things, actually. With a few more blinks, she managed to focus on their surroundings.


    It was still day and the blood spots from their meal were still relatively fresh, she couldn¡¯t have been out that long. Apexus leaned against a tree behind her. He now looked quite humanoid. His skin had taken a tanned, light brown shade and was no longer translucent.


    This, actually, made him a whole lot creepier, if Reysha was honest.


    At least when he displayed his origin as a slime, it was clear that he was not a real humanoid in origin. As he was now, a naked man without definitions where muscles should be, no sexual signs, no nails on hands or feet, and no nose, he looked like something that was only walking in human skin. Given the kind of demon that he had acquired that very same outside from, this was of little wonder.


    The wings, fox ears and regular lips helped somewhat to offset that. However, the eyes were truly what made Apexus presentable. His blue eyes looked around with well-meaning curiosity, a wild wariness and a steady preparedness to take action. He was direct, he was wild, he was simple but not shallow. He was focused on her, watching if she needed any more of his help and wanting her to succeed on her own and heal where she could.


    Reysha loved him.


    Which only made her complete inability to feel any level of lust at the moment that much more bothersome. She wanted to be like she normally was, she wanted to take what she had done wrong and use it but every last facet of her felt compromised, stuck and out of her reach. Sex wasn¡¯t particularly important in terms of pulling herself back together, but it was right there, at the top of her mind.


    To distract herself from her misery, Reysha asked, ¡°Where is Aclysia?¡±


    Apexus raised a hand and pointed away from the pond. In the sun-kissed green that stretched out between the spread-out trees, the metal fairy stood, her eyes focused on the sky. Her lips were silently moving, counting the seconds. ¡°She is watching the sun,¡± the slime explained. ¡°Trying to guess whether days here are as long as on Ctania.¡±


    ¡°I guess she doesn¡¯t have a retina to worry about,¡± Reysha mumbled and turned back to the pond. Her reflection looked terrible. Not that she was ugly, her sharp facial features were as attractive and dangerous as ever. It was just that her resting face, still pretty stained with blood, dried guts and tears, wasn¡¯t the crazy hotness she was used to. ¡°We won¡¯t move soon, right?¡±


    ¡°No such plans at the moment,¡± Apexus answered in a slightly awkward fashion and watched as Reysha peeled out of her clothes. The layers of leather were quickly discarded, the layers of cloth underneath added to the pile and the slime felt something inside him stir when watching the redheaded tiger girl in all her nudeness. Something that had lain dormant for quite a while.


    The dark brown stripes, symmetrically covering her curves like layers of chocolate on a masterfully formed figure of caramel, directed his gaze. From the feet that sunk into the water, one stripe after the other guided him up her smooth legs. With every step, the roundness of her juicy behind jiggled a fair bit, a beauty emphasized by her naturally swinging step. Muscles in her back and shoulders softly shifted under the taut skin. The messy tide of her naturally wild hair was as beautiful as ever, if a bit sticky, due to recent events.


    Apexus put a lid on his urges and they quickly settled down to normal levels. ¡®Not the time,¡¯ he thought. Albeit he wasn¡¯t as damaged as Reysha was, he didn¡¯t really have the urge to engage in deliberately-non-procreational coitus until they had things figured out a bit more. Regardless, a bit of staring never hurt anybody.


    Reysha looked over her shoulder. Noticing his unashamed ogling, her dark lips curved into a wide smile. ¡®At least he is still interested,¡¯ it was a happy thought. She reached down to her crotch and touched the somewhat hairy area. It was the only part of a tiger girl¡¯s body, outside the head, where hair still grew. Not even a slight impulse of pleasure, just her hand touching another part of her body. She sighed, that soured the mood a bit, but she took what she could get.


    Slowly, she stepped into the deepest part of the pond. The water was cool, but in a calming way. The chirping of the birds in the distance was a pleasant melody. ¡®Did Aclysia sing to me?¡¯ the tiger girl wondered, suddenly realizing how hazy the memories between the fight with the bear and her waking up were. It wasn¡¯t the only stretch of near impossible recollection that she faced. She barely even remembered what had happened with the Parasyte. ¡®I know I took it out of Apexus but¡­ did I say something afterwards¡­ I think I¡­ yeah, I did¡­¡¯


    As difficult as it was, she remembered crying and mumbling to herself. Too late, she realized that prodding at those memories made her mind jump to the source of it. Down to the navel in the water, standing in the middle of the pond, Reysha suddenly stopped. The water rippled around her and in the tiny waves, she saw the burning runes in the sky. Thousands of people stood, lined up as the circle to their own end.


    She swallowed heavily and tasted the bitterness of vomit in her throat. Miracolously, the meal stayed inside. ¡®Breathe slowly, don¡¯t worry Apexus,¡¯ she said to herself, hoping the slime hadn¡¯t noticed anything. ¡®They¡¯re keeping you around, you should be thankful for that and don¡¯t be too much of a burden,¡¯ she told herself and slowly went down on her knees to completely submerge herself in the water.


    Leaning against the tree, Apexus watched. While he had noticed the minor oddity, he didn¡¯t think anything of it. Not that he could have been any more concerned even if he did. Reysha disappeared under the surface. It looked somewhat amusing, the way she ruffled her own hair under the surface.


    His left ear turned on its own, when he heard Aclysia approach. ¡°She seems to be doing better,¡± the angel noted.


    Apexus nodded. ¡°I think we all are,¡± he gave his honest opinion on the matter. At the very least, he himself felt things slowly stabilizing inside his mind. ¡°I feel like my core had to grow mental adaptations and it''s slowly settling in.¡±


    Chuckling, Aclysia sat down next to him, as Reysha broke through the surface. ¡°That seems like a good way to phrase it, darling,¡± she said and took a deep breath. ¡°The air here is sweeter, that helps as well, I think.¡±


    Reysha turned towards them, opened her mouth to add something, then shook her head and kept it to herself. At least, that¡¯s what she planned, but Apexus had noticed. Urged by his quizzingly tilted head, she said, ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t really feel like I can join you in being that hopeful yet,¡± she said reached up to her head. The current control of her mental faculties she experienced seemed threatened at every passing second. One wrong memory, one glance at something at a wrong angle, and it would come under assault.


    She didn¡¯t say anything else, she didn¡¯t like the way they looked at her when she worried them. It made her feel exactly as vulnerable as she was.


    After looking at the redhead for a few seconds, Apexus decided to not dig any deeper. When he asked, ¡°Did you find out the length of day?¡± the Rogue let out a thankful sigh and resumed cleaning herself.


    ¡°I have acquired a hopefully accurate impression, from the speed at which the sun moves over the horizon,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°I would guess that daylight here lingers for less time than on Ctania, but it doesn¡¯t seem like this Leaf meaningfully deviates from the standard day-night cycle duration.¡±


    With gods having access to so much leeway in creating their worlds, it occurred quite often that they decided to mess with something this basic. There were Leafs where every circle of the sun was followed by six circles of the moon. Some may have an unmoving sun. Others could have a sun that was also the moon. In the first place a ¡®sun¡¯ in the sense of the Leaf was a ball of plasma in only most, but not the majority, of cases. A sun just had to be a bright object that supplied light and warmth, hanging in the sky.


    Apexus nodded, understanding all that. A series of drops hit the water, as Reysha wrung out her hair. ¡°What now?¡± the damaged maniac asked.


    That was a tremendous question.

 New World, Old Problems 4 – Being There

    There were a large number of things they had to find out. The very first thing was to acquire more information about the land itself. Apexus and Aclysia did most on that front. Now that Apexus had morphed into a humanoid shape, he didn¡¯t look much different than any other species with wings. From a long distance, anyway.


    He did have to train how to fly properly in that shape, however. Take-off was the biggest problem, starting from a standing position took several attempts the first few times, but he eventually got it. They made themselves an image of the area, nearby and up to a medium distance.


    The weather, at least where they were, was consistent. Aclysia spotted signs that this was another Leaf with permanent seasons, primarily in the trees having individual sprout cycles. In worlds that had a seasonal cycle, which was most of them but not the majority, trees and plants in general started sprouting after winter was over, she explained to a curious Apexus.


    On Leaves where autumn and winter weren¡¯t a thing, trees never had to lose their leaves as part of their life cycle. Instead, they could go on to grow whenever they wanted. This disrupted the natural synchronicity of the forest, with each tree having its own timing for when it grew new branches or initiated the reproductive cycle.


    What all of this meant was that it had to be either an eternal spring or summer. Given the dominance of trees and flowers in bloom and the relatively young appearances of everything, not to mention the milder climate, the former seemed more likely. In a world where the plants reproduced every other month, there was no need for any trees or plants to grow especially old. Because of that, most trees died relatively young, but new ones quickly grew in their place.


    This was what Aclysia surmised at least. Most of what she actually knew beyond the basics of Ctania were things she had to learn or deduce herself. Her father had wiped the angelic intuition about the Omniverse and its functions from her mind when she had decided to stay with her beloved, after all.


    Apexus found all of that logical and there were several other signs of it in the landscape. Flowers shared the same desynchronized lifecycle as the trees did. Most of the animals moved around in permanent pairs and lived in boroughs, mating season being desynchronized in much the same fashion. Eventually, as the final piece of evidence, Apexus came across several insects that were incredibly voracious eaters. They all had commonalities with a fly, in their adult stage, but they had larvae that specialized in cleaning up the wastes of the forest. Dead wood, rotting meat, dried grass, the individual larvae made short work of all of it.


    As unpleasant as the grubs looked (and tasted, as Apexus found) they were the reason why new life continuously had room to grow. A single fly laying a cluster of eggs on a dead tree could initiate a cycle of larvae and new flies that had the entire tree devoured in less than three months. The roots were devoured by worms and moles, making sure nothing but new, healthy soil remained.


    Most importantly for the trio, there was a surprising amount of magical game running around. Deer with limited air walking capacity, the bears with their lightning, boars that used earth magic to help with their digging, to name a few. The apex predators around were packs of wolves, who utilized magic in a fashion similar to Reysha and other melee adventurers, strengthening their muscles rather than creating any flashy spells.


    The trio didn¡¯t have much of an issue with any of them. So little of an issue, in fact, that Apexus didn¡¯t even get a permanent Growth out of it. It did mean, however, that they had a permanent food source. All they had to do was remain on the move and not leave too much of a mess anywhere. They didn¡¯t want the attention and eating everything in one corner of the woods certainly would have done it.


    There was ample room to march. The Leaf was much larger than Ctania. The group was still only on the first island and it already proved to be as large as the summer world they had met on.


    Something there was also an ample amount of were humanoid settlements. To be specific, the main population of this Leaf, or at least this segment of it, seemed to be elves. They were usually tanned, tall and somewhat Amazonian in appearance, with lean muscles and dark eyes. Wood elves, albeit of the lighter skinned variety. They were quick and had keen senses, particularly sight and hearing. They were inferior to humans, the most well-rounded race of the Omniverse, in terms of raw strength and endurance, however. Their racial traits limited them a bit in their choice of occupation, they made much better archers and were among the races better suited to pick up druidism, while not performing all that well in the front lines, particularly those roles that had to bear the brunt of enemy aggressions.


    They got together in villages of fifty to a thousand people, with very few cities with even higher population counts than that scattered throughout the forest. After about two weeks of skulking around in the wilderness and the edge of civilization, the trio felt comfortable enough in this new environment to try a few new things.


    At that moment, the trio had a very basic problem, being that they needed to earn money to buy clothes and enter the villages for contact but needed to enter the villages to find ways to earn money. There was the stealing option, but Aclysia was vehemently against utilizing that unless absolutely necessary. Apexus agreed for moral and pragmatic reasons. They didn¡¯t want to risk anything. Reysha didn¡¯t have anything to add to the discussion, only mumbling something about her track record being awful in moral decisions. It was decided, then, that they would try to make contact with civilization.


    Aclysia, having clothes that still looked just barely acceptable and being the member of the group least likely to say or do something that would garner unwanted attention, entered one of the villages with a high population and looked around for some task they could fulfil.


    She brought back good news; many parts of the wildlife were in steady demand. Teeth, horns, furs, and the like found their usage in crafts or rituals around here. While they lacked the equipment or technical know-how to skin things, it was very much possible for Apexus to spare the bones of what he was eating. It would take a great bit of holding back, marrow was tasty, but possible regardless.


    They killed another bear, basically bleached the skeleton, and Aclysia was able to sell horns, teeth and other select bones in prime condition for a good price. It did garner her some questioning looks about how they had gotten it so clean, but no questions were asked. Mostly because the metal fairy only stayed for as long as it took to get business done.


    First thing she bought were new clothes for herself. Against her protest, it had to be said, Apexus and Reysha were just able to convince her that it would be best for them if she was the one who looked representable. She was the one who sold things. That aside, their clothes would just get bloody in the melee.


    For another two weeks, they continued to move about. They went from one village to the next, sold what was valuable from their meals, learned about a few herbs that also fetched some coin, gathered those as well, and slowly managed to build up their wealth. They got an adventurer¡¯s bag, a basic one, to better transport their wares. Then a second one for Reysha. Then they started acquiring clothes.


    They were only basic things, the stuff one could expect to be found in villages. The light cloth, leather reinforced armour Reysha got was decent and served her purposes, but it was inferior to the old bodysuit and the city guard armour. Most importantly for the moment, it was presentable and relatively cheap.


    Apexus got a long robe, gloves, shoes and a plain wooden mask. The combination of all those things made him look more than a bit suspicious, but it was better than the alternative. By the end of all of those acquisitions, they were broke again. They couldn¡¯t afford a third bag nor a knife for Reysha. Clothes weren¡¯t cheap, after all.


    Once all of those things were in order, Reysha, in a night they all spent huddled together under Apexus¡¯ wings, repeated the question she had presented a month ago. ¡°What now?¡±


    It was less monumental now. They knew their surroundings relatively well, knew that they could feed themselves and that they could visit villages for limited supplies. Regardless, they knew too little and that was exactly what Apexus based his next words on. ¡°We should go into a city and gather information.¡±


    Reysha tensed under his wings. Aside from Aclysia, none of them had entered any form of civilization since Ctania. The clothes they had gotten were in preparation of it though and the slime saw no reason to push it off any further.


    ¡°I agree,¡± the metal fairy nodded hesitantly. ¡°I have prioritized laying low over asking questions so far. I don¡¯t want to take any unnecessary risks and any conversation had is another chance someone remembers us. If I could see another way forward, I would much prefer to take it. However, If we are to make intelligent decisions, we need to know what surrounds us. A map, the lay of the land, an explanation where what is and what we can achieve there.¡± Aclysia took a pause and lowered her gaze. ¡°And I want to rest. We are safer right now than we have been in months but¡­ I want to stay somewhere safe and sit for a while.¡±


    Apexus didn¡¯t quite share that wish, he was used to changing environments often. His entire being was designed to be migratory and seek out new, challenging biomes to munch through. ¡°If that¡¯s what my melody wants,¡± he said, regardless and hugged her tighter. Hugged both of them tighter, as Reysha seemed miserable and close to tears again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can,¡± the tiger girl mumbled.


    ¡°Stay somewhere safe?¡± Apexus asked, perhaps tactlessly. He genuinely didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Be helpful,¡± Reysha answered, wrapping her arms around her legs under the cover of the slime¡¯s wings. ¡°I still feel¡­ so slow. It¡¯s been a month, I have been staving of Noir all this time and yet¡­ all about me feels paralyzed. I move in combat, I do what I can but none of it feels like I am close to what I used to be able to do. All I can do is kill some low-level wildlife.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t even do that on my own anymore.¡±


    She remembered an incident a week back. They had been hunting a boar. Nothing too difficult, it must have been the seventh boar they had gone to kill in two weeks. She had successfully sneaked up close, jumped, and scratched an eye out of the animal¡¯s face. The retaliation should have been obvious. It had been obvious. Regardless, her body had reacted slowly and a tusk had rammed into her stomach and created a giant hole.


    By sheer luck, the boar then tried to flee into Apexus¡¯ direction. They had gotten the kill, but Reysha had failed to outmanoeuvre a boar. If it hadn¡¯t been for Aclysia¡¯s healing, she would have bled out right there. That would have been an embarrassing end.


    It wasn¡¯t the only incident of that kind, only the most pronounced one. Whenever Reysha tried to do more than be a supportive role in combat, she got hit. Her body moved so slowly, if it moved at all. Sometimes she just froze up in the middle of combat. The merest hint of adrenaline could set off memories. The way her fists had reduced the Inquisitor¡¯s face to a bloody pulp. Her insides getting cooked by devilish magic. The screams of horror.


    Even during the very first hunt on that bear, her only real contribution had been getting hit by a lightning bolt and smashing an antler. Not a strong showing for someone that had once taken out three adventurers, each stronger than that bear, on her own.


    ¡°It might be better for you if you leave me behind,¡± Reysha mumbled and blinked away the tears.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± Apexus¡¯ tone was sharper than he wanted to be.


    ¡°I¡¯m not being ridiculous,¡± Reysha turned her head and stared back. ¡°I¡¯m the whole reason we¡¯re in this mess. I¡¯m the reason why we¡¯re sitting in some forest in buttfuck nowhere, ill-equipped, mentally damaged and unsure what to do next! I can¡¯t even help you in any way! I¡¯m not even able to satisfy you in any fashion! I¡¯m weak, helpless and should just be left to die.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the sole reason any of this happened,¡± Apexus answered, feeling oddly aggressive about Reysha talking about herself this way. ¡°You made the wrong call at the end of a chain of events, yes. Nothing more, nothing less! Don¡¯t beat yourself up over everything that happened!¡± He grabbed her shoulders with his arms and shook her a bit as he pulled the redhead towards his chest. ¡°And just because I can¡¯t non-procreate with you doesn¡¯t mean I stop loving you, alright?¡±


    Reysha would have laughed at that in the past. The non-procreate part just sounded completely out of place. Instead, she only let her head hang. ¡°I¡¯m still weak.¡±


    Aclysia leaned over and rested her forehead against that of the Rogue. ¡°Weak women can still atone.¡±


    ¡°How can a girl that can¡¯t even kill a boar possibly atone for unsealing a semi-immortal warlock and his posse of fucking nightmare monsters?¡± Reysha wanted to know. ¡°I want to, but seriously, how do you expect me to do that?!¡±


    ¡°One day at a time,¡± Aclysia whispered, while gently caressing the other woman¡¯s face.


    Reysha swallowed hard and just fell silent.


    ¡®We need to arrive somewhere,¡¯ Apexus realized once more and saw that Reysha needed what Aclysia wanted even more than the metal fairy herself did. They needed a better, safer environment. With any luck, they could find one somewhere on this island.

 New World, Old Problems 5 – Azenia-Ra

    It took them a bit of discussion to decide which city they would seek out. The argument boiled down to whether they should go to a smaller city or the largest one possible. Apexus, wanting to have a semblance of knowing what was going on, insisted on the former. He had found Heralry confusing and he had merely looked at that city from a distance. Learning that the ones around were even larger only convinced him that they could get ambushed from just about everywhere if things went wrong.


    Aclysia, on the other hand, argued that they were much safer in large, shifting crowds. The more people there were, the less they would stand out. Since the biggest city on the Leaf, of those they had seen so far anyway, had been the one at the Stem, chances were that it was a hodgepodge of different races.


    In the end, Reysha had weighed in and said she would be much more comfortable in a smaller city. That was the end of that discussion, Aclysia accepting she was outvoted. Not that she was particularly happy about it, but the guardian angel wasn¡¯t one to dwell on these things.


    Apexus went up into the air and looked for the closest city. He didn¡¯t have to search for long. The local elves were in the habit of marking their cities through large, turquoise spires. Sitting atop the building at the city¡¯s centre, they usually marked where the local outpost of the Trader¡¯s Guild went about their business. Alternatively, they were on top of the mayor¡¯s house. Either way, a landmark was a landmark and the trio got moving.


    It took them a day to arrive in the city, but they had it timed well enough that they got there during the busiest hours of the day. People from the surrounding villages rolled their carts, often by hand, sometimes drawn by oxen or horses, down the roads. It was a market day, happening twice a week around these parts, and so the group was surrounded on all sides by people.


    They were predominantly wood elves, with a fair dash of humans and people that had the features of deer. In a particularly unique showing, there was a group of people that had elven torsos sticking out of the lower bodies of deer. The dryads partook without anyone minding. It was to little surprise, then, that the trio also didn¡¯t get a lot of attention.


    Not that this put Apexus at any more ease. The slime felt like he was prey that had jumped face first into an acid bath and was now trying to take a casual swim in it. Every step he took was accompanied with at least two turns of his head. The squeaking of the wheels, the laughing of groups, mumbled words and gestures in their general direction, they were all noises that had his feathers puff up and his wings spread slightly, ready to take off at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Gently, Aclysia put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You need to calm down, darling,¡± she whispered. ¡°The more agitated you look, the more we stand out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± the chimeric creature answered and consciously pulled his wings back. He stopped looking at everything that caught his attention, forcefully kept his neck stiff. Murmured words, spoken from unknown lips in accents and sometimes tongues he didn¡¯t know, continued to keep him on his toes, however. No matter how much he tried to relax, he just couldn¡¯t.


    He heard a sharp sound, metal on metal, and jumped. In the middle of the street, he assumed a fighting pose, arms raised and knees bent, the wings raised in a shield-like fashion. People hastily stepped back from him, unsure what was going on.


    The smith looked up from his work with two raised eyebrows. ¡°Something the matter?¡± the human asked with two raised eyebrows.


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­ I apologize,¡± Apexus said and slowly backed away. Largely because Aclysia was pulling on his sleeve. The trio moved into an alleyway to have a quick talk in relative privacy.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need the attention!¡± she berated him in a hissed whisper, a tone much misplaced from her usual calm demeanour. ¡°That smith could remember us, whoever tracks us could happen to ask him and then they have a lead.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Apexus answered, looking twice over his shoulder before continuing. ¡°There¡¯s so much that could hunt us here, it puts me on edge.¡±


    ¡°Those people mean no harm, we just need to pass them by.¡±


    ¡°Do you know that?¡± Apexus asked and tilted his head. He was genuinely curious. ¡°We have been wrong before.¡±


    That shut Aclysia up for the moment and a desperate expression crossed. A loud caw echoed in the hallways and Apexus felt his wings grind against the stone of the nearby walls. The alley was much too narrow to encompass the sheer span of his wings. Before he managed to pull himself together again, he saw the source of his worries. A crow, simply sitting on top of a nearby roof, cawing at some of its kin.


    Apexus felt the magic from his core pulse through his liquid body. Intense beats that ate away at his energy reserves but kept him sharp at a moments notice. Every second in this city was like he was fighting a large, invisible beast. Aclysia was about to berate him again, when they looked at each other and both realized that their behaviour had gotten more damaged by the events than living in the wild and only with each other could have possibly shown.


    Rather than continue to fight over these things, they turned to Reysha. ¡°Are you doing fine?¡± Apexus asked. The tiger girl looked anything but fine. Her caramel skin was half a shade lighter than usual, causing her stripes, particularly those that covered her eyes, to stand out even more.


    ¡°I¡¯ll manage,¡± she assured with a weak smile. ¡°Just a lot of noise¡­¡±


    After a minute of recuperation, the group got back onto the streets. Primarily, they were looking for someone that sold maps. Not necessarily to buy one, although they would if they could afford it. On the way here, they had earned a little bit extra money, but their total funds barely exceeded two silver coins. They could have barely rented a room for three people with that money, with some reheated grub if they were willing to sleep on straw.


    Anyway, even if they couldn¡¯t buy a map, they hoped to at least get some information about the Leaf.


    It took them over thirty excruciatingly long minutes, full of barely maintained composure and making themselves as small as possible, to find what they were searching for. A wooden stand, clearly an extension to the blue-painted building behind it, displayed scrolls covered in simple, black ink. It was a shop on the main road. Most of the pieces laying in reach of the customer were simple artwork, lines drawn by a skilled hand depicting basic things that would look good on a wall while being relatively cheap to produce. Among them were a few maps, as detailed as black and white went, of the surrounding areas.


    Behind the counter and the owner, a white-haired old gnome with a big, wart covered nose that looked more like a pickle than an actual nose, hung more artistic pieces, completely coloured. They were held at the back so scattered dust didn¡¯t settled on the more valuable pieces. Dust or water, a very real fear even on dry, hot days like this one was, as a public well, complete with metal handle to lower or raise the bucket, was right next to the stand. An added bonus was that any daring thieves, as few as there were in this area, could only grab the basic pieces before running off.


    A particular piece at the back caught Apexus¡¯ attention immediately. A map, coloured and pretty detailed, and definitely far out of their price range. It had the name of the Leaf of it, along with several marked locations that Apexus assumed to be dungeons.


    ¡°Hello!¡± the enthusiastic greeting caused Apexus to jump ¨C again. The slime began to hate how everything in this environment set him off. Even more he hated that there was seemingly nothing he could do about it. ¡°Sorry, sorry, didn¡¯t mean to startle y¡¯all,¡± the gnome raised both ink-stained hands, oddly large for his otherwise tiny body. Even sitting on his extra high stool, which he had needed a small ladder to get on, he only reached up to Apexus¡¯ midriff. ¡°Just saw that you were looking at my work. You like it?¡±


    Apexus stared at the shopkeeper, unable to read the old man properly. ¡®Is he after our money? Maybe wants me to take off the mask?¡¯ the slime tilted his head, while more paranoid thoughts ran through his head.


    The gnome, in the meanwhile, felt it difficult to keep up the smile and thought, ¡®I think I may have been better off ignoring this one.¡¯


    A thought that was scattered when Aclysia cleared her throat to get his attention. ¡°Yes, your artistic talent had caught our eye,¡± the metal fairy put it diplomatically. ¡°Albeit, we are unlikely able to afford any of it.¡± Barely unable to keep himself from berating her for a change, Apexus focused on standing still. ¡°We are in need of a map of the entire Leaf, if you could show us something cheap, we would be much obliged.¡±


    ¡°Ah, adventurers, I should have known!¡± the gnome exclaimed and put his hands on the table to get up and vanish underneath the stand. ¡°That explains the intense glare your friend has there. Really intimidating. Is he a Warrior? A Brawler? I would guess Silent Breaker, but if you were that advanced in your Classes, I would guess you wouldn¡¯t hang around some place like this. Is the redhead also with you? She is a looker, tell me if either of you are looking for a husband, my grandsons just can¡¯t seem to find anyone. I¡¯m just joking, of course. Not about the ¡®can¡¯t find anyone¡¯ part, they are hopelessly in love with their work. Not that I was any different at their age.¡± Repeatedly, the rustling of paper underlined his voice, then he suddenly came back up, having already forgotten about his own question. ¡°Here we go, a basic black and white map of Azenia-Ra, five silver.¡±


    ¡°¡­Any chances we can barter you down to two?¡± Aclysia asked, only mildly hopeful. It may have been black and white, but the details were all finely drawn and the icons very easy to understand, with roads and landmarks standing out well. The parchment was of good quality, as it had to be to survive repeated folding.


    The gnome shook his head. ¡°At that point, I don¡¯t even break even on the materials and time invested,¡± he stroked his chin. ¡°Down on your luck? It¡¯s rare to meet adventurer¡¯s that don¡¯t even have five silver. I don¡¯t want to inquire too much bu-¡°


    ¡°Then don¡¯t,¡± Apexus suddenly burst out, his deep voice made only that bit more menacing by the mask. That this map drawing person decided to use his food hole to do this much blabbering, talking as if they were friends, irked the chimeric creature more than a little bit.


    ¡°O-oh, sorry, sorry,¡± the gnome waved in a panic. To him, the slime was an almost two-metre-tall (at that much difference, ten to fifteen centimetres was barely noticeable) giant of a relatively lean build but giant wings that more than made up for it. All that was visible of Apexus¡¯ body were those wings and his pale blue eyes, staring down with slit pupils.


    An awkward silence ensued, during which Apexus kept staring down the gnome, the gnome sweating profusely and Aclysia trying to figure out how to solve any of this. Between her beloved reacting in a, somewhat understandably, aggressive fashion and them being out of luck when it came to buying things.


    ¡°Ehem,¡± Aclysia cleared her throat again and the gnome was very happy to turn his attention to her. ¡°Please ignore my darling, he isn¡¯t very familiar with this environment,¡± she said. ¡°If you could, I would be happy to buy some information instead? We are wondering where to go next.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, that will be no problem!¡± the gnome obliged and climbed back on his stool to gesture at the map. ¡°As you can see Azenia-Ra has a total of seven dungeons with a wide level spread. You should already know Myrlight,¡± he just stated that as a fact and so Aclysia nodded. She wanted to ask, but feared that would cause the gnome to ask unnecessary questions. ¡°If you go south from here, the wild animal will get a bit stronger. Generally, the animals become more bothersome the further south you go, but they don¡¯t reach something a level seven adventurer shouldn¡¯t be able to handle. We have settlements of humans and dwarves here and¡­¡±


    While the gnome gave Aclysia and Apexus the rough rundown, Reysha was only concentrating on her breathing. Her eyes were focused on a single point. She wasn¡¯t really looking at anything. Really, she tried her best to not see anything without closing her eyes. If she could have done the same for her ears and nose, then she would have. Her keen senses constantly fed her all of the business-buzzing that went on around them. The singing sound of coins bouncing on wooden surfaces, the squeaking of badly oiled scales, the shouting matches between aggressive barterers and old trade rivals, the friendly chatter between people that only got to see each other on these days, the typical array of a market.


    Somehow worse was the smell of dust. After all of the sweet smells of the forest, the dust that rose from the trampled road filled her nostrils with an odd familiarity. In her home, Ragressia, where hot days and desert winds had been normal, it often smelled similar to this. That smell of her birthplace, a home that she had always disliked for many reasons she carried in her own personality, now made her nostalgic at a time she really couldn¡¯t use it.


    Violently, she was ripped out of her attempts to not think, when someone bumped into her. At one moment, her mind was forcefully calm, the next her hand closed around something hot.


    Suddenly, she stood in that basement again. Her hand was burning, the flesh set aflame and reduced to ash within moments by the life-stealing fire. It burned hot, way too hot, melted her bones and crept up her arms. She was there, she was wide awake and she was screaming.


    Apexus had already been walking when he noticed Reysha stumbling, but now he moved as quickly as his liquid body allowed him too. ¡°What is¡­?¡± he tried to ask, but Reysha¡¯s eyes were empty and opened wide in terror, as she slumped to the ground and continued to empty her lungs in an intense, pained cry. Only her hand had any sort of tension in it, holding onto the metal handle of the well. It had been exposed to the sun all day and was very hot. Not enough to cause more than a bit of discomfort to a healthy adult person. Reysha did not fit that categorization at the moment.


    Realizing that the problem had to do something with that, Apexus pried open her thumb and pulled her away from the well. The moment he did, Reysha¡¯s flashback came to a sudden end. The pain left with it, but terrifying confusion took its place. Crying and quivering, she let herself be embraced by Apexus, who stroked her hair and mumbled whatever calming came to mind. Aclysia, no matter how much she hated the situation, quickly hurried over.


    Half the market was looking their direction for a little while. The genuine scream of a woman echoed far and wide over any environment, no matter how busy. A city guard stepped close, inspected the situation for a little while, then shook his head and took it on him to disperse the crowd. ¡°Let¡¯s leave them alone, come on people, don¡¯t you have business to attend to?!¡± he shouted. Like most guards, he was a former adventurer and had a vast number of ideas what could wreck a person like that.


    The gnome waddled over and placed his stool next to the well. ¡°Sit her down,¡± he said, in a very calm voice. ¡°And get some water out of that well.¡±


    Apexus looked to Aclysia before he followed that advice. Working the handle, he soon brought a bucket of water to the surface. The gnome returned with a piece of cloth and a cup. ¡°Here,¡± he offered both to Reysha. ¡°Take these.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve that,¡± the tiger girl mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a gift, just drink a cup of water and clean your face,¡± the gnome stated. ¡°Take them.¡±


    With quivering fingers, Reysha did and kept it to the suggested order. She wasn¡¯t especially thirsty, but feeling something cold run through her greatly helped in other ways. Once she had wiped off her face, she let out small breath with relative relief.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to inquire, but¡­¡± the gnome started and this time Apexus only lowered his head and let him talk. ¡°¡­you seem like adventurers that have seen something you weren¡¯t ready for.¡±


    ¡°Understatement of the millennia,¡± Reysha mumbled.


    The gnome didn¡¯t care for the irony in her voice, only gave her a friendly grandpa smile. Apexus hated that this expression stirred distrust inside his core. ¡°I won¡¯t ask anything else. Just know that there is a summer island where the monsters are weak and the dungeon is only one step above the easiest Safe Leaf ones. We call it Summer Rest, for obvious reasons. It¡¯s a popular retirement place for adventurers. I am not suggesting anything,¡± the gnome said and raised his hands defensively when he got three pairs of protesting eyes, ¡°but if you want to be somewhere safe, then you should either head there or take the trip up the Leaf to Ctania.¡±


    The trio fell silent, unable to respond.


    Mistaking their grief and bad conscious for hesitation, the gnome put on his nicest face and said, ¡°Wait a second,¡± and walked away into his house. After about a minute, during which they all heavily considered whether they should just run, the shopkeeper returned with a folded map in hand. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the money,¡± Apexus reminded the the gnome, who mockingly blew air out of his nose.


    ¡°What do you take me for?¡± He gestured at his table. ¡°The map I showed you is one of my works, a piece of art that I replicate every other week. That costs you five silver and you don¡¯t have the money for it,¡± he gestured at the folded map in his hands. ¡°This is a failure my son drew when he was learning the craft. It has water damage and is folded all wrong. I don¡¯t sell failures around here.¡± He shoved the map into Aclysia¡¯s hands. ¡°So, you¡¯re doing me a favour, really. Just don¡¯t tell anyone I dared to hand something like that out, it would ruin the reputation of my shop!¡±


    With that, he took the cloth and the cup and headed back into his home. For some reason, after all of that, the trio had a very easy time standing up and leaving. They only did three things before hurriedly getting out of the city. They took a look at the failure of a map they had been given. They put the stool of the shopkeeper back where it belonged.


    And they put all the money they could quickly find in the adventurer¡¯s bags on the seat.

 New World, Old Problems 6 – A light in a rainy night

    The old gnome hadn¡¯t been lying, the map was most certainly not good enough to sell at a shop that prided itself on high quality. The lines were inconsistently wide, suggesting that the person drawing it hadn¡¯t been used to the drawing tools yet, two of the landmarks and a fair chunk of forest were blurred thanks to water damage and one corner of the map was partially torn, as it stuck out whenever they folded the thing.


    Regardless of all of that, it was true to scale and all of the important information was displayed on it. The common roads, the cities and larger villages, the dungeons, their names and their advised level range, what biomes were predominant where and all of that sort of thing. It was a bad copy of the map they couldn¡¯t afford but it was perfectly workable. Aclysia stored it in her adventurer¡¯s bag.


    They kept running from the city environment for much longer than necessary. Apexus didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near that place of buzzing business and unfamiliar faces and the other two members of the group had their own, similar, reasons to follow that distancing. They only stopped once night time came around.


    With it came a sudden and heavy rain. It depressed the temperatures considerably and hid everything behind an evermoving, grey curtain. They found shelter under a toppled over bolder, its brown-coloured size resting above a small trench that had clearly been dug later. Whether by hands of humans or animals wasn¡¯t clear.


    The trench wasn¡¯t all that deep, barely enough for them to sit under, but it beat resting in the cold rain or the unreliable cover of young canopies by miles. Especially once the wind picked up and caused the rain drops to toss and assault from rapidly changing directions. Most of the time, the trench protected them from the winds. Only sometimes, a gale would have the exact right angle to blow right through.


    Reysha shivered on one such occasion. They had found shelter before the proper storm, but she was still wet to the bone. ¡°My life for a fucking fire,¡± she cursed and stroked her drenched hair back.


    ¡°That¡¯d be a bad trade,¡± Apexus pointed out.


    ¡°You think?¡± Reysha asked with a sarcastic smile. ¡°I might be feeling worthless these days, but that¡¯s a bit low even for me. And yes,¡± the tiger girl changed focus to the angel who had just opened her mouth. ¡°I know we can¡¯t make a fire here, even if we some-fucking-how managed to find dry wood.¡±


    ¡°Then I shall keep my advice to myself,¡± Aclysia said, while Apexus took off the wooden mask. The verdant wings stretched out to seal the shelter¡¯s openings to both sides. ¡°Darling, that only protects us,¡± she pointed out, as Apexus¡¯s back and said wings themselves were now fully subjected to the elements.


    Apexus only shrugged. ¡°Cold doesn¡¯t bother me much, only makes me slow,¡± he stated, and waved for them to come closer. ¡°Is easier to keep my wings closed around you if we cuddle.¡± Not that the trio needed any excuse to find comfort in each other, they soon huddled together as closely as three people could.


    Much like her beloved, Aclysia wasn¡¯t much affected by the weather. Her body was only reliant on magic to survive. It was, however, usual for her to be at the warmth of a usual human body and the cold sapped away at her mana reserves that way. Gently reaching out to Apexus, she drew new magic from him. He had quite a reservoir of it. Nothing truly outrageous, something on the higher end appropriate for his level. How much of that was reserved for his supernatural body function and how much he could theoretically utilize freely, if he ever came into acquisition of an organ that allowed him to channel that mana, Aclysia didn¡¯t know.


    The slime let his magic seep into the metal angel. She didn¡¯t keep much of it to herself. Instead she formed a bowl with her hands and concentrated. A tiny light appeared between her hands and slowly grew. ¡°Insufficient as it might be, this is the light I can offer,¡± Aclysia¡¯s voice sounded like a melodic prayer. ¡°Let it be what warms us in this stormy night.¡±


    The Illumni spell glowed and swelled to the size of an eyeball. No matter how much Aclysia would have tried, it wouldn¡¯t have expanded further. It was a supportive spell, a very basic one at that, meant to act as a magical alternative to a torch. Thanks to her nature as a summer angel, its light was paired with a pleasant warmth. It was like they had the tiniest and weakest of suns amidst them. Soothing in this night.


    ¡°It¡¯ll do plenty,¡± Reysha assured and inched, what little she even could anymore, closer. So they sat for a little while. ¡°Thank you for not giving up on me.¡±


    ¡°We have been through this often enough, Reysha,¡± Apexus shook his head. This topic no longer needed debating. ¡°We will stick through this together, like clam and clamshell.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very stupid comparison,¡± Reysha pointed out. ¡°Those are one organism.¡±


    ¡°We are more than one organism. We are one¡­ family?¡± Apexus tilted his head. ¡°Is that right? I don¡¯t want it to sound like we are related. Friends is too low and lovers not fitting.¡±


    ¡°Family is a perfect way to put it, darling,¡± Aclysia smiled and kissed his cheek. It slowly got warmer inside their little chamber. While the spell wasn¡¯t the greatest source of heat, the feathers around them did make for great insulation. Soon, Reysha stopped quivering and even smiled a little, while leaning over to Aclysia and kissing her for a change.


    A loving kiss, right on the mouth. The spell flickered and shrunk to its normal size, barely bigger than a fingernail, as the angel¡¯s concentration broke for a moment. ¡°Love you,¡± Reysha whispered. ¡°I thought you should know that. I don¡¯t know what I did to deserve either of you.¡±


    Aclysia blinked a few times, then chuckled. ¡°Perhaps I should call you something as well? Perhaps ¡®honey¡¯ or ¡®sweetie¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I think neither of those fit my sexy butt,¡± Reysha purred jokingly.


    ¡°Bubble?¡± Apexus suggested and got himself a questioning glance. ¡°It is the shape of your butt, so calling you bubble would work, yes?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the tiger girl decided.


    ¡°Scratchy, perhaps?¡± Aclysia suggested in just as joking a fashion.


    ¡°Okay, we are not giving me a name!¡± Reysha decided, her tone having an undercurrent of laughter. ¡°What would you call Aclysia if we based her nickname on her butt, huh?¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Apexus answered without hesitation. With the confusion of the behaviourally prude but factually lustful, the metal fairy blushed until her white hair line rose clearly from her usually white skin.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Reysha pouted and rubbed her own butt. ¡°That hurts my pride as a sex-loving kitty.¡±


    ¡°Your ass is really good,¡± the slime was quick to point out, using his left hand to give it a bit of a squish. ¡°Aclysia¡¯s is just a bit better. I like your top half more though.¡±


    ¡°The divine give all of us gifts that carry us on in this world,¡± Aclysia hummed.


    ¡°Some have way more than others though,¡± the redhead said, concentrating on that hand on her butt, gently stroking what was under the wet cloth. It should have made her feel something but, still, nothing. Not even the slightest tingle. It was pleasant to be touched that way, reassuring to be in his arms, but that was all she felt. Even after a month on this Leaf, especially after a month, this bothered her. She had come to accept that annoyed feeling but she didn¡¯t want to accept the change itself. ¡°The gods aren¡¯t exactly fair.¡±


    ¡°The gods are many and follow different paths and philosophies of what the races they create should develop like,¡± Aclysia¡¯s tone was something between defensive and admitting. ¡°Some decide that all of their chosen race should be beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Like mine,¡± Reysha grinned. ¡°Seriously, just try to find a Ragressian that¡¯s not at least a cutie.¡± She was right in that, although every race affiliated with feline features was well known for having a lot of beauties among their ranks. Even among those, Reysha stood out, however.


    ¡°Others decide that it should be mixed,¡± Aclysia continued. ¡°Very few¡­ decide to create humanoids that I can only call hideous.¡±


    ¡°You mean like orcs?¡± the tiger girl remembered the green skinned brute she had seen once. His face had been unnaturally flat, except for the piggish nose. That this kind of humanoid all had a hunchback didn¡¯t help the matter.


    ¡°I mean like¡­ perhaps an orc¡­?¡± Aclysia started and then trailed off, as she discovered the gap in her knowledge. ¡°How odd, I recall these distinctions but no concrete examples. My blessed father certainly limited what I know at weird places.¡±


    Apexus suddenly felt a panic pull at his mind. ¡°Can he remove memories whenever he wants?¡±


    The metal fairy shook her head. ¡°While he has sworn to me being outside the divine circles, in other words, while remaining in love with you, my darling, I am untouchable in this regard. It would go against the codex of the gods to meddle in such a direct fashion.¡±


    ¡°But what if he decides to ignore that codex?¡± Apexus asked.


    The very notion caused the light to suddenly extinguish and Aclysia to twitch away from the slime. ¡°My apologies,¡± she swiftly said and lighted the Ilumni again. ¡°The codex of the gods is enforced by all of the gods and there are none that haven¡¯t agreed to it. Suggesting that a god could decide to break it is¡­¡± she shook her head and whispered, ¡°¡­I would recommend you don¡¯t even mutter such heretical an idea in front of a person of the church. At best you may voice it in curiousity. It has not and will not ever happen. Should it ever, the Omniverse would be transformed into a safe and hopeless place.¡±


    Apexus wasn¡¯t sure how that opinion could be prevalent enough among all gods that nobody ever dared to venture outside of the boundaries, but he believed his Aclysia, if nothing else. The slime¡¯s right hand brushed over her side calmingly, until the spell had grown back to previous levels. A period of silence ensued.


    After all that had happened that day, they felt tired, but unable to really fall asleep. There was much stirring about paranoia, caution and trauma inside them, about their fears and how the friendliness of strangers worked with those fears. About the question whether a thousand earnest smiles were worth risking the single one that turned out to be fake, hiding a maw of knives.


    Finally, Apexus posed the question on everybody¡¯s mind. ¡°Do we start our journey to Summer Rest tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I say it is our best path forwards,¡± Aclysia nodded. ¡°It should be safe there, a place to breathe and recuperate. On the condition that the place we stay at is relatively isolated, we may be able to stay for a little while.¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ want my head to obey me again,¡± Reysha sighed and scratched at the dirt floor. ¡°Being somewhere nice will hopefully help with that. No more of these¡­ repeated shattering of whatever I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    ¡°It could be a trap,¡± Apexus suggested, unable to keep that thought from surfacing.


    Aclysia shook her head. ¡°Logically speaking, there is a null chance of Summer Rest being a trap. If they wanted to catch us, designing maps and the lore of the land to that end would be a ludicrous way to go about it. The planning involved is nigh impossible to design. More than that, it would be a scheme of unnecessary proportions. They could have caught us already, if that was the purpose of this Leaf, a Leaf that predates our arrival by likely thousands of years.¡±


    All of that was reasonable, but Apexus wasn¡¯t really able to reason away that fear. Regardless, he nodded. ¡®I know better, can¡¯t let myself be controlled by random emotions,¡¯ the chimeric creature berated himself.


    Neither of the girls made fun of the slime for the idea, only gently spoke to him to ease his fears. They all had their burdens and they all had each other to shoulder them. Apexus held them in his arms, as tightly as he could, and sealed his wings over the three of them. All that mattered to the slime fit under his wings and that was a calming thing to know.


    The Ilumni faded, the wind kept howling and the rain poured on, as they sunk into a calm slumber.


    Funatic

 New World, Old Problems 7 – To safe rest

    The journey to Summer Rest was an easy, if lengthy one. Every day they travelled elevated further the knowledge that Azenia-Ra was several levels larger than Ctania. Their first impulse was, much like getting to Clearwater, to try and simply fly over the ocean. As soon they discussed the scale of things, however, the absurdity of that idea became obvious. Even the shortest gap between the north-western island they were currently on was about half as wide as Ctania had been.


    They would have needed to fly for two to three consecutive days in order to get across the ocean. As far as the map showed it, there were no islands to rest on. Even more than that, they could easily lose orientation above the open sea. This Leaf wasn¡¯t fundamentally flat, limiting the range of the vision considerably. One gust of wind, a light left tilt at a moment of dropping concentration and they could find themselves lost with nowhere to land. They had a map, but a compass was not in their possession.


    All of that came before the issue of food and water. Taking the shortest route was, in purely logistic terms, suicide.


    Instead, they had to follow a traditional path. This proved to be less of an issue than they initially feared. Once they knew in which direction to march, something made thankfully easy thanks to wooden signs that marked the occasional crossroad, all they had to do was follow the road. The first two days, they mostly marched off the road, keeping to the protection of the loose forest. Eventually, it became apparent that the road wound itself properly through numerous environmental hazards, like small bogs, hills, and rivers. Once the trio walked on it directly and had a number of encounters with other travellers that were all defined by a simple passing, they kept their detours into the treeline to their nightly rests.


    It was the first time for Apexus that he properly used things created by civilization to get somewhere. Whenever he had been in the proximity of civilization before, the slime had felt like an animal observing a new environment, scavenging for a necessary resource. Now he was a traveller like anyone else, using the road for the same purpose as the other people they met. In a way, he was now part of that civilization.


    He walked over dirt and paved roads, the state of the road depending on the wealth of the area. Soon, he came to expect a certain look to the houses in the upcoming village or city, depending on the amount of nature that had reclaimed the streets. The more weeds stuck out on the road, the higher the likelihood that the houses would be basic or in a state of mild disrepair. The deeper the trenches at the side of the roads, the more carts he expected to roll around.


    It wasn¡¯t too different from the wild, from tracking animals by their footsteps. Many smiths pointed towards a mine being nearby, many hunters but a low number of leatherworkers pointed towards a migratory herd of animals that happened to be in this area by chance, a swelling of travellers on the road pointed towards a market day, and so on. It was all so similar to seeing leaves missing on a bush up to a certain height, to reading imprints on the floor, to measuring a half-devoured carcass to see what size its predator must have been.


    As Apexus made those comparisons, he felt less alienated by this thing called civilization. A house was just a very intricate burrow, a market just another competitive ecosystem. The results of things may vary considerably, but the fundamental rules weren¡¯t that different.


    It was quite impressive what humanoids could do when they banded together. Especially since they lacked the natural unity ants had. By some incredibly complicated process, they seemed to thrive on outcompeting each other, rather than working together. It was as if humanoids had taken the entire process of survival of the fittest from nature, limited it to their own species, accelerated it and also taken the majority of deadliness out of it. All at the same time.


    Apexus found that ludicrous, but that¡¯s what he kept seeing.


    Now that he understood that, or started to understand it anyway, and was himself a part of it, Apexus felt a strange sense of comradery with those humanoids. His paranoia continued to force him to stay at least three metres away from anyone he didn¡¯t know to feel safe. Aside from that though, Aclysia. Reysha and he were fitting in relatively well. They traded more animal parts from their daily meals on their way south and slowly acquired a bit of money that way.


    Apexus¡¯ ultimate revelation the humanoids were absurdly crafty came when they were about to go from the north-western island to the western one. It wasn¡¯t any city. Apexus got houses. They usually weren¡¯t that complex. The principle was to stack rocks on each other and support them with extra things the larger the hollow pile got. There had been impressive buildings he saw, sure. None of them competed with the ridiculous bridge that connected the two islands, however.


    It was absurdly long, spanning a larger area than most of the cities they had come across. Arch after arch spanned from one stone pillar to the next, each of which vanished under the water. They all supported a pathway that was entirely artificial. Rocks were glued together by cement and plaster; a grey path illuminated by metal lanterns that were mounted onto the bridge¡¯s stone railing.


    ¡°How?¡± was Apexus¡¯ only question.


    ¡°How what?¡± Aclysia asked, her and Reysha both turning to the flabbergasted slime. She was preoccupied being thankful about the fact they arrived and would set over during the dark hours. There was a city on either end of this bridge and she didn¡¯t want the attention.


    ¡°How did make-¡° he stopped himself to reformulate his sentence in a grammatically sound way. ¡°How was this bridge made? Did the gods place it?¡± That would have made this ludicrous construction sensible as far as the origin was concerned, although Apexus was still confused about how the middle parts of the thing didn¡¯t just sink downwards.


    ¡°Doubtful,¡± Reysha said and pointed towards the stacked stones at the rim that made it difficult to tumble into the water. ¡°See those holes? Seems like stones are missing, they probably fell out with time. When gods add things like this to the environment, they are usually magically maintained in some fashion.¡±


    Aclysia nodded and led the way onto the bridge. Apexus was still confounded. ¡°How then?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ it¡¯s a bridge?¡± Reysha didn¡¯t know what the big deal was.


    ¡°A tree that¡¯s laying over a river is a bridge,¡± Apexus blabbered in his confusion, feeling even more overwhelmed by the size of the thing when he stepped on it and it felt just as firm as any other solid ground. ¡°That¡¯s three to ten steps. This is hundreds of metres, maybe several kilometres. How did they even start building this?¡± He gestured over the railing. ¡°How did they make the pillars? Did they just throw rocks into the water until something stuck? Where did they even get all these rocks? How?¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± the tiger girl scratched her head and looked at the bridge in a somewhat puzzled fashion. ¡°When you put it like that, yeah, I guess this shit is pretty impressive.¡±


    That she hadn¡¯t even thought about it made Apexus wonder what other manners of ridiculous humanoid accomplishments were out there. Little did he know that this bridge was a miniscule drop in the bucket in the ever-growing Omniverse. As neither Aclysia nor Reysha had any answers for him on this topic, he just had to take his befuddled state and live with it.


    They arrived on the western island as dawn arrived. It had taken literal hours to cross that bridge and its soft rise had eventually brought them a solid fifty metres over the ocean. ¡®Absolutely ridiculous,¡¯ Apexus kept thinking, even as they searched for a spot to rest for a few hours.


    The western island wasn¡¯t much hotter, but a whole lot more humid. The forest was denser than even those. Oddly enough, it was neither the underbrush nor the trees that seemed to dominate the forest, but a large number of plants that grew by hanging from the high-hanging canopies. This created a jungle where the view was obscured and moving was a pain. The floor was covered in roots, making footing difficult, and every step had to be accompanied with brushing motions. One unlucky step could have had anyone stumble into a basically invisible thorn bush.


    Luckily for them, this jungle didn¡¯t approach the eastern coasts. They only stayed in it for a bit of sleep, a very insecure and shallow rest. Buzzing, large insects, crying birds, screaming monkeys, they all made for a green hellscape of sounds that made it impossible for any of them to relax. They made very slow progress on the following day. The day after that, they finally arrived at their destination. A strait between the western island and the one called Summer Rest.


    The humidity dropped, while the temperature rose. It was a noticeable and pretty quick change. Pairing the warm climate with frequent ocean breezes and it was all very pleasant. For a human, anyway, Apexus could have done without the wind. It cooled him down when the warm environment supplied him with a whole lot of energy.


    The Summer Rest island was similar to Ctania in some ways and different in others. Like the island they had come from, the forest wasn¡¯t all that dense. A number of steep hills could be seen in the south and Apexus kept towards them when they initially set over. It was the point that seemed the least densely populated and, because he had to carry Reysha, Apexus had morphed into the quadrupedal shape again. He would need to change back before they could get to any cities.


    They spent a few days in the hills, scouting the surrounding area, getting used to wildlife, and other such things. Everything the gnome had said seemed to be true. The animals around were weaker and fatter. They didn¡¯t taste as good due to a lack of magical energy though. They had traces of it at best. Which made them unfit for Reysha to subsist on. They needed to get into the actual dungeon to get a steady supply of food.


    Something they had quite an easy time doing, thanks to the layout of things. The Summer Rest dungeon was quite similar to White Wood. A beginner-friendly dungeon located inside a large tree. The insides were populated by different monsters, but that wasn¡¯t the main difference that was important for the trio. All they cared about was that it wasn¡¯t overseen by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    There were two large cities in relative travel distance, settlements of several tens of thousands of people, but neither were so close to the dungeon that they had any real way to keep track of who entered and left the dungeon. The trio could use the dungeon as their food supply without any issue. It was safe, easy, the environment was forgiving and pleasant and isolation was easy to come by. Most people on the island lived in those two cities, a very low count of villages connecting the two. It left most of the forest free for whoever wanted to rest anywhere.


    An offer many people had clearly taken, now and in the past. The forest was practically defined by former campsites or other places of temporary dwelling. Caves with left-behind possessions, digs that were still filled with sand and ash and outlined with stones, holes that had served for sanitary purposes, and so on.


    At first, the trio stayed in one of the caves, then they located a wooden cabin that had clearly been deserted for a while. It wasn¡¯t much, a shack hammered together by someone that barely knew anything about building. A single room with minimalistic furniture, tree stumps for chairs, a stone slab on the dirt floor instead of a table and other such primitive things. The flat roof and the walls had large gaps in them, but it all wasn¡¯t that bad. Only rain would be an issue. A trade-off they took happily, as this cabin was simultaneously harder to find than the cave, settled in a narrow valley between two hills, and closer to the dungeon. It also wasn¡¯t frequented by bats, which was a huge bonus.


    Three weeks after they had gotten the map, Apexus fell asleep in a bed for the first time in his life. The mattress was full of holes and the feathers therein lain through to the point of non-existence, but it was a tad nicer than stone regardless. They cuddled up in there like they had done in nature before. Within a few days, they would make it their home, the first one they had since returning from the Clearwater dungeon. They had arrived somewhere safe.


    And were without concrete goals.

 New World, Old Problems 8 – The passage of time

    ¡®Today is a bad day,¡¯ Apexus thought, when he woke up.


    The origin of that wasn¡¯t any aches the slime had. It wasn¡¯t even related to his mood in general. Rather, it lay with the tiny wet spots on the sheet under Reysha¡¯s face. Circles made by tears shed during sleep, a giveaway that the tiger girl wouldn¡¯t be useful for much today. Carefully, to let her have as much rest as she could have, Apexus moved out of the clean bed and grabbed his robe.


    Two months had passed since they arrived at that little hut. A simple life had started forming. On the daily, Apexus would move out into the dungeon, often accompanied by the two women. For the most part, they went in there for food scavenging, but, since the dungeon was so far below their level, they had pushed to clear it once. It had been meant to be combat training for Reysha, but the Rogue continued to suffer from her mental blockades, finding herself unable to use her abilities properly.


    Regardless, they cleared the dungeon. It was an easy boss fight and Apexus got nothing out of it. Now they only went there to get food. They picked up a lot of items on the side though, which they sold to the nearby cities as they had basically nothing else to do with any of it.


    Initially, there were a lot of things to do with that money. The equipment that could be bought locally was made from beginner materials, but it was made competently. Apexus got his own adventurer¡¯s bag. Aclysia got a proper Priest¡¯s robe for combat, the blessed fabric giving her a minimal amount of protection, particularly against magic, while keeping so light she could fly around without problem.


    Reysha, although she insisted that she couldn¡¯t fight, meaning equipping her was a waste of money, got some upgrades to her leather armour and the kind of heavy belt that could carry all the necessary tools of her trade. Two daggers, throwing knives and lockpicks, all were acquired with the money they got from the dungeons. Although she didn¡¯t manage to properly wield the weapons, at least the lockpicks came in useful. Sometimes they would find locked chests in dungeons, so her having those tools allowed her to ¡®pay back¡¯ for the other acquisitions.


    Once those immediate needs were taken care off, they started to get things that were either somewhat or entirely superfluous. A second set of clothing for everyone, a casual dress for Aclysia, a light shirt and comfortable pants for Reysha, and an extra robe for Apexus. Reysha even got a second pair of shoes. They were stored easily in the adventurer¡¯s bag.


    Then they started fixing the hut. Through labour and investment, they closed the holes in the walls, they stuffed the mattress with new feathers, they got a new sheet to throw on top, a pair of thin blankets and a whole lot of other, small stuff that made life where they were a bit more bearable. After a month, they had just about everything that they could think off to make life inside the hut as pleasant as it could be.


    Money just kept trickling in. They had a fourth adventurer¡¯s bag that was purely their purse. Aclysia kept it on her, as the metal fairy had taken to managing the finances. She did it well, although the fact that they didn¡¯t have to buy food certainly helped. At this point, they had managed to scrape together a small fortune, at least compared to what the average household had. It was purely a product of having so little things to spend their money on.


    Through those two months, Apexus had realized that they could categorize things in about three ways. There were good days, fairly rare, where they managed to make a bit of progress with their situation. The slime and his beloved angel had managed to largely come to terms with things by now. They still behaved illogically in certain aspects, they had each other to point that out to them. Aclysia was extremely careful to not make them stand out in any fashion.


    To get the feathers for the mattress, she had arranged there to be an exchange where they left the money somewhere and the farmer, who had feathers to sell after plucking his birds for a feast, simply left the bag standing there. All to avoid the farmer seeing them. That was suspicious in other ways, of course, but Aclysia was only concerned about people finding out where they were, so keeping their identities as hidden as possible had to be the priority.


    Apexus still had issues trusting anyone outside of those two. Any concentration of people that was denser than what he could keep in view at any given time put him on edge. For that reason, he didn¡¯t go into the city alone at any point. Not that Aclysia would have been happy if he did.


    The medium days, the majority of the time that had passed, were when they woke up, went through the motions, and went to sleep. Nothing of note happened. They got the food they needed, they got the water they needed, and they earned a bit more money. Albeit they all knew that their current security could be ended by the threat of Apotho at any time, this normality was worth the time.


    The bad days where those were Reysha was overwhelmed by her lingering issues. Even on good days, the tiger girl continued to be a burden. Apexus and Aclysia didn¡¯t see carrying her as anything to be bitter about, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she was, at the moment, a burden. She couldn¡¯t fight on her own, she couldn¡¯t go to the city on her own and, on the bad days, she couldn¡¯t even be on her own. When she cried in her sleep, that was a clear indicator that she would spend the majority of the day apathetically sitting around.


    Apexus left the little house and went outside, where Aclysia was doing her usual circle around the area. Twice a day, she looked for any suspicious changes in the area. ¡°Morning, my melody,¡± the slime greeted in a happy tone. Despite their position in life at large, their current situation justified a certain amount of joy. Letting the threat of Apotho ruin every second of their existence would be exactly what the traitorous warlock wanted. Apexus wasn¡¯t willing to spend more time than necessary with a prey mentality.


    ¡°Good morning, darling,¡± Aclysia responded, trying to stay positive herself. ¡°Is Reysha still asleep?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered with a nod and jumped directly into the necessary discussion. ¡°Will you stay with her today?¡±


    Aclysia, having gotten up about an hour earlier, had already noticed the tiger girl¡¯s state. The decision was already made. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered with a simple nod. ¡°I would be thankful if you could keep your feeding to a minimum today. We don¡¯t require the money, so the less time you spent potentially running into adventurers, the better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± Apexus promised. ¡°If I can, I¡¯ll bring some food back for Reysha.¡±


    ¡°Just remember to pick a monster that doesn¡¯t bleed too much. Cleaning an adventurer¡¯s bag is a horrid task.¡±


    The slime didn¡¯t even know how to begin with that, so he said something affirmative and accompanied her on her remaining round through the woods. ¡°Is this the arrival you wanted?¡± he asked, when nothing else to talk about came to mind.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aclysia answered quickly and looked around. She was the worst tracker out of the three of them by a wide margin, but she did her best to notice things. Under normal circumstances, Apexus or Reysha would have done these patrols of the area instead, but the metal fairy insisted on doing them, usually before the other two were even awake. ¡°Having a home, albeit a temporary one, has aided me in finding my balance again. I don¡¯t know how to best put this¡­ I think my mind has¡­ settled?¡±


    ¡°That makes me happy,¡± Apexus hummed, those words felt very inadequate. Although most of his fundamental speech issues were resolved by now, the chimeric creature still struggled to adapt to expressing his emotions with those simple sounds sometimes. To make the intent clearer, he added, ¡°I love you.¡±


    Aclysia chuckled, at the slight awkwardness of the conversation, and pressed a light kiss on his cheek. So close to home, the slime didn¡¯t wear his mask. ¡°I love you too,¡± she responded and they continued their circle. ¡°We have to think about moving soon.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus could only agree. Not because they had found any tracks or other signs that made them worried, but simply because time had been passing. Even with the issues they still had to resolve, they could continue to grow. To have any chance to survive they needed to be much stronger. ¡°However, as long as Reysha is the way she is¡­¡±


    His voice trailed off into nothing and Aclysia had nothing to add. There was only one obvious path forwards, between where they currently were and what they had to do. If Reysha could not ever recover from her current state, could not laugh as she used to, fight as she used to and act like she used to, then she truly would be a burden forever.


    As much as they wanted to help her, every day they continued to dwell was another day they hadn¡¯t spent preparing themselves. It had been easy to ignore when they needed rest themselves but now that they were thinking about moving on, they only really stayed for her sake. The logical thing to do was to leave her behind, allow them to at least save themselves. Reysha would likely be spared if she just didn¡¯t associate with Apexus anymore. Apotho owed her his freedom, after all.


    Regardless of what was logical, neither the slime nor the angel entertained the thought for too long. They had lost so much, gone through all of the last few months together and for each other. Apexus would rather die, however horribly, than be separated from either of them.


    They finished the morning patrol and went back to the house. If leaving her behind wasn¡¯t an option, then they could only continue as they were. They had stayed for a long time already, too long in many ways, but life wasn¡¯t bad.


    When they returned, to their pleasant surprise, Reysha had gotten up and was in the process of getting clothed. Her undergarments were made from fine linen, greyish-white panties and a breast-band that wrapped around her chest and kept it from bouncing around too much. Nothing fine, materials and craftsmanship in this area were limited, but it did the job, especially once she put on her shirt and pants as well.


    On the normal mornings of bad days, Reysha had to be motivated to even get out of bed. ¡°Morn¡¯,¡± she slurred and yawned, her mouth opening wide, lips pulling back and revealing her fangs. It was a very cattish motion, supported by the flicking of her red, furred ears on the top of her head. Reaching up, she pulled some dusty particles and small pieces of yarns out of the fluffy hairs that grew on the inside of her cat ears. They must have gathered over night. Her face had already been cleaned, courtesy of the metal bucket of water they kept inside the house. ¡°Slept absolutely fucking awfully.¡±


    ¡°We saw that,¡± Aclysia¡¯s empathetic voice echoed out, as the metal fairy walked over. ¡°It appears to have struck you less than usual, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s slowly getting better, I think,¡± Reysha answered and sighed. ¡°I dreamt of that burning sky again, it¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m getting used to it, but I feel like I¡¯m getting better at standing up to it.¡±


    Apexus felt infinitely relieved to hear anything like that. If the bad days ceased being too bad, then then it was a step in the right direction. Without much thought, the slime jumped on Reysha and cuddled her. ¡°Good, progress is good!¡± he declared.


    ¡°No, stop, I don''t deserve to be coddled like that I want- I- ohhh, that¡¯s the good spot,¡± Reysha¡¯s protests were silenced once Apexus started scratching her behind the ears. There was that one spot that, when rubbed, successfully relaxed the tiger girl in most cases. It didn¡¯t do much when she was stressed, but when it came to having a quiet minute, that was a good way to have her purring.


    Holding her in front of him in a firm embrace, Apexus scratched her head for a while. His libido surfaced for a second, but went down under pretty quickly again. It had gotten ignored for the past two months now. The slime got horny sometimes, as did Aclysia, but neither of them had felt comfortable to act on it with Reysha around and unable to join. As such, they were currently living a celibate life. Not entirely necessary, but also not a problem.


    ¡°You deserve all the cuddles,¡± Apexus decided and rubbed against her to mark her with his scent. An instinctual and possessive gesture, but one that Reysha was receptive towards, even if it failed to create the sexual reaction in herself that she would have wanted. ¡°Do you feel good enough to join in the dungeon?¡±


    She gave that a moment of thought, but shook her head. That was already more than the apathetic, slow denial that was usually given, so Apexus didn¡¯t push her harder on that. ¡°I¡¯ll try to go out tonight, if nothing else,¡± the tiger girl promised.


    During one of her depressed days, Apexus had suggested that she started moving around the outskirts of the nearby city at night. The logic was that, if she couldn¡¯t fight, she should at least keep her Sneaking ability well maintained. While she was out, she could listen to some rumours as well, gathering some random information that might come in useful.


    It had been closer to a command, actually, as the slime had been quite ticked off that she didn¡¯t even do anything on days that she was able to. Being willing to help her get through that naturally came with the expectation that she would do whatever she could to improve. The redhead¡¯s fixation on failing at combat and sex had only driven down her mood, so the slime had suggested something that could give her some feeling of accomplishment every day.


    ¡°Remember to be tremendously careful,¡± Aclysia chimed in. She wasn¡¯t all that happy with Reysha going out on her own. Not because of the state she was in, but also because someone could spot her sneaking around and ask all sorts of unwanted questions. She held back because it really was the only thing that the Rogue could do by herself that gave her a bit of happiness and distraction.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten caught so far ¨C somehow,¡± Reysha grinned. Nothing more than that. Aside from a small giggle here and there, the somewhat crazy woman hadn¡¯t laughed at all in the past few months.


    Hopefully, that would change soon.

 New World, Old Problems 9 – She could (not) help

    Reysha left the house when night had long come. Her senses were sharpened from a recent meal, the spongy head of some fungus monster. The texture had been anything but pleasant, but the sweet taste had made it alright. It hadn¡¯t been enough to fill her stomach for the entire day, so she had to rely on some awful tasting wild berries and plain water to get through the remainder of the day.


    ¡®I wonder if I can still drink alcohol,¡¯ the thought suddenly surfaced in her mind, as she waved goodbye to Aclysia and Apexus. The two would make their nightly inspection and then retreat for the evening. They wouldn¡¯t go to sleep, they could never quite relax when the tiger girl was out on her own, but they were thankful to have some time to just sit and flirt. The slime¡¯s need for sleep increased the more complicated his body got, but it still wasn¡¯t at the level of a human. A short night¡¯s rest would suffice.


    Reysha turned and stepped into the treeline. Once she had passed a traditionally problematic bit of brushwork, she started to jog. The leather armour sat well, not as well as her old bodysuit, but well enough. Of her weaponry, she had only taken two daggers with her. One sheath, placed for quick access with her left hand, was placed on the right side of her hips and further strapped onto her leg to prevent any sort of dangling. The second one, used for replacement or dual wield situations, was secured on her lower back, running horizontally.


    Both were designed to get in the way of things as little as possible, but it was still best to move around with at least that weight. It was something to get used to and, no matter how optimized the equipment was, there was no guarantee that an unskilled move by her didn¡¯t cause a handle to get stuck on something. If the equipment was the most important thing about battles and movement, then the person wielding them wouldn¡¯t have mattered.


    ¡®I like to think I matter¡­¡¯ it blipped in Reysha¡¯s mind and she could imagine Apexus slapping her for doubting herself like that. Her beloved slimeball would have never actually hit her in any hurtful fashion, but imagining she was getting berated helped the redhead a little bit. While she wasn¡¯t quite sure if she could convince herself that she was worth something, she knew there were two people that would insist she was. That was a good start.


    As was the fact that she didn¡¯t enter a mindless self-deprecation spiral. Given how the day had started, that was a very real possibility. Over and over again, her thoughts would jumble. A chaotic knot of threats would form and she would desperately try to pull at it, to isolate the paranoia, the fear, the guilt, and all the other maddening emotions inside it. A single grasp in her focus, she could try to see what was the actual cause of it, ask herself what she could do to fix it. The moment she would start to figure things out, the knot reformed with magnetic might. With it would come a rush of tears and confusion, so much confusion. Her shattered mind was a puzzle that undid itself every time she moved.


    That was how she felt on bad days.


    It was splendid progress that she could reset that feeling over the course of the day. Normally only sleep allowed her a chance at reforming her mind. Today it had happened over the course of being awake. Very little of that had been because of her active efforts. She hadn¡¯t yet found the state of mind that actually allowed her to untie that knot.


    Instead, she looped back to the question of the alcohol. ¡®It would seriously suck if I couldn¡¯t have any liquor anymore. Well, I could still drink that shit, but it would taste like actual liquid shit and I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s worth it for getting drunk¡­ maybe if I spike it with monster blood¡­? Could work. Wouldn¡¯t look all that welcoming though. Maybe someone out there just brews stuff with magical herbs in the mix? That would definitely fix it.¡¯


    She arrived at the outskirts of the city and looked for any movements in the wide streets. The two large cities on the Summer Rest island were roughly equivalent in structure. Both had three layers to them. The outskirts, which were single houses along the roads leading up to the cities, the outer city, where structures stood densely packed around the walls, and the inner city, basically everything within the walls. The city to the south had, beyond that, a dockyard and port district.


    Reysha usually sneaked her way around the border of the outskirts and outer city. She had gotten into the inner city on some previous nights, but quickly realized that the guards had her in their sight half the time. They were retired adventurers, people that had reached a higher level than she currently was and had then decided that they would rather deal with drunken peasants than ever-stronger monsters and tests by the gods.


    A couple of months back, the tiger girl would have called them weak-minded morons, but nowadays she got why someone may want to throw all of the adventuring life down and just enjoy peace and quiet. ¡®Just because I get it doesn¡¯t mean I want to end up like that though,¡¯ she thought and found herself a route past the houses that should leave her unseen.


    The inner city was off limits. Getting caught wasn¡¯t the fear, the guards seemed content to just follow her and know that they could catch her whenever she did break into somewhere. That her looks would stick with someone, however, was a genuine worry and she didn¡¯t want to be the reason that Aclysia¡¯s paranoia got justified. That aside, sneaking around knowing she was being seen all the time wasn¡¯t satisfying.


    Instead she kept to the outer layers. The buildings close to the wall were almost as dense, albeit of lesser construction, and the guards weren¡¯t all that attentive. There was a clear divide that was taller than the basic stone wall between those inside and outside. Not an issue for Reysha, at least not one she concerned herself with. There were the haves and the have-nots, that was just the nature of every gathering of people. She didn¡¯t have the ability to solve societal problems before she sorted her own ones out.


    ¡®Not that it can even be that bad,¡¯ the tiger girl thought, as she engaged in her favourite way to traverse the city. With a few quick grabs and pulls, she scaled up a brick wall, walked its narrow top towards a shed and silently jumped on the roof. Her tail gleefully curved in the air as she looked around. ¡®Aside from me, nobody ever seems to be around at night.¡¯


    The feline part of her made her love standing on a tall vantage point. Scanning over the roofs, she looked out for any sources of light. Not many people chose to stay up beyond nightfall. It was an eternal summer, days were long and warm, giving ample opportunity for the people to exhaust themselves. Regardless, a few of the windows, many of them actual glass, showed illumination behind them.


    The local population of elves had tamed some sort of large firefly to live inside lanterns, which was a lot more effective when it came to things and was also beautiful when those same insects were let out of their homes to seek a partner to breed with. Reysha called those days Light Festivals. The official one was Day of Luminescence. Regardless of the name, today was just a normal night and the fireflies stayed in their shelters.


    Reysha jumped off the shed and back on the wall, following it towards another roof and then getting on it instead. Anyone she would pass on the streets below would be able to see her quite easily, houses around here were rarely taller than the base floor, but there was basically nobody out and so the most thrilling game she could play when it came down to it was this dance over the rooftops. Not only did she get to satisfy that feline tingle, but there was a surprising amount of difficulty coming along with this modus of movement.


    Most roofs she moved over were wooden or tiled (there were also those covered in thatch, but she avoided those because of instability). The obvious complication was the noise. All of the people not on the streets were in their houses and very few people reacted to loud footsteps on their roofs with anything less than immediate confusion and mild anger. There were also those deserted houses who might break away under her. She could run for it, if she ever disturbed someone, but the true art of sneaking was to never get noticed in the first place.


    If there was one thing she was still good at, it really was sneaking. She knew how to fall correctly, let the impact be distributed through her entire body, and where to land optimally. While on the roof, she tried to move around the outskirts of it. Stepping along the underlying wall created significantly less noise than the hollow rest. If there was the need, she knew how to intertwine the correct way of walking with some magic to get across regardless, but Reysha preferred to pose a challenge to herself.


    She smiled. She hadn¡¯t even noticed when she started to do so, but the tiger girl was happy to feel that she was good at something. To do something only she could and that she didn¡¯t need any help for. Her movements were fluid, her eyes moving along and her ears¡­


    ¡­her ears picked up a few words. The words weren¡¯t quite clear yet, but the tone didn¡¯t betray anything pleasant. Some sort of argument. Intrigued and feeling some sort of strange obligation, Reysha jumped off the roof she was currently on, landed in a patch of grass, and started to follow the voices.


    She identified three. One was pleading, one aggressive and one annoyed. An explosive mixture, especially since the latter two seemed to agree that the former had done something wrong. Reysha soon found the speakers.


    All she got was a glimpse at their outlines. Two men, one bulky, the other lean, both tall, stood opposite of a more average sized male. Reysha had to press herself against the corner of a nearby house to stay hidden. The spot had been well chosen for the goal of being uninterrupted. Four semi-decayed houses, none of them lived in, surrounded a small plaza with a well in the middle. Fences and the proximity of the walls made it difficult to approach the trio by any other means than a long alley.


    With unseen spying near impossible, Reysha opted to just concentrate on listening.


    ¡°¡­Please, I told you, I don¡¯t have it,¡± the pleading voice said, belonging to the smallest of the three men.


    A crack of knuckles and growling by the angry voice preceded the answer of the third person involved.


    ¡°Yes, we got that, and that¡¯s a problem for you,¡± the annoyed voice groaned. ¡°We get it that you fell on ill fortunes and had you stayed put, we might have been able to find other ways for you to repay us. Now that you¡¯ve demonstrated that you¡¯re a rat willing to run at the first sign of danger, however, we will get what is owed to us by whatever means adequate.¡±


    Reysha was frozen. ¡®Are they going to kill him?¡¯ the question surfaced in her mind. ¡®Should I stop them? No¡­ no, how the fuck would I even do that? I¡¯m weak, I can¡¯t even kill an animal on my own, much less a human.¡¯


    ¡°W-what do you mean by that?¡± the pleading voice stammered. The answer given was a gesture and all Reysha heard was the dull sound of someone getting punched in the face.


    ¡®Even if I could do that, should I? I have no fucking idea what¡¯s going on with me and I have no fucking idea what¡¯s going on here! Last time I swooped in to just stab my way out of problems¡­¡¯ the tiger girl¡¯s whole body was taken by a sudden shiver and she had to muster her entire willpower to starve off a sudden scream, as unwanted images surfaced.


    All the while, sounds of pain echoed, a second punch sent the person to the ground, then there were a few well-aimed kicks. The groan, gasps and shouts of desperation added oil to the fire of Reysha¡¯s turmoil. All of her was torn. There was no such thing as a part of her that wanted to run in and help, a part of her that wanted to just stay out of it or a part of her that wanted to run away as quick and as fast as she could. All of her wanted to do all three things at once. Atonement, uncertainty and simple, mindless flight.


    By technicality, the middle option won, as the unsolvable knot in her mind made her stay where she was and passively listen. The violence eventually ended, underlined by a final slap. ¡°You¡¯ll get the money ready, as much as you can, or you¡¯ll get a repeat of this next time,¡± the annoyed voice announced.


    ¡°And don¡¯t even try to get away again, you little shitboot,¡± the angry voice growled. ¡°We¡¯ll do you worse if you try to.¡±


    Dirt grinded audibly under their soles when they turned towards the alley. Just barely, Reysha managed to gather enough of her self-control to change position to somewhere else. Any previous elegance in her craft as a Rogue was forgotten, she just dived behind the next corner. As luck would have it, the duo¡¯s continued conversation was louder than the noise she made doing so and the direction they turned to didn¡¯t bring them past her. She was safe and had time to slowly calm down.


    ¡®I need to leave, this isn¡¯t my problem,¡¯ she finally came to a decision and started walking. No sneaking this time, just steps as quick as she could make them, back towards where Apexus and Aclysia were waiting for her. To safety, certainty and a bed in which she could cry about her memories. ¡®This isn¡¯t my issue. I have my own problems. I shouldn¡¯t get involved. I can¡¯t help anybody before I sort myself out. Absolutely no one, I-¡®


    She stopped in the middle of the street. It seemingly stretched endless before her, like a long dark tunnel. Confused, she blinked, all of her thoughts were quiet. A sense of guilt she couldn¡¯t quite explain drowned out all of her justifications for staying away. In that silence, another voice whispered. A memory of Aclysia, about something she had said quite often these days.


    ¡®Weak women can still atone, one step at a time.¡¯

 New World, Old Problems 10 – Conundrum

    Apexus heard that something was different this night. Even on the worst days, he could barely hear Reysha approach, the tiger girl keeping her steps light and measured. Today, she was as loud as they came, stomping over grass and snapping small branches and dried leaves under her every step. It was unmistakably her though, he recognized her voice in the exhausted sighs and groans. Worried, the slime rolled off the bed and walked to the door.


    He opened it just in time to spare Reysha the trouble. The Rogue had both of her hands occupied, carrying a person on her back. Dried blood and swollen bruises made them almost unidentifiable, all Apexus was sure of was that it was a male specimen of whatever humanoid species he belonged to.


    ¡°W-we have to help him!¡± Reysha stammered, equally certain that it was the right thing to do and unsure why she felt that.


    Behind Apexus, Aclysia shot out of the bedsheets, grabbing her dress and slipping it over her underwear as quickly as she could. Simultaneously, she asked, ¡°Who is that?!¡± Her voice was more aggressive than usual, the suddenness of the situation not helping with her paranoia. ¡°What are you doing bringing people here?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I had to!¡± the redhead blurted out as she made her way past Apexus. Just like Reysha earlier, the slime was unsure what to immediately make of the situation. He didn¡¯t come to a conclusion quick enough to either encourage or stop her from placing the man on the bed, staining the linen with the dirt of the shoes and, to a lesser degree, the mostly dried blood. All he could do, for now, was throw on his own robe and mask.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know who¡­¡± Aclysia started to berate the Ragressian, while closing in on the man and inspecting him closely. A task that overpowered her wish to lecture. He was unconscious and even more badly beaten than the bruises on the face first indicated. Raising his shirt for closer inspections, the metal fairy found numerous large spots, many dark enough to indicate a broken rib or three. While it all looked bad and was no doubt painful, the guy would survive. Those that had roughed him up knew how far to push things. ¡°By my father,¡± she mumbled, ¡°what was the reason for this violence?¡±


    ¡°He owes money to the mob or something, I don¡¯t know,¡± Reysha collapsed onto one of the tree stumps around the stone slab they used as chairs and table. It wasn¡¯t exactly the exhaustion that got to her, she had a strong body, but the situation at large was still bouncing around inside her mind with little answers to the multiple ¡®Why¡¯ questions that her actions posed.


    ¡°Again, you don¡¯t know?!¡± Aclysia¡¯s voice rose into an erratic pitch. ¡°We¡¯ve been here for too long already and now you bring someone to our HOUSE that¡¯s being watched by THE MOB?¡±


    ¡°WHAT SHOULD I HAVE DONE?¡± Reysha shouted back, almost in tears. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for this situation! One moment I¡¯m having fun, the next I stumble upon two guys beating this sod up and suddenly I¡¯m wracked by guilt and carrying him home, because he clearly needs help!¡± She clawed at her hair and threw her head back. ¡°Are you telling me that I should have just left him lying bleeding in the street? Is that how I can atone for the shit I did? Ignoring the suffering of people?!¡±


    Aclysia had no answer to that, her mouth opening and closing as paranoia and altruism fought inside her. This ugly and cynical new side of her held a lot of sway over her mind and paralyzed her thoughts and actions. The old and somewhat na?ve wish of hers to help, however, was as strong as ever.


    Calmly, Apexus closed the door. ¡°Heal him,¡± the slime decided. ¡°Reysha is right, she couldn¡¯t have not helped. That would be like wanting to eat fish and searching in a forest.¡± While he said that, the now robed and masked evolving chimera grabbed one of the few strips of cloth they owned for cleaning of weapons or other tools and handed it to Reysha. ¡°Blindfold him. We should help, but we shouldn¡¯t let him see us. After Aclysia has healed him, if he wakes up and we decide not to¡­ aid?¡± He stopped for a moment, then nodded, sure he had the right word, ¡°not to aid him further, then I¡¯ll take him somewhere and leave him there.¡±


    As long as Apexus flew away before the blindfold was off, their identities would be as secure as they could be in this situation. Like Aclysia, he wasn¡¯t happy about the risk taken but the damage was already done and Reysha was right in her perspective. All of the potential risks aside, it was something that the tiger girl had decided to do of her own volition and Apexus felt it would be detrimental to the progress made if they now decided to punish her for it. Something had to change to break their current stagnancy and this could have been it.


    Aclysia let out a sigh of relief, at having a third party making the call for her. Ultimately, she knew which side of her would and should have won, but it was all easier if she wasn¡¯t alone in the decision. Especially when what she wanted was at odds with what recent events told her was logical. ¡°Alright,¡± she conceded.


    Taking the strip of cloth, Reysha was just as relieved. After bursting out like that, she felt a bit clearer all around, but she still hadn¡¯t expected things to go this well. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it like that,¡± she agreed and blindfolded the man while Aclysia positioned herself next to the bed. He groaned in his sleep, while Reysha made sure that the cloth sat tight. This whole thing would be useless if he could just spy over the edges.


    Aclysia double-checked, after Reysha backed-off, nodded and then conjured her healing powers. A warm, golden glow radiated from her hands and flowed into the man. It was the slow kind of healing, easier on her mana. Focusing on the more grievous wounds on the man¡¯s chest first, she soon had the pained breaths of the beat-up male reduced to discomforted groans.


    ¡°Let me do the talking, when he wakes up,¡± Apexus asserted, following a sudden realization. Shifting the position of the speaking plates a little bit. By utilizing different parts of them, he switched his usually deep voice into the all-over-the-place cracking of a boy in puberty. The plates didn¡¯t exactly allow for copying of other people, but this was good for anonymizing, if nothing else. ¡°Minimize getting spotted by hunters and all that.¡±


    ¡°I like it when you take charge like that,¡± Reysha purred and breathed in his pheromones with delight. Only after a few seconds she noticed that she was almost too calm now. The second she did so, the nervousness came back down and she plopped down on her chair, jumping her leg. For a moment there, she had felt like she used to, able to make decisions on the fly and able to push off bothersome worries without issue. Self-awareness had swiftly destroyed it, but it definitely was there.


    Apexus had also noticed it, but chose not to comment. Instead, he looked at the recovering man on the bed.


    He was small. Granted, Apexus¡¯ sense of height was a bit skewed. Himself, he had chosen to be at the taller end of humanoids, approaching 2 metres. Aclysia and Reysha were both around 1,80 metres, with Reysha a tad shorter than the white-haired angel. All of them were tall for most humanoid species. The man in the bed was about one and a half heads shorter than Reysha.


    More than that, he was lithe. With his shirt off (a simple brown piece of low quality, just like his pants) his body and much of the outline of his bones were plain to see. He wasn¡¯t malnourished, not quite yet, but he was definitely thin and lacked any sort of real muscles. All around, he was plain, from his build, to his shape, to the face that became visible under the retreating swells. His brown hair was of middling length and seemed in dire need of a cut or some extended attention with a comb. The man had clearly fallen on hard times even before he had gotten beat up.


    With one more groan, the man began to wake up. His first instinct was to try and remember what had happened. Given that there were no aches anywhere, he was convinced he must have dreamt of his beating. Then he felt the cloth on his face and tried to remove it only to feel his arm being grabbed. He froze, as the cracking voice of Apexus screeched in his ears. Under other circumstances, it may have been comical, but feeling the cold hand of the bloodless slime gripping him, he was in no mood to laugh.


    ¡°Do not remove the blindfold,¡± Apexus ordered. He didn¡¯t have an ¡®or¡¯ to offer, since they wouldn¡¯t kill him unless he attacked them with lethal force. A threat wasn¡¯t necessary though, the man was intimidated enough and started to quiver like a bunny that had been driven in a corner.


    ¡°W-where a-a-a-am I?¡± he stammered, completely confused as to what happened.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you,¡± the slime responded and let go off the man¡¯s arm. Very slowly, Apexus explained the situation, having to think about the formulation of each sentence. ¡°You¡­ were found in the streets, after you were beaten up. It was decided you would be healed.¡± He tried to avoid using words like ¡®we¡¯ or anything that could have given away how many they were. ¡®Should have just said ¡®I¡¯, if that is my goal,¡¯ the humanoid blob realized too late.


    ¡°I see¡­?¡± the man sounded confused still. The beating he had just assumed to be a dream was now back in reality. ¡°So, they did find me¡­ and you decided to h-help me? Why¡­ how¡­ I mean¡­ why the blindfold, sorry, I don¡¯t really understand what¡¯s going on¡­.¡±


    ¡°I have my own reasons to veil my identify,¡± Apexus continued, now only speaking of himself. Either the initial sentences wouldn¡¯t be inspected enough to catch the inconsistency or it would just confuse the man further, so the slime¡¯s hope.


    ¡°¡­Identity?¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Y-you said identify, do you mean identity?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the slime blinked in a slightly ashamed manner. Aclysia amusedly shook her head, while Reysha grinned widely. ¡°Uhm, yes, my identity. That word.¡±


    Although the whole situation was still intimidating, the man relaxed quite a bit. Not because the reasoning was particularly good, but because he noticed that his captor/helper was friendly. If they wanted to hurt or rob him, they most certainly could have done so already. For anything else that was malicious, such as kidnapping or extortion, he was simply the wrong guy.


    ¡°W-¡° Apexus stopped, wanted to slap himself for almost saying ¡®we¡¯ and then continued with some other word that started similarly. ¡°Why did they beat you up?¡±


    ¡°I owe a considerable sum,¡± the man admitted. ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s the debt we took to buy our equipment.¡± His voice carried a note of sorrow, the sting of recalling something that was still painful but dulled with the passing of time. ¡°Me and my party, we¡­ were cocky. We had been making alright money hunting wild animals, honing our skills and all that. We had been doing that since we were little. All of us were from the same area. Once we made the call to become proper adventurers, we decided that we could push straight into Myrlight, if we got the right equipment, but the Adventurer¡¯s Guild insisted we sharpen our teeth on Summer Rest first. They were right, but we didn¡¯t listen and went elsewhere for money¡­¡±


    ¡°And the rest of your party died?¡± Apexus asked, feeling where this was going. A simple nod was his answer. ¡°My condolences.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    ¡°You decided to run from your debtors afterwards, yes?¡± It felt a bit callous to just continue in the questioning, but Apexus needed to know as much as possible to make his decision.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t stand being around all those places I used to be with my friends¡­¡± the man answered, letting his head hang. ¡°¡­and I had no way to get the money. I thought going to Summer Rest would be far enough. If I had known they would chase me here, I would have taken the risk and tried to leave this world entirely.¡±


    ¡°Risk? Would you have tried to go through the Infestation?¡±


    The man let out a panicked wheeze. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot, not suicidal. I would have gone to Ctania and tried my luck there.¡± It was good for him that he didn¡¯t. Only a few weeks after his arrival, he would have ended up fodder for Apotho¡¯s requiem. Getting chased by the mob was considerably more pleasant than dying in such a manner. ¡°No, they have their base in the city by the Stem and I¡¯m just a Scribe. I would need more luck than mind to get past them.¡±


    ¡°I thought Scribes didn¡¯t go into dungeons?¡± Apexus wondered.


    Again, the man laughed, this time dry and resigned. ¡°You and most others. Truth be told, I know my occupation doesn¡¯t bring much to the table in terms of combat. At the moment, all I can really do is draw some accurate maps, create level sheets and provide some basic utility. Eventually that would have changed. Scribes are like Scouts, even if we don¡¯t fight, we can provide other essential things. I was trying to learn the trade of an Inkmaster. Like the hero in the book I liked so much¡­¡± he shook his head. ¡°¡­Funny how a few days with reality can shatter all of those dreams.¡±


    Apexus swayed his head left and right quizzingly while thinking about all of that. ¡°If you were given the opportunity, would you try to be an adventurer again?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the answer was firm. ¡°No. That¡¯s what I came here to do originally. I would try to find another party, gather the money and eventually return to the mob and pay them with interest. A few others gave me a chance but¡­ they aren¡¯t my old friends and I realized that I can¡¯t do it anymore. I don¡¯t want to be an adventurer anymore. I would be happy taking up a normal job and just living.¡±


    Reysha first tensed at those words, looking down at her hands. ¡®But I still want to be an adventurer,¡¯ she realized, upon hearing the defeat in the man¡¯s voice. Regardless of all her defeats and how screwed she was in the head, the Rogue was certain that she still had worlds to explore and fantastical places to see. That difference was reassuring to have. ¡®I¡¯m still myself.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s solve this for him,¡± she spoke up.


    ¡°Reysha¡­¡± Apexus grumbled, annoyed that she had just spoken up, only to realize that he had just said her name out loud.


    ¡°N-not to step on any toes,¡± the man nervously tried to crack a joke, ¡°but I think you need more practice in this interrogation-style business.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the slime just agreed, his voice plates resuming their usual position. Now in his proper baritone, he continued, ¡°We might be willing to help you, but you have to promise that you will never ever mention us to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°Swear it.¡±


    ¡°I promise that I will never ever mention to anyone.¡±


    Apexus heard that, tried to be satisfied with it, but simply wasn¡¯t. Stepping forwards, he ripped the blindfold off the man and bowed forwards until mere centimetres separated them.


    The Scribe was face to face with a wooden mask, bowing over him like a living voodoo doll. In the holes for the eyes sat two sky blue orbs that stared at him with inquisitive curiosity and need for certainty. On its own, the stare was intense, but the translucent, dark blue slime, which the man mistook for skin, and the slight bit of visible bone sent shivers down his spine. ¡°Swear it,¡± Apexus demanded a second time.


    ¡°I-I swear that nobody will ever know that I met you! I won¡¯t talk about it, I¡¯ll never write it down and I won¡¯t ever do anything else to let anyone know!¡±


    ¡°And by ¡®you¡¯, you mean¡­?¡± Apexus asked, tilting his head. It was meant to be a quizzing gesture, the slime was genuinely not sure if he meant the singular ¡®you¡¯ for just the slime himself or the plural ¡®you¡¯ for all three of them. He overdid it on the twist, however, appearing more like an owl wearing a human¡¯s skin and causing the man to crawl back a bit.


    ¡°The three of you!¡± he shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll never tell anyone about the three of you!¡± Cowering on the bed, staring at that expressionless, smooth mask and those inquisitive eyes, the man felt like he was about to lose control over his bladder. Once Apexus started to twist his head from one side to the other, the stress made him almost fall unconscious.


    ¡®Do I believe him or do I not?¡¯ the slime thought, genuinely not sure. ¡®He sure looks like cornered prey. He knows I can eat him¡­ well, he knows I can kill him. Doesn¡¯t seem like he feels in control.¡¯ After his experiences with Apotho, that was the main thing that the slime looked out on for liars. Whether the person he was talking to still looked like they had complete control over everything that happened. ¡®He¡¯s looking at me like the mouse does at the snake. If I was the mouse, I would need to be concerned¡­ I think he¡¯s earnest.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely not suited to be an adventurer,¡± Reysha remarked from the sideline. ¡°You don¡¯t have the nerves for it.¡±


    The man gulped and almost sunk together when Apexus backed off. ¡°D-do you b-b-be-l-l-l-I,¡± he tried to get out, but the stutter got the best of him.


    ¡°I want to help you,¡± Apexus said. ¡°If it¡¯s just money, we can probably solve the issue with some time. What do you say?¡± he looked at the other two. Reysha shrugged with a smile, her opinion was already clear. Aclysia held the upper arm of her left with the hand of her right and struck a concerned pose, but ultimately nodded.


    ¡°I would have been happier if we left the blindfold on and just gave him the money,¡± she told everyone. ¡°As it is, as it should be, we can help pay your debts off.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Thank you so much, I didn¡¯t¡­ tonight is just¡­ a tumble¡­¡±


    ¡°Tumble?¡± Apexus found that word a bit odd, but decided not to pursue it. ¡°Aside from how much money, I would also like to know¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Nudru, my name is Nudru.¡±

 New World, Old Problems 11 – Farming

    The foot moved before the arm and made the strike by Reysha so clearly telegraphed that even her opponent, a low-level dungeon monster, could tell that it was coming. The creature¡¯s spindly neck curved back, the dagger slicing uselessly through the air. Any planned counterattack was ruined by the tiger girl immediately jumping back.


    Reysha stared and her opponent moved around slowly. It was a Steproot, a wooden monster that was made out of many spindly, wooden legs and a singular long whip that extended about a metre up into the air. The tip of that whip was a hardened, crooked thorn, simultaneously the main weapon and the head of the monster.


    Steproot were quite rare inside this dungeon and their heads fetched a high price. This was, for one, because of simple prestige, but also because Steproots were well-known for the way they could evolve. If they managed to find themselves a killed adventurer, fresh or not, they burrowed their legs in the body and used them as fertilizer. It wasn¡¯t pretty and the resulting Corpseroot creature was a bit more threatening. Particularly because they had a tendency to try and leave the dungeon and prey on nearby villages. As both Step and Corpseroots were outpaced by a moderately fast walking human, most of said prey were sheep or other cattle that mistook them for potential food items ¨C only to get a deadly surprise.


    It only took a few of those incidents for farmers in the area to gain both an appreciation for adventurers and a burning hatred for those things. Paying extra for Steproot heads was a sort of traditional protection money at this point.


    Steproots were also notoriously weak. They were basically blind towards anything further than one metre away, unable to give chase and killed with one good hit. They could meld well with the insides of the Summer Rest dungeon and made for good ambush predators, but their attack was rarely powerful enough to kill outright. Even if they grievously wounded an unprepared adventurer, chances were the Steproot got killed in return. If the adventurer had as much as a healing potion, the Steproot was basically dead.


    They were weak and valuable, exactly what the group could have asked for.


    Reysha ran forwards, her steps feather-light, only alerting the Steproot when she was in its direct vicinity. Again, however, her limbs didn¡¯t quite synchronize properly. The intent was to use the momentum of her charge for a quick stab, but she only raised her arms when she was already leaning into the motion. Curving its long neck into a C shape, the Steproot dodged to the side.


    The monster attempted to lash out, and ram its pointy head into Reysha¡¯s flesh. The attack succeeded, but failed to produce the desired result, leaving an unsightly scratch in the leather armour but not penetrating.


    Even sloppy as she fought today, Reysha managed to retaliate properly. She grabbed the Steproot just below the head. Like a snake, the monster was basically helpless against that. Its head didn¡¯t have enough wiggle room to build up any force and it had no extra limbs to help it out. All it could do was try and writhe itself out, something that the redhead didn¡¯t let happen.


    ¡°SPINDLY PIECE OF CRAP!¡± she shouted as she hacked away at the neck, the wood fibre fraying and finally tearing as she thinned it with wild cuts. The head came loose, the neck lashed against Reysha¡¯s leg one time before going limp and the tiger girl hissed and kicked the corpse of the creature, looking like the unearthed underside of a tree stump.


    A few metres away, Apexus absorbed the leg of a common dungeon spider into his stomach. It was about the same kind they had faced in the Clearwater dungeon before, just an arachnid the size of a wagon wheel. In the past, he would have just flowed around the thing, but he tried to maintain his humanoid shape as much as possible inside the dungeon, so he had to tear it into pieces and digest it one bit at a time. Eating the spider the traditional way and then condensing his slime back down to levels that let him mimic a normal humanoid shape would have taken a lot of the energy he got out of eating it in the first place.


    Although Apexus had a voracious appetite, as long as he just maintained his current form, he wouldn¡¯t need nearly as much sustenance. About twice as much as the average adult needed would be enough to keep the slime sated and half of that would leave him functioning normally, provided access to water. He just wouldn¡¯t enjoy it all that much.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± the chimeric blob praised the tiger girl, who put the head of the Steproot into her adventurer¡¯s bag. He and Aclysia had watched her fight the monster, Apexus just keeping back and the metal fairy remaining on the ready to assist the redhead by healing. It wasn¡¯t the first time during this dungeon crawl that they had done so.


    The usual approach with monsters during this trip was to either let Reysha fight it alone or pick one out of a group to spare and leave for the tiger girl to spare with. An initiative that greatly decreased their speed but was deeply necessary. Reysha herself had asked for it.


    ¡°¡­Thanks,¡± the tiger girl responded in a somewhat snappy tone, while she went down on her knees. The floor of live wood wasn¡¯t the most comfortable, but it was better than stone. ¡°¡­Sorry for sounding annoyed,¡± she immediately apologized. ¡°I just can¡¯t believe how fucking hard it is for me to kill something this weak!¡± Her dagger hacked into the Steproots many ¡®legs¡¯.


    It wasn¡¯t purely a motion fuelled by frustration. Although useless to almost anyone else, the legs of a Steproot were something Reysha appreciated having around. They tasted like bitter carrots, which wasn¡¯t great but it beat the absolutely vile aroma that regular food left in her mouth. More importantly, they didn¡¯t spoil unless kept in damp environments. After a few weeks, the magic would seep out, but that was still much better than all of the complications that came with trying to store flesh.


    ¡°You managed to kill it without our intervention, that¡¯s progress,¡± Aclysia tried to cheer her up through the use of facts. ¡°It is certainly an improvement from the past months.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, see, that only makes me more depressed,¡± the redhead responded and shoved one of the cut roots into her mouth to have something to chew on. ¡°I can¡¯t get my body to move properly, its frustrating as fuck¡­ or the fact that I haven¡¯t fucked in months.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just sex,¡± Aclysia said. ¡°As pleasurable as it is, I don¡¯t think it warrants getting hung up on like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, listen here, big booty angel,¡± Reysha stopped in her answer only to swallow the pulp that had been a root. ¡°For YOU getting fucked might not be that much of an issue, but I haven¡¯t gone this long without SOMETHING in my cunt since I hit puberty.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you can use this time to reflect on your promiscuity, rather than feel bad over a lack of intercourse,¡± suggested the metal fairy and crossed her arms. ¡°Sleeping around a lot is not a virtue, you know?¡±


    ¡°First off, younger me doesn¡¯t give a shit about you saying that ¨C I was horny so I went and sought out cocks¡­ or tongues¡­ or fingers¡­ whatever was available and attached to someone I found interesting, really,¡± Reysha waved off. ¡°Point being, I was having fun and nobody got hurt, so you take that advice and shove it up that beautiful, fat ass of yours. Second off, I haven¡¯t slept around anymore since I met that delicious slime,¡± she pointed at Apexus, who, not knowing what else to do, waved, ¡°now have I?¡±


    Aclysia sighed, ¡°I see your point, but I think a life lived in sensible moderation makes for a better experience.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, see, that¡¯s easy to say when you¡¯re immortal,¡± the tiger girl retorted. ¡°When you know your body is going to age and die, indulging becomes a bit more tempting. Everyone needs a vice to take the edge off and, yeah, okay, I like behaving in ¡®immodest¡¯¡± she put the word into air quotes, ¡°ways more than the average gal, but if I had to give up all but one, it would be having sex. Because sex is fucking awesome and it was even better with the lewd slime over there, because he pays attention and tentacles turn out to be fucking awesome,¡± she sheathed her dagger, closed her adventurer¡¯s bag and stood up.


    ¡°I still fail to understand why this is such a big deal for you,¡± the metal fairy admitted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know if you CAN understand, Aclysia,¡± Reysha said, delivering it with a straight face and no mockery or malice in her voice. ¡°You don¡¯t need to eat, you don¡¯t need to sleep, you miss basically all bodily functions and you¡¯re obviously not as horny as I am. Truth be told, the only reason why you can even remotely relate to how Apexus and I feel is because you were made that way. Your actual body lends itself better to a detached, far away guardian.¡±


    Hesitating, Aclysia could only nod by the end of it. ¡°That is what angels are meant to be, usually, so that is no wonder. Darling,¡± she looked over to Apexus, ¡°would you say she has a point?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the slime kept it simple. He had listened to the entire conversation while eating the rest of the spider. While he had been ready to intervene if things went shouty, Apexus had been pretty interested in the subject at hand. ¡°I think Reysha feels like I would if I suddenly didn¡¯t want to eat anymore. I would ask myself what is wrong the entire time.¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± the redhead agreed and then had an idea. ¡°Not the best comparison of all times, but imagine if you suddenly lost any motivation to cuddle but still had the urge to.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± that was something the metal fairy understood. Although it wasn¡¯t as much a fundamental urge as sex or eating, both based on deep-seated, biological needs, it was something very real for the angel. Bowing her head in apology, she said, ¡°My condolences. Although I still disapprove of promiscuity, that kind of feeling must be awful.¡±


    ¡°Again, I don¡¯t plan to be whoring around again anytime,¡± Reysha pointed at Apexus, who waved again. ¡°I somehow love this thing. Don¡¯t ask me how that happened. Okay, the life-saver part helped. And the tentacles. The lifesaving, the tentacles and the vibrating. Holy shit the vibrating,¡± she remembered that unique sensation. ¡°Fucking hell, think you can make a tongue do that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t have a tongue,¡± Apexus said. ¡°Guess I could make a tentacle in my mouth and have it vibrate by extension. Should work.¡±


    ¡°Fucking Hellroots below, there are gods,¡± Reysha exclaimed and got herself an unappreciative glance by the literal divine creation in the room. ¡°¡­Even that prospect fails to make me horny, shit¡­¡±


    In the silence that followed the end of the topic, Apexus rose to his feet and rotated his ears, always listening for any other adventurer¡¯s that could be approaching. Reysha and Aclysia could just talk to people, but his own looks were too hard to explain. Wearing one of his robes would have fixed that, but they got in the way during combat and if they tore that would lead to problems of its own. Best to just go about things in the nude, so to say.


    The dark blue, translucent slime stood in the wooden room, a cavity of the innards of the gargantuan tree that made up the dungeon. Harmless fireflies the size of thumbs sat on the walls, easily illuminating the environment through their sheer number. Aside from that, the Summer Rest dungeon was quite boring to look at and even easier than the dungeons in Ctania. It really was the ideal vacation for low-level adventurers.


    That the group had ventured into this dungeon and, Apexus in particular, cleared it a number of times before certainly helped in making it even more of a cakewalk.


    ¡°How is our progress?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Good,¡± Aclysia answered, running estimations for their earnings through their head. ¡°We had already saved up around three gold coins and I estimate that our current yield today will get us another thirty silver.¡±


    That was a good yield. On average, what they got out of a delve into this particular dungeon were about twenty silver a day. Over the two months, they had earned just above six gold coins in total, half of which had gotten reinvested into their new equipment and the little things they had bought to make life more pleasant.


    Nudru¡¯s owed debt stretched to four gold coins. He assured he could at least contribute half of one himself. It wasn¡¯t like he had just sat on his behind the entire time he had been on Summer Rest, but as someone who needed to eat food that was cooked and pay rent, saving was a lot harder for him. Adventuring was also a lot more profitable than the bureaucrat jobs he had been pushing since he put the dangerous life behind him.


    They just needed to earn a little extra. It would cost them all they had gathered for themselves, but the group only ever really needed money when there was a need for new equipment. They preferred to hunt for themselves, given their unique food preferences, didn¡¯t mind sleeping or bathing in the wild and were just generally less inclined to partake in the goings-on of society that required a level of liquidity.


    A word whose application to money Apexus still didn¡¯t understand. He was liquid, money clearly wasn¡¯t. Aclysia had explained that it had something to do with cash flowing, but that sounded even more stupid. The slime just accepted it as another odd thing about language.


    ¡°Wish I had someone who just took my entire debt back then,¡± Reysha complained. This entire thing was because of her, but that didn¡¯t stop her from bantering about it. ¡°I owed the Adventurer¡¯s Guild five gold and nobody went out of their way to help me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but at least his debt is comparatively small, given that it was for several people¡± Aclysia returned. ¡°Your loan was designed to finance initial equipment and pay the rent for the first few weeks that were needed to get settled. His loan only paid for whatever equipment his group was missing or wanted upgraded. As he told us, they were hunters beforehand.¡±


    ¡°Just hope¡­ I just hope the debt collectors will be satisfied with getting the agreed sum,¡± Apexus chimed in. That was a common fear between the three of them and they hadn¡¯t quite decided what to do if that turned out not to be the case. They didn¡¯t arrive at an answer at that moment either.


    Instead, they made their way deeper into the dungeon.

 New World, Old Problems 12 – Slime-off approach

    Apexus couldn¡¯t quite help himself but stare at Reysha¡¯s ass. Crouching on all fours, her head lowered and her behind raised, her leather pants stretched over those magnificent twin spheres. Only the red, black-striped tail just above managed to slightly distract him, the dark tip waving around in slow and hypnotic fashions. Then the tiger girl shifted the position of her legs and his eyes instinctually were back to her bubble butt.


    The slime was very happy to have two companions of this level of attractiveness.


    ¡°You were really stingy with applying your pheromones,¡± Reysha complained, as she continued to sniff around for any traces on the floor. ¡°I can barely pick anything up!¡± Irritated, her ears flicked at a nearby firefly and she crawled a step towards the wall.


    ¡°It''s supposed to be so little it fades after three weeks, if I don¡¯t reapply it,¡± Apexus justified himself. ¡°Makes it harder to track us.¡±


    ¡°Makes it harder for me to track it!¡± the redhead answered. Although her tone was aggressive, the slime knew she wasn¡¯t seriously annoyed. Otherwise, the fur on her tail would have been fluffed up to an absurd degree. ¡°It¡¯s almost faded already. I wouldn¡¯t even be able to find it if I didn¡¯t know the smell already.¡±


    ¡°Precisely why I advised this course of action,¡± Aclysia chimed in. ¡°It aids us in remaining not only untraceable by later search parties but also unremarkable in the eyes of current adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it,¡± Reysha easily conceded the point and perked up. ¡°Alright, caught the whiff of it!¡± she announced and got up. After dusting off her hands stroking her blood red hair back, she pointed towards the left path. ¡°That way.¡±


    Apexus took the lead position and the trio went through the tunnel. It had a slow descent, but the footing was quite stable and there were no monsters in sight. Any ambush that they had to deal with would first assault the slime and, with his healing speed, that wasn¡¯t exactly an issue. ¡°This wouldn¡¯t be necessary if I just remembered the way,¡± he apologized.


    Although Apexus¡¯ memory was quite good, better than most humans at the very least, it wasn¡¯t perfect. Even after hunting inside this dungeon for two months, he still didn¡¯t know his way around all of it. Much of that had to do with the fact that he usually didn¡¯t go this deep. Completely clearing a dungeon, even if they were too strong for its inhabitants and knew much of the way, was a heavy time investment.


    Summer Rest was middling in the size, among the dungeons the group had visited so far. If they hadn¡¯t been familiar with the layout already, they might have needed over a week to explore the entire thing. Even the one time they had pushed to kill the boss before had taken them four days and they had just stumbled over the boss room early by pure chance.


    Because the dungeon was this vast, Apexus hadn¡¯t gone too deep all that often. Unless it had been a good day for Reysha and all three of them were up for some delving, the slime had only dabbled in the early segments of the dungeons in an effort to find food or, out of pure boredom, items. The majority of days, he had only been in there for about eight to ten hours. Not nearly enough to get to the second half of the dungeon and, from there, back to home.


    They were now in that second half. Having taken a previous rest at a healing fountain, Apexus was pleasantly surprised by how stable Reysha was at the moment. With something to focus her mind on, the tiger girl seemed more able to stave off the lingering effects of her trauma. It wasn¡¯t a sudden fix, her still diminished ability to fight proved that much, but it helped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it,¡± Reysha told him and pat his shoulder from behind. ¡°I was here before too, so I should remember something, but this entire place looks the fucking same!¡± That was another complication. Given the very monotone design of the wooden hallways and rooms, there were very few hallmarks to orient themselves by.


    ¡°Certainly, this is my failure,¡± Aclysia stated and got herself two questioning stares. ¡°I have the best memory out of the three of us, recalling details should be my obligation.¡±


    Apexus entirely disagreed with that view, ¡°Memorizing things should be a group effort. We all have to work together and individually if we want to succeed.¡±


    ¡°What the liquid man said,¡± Reysha stated.


    Their conversation was put on a sudden pause when Reysha and Apexus both spotted a spider on the ceiling. ¡°Do you want to¡­?¡± the slime asked the tiger girl, who nodded and stepped forwards. With one slow and fluid movement, she drew one of the throwing knives from her belt, drew her arm back and sent it flying at her target. It did a half spin sideways, stabilized in its trajectory and then buried itself blade first in one of the spider¡¯s squishy eyeballs.


    Startled, the large arachnid fell to the floor, where Reysha immediately set out to attack it. Jumping on her target, Reysha tried to land an immediate, deadly blow against her target. As much as the spider thrashed around, however, all she hit was one of the creature¡¯s eight legs. The continued movements ripped the dagger from her hands, just as the spider retaliated by ramming its fangs in Reysha¡¯s own leg.


    The tiger girl hissed in pain and quickly pulled her second dagger. Committed to the bite, the spider didn¡¯t realize that it opened its entire back for repeated stabs, until it was already too late and Reysha turned part of it into mincemeat.


    ¡°Useless garbage,¡± she cussed at herself, when she pushed the dead spider off her. The, thankfully smooth, fangs slid out of her and revealed two puncture wounds that immediately started bleeding. Sitting against the wall, Reysha extended that leg to allow Aclysia to do her thing. ¡°I would have died about five times today if you weren¡¯t around.¡±


    The wound by itself was, most likely, not lethal. Gruesome as it looked immediately, it was a lot less threatening than a stab by a proper knife and didn¡¯t run that deep. If the common dungeon spider was venomous, that may have changed things, but as it was, it was just a pair of bothersome puncture wounds.


    Inside of a dungeon, any wound that could classify as ¡®bothersome¡¯, however, was lethal. One small disadvantage would lead to further ones in following fights, leading to further wounds, until pain caused that one misstep that ended it all. Either that, or blood loss.


    ¡°Perhaps that will teach you to treat me more nicely,¡± the metal fairy remarked, while her magic first stopped the blood from flowing out and then began to seal the wound. The healing started further in, the core of the body mending first and then slowly building outwards until fresh skin, indistinguishable from the surrounding area, made it look like there had never been any issue in the first place.


    As fascinating as that was to look at, Apexus instead went over to the corpse of the spider. Not to eat, they had done so not too long ago, but to take Reysha weapons. After cleaning them through a bit of a slime-grooming and aftercare with a piece of cloth, he handed them back to the tiger girl. This way, they could move on immediately once her leg was back in order.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need new pants after this,¡± she asserted. Where the brown leather armour on her torso was structurally intact, despite several scratches and other battle marks, her pants had sustained several holes and slits. It was to little wonder, many of the enemies in the dungeon had their primary attack tools below the humanoid waistline. Adding to that, her pants were more intended to be flexible then grant proper defences and their riddled state was a foregone conclusion.


    ¡°We won¡¯t have money for new pants once we¡¯re done here,¡± Apexus reminded her.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ guess I¡¯ll have to wear my ¡®civilian¡¯ pants for a little while,¡± she sighed and got up. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    It took them a couple more hours and several encounters to make their way further in. At a few points, they had to reorient themselves. Either because they were genuinely not sure where they were or because they had stepped off the correct path to engage with a treasure room. As a beginner dungeon, Summer Rest had a fundamentally static layout, but sometimes chests appeared in certain rooms or halls, guarded by numerous enemies. Since they were there for the purpose of getting money, they took those whenever they found one.


    Regardless of such distractions, they eventually made their way to the boss room. ¡°We¡¯re in luck,¡± Apexus said, when they made their way into the large chamber that preceded a boss room in beginner dungeons like this. A humid warmth filled the room, coming from a circular healing fountain in the middle of the hall. Like usual for these things, it was fairly shallow. The fireflies didn¡¯t seem to mind the heat at all and just sat on the walls like usual.


    Apexus¡¯ comment was in regard to the door to the boss room, however. Interlocking roots formed two halves of a gate, just waiting to be swung open. That state meant that the boss was currently present and nobody else was fighting it. In any other case, the door would have been locked by means they couldn¡¯t overcome. Not that they had any reason to.


    ¡°Should we fight the boss now?¡± Reysha, while taking a sip from the water of the healing fountain, for pure thirst reasons. ¡°Once we¡¯re in there, we can¡¯t get back out.¡± That was correct, in this case. Dungeons generally had one of two approaches to what happened after a boss was beaten. Either the door opened and the group was left to backtrack or the door stayed close and a shortcut back to the entrance revealed itself. Summer Rest was in the latter category. ¡°Might be smarter to just search around here for a little while longer. What do the finances say?¡±


    ¡°We should already have all we require,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°Defeating the boss guarantees us another item. Even if I wildly overestimated the value of the things we acquired so far, I would be surprised if we needed further funds after gathering that final piece. Boss loot tends to be more valuable.¡±


    ¡°Sucks that it¡¯ll only be a single item though,¡± Reysha bemoaned. First time beating a boss, the rewards were more gracious. ¡°Not like we had any luck in this dungeon overall though.¡±


    ¡°We had good monetary success,¡± Aclysia shrugged, while they all walked towards the door. ¡°Even if we gained nothing for personal usage. What can be extracted from this place wouldn¡¯t last us long regardless.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that changes in the future,¡± Apexus said, while leaning against the gate of melded roots. It moved slowly at first, then slid open almost on its own. The trio stepped into the boss room without much worry.


    It had the shape of a funnel, with the base describing the broadest point and the ceiling steadily growing more and more narrow, until ending in a one-metre wide hole. Like usual, the fireflies sitting on the walls provided the illumination necessary. The floor was similar to a sawed-off tree-trunk, with several rings giving a pleasing symmetry to the light wood.


    The trio kept their eyes focused on the hole in the ceiling. Once they were about five metres into the room, a sort of maw peeked out of the hole. It was a beak surrounded by four serrated pincers. It was large enough to grab a person and bite their head clean off. ¡°We will cover you where necessary,¡± Apexus promised.


    ¡°Alright¡­ let¡¯s see how well I do,¡± Reysha nodded and stepped into the middle of the room. She jumped back immediately, as the boss dropped down to devour her.


    Hanging from its hiding hole on a thick bundle of roots, the head descended to ground level and uselessly snapped at the empty air. Black flower petals rose around its head as it hissed in annoyance and completely left its spawning pot. The roots peeled out of the unified rope, extending outwards like tentacles. Each of the dozen tendrils ended in a hardened hook, which the boss rammed into the walls of the room to secure itself above the ground.


    To Reysha, the creature looked like a malformed mixture between a carnivorous plant, an octopus, and a spider. Although its large maw and pincers were extremely threatening, the creature suffered from the same drawback as its cousin (the Steproot), being poor senses for anything but its immediate vicinity. The Voraroot, as this monster was commonly called, swayed its head through the room like a large pendulum in search of its prey.


    Aclysia and Apexus kept to the wall, while Reysha ran straight at the head. The moment it noticed her approach, the Voraroot aimed its maw in her direction. The anchoring tentacles stretched with creaking sound, as the boss lashed out.


    Reysha, once more, dodged long before the attack arrived where she was. As intimidating as the boss looked, it was slow. Slow enough that Reysha could get behind its head and stab at the base of one of the tentacles. Not slow enough, however, that she could do that and not get body-slammed by the head of it and tossed to the floor.


    The boss hissed triumphantly, spread out its pincers and moved in to add a number of unsightly trenches to her torso. Reysha shook her head to re-orient herself and only saw what was about to happen when it was too late to get out of the way.


    A ball of heated light hit the boss¡¯ head, causing it to flinch back and give Reysha the necessary room to roll off to the side. When she was back on her feet, she heard a shout coming her way.


    ¡°Keep to the safe tactics!¡± Aclysia reprimanded. ¡°You¡¯re not in a shape where you can just rely on your reflexes.¡±


    Reysha wanted to shout back that she was well aware of that, but she wasn¡¯t exactly fighting that way. Nodding, she fell back several metres. Once the Voraroot had recovered from the shock, it went back to scanning the room through pendulum movements. Just that the one tentacle Reysha had stabbed at didn¡¯t properly move anymore, causing the circling of the head to be slightly off.


    Dropping into a slight crouch, Reysha concentrated on Sneaking. While avoiding the searching and quietly hissing head of the boss, she stalked along the walls. Her target was a particularly low anchored root-tendril.


    With one quick jump, she grabbed onto it. The boss noticed immediately and loosened the tentacle to grab the prey towards its mouth. Reysha had other plans, only holding onto the tentacle for as long as it took to ram her dagger into it a few times and separate the hook from the rest of the limb.


    The boss screamed in pain and then rage, as the tiger girl let go and left it unaware where she was now. Two of its twelve tendrils were now incapable of supporting the weight of the head, causing it to hang a little bit lower than before. Not enough to be of an advantage yet, but enough to make for a start.


    Whereas the tentacle she had damaged at the base was completely useless, the one she just crippled was still able to lash through the room. Slow as the movements were, it was still an extra thing to avoid, as she made herself towards the next tendril she could reach. After repeating that process four more times, the Voraroot head was hanging mere centimetres above the floor.


    Reysha dropped down, positioning feet and hands for the start of a sprint. ¡®Now comes the dangerous part,¡¯ she thought and smiled a little bit. Then she started running. Gaining as much momentum as she could, she jumped the moment she hit the edge of the Voraroot¡¯s awareness.


    She held onto the side of the boss and just started stabbing at the back of its head. The flower petals and thrashing movements tried to shove her off, but she held on with all she had. One by one, she ruined the tendrils, until there was a snapping sound and she, the head, and the few still attached roots all fell to the floor. With panicked speed, the boss pulled all of those tentacles towards its mouth, forming a deadly cocoon.


    Apexus was ready to intervene but, in a display of her old speed, Reysha jumped over the now lying head before she could be caught. In one seamless motion, she unsheathed her second dagger, whirled around and let herself fall onto the wolf-sized head. Both blades sunk in to the hilt into the gnarled body of the Voraroot and reached something central. One last shiver went through the tendrils and the pincers, then everything about the body became limp.


    ¡°¡­That wasn¡¯t too bad,¡± Reysha said, as a tunnel opened at the back of the room. Inside they found their reward chest and their way out. ¡°Let¡¯s hope it really is enough.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Apexus said, to both of those things.

 New Word, Old Problems 13 – Recompensated

    ¡°Y-you came back!¡± Nudru exclaimed, after the trio opened the door to their house and marched inside. He had been hiding under the bed, thinking the approaching people might be the debt collectors, already having found him again. A not entirely unjustified fear, given how close they were to the city.


    ¡°Of course, we came back,¡± the masked Apexus said and tilted his head. ¡°We live here.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ uhm¡­¡± the failed Scribe wasn¡¯t sure how to answer that. In the end, he just went with admission. That the masked man was odd, even he with his lacking knowledge realized. ¡°Yes, you do.¡±


    Aclysia closed the door and the trio sat down around the stone tablet on the floor. ¡°Come over here,¡± the angel said in the tone of divine benevolence. ¡°We have to finalize our plans.¡±


    After inching over and sitting down on the floor, there being only three tree stumps, Nudru cleared his throat. ¡°Is this¡­ really wise?¡± he carefully asked, looking at all three of his benefactors.


    ¡°For us to get involved with you? Fuck no,¡± Reysha returned. ¡°Lucky for you, I¡¯m screwed in the head in other ways than a few months ago.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ no, I mean, the three of you sitting together,¡± the dark-haired scribe swallowed when the niceness Aclysia displayed switched into physically noticeable annoyance. The metal fairy had grabbed her beloved slime and was cuddling him with as much enthusiasm as she could without displacing his robe and Apexus was answering the motion in kind.


    ¡°Are you suggesting we separate?¡± the white-haired woman asked and narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°N-no, of course no!¡± Nudru threw his hands into the air, as if to surrender. ¡°It¡¯s just that it¡¯s bad luck for two women to sit together with one man, you know?¡±


    Apexus and Aclysia did not know about that and Reysha just groaned. On the inquisitive gaze of the two, she explained. ¡°It¡¯s some rumour that gets peddled among adventurers. Basically, one man sitting with two women means that the group will mysteriously vanish or eat itself from the inside, is the stupid fucking idea. Just some tall tale.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the slime just noted. That was just another odd construction of society to him. ¡°Is it something we need to pay attention to? Is that important like this whole currency thing?¡±


    ¡°No, its just something stupid, idiotic morons and other dumb fucks believe in,¡± Reysha cussed, evidently quite annoyed at the rumour.


    ¡°S-s-sorry,¡± Nudru hung his head. Personally, he believed that there was something to that rumour, but this clearly wasn¡¯t the environment to bring that up. Especially since those three were committed to helping him. ¡°Feel free to ignore my complaints¡­¡±


    ¡°Done,¡± Reysha responded with a smile that felt surprisingly carefree. Then she was reminded what this whole thing was for and the myriad of things that could go wrong. The smile shrunk, but didn¡¯t vanish completely. ¡°To the point ¨C Aclysia?¡±


    ¡°At once,¡± the metal fairy responded and grabbed the bag in which they kept their valuables.


    About ten minutes of unloading and sorting later, they had just about three gold coins and ten silver in pure coin, a fine leather quiver, a small iron amulet of mediocre craftsmanship, five blank slates of copper (each about the size of a playing card), a simple iron scimitar and, lastly, a fine satin glove with extensive summer-god iconography. That had been the boss loot and it looked a lot more valuable than the rest.


    The metal fairy pointed at the finely stacked amount of money. ¡°The value of this is unquestionable. Granted, I have not checked for counterfeit coins, but we have been given most of them out of common market circulation. The remainders we got out of the dungeon itself. I do not doubt the genuine nature of any of these coins.¡± Her hands moved over to the items. ¡°The quiver is alright, I would guess it to sell for about five, maybe six silver coins. The amulet is a little less valuable, created easily and with little materials, one or two silver coins at best. The copper strikes me as almost valueless.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the standard shape they use for those identification cards the Adventurer¡¯s Guild hands out,¡± Reysha told them. ¡°Which, I guess, only makes them more worthless because the guild shits them out on the daily.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia nodded and moved on. ¡°The scimitar would be worth more if it was proper steel, but even as iron it should fetch a good price. I estimate about eight silver pieces.¡± Reysha nodded, that was a considerably higher price than her daggers had gone for, but that was of little wonder, given the difference in size. ¡°The glove, I¡¯m not sure about. Its main value is artistry, rather than anything tangible. I would offer it up along with the money, rather than try to sell it in a hurry. That wouldn¡¯t work in our favour. Even with that, we end up at about 3 gold and 40 silver, thanks to the other things we already sold to nearby farmers. Adding your own savings to that puts us at about 3 gold 90 silver. If you sell the items for the estimated price.¡±


    Like every city that had a dungeon nearby, there were numerous traders around that bought items off adventurers and then sold them further for a profit. Nobody liked those middlemen, largely because the only skill their profession needed was bartering and they were exceedingly good at it. However, because adventurers weren¡¯t (usually) interested in getting into the fine details of trading, they still flourished as much as the adventuring profession in an area did. They basically operated as a distribution node.


    They would get something like 75% of the actual market price for each item, but it would get them that money immediately. They had reason enough to believe that this was for the best, when it came to Nudru¡¯s health. The trio also wanted to get this affair done with as quickly as possible. Their instinct to help may have been stronger, but the wish to minimize contact with others was very much present still.


    ¡°Do you agree with my assessment?¡± Aclysia asked Nudru, while slinging both her arms back around her darling.


    ¡°That does sound smart, yes,¡± the Scribe answered and looked wonderingly when he was offered the adventurer¡¯s bag. The empty thing dangled from Reysha¡¯s hand, while Nudru just stared. ¡°Uhm, I feel like I need further explanation¡­?¡±


    ¡°Put stuff in bag,¡± Apexus stated, his deep, almost commanding voice clashed with the simplicity of his words and tone. ¡°Leave the money and glove, for now, and sell the rest. We cannot go to Adventurer¡¯s Guild building for reasons.¡±


    ¡°You should also make contact with your debt collectors,¡± Aclysia added. ¡°Tell them that you have the money and want to meet them at a place that is remote.¡±


    ¡°Remote, and at a place and time of their choosing ¨C but within the next few days,¡± Reysha also chimed in. ¡°We don¡¯t want them to think that you have back-up about to take them out.¡±


    ¡°Also tell them to bring something that guarantees that they won¡¯t bother you again in the future,¡± Apexus had the final word. He had no idea what that something would be, but insurance was needed.


    Nudru swallowed, still intimidated by those three figures, and tried to summarize all of that. More for himself than for anyone else, he thought out loud, ¡°So I¡¯m supposed to head into the city, sell the items, see if I can get into contact with the debt collectors, tell them to meet me a remote place of their choosing, soon but at a time they pick and that they should give me insurance. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the slime kept his answer simple. ¡°Go now.¡±


    ¡°S-sure thing, s-sir!¡± Nudru said, hastily threw the sellable items into the bag and then hasted towards the door.


    ¡°Sir?¡± Apexus wondered after he was gone. He would have asked earlier, but he still tried to solve it on his own before the Scribe was out. ¡°Why ¡®sir¡¯?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s intimidated and thinks you to be his superior, instinctively,¡± Aclysia offered an explanation. ¡°Given the difference of power in your situation and bodies, this is no surprise.¡± The metal fairy then looked over to Reysha. ¡°If you feel up for it, I would appreciate it if you could follow Nudru from a distance. A precaution, should they feel it necessary to assault him again.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± the Rogue nodded and got up. Grabbing one of the cloaks, she pulled it over her head. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before he is ¨C unless I need to carry him back.¡± Aclysia just nodded.


    _________________________________________________________________________


    It was not necessary. As a matter of fact, everything went scarily smooth. Nudru headed towards the town he actually lived in, sold the items and was immediately approached by guys that had roughed him up a few days earlier. They still thought he was an adventurer so waiting for him at the guild building had been the most logical place to wait. It certainly helped that the booze was relatively cheap there.


    Nudru presented his conditions for handing over the money. Despite being surprised at the idea that he would already have the entire sum (and the fact that he could even walk at the moment), they agreed. They named a place and time, remote, as had been demanded, and assured they would have a guarantee for him. There was no violence anywhere in the conversation and they just parted. Reysha returned to the house, Nudru was right after her and then reported all of it.


    Just two days thereafter, the group headed out to get to that meeting.


    ¡°Remember not to mention us in any detail,¡± Aclysia said for the third and final time, while they approached the meeting site. ¡°We¡¯re going to reveal ourselves if necessary, otherwise we will be hiding in listening distance.¡±


    ¡°Unless they have brought their own goons to keep watch over the area,¡± Reysha added. ¡°In that case viewing distance will have to do.¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s good¡­ yes¡­ good,¡± Nudru nodded along. ¡°What are you going to do if they break their end of the bargain though?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what they do,¡± Apexus told him truthfully, having no great concept of white lies. ¡°If they threaten you, we will try to save you. If they kill you, we will run away.¡± If he could at all avoid it, the slime would always do his best not to kill any sapient creatures. He would compromise on that ideal to avenge Aclysia or Reysha, but a Scribe he was helping was not worth killing humanoids over. Especially not in their current situation.


    ¡°I-I see,¡± the meek man nodded a bit too abruptly. He wasn¡¯t much shocked to hear they wouldn¡¯t try to avenge him, he understood that they weren¡¯t friends and was still confused why they even helped him in the first place. It was the mere idea that he might die that got him to stutter. The group stopped when the density of trees thinned to unhidable levels. ¡°H-here goes nothing then!¡± Nudru exclaimed louder than he had meant to and then went on his way. The trio remained where they were.


    Reysha reached into her bag and pulled out a strip of Steproot wood, shoving it into her mouth while she watched Nudru slowly march through the darkness. For her and Apexus¡¯ cat eyes, the night wasn¡¯t too big of an obstacle. Making out both his slowly shrinking form and his destination was easy.


    It was another abandoned resting place, not too different from the one the trio was currently occupying. A clearing in the forest with numerous spots where a tent would be safe from rain and a central circle of stones around a fairly sizable firepit. Whatever group had used this place once upon a time had been fairly sizable, between seven and ten people. A small wooden wall had been used to make a house from the overhang of a giant boulder. A house the two debt collectors sat in front of, playing some dice game on a table, illuminated by candlelight.


    They didn¡¯t seem too bothered with their own safety and had a familiarity with this place. As Apexus correctly guessed from that, this was a regular place they used when they had to stay in the area.


    Reysha swallowed the strip she had been chewing on and immediately shoved a new one in there. While she would have liked to say that she was only eating to make sure she was in top condition, that wouldn¡¯t have been half the truth. Her jaws worked continuously, clenching beyond healthy degreed, making her teeth hurt and only increasing the intensity with which her heart pumped.


    Crouching, she tried to remain calm outwardly, if nothing else. Something that, to her two lovers, gave away her nervousness more than anything else. The tiger girl just didn¡¯t stare that concentratedly at a target under normal circumstances. She just did things as they came to her. While that had been somewhat compromised the past few months, this amount of singular focus was odd for even in these bad times.


    ¡°Can you hear them?¡± Aclysia asked her two beloved companions. Both of their acute ears were raised and waiting.


    Apexus watched the movement of the man¡¯s hand. It looked like he was throwing the dice, but he heard nothing. ¡°No,¡± he quietly answered and turned his ears to listen for any other sounds in the forest. ¡°Think it¡¯s safe to get closer, what about you, Reysha?¡±


    ¡°I can smell someone sweaty from somewhere in that direction,¡± she said and gestured towards the opposite end of the clearing.


    ¡°Do I understand correctly that they have their own back-up?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°At least one really smelly guy, yes,¡± Reysha answered. ¡°But they seem rather awful at their job if they¡¯re dumb enough to stand with their backs to the wind. I think we can get a bit closer without issue.¡±


    Reysha took the lead, with Apexus right behind her and Aclysia hovering to avoid making any sounds herself. They made their way towards another brush and hid themselves. ¡°Can you hear them now?¡± the metal fairy asked again, even quieter this time around.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the chimeric slime answered, following first the roll of the dice and then the words that echoed out.


    ¡°And there is the star of the evening,¡± said one voice. That was the previously annoyed man, now sounding a whole lot happier with life and generally exuding patience. ¡°Take a seat, this doesn¡¯t need to be as ugly as our last encounter.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you,¡± Nudru answered and the third person at the table, the angry man, grumbled something. It was unintelligible, not because of the distance, but because there was barely a word in there to start with. Apexus watched that same brute gathering the dice from the table and put them in a leather cup. Just out of sheer boredom, he began to shake it, giving the conversation the backdrop of steady rattling.


    ¡°Now, do you know why we beat you to a pulp last time, Nudru?¡± the patient man asked.


    ¡°Because I owed you money?¡± the Scribe asked, thinking it would have been obvious.


    ¡°No, no, that is not the point,¡± came the swift response. ¡°If you had stayed where we could see you, we would have just come across your home every now and again and extract you until we got what we needed ¨C by non-violent means, as long as you played along. We¡¯re a professional syndicate in defiance of the ¡®civilized¡¯ law, not some kind military under the command of a robber baron. No, the entire reason why we had to beat you up was because you tried to run away. We cannot let anyone think they can get away with that. So, do us all a favour ¨C whenever you find someone else who tried to flee from us, tell them that we¡¯ll be a whole lot nicer if they spare us the trouble of finding them.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll keep it in mind,¡± Nudru said and yelped when he got a firm shoulder pat from the brute.


    ¡°Good lad,¡± the much larger man said, before going back to shaking his dice.


    ¡°Now, I don¡¯t know or care who you made a deal with to get healed and the money in such a short amount of time,¡± the patient fellow continued, ¡°and neither do I care. You¡¯ve gotten our warning, we will get our money and we¡¯ll just separate like civilized people. Whoever your benefactors are, we don¡¯t care to ever investigate them and they promise to never meddle in our turf, does that sound good?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± the Scribe answered, once more way too loudly. A small thud followed his words, when the bag was placed on the table. Money was presented and counted and, finally, the glove brought forwards. ¡°W- I didn¡¯t manage to get all of the money yet. I hoped that glove would make up for the remaining ten silver.¡±


    The patient man hummed and appraised the glove, turning it in his hands. ¡°Boss loot?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°That will do then, our own boss likes his collections.¡± There was a moment of hesitation and then the patient man grabbed two silver coins from the clean stacks and slid them back towards Nudru. ¡°Let¡¯s say it counts for twelve, then you can at least feed yourself tomorrow.¡± The patient man smiled and added, ¡°Again, we¡¯re not animals. We run a business. Remind people of the fact that they only need to fear us when they cross us and nobody will need to get hurt, neither now, nor later. Sound good?¡±


    Nudru nodded eagerly several times in a row and then jumped in his chair when the brutish man slammed the dice on the table. Reysha¡¯s body pulled together like a spring about to relax in a massive burst of energy. There was a raw laughter from both criminals, followed by some calming words and the large man beginning to throw the stacks of silver into a bag.


    ¡®Ask about the assurance!¡¯ Apexus shouted in his mind. Something that it took the meek Scribe another ten seconds to get to. He was almost as tense as Reysha still was.


    ¡°Uhm, what about the guarantee for my debt being paid?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± the patient man said and rummaged in his own bag and produced a single item. ¡°Here you go,¡± he said and placed it on the table.


    ¡°Uhm,¡± Nudru looked down on it. ¡°That¡¯s my old adventurer¡¯s card. I know I gave it to you as a countervalue but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed,¡± the patient man sounded amused by the evident confusion of his debtor. ¡°How do you think we knew to search for you here in the first place? You signed a document made by a Contractor and you left us with an object that has your personal aura attached to it. Sure, it¡¯s not as accurate or easy as higher level solutions, but we wouldn¡¯t just hand out loans without some assurances on our end.¡± He tapped on the card, created on a copper sheet, with three drops of blood and the magic of a Scribe. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re cut-out for the adventuring business if you don¡¯t think about things like this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah, I agree,¡± the Scribe sighed and sunk down, while the two men stood up. ¡°T-that¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± the patient man responded and stretched. ¡°We have some other business in town, but that¡¯s none of your concern. If you ever come across us again, act like you don¡¯t know us and we¡¯ll keep it the same. It¡¯s in everyone¡¯s best interest. Now, be on your way.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Nudru sounded downright ecstatic about that, practically jumping out of his chair and almost sprinting away.


    The trio in the trees kept still, quiet and muscles tensed, all the way until Nudru arrived where they had originally parted. They looked back and forth between the Scribe they had helped and the men in the clearing. ¡°Pfffff¡­¡± Apexus heard a tiny, amused sound, when they saw how the two men they already knew were joined by a few other individuals, just chatting. They grabbed the table and carried it into the house. ¡°¡­hehehehe¡­¡±


    Apexus and Aclysia both looked at Reysha just in time to see the tiger girl turn around and dart away from the clearing as quickly as she could run. They chased after her as quickly as they could. Given that Reysha was by far the quickest out of them when it came to short distances, that gave the tiger girl a considerable lead. Only when the fairy and the slime were in the air, they managed to keep up with her.


    It wasn¡¯t a terribly long distance they bridged, a hundred metres or so, then the redhead suddenly collapsed on her knees and just exploded with laughter. Seemingly endlessly cackling, giggling, loud roars of enjoyment and all other kinds of laughter that existed poured from her mouth. She threw herself on her side, rolled around, kicked and punched the air until her stomach hurt and she had to clutch it, even as the maniacal sounds continued to echo in the forest.


    ¡°Ahahahaaaa¡­¡± one last loud series, then she managed to, just barely, inhale. ¡°That was¡­ hihihi¡­¡± she tried to say, when her two companions stood bowed over her in the warm, winter grass. ¡°That was¡­ so easy¡­ pffff¡­¡± she giggled for another minute straight. Giggled and cried, felt truly alive for the first time in months. Felt like she had finally been aligned with herself again. ¡°What in the name of the roots¡­ what was I so worried about the entire time¡­? Why couldn¡¯t I just do things?!¡± Her laughter continued, but was overtaken by tears of relief and confusion. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t I able to be myself? That¡¯s just so stupid!¡±


    ¡°It may have been stupid, but now you laughed again,¡± Apexus said and kneeled down, smiling himself, as he hugged her. ¡°I like it when you laugh, Reysha. It¡¯s loud and carefree and wild. I love you and want to hear you being happy and so I like it when you laugh. I missed it.¡±


    ¡°Psh,¡± Reysha let out a mocking sound through the tears and cackled again. ¡°I¡­ urgh, I don¡¯t even¡­¡± she stopped trying to answer, just embraced him back and gladly included Aclysia when she kneeled down as well.

 New Word Old Problems 14 – A group that purrs [Erotic Content]

    Funatic


    ¡°W-where should I go?¡± Nudru asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know, just stay wherever you lived before I found you! It¡¯s not even been a week, I¡¯m sure you can still get in,¡± Reysha told him while she shoved him out the door. ¡°Come back tomorrow morning or something, if you feel sentimental or something like that! I need privacy right about now, privacy!¡±


    The Scribe was completely removed from their home and the tiger girl slammed the door shut behind him. Then she turned around and stared at the slime and the angel, both tilting their heads quizzically. Of the two, Apexus¡¯ confusion cleared first and almost immediately, seeing the ravenous glimmer in Reysha¡¯s blue-in-dark-grey eyes. Aclysia only managed to add two and two together when the redhead started fidgeting with the bindings on her armour and slipped out of it as quickly as possible.


    ¡°I will light a few candles,¡± Aclysia hastily announced. She had originally bought them to help with her own lack of night vision, cheap as they had been, but rarely ended up using them. Now, however, she was incredibly glad she had them. They weren¡¯t large, but that only made it easy to scatter them around the room. Soon, the soft golden glow filled enough of the windowless cabin that the nightly darkness was held at bay.


    Apexus saw the flickering dance over the light brown curves of his tiger girl lover. He had never forgotten how beautiful her body was. That wild, red hair, that smooth skin with the darker stripes symmetrically covering her curvy form. Breasts and hips had a nice balance to them, with a narrow waist in the middle holding a flat and athletic midriff. She may have slouched a bit the past few months, but not enough to put on any fat or lose a considerable amount of muscle. As an adventurer, magic sustained a considerable amount of her shape anyhow.


    Her red and black tail was raised high, an instinctive movement to prevent it getting in the way of what should naturally follow her stripping down. Tiny bumps on her chests signalled where her nipples were on her moderately large breasts. Although she felt the beginnings of excited wetness between her legs, it wasn¡¯t enough to create a stripe in the cloth. She didn¡¯t plan to wait until it did, getting rid of her undergarments as well and standing completely naked before Apexus, only wearing a smile.


    Although the tiger stripes covered all of her, from the ankles all the way up to her face, the highest two stripes stretching over her eyes like permanent warpaint, they remarkably stayed clear of her crotch area. There, the only decoration was a neatly trimmed amount of pubic hair, high enough to not surround any of her brownish pink pussy lips, the colour harmonizing with her body.


    Throughout all the time she had spent wishing to feel lust again, she hadn¡¯t stopped preparing for the moment she would. The only hair on her body was that trimmed triangle and the scarlet on her head, flowing all the way down to the middle of her back.


    ¡°Darling,¡± Apexus heard the sweet voice of his beloved angel. He didn¡¯t even need to turn his head, the pale woman stepped next to the delicious, caramel skinned redhead. She was just as smooth and didn¡¯t even have that hair between her legs. The only parts of her that interrupted the flawless white of her bottom-heavy form was that pretty pink pussy, the full light pink of her nipples and pillowy lips, the light green of her eyes and the black parts of her moth-like wings.


    The rest of her pear-shaped body was a perfect canvas for the golden light. Apexus loved the little shadows that formed around her petite, perky breasts and even more he loved the way the light accentuated her wide hips. They would be perfect for bearing offspring, which spoke to some of the most basic of Apexus¡¯ instincts, and her perfect, round and firm ass was enabled thanks to those hips.


    She was a tad taller than Reysha, a fact almost neutralized by the fact that her white hair sat quite flat on her head, especially around the top, where it naturally flowed backwards. It fell down to the lower end of the base of her wings, around the tip of her shoulder blades. Pointy, elf-like ears prevented her hair from falling forwards, leaving her angelic face unframed.


    One of his girls was ordered, the other chaotic, both were extremely beautiful and both were in love with him and only him. ¡°I feel it again,¡± Reysha purred and spread her pussy with two fingers of her left hand. A drop of love juice slowly dripped out, holding on a gooey strand for a long while before properly falling. ¡°I finally feel it again. Apexus, I need you to fuck me.¡±


    Apexus¡¯ ears turned a few times to make sure Nudru wasn¡¯t still hanging around the house, then he grabbed his mask and his robe and did away with them as quickly as he could. ¡°Get on the bed,¡± he commanded, seeing no reason to do this anywhere else but the most comfortable part of the house.


    Excited by his deep voice, they obeyed in a hurry. Both laid down on their sides, showing Apexus their backsides, as he went on the lower side of the bed. Aclysia¡¯s ass was absolute perfection from every angle, but Reysha¡¯s bubble butt was not far removed from it. By its colour and the way two stripes that curved from her sides towards the lower end of her spine framed it, in addition to the animalistic look of her slowly swaying tail, it was its own work of art.


    This was the first time they would have sex in several months. Indeed, the last time they had all felt the need and had the time to indulge in each other¡¯s bodies had been all the way back before Apexus had been ¡®killed¡¯. Something that only momentarily blipped up in the slime¡¯s mind, realizing that he had never used this new shape to pleasure his women before.


    Now made curious, he reached out and took a handful of each of their butts. He couldn¡¯t believe how fantastic the feeling was. Touching those things with his tentacles had already been glorious, but feeling the squishy, soft meat spill between his fingers was a whole other level. It was as if human hands were made to caress bubble butts. He kneaded and grabbed and enjoyed the little giggles and gasps that came from the two in return.


    It was little more than curious foreplay. ¡°Where are your tentacles, big guy?¡± Reysha asked with a lustful sigh, while Apexus enjoyed the tactile sensation of running his hands over flawless skin, towards the two women¡¯s breasts. It may have been just curious foreplay, but Apexus wanted to satisfy that curiosity before he moved on. It had been long and he would be thorough.


    ¡°I have better control now,¡± he told the tiger girl. Whether it was the months of celibacy, an increase in power or simply age, the breeding tentacles didn¡¯t just sprout uninvited anymore. That wasn¡¯t to say he was any less horny however.


    He took hold of their breasts and their breathing accelerated. There was less to play with there, particularly with Aclysia. Apexus couldn¡¯t help but wonder what really big tits would feel like under these hands. What he had distracted him from such thoughts. Although not much to play with, what was there was still soft and sensitive, as more and more moans made clear. Especially when he played a little bit with their nipples.


    Soon, his curiosity in this regard was sated and another thing he wanted to try took hold in his mind. Something that had been Reysha¡¯s idea and, rightfully, he should try it on her first. Still, he hesitated to just go ahead.


    ¡°Please her first,¡± Aclysia suddenly said, as if reading his thoughts. Smiling, she earned a surprised look from Reysha. ¡°To celebrate your advances in recovery and because you¡¯re dear to me, Reysha,¡± the metal fairy whispered, before leaning down and kissing her sensually. It had been the tiger girl who had taught the angel to kiss and now she fully got to enjoy that, as light pink and dark lips opened wide, creating wet sounds between two tongues.


    Apexus smiled as best he could, while making his way back down the bed. By grabbing one of her soft legs, he turned her on her back. Her tail jumped excitedly on the mattress, but she didn¡¯t yet know what was actually about to happen. Apexus leaned between her legs and opened his mouth as wide as he could. A singular tendril, formed in his mouth cavity, stretched out and began to vibrate audibly, thanks to the connection to the Speaking Plates.


    There was a drawn out, muffled moan, that only grew louder when Apexus licked up her cunt and ended at her clit. His reward was a sudden tensing of her entire body and a lustful shout, still suppressed by the ongoing kiss. Pussy juice flowed in much higher quantities now and Apexus happily let that liquid seep through his membrane. It tasted sweet and salty, the later courtesy of the fact that Reysha hadn¡¯t washed since noon and her earlier running outburst.


    He didn¡¯t mind any of it, relished in it even. Although she didn¡¯t have the taste of a successful hunt, there was something even more satisfying than simple nutrients to her. Love and the lust of sex. Although Apexus was still infertile by his own choice, reversible at any point, his entire system was designed to reward the act of procreation and anything associated with it with pleasure.


    Unable to keep to teasing her, his faux-tongue pressed into her. It was longer than any humanoid tongue, nimbler than any human tongue, could be however girthy he wanted it and it vibrated. Apexus used all of those attributes to put into effect a lesson he had learned by watching the two women caress each other: that the way he used his limbs was even more important than the raw size of them. Although size could certainly help.


    Wiggling and shifting inside her, he searched for sensitive spots inside her. Clamping down around him in a rhythm that went along her repeated debauched cries, her tight cunt pleasured him just as much as he pleasured her. This tongue of his was a proper breeding tentacle, it could inseminate just as well as any other he grew elsewhere and was just as sensitive. The nerves focused in an engorged tip that stood out from the rest of the false tongue by being slightly engorged, like a tiny arrowhead. Although the vibrating by itself did little to pleasure Apexus, pressing the buzzing tongue against Reysha¡¯s insides caused quick and repeated tiny friction which felt extremely good. That and the months it had been since the last time their bodies unified like this would make this first exercise a short one.


    Something that was true for both of them.


    ¡°Fuuuuuuuck,¡± Reysha shouted, when her kiss with Aclysia finally broke. ¡°This is¡­ oh my fucking goddess, this is¡­ heavennnnnn¡­¡±


    ¡°You already speak of heaven when we just started?¡± the metal fairy whispered, only to moan when the tiger girl clawed one hand into her white hair in a slightly painful manner.


    ¡°Oh shut it, you adorable angel,¡± she playfully growled. ¡°I know you love being the submissive, so be a good servant and rub my clit.¡± Reysha pulled a bit at the fat assed fairy¡¯s hair. That was all it took for the white-haired woman to bite her lower lip, her horniness only growing with every moment she watched her darling tongue-fuck that mischievous tiger girl she loved almost as much as him. Her hand extended and she obeyed. Overflowing pussy juice made it laughably easy to rub her clit at an absurd pace. ¡°Oh¡­ oh my¡­ fuck¡­ I¡¯m¡­ shooooo cloooosshhhheeee,¡± Reysha slurred feeling the lust build up inside her. ¡°I¡­ am¡­ cumming! I AM CUMMING!¡± It broke and suddenly she shouted.


    Her hips rocked off the bed, but Apexus¡¯ flexible tongue stayed inside her, slithering and vibrating for a second longer, before control over his own vocalization organ failed him. Just as he came spurt for spurt inside her, her own love juices squirted out around his face. They were both only distantly aware of that, lost in their individual ecstasy, so long overdue.


    Long overdue and impossible to satisfy with just one go.


    As the torrent of lust that took hold of his body calmed, Apexus came to realize a curious fact. Although the membrane of his tongue was open for liquid to permeate, his own seed didn¡¯t. Gooey, it was around the tendril that it had been shot from, but it wasn¡¯t anything more than present around him. He was strangely thankful about that, tasting his own cum didn¡¯t sound like a great experience.


    Not willing to be distracted from that longer than necessary, Apexus pulled the false tongue out of Reysha and entirely absorbed it back into his form. As much as he enjoyed the view up her flat midriff, he wanted more, he needed more and he wanted to pleasure both of them, Aclysia needed his attention.


    ¡°Oh, fuck yes¡­¡± Reysha mumbled, still seeing little bits of white lightning flashing in her field of view. She had noticed the tingling sensation of slime¡¯s sperm inside her cunt, but didn¡¯t think much of the fact that she had just been filled up through a tongue. When had fucking with a sapient, chimeric slime not been weird? ¡°Oh, FUCK yes,¡± she then repeated, louder, when she felt the touch of several tentacles on her body. Aclysia moaned as well, the slithering sensation on her skin ingrained into her memory as something that came before and along raw, sexual bliss.


    Each tentacle sprouted from Apexus¡¯s back and curved around him, keeping the front of his body open to easily manoeuvre. For the moment, he just sat still and upright, concentrating on where his sexual outgrowths went. Winding around her waist and limbs, he effortlessly lifted the light Aclysia up into the air. Her wings fluttered in short, quick bursts, a motion of trembling excitement.


    Reysha had been absolutely right, the metal fairy loved being in submissive positions and there was none better than being immobilized by the coiling tendrils of the slime she loved. A fact Apexus hadn¡¯t quite caught onto yet, but was beginning to realize. ¡°Use me how you wish, darling,¡± the servant angel¡¯s moans helped spur those thoughts considerably. ¡°I will gladly serve in whatever position you see fit.¡± Her pussy drooled as she said those words.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Apexus said and tested the truth of her claim. Turning her so her back pointed towards the ceiling, he wrapped one tentacle around her neck and forced her to bend her spine and legs so her juicy ass stuck out as an absolute focus. He pulled her hands back between her wings and fused the tentacles binding them around her wrists, completely locking her in position. The drooling only increased, several gooey drops falling onto the cheap bed and staining the sheets.


    Apexus¡¯ lust rose. Having the ability to force her into a position like that spoke not only to his breeding instincts, but his predatory ones as well. That his humanoid form shifted his field of view over a metre upwards was something he hadn¡¯t truly appreciated until this moment. Even raised and helpless in his many grasps as she was at the moment, she was still below his neckline and something about that angle was just better. He liked being on top of his prey.


    ¡°Is this still how you want to serve my urges?¡± Apexus asked, mostly to make certain that she was still comfortable.


    ¡°Yesssssss,¡± she hissed, loving the soft pressure of the tentacle around her neck. It added an exciting layer to the remaining sensations. To the almost hair-thin tendrils attached to larger ones, aiming for her clit. To the specialized heads that sucked onto her hard nipples and caressed them with shifting bumps. To the tentacles playing with her tits. To those pressing into her ass and thick thighs. To the single, engorged head that grinded against her pussy lips.


    Apexus attention shifted to Reysha. The tiger girl gave him a playful and defiant stare, making clear that she was not to be dominated like that. That, of course, did not mean she didn¡¯t want Apexus¡¯ attention just that she did not subjugate her body to his desires. She may let him immobilize her if she was in the mood for it, but she would always want and keep the option to free herself and do what she wanted. Reysha was too much of a wild soul to be properly bound.


    There was no reason not to oblige. Both women intoxicated Apexus¡¯ equally, even if their behaviour was far from the same. The tentacles around her arms moved more softly, nudged her more than forcing her into a position. Moving one of his sexual outgrowths to her lips, Reysha smirked. ¡°Time to return the favour,¡± she purred, before wrapping her soft lips around the engorged head. She slid further down, a bit of a tricky thing with such a flexible object. Apexus kept the tentacles as steady and straight as he could, to allow her to continue. He groaned, a deep and pleasured sound, knowing that it pleased them to hear it as much as he loved every pitch of their debauched vocalizations.


    He didn¡¯t attach the same suction cups to her nipples. He didn¡¯t like the way they obstructed the vision from those dark, brownish pink crowns. Instead, he slithered two tentacles around her breasts and squished them with varying levels of aggressiveness. Her clit, however, did get into the pleasure of one of those specialized suction cup outgrowths. It attached just as he, unable to wait any longer, penetrated both his loves simultaneously.


    They cried out his name as tentacles parted their tight cunts. They were both extremely wet and the surface of the tentacles smooth, making it easy to slip deep inside, despite the lustful clenching around them. He stopped short of their womb, knowing that going that deep would have let them feel something on the unpleasant side of the scale. Instead, once that deep, he reversed course.


    It took all of two thrusts for Aclysia to cum. No less needy than the tiger girl and feeling so helpless and safe at the same time, her sensitivity was through the roof. Her body shook, spasms caused it to wind a little in the air, but any large movements were limited by her awakener. She could do little more than throw her head back, clench her fists and curl her toes. A long overdue orgasm washed through her like light through a dark room at sunrise.


    ¡°I love youuuuuu,¡± she screamed at the ceiling. The slime didn¡¯t stop for a second while she came. Instead, his thrusts increased in speed, as he remembered more and more how to properly engage with their smooth, curvy forms. He found those sensitive spots again and with how flexible his tentacles were, he could poke and grind them accurately between his thrusts.


    Aclysia was given no respite, no time to calm down from her lust and it made her maddeningly sensitive. Before she could scream anything else out, there were a lot of sweet nothings she would have poured her everything into, an extra tentacle slithered into her wide-open mouth and the throat behind. There was a moment of discomfort when it went too deep, but Apexus adapted immediately. She had thought being restrained and fucked was the ultimate satisfaction of this kink she had discovered, but being restrained and fucked on two ends, all by her darling, that only exceeded things further.


    While her muffled moans echoed through the room and one orgasm quickly followed the next, Reysha added loud slurping to the debaucher mixture of sounds. In a haze and with rapid movements, she sucked the two tentacles wrapped around her arms. She just followed her instincts, tending to one or the other. It made little to no difference, but she loved how erotic it made her feel to switch like that and how it must have looked.


    The repeated thrusts into her pussy were wonderful. Although the redhead missed those satisfying moments where hips slapped against hips and her entire body was shaken by repeated impacts, the tentacles had too many advantages to really complain. The way they could curve, the tiny ones caressing her clit and nipples, the one in her cunt increasing in girth until it fit her perfectly, they were all things a normal man could not give her. The ecstasy of being caressed in so many, custom tailored, ways was something she would not have exchanged for anything else. Even if the tentacles were less hard and impactful than normal cocks.


    ¡®For now,¡¯ Reysha found herself thinking with a glance towards the slime, whose main body leaned forwards and placed a human hand on her left tit. That Apexus would evolve was a given. That he one day might be able to give her both the proper pounding of a powerful man and this unique one-man tentacle gangbang at the same time was extremely likely. The fantasy of it made her moan, just as his delicate handling of her nipples had.


    Human hands were definitely made to handle the soft parts of female bodies, Apexus was utterly convinced of that now. Fondling and kneading both Reysha¡¯s tits and Aclysia¡¯s round butt, he got the best of both worlds, all while actively fucking them. The squishy feelings were only intensified, when he utilized human and slime limbs at the same time.


    He continued on and on, his stamina only limited by the temperature of the room and how much he had eaten recently. There were a multitude of sensations from everywhere he touched and penetrated, each adding to his rising lust. The penetration of their tight pussies. The way Aclysia let him fuck her throat with as little resistance as her reflexes allowed. The bobbing of Reysha¡¯s head on whatever tentacle she chose, movements that grew increasingly sloppy, less pleasurable but more erotic looking. The repeated, orgasmic spasms that struggled against and moved his tentacles, letting him know he was doing all the right things.


    He was close now. Following mere impulse, he changed their position in the final spurt. Aclysia on his left, Reysha on his right, both of their, comparatively small, frames pressed against one of his shoulders. Both women were facing each other, neither had a tendril in their mouth now, as the slime wanted to hear their moans, see their faces unhindered, revelling in ecstasy.


    His arms wrapped around them, caressed them. The two women gasped, leaning towards each other. Quickly, their tongues met in a wet, graceless kiss. With glassy eyes and pure indulgence in their nearly empty minds, they just sought whatever extra pleasure they could find in each other. All the while, the tentacles reached their highest speed yet, penetrating them and rubbing against them. They slithered through the valley between their breasts, grinded against firm asses and one tentacle, and Reysha even gave a handjob.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming,¡± Apexus warned and only got encouraging cries as his answer. Aclysia and Reysha broke their kiss, looked up at him simultaneously. Their mouths were wide open, tongues stretched out, their eyelids half-closed, and a sweaty and hazy expression dominated both of their gorgeous faces.


    ¡°Cover me, darling,¡± Aclysia gasped, the need dripping in her voice. ¡°Fill me up and cover me, give me all that we held back!¡±


    ¡°Fill my perverted pussy with your thick stuff again!¡± Reysha purred loudly in agreement. ¡°You made me cum again and again, now spill all that hot seed inside me! Taint my body-iiaaaaahhhhh!¡± Her final word contorted into a scream, as Apexus¡¯ final efforts sent her over the edge once more. Aclysia¡¯s followed suit a few seconds later and then, satisfied, the slime let go of his lust.


    White seed was created and immediately spurted out of the translucent tentacles. The most intense spurts shot out of the tentacles buried deep inside them. Everything else still shot a load that splattered over their curves. Hair, faces, tits, stomach, backs, ass, legs, there was not a part of them not hit by at least some of the thick, white ropes.


    They loved it, it was every bit the experience they had missed. In a debauched trance, they greedily lapped up what their tongues could reach. Their eyes were barely visible behind the lids, as they let out slurred shouts. All three of them were lost in the moment, all of them felt the intensity of pleasure releasing and, slowly, satisfaction settling in.


    The tentacles pulled back, when the last drops dribbled from the engorged heads. Without issue, they were reabsorbed into his body. Once it was only his arms still holding his two loves, now panting heavily and limp in his arms, save the occasional aftershock, he laid down with both of them on top.


    They continued to struggle for steady breathing for several minutes. Minutes filled with tiny concessions of love, perverted jokes and little, less sloppy kisses. The ragged rhythm of inhale and exhale slowed, then calmed, until it was silent in the candle-lit house. Reysha fell asleep first. Just a lazy blink that ended with her eyes staying close. Aclysia soon followed, she wasn¡¯t a being that needed to sleep, but sometimes her mind appreciated rest.


    Apexus looked at both of them for a little bit. ¡°I¡¯m lucky,¡± he whispered to himself and he meant it. Even with all the tribulations, trauma and the hunting he had faced, he still had something that he should always cherish.


    He closed his own eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 New Word, Old Problems Finale – A willingness to leave

    ¡°Notes for the future, have house next to some sort of source of running water if you have a lover who can cover you in buckets of cum,¡± Reysha declared while cleaning herself from the last remains of dried slime semen that had lasted from yesterday. As erotic as it was in the moment, the aftermath was more than a bit bothersome. Especially since they had slept and let it dry.


    It could have been somewhat alleviated if Apexus could have eaten the stuff off them. As he explained, however, he couldn¡¯t. Not only did he find the idea of eating his own semen tremendously yucky, fresh or dried (the latter was worse, in theory), but he straight-up couldn¡¯t. There was something about that composition that prevented it from being absorbed back into his body. A breeding-insurance mechanism that prevented him from accidentally decreasing the amount of his seed in the body of a female, while putting more than a single load into them.


    ¡°Even more advantageous would be a way to clean ourselves within our place of dwelling,¡± Aclysia added, combing through her hair with her fingers, while Apexus did her the favour of grooming her wings. She involuntarily giggled a bit, when he moved towards the root of the fuzz covered moth-like limbs. It was quite the sensitive area of her body, in a different way than what he had utilized last night.


    He moved a bit more aggressively, as aggressive as he could without causing the tickles to turn into scratching, and the metal fairy burst into laughter. A little spasm, and she fell face first into the cold water of the tree-enveloped pond. While that ended her laughter, it spurred Reysha to practically scream out her own enjoyment. Holding her sides, she toppled over as well.


    The two girls were naked, he was wearing his robe and mask. The colour of his skin had shifted to a light brown, relatively close to Reysha¡¯s skin. He found it to be a much more pleasant shade to have when the sun brightly fell down. Although Aclysia was gorgeous, when she stood in the sun it was hard to see anything about her. The snow-white complexion of her exterior turned much of her into a bright reflection of the sunrays.


    Fundamentally, he just had his clothes on and hid his translucent nature in case someone came by. A fear that was founded on the fact that they were over twenty minutes away from their house and somewhere a lot easier to find. While not quite a proper lake, the pond was permanent and several animals frequented it as their watering hole. Many animals meant many hunters and travellers would also stop here to quench their thirst.


    Reysha soon pounced on Aclysia in the shallow water. The joyful laughter turned into half-meant complaints, playful meows and sighs of struggle. The naked women wrestled, a battle that Reysha was sure to win. She drew it out, though, and Apexus quickly realized that this was less a battle for dominance than it was an excuse for the two of them to have their hands on each other. Aclysia moaned when the redhead gently bit her neck.


    ¡°Unfair!¡± Apexus complained from the side. ¡°I can¡¯t join when I have to wear these clothes. It is unfair!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you tonight,¡± Reysha promised, before leaning back down to Aclysia to continue where she left off. ¡°The water is a bit cold, so I just thought we should warm each other a bit, is that so wrong?¡±


    ¡°I am certainly¡­ interested,¡± Aclysia returned and gently cupped the tiger girl¡¯s breasts. Although she was blushing, the submissive fairy was far from sexually na?ve. Not anymore, at least. Her only experiences had been with those present, the same was true for Apexus, and both of them were appreciating the fun sides of non-procreational coitus. What they lacked in extensive experience, they made up for with vigour.


    Reysha would have certainly moaned, under normal circumstances, to encourage the white-haired angel to continue. Instead, her back shot up in a straight line.


    ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± Aclysia wondered, looking from Reysha over to Apexus and realizing he was also perked up. Shutting her mouth, she watched them turn their ears. Then the slime rose to his feet and started running. Although the tiger girl first dashed to her dagger, she not only caught up to him, but actually dashed right past him before they arrived at their target.


    With speed that almost reached to where she had been a few months ago, she leapt into the bush. There was a miserable, surprised sound, the sound of a dagger sinking into the soft ground and then a number of stammered pleas. Apexus recognized the panicked voice and soon he stepped onto the scene.


    Reysha pressed Nudru, the man being as nervous as ever, onto the floor. Although she was still stark naked, the failed Scribe¡¯s eyes were unable to focus on the luscious curves. Instead, they were glued to the wrist and the dagger next to his head. Apexus bowed over the scene. ¡°Did you want to see my women naked?¡± he asked and, for once, his tone was actually intended to sound threatening.


    ¡°No, no!¡± Nudru shouted and would have flailed around were it not for the knife and the general proximity of Reysha¡¯s fangs and claws. ¡°I just looked for you because¡­ I wanted to say my thanks and all that and I heard you laughing so I thought I would find you and I did but you were bathing so I decided to turn around and then you charged at me and I¡¯m very sorry I didn¡¯t mean to peep, please believe me!¡±


    Glancing over her shoulder, Reysha looked at Apexus, who stared at Nudru for a few more seconds and then nodded. That was believable enough, given the lightness of the situation. Getting off him, Reysha brushed some clumps of dirt off her weapon as she straightened up. Unashamed, she presented her nude body. She even stretched it a bit, brushing some of the wet hair out of her face. The motion was seductive entirely by the nature of her athletic body and luscious curves.


    ¡°You can go dress,¡± Apexus stated.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine the way I am,¡± Reysha answered and wrapped an arm around him. ¡°What, can¡¯t stand the idea of other men eye-fucking me?¡±


    ¡°Ocular organs doubling as sexual¡­ Oh, it¡¯s a metaphor for ogling,¡± Apexus started, then stopped himself when he got what she really meant. ¡°I don¡¯t mind too much if you don¡¯t, no,¡± he explained his position on the matter. Pulling at his own clothes, his words continued to elaborate, ¡°I think you wear clothes too often anyway. I know that skin is squishy and all that, so armour makes enough sense, but in day to day life, you wear too much.¡±


    ¡°Speaking right out of my soul,¡± Reysha purred, tossing the dagger into the air and catching it effortlessly.


    ¡°The point is, if you want to show yourself off, I do not mind too much. It does irk me a bit, feel like I should be the only one to see you naked, but if it''s just watching and no touching, I¡¯m not terribly annoyed. However¡­,¡± he looked at Nudru warningly. Having found his male instincts somewhere between the panic, he was now definitely checking out Reysha. ¡°¡­I won¡¯t have anyone staring at you unwanted.¡±


    ¡°Makes enough sense,¡± Reysha smirked and put her arms around him. ¡°Love ya,¡± she stated, gave a quick peck on his neck, and then walked away. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Aclysia to get dressed, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Apexus nodded and then turned back to Nudru. ¡°We understand each other, yes?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, sir!¡± the former adventurer exclaimed. After several moments of silence passed, the mundane man cleared his throat. ¡°I never saw you without your hood before. I, for some reason, thought you had blue skin.¡±


    ¡°Must be your imagination,¡± Apexus simply stated. The first time they had talked, the slime had incompletely coloured his skin because of the hurry, leaving parts of his face in their natural translucent state. It had served to spook the man a fair bit, but it had been a mistake regardless and Apexus didn¡¯t want him to remember that too intensely.


    A few minutes passed and then the girls continued, now dressed and somewhat dried. Shifting their position from the underbrush over to a nice place to sit by the water, they settled and Aclysia raised her voice. ¡°I must request you tell us why you sought us out again,¡± the metal fairy inquired, ¡°as far as we are concerned, our business should be concluded. Did you receive another threat this morning?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no, it seems they were true to their word,¡± Nudru quickly dissuaded that fear. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ well, I wanted to catch you before you left and say my thanks. What you did wasn¡¯t exactly normal, you know?¡±


    ¡°Leave?¡± Apexus asked and looked at his companions, who also exchanged glances with him and each other.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to?¡± Nudru asked, heavily confused.


    ¡°No¡­ no, I suppose we are,¡± the slime slowly answered as he thought about it. None of them had mentioned the possibility yet, but, confronted with the question, that was the only logical path to take. Reysha had overcome her worst barrier, Apexus and Aclysia had settled with time. They had been stagnant far too long and now it was time to pack their bags and finally go out to prepare for the inevitable. ¡°Yes,¡± he said, more strongly. ¡°Yes, we are.¡±


    The former Scribe gave them a long, daringly questioning stare. He still wasn¡¯t sure what to do with these three. On one hand, they were all uniquely powerful in their presence. Each on their own had something about them that made them stand out, visually and in their characteristics. Experiences and instincts that he could just feel were beyond what the average person had.


    On the other, they seemed absolutely inexperienced. Like a bunch of children that weren¡¯t sure what to do with the winds of fate that carried them along like dried leaves. They were thoroughly unusual. ¡®I wonder if¡­ with them¡­¡¯ Nudru thought, then shook his head. His adventuring days were definitely over and he did not have the stomach to face what they had to face.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t know just how right he was about that.


    ¡°Look,¡± he said, surprised himself at how firm his voice was. ¡°I want to forget all of this ever happened, because I now know that the life I thought I wanted, wasn¡¯t for me. I want to honour my friend¡¯s memories by living the rest of my days remembering them and maybe, one day, my children will be able to approach what I screwed up with a bit more wisdom. Or maybe they will learn from me to not even try. Not the point.¡± He cut himself off there to sort his thoughts and not ramble. ¡°I know you will never come back here. The debt collectors, as raw people as they were, I believe they will leave me alone for the rest of my life. I will do my best to never think about the details of this week, only what I learned, and I will do my best to entirely forget you. Because that¡¯s the one thing you asked for¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­but?¡± Apexus asked. He had come to realize what that silence meant. It was one of the most obvious tells basically everyone seemed to share. Usually, people also locked the most important thing they wanted to get out behind that.


    ¡°¡­but there has to be something else I can offer you,¡± Nudru came out and said it. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your problem with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is and I won¡¯t pry. All I know is that I think you are good people and¡­ and that I want to help you in what little way I can. I will make you this offer and you¡¯re completely alright to refuse it¡­ I would make you an Adventurer¡¯s Pass. You already have the copper sheets, I just need to do some Scribe magic and it''s done.¡± He saw the trio hesitate. ¡°O-of course I know you could have been using fake names the entire time, s-so if you don¡¯t want me to, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t exactly the names that caused them to think about this. All three of them had Classes that were rather memorable. If, which the trio did not know, there would even be a Class on Apexus¡¯ sheet. ¡°Could you¡­?¡± Reysha asked and made a gesture as if she was holding her ears close.


    ¡°Oh, yes, c-c-c-cer-t-t¡­¡± all of the mental strength he had mustered was drained now and he just did as asked, burying his fingers in his earholes until he could only hear his own blood moving.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stab you into your stupid fucking face,¡± Reysha said at normal conversation levels and observed no reaction. ¡°Alright, he really can¡¯t hear us. There is no way he wouldn¡¯t have at least gotten pale.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia agreed and then got into the topic. ¡°Should we take the offer? It will only give him more to remember us by.¡±


    Apexus swayed his head left to right, ¡°He already has names and appearances¡­ I don¡¯t think this would add anything else to what could already give us away.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, it¡¯s the only thing that could give us any idea what he even is,¡± Reysha chimed in and gestured at Apexus. ¡°Because we still don¡¯t have any fucking clue. He says he just started existing.¡±


    ¡°Is true, I did,¡± the slime answered and showed a tiny gap between thumb and index finger. ¡°I used to be a simple drop, now I am a complex organism. I evolved like¡­ nothing else¡­¡±


    ¡°None of your usual Apexus-isms?¡± Reysha wanted to know.


    ¡°Apexus-isms?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what I call your very odd metaphors.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m flattered?¡±


    ¡°Basic as it is, the magic the Scribe¡¯s use to analyse things channels the very core of the Omniverse. It is undiluted knowledge, untouched even by the gods,¡± Aclysia mumbled, partially into her raised hand. ¡°If there is anything that could give the most basic clue what you are, it would be this.¡± She looked up. ¡°I reckon we should take his offer. We have little more to lose than we did already.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I agree,¡± Reysha nodded.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Apexus went along and gestured for Nudru to put the fingers out of his ears. ¡°We accept the offer.¡±


    The Scribe was happy. It wasn¡¯t a big thing, but it was something he could do for them. Quickly, the copper plates were handed over and one by one, they went through the little ritual. All Nudru needed was his Scribe feather and a few drops of their blood.


    This was why they started with Reysha. The redhead pricked her thumb with the tip of her dagger and little bit later, she got her card back. ¡°Level 13, Noir Rogue,¡± she reported. ¡°No big changes here.¡±


    Nudru swallowed the question of what ¡®Noir¡¯ meant. That wasn¡¯t his job here. Instead, he moved onto Aclysia. He was more than a bit surprised when she, upon cutting herself, bled a reddish gold liquid that seemed much thinner than normal blood. One drop alone fell and the wound closed. ¡°I cannot spend more than that, my body is not designed to bleed,¡± she explained simply. As long as she had magic, she would heal herself. Only completely exhausting her supply, like had happened all the way back when Apexus and her had only lived in the wilderness around the mountain, would force her body into a state where her soul left it. Even that was doubtful, given her current binding to this vessel by the will of her father and her wish. Given that it was complete, a ¡®death¡¯ for her was unlikely to be absolute.


    Reysha had a point when she called her immortal.


    After completing the ritual, the Scribe only got more confused. ¡°Level 10, Guardian Angel,¡± the metal fairy read her own description.


    Again, Nudru knew better to ask questions. Even when Apexus warned, ¡°Keep your hand from the liquid after it leaves my body,¡± only for the skin of his finger to thin, he was quiet. Three drops fell on the copper plate. Nudru concentrated his magic into the feather and etched into the plate what his wrist knew to do. What then was written there finally caused his silence to break.


    ¡°Omniverse Slime Chimera?¡± he asked. That it was a Class that needed 3 words was odd enough. What those three words entailed only confused him more.


    ¡°Would you like to see?¡± Apexus asked and tilted his head. They had lain themselves bare already, there was nothing left to hide. Slowly, very slowly, Nudru nodded. Taking off the mask, the slime let his skin become the usual translucent colouration.


    ¡°What are you?¡± the Scribe whispered, staring at the blank skull and all attached to it.


    ¡°Omniverse Slime Chimera,¡± Apexus answered, the words passing his unmoving lips in perfect clarity. He took the copper sheet. ¡°Says so right here. It¡¯s as clear as the charred remains of wood prove a forest fire.¡± He looked a bit closer. ¡°Level 12.¡± His ear flicked. ¡°I guess this at least proves that I am part of the Omniverse?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative ¨C not that there was any doubt about that,¡± Aclysia sighed a little bit. ¡°This answers very little about your origin. It¡¯s just telling us that you¡¯re not a Parasyte and describes what you are. We know as much now as we did before.¡±


    ¡°Still nice to have it in black and white thought,¡± Reysha stated.


    ¡°Is that the proper metaphor?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Weird one.¡±


    ¡°They almost all are.¡±


    Seeing that exchange, whatever horror Nudru felt faded quickly and he put away his feather. What he just learned was simply beyond what he wanted to get involved with. It underlined his decision to forever forego adventuring. ¡®Not even with them,¡¯ he decided. ¡®A real adventurer would probably feel curious at this revelation I¡­ just want to go home and sleep for three days.¡¯ He smiled, happily, ¡°Then this is the end for me and you, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°If you want to leave now, then yes,¡± Apexus said. ¡°You will forget us.¡±


    ¡°To the best of my ability,¡± the Scribe promised in a joking tone. ¡°I can only thank you for everything,¡± he said while getting up. ¡°Thank you for helping where you could, even if you had no reason to. Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye,¡± Apexus echoed.


    ¡°Have a happy life, Nudru,¡± Aclysia bowed her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get in anymore fucking trouble, we won¡¯t come back here,¡± Reysha smirked.


    Nudru just laughed, it was a dry and a little lonely sound. He knew she was right. They would never come back and he would likely never leave. He walked away, away from the trio, away from the pond, and over to the safe harbour of civilization. One time, he looked over his shoulder, to see those three talking a bit more.


    That was the last time Nudru saw them.

 Humanoid Road – Prologue – The new goal

    Back in the house, the trio sat around their stone slab and opened up the map. They hadn¡¯t looked at it for several months but the inside of Aclysia¡¯s adventurer¡¯s bag had stored it well. Still slightly off and with several minor drawing errors, the black outline of Azenia-Ra greeted them.


    Looking at it only made them realize all the more how much time they had spent in a small corner of this Leaf. ¡°What do we do next?¡± that was the question on everyone¡¯s mind and Apexus spoke it out loud. It went out more to Aclysia than to Reysha.


    Not only was the metal fairy decisively the main brains of their operations, she also had gathered the most amount of information. Usually being the one that went out to do trades and the like, she had picked up a bit of coherent knowledge about the Leaf. Reysha had some supporting figments from her eavesdropping, but that only went so far.


    ¡°Obviously, we need to be stronger,¡± Aclysia answered and looked at the map. ¡°That has to be our immediate goal for as long as Apotho remains a threat to us¡­ which is likely until death claims him or us.¡± She tapped on their current location, or at least an approximation of it. ¡°Our two goals have to be to gain strength and to delay confrontation with Apotho or whatever forces he sends after us for as long as possible. To that end I suggest that our immediate decision should be to move west to the Verdany dungeon.¡± Her finger trailed over to the location.


    Verdany was located on the western end of the jungle-filled island they had briefly passed through on their way to the Summer Rest. As it was a dungeon of the level 10 to 15 difficulty range and relatively close, it was the natural place to visit next.


    ¡°We should clear Verdany only once. Reysha and I growing stronger is not the objective at that location. Instead, we should only go through in search of items and useful Growths for Apexus to acquire permanently, once we defeat the boss. From what we know of his acquisition of lasting Growths, it requires that the surroundings pose a proper challenge. Combining this with our knowledge that darling, like us, has levels, we can assume that any dungeon in the appropriate or a higher difficulty range for that level could suffice.¡±


    Apexus hummed and tilted his head in thought. ¡°So, we should hurry through Verdany so I do not cross level 15 and can still get permanent Growths from Myrlight and Myrm Nest?¡± he asked, pointing at the other two dungeons in that level range on the Leaf. If they kept exploration and combat to the necessary minimum, it was possible that he could get three Growths out of the three dungeons. Grinding through for levelling purposes would likely make this impossible.


    ¡°That would be the logical approach to this,¡± Aclysia nodded. ¡°If we can methodically exploit your ability to evolve, then we should do so.¡±


    ¡°Not like we should stay too long in any one place anyway,¡± Reysha brought another reason to the table. ¡°So, we go to Verdany and then clear the rest of the Leaf?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°We have four paths forwards, as I see it. Two of them are similar, but the underlying rationale is different. Our first option is to simply clear the dungeons in a safe order of ascending level.¡± She gestured over the map a route they could follow. ¡°Alternatively, we could push ourselves along, sacrificing efficiency of Apexus¡¯ Growth acquisition in favour of quickly gaining more levels. To that end, we would skip a few dungeons.¡± More gestures, another route. ¡°The third and fourth options that come to mind are based on intel I do not have yet. One way or another, we will visit cities and I want to take that time to ask about nearby Leaves. It could be, unlikely as it is, that another Leaf holds better opportunities for us to increase our strength or be otherwise safe. In that case, I would suggest we go to Verdany, then Myrlight, and then leave. Of course, that also depends on the Infestation being removed by then. Lastly, and this option similar to the first one, I have heard rumours about the Long Way,¡± she tapped onto the centre of the map.


    ¡°The ones where there might be a portal in there?¡± Reysha asked, having heard that name before.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Aclysia nodded. ¡°If the Infestation remains for a longer time, which is likely, such a portal would be our best way to leave this world behind. It would also serve to greatly obscure our tracks. I want to inform myself about the validity of this rumour and any potential conditions to cross it.¡± Her hand wandered back to Verdany. ¡°Whatever else we decide to do, heading to the jungle is our best option in the short term. What we decide to do afterwards is up to us.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Apexus nodded. Although he did not know whether his instinct driven evolution would trigger reliably if approached like a simple numbers game, everything else about all plans was solid.


    ¡°Next question,¡± Reysha raised her left hand and pointed at it. ¡°What do we do with this?¡± The question was completely in regards to the demonic nature of that hand. ¡°For all we know, this might be the way Apotho can find us again¡­¡±


    ¡°Unlikely,¡± Aclysia shook her head. ¡°To be more precise, it is highly unlikely that he would have limited himself to this one way.¡± Shifting her attention from the map to Apexus, Aclysia wrapped her arms around her slime and cuddled. This entire discussion awoke fears in her that she would rather keep suppressed. ¡°That sociopath primarily wants revenge on Apexus. He wouldn¡¯t run the risk of us separating and him therefore being unable to find us. If your arm serves as some sort of trackable beacon, then that is only insurance on top of some other fundamental measure by which he can find our darling.¡±


    ¡°What we should do is keep a lookout for methods to purify or replace your arm,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°Until then, it should stay attached. Having you fight one handed wouldn¡¯t serve us well.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± Reysha formed a fist, opened it again, then repeated the motion a few times. An unsure expression crossed her face. Nothing about this felt unusual to her. She knew it wasn¡¯t the arm that she had been born with, but it still felt purely like hers. It was part of her and the nails had the same blood-red tint to it as the right side. Noir consistently affected both sides. ¡°If we run into a skilled Warlock, I guess I should ask what exactly this arm even is.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we should keep it in mind,¡± Apexus agreed and looked at the map again. ¡°We have our goal, then¡­ When do we leave? Immediately?¡± The suggestion passed his lips without much thought. It just felt right. There was nothing keeping them there, no acquaintances or unfinished business. They only needed each other, fundamentally. Everything else was additional.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Reysha nodded and Aclysia was also in agreement. The metal fairy began to fold the map, while Apexus and the tiger girl scouted through the house for things they should take with them. Strips of cloth, rations and small tools that they had bought over recent months to get things fixed up. Small issues were discussed, such as Reysha¡¯s needs for new leather pants. Since they didn¡¯t have money at the moment, that particular one had to wait.


    It only took half an hour for them to be certain they had everything on them that they could take with them. Apexus would miss the bed, but, for the rest of the house, he didn¡¯t feel too much. They left it in a much better state than they had found it. Chances were, whoever would live in there next, would only find the cabin after the elements had reduced it to its former state, however.


    ¡°It was a nice time,¡± he said, wanting to at least pay some respects.


    ¡°It was alright. Having a bed was great,¡± Reysha stretched, sharing his opinion in basically all aspects of this. Neither of them were beings that became particularly attached to any place. They were migratory at heart.


    ¡°I will miss having a home,¡± Aclysia sighed, she was slightly different in that regard. ¡°Not that this place ever truly felt like one¡­ I wonder why that is¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably because Apexus held back his pheromone ducts all the time,¡± Reysha giggled and poked the slime¡¯s side through the robe. ¡°Congrats on managing to do that even while we were fucking, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I have self-control,¡± he responded, proud of himself. ¡°Like a clam around predators, I knew to keep my shell closed.¡±


    ¡°A lack of smell could have hindered the feeling of homeliness,¡± Aclysia did agree, then she sighed. ¡°As it is, as it might be, let us resume our wandering, then.¡±


    They turned around and aimed towards the nearby hills. Their load was light and their stride enthusiastic. After all this time, they almost couldn¡¯t believe they were on the move again. Although Aclysia disliked not having a place they could call home, she was happy to orient herself towards something productive. Finally, being gone from one place also eased her fears of being discovered. Apexus just cherished the idea of eating something else and doing the things that felt natural to him. Reysha was the happiest of all of them. After all, she finally felt comfortable in her own head again.


    They did the usual thing, talking about what came to mind or just walking along in relaxed silence if there was nothing. Crossing through small valleys, and staying away from any settlements in the area, they went deeper and deeper into the arrangement of large hills until they climbed the tallest one in the area. From up there, they could see the entire surroundings. The giant tree of Summer Rest was in the distance, one of the two huge cities even closer. The other large one to the north was hidden behind the curvature of the planet.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Apexus said and quickly stripped off his robe and mask. Aclysia had barely stashed both away when he started to change the shape of his body. Spine segments extended and his arms became longer, until he was more comfortable standing on all fours than on two legs. All the while, his entire body just grew in size, until he was closer to a horse than a human. ¡°Get on my back,¡± he told Reysha.


    The tiger girl nodded and soon her arms firmly wrapped around his neck. Unlike on the way here, Apexus was confident she would keep herself steady. This would allow them to bridge greater distances in the air than before. That there were fewer villages in the direction they were going also helped a great deal. When they had made their way to Summer Rest, they had been hunting for money, travelling on foot, and getting knowledgeable about the environment and the people. Now this was less necessary.


    ¡°We will land on the other side of the strait to visit the city,¡± Aclysia announced, starting to hover off the floor next to them. Less necessary still meant that they had their information to gather. ¡°We should land in the outskirts of the jungle and then backtrack on foot. That will be the safest approach.¡±


    They would also need to hunt. From where they were, it would take hours to get where Aclysia described. Almost the entire rest of daylight, in all due likelihood. Regardless, Apexus nodded, and began to run. His wings beat and soon he lost contact with the ground.


    They would never return to that island.

 Humanoid Road 1 – Jungle and Coins

    It went quite smooth for the longest while. The winds were a bit turbulent, but Apexus managed to shake off the salty breeze and eventually they reached ashore. Water gave way to green plain and green plain was exchanged for the dense forest. It sprung up rather suddenly, like a verdant green wall.


    With it came the noises. Buzzing insects and singing birds were among the more pleasant things. More discomforting where the screams. Mating calls and war cries by apes and other primates, ready to defend their territory, echoed past the canopies. Large cats and bears roared in response, using the individual might of their lungs to overpower the bellowing of the groups. The jungle was full of life and all of it competed over resources that became limited by the sheer number of different lifeforms it could sustain.


    Fundamentally, Apexus found it interesting. A place so teeming with different forms of life should have been heaven for someone like him. There were so many kinds of meat, fruit and fibre to taste and replicate. Unlikely that he could keep anything permanently, given that the time such information was saved inside his nucleus was limited, but that didn¡¯t suppress his curiosity.


    The endless torrent of sounds, however, was just horrible. It only got worse when Apexus broke through the canopies, his mass creating a tunnel for Aclysia to follow through. Ivy and taut, rope-like plants spanning between the immense branches blocked their path. Their actions only sent the surrounding fauna into even more of a shrieking frenzy.


    Eventually, everything that could scream had cleared the immediate area and Apexus managed to find a spot to land between the trees. The ground was covered in roots, small plants and stone. Very little actual soil was visible. Even the plants were desperately competing for what nourishment they could find. Moss and mushrooms capitalized on every last weakness they saw, infesting bark and other surfaces.


    While Reysha slipped off his back, Apexus said, ¡°Screeching forest.¡±


    ¡°Jungle,¡± Aclysia corrected in a friendly fashion, landing elegantly. ¡°Rainforest, perhaps, but ¡®screeching forest¡¯ is not something that is said.¡±


    ¡°Am aware¡­ I am aware,¡± Apexus made a sour face, of all the mistakes he made speaking, that one just refused to go away completely. ¡°I do remember those words, I just think that¡¯s a more apt description of the way things are around here.¡±


    ¡°I can certainly see your point,¡± the metal fairy nodded, looking up to a pack of monkeys that was reclaiming the branches they had crashed through. They started mockingly shouting after just a few moments of observation, jumping in the trees. Especially the juvenile primates seemed intent on getting a bit closer and throwing pieces of dead bark at the trio.


    They had encountered adventurers before and knew that even the winged ones couldn¡¯t harm them up there in the trees. By the time Aclysia would have opened her wings, they would already be three trees removed from their current location. As far as Apexus was concerned, even after morphing back into his humanoid shape, he was simply too large to take off the ground. The space between the trees wasn¡¯t large enough to gain the necessary speed to break through the canopies. He was, effectively, grounded.


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Reysha screamed and grabbed one of her throwing knives. It cut through the air but ultimately missed the target. Not because of the loud warning she had given, but because she simply missed. The knife slammed into a branch next to a juvenile¡¯s head and got stuck there. Intimidated enough, the pack decided to move somewhere else for entertainment.


    ¡°Did you have to use a knife?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°What, did you want to keep those fuckers around?¡± Reysha wondered and brushed some of her crimson mane back. ¡°No idea how bad it is for you two, but hearing them scream with four ears is ABSURDLY obnoxious.¡±


    ¡°I would simply suggest you use a pebble.¡± The metal fairy bowed down and picked a moss-covered rock off the ground. It was a bit too big to be thrown properly, but it served as an example. ¡°Since you effectively just threw a silver coin away.¡±


    ¡°Ah, uh,¡± Reysha looked down on what she had remaining in terms of throwing knives. Then she looked up the tree. ¡°Right, can¡¯t really retrieve that from way the fuck up there¡­ Well, I guess I could climb?¡± Before she could test that thesis, Aclysia had already taken off the ground and hovered up to that branch. It took her a bit of pulling, but she eventually freed the knife and returned with it. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have done that from the start?¡± Reysha asked, as she took the knife back.


    ¡°Yes, but would you learn if I did so?¡± the metal fairy answered with a question of her own.


    ¡°Why a silver?¡± Apexus asked out of nowhere.


    ¡°I require a more elaborate question, darling,¡± Aclysia turned to him with a patient smile. Everything that gave her an excuse to converse more with her beloved smile was a welcome topic.


    ¡°I want to know why the throwing knife costs a silver.¡± He gestured at the weapon as it slid into the holster among its nine brethren. ¡°It¡¯s just sharpened iron. Shouldn¡¯t they take the amount of iron needed to forge such a thing as coin, plus a little extra for the work?¡±


    Between copper and silver were actually two more kinds of coins. The categorization of coins followed the kinds of identification cards the Adventurer¡¯s Guild handed out, being ten different metals of ascending value. Copper, bronze, iron, silver, gold, platinum, titanium, Azurust, Orichalcum and, lastly, Divinium. All were used in equipment forging to some degree, copper mostly in very basic magic channelling charms, giving a guaranteed basic value to all of those coins. A value that, of course, shifted between leaves.


    Which was also the answer as to why Apexus didn¡¯t encounter any bronze or iron coins so far. ¡°My assumption would be that all iron immediately wanders into blacksmithing. People around here have more use for an extra pair of swords than they have for an additional silver necklace. Without any enchanters around, silver, gold and platin are likely quite useless. As for bronze, it might simply be that they don¡¯t have the necessary metals around to produce the alloy.¡± Aclysia presented what explanations her mind had already come up with. Since this was a fairly obvious question, she had asked herself the same thing in the past. ¡°Around here, they seem to have simply skipped out on those two coins went directly from copper to silver.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay?¡± Apexus found that confusing.


    ¡°Fundamentally, a coin is worth as much as the trading partner is willing to give up to acquire it. The money system may have been popularized by the Trader¡¯s Guild for ease of inter-Leaf commerce, but local deviations, or even entirely different currencies, are to be expected.¡±


    The more he heard, the less Apexus understood. ¡°Why not stones, then?¡± he asked and picked up the very same rock Aclysia had used to exemplify moments ago. ¡°Why not make stones the currency.¡±


    ¡°It needs to have a basic rarity so people cannot simply inflate the amount of money present in the marketplace, but certain shapes of stone could serve as currency, certainly.¡± Aclysia pointed at the rock Apexus was holding. ¡°Moss covered stones could be a currency.¡± Her hand wandered on towards a tree. ¡°Bark of certain plants could be a currency.¡± She pointed at Reysha, hesitated enough to interrupt her flow, but finished her examples regardless. ¡°Cute tiger girls could be a currency.¡±


    Reysha started giggling a lot, while Aclysia blushed a fair bit. Despite the fact that she had said it and that she had meant it, it was still embarrassing. ¡°Love ya too, babe,¡± the redhead grinned and gave Aclysia a quick kiss.


    Apexus was still trying to wrap his mind around money. ¡°So, what the money is isn¡¯t important? It''s just a token for understood value? The whole system works because it is agreed on that the coin has value?¡±


    ¡°Essentially,¡± Aclysia nodded. ¡°In the case of metal coins, it is of course easier, since they always have a base floor of value.¡±


    ¡°How does a system like that not collapse?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it does collapse,¡± Reysha yawned. ¡°All the time. When I left home, we had a random influx of gold and silver, because a huge caravan came in and bought stuff to sell to another Leaf. Prices for everything went up. Except jewellery, of course. Not a perfect system.¡±


    ¡°Periods of decay aside, it allows for greater efficiency than trading things for things. Because money has been agreed upon to have future value, even if that value might fluctuate, it removes the necessity to get an immediate return out of a trade.¡±


    Apexus could see the lines connect, even if it wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°So, you hunt and you give some of the meat to someone else, so you can buy meat later on? And If I sell more than I buy I can eventually buy stuff that¡¯s worth more than any individual transaction because you have saved up the value of numerous.¡± He didn¡¯t need to see Aclysia nod to know he was right. Humanoids were clearly a thousand time scarier than ant colonies, if they used a system that complicated and ingenious to exchange value.


    Every time the slime heard about this ¡®economy¡¯ thing; he felt a bit smaller.


    ¡°And all that on the fact that people just believe that round pieces of metal are worth something,¡± the slime mumbled, while Reysha continued to giggle. Then her stomach growled, reminding Apexus that he, with all of the transforming he had recently done, was also quite hungry.


    Reysha alleviated her hunger by reaching into her bag and retrieving some edible monster remains. ¡°Want some?¡± she offered Apexus, who shook his head. She didn¡¯t offer enough to sate him. She couldn¡¯t. If she did, they would be out of suitable rations for her in one day and she would have to subsist off things she found disgusting. Since Apexus did not suffer from that problem, and he was also capable of eating just about anything organic, he instead clawed off whatever plants or bugs he found around him and shoved them into his mouth. After having to keep on that robe for so long, he had gotten used to eating all but the largest things through that opening. It wasn¡¯t the most efficient way, but it was the easiest.


    Once they were both filled up, Apexus was handed his usual clothes. Slipping into the robe was a bit complicated, courtesy of his wings. There were slits at the back for them to squeeze through, but because the robe was tailored for people with wings in general, they didn¡¯t exactly fit him. The slits were a bit too tight. It helped with preventing people from looking past the base of his wings and see his skin, or proper lack thereof, but actually pushing through there was a neck breaking endeavour. Quite literally, as Apexus usually turned his head around to see what exactly he was doing.


    ¡°That looks freaky no matter how often I see it,¡± Reysha commented, when Apexus¡¯ head turned back forwards and lodged into the proper position for humans. Since the slime had just the skeleton without all the cartilage or nervous systems, he could do such things with just some manipulation of the structure. It was rarely useful, but it was a thing regardless.


    ¡°I am the most flexible vertebrate you will ever see,¡± Apexus declared, while binding the robe close at the waist, collar and at the height of his knees. One mask later and he was as hidden as he could be. He went with a light brown skin tone today, about the same as Reysha¡¯s. As much as he loved Aclysia, her pale complexion wasn¡¯t pleasant in overly sunny environments. Somewhat ironic, given that she was  an angel of a summer god.


    ¡°That hurts my pride!¡± Reysha playfully complained.


    ¡°Why?¡± Aclysia wondered as she gestured in the direction they had to take.


    ¡°As a feline person, I¡¯m supposed to be the most flexible thing in the room!¡± she declared. ¡°Ya know how many guys I got salivating just by showing that I could tuck my legs under my shoulders?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a very sexy position,¡± Apexus commented. ¡°Delicious butt showcase.¡±


    ¡°Case in point,¡± Reysha stated.


    ¡°I can do the same, albeit I admit that you¡¯re still more flexible than I,¡± Aclysia commented.


    ¡°Which reminds me how weird it is that you have bones,¡± Reysha got a little bit side tracked. Squeezing Aclysia¡¯s upper arm, she felt the outer and inner layer of the angel¡¯s body. All of it was metal, but it wasn¡¯t all equally structured. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have had areas that were so much like flesh, particularly her big bubble butt, that it would have been impossible to tell her apart from normal people.


    ¡°I am as my father created me. This is beside the point. What makes you think that races partially related or inspired by felines are supposed to be the most flexible?¡±


    ¡°You know what they say, cats are liquid.¡±


    ¡°Who says that?¡±


    ¡°You know, the people.¡±


    ¡°The people are not a reliable source of information.¡±


    ¡°Fact is,¡± Apexus got involved. ¡°I am liquid, so, at worst, we should be equally flexible. You can dislocate your joints at will, so we¡¯re basically equal.¡±


    ¡°Not my neck though.¡±


    ¡°Yet.¡±


    ¡°I guess? I won¡¯t try.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t plan to ask you. I love you being alive. You¡¯re gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°So many compliments today,¡± Reysha purred. ¡°Don¡¯t feed my ego too much, it might bubble over into being horny.¡± She glanced at the trees. The closer they got to the outskirts of the jungle, the quieter it became, but it never went silent. ¡°I kind of like the idea of screaming against that cacophony.¡±


    ¡°We will be travelling for a little while. That opportunity might present itself,¡± Aclysia dared to suggest and got herself a grin from Reysha. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Its just that every time you say something like that, I remember that you¡¯re a kinky, submissive girl that likes outdoor sex. You really don¡¯t look the type.¡±


    Aclysia ran a hand over her hair in a shy motion. ¡°I honestly prefer beds and caves over the open sky, but whatever inhibitions I have are usually¡­ greatly diminished when I¡¯m horny¡­¡±


    ¡°I kind of like the idea of being watched,¡± Reysha purred in response. ¡°What about you, Apexus?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Apexus thought about that for a moment. ¡°Are we safe, in this theoretic situation?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely safe,¡± Reysha nodded, wondering what the answer was going to be.


    ¡°Hmmmmmmmm,¡± Apexus thought a bit more. ¡°I like doing it under the sky because that feels more free¡­¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Reysha smirked and nodded some more. The wind on her skin, the nature around them, it just added to the wildness of the lovemaking.


    ¡°¡­being watched, though, I don¡¯t know. Depends on who and why, but in general I don¡¯t lean either way?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to show a group of people just how thoroughly you can fuck us?¡± Reysha wondered. ¡°Because I think it¡¯s a shame not to at least SOMEWHAT show off what you have. Feels like a fucking waste.¡±


    ¡°A not particularly virtuous stance,¡± Aclysia chimed back into the discussion.


    ¡°Girl, ya know me. I got plenty of vices, even if I¡¯m now trying to reign in the worst of them. Let¡¯s not rehash the entire ¡®Why is it that important for you to fuck?¡¯ discussion.¡±


    Apexus raised one hand to his chin and tilted his head in a thinking pose. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have anything to show off. Historically, revealing myself to people didn¡¯t work out that well.¡±


    ¡°If you have nothing to show off? You¡¯re a sexual beast!¡± Reysha declared. ¡°I haven¡¯t had any sex as good as the things you could do with your tentacles alone. All the other shit your body continued to evolve isn¡¯t even required; it just makes it better!¡±


    Apexus noted that silently and took it as a slight ego boost. He knew that he didn¡¯t leave them dissatisfied, that much was obvious, but he didn¡¯t have any chance to compare himself to normal shaped males. ¡°Still don¡¯t think I would find it appealing or unappealing to have sex in front of other people. All I want is for us to feel good. Everything else is optional.¡±


    ¡°D¡¯aww, listen to you, being all earnest and adorable,¡± Reysha put the ending line under the topic, as the edge of the jungle came into view between the trees.

 Humanoid Road 2 – Two Girls and Dark Times

    Apexus stayed in the forest. His job was to search for something edible. Something edible for Reysha, to be more exact, since he could subsist on just about anything organic. The tiger girl would accompany Aclysia in her effort to gather information about the Long Way. In order to find each other later, Apexus marked a peculiar looking formation of dead trees with his pheromones.


    Although that lent some reason as to why Reysha tagged along, Aclysia still asked, ¡°Why did you want to come with me?¡±


    ¡°Ya don¡¯t want me to?¡± the redhead returned a question of her own.


    Aclysia shook her head in denial, ¡°If such were the case, I would have raised my protests before we left. No, I simply find myself wondering about your reasoning. You¡¯re usually much happier to hunt than you are to engage in contact with civilization.¡± Glancing over her shoulder, Aclysia took one last look at the meeting spot. ¡°Your nose will be helpful in locating our darling but I would be able to find this spot without you. Your company isn¡¯t required.¡±


    ¡°I guess you got me there,¡± Reysha hummed and folded her hands behind her head as the two of them marched across the green plain. Their target was a road in the distance. Following it eastwards would lead them to their goal. Humming some more, the tiger girl suddenly started to giggle. ¡°I¡¯ve no clue,¡± she finally responded, ¡°I just decided I¡¯ll do it, so I did.¡±


    Aclysia sighed and then smiled, ¡°That is just like you. Truthfully, I should tell you to head back. I¡¯m conspicuous enough on my lonesome.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I could make up a reason on the spot,¡± Reysha offered. ¡°Just so you won¡¯t feel too bad.¡±


    ¡°If you would humour that pedantically logical part of my brain, I would be much obliged,¡± Aclysia responded. Regardless of whether or not the reason was good, she wouldn¡¯t actually send Reysha back. Even if the two of them hadn¡¯t always seen eye to eye on issues and would certainly clash again over their differing viewpoints in the future, they did like each other. Having Reysha¡¯s company was soothing, be it only for the conversations.


    ¡°If we need to deal with some unsavoury individuals, you¡¯ll suck at talking to them,¡± the redhead presented the made-up reason. ¡°Your overblown way of speaking will just piss them off and you won¡¯t get the jargon. Better to have me around to reply in kind.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Aclysia tilted her head as she thought about it. ¡°The insult to my choice of vocabulary aside, that is a sound reason.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I just want to be around other people again,¡± Reysha hummed a more personal rationale. ¡°Not really sure. Has been so long since I went anywhere by daylight.¡±


    ¡°As it stands, that won¡¯t change today,¡± Aclysia asserted, with an eye on the quickly approaching sunset.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t stare directly at the sun, it¡¯ll give you eye problems,¡± Reysha joked.


    ¡°I am quite certain that this doesn¡¯t apply to angels made of metal,¡± Aclysia responded.


    ¡°You say that as if there are other angels.¡±


    ¡°I think there are,¡± the metal fairy responded. Their conversation came to a momentary halt when they decided to take opposite paths around a large tree. When they converged again on the other side, Aclysia noticed Reysha¡¯s questioning gaze. ¡°The details of this have been removed from my memories, but it appears logical to me that different gods craft their ambassadors in different ways. In the end, this body,¡± she touched her chest at the collarbone to emphasize, ¡°is just a shell my immortal soul inhabits. A form made from flesh, wood or water is just as feasible as one made from metal. It is in the hands of the gods.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Reysha was unable to come up with any counter-arguments. Even if she had, it would have been purely for the sake of continuing the conversation. Instead, there was a moment of silence as she kicked a pebble down the road.


    ¡°Might I ask something dark?¡± Aclysia asked. The silence of grass was exchanged for the crunching of dirt, as they stepped onto the basic road.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Reysha felt the last rays of sunlight vanish off her face, as the shining star reached the end of this circle.


    Even with that confirmation, it took the white-haired woman several moments to gather the words. ¡°Do you think we have hope?¡± she looked down on the ground in front of her. ¡°Our current situation appears too dire to have any good outcome. I¡­ I try to keep myself from thinking too much about it¡­¡±


    ¡°That must be pure torture, given how much of an overthinker you are,¡± Reysha joked and knew she had taken the situation too lightly when Aclysia shot her an annoyed glance. ¡°Sorry, you know how I am with serious moods. Go on, I¡¯ll try to be a helpful cunt, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°¡­It simply feels as if I will get drawn into a bottomless pit if I analyse our situation within the purely pragmatic parameters,¡± she sighed and continued to look at her feet. One after the other, they set forwards. ¡°We have been progressing immensely these past few days. Yet, I fear it is not enough. What do you think? Do we have hope?¡±


    ¡°No clue,¡± Reysha responded immediately in a chirpy tone. Before Aclysia could get angry, she put an arm around the metal fairy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Look, you may be totally right. Maybe we¡¯ll die tomorrow, but if we do, there is no use breaking our heads over it today. It¡¯s that simple. If I¡¯m despairing because of what I did, I know you¡¯ll drag me back up, so, if you feel like you¡¯re reasoning yourself into a dark corner, I¡¯ll give you some basic bitch advice and we¡¯ll just keep moving. Push comes to shove; you just cuddle our slime-man for half an hour. Afterwards you¡¯ll do your best anyway.¡±


    ¡°That would work,¡± Aclysia mumbled and looked back to the jungle with loving eyes. ¡°I miss my darling already.¡±


    ___________________________________________________________________________


    They spent the night in the open field and reached the city early the next day. Early enough that the streets weren¡¯t quite busy, but the first shops were already open. The perfect time to ask around while being seen by as few people as possible. The two of them slowly circled around the streets.


    ¡°So, how do we do this?¡± Reysha wondered.


    ¡°¡­I honestly do not know.¡± Looking around, Aclysia was hoping for some convenient way that simply answered the questions she had, like a blackboard or such. All information she and Reysha had gathered so far had stemmed from side mentions and other such things. Snippets of conversations caught in passing. Now that they had something specific to ask about, they had to make a specific inquiry. Something that Aclysia wasn¡¯t sure how to approach. ¡®Perhaps we should go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡­? No, even a one percent chance that they know of us is too high for us to take that risk. We should have asked Nudru before leaving¡­ that would have been the best opportunity.¡¯


    While multiple ways to approach or avoid any sort of conversation went through Aclysia¡¯s head, Reysha looked at the stores that were already open. There were two kinds, from what she could see. One was the inns, taverns and bakeries of the city, providing people with the necessary stuff for their breakfast and the other were normal shops of any kind that were simply open quite early.


    The former were largely within houses that had their doors open and were busy with preparations. A bad target to approach. Reysha instead picked out one of the outdoor shops and looked for the person that looked the easiest to talk to. After just a few seconds of looking around like that, she had found someone and Aclysia¡¯s train of thought came to a sudden end when she heard her partner say, ¡°Yo.¡±


    The casually addressed person was a young man who was barely out of the adolescent stage of his life. He had the look of a youth that didn¡¯t really care for being presentable, but at least did the bare minimum to avoid his parent¡¯s scolding. Barely kempt black hair, mostly sitting clothes and bags under his eyes that spoke of having had one sip too much last night, it all fit the stereotype. Only the pointy ears, the kind created when an elf mixed with a human, stood out.


    He was a young man that would one day inherit this shop from his father. A task he was supposed to get eased into by serving at the least busy hours of the day, while the actual owner kept his energy for the hours around noon. He was a young man, half wood elf or not, with a secure social circle but limited success with the other sex. Like most young men like that, he became very self-aware of his looks when he was addressed by a gorgeous, exotic redhead.


    By clearing his throat, he managed to prevent a stammer. ¡°Hello, how may I help you?¡± Using the typical phrases helped suppress any sort of embarrassment. This became especially necessary once the equally good-looking Aclysia joined them at the wooden stand.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to chat a little bit, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Reysha said and smirked. It was just the usual grin, but to a young man it invoked the impression of interest. Although the tiger girl wasn¡¯t aiming to come across as flirtatious, she knew exactly what kind of thoughts the young shopkeeper was having. On Ragressia, knowing how to attract the rare male was a skill engrained even into those girls that swore they would leave at the first opportunity.


    ¡°No, of course not,¡± he was hasty to answer and very obviously looked at Reysha¡¯s butt when she leaned her side against the desk top covered with arrows and other hunting equipment. His eyes darted back up before it could get awkward and then he got stuck on her eyes. The blue held him like the brass of a mousetrap snaps on a rodent.


    ¡°Fantastic, see, we¡¯re a bit uninformed. We¡¯ve been occupied for a little bit and have a little question about this dungeon¡­ the Long Way, it¡¯s called, ever heard of it?¡±


    The young man nodded, ¡°Everybody born on Azenia-Ra has, pretty hard to not know all of the dungeons on a Leaf if you can count them on both hands. What about it?¡±


    ¡°Is it true that there is some sort of portal at the end of it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t absolutely confirm that, I¡¯ve never been there,¡± the young half-elf tried to crack a little joke and Reysha giggled. Not because it was particularly funny but because she was easily amused like that. ¡°Anyway, yeah, story is that, if you defeat every boss in every other dungeon on Azenia-Ra, a portal will open to allow people to jump somewhere else. It¡¯s written on the Stone of Guidance.¡±


    ¡°That the Divine Marker of this world?¡± Reysha wondered and got a nod in return. A Divine Marker was a place, usually a landmark or otherwise easy to find location, that the creator god of a Leaf used to communicate what mysteries they had left on the world. Sometimes it was straightforward, other times it was a riddle and, quite often, there just was none. Much like the initial handout for Aclysia¡¯s Divine Quest, the portal had been made public knowledge by choice of the god.


    Trying to get that information to spread would have been quite difficult otherwise. What group would find and step through the portal only to backtrack across many Branches of the Omniverse?


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re adventurers looking for a way around the Infestation, then?¡± the young man asked, trying to keep the conversation with the dangerously beautiful woman going.


    ¡°Yes. Right, while we¡¯re on that, is that still going on?¡± Reysha wondered. ¡°Or have the angels come around by now?¡±


    ¡°Well, if they have, news hasn¡¯t reached us yet,¡± the shopkeered shrugged. Fundamentally, he should have been deadly afraid of the knowledge that a Parasyte was currently growing next to the world he lived on, but to the average person, such news was simply too grand to properly worry about. He had never left this world, didn¡¯t plan to, and had therefore never seen a Parasyte. The conflict between divine protectors and devoid creatures was something he only ever heard about when going to the church. ¡°If anyone, Reverend Khaloi could have heard of it. He has a Distance Feather.¡±


    ¡®Which means we absolutely cannot go there and ask him,¡¯ Reysha though. A Distance Feather was a device only operable by Scribes and one of the more widespread ways to get messages across huge distances. Two feathers were synchronized and, if set up correctly, would both move whenever a Scribe used one of them. The range of the connection depended on the Scribe using them, so a pair could be made by a relatively weak person, but only a truly powerful Scribe could transcribe messages across worlds. This somewhat limited the effectiveness of this method, along with other issues such as having no way to know for certain if the feather was even set up correctly on the other side. Safe for having Scribes capable of communication on both sides, which still required a pre-agreed timetable.


    If it hadn¡¯t been the easiest available method, everyone would have ditched it for something easier to set-up and maintain, but it was the way it was.


    Reysha continued to coerce little bits of information from the young man for a little while. The most popular routes to any cities, information about monsters in certain areas, what destitute parts of the Leaf there were and other such things. When she had heard everything she thought she could use, she knocked on the table once and pushed herself off. ¡°Well, that was an enlightening chat, thank you,¡± she winked and got a wave in response.


    Young men were simple. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t have any chance with her the second she mentioned she was an adventurer, but even a wink and the talk at large was good recompense for an otherwise boring morning. He would talk to his friends about it in the pub in the evening and he wouldn¡¯t even have to exaggerate the descriptions of their beauty in the process.


    Something that Aclysia realized as well. The two of them stepped through the now crowded streets. Breakfast time had ended and now it was the morning rush of people getting to wherever they would work or otherwise spend most of their day. ¡°That young man will remember us for eternity,¡± she whispered half a complaint. Avoiding leaving any impression on anyone was impossible, she knew that. It was more about having a conversation to vent those feelings. When the tiger girl didn¡¯t immediately return the banter, Aclysia looked over with befuddlement, only to find a person with glassy eyes barely trotting along.


    It had happened suddenly. Reysha hadn¡¯t expected the crowd and in one moment, she was an unfeeling, hurting wreck laying on cobblestone of Heralry¡¯s plaza. Around her, people were forced by brutal demons to draw with their bodies the lines for the ritual that would kill all of them. A fate she had doomed them all too, all because she hadn¡¯t thought about the consequences of her revenge. She was barely even looking. Her senses were sharp, but the mind guiding them inactive. The sounds, those were carved into her. The panicked whispering, the weeping, the desperate screams of the few brave enough to resist. The brave who were also the poor fools who then got torn limb from limb by creatures so far above their power, they should have never even existed next to each other. The screams were so loud.


    The silence was deafening.


    ¡°R¡­¡± a dull sound at the edge of her consciousness. ¡°¡­sha¡­R¡­¡± it repeated over and over again. On her shoulder manifested a feeling that wasn¡¯t part of the memory. ¡°REYSHA!¡± Aclysia shouted and the tiger girl snapped out of it just as suddenly as she had been drawn away.


    Bowing over, the redhead just barely managed to shove Aclysia to the side before emptying her stomach. What almost hit the skirt of the angel¡¯s dress instead only hit the already dirty pavement of the alleyway the white-haired woman had dragged her companion into. ¡°Water,¡± the Rogue croaked, as a second, much smaller, shiver went through her and she spat out the bile. The waterskin was quickly handed over and Reysha took a sip of the water. There was a mildly disgusting taste to it, Noir tainting whatever little pieces of leather entered her mouth along with the water, but it was still a better taste and a much better feeling than vomit. ¡°There goes my breakfast,¡± she joked.


    Aclysia rubbed the tiger girls back, ¡°You will find something else,¡± she smiled. It surprised neither of them that Reysha still had episodes like this. There was much progress made, but the road to healing wasn¡¯t one of sudden success. Many steps, large and small, only brought one to the point where the nightmares went from daily, to weekly, to annually and, eventually, faded almost entirely. ¡°Do you require some more time?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Reysha took a deep breath and straightened up. Her knees felt weak and her throat ached, but she could walk. ¡°Let¡¯s head back. I don¡¯t want to be two days without seeing Apexus.¡±

 Humanoid Road 3 – Decisions at the jungle border

    There were two kinds of waiting and Apexus was only good at one of them. The first kind, the kind he found mindlessly dull, was the time-wasting kind. Purposeless sitting around until something happened. Staring holes into the air. Imagining something that wasn¡¯t possible just for the mind to have something to do.


    The slime much preferred the kind of hyper focused waiting he was currently engaged in. His skin was covered with moss and other recreated flora, hiding the downsized wings and other colourful parts of his body from view. Pressed against the half-withered remains of a tree, he was as effectively camouflaged as he could be. It had taken him thirty minutes to prepare his body in such a fashion and several hours to design this look. Senses raised, he listened to the movements of nearby beasts.


    Apexus wasn¡¯t a dreamy student of books and theories; he was a practically minded predator. When he waited, he waited with purpose. His thoughts were silent and reverted to that wordless state that had exclusively been running through his nucleus before he was aware of spoken language. There was only raw information and emotion. Excitement over approaching trembles. The growing sound of grunting. Finally, a body stepping into the chimera¡¯s field of view.


    A lean trunk of about half a metre in length was attached to an elongated face. Two eyes of a simple black colour were attached to the side of its furless, wrinkly head. Underneath all of that sat a mouth that lazily grinded pieces of bark and green between its sturdy teeth. The body of the creature was also furless and its skin stretched and smooth. A ridge of spiky outgrowth along the spine interrupted the otherwise barrel-like shape, shapes of bony white reaching out of the black shape.


    The Verapyr was a creature of about two metres in length. Their insides were protected by thick layers of fat underneath sturdy skin and a ridge of spikes along their back. Foraging the jungles of Azenia-Ray, they primarily ate loose plants, nuts and mushrooms, all of which they picked up with their trunk, but they were omnivores. They did not hunt for meat but if they came across a carcass or something small enough, a fallen down nestling for example, they would eat it without hesitation.


    They were relatively smart and, what made things even more bothersome, extremely cautious. Combining greeted defences, a high reproduction rate and basic herd behaviour, they dominated the forest floor. By sheer size, one of them was dangerous for the average person to take on.


    It was less dangerous for Apexus, courtesy of being primarily slime and therefore hard to trample, but they were difficult to catch. Before he could get even remotely close enough to jump on them, they had already either bolted or grouped up with so many of their kin that it was not worth the risk that one of them somehow did stomp on his nucleus. Necessity was the mother of all innovation and so Apexus had arrived at his current state of waiting.


    Sniffing and poking, the Verapyr inspected Apexus¡¯ outer layers with its trunk. Its instincts told it that moss on trees was easy to remove. A regular part of the diet. Apexus¡¯ instincts told him to wait, something his calculating mind agreed with. Only if the Verapyr lost interest, was it time for any hurried action.


    The beast did not, instead continuing to sniff around and looking for one piece of moss it could easily pluck off first. There was a certain smell it was looking for, the kind of mild rot that indicated that there were weak roots around. In its search, it went further up and up.


    Then the sense of smell was replaced with pain. Apexus leaned forward, snapping his hidden jaw at the soft limb. Squealing, the Verapyr tried to back off. Both the attempt and the screams were in vain, and the sounds were soon silenced. The slime had already wrapped his arms around the Verapyr¡¯s head and held on. Powerful as it was, even it couldn¡¯t throw its neck around enough to shake off the heavy blob.


    Moss retreated and condensed slime bloated out. His humanoid shape was stretched into unnatural angles and the bare bones shimmered where they were visible in his translucent body between the plants that covered him. If any adventurer had seen him at that moment, they wouldn¡¯t have been sure if he was undead or a slime or both.


    The look was intimidating enough for the other Verapyr of this herd to look at the situation and turn tail to run, rather than help this single member of their group. It was the correct decision. Even if they somehow managed to remove Apexus, the slime had now spilled around the entire face of the beast and begun melting away at it. The infections from such wounds would have killed the animal within a few days and it would have been even less pleasant than the mixture of being dissolved and asphyxiation it was currently experiencing.


    Soon enough, the Verapyr fell unconscious due to lack of air and soon thereafter, Apexus had eaten its brain. At that point, the rest of the meal was pretty straightforward. Absorbing the moss and other things back into his body, Apexus continued to feast on the large body. When he was done, there was only a subset of the ribs left, with a lot of the deliciously fatty meat still attached.


    Apexus picked that up and carried it with him on his way back to the rendezvous point. It was quite a lot more difficult than one would imagine. Tall as he was, the physical strength of Apexus was still quite abysmal, comparable to a human that worked in a bureaucratic occupation. He looked the part as well, since he was just slime and bones, without muscles to speak off. Given that lack of certain kinds of fibre, it was supernatural that he could even muster that much power with the manipulation of his fluid alone.


    It also meant that he looked pretty bean-stalky, as he strutted through the forest. Through the manipulation of membrane density, he was able to make himself somewhat representable, but his humanoid features still lacked any kind of definition. His body mass was unnervingly evenly distributed around the limbs. No matter what colour of skin he chose, Apexus would currently have creeped out anyone that saw him naked. A lack of sexual markers only furthered that. The smoothness of his skin was only interrupted by the tiny spots of the spread-out pheromone ducts.


    When he was flying, he had a lot of strength, courtesy of the wings actually having come with the muscles needed to use them. That was just about the only thing where Apexus was strong. Everywhere else, he needed to leverage mind, weight and his unique biology. Something that he wanted to fix as soon as possible, but he didn¡¯t have much of a choice in the matter. The slime did not know what kinds of monsters lived where, after all.


    ¡®Maybe¡­?¡¯ the first word in a while surfaced in his thoughts as he looked at his hand. ¡®No, it¡¯s not a hoof,¡¯ he thought and moved on. Taking the muscles from the Verapyr would have been a bigger detriment than help. Not only would Apexus have needed to learn how to use all of them, they would only have been temporary and improperly layered onto the skeleton. It was still better to wait for something else that fit to come along.


    He arrived at the rendezvous point and took the adventurer¡¯s bag out of a cavity between some roots. Moments later, he had his robe back on, added the mask just to be sure and then sat down on one of the dead trees. There were seven of them and five had slouched over in such a way that they leaned against one another in a formation that appeared like the skeleton of a tent. The remaining two had been moved into position by people in the past to serve as seats.


    The same insects that took care of dead trees in the north stayed clear of these areas for reasons of humidity, so this formation had been left to stand for a while now. Apexus appreciated it, but wondered how much genuine wilderness actually was still out there. Wherever he went, the biome had been influenced by sapient creatures in some fashion. Those with the ability to do so had every right to change the surroundings to their advantage, a rabbit digging a borough was not too different from a man building a house, but the scale of the changes humanoids did still caused the slime wonder. His mind went back to the bridge as he engaged in the kind of waiting he did not like.


    Apexus was deliberating whether or not he should eat the remaining Verapyr now and go for another hunting trip, when he saw the two of them in the distance. On the last fifty metres, Reysha suddenly broke into a sprint and Aclysia flew after her. A few seconds later, both of them crash-hugged a standing Apexus, who embraced them while barely remaining standing.


    ¡°We¡¯re back, darling,¡± Aclysia hummed. Magical energy flowed from him into her, replenished her reserves while she pressed her lips against the side of his face. ¡°Did you miss us?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus kept his answer simple and earnest, while squeezing both of them with his hands. They travelled naturally to the squishy places. Ever since he had discovered just how great human limbs were at groping, he wanted to indulge in it whenever he could. Aclysia¡¯s fat bottom was perfect for it as well and Reysha¡¯s bubble butt was a close contender.


    ¡°It was quite the trip,¡± the tiger girl said while taking a deep inhale of his aroma. It had been a while since Apexus had let his pheromones spread freely and he would stop doing so the second they moved on from where they were. Getting her fix was important and after the events this morning, Reysha really needed her fix.


    Apexus noticed the weirdly obsessive behaviour by the redhead. While Reysha was unpredictable at the best of times, her so blatantly sniffing him this much was out of the usual. ¡°Did something happen?¡± he asked and felt the answer in the way her body went rigid for a moment. The worry rose, ¡°Did you get hurt? Do you want food?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to the food, but you can relax about the other stuff,¡± Reysha giggled and turned her nose towards the smell of the Verapyr remains. Resting on one of the toppled tree trunks, the tantalizing treat tempted Reysha to trot over. Since Apexus had only left her with meaty bits, she didn¡¯t have to worry about internal organs and just dug in. ¡°Just had another flashback. Wasn¡¯t pleasant, but when were they ever?¡±


    ¡°We succeeded in leaving without making another scene,¡± Aclysia added, while Reysha ripped strips of meat off the whole with her teeth. ¡°She came back after a minute, by my estimation. As far as traumatic re-livings are concerned, it was mild.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Apexus let his worry fizzle out and sat down again, pulling his metal fairy down with him. She happily sat in his lap, arms slung around him, and hummed an angelic tune. ¡°Did you learn what we needed to?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh,¡± Aclysia had actually managed to forget about her purpose for heading out for a moment, being too content with just being back in her beloved¡¯s arms, ¡°Yes. Our previous information has been confirmed, there is a portal in the Long Way dungeon. In order to access it, we are required to beat all other dungeons on this Leaf. The Infestation remains and we heard of no alternative paths. Unless something else is revealed on the way, I therefore suggest that we approach this in the previously discussed route and maximize the number of Growths acquired while heading towards the centre. Let me get the map.¡±


    Aclysia reached into her bag and soon the paper was sprawled out on the grass between the two logs.


    ¡°We¡¯re about here,¡± she said and tapped on one spot on the map. ¡°And our first target is west of here.¡± She trailed along with her finger. ¡°I suggest we fly until about there and then go the rest on foot. We don¡¯t need anything else from any of the locals, so our best course of action is to avoid them. After we clear the dungeon, we should visit the city up there and sell whatever unnecessary items we may have gathered while stocking up on whatever items we lost or need. Afterwards we make our way back over the bridge and north to Myrlight. Once we are done there, we decide our approach towards the rest of the Leaf.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we fly north?¡± Reysha wanted to know, while nibbling the last pieces of meat of the bones.


    ¡°Primarily, I want to avoid Apexus¡¯ flying form from being spotted and the north is noticeably more populated. Additionally, I want to keep gathering information and we have already been seen in that area,¡± she sighed. ¡°Exposing ourselves there again will create little extra risk. That aside, we¡¯re talking about several days of flying here. Do you wish to be carried the entire time?¡±


    ¡°I guess I would prefer having some ground under my feet every now and again¡­¡± Reysha conceded that point, while taking a stone and smashing the now blank bones with it. With no more meat present, she went after the marrow. Whenever she was done with a piece, she threw it at Apexus. Nothing would be wasted. ¡°I could deal with it though, if its quicker. We do have a vengeful godlike warlock in our neck.¡±


    ¡°Please do not compare the divine with Apotho,¡± Aclysia pleaded.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a power comparison.¡±


    ¡°I am aware, my request stands.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Reysha rolled her eyes. ¡°What about my actual point, though?¡±


    ¡°We would not save a great amount of time flying north,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°Darling would be forced to change forms whenever we land to avoid potential passers-by, costing him a lot of energy. In turn, this would require we hunt more every day to satiate the resulting hunger. It would certainly be worth these drawbacks if we were moving at his top speed, but I cannot fly that fast and he cannot carry both of us. I also remain adamant on not wanting to be seen. Whatever Apotho sends after us is going to come only when he manages to overcome Gizmo¡¯s resistance. The Church and Adventurer¡¯s Guild are my more immediate concerns.¡±


    Apexus stroked Aclysia hair. ¡°You should learn to fly quicker,¡± he teased her a little bit while indulging in the silky softness.


    ¡°I will do my best, Darling, but I am a supporting angel, not an offensive one,¡± the metal fairy answered in a factual tone, leaning into the gesture of affection even as she stored away the map. ¡°I was not created to be fast.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take that bit on foot then. We managed to get here that way, so we¡¯ll manage to get back,¡± Reysha stated, using a sharp splinted of bone to pick some remaining meat out between her teeth. Once she was done, she stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s cross this jungle, then.¡±

 Humanoid Road 4 – Into Verdany

    Nobody in the group had ever seen a dungeon like Verdany before. Every last one they had entered before had been located inside some sort of building, structure or landmark. Verdany was separated from its surroundings only by a thick wall of brambles. There was no easy entrance, not even by air. Although the brambles stopped just above the canopies of the nearby trees, animated, giant ivy tentacles that sprouted somewhere inside the dungeon heavily disincentivized a flying approach. It was feasible to fly around the outer ring, perhaps, but towards the centre of the area claimed by the dungeon, there were so many of those tentacles that it would have been beyond risky to try.


    That aside, Apexus had morphed out of the form that allowed him to carry Reysha when they had landed south of Verdany over a day ago. Now they stood in front of the bramble wall and looked for any way to get inside there. The branches were so dense that they couldn¡¯t even see the other side. They would easily be able to get through if they could just break their way through, but the thorns made this an entirely unattractive prospect.


    ¡°We could really use someone who wears heavy armour,¡± Reysha pointed out while looking left and right. Between the wall of brambles and the remaining jungle was about a two-metre gap in which no tree grew. This created a natural corridor that they could follow around Verdany, but it still didn¡¯t solve their entrance issues. They had been searching for a proper entrance point for about an hour now and were now certain that they just had to brute force their way through. ¡°Some plate and guts and that lady can just stomp straight ahead; we just need to follow.¡±


    ¡°Why is she automatically a lady in your mind?¡± Aclysia wondered.


    Apexus answered in Reysha¡¯s stead, ¡°One male is plenty for this group. Don¡¯t want the sexual awkwardness of another person lusting after you two.¡±


    The tiger girl pointed at the slime and nodded with a big grin. ¡°Exactly! No need for another cock around these parts.¡±


    ¡°That is a logical through line, admittedly,¡± Aclysia stated.


    Reysha took the topic back around. ¡°Speaking of being a man, can¡¯t you go ahead, Apexus? You shouldn¡¯t be all too bothered by some thorns.¡±


    ¡°I would be less bothered than you are,¡± the slime answered, looking at the wall of brambles. ¡°They would take tiny slices out of my membrane though. I would heal the gashes immediately, but lose a lot of biomass in the process.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s a ¡®death by a thousand cuts¡¯ issue for you too.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, I like that idiom. It makes sense.¡± Apexus bowed down and looked for any path lower to the ground. Without success. ¡°That aside, my membrane isn¡¯t firm enough, I wouldn¡¯t break the thorns that I pass.¡±


    ¡°Fuck that then, Aclysia, what about you? You¡¯re made of metal, can¡¯t ya get through this without issue?¡±


    ¡°Albeit they are metal, my outer layers don¡¯t have any hardness to them. It is effectively skin in this regard. I would fare exactly as well as Apexus,¡± the metal fairy reminded Reysha.


    ¡°Right, no hard bootie,¡± the redhead said and slapped her own to emphasize.


    ¡°Crude, but apt,¡± Aclysia snickered a little bit, as she looked down on herself and the simple robe she was wearing. The blessed fabric kept its white colour more stubbornly than normal clothes, but lacked any of the intricacies or colour markings that Church garments usually had. In effect, she was an independent Priest (even if her origin and exact Class were far different from the norm), so she got to wear whatever robe she wanted. This basic shape was just the cheapest. ¡°Apexus, do you have any Growths that could end this problem?¡±


    ¡°Am thinking,¡± Apexus answered as he checked all of the things he had eaten the past month. Anything with a hard outside would have sufficed, theoretically.


    ¡°Can¡¯t he just eat his way through?¡± Reysha asked the obvious question. ¡°I get that it would take a while, but we can make a corridor that way.¡±


    ¡°A corridor whose origin will be unmistakable,¡± the metal fairy returned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be a big issue, these brambles will probably regrow in a few weeks tops.¡± The tiger girl grabbed a part that wasn¡¯t completely covered with thorns and snapped it off out of boredom. The wood was hard, but also quite brittle. ¡°Being something a god placed here and all that.¡±


    ¡°I dislike executing plans that hinge on a ¡®probably¡¯,¡± Aclysia¡¯s risk aversion continued to drive her to dislike this plan. With a sigh, she had to concede, ¡°It may turn out to be our best option, however. Any luck, darling?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus shook his head. ¡°Only things I ate with exoskeletons recently are dungeon spiders. Because the Growth isn¡¯t permanent, I¡¯m bound to the natural shape and dimensions. It won¡¯t really solve the issue.¡± He looked over his shoulders and the rest of the jungle behind them. ¡°Could try covering myself in bark, but that¡¯d be difficult. I can only copy plant life as I eat it, so I would have to rely on branches. I would get stuck everywhere.¡±


    ¡°In the time it takes you to eat one of these trees, you could have already chewed a hole into the wall anyway,¡± Reysha pointed out and then clapped her hands. ¡°Are we done with this discussion? I really want to sink my teeth into something fresh!¡±


    ¡°¡­It appears there is no helping it,¡± Aclysia let out another sigh. They could have gambled on the air route, but she was even less willing to take the risk of getting smacked by one of those ivy tentacles. Any such hit would separate them and Reysha wasn¡¯t favoured to survive the fall.


    Apexus converted a bunch of the thickened membrane around his limb back into slime. By the time he was in proper eating shape, he looked like a skeleton swimming inside a giant batch of blue goo, rather than the humanoid form he had come to use most of the time. This was also the first time in a while that he had to rely on the horribly ineffective way of moving that was crawling. Given that he could only move as quickly as he could digest things, this wasn¡¯t a big issue. The chimeric creature just fundamentally disliked this way of movement.


    As Aclysia had predicted, hole he created was certainly unique. A person in armour stomping through would have created a path marked by snapped and bent branches. Apexus created a circular hole with smooth edges that looked like a large glob of acid had fallen sideways. Something that was entirely too close to the truth of the matter.


    Regardless of the metal fairy¡¯s discomfort, they eventually broke through on the side. While they looked around, Apexus condensed his form back down. A process that took almost five minutes and gave them ample time to scan their surroundings.


    Verdany was not unlike the surrounding forest, but rather than trees, it seemed ivy was the dominant flora around. Although some tall trunks stood around, they were in a symbiotic relationship with a kind of yellowy-green ivy. The thick leaves covered the trees base to crown and replaced regular leaves. Branches of neighbouring trees were connected through intertwining ivy and created the feeling of a large spiderweb hanging above them. In between those trees were the metre-wide bases of the giant ivy tentacles. They appeared to be a part of a larger creature, reaching out of tunnels in the soil.


    As for the rest of the ground, it looked rather strange. Ivy dominated every spot where enough sun reached to sustain its existence. It spread over the floor, climbed over boulders and hung like drapes from every kind of overhang. Unlike the ivy on the trees, the kind that covered the floor had a grassy green.


    Where there wasn¡¯t enough sunlight, there was simply dirt. If it was damp enough, there were also mushrooms, but otherwise any surface covered in shade was a giant gap in the ivy coverings. It was as if the web above had burned its shadow into the ground.


    ¡°You think those will be a problem?¡± Reysha asked and gestured towards one of the giant tentacles in the distance. Ever onwards, it swayed, never letting them forget that it was alive and flexible.


    ¡°The surroundings do not reflect any kind of damage that the slamming down of such a large tendril would cause,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°We would see displaced dirt or some broken trees. However, it might be the case that they are capable of precision strikes.¡± She held up the palm of her left hand and descended with the index finger of her right on it, pressing a specific point. ¡°Until we have verified this, we should be wary.¡±


    ¡°At least it¡¯s easy to dodge something like that,¡± Reysha rolled her shoulders, neck, wrists and other joints, warming up for the combat that was bound to ensue in the coming hours. Looking up, she blinked at the open sky. ¡°Not gonna lie, pretty nice to explore a dungeon that¡¯s not so claustrophobic.¡±


    ¡°Claustrophobic?¡± Apexus asked with a tilted head.


    ¡°It describes the irrational fear of tight spaces,¡± the metal fairy was ready with the explanation.


    ¡°You¡¯re afraid of tight places, Reysha?¡± Apexus asked, tilting his head.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like them, but I don¡¯t get a panic attack when inside them, no,¡± Reysha stated. ¡°Would have made that one time we got pressed together into a smuggling space together rather difficult. No, you just say it that way for small spaces.¡±


    ¡°You have so many odd fears,¡± Apexus remarked, finally completely condensed again. ¡°And odd words. Is there one for fear of poisons?¡±


    ¡°Common sense?¡± the redhead jokingly suggested and got a giggle out of her companions. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s our strategy?¡± she asked and gestured at the sky again. Although seeing it was nice from a psychological perspective for the two firm-bodied members of the group, it also had the practical application that they could orient themselves by the sun. If they had a better understanding of the stars of the Leaf, they could have used those as well, but not even Aclysia had found any constellations yet that she could use to reliably point in any direction.


    This would be quite useful, given that Verdany was several kilometres across. Like any dungeon, it would take days or even weeks to fully explore. Even though its terrain was open, it wasn¡¯t universally easy to traverse and enemies could lurk anywhere. Which was exactly why Aclysia presented her initial plan.


    ¡°Given the unusual form of this dungeon, we should take advantage of what we can,¡± she stated. ¡°I would recommend that we clear three initial conditions before starting our search for the boss, sorted by priority. First, we should search for a camping site. A safe place to rest between expeditions will make everything else easier. Second, we need to get accustomed to any quirks of the landscape. Third, we need to get accustomed to the local monsters.¡±


    ¡°As a hungry gal, I say the third point should be our highest priority,¡± Reysha stated and made a bit of a sour face. ¡°Although I¡¯ve had about enough of greens recently. Hopefully there is meaty stuff around. You ready for some seconds, Apexus?¡±


    ¡°Always can go for more,¡± the slime responded. He knew such a state as ¡®sated¡¯ but he couldn¡¯t actually be full. Usually, he just stopped eating because the pleasure of taste alone wasn¡¯t quite good enough a justification to keep hunting and killing things. If there was no energy to be restored or saved up, culling the local wildlife felt unethical. Such concerns flew right out of the window when inside a dungeon, where the monsters spawned into existence by the will of the gods.


    ¡°Man, I wish I didn¡¯t have a stomach,¡± Reysha hummed. ¡°Sucks to have to stop eating at some point.¡±


    ¡°You eat a lot more than should fit inside you.¡±


    ¡°It all goes straight into my eyes,¡± Reysha joked and pulled back her lids to reveal more of the dark grey colour her sclera had taken. Although a non-serious remark, it was also correct that her Noir condition absorbed all of the magical energy like a sponge. When it came to raw nutrition, she didn¡¯t need more than the average person.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t get chubby,¡± Apexus remarked, also joking but a tad more serious. He took the lead of their group and started marching in a random direction. Since they hadn¡¯t explored anything yet and the drapes of ivy hanging from low branches interrupted sight in every direction, there was no specific path they knew to take first.


    ¡°Do you dislike it if women are fat?¡± Aclysia wanted to know.


    ¡°Females look better the more breedable they look,¡± the slime opened up his very simple view of what was attractive. ¡°Being fit is good ¨C so having an athletic body is better than a fat one. Having wide hips is good ¨C which is why asses are really, really nice. Being healthy is good ¨C human faces show a lot of whether or not a person is healthy. Not quite sure why I¡¯m attracted to boobs though. Must be the resemblance to butts. Then again, I don¡¯t have a size preference, I just like the squishy feeling.¡±


    ¡°Tummies can be squishy,¡± Reysha remarked.


    Apexus thought about that. ¡°Don¡¯t want to sacrifice fit looks for extra squish.¡±


    ¡°How about really buff girls?¡± the tiger girl was now asking just to probe the edges of his sexual preferences. She was too happy with her own body to try and change things if he now answered anything unexpected. ¡°Like, as buff as men.¡±


    ¡°Women that look like men look less breedable, therefore less attractive,¡± Apexus presented the obvious answer. ¡°You two are good. You two are perfect¡­ still kind of sad you don¡¯t want to have children, to be honest. I do want to follow that procreation instinct.¡±


    ¡°How badly?¡± Aclysia asked in a tone that was more threatening than curious. ¡°Badly enough to go to another woman?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± the slime answered honestly, too busy scanning the environment to immediately notice the icy look on Aclysia¡¯s face. As a slime that already had two partners, Apexus did not pay a lot of mind to the idea of being monogamous. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try to win over women you don¡¯t approve of, though,¡± he continued, still not having noticed the annoyance of his beloved angel. Although he lacked an understanding of monogamy, loyalty was instinctually understood.


    Offspring had a higher chance of surviving if they were protected by both parents, that was the very basic reason that was part of many animals'' coding. As a sapient creature, the chimeric blob also had a personal interest in seeing his children grow up. Ditching the partner went counter to both of those instincts. When it came to past incidents, Apexus also remembered when he had almost had his first time with Reysha. The sadness he had brought her wasn¡¯t a thing he wanted to repeat. He had loved her then, he loved her now and he had long since developed the same emotional attachment to the crazy redhead as well. An arrangement both of them approved of.


    All of that combined, the correct way around love, as Apexus was informed by his biology and past incidents that polygyny was the way to go. Current members of the harem needed to approve of future members of the harem. That way, he could maximize his procreation, the safety of his offspring and the happiness of his lovers. The perfect system, as far as he was concerned.


    ¡°I see, I see,¡± Aclysia hummed, immediately appeased. This did, indeed, work for her. Her darling going to some random harlot she didn¡¯t know to plant his babies inside her, that would have majorly irked her. If he kept paying attention to her and respected her in these decisions, it shouldn¡¯t be a large issue. Apexus was attentive enough for her even with Reysha around and Aclysia doubted a couple more women would greatly change that, especially if she got along with them as well. Although there was a little tingle at the back of her head that she would at the very least want to be the first woman to get impregnated by him. ¡®What am I thinking? We¡¯re in no situation to consider procreation,¡¯ she scolded herself.


    Reysha, having grown up in a society focused around the harems of the rare male specimen of her species, folded her hands behind her head and didn¡¯t even think about any of this. What Apexus had just announced had been what she had understood their relationship to be like from the start. It was an improvement on Ragressian standards, where the male could just expand his harem with whoever he got around. A big part of the reason why she hadn¡¯t wanted to be part of it. Being just one girl of a potentially uncaring patriarch just wasn¡¯t her style. Getting with a loving, powerful and unique batch of evolving goo? That sounded more like the Reysha experience.


    Before the conversation could continue, something shot out of a nearby ivy patch.

 Humanoid Road 5 – Ivy Firing Squad

    Out of the dense floor-bound ivy rose a plant-like creature. It appeared enormous at first. A large stalk served as the monster¡¯s base, at the end of which sat a large, fleshy bulge that resembled a fruit with a dense, dark brown hide. It was the centre of the monster¡¯s nervous system. Two eyes sat at the apparent top of it, with a gape on the underside, about the size of the hole created when putting the tip of your index finger and thumb together. What created the initial illusion of size were the dozen tentacles that grew further out from that fleshy bulge. They were thin and long, moved through the air and pulled together. With instinctive mastery, the tendrils weaved together to form some sort of shield. The monster went from seeming large to being compact.


    The group had just turned towards the one creature when several more appeared from underneath the ivy. Each of them raised their tentacles upwards and then weaved them together into a diamond shaped shield. They kept them in front of their fruit-like centres. All of them except one. Keeping its shield raised, it closed the gap and drew back like a striking serpent. Before it could do anything more than that, a throwing knife it hit right in the fleshy centre.


    Without a sound, the creature tensed and then relaxed one last time, falling back down into the thick ivy it had come from. ¡°I still fucking got it!¡± Reysha exclaimed, drawing a new throwing knife with her right while holding onto her regular dagger with the left.


    ¡°You do,¡± Apexus agreed, while looking around. One more or less didn¡¯t seem to matter much. More of the monsters rose from the brushwork. A chain reaction had been triggered. Each new monster that rose caused another of its kind to rear up nearby. The darting up of one of the plant-like creatures at the bottom of a cliff stirred another on top of it to show its tendrils.


    This was the base hunting strategy of the Common Thornspitter. In its dormant form, it lay close to the ground and hid as best it could. Its tentacles mimicked roots or were strictly too thin to be seen underneath brush or leaves. The best tell one could get was the fleshy centre, but with all the ivy around even those were mostly hidden. Once it felt vibrations approaching, it rose up and waved its tentacles around, agitating other nearby Thornspitters and then forming the weaved shield that protected its incredibly fragile centre from attacks.


    As for why it was called a Thornspitter, Apexus got to experience when the one atop the cliff drew its shield up. Reysha tried to nail it with a throwing knife like the last one, but missed thanks to the considerably higher distance and awkward angle. The Thornspitter¡¯s centre snapped forwards just as the gap opened. A sharp piece of wood was launched in their direction at an absurd speed and burrowed its way into Apexus¡¯ stomach. Only the back end of the elongated projectile stood out when it came to a halt.


    The slime moved some of its membrane to pull the piece in completely. ¡°We should run,¡± he said, extending one of his wings to cover Reysha''s back while the tiger girl looked around. ¡°These aren¡¯t dangerous to me, but if they get you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it,¡± Reysha agreed. ¡°Me and Clysia over there wouldn¡¯t look quite as pretty with wood buried inside u-¡° she stopped to throw another knife. She nailed the centre of another Thornspitter, but another two were in the same motion. Aclysia conjured a Sunlight Bolt, which hit one of the two only after the attack motion had been completed. Two thorns came flying their way. One missed, the other hit Reysha in the shoulder. It punched through her leather armour with as little problem as there had been with Apexus¡¯s membrane. ¡°Fuck!¡± the redhead hissed. The pain was intense enough, but the real problem was that the thorn had lodged itself in the joint. It was a crippling blow from the get go.


    ¡°Retreat immediately, Reysha, lead the way!¡± Aclysia finally managed to give her agreement to the situation.


    Not having to think longer than half a second, the tiger girl immediately turned to run in the direction that seemed most attractive. Her decisive nature was one reason why Aclysia wanted her to take the lead, the other was that Apexus could cover her with his body much easier this way. As for the metal fairy herself, the fact that she could float rather than fly made it easy for her to keep up while making herself too difficult a target.


    One by one the thorns flew around them. They could barely even react to any of them. Launched without any sound and at a speed almost too quick to follow with their eyes, the group could only keep on running in a serpentine pattern. Apexus felt several of the thorns bury into his body at several points in his back and punch through the thinner areas of his wings, but that was a small sacrifice to cover Reysha.


    As they ran down the natural dirt paths, they stirred up even more of the Thornspitters. Once they left the original area, however, the shots got considerably less frequent. The ¡®get-up ritual¡¯ that these plant monsters had gave them enough time to generally leave the area before they were ready to shoot. This did mean they were relatively safe but it also meant that this only held true for as long as they kept running.


    Their speed was dragged down by Apexus in the first place. Even with a crippling injury to her shoulder, Reysha was still considerably faster than the muscle-less slime. This led to the tiger girl going at a pace that she, the only one of the three with a regular understanding of stamina, could keep up for a long time.


    Time meant nothing if there was no safe haven to be found however. Time meant even less when they ran into another kind of monster. They only caught a fleeting glimpse of it. It had waited behind a boulder and darted forwards. It had no arm, only two thick legs and a torso that was made to ram things, most of it made from wood with some integrated pieces of stone.


    Reysha just barely managed to dodge by executing a jumping roll. Apexus then kicked the legs away from under the new enemy and kept following behind Reysha. They had no opportunity to finish it off and more Thornspitters were already rising. ¡°GO LEFT!¡± Aclysia suddenly shouted.


    Without questioning things, Reysha and Apexus obeyed and took a sharp turn. Where they would have gone instead, the tip of one of the sky-guarding tentacles descended and rammed into the ground with enough power to make the earth tremble.


    Which awoke even more Thornspitters everywhere around.


    They should have accelerated, but Apexus came to a sudden halt. The sudden turn had sent them trampling into a field of ivy and a hidden tentacle had grabbed him by the ankle. Falling thanks to the energy of his own momentum, the slime slammed down to the floor. He barely started to rise when the grasp on his ankle was gone again. Reysha had finished the Thornspitter off the moment it started to rise with another quickly placed throwing knife.


    ¡°Get up!¡± the redhead shouted and extended a helping hand. Apexus moved to take it. He was halfway up, when suddenly he had to support Reysha. The tiger girl let out a pained scream, as a new thorn slipped into her flesh between two ribs. ¡°This shit sucks!¡± Reysha declared.


    ¡°Keep moving, I can¡¯t properly heal you until we remove the thorns!¡± Aclysia shouted, her voice a pitch higher than usual.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± Apexus shouted back, as he and the tiger girl did as they had to. ¡°Panic isn¡¯t helpful for survival! We¡¯re doing good, keep going! Keep going!¡± Reysha would have answered if her lungs hadn¡¯t been occupied with breathing. Unlike her inhuman lover, she didn¡¯t just vibrate her words into existence. She still had stamina, but her lungs were burning and the literal thorn in her side wasn¡¯t helping.


    Instead she kept the necessary words. ¡°ivy-free area ahead!¡± she screamed, spotting a large area of nothing but dirt and mushroom in a circle of stones. She had almost missed them, covered by the ever-present ivy as they were. A few more thorns flew around them, as they trampled down the natural path that led in there.


    Aclysia strained to fly ahead. Stopping in the middle, her expression shifted from strained to relieved. Against her worst expectations, there were none of the ramming enemies hiding in the circle. Instead, she saw a natural pond in the centre of the circle. ¡°Safe area!¡± she shouted back.


    Knowing that Apexus would make it either way, Reysha broke into a sprint to get safe as quickly as she could. She made it into the inside of the circle and immediately swerved to hide between one of the stones. Even though she was at the location of a healing fountain, the Thornspitters still kept firing in her direction.


    Apexus had to take one more shot, burying unpleasantly into his neck, then he too arrived inside the safe area and hid behind one of the stones. Inside the circle, they were completely free of ivy. The grey rocks had a peculiar shape, being almost perfectly rectangular. There was even a roof. Half of it was holes, taking a shape that was similar to the wooden wheel of a wagon, but it would ward off rain and giant tentacle attacks.


    ¡°Fuck, that was dangerous,¡± Reysha stated with a smile. She was breathing heavily, but still moving to take off her armour while Apexus spied outwards into Verdany. The Thornspitters, with no more target immediately apparent, started to lay back down. None of them were close enough that they could be agitated by the movements of the group inside the stone circle. Soon enough, the entire landscape had calmed down. They were truly safe.


    Apexus relaxed. The slime on his bones became droopy for several seconds, making him seem like a half-melted wax figure. Then he pulled himself back together. Dissolving the last few thorns inside him, he looked over to Reysha. The tiger girl was now naked from the waist up. Not for any fun reasons. The crimson red spot on her right side distracted heavily from the otherwise so pleasurable viewing of her naked chest.


    Aclysia was already next to her and trying to help. ¡°¡­This is going to be difficult,¡± the metal fairy mumbled, looking at the wound. ¡°It¡¯s so deep in, you might have a small hole in your lungs.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, feels like it,¡± Reysha responded, forcefully calming her breath. ¡°Although you may have now given me placebo. Can we skip the part where we deliberate what is wrong with me and get to the part where you heal me? Because listing all of my issues is going to take way too fucking long.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia said and made an unhappy face. Taking her adventurer¡¯s bag, she retrieved a small cloth. ¡°It is simply going to be a complicated task. Between how deep in it is and your blood making it slippery, getting rid of the thorn will be difficult¡­ I will have to be very careful.¡±


    ¡°I trust you,¡± Reysha just said and closed her eyes.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the metal fairy smiled slightly. Tugging the cloth between her knees for the moment, she raised both of her hands to Reysha¡¯s naked torso. Golden light spread from her hands and, as if concentrated through a looking glass, focused on the wound.


    Healing magic was potent. It eclipsed the natural healing factor of almost everyone in the Omniverse in terms of speed and reliability. A broken bone that healed naturally may not be set right; a cut that is treated only by physical means could leave a nasty scar. Healing magic did not have to contend with these things. It mended injuries as if they had never existed ¨C if the person who wielded it knew what they were doing.


    Even a terrible healer could heal a clean injury, but there were numerous things that healers should be wary of. A foreign object still being inside the body of the person they were healing was a pretty basic example. Enclosing a large glass shard inside mended flesh was not going to do a person any favours.


    Similarly, just healing the area around the thorn would fix very few things. The wood would remain there and start to rot. Small pieces, the body could handle on its own, but something of the size Reysha had lodged inside her couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    Very carefully, Aclysia directed her magic to start the healing effort inside the body. The mending flesh pushed the thorn backwards. Once it was out far enough, the metal fairy took the cloth and pulled the thorn out properly. From there, healing the wound the normal way made the rest of the treatment a quick procedure. ¡°We should acquire tweezers and the like for future complications,¡± she stated. ¡°Luckily, these thorns don¡¯t appear to be prone to splintering.¡±


    ¡°What would you do if they were?¡± Apexus wondered, while picking up one of the nearby mushrooms and eating it. It tasted rather bland and the spongy texture wasn¡¯t that great. Although it grew in a dungeon, it was just a regular piece of flora.


    ¡°In the specific case of wood, I would keep treating the wound every day to prevent the rot from having adverse effects,¡± Aclysia explained. ¡°Other materials will be more complicated. Stone or glass splinters would be difficult to remove in their entirety.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve once seen a pretty great Shaman heal a kid¡¯s eye that was riddled with shards without issue,¡± Reysha told both of them as she checked her now healed side. The blood was still there, but there was no issue otherwise. ¡°He didn¡¯t deal with the shards at all.¡±


    ¡°I presume that healers of higher skill know their tricks to circumvent issues like this,¡± Aclysia commented. ¡°There are many things I don¡¯t know. I can only heal wounds, as I am. Poisons and other adverse effects are beyond my capability at this moment. Now, let me see your shoulder.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that,¡± Reysha tapped on the spot where she had been first hit. There was no wound left there, neither was there any blood. There was just smooth skin, as if nothing had ever happened. ¡°Seems like the demon blood works pretty well when it comes to regeneration,¡± she drily said. ¡°It must have pushed out the thorn while we ran away.¡±


    The group should have been happy about that development, but all three of them would have preferred if Reysha had suffered a normal injury. It was good that the regeneration factor of that area was strong enough to prevent the issues that careless healers could cause. The origin of it left all of them unhappy.


    ¡°You should clean yourself,¡± Apexus spoke up, refusing to be taken by the bad mood. They had spent months coming to terms with what had happened, there wasn¡¯t any reason to revert now.


    Reysha smirked. ¡°Only if you join me,¡± she purred and winked at Aclysia, extending the invitation. Threats to her life rarely failed to make the redhead horny.


    As far as Apexus was concerned, any excuse to practice procreation was a good one.

 Humanoid Road 6 – A moment of respite [Info List]

    Funatic


    I feel like it is time to do a second one of these. As we finally return to action scenes, a refresher of our trio¡¯s exact abilities, available items, funds and equipment is likely to be helpful for some of you. I will continue to throw these in every now and again, when it feels a reminder might help or if I want to summarize a lot of recent changes, to keep them easily traceable for you readers.


    Imagine, in this specific instance, that our heroes have finished their lewd celebration of safety and are now themselves reminding each other what they are capable off. An exchange, in order to plan their strategy for things to go forwards.


    Apexus


    Class: Omniverse Slime Chimera


    Level: 12


    Spell list:


    -


    Equipment:


    Wing-friendly Robe: Although not a standard article in most shops, tailors across the Omniverse are generally capable of modifying simple robes to have slits at the back that serve winged humanoids. This particular robe is of a brown colour. Apexus doesn¡¯t wear it in combat, exclusively using it to conceal his nature.


    Wooden Mask: A simple, undecorated mask that conceals the face. It makes the wearer stand out quite a bit themselves, but it beats a hairless face without nose in terms of concealing oneself. Apexus doesn¡¯t wear it in combat, exclusively using it to conceal his nature.


    Gloves: Simple brown gloves, used to hide a lack of fingernail. Only used for concealing purposes.


    Shoes: Simple leather shoes, used to hide the lack of toenails. Usual purpose limitations.


    Adventurer¡¯s Bag: Although often held by Aclysia, Apexus has his own bag. Usually, it only holds his clothes.


    Inventory:


    -


    Attributes:


    Beyond Divinity ¨C Does not possess a divine spark. The exact ramifications of this are unknown.


    Slime ¨C A being who is, at its base, made out of only two components: a nucleus and the name giving liquid surrounding it. The former serves as brain, heart and every other important organ of the creature. Without it, the slime dies. The slime around is a highly acidic substance that is separated from the outside world through a magical membrane. The acidity of Apexus¡¯s slime is also magical, thusly transforming it into a harmless liquid when separated from the main body. Only possess a natural sense of touch, noticing potential prey through tremors, working best underwater and worst in the air.


    Acquiring Devourer ¨C Can grow or replicate limbs, organs and attributes of things he has killed and eaten. Those replications do NOT scale with the size or power of Apexus and they cost varying, but often high, amounts of energy to make. After roughly thirty days, knowledge of these replications fades and Apexus would have to devour a new member of the species. Can keep a Growth around for longer than he remembers how to remake it. Apexus loses all non-permanent Growths when he goes to sleep, something that grows more frequent in need the more complicated his own body gets.


    Challenging Evolver ¨C Upon beating and eating the Apex Existence (Not necessary Predator) in an eco-system, Apexus may acquire one of his Growths to become permanent. These permanently acquired parts do scale with Apexus¡¯ abilities and will outperform their natural counterpart fairly quickly. If and how this ability would work in social settings, where the Apex Existence is determined not by natural factors, is unknown. Permanent Growths can not be completely dissolved, only shrunk down to an insignificant level.


    Magic Sense ¨C Can sense magic while in contact with it, differentiating between a normal and an enchanted object.


    Rebirth from Core ¨C If the nucleus is removed from Apexus¡¯ body in a mostly intact fashion, the slime does not perish immediately. While the entire body will immediately collapse, the slime turning into a harmless liquid and the remaining Growths laying around on their own, the ego and acquired information of Apexus will survive in the nucleus. Given enough time, the nucleus will shrink, its outer layers turning into slime, and allow Apexus to be ¡®reborn¡¯ in a severely weakened state. Water and food are an immediate necessity after such a regeneration.


    Spark Eater ¨C Apexus devours the divine spark of a being along with its flesh. This bars demons from returning to the Hellroots, ending their life permanently.


    Permanent Growths [and their current abilities]:


    Pheromone Ducts ¨C Produce pleasant smells that can manipulate receptive insects and other organisms. Easily tracked by creatures with fine noses. After choosing his gender, Apexus¡¯ aphrodisiac has shown the capability to perform as a minor aphrodisiac. Apexus is able to tune the amount he spreads quite accurately, limiting or increasing the time the scent lingers.


    Bird Wings ¨C Originally the shape of an eagle¡¯s, these wings can be transformed to better fit the environment or purpose Apexus needs them for at any given time. Such a transformations take time and energy, however, especially when it comes to increasing size. Making muscles and fibre out of slime takes a tremendous amount of energy. The wings have an emerald green colour, inspired by Aclysia¡¯s eyes. Attached to Apexus¡¯ shoulder blades.


    Cat Eyes ¨C Pale blue eyes, chosen for their superb night vision. Sit in their appropriate place inside his skull.


    Fox Ears ¨C Pale blue ears that blend nicely with the slime¡¯s main body, with black tips. Grant superb hearing that is highly adjustable in its directional perceptions. Located on top of his head.


    Speaking Plates ¨C Wooden plates attached to the roof of Apexus¡¯ mouth. They vibrate to create a deep, extremely pleasant voice. Can be purposefully manipulated to create a cracked voice that¡¯s similar to a body in puberty. Through continuous humming, Apexus can create vibrations that have, so far, only been used for lewd purposes.


    Toothed-Snake Teeth ¨C Uncannily human-like teeth, although with more pronounced edges and spikes. Attached to his human jaw, making seem almost correct, but emphasizing just how much more feral they look, thanks to being set in the genuine product.


    Human Skeleton ¨C The skeleton of a male human. Adjustable in dimension of the individual bones, manipulating length and girth, but not in placement. Lacks sinews, muscles, cartilage and marrow. All of it is replaced by slime, which works well for cartilage and marrow isn¡¯t required either way, but the lack of sinews and muscles inhibit Apexus¡¯ physical abilities considerably. This makes him slower and weaker than one would likely expect. He remains completely flexible, however, as he doesn¡¯t have to worry about nerves and veins and such.


    Skinwalker Hide ¨C Replaced Apexus¡¯ outer membrane with a superior version. It can part and close quicker. Its harder and more flexible at the same time. It allows him to hold appearance shifts without problem. Can change to different mono-colourations. It¡¯s also a perfect base for further improvements.


    Physical Description:


    Apexus is still a slime, making his shape a thing of his own choosing. His core is a dark blue, almost black, nucleus and his body is made of azure blue slime, covered by the often translucent Skinwalker Hide.


    In day to day life, Apexus utilizes a common form. An almost two metres tall humanoid, with the fox ears and cat eyes visible on his head and the eagle wings attached to his back. The Skinwalker Hide takes on a light brown colour, whenever Apexus feels like he might run into strangers, and remains translucent, when not. Even with the skin colour shifted, his inhuman nature is clear due to a lack of sexual organs, muscle definition, nose and nails. The texture of his skin is slightly abrasive, not unlike normal humans, due to the pheromone ducts.


    In this state, the outer layers of slime are heavily condensed, becoming as tough as leather around the limbs, softer around the stomach. The nucleus is placed behind the sternum. Ribs are fused together.


    Aclysia


    Class: Guardian Angel [Basic Class]


    Level: 10


    Spell list:


    Sunlight Bolt ¨C Bolt, the most basic attack spell, limited to the Divine-Light category due to Aclysia¡¯s nature, adjustable in strength according to the amount of mana put into it and the user¡¯s skill.


    Divine Healing ¨C Basic healing spell of all Classes that are divinely attuned, uses a moderate amount of mana for a moderate heal, scaling with the user¡¯s mana input and familiarity with the spell.


    Sunray Mending ¨C Quick heal that consumes a lot of mana.


    Sunshine Rejuvenation ¨C Time consuming heal that is very mana efficient.


    Sunlight Focus ¨C A technique used to prioritize the healing of particular areas first. Mana costs are dependant on the healing spell used, but generally higher than the basic version. Failure prone if used without proper concentration.


    Illumni ¨C Basic Light spell. Creates a stable, pleasantly warm sphere of sunlight that hovers over the user¡¯s fingertip. Functions as a basic, slightly inferior in terms of range, torch replacement.


    Flare ¨C A flash of cold sunlight. Highly mana intensive basic blinding spell. Does next to nothing to people not looking in the direction of the user.


    Spark of Life ¨C Analyse a female humanoid¡¯s body to find out whether or not a divine spark is forming inside them, thusly detecting whether a person is pregnant and, if yes, with how many children.


    Equipment:


    Priest¡¯s Robe ¨C The robe of a basic, non-church affiliated Priest. Made of completely white cloth, unnaturally resistant against dirt, this blessed garb protects adequately against magical attacks. It also provides weak physical defence. It is light enough to not be in the way during flight.


    Leather shoes ¨C Nothing great, just some basic protective wear for her feet.


    Adventurer¡¯s Bag (2) ¨C Aclysia has her own bag and holds onto the group bag, containing their gathered funds and a few commonly used items.


    Inventory:


    Casual Dress ¨C single article of clothing that covers the entire body, safe for the upper back. The kind of dress that farmer women can work and walk in without issue. Not particularly beautiful or outstanding, modified only to give room to Aclysia¡¯s wings.


    Washcloths (5) ¨C A number of linen squares used for whatever purpose is appropriate at any given time.


    Soap ¨C Block of animal fat used to clean one¡¯s body.


    A total lack of money ¨C the group is currently broke.


    Other Factors:


    Divine Flight ¨C Can use her moth-like ¡®angel¡¯ wings to hover, as long as there is enough room to stretch them. This consumes a minimal amount of mana. If her wings are damaged, the ability to hover decreases accordingly.


    Metal Fairy ¨C Is made from a metal that is lighter than flesh. This comes with several factors. Aclysia is unlikely to ever win in a melee battle, particularly without weapons, due to a lack of weight behind her movements. Aclysia only requires mana to survive, which she can win by eating basically anything living in creation or by absorbing it from a willing other.


    Angel on her own ¨C Does not hold any natural sway over any member of the Church despite being a divine creation by the 33rd of the 33 original gods. This also prevents her from being recognized at a glance by all but the most the divinely attuned.


    Physical Description:


    Aclysia is 1,81 metres tall and has white hair, which is always combed back and falls down to the middle of her back, ending at the bases of her wings. Akin to a moth in texture and shape, she possesses a total of four wing segments, they are mostly white and have symmetrical patterns in black running over them.


    Her skin is of a milky white and meticulous, not a single strand of hair anywhere. Her bust is of a moderate size, slightly below average, with light pink nipples. Overall, her figure is defined by her hips, giving her a pleasing pea-type body with long legs and nice thighs.


    Her face is defined by its fair cut, having something ephemerally beautiful about it and the brilliantly shining emerald eyes. Her ears are pointy, like an elves, but not unusually long. Her nose has a well-rounded tip, her eyebrows are as white as her hair, her lips are pink and pillowy.


    Reysha


    Class: Noir Rogue [Unusual Basic Class]


    Level: 13


    Spell list:


    Sneak ¨C Footsteps and other actions are more silent and careless glances glide over the user easily. Basic Rogue spell that helps with stealth.


    Aimed Whisper ¨C The voice of the user travels in one direction only. Should it hit a surface, it will bounce from it as if it was the original source. If it hits the ear of someone, the sound will be swallowed entirely and the said thing only be heard by that one person.


    Dis/locate ¨C Dislocates the joints in the arms magically. While painful, this does make it possible to slip out of many hasty or loose bindings. The first spell any Rogue learns, as it is fundamental to applying magic to joint areas.


    Equipment:


    Basic Light Leather Armour ¨C A common leather armour sold to novice adventurer¡¯s that prioritize speed and flexibility. Light brown, not particularly sturdy but stretchy in return. Accompanying leagwear is thick cloth. Not as protective, but also even less confining.


    Iron Dagger (2) ¨C A basic iron weapon, sold to beginner adventurers. One serves as her main weapon, the other as replacement. She wears both on her body, one sheath strapped to the right side of hips/her right thigh and the other attached to her lower back.


    Throwing Knives (6) ¨C Small, iron knives good for throwing. Worn on belt. Reysha has ten hoisters on her belt and all of them were filled when they headed out. In the recent flight, she used four of them and was unable to retrieve them.


    Adventurer¡¯s Bag ¨C The usual. Holds up to 25 kilograms worth of stuff inside it.


    Rogue Belt ¨C A basic belt with holsters for the tools of the trade.


    Basic Boots ¨C Leather boots of sturdy character. Not as well optimized for sneaking as past footwear, being standard shoes, but good to reinforce kicks with and fitting for long marches.


    Inventory:


    Washcloth ¨C Reysha¡¯s personal washcloth. It isn¡¯t used for her body, instead, its there to clean her weapons after combat.


    Water Bag ¨C A bag of leather used to transport water.


    Monster Remains ¨C cut off pieces of slain monsters, used as rations to keep her Noir condition at bay.


    Lockpicks (5) ¨C Sets of thin metal needed to carefully open doors that were meant to remain closed by physical means.


    Leather Boots ¨C A second pair of shoes, in case the first one breaks.


    Comfortable pants ¨C These have no protective qualities whatsoever, but they are something to wear besides the pants that come with her armour.


    Shirt ¨C A one-piece, grey linen shirt with short sleeves. Not the most comfortable, but better in hot weather than her armour is.


    Other Factors:


    Tiger Girl ¨C Possess formidable sight and hearing, cat ears, eyes and tail, as well as retractable, sharp claws. Has a much higher chance to give birth to females.


    Noir [Advanced Stage] ¨C Increased physical and magical attributes, improved senses. Can eat the meat of dungeon monsters and drink the hostile magic infused water of the structures without problem. Normal food and drink are absolutely disgusting, worse the stronger the natural taste. When not having eaten the meat of monsters for several days, negative symptoms begin to surface. Currently [days since last ¡®proper¡¯ meal]:


    7 days ¨C Reysha can operate normally


    8-14 days ¨C Senses will begin to dull, sexual drive dies down.


    15-30 days ¨C Colour will begin to fade from perception, slowly greying out, constant white noise drowns out previously heard, fine noises. Reysha may fall into stretches of time where she is apathetic towards most things going on around her, acting like a half-asleep person.


    31+ days ¨C All emotions and senses are heavily dulled and the stretches of apathy continue to grow longer. Eventually, the body overcomes Noir, restoring itself to a balanced state previous to the condition, at the cost of the subject¡¯s adventuring potential.


    Demon Arm ¨C Reysha¡¯s original left arm was seared away by the magic that sealed Apotho. The warlock replaced it by utilizing the blood of a Tharnatos class demon, the Deathhound Kurlesh, as her reward for setting him free. As of this moment, Reysha is aware of the fact that the arm bleeds black demon blood and regenerates extremely quickly. If there are other attributes affiliated with it remains to be seen.


    Physical Description:


    Reysha is a 1,78 metres tall redhead with wild flowing hair. Despite her lack of care for it, aside from the occasional combing with her claws and baths, her nature as a tiger girl prevents it from matting and rarely does it look like anything else than a perfect scarlet mess. It grows past her neck and miraculously never gets in the way during fights, partly thanks to the pair of cat ears that grow out of the top of her head, the same colour as her hair.


    With a naturally light brown complexion and a lot of time under the sun, Reysha has a colouration whose exoticness is only furthered by the tiger stripes. A few shades darker than the rest of her skin, they are scattered symmetrically over her body, adding chocolate to caramel.


    From above the ankles, over the long, smooth legs and her athletic, hourglass curves, with the well-proportioned breasts with the pinkish brown nipples up to the last two stripes, the only ones on her face, that run around her blue eyes like natural warpaint. The stripes on her red tail, growing out where the spine ends and adding her primal flavour to her bubble butt, are the only truly black ones. However, they are notably absent from her crotch area, where only a moderate, usually trimmed, amount of red hair decorates her sex.


    When her claws are retracted, her fingernails look, aside from their progressively reddening colour, like a normal human¡¯s. If they come to use, however, they lengthen a fair bit and the tips condense into the curved, needle-lip claws of a cat.


    She has a sharp face, with clearly defined feminine features finalized to be both intimidating and seductive, savagely gorgeous, with dark lips often curved into a mad smile, showing the fangs inside her otherwise human teeth and a pair blue eyes contrasting heavily with the reds and browns of the rest of her body. Something only worsened by the steady blackening of her eyeballs by Noir. She has normal human ears in addition to her cat ones.

 Humanoid Road 7 – Finding weaknesses

    ¡°You need to better conserve your resources,¡± Apexus pointed out, while Reysha ate up the last of her reserve food.


    The tiger girl stopped in her chewing for a second to think about that. That the chimeric slime wasn¡¯t actually talking about their food occurred to her relatively quickly. ¡°Well, I¡¯d rather buy some new knives than get hit by more fucking thorns,¡± she responded. ¡°But I¡¯ll try to be less trigger happy. Works for you?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Apexus nodded.


    ¡°I must inquire why you give in immediately when this advice comes from him. When I brought this up, you saw it fitting to discuss your behaviour,¡± Aclysia¡¯s tone made it sound more like a complaint.


    ¡°That¡¯s ¡®cause ya complain about everything even the slightest bit wrong.¡± Reysha took some of the sharpness out of those words through a teasing smile. Her tail lazily flopped on the floor while she secured her adventurer¡¯s bag back on her belt, then double-checked all of her belts, straps and wires. With all of the things an adventurer had to carry around with them at all times, it sitting tight could make a world of difference. Long marches were torture when a weapon¡¯s belt continuously rubbed against one¡¯s waist.


    ¡°It is paramount for our survival,¡± Aclysia insisted.


    ¡°Kinda, kinda not,¡± Reysha pointed out. ¡°I guess I appreciate that you get me thinking, but let¡¯s be real: we¡¯d be in quite a pickle if we all thought like you, miss overthinker.¡±


    ¡°Reysha is right there,¡± Apexus pointed out. ¡°It''s often better to make any decision now than it is the best decision later.¡±


    ¡°And because you understand that, you¡¯re the leader,¡± Reysha purred and stood up. A quick two steps brought her over to Apexus. She kissed his neck.


    ¡°I am?¡± the slime asked and looked at the two women in turn. ¡°I thought Aclysia was the leader, she makes most of the decisions.¡±


    ¡°While I certainly do, it would be incorrect to say that I am the leader, darling,¡± the metal fairy said and hovered over to him. Feeling challenged by Reysha¡¯s affectionate action, she wrapped her arms around the slime¡¯s neck and kissed him herself. ¡°It¡¯s not demanded of the leader to be the one who makes all the decisions. The leader is the respected centre of the group. They delegate the tasks to those most appropriate and mediate.¡±


    ¡°Between my spontaneous bubble butt and her overthinking round ass, you¡¯re the happy medium,¡± Reysha put it in simpler terms and then joined the angel in hugging their beloved slime.


    Both looked up to and smiled at him. Blue and green eyes sparkled with adoration in the daylight. Apexus closed his arms around their waists. ¡°Then, I am the leader.¡± The certain tone of his deep voice only served to deepen their love for him.


    Confidence was sexy and it was, for all the virtues the two women saw in him, rare for him to display it so outright. He was overtly curious, gentle when he could afford to be and decisive when he couldn¡¯t. He was protective and kind of clumsy at times. He may not have looked the part, but his behaviour was cute. Questions about accepted facts demonstrated that he was intelligent as well and his acts in combat showed his ability to decide on and be confident about a course of action swiftly. Few of these things shone through in social interactions.


    ¡°I like it when you¡¯re assertive like this,¡± Reysha purred.


    ¡°I second that statement,¡± Aclysia echoed.


    Both moved in to give him another kiss.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can figure out what ¡®assertive like this¡¯ exactly is and incorporate more of it into my behaviour.¡± Apexus made it a mental priority to see if he could behave in a way that made hugs like this more frequent. The social circle from which his behaviour was conditioned was rather small. It had the disadvantage of him learning few things about other types of behaviour. It had the advantage of him getting the signal quite easily when there was a need to adjust.


    Regardless of how much he liked how close they were at that moment, certain urges telling him to move his hands from waists to butts, he withdrew his arms and the two girls backed away. They had just spent a considerable amount of time bathing, soiling themselves with sexual juices, bathing again and then discussing their further strategy. As much as they liked to fuck, there was a silent agreement that they shouldn¡¯t waste too much time on it.


    ¡°Alright, I will lead the way,¡± Apexus told the two and turned towards one of the gaps in their stone refuge. They followed him up to the edge and then stopped, waiting there.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t think too much about it,¡± Reysha said, while the slime slowly wandered away. It was more about the last thing he had said regarding the assertiveness thing than him now being out there on his own.


    Apexus wasn¡¯t sure he would take that bit of advice. For a start, he had yet to work out what ¡®assertive¡¯ even meant in the context of conversation. ¡®Should I just assert what I want more often? Wouldn¡¯t that be inconsiderate?¡¯ he asked himself as he looked for any familiar patches of ivy. ¡®Where are the Thornspitters?¡¯


    Over the course of their planning discussion, they had given the encountered enemy types names. For the project-launching plants, they had, by sheer chance, picked the same one as they were officially called. Given what they did, it was a high chance. The other creature, the two-legged monsters specialized in ramming people, they called Rammers. Quite a bit removed from the official title of Boulderwalkers, but the generalist term worked well for their purposes.


    Apexus raised his feet much higher than he needed to with every step, stomping down along the ivy field. Soon enough, that had the intended effect of rousing several Thornspitters. Apexus backed off a little bit. He wanted to observe their behaviour and make them feel safe enough to attack him. While the former offered no new revelations, the latter went off without a hitch.


    Three pieces of wood penetrated his membrane. One clashed against his fused ribs, without effect, another sunk into his leg and the third went almost straight through his stomach, where the membrane was the thinnest. None of them really hurt him. Whatever little energy healing from them cost him was restored by just eating the projectiles themselves. None of this was new information.


    The reason why Apexus was out there on his own was to check what happened after the thorns had been fired. Tellingly, all three of the Thornspitters raised their shield and protected their fleshy centres. Apexus waited for something to happen. All that did was that more Thornspitters rose up in the distance. Those in range also shot their thorns, the other just stood alert and waited.


    As did Apexus.


    Slime and plant monsters just looked at each other. For Apexus, that was a much easier process than for the Thornspitters. A drawback of their biology was that their singular eyes could only see the enemy if they raised their tendril-woven shields. Another was that they were rooted in place. With no Rammer around to interrupt their stand-off, both parties just waited for the other to make another move.


    ¡°Yo, do something!¡± Reysha shouted from the not too distant safe area. The Thornspitters looked in her rough direction, but needed several seconds to actually spy her with their eyes.


    ¡®Bad hearing,¡¯ Apexus noted. Although he, with his fox ears, was above the standard at the current time, he remembered what it felt like to have worse sound detection. All the Thornspitters knew was the direction something was coming from. For the actual pinpointing of distance and origin of the sound, they needed to use their vision. They relied mostly on vibrations and sight.


    Looking over the duo, Apexus waved with his right hand. It was the pre-agreed signal for Aclysia to come closer. Flying a fair bit of the way, she was only noticed when she entered the line of sight of one Thornspitter and only noticed by that singular one. Only when she was basically next to Apexus, her steps set the other two off. Because of how light she was, the Thornspitters had a hard time noticing the vibrations.


    More importantly, none of them fired another thorn. Aclysia quizzically turned her head. ¡°Peculiar. I theorize they need a long time to form a new projectile?¡±


    ¡°Appears so,¡± her darling agreed. ¡°Want to test through waiting or should I eat one of them and shape the organ?¡±


    After a moment¡¯s thought, the metal fairy responded, ¡°Both.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Apexus looked at the three Thornspitters. Two stood somewhat close together, so he walked over to the more isolated of the bunch. ¡°Let me fight it alone, for now,¡± he told her before getting into range.


    The Thornspitter kept his shield lowered and between them, as Apexus walked in a circle around it. One, two, three times, the slime circled around the enemy, keeping a close eye on the monster¡¯s stalk. Halfway through the third rotation, the plant monster suddenly twirled in the other direction. Extending its shield during the motion, it unwound its stalk and used the momentum of the motion to keep Apexus at bay.


    The slime just observed the motion. Only when the Thornspitter was once more standing upright, did he attack it. Predictably, his charging body was met by the shield. Like a wave against the shore, the force of the impact was slowed and ultimately reversed. Just that, rather than gravity, it was the surprisingly strong tendril-weave of the monster that pushed him back.


    Stumbling back, Apexus quickly regained his stance. A lighter, normal person would have been thrown back, but the attack itself was pretty harmless. Poking a bit more at the monster, Apexus always got the same response by any aggressions ¨C a strong backwards shove. A Thornspitter¡¯s shield wasn¡¯t meant for any overtly aggressive action. Looking over his shoulder, Apexus did see that the closer of the other two Thornspitters had, however, loosened up his own shield. If the slime had been a lightweight, he could have been catapulted right over into a constrictive grasp. That wasn¡¯t lethal by itself, but the next wooden projectile would be. Again, for the normal person.


    Having had enough of this behaviour study. Apexus once more did three rounds around the Thornspitter. Predictably, the monster once more engaged in the whirling unwind. Rather than let it get back into position, Apexus jumped at it this time. Between the force of the whipping strikes and the regaining of proper stance was a moment of disorientation to exploit.


    Apexus managed to duck underneath the shield and grab the creature¡¯s stalk. Left hand, right hand, then teeth all held onto the connection between centre and ground. The shield was unmade, individual tentacles weakly lashed Apexus¡¯ back, but the slime didn¡¯t care. The membrane around his jaw and fingers became thinner and thinner, until the acidic slime underneath stretched outwards and enveloped the stalk. A nimbler creature could have dodged or tried to get away, but all the Thornspitter could do was curl. By far too little to escape the slime¡¯s grasp.


    Soon, the plant-based monster fell over. It continued to operate fine, even without its connection to the floor. Although its access to nutrients was cut off, it was still alive and would continue to be so for several hours or even days. If it hadn¡¯t been for the chimeric slime now turning it into nutrients.


    With his prey largely immobilized, the rest of Apexus¡¯ body blobbed out until he could comfortably engulf all of the monster. It tasted alright. The fleshy centre was a treat, having a wonderful, fruity sweetness to it. The rest of it was a variation of chewing the crust of bread. After a few moments, it started to turn sweet, but otherwise neither the texture nor the taste were anything to praise. It was edible, but Apexus found it to be the most disappointing magical creature he had eaten yet.


    He had time to devour the entire thing and retake his humanoid shape, before the other two Thornspitters had formed a second projectile and launched it at him. It was impossible to dodge either of them at this range and one blasted a hole through his ear, which was rather unpleasant, but these attacks seemed a lot less unfair now than they had initially. The extreme power of the attack caused drawbacks in other aspects of the monster¡¯s design.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back,¡± Apexus stated, sparing the other two Thornspitters for the moment.


    ¡°Did I see right that these fucking things need like twenty minutes to reload?¡± Reysha asked, when the two were back with her by the healing fountain.


    ¡°That seems to be the case, yes,¡± the chimeric slime answered, while his right hand began to swell and lose its translucency. The bones spread out to make room for the fleshy growth that had been at the centre of the monster. ¡°I suppose we didn¡¯t need to flee.¡±


    ¡°Reysha was injured and the delay between their attacks matters little if there were twenty of them all firing at us,¡± Aclysia disagreed with her soft, song-like voice. ¡°Caution is the mother of survival. Experiments such as the one we just ran through are only possible in controlled environments.¡±


    ¡°Guess ya got a point there, angel butt,¡± Reysha nodded along. Since she herself had led the flight and agreed that it was the best action at the time, she didn¡¯t feel the need to start a discussion. ¡°What do they say? Hindsight is perfect?¡±


    ¡°Hindsight is like a Scout¡¯s sight,¡± Aclysia answered.


    ¡°Is Scout sight better than Hunter sight?¡± the slime wondered, while feeling much of the energy he had just absorbed getting expended for the forming of the organ. There was surprisingly much that went into the spitting apparatus. There was a lot of muscle fibre inside that squishy fruity thing, all of it specialized in a single squeezing motion. Inside the gash was a set of hard plates from a teeth-like material. They sheared pieces of a growing stalk within the fruit and were necessary to push the resulting thorn outwards. If it had been just muscle within, the wood would have simply been squished. A mucus gland kept the entire thing moistened up and slippery for operation.


    ¡°The answer depends on the individual,¡± Aclysia started with the obvious. ¡°Fundamentally, the Hunter may be more capable of receiving visual information, but the Scout will have learned to pick up on important things and combine context clues.¡±


    ¡°The Scout finds and the Hunter sees?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Kinda like that¡­ but it''s not like Hunters are bad at finding things¡­ as we all know,¡± Reysha mumbled the last thing. ¡°Thing you got the point though, which is the important bit. Anyway, what as ¡®ewww¡¯ as that looks¡­¡± Reysha pointed at the fully formed organ. It had looked odd at the centre of a plant-based monster but attached to Apexus¡¯ hand it looked like a sickening and malignant growth. The remainders of his fingers stuck out of the lower end as stubs and the dark brown colour certainly didn¡¯t help. Only the texture helped to slightly ease the feeling of it being a near-rotting piece of blood-filled mutation. ¡°¡­it should come in handy.¡±


    ¡°Its useless,¡± Apexus immediately stated. Even without firing the thing, he already knew that it wouldn¡¯t serve him any good.


    Both of the women raised an eyebrow. ¡°Could you demonstrate the why, darling?¡± Aclysia asked. Like Reysha, she had trouble believing that the ability to launch pieces of hardened wood at a speed quicker than any of them could react could be anything short of unbelievably helpful.


    ¡°When the first thorn has formed,¡± Apexus told them.


    ¡°Can¡¯t ya hurry it along?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Not a permanent growth, am bound to the natural production of the organ,¡± Apexus responded, only to get annoyed at himself. ¡°¡­I am bound¡­ one day I¡¯ll remember to always use pronouns.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, sweet slime,¡± the tiger girl waved off. ¡°You can only grow more; do I understand that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus nodded, monitoring his hunger levels as close as instincts allowed. Speaking a bit slower than usual, he was careful to use the proper words. ¡°I could have as many of these organs as I could fit on my body, in theory, but I have no influence over their natural function. I could feed it less energy than it would naturally get, but if I give it more, that won¡¯t work with its design. It¡¯s a copy. It¡¯s not part of me.¡±


    ¡°Well, yet more waiting,¡± Reysha sighed and plopped back down on her ass, resting her face on her left fist. ¡°And I was so close to some fucking action.¡±


    Apexus barely managed to understand she didn¡¯t mean that literally. The words ¡®we had fucking action earlier¡¯ were halted in his nucleus before he could make a bit of a fool of himself. Twenty minutes later, he finally got to demonstrate why the thorn-launcher was useless for him.


    ¡°Watch,¡± he warned both of his party members as he drew his arm back and then threw it forwards in some sort of punching motion. At the end of it, the muscles inside the launcher tightened and pressed the thorn out. At a moderate pace, it flew about twenty metres and then bore into the floor. ¡°See the issue?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Reysha sighed. ¡°Guess that¡¯s really a bust.¡±


    ¡°¡­I apologize, but I don¡¯t,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Ya need to practice throwing things more often,¡± the tiger girl remarked with an amused chuckle.


    ¡°Problem is that I am not a rooted, long necked plant-thing,¡± Apexus went into deeper explanation. ¡°This organ only creates so much force on its own. I¡¯d need to replicate the whole Thornspitter to mimic the power of the attack. Doesn¡¯t really work with human arms. Closest I could get is like this,¡± rather than a straight punch-like motion, Apexus showed a long-winded throw, ¡°but I can¡¯t aim a straight-flowing projectile like that. The little shot I get out of it still takes twenty minutes to form a new projectile. All the while I have to lug this thing around,¡± he waved his hand. ¡°Not worth it. It¡¯s useless. Don¡¯t even think having it as a permanent Growth will help that. I¡¯d need like a seventh limb to really help launch the thorns.¡±


    ¡°Disappointing,¡± Reysha sighed. ¡°Gods know we could use some more reliable ranged support. Guess it¡¯s still just you, Clysia.¡±


    Having the tools for all situations was difficult for just three people.

 Humanoid Road 8 – The slow progress

    Reysha bowed over an ivy patch and retched. What she had just put in her mouth fell out, the aftertaste leaving her close to vomiting. She would have preferred it if she could have replaced the taste currently on her tongue with bile and stomach acid. It was almost so bad that the rancid taste regular food left on her tongue was preferable. Thankfully, she turned to Apexus, who handed her half of a Thornspitter¡¯s centre. Biting into that fruity freshness drove the awful taste out of her mouth and let her breathe in relief.


    ¡°I think I now know what a bowl of dirty fingernails tastes like,¡± Reysha said and shuddered, the aftertaste still haunting her. ¡°How the shit do you eat that?!¡±


    Apexus continued to dissolve the Rammer inside him, shrugging with the arms that stuck out the top of an otherwise bloated body. The outsides of the creature were layer after layer of hardened material that was quite similar to fingernails in make-up. Although she had no idea about it, the tiger girl had been spot-on about that. Because of its stone-like appearance, she had been surprised enough that she could even cut strips off of it.


    ¡°Had worse,¡± the chimeric slime declared. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t eat the next one, unless there is something really tasty at the centre, but at least it has nutrients.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think darling possesses a taste-based vomiting instinct,¡± Aclysia suggested, keeping watch over the area from a few metres up. As unlikely as it was, there could be other adventurers walking around. In such a case, Aclysia being sighted would share the trio¡¯s location, but that was fine. What really mattered was that they had enough time for Apexus to hide himself. ¡°Considering what else we know he ate in his early life and that he eats all internal organs at all times, it is likely that the level of disgust he experiences is much lower than ours. Disgust is fundamentally based on the body feeling that you are intaking something harmful, after all.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Reysha agreed and Apexus nodded along. He had tried normal stomachs before. Terribly inefficient constructs, often specialized towards only a single category of food. It was no wonder they needed something like a vomiting instinct.


    ¡°I think the closest thing I have is when I eat something that has poison in it that works on me,¡± Apexus suggested. ¡°Rare as that is. Otherwise the only ¡®ejection¡¯ response I have is when I eat something and it scratches my nucleus. I think that¡¯s more like swallowing knives for you normal humanoids.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of normal humanoids,¡± Reysha looked at Aclysia. ¡°Why do YOU have the disgust response, cute metal fairy?¡±


    ¡°The usual reason: I am designed to be an imitation of regular humanoids. Although it does not make sense for me to have certain responses, I maintain them in order to function as an empathic messenger between the divine and mortals. Of course, such programming is currently serving me otherwise, given that I am¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say exiled¡­¡±


    ¡°On your honeymoon?¡± Reysha suggested with a giggle.


    ¡°That would take the impact out of a proper honeymoon,¡± Aclysia denied, blushing a little bit as she glanced over at the slime. ¡°Should we ever have one.¡±


    Apexus already knew he was missing context before he asked the question. ¡°Honeymoon? I assume you aren¡¯t actually talking about a moon made out of sugary bee vomit?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what we call a getaway after marriage,¡± Reysha responded. ¡°No, I have no idea why we don¡¯t just call it marriage vacation. Language is stupid.¡±


    ¡°As long as we agree on that,¡± Apexus hummed in a content fashion while dissolving his way through all of the outer layers of the Rammer. He finally arrived at the centre and, with the usual curiosity, replicated it.


    Much like all of the Thornspitter, the Rammer also turned out to be made out of organs that were entirely useless for Apexus. The organ that produced the stone-looking fingernail-like layers did so in the same way a clam grew its shell. What this effectively meant was that Apexus would have needed to maintain the organ for several days if not weeks to get any meaningful protection out of it. Otherwise it was cumbersome and heavy. This was counteracted by some powerful leg structures, but because they were made of wood they didn¡¯t mesh will with his human skeleton.


    The permanent Growths he already had were quite limiting sometimes.


    ¡°We have to move,¡± Reysha told them, pointing at one of the nearby mega-tentacles. Bending backwards like a snake getting ready to strike, it telegraphed quite clearly that they were about to get struck by pin-point attack. What had triggered those massive tendrils to attack, The group had yet to find out, but tiger girl¡¯s intuition had proved enough to keep them safe so far.


    They ran for a little while, and then stopped again when the impact of the tentacle¡¯s tip shook the ground. Previously, that had caused a whole host of Thornspitters to rise. Today, they didn¡¯t need to worry about that.


    Three days had passed since they had originally entered the dungeon and they had cleaned much of the area surrounding the healing fountain. Now that they knew how to handle the Thornspitters, Verdany was relatively harmless. As long as Apexus took the lead and baited all of the enemies into wasting their attacks on him, the trio had an easy time dispatching them. As for Rammers, because they were a lot rarer, were something the trio didn¡¯t have any experience beating up to a few minutes ago. Without fire support, they were as much a one-trick pony as the Thornspitters were, just that their main threat was to armoured opponents, rather than nimble fighters with little protection.


    The three were vaguely aware that, however easy it appeared at the moment, there was no guarantee that things would stay this way when they got further in. They were still on the outer fringes of the dungeon. If they wanted to, it would take them less than half an hour to hike their way to the outer wall.


    ¡°Would you say we have cleared your three conditions by the way?¡± Reysha asked. When they had first entered the dungeon, Aclysia had suggested they get a safe place, used to the monsters and used to the landscape before going for any larger expeditions and searching for the boss.


    ¡°Not quite,¡± Aclysia denied. ¡°Our current camping site is insufficient; I do not trust that there are only two kinds of monsters and that we are still unaware what causes the tentacles to attack us. Not to mention that we have not explored the trees yet.¡±


    ¡°Nor will we,¡± Apexus stated, looking up to one of the ivy-covered plants. ¡°Too thin to walk on. There might be small monsters using them to move around, but we can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°My general point remains valid,¡± the metal fairy said, hovering about a metre above them. ¡°I do not yet feel confident enough that we should go on any larger expeditions. However, I also see that we should not continue from our current position. I suggest that we make the effort to find another healing fountain further towards the dungeon¡¯s centre to make for a base with a better range of movement.¡±


    ¡°Not quite the breakneck process I would like, but it¡¯s a start,¡± Reysha grinned and looked to Apexus, who just nodded.


    They took the next path away from the bramble wall. Where they could, they continued on those ivy-free roads under the shadows of the trees. Where they couldn¡¯t, they made their way through the ivy patches. They soon discovered that there was little difference to their safety no matter what way they went.


    Stepping through the ivy bore the risk of getting grabbed by a lurking Thornspitter. Not a large drawback, considering Apexus was always in the lead. All a Thornspitter did by taking hold of the slime was to sign their own death warrant.


    Following the dirt and mushroom paths, however, repeatedly triggered the sky tentacles. It took them several days to notice that they only ever got hit by those things when they were on the shadow-formed paths. Several days during which they made ever-more progress.


    They were sometimes thrown back to the healing fountains, but it was never a huge set-back. Because it took Thornspitters several weeks to fully regrow, every time they cleared an area, it was safe to walk through on the next exploration attempt. After a week of this, their tenth day in that dungeon, the trio finally found another healing fountain.


    It was visually the same as the first one they had found. A circle of stones with half a ceiling on top. The only difference was the distribution of the ivy around. Nothing exciting.


    ¡°Home, new home!¡± Reysha declared, stripping within a few moments and dropping into the pond. Because they had prioritized exploration the last few days, the best thing any of them had done was quickly scrubbing themselves down. None of them wanted to get stuck in Verdany for too long. As per Aclysia¡¯s long-term plan, it was actually important for them to get through in a timely manner while defeating as few opponents as possible. The more levels Apexus gained, the fewer permanent Growths he could gain from this Leaf.


    Not that Apexus even knew what he would want as a permanent Growth from this dungeon. So far, they hadn¡¯t run into any other enemies and neither the Thornspitter nor the Rammer had anything he wanted. When he presented that conundrum to his girls, neither of them seemed to have any good idea.


    ¡°Perhaps you can acquire the ability of the Rammer to grow fingernails? It would at least serve to better your disguise,¡± Aclysia suggested.


    Apexus thought about that for a bit. That would indeed be useful, but not overly so. ¡°I would rather have nails like Reysha,¡± the slime said, while joining the redhead in the pool. He was thirsty and helping her wash herself was a good excuse to massage her boobs and scratch her behind the ears. ¡°Normal nails aren¡¯t that useful and growing them out to make them work as a weapon seems like a pain.¡±


    ¡°Claws for the win,¡± the tiger girl purred, extending her own just to show off. The Noir-induced red of her nails extended and sharpened in an unnatural fashion. There was some magic involved in that rapid growth and degeneration. Unlike regular cats, the claws of Reysha¡¯s kin did not have the space to actually pull back. Of the many things that could be programmed into a species¡¯ genome, it was one of the least. ¡°Do you know that you keep getting better at that?¡± she asked, while Apexus kneaded her soft ears.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very fun thing to do,¡± the slime hummed, enjoying seeing the redhead blush a little bit with an innocent, relaxed variety of excitement. That changed to the more depraved kind when he prioritized her soft breasts again. ¡°Am I getting better at this as well?¡±


    ¡°Muuuuchhh better,¡± she sighed, when he rolled her nipples between his fingers. The water made a few gentle sounds, when the tiger girl extended her legs and broke through the surface. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we find something more useful for ya on the way to the boss then or that the boss has something usable going on at least.¡± Turning her eyes before her head, Reysha looked over to Aclysia who, now nude, joined them in the fountain. ¡°No ¡®we should continue to hurry along¡¯ speech from you?¡±


    ¡°I believe it to be important that we take this opportunity to rest,¡± Aclysia responded earnestly. ¡°The day is too advanced to attempt any further expeditions. Better to freshen ourselves up before we continue our exploration.¡±


    ¡°Is that a long way to say you¡¯re in the mood too?¡± Reysha teased.


    Aclysia blushed and averted her gaze, ¡°No¡­¡±


    Apexus took one arm off Reysha to pull his beloved angel a little bit closer. Soon, the white-haired woman was in front of him, with the tiger girl squished in between them. Reysha was happy with that position, appearing quite smug even, when she grinned at Aclysia and played with the fairy¡¯s hair the same way Apexus played with her cat ears. The slime himself extended some of his lust-fuelled tentacles all the way to the sweet spot between Aclysia¡¯s legs.


    ¡°Why are you wet then?¡± he asked in a teasing tone that came natural to him. The way his tentacle slid past her pink pussy lips was impossible to explain through water.


    ¡°I can be logical in my reasoning for us to stay here and still be aroused!¡± Aclysia defended herself. Although true, the duo she was with acted as if they didn¡¯t believe her and proceeded to lightly bully her throughout the entirety of their sexual encounter that night. Much like doing only minor cleaning, the group hadn¡¯t afforded themselves more than kisses and hugs in terms of physical affection.


    Although it didn¡¯t directly contribute to their goal, they needed moments like this. Reysha almost physically, being a nymphomaniac of the medium variety. Sex was like a meal she craved at least once a week. If she didn¡¯t have it, it had some impact on her mood and performance. While she could still do her best without regular orgasms and wasn¡¯t so deranged that she couldn¡¯t be happy without them, she was much better off afterwards. Especially if it was some really great sex and not just some solo-finger action.


    Apexus and Aclysia were happy to have sex themselves, but for them it wasn¡¯t as urgent. Even so, moments of passion, physical love to supplement the avowed one, and the ecstasy of climax were all helpful in relieving stress and keeping spirits high.


    It didn¡¯t contribute directly to their goal but it was overall more of a positive impact than a time waster. Perhaps they would have done it anyway if it had been.


    With the uncertainty of their situation at large, affirming that life was good was a value all its own.

 Humanoid Road 9 – Like tentacles dancing on string

    ¡°Stop,¡± Apexus said and the two women obeyed. They looked at the leading slime with mild confusion, when he stood there, left foot raised and looked around. ¡°Is there a big tentacle moving?¡± he asked Reysha, since she was the most apt at spotting the early warning signs.


    ¡°No that I can se- Huh,¡± she interrupted herself and nonchalantly pointed towards one east of their position. ¡°Would ya look at that, that one is getting ready.¡± The attack came about twenty seconds later, which was ample time for the group to relocate and just watch the pointy end of the tendril slam past the branch of the tree underneath which their current road was located. ¡°How did ya know?¡± the redhead wanted to know, once the tentacle started to retreat.


    ¡°Noticed someth¡­¡± Apexus started, made an annoyed noise and then tried again. ¡°I noticed something. Let¡¯s see if I can show you.¡± They walked towards the crater the impact of the tentacle had left behind and Apexus started to look around. ¡°It¡¯s hard to notice, even without all the extra layers you¡¯re wearing,¡± he said, straining his eyes. When he couldn¡¯t spot it, he waved around with his arm. ¡°I might just trigger the tentacle again, be ready.¡±


    Apexus moved through something. It was thin and light, but definitely there. Following his warning, Reysha kept watch on all tentacles that seemed nearby enough to reach them. They froze for a moment. ¡®Are they debating whether they should hit the same spot twice in a row?¡¯ Reysha had an amused thought, only to realize that wasn¡¯t entirely unrealistic. She wouldn¡¯t have checked her roof twice if she already knew it was just a squirrel. The only part of her thoughts that didn¡¯t quite make sense was that these tentacles could debate one another.


    In the meanwhile, Apexus had managed to grab what he was looking for. It was a dark thin strand, nearly invisible in the shade. ¡°See this?¡± he asked, pulling it taut to make it a bit easier to spot. Just like a moving fly, it was nigh impossible to keep eyes on this hair-like strand when it was waving in the wind. ¡°This must be what triggers the tentacles.¡±


    Aclysia narrowed her eyes and hovered closer. Following the strand with her finger, she slowly made her way up to the tree branch above them. She kept her fingers on until finding the origin of the hair at the underside of an ivy leaf. ¡°It¡¯s growing out of the yellowy-green ivy that covers the trees,¡± she mumbled, just loud enough for her sharp-eared pears to hear her. ¡°I thought it to be just a visual distinction between two species. It appears the differences between that which covers the floor and the trees is larger than originally thought.¡±


    ¡°We have to move,¡± Reysha warned. Be it because of all the touching or because enough time had passed, the giant tendril that had threatened them previously was back in motion.


    Apexus let go without any worries and Aclysia followed along with the tiger girl when he led them further down the path. The tentacle came down with an even harder thrust, causing the nearby trees to shake. The trembles in the ground were strong enough to cause a number of Thornspitters in the distance to rise.


    Quickly shifting priorities, Reysha grabbed one of her throwing knives and delivered a direct hit to the fleshy centre of the closest Thornspitter. It fell over before its tendrils had even woven into the shield. Aclysia rose up and conjured a Sunlight Bolt. While the attack only charred the defences of the enemy she aimed at, it kept it occupied for long enough for Apexus to charge ahead. Running slowly and sprawling his bright green wings out wide, he presented himself as a natural target. There were four more Thornspitters, two of which were located on top of a small hill. Like all of the surroundings, it was covered by the leafy-green ivy. Part of it dangled down like a curtain.


    A curtain out of which a Rammer burst when Apexus was close enough. The slime felt the vibrations before he saw the thing. The massive head-torso that looked like a fusion between wood and stone trampled in his direction. Trying to get out of the way, Apexus beat his wings, creating energy that assisted his backwards jump with the only muscle power he had. Simply correcting its course, the Rammer continued to charge and did its name justice. Pain spread through the slime when his ribcage dented in enough to press against his nucleus, then he flew backwards.


    Graceless as the creature fought, the raw power of its single attack was stunning. The next step of its hunting strategy would have been to simply fall on top of Apexus. Before that could happen, Reysha stormed over and swiped the legs away from under the monster. It still fell, but uselessly to the side. Driving one of her daggers into the Rammer¡¯s leg, she ruined it enough to prevent it from standing up again. These monsters had no easily accessible weak points, but they were immobilized with just one precision cut.


    Apexus rose back to his feet as quick as he could. The broken and shattered bones hardly bothered him. Spreading his wings again, he provided a shield for Reysha just in time to block a flying thorn. It cut through feathers and flesh, but lost too much energy to do the same to the redhead¡¯s armour. Staying crouched, she finished off the Rammer while Apexus baited out the remaining three Thornspitter attacks, then Reysha sprang back into proper action.


    Darting around Apexus at a running speed he couldn¡¯t hope to keep up with, she was suddenly in the lead. A mad grin on her face and a dagger in her left hand, she charged the closest Thornspitter head-on. The shield was raised in her direction, but she didn¡¯t mind. As a matter of fact, she strictly ignored both it and the Thornspitter, suddenly taking a left cut. Bamboozled, expecting a faint, the plant-based predator reared its shield in the direction of her vibrations.


    Only if it had raised its shield and looked around with its eye, it may have noticed Apexus diving at it. The slime grabbed the stalk on the final metre of his descent, ripped it out of the floor and made both of them tumble over the ground.


    Reysha had reached the hill by now and sprinted up the elevation, sheathing her dagger in the process. The Thornspitters above immediately tried to shove her back down. Grabbing the shield of the closer one, Reysha instead jumped onto the attack. Before the enemy could react, she already kicked off, flying over both Thornspitters. If she had been more of a superhuman, perhaps she could have thrown a knife mid-flight, but as she was, she had to wait until she was on the ground again. Dashing under the slam that greeted her, Reysha grabbed the fruity centre of the Thornspitter before her and tore it apart with her claws. The other monster on the hill was looking in her direction, leaving it widely exposed for a Sunlight Bolt by Aclysia. Concentrated as the enemy had been on the Rogue, the metal fairy had been able to get close enough for a secure shot.


    The two women then moved onto the last Thornspitter in the engagement. More were rising in the distance, but they were all north of the hill, the majority of the fight happened south of it. Simply dropping back down before the monsters were ready got the vulnerable Rogue out of the line of fire. Then they proceeded to kill the Thornspitter by simply running up to it, confusing it and then delivering a finishing blow.


    Apexus looked at all of that from a distance, already busy eating the Thornspitter he had killed. With the kinds of enemies this dungeon threw at them being what they were, his job really was only to take the blows. Reysha was much more adept at actually killing stuff, while Aclysia provided supportive fire. Provided that she didn¡¯t stretch her mana reserves, having her ready to heal was much more important.


    ¡°Do you require healing, darling?¡± the metal fairy asked, flying back over to him. She would have sounded more worried, had she not known that it took very specific hits to actually hurt the slime. Only because his nucleus could have been hit, did she come over to ask.


    ¡°Just broken ribs. They will mend in a few hours,¡± Apexus responded, putting the white-haired woman at ease. When it came to his Growths, they needed some time to regenerate. Wings, particularly feathers, would restore fairly quickly. Bones were a bit more difficult. Regardless, it was much quicker than natural healing would have been. Since the slime wasn¡¯t hindered, it was better for Aclysia to keep her power in case they got ambushed again.


    In the distance, Reysha was cutting the lasting parts of the Thornspitter, stuffed them into her bag and then devoured the delicious centre. When she came back to the other two, taking only a detour to retrieve her throwing knife, Apexus had finished his own meal and was cuddling with Aclysia for the sheer sake of it. There were enemies over the hill, but they had no intention to engage with them.


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Reysha said and plopped down in the ivy in front of the other two. ¡°You were talking about the yellowish ivy?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aclysia nodded, putting her thoughts back to the matter at hand. Her actual hands were around Apexus¡¯ chest though, the two taking the moment to hug like proper lovebirds. ¡°It appears that the ivy and the tentacles are part of the same organism. That is my best explanation as to how they react to us touching the hairs.¡±


    ¡°Might just be a dungeon thing?¡± Reysha offered a counter-suggestion, while looking at one of the massive tendrils. ¡°Then again, they do seem pretty plant-y.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s assume it¡¯s true,¡± Apexus said. ¡°Would that organism be the boss?¡±


    ¡°That would be my personal guess, yes,¡± the angel nodded. ¡°I suggest that we check whether or not we can trace back the ivies. It might deliver us directly to the source. Best case, we find the boss. Moderate case, we find a special enemy that might let us temporarily neutralize the tentacles if we beat it. Worst case, we do the same thing we have been doing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like best case,¡± Reysha sighed and dug some pieces of edible wood out between her teeth with her claws. ¡°How long have we been in here now? Two weeks?¡±


    ¡°To the day, yes,¡± Aclysia informed the redhead.


    ¡°I want to eat something that¡¯s meaty again. I get that eating my greens is important, but this shit is getting really stale,¡± she complained. ¡°How would you even go about tracking the ivy though?¡±


    ¡°There might be markers of growth direction, depending on whether or not the god that created this dungeon designed it so,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°Otherwise, we might be able to investigate for clues. Density of trigger hairs, position of the tentacles, such things. If all else fails, Apexus can fly up and try to find the area from above.¡±


    It was a risky manoeuvre, given that flying came with the very real risk of getting slapped down, but it would be better than spending even more time where they were. After a few more minutes of rest, they decided to seek out Aclysia¡¯s first suggestion. More accurately, Aclysia checked out her own suggestion. Where she had an easy time just hovering up to the ivy that covered the branches above, her party members had to wait on the floor.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Reysha, bored, shouted up to the metal fairy.


    Raising leaves and checking the way the ivy had hooked into the wood, Aclysia looked for anything that seemed like a directional trend. If the ivy had spread its way along the branches, the securing network under the leaves must have shown some traces of it. Smart as she was, the metal fairy was not learned in this area and could only work with context clues. Of which, it turned out, there were just barely enough to give her a hunch.


    ¡°I guess we should advance in this direction,¡± she stated and pointed to where they came from.


    ¡°Ya want us to just tread back the ground we made today?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°You know there won¡¯t be food in that direction?¡±


    ¡°You just ate,¡± the metal fairy returned.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Apexus chimed in. ¡°Food is always important. Especially if it¡¯s respawning, magically enriched monster stuff.¡±


    ¡°The big man knows what he is talking about,¡± Reysha nodded.


    ¡°Darling does not have a stomach.¡±


    ¡°At this point, I doubt I have one. Have you seen what I stuff my face with on a daily basis?¡±


    ¡°Your condition most likely converts most of it into fuel for its own advancement. It is, however, a wonder that you don¡¯t even bloat after you gorge yourself.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not allowed to be the only girl around who always has a perfect figure,¡± Reysha giggled, only to have it escalated into laughing. ¡°Man, imagine the amount of beauty obsessed oligarchs across the Leaves that would start suicide runs to try and get Noir if they learned it guaranteed them a goodbye from their lard asses.¡±


    ¡°A very low amount, I would reckon.¡±


    ¡°This direction, right?¡± Apexus asked, wanting to be on the move while they ran their mouths. A confirmation later and they began their following Aclysia¡¯s hunch.

 Humanoid Road 10 – Ivy Kraken

    ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but doesn¡¯t that look promising?¡± Reysha asked and pointed at something in the distance.


    Apexus followed the direction of her finger and spied something that looked a lot like the bramble wall that surrounded the dungeon. Although practically equal when it came to visuals, it couldn¡¯t have been the original wall of thorny wood. They were only a few kilometres north-west of the centre of the dungeon, far away from the wall. Several trees stood inside the isolated area, yellow ivy stretching between not only their branches but also the trunks, creating the look of an oversized cocoon. Out of the gaps poked odd looking stalks of gnarly wood, an eye at the end of each that kept watch over the sky.


    ¡°Looks VERY promising,¡± the slime therefore confirmed, his feet parting ivy leaves with every step.


    Walking on the dirt road had been deemed too dangerous yesterday. The hairs were now so frequent that the trio would have had to dodge a tentacle every other minute if they kept walking under the tree branches. Something like that was way too bothersome to deal with. At the same time, that development had put the group at ease. Annoying as it was, it had confirmed they were getting somewhere. Any clue that their strategy worked had been direly wanted. Walking around with a strategy that could have failed, for some reason, felt worse than walking around with no strategy at all.


    ¡°I see a healing fountain,¡± Aclysia announced from up above, as they went further in that direction. The news made all of them feel a rush of excitement. Excitement that was dampened for a moment when a Thornspitter rose from the nearby in the ivy. ¡°Let¡¯s prioritize reaching the safe location!¡± Aclysia declared and flew on ahead. There was no need to fight outside of food and gaining new ground. With the assumed boss arena just ahead and earlier enemies having been devoured, both reasons fell flat. Apexus and Reysha ran as fast as they could after the metal fairy. A couple of thorns flew around them, but none hit. Once in safety, they hid behind the usual stone pillars and just waited. The outside went quiet again and the group concentrated on what they had found.


    ¡°That looks VERY fucking promising,¡± Reysha grinned when she got up and looked at the gate opposite of where they had entered the stone circle. It was made of stone itself, looking somewhat unfitting in the frame of bramble. At closer inspection, it was starkly different from the actual wall that separated Verdany from the outside, being several times thicker. No amount of plate armour would have allowed the appropriately levelled adventurer to push through. ¡°So, what¡¯s the bet: boss or just enemy that controls the tentacles?¡±


    ¡°Boss,¡± Apexus answered quickly.


    ¡°I concur with my darling,¡± Aclysia seconded.


    ¡°It¡¯s no fun if everyone is betting on the same thing!¡± Reysha complained.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you bet on the tentacle-enemy then?¡± the slime wanted to know, kneeling down next to the pool and putting his hand into the lukewarm water. He wasn¡¯t in dire need of new fluid, but he took the opportunity regardless.


    ¡°Do I look so dumb that I¡¯ll deliberately lose a bet?¡± the redhead purred and stretched. Looking at the pond, she considered another bath. Rather than decide herself, she looked to Aclysia. ¡°We going straight in, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°As we agree that we will face the boss behind this, I suggest a break to make sure we are in optimal condition,¡± the metal fairy let them know. Which was what they then proceeded to do. They hadn¡¯t been out and about for all that long that day, so they didn¡¯t need to sleep. Just some cleaning, stretching and warming up had to be done, before they decided they were ready.


    Apexus led the way, putting his hands left and right of the central crack of the gate and then pushing. Had this been two regular slabs of stone, there would have been absolutely no way he could have opened it by himself, but the mana-drenched creation of the god that put this dungeon into place reacted to the very intent to be opened by slowly swinging inwards.


    Pupils widening in response to the dim light inside, Apexus took a first step into the boss arena. No sunrays managed to make their way directly through the ivy drapery, creating a dome of yellowy-green leaves that glowed in contrast to the shadow they cast. All of the eyestalks they had seen from the outside had thick curtains of hair fall from their connections to a central body. Those very same curtains obscured much of the shape of the boss monster in the middle, dividing the arena into separate areas, but enough was visible to the trio to make out the gist of the creature.


    It was a large, bulbous mound of intertwined roots and fleshy bits, covered in yet more hair. It looked like a shaggy, mutated mass of joined Thornspitters, with some segments stretching out like the shields of the smaller monsters did. Thick roots burrowed into the ground and connected to the network of tentacles it operated. With its eyes looking for aerial assailants and the hairs for any ground movement, it guided the massive limbs in its designed intent to kill whoever invaded this domain. Much smaller tentacles, ¡®only¡¯ big enough to grab a person, rose from the floor directly around it in response to the adventurers who had made it all the way to this centre.


    ¡°Free food,¡± Apexus stated, after having a look at the situation. ¡°Just take care of yourself. There are Thornspitters behind the curtains, so be careful when going through. They shouldn¡¯t fire unless they see you.¡±


    ¡°Roger that,¡± Reysha responded, her cat ears turning and confirming what Apexus had felt through his tremor sense. Both her and the metal fairy kept close to the wall and just watched the slime walk towards the boss. They were ready to join at any moment but, unless the boss showed an unexpected ability, this would be a tremendously easy encounter.


    Some of the boss¡¯ shields drew back and then launched thorns at the advancing slime. They were weaker than the average Thornspitter, fired with less optimized limbs, but it hardly mattered anyway. Apexus took the hits in stride, expanded his slime in the areas to pull the projectiles inside and devoured them. When he was close enough, the boss¡¯ tentacles attempted to grab him.


    Apexus let his arm be grabbed and his body be pulled closer. If the boss revealed any threatening magic or a dangerously strong set of teeth, the slime would have needed to change his tactic. Escaping the grasp would have only cost him the arm. Thinning out the membrane at the shoulder and simply pulled backwards would have let the limb be simply pulled off. There were no muscles or sinews that kept the bone attached to the joint after all. A hand also wasn¡¯t exactly necessary to maintain the core threat the chimeric slime posed, so he was more than willing to give it up to gather information that could win the fight in an instant.


    The boss only wrapped more tentacles around Apexus. First his limb then, with the slime deciding to let it happen, around the rest of him. Several more thorns were unloaded into his immobilized form. Apexus didn¡¯t mind and started to expand. Expand and expand until the skeleton and the tendrils were swimming inside a blob of slime three-metres across, his current maximum size. The boss pulled his tentacles away, feeling them getting dissolved. That cost Apexus a bit of biomass, but he didn¡¯t care.


    Slowly, methodically, Apexus spilled over the boss. That it was much larger than him wasn¡¯t an issue. That it could fire thorns wasn¡¯t an issue. That the tentacles could have crushed the windpipe of the normal adventurer wasn¡¯t an issue. Because he wasn¡¯t a humanoid. He was an intelligent slime against an instinct-driven, immobile opponent. There were few match-ups more in his favour.


    The proper way to beat the boss would have been to weave through the projectile attacks, dodge the tentacle grabs and take out the fleshy centres one after the other. Once all the centres in one area had been destroyed, the group would have needed to pass through one of the hair curtains, face whatever Thornspitters were behind, and repeat the strategy. Once all cores were destroyed, the tentacles shielding the core of the boss would unwrap and reveal a vulnerable centre that had to be destroyed while dealing with all of the tendrils. Ranged attacks, nimble melees and armour would have been especially valuable, as had been true for dealing with the dungeon in general.


    Apexus just melted his way through the defences and, after about ten minutes, had reached the core. If the boss could have screamed, it would have continuously roared in blind rage. No part of its biology allowed it to resist this hunting strategy. Bored, Reysha and Aclysia circled through the room and took out the isolated Thornspitters. Without backup by the boss, they were even easier to deal with than those in the open landscape outside.


    ¡°At least I get to eat something,¡± Reysha grumbled as she gnawed on a Thornspitters stem. Like a dog with a bone, she was less actually eating it than she was keeping her teeth in use. Putting on an incredibly sweet voice, she shouted out. ¡°Honey, do you like your dinner?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus responded. ¡°Dry tentacles, but very nice fleshy bits and centre. Still eating.¡± The boss was dead at this point, but a lot of his carcass was still to be devoured. The slime already felt that promising tingle of a new permanent Growth.


    ¡°Technically it should be categorized under second breakfast,¡± Aclysia chimed in. ¡°Given the time of the day.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know it was ¡®useless facts¡¯ o¡¯clock,¡± Reysha retorted.


    ¡°There is no such thing as a useless fact.¡±


    ¡°Really? You really wanna go ahead and assert that?¡±


    ¡°Knowledge is highly versatile. At some point it will serve you to know something.¡±


    ¡°What would you do knowing that female hyenas have big dicks?¡±


    ¡°¡­question what a hyena is?¡± Aclysia answered.


    Reysha blinked a couple of times. ¡°Wait¡­ you seriously don¡¯t know what a hyena is?¡±


    ¡°I have retained the knowledge to blend into the average Summer Leaf without issue. A hyena seems to not fall into the area of experiences my father deemed to be necessary.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fair?¡± Reysha tilted her head, still somewhat confused. ¡°You do know what a scorpion is though, right?¡±


    ¡°An arachnid with a stinger, present in forests and many other biomes, often venomous,¡± Aclysia responded, as if she was reading from a dictionary.


    ¡°Anteater lion?¡±


    ¡°A particularly shaped mammal with a long snout feasting on ants.¡±


    ¡°Crocodile?¡±


    ¡°A large lizard and ambush predator, living in shallow waters. Has an incredibly strong jaw and tail.¡±


    ¡°Sounds interesting,¡± Apexus noted from his position. ¡°Life is very diverse. I like it. Very tasty as well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think crocodiles are tasty¡­ although I wouldn¡¯t mind eating one as revenge,¡± Reysha mumbled.


    ¡°Revenge for what?¡±


    ¡°Almost got caught by one when I was bathing one time. I was¡­ twelve at the time?¡± she looked up and tried to remember. ¡°Maybe thirteen. I didn¡¯t try to bathe in that river again.¡±


    ¡°Were there a lot of crocodiles where you grew up?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°If you went looking for them, sure,¡± Reysha shrugged.


    ¡°What are hyenas?¡± Apexus brought the discussion back around to the initial animal.


    ¡°Uh, imagine if you crossed a wolf with a very angry cat and injected it with liquid mockery,¡± Reysha tried her best at a description.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s like a fox?¡± Apexus wanted to know. ¡°Except that the females have dicks?¡±


    ¡°No, they don¡¯t look like foxes at all¡­ they, uhm¡­ they have more in common with boars when it comes to looks, really, now that I think about it. Spotted boars. But they are also pretty thin, by comparison.¡±


    ¡°You describe something that looks very odd in my mind,¡± Apexus told her, now unable to make any sense of what a hyena was supposed to look like.


    ¡°That coming from the human skeleton swimming in a large blob of dark blue slime,¡± Reysha laughed. ¡°With cat ears, wings and all other kinds of oddities.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus responded in an equally joking tone, before flowing off the remains off the boss and pulling back into his usual shape. There were a bunch of eyestalks still poking out of the ceiling and Apexus hadn¡¯t bothered to eat all of the tentacles. Neither did he feel the particular need to munch his way through the entire underground network. What he had eaten was enough to get what he wanted and there was something in there he couldn¡¯t eat even if he tried. ¡°Nothing good.¡±


    ¡°Nothing good?¡± ¡°What do you mean, darling?¡± Reysha and Aclysia asked at the same time.


    ¡°Mean- I mean that there is nothing good. The boss is basically all Thornspitter parts, with hairs added in,¡± the chimeric slime responded. ¡°Could grow a tentacle, but I think that¡¯d make blending in a bit harder.¡±


    ¡°It would indeed¡­¡± Aclysia hummed and thought for a moment. ¡°If you took on the hair, could you make it dense like it is on the eyestalks?¡± she wanted to know.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain I could do that even without making it permanent, so yes,¡± Apexus said. The suggestion worked for him. Albeit not a particularly interesting addition to his current Growths, hair would be useful in blending in. He had seen bald people before, but they seemed to be rare. He had also seen people that would have looked better if they were bald.


    ¡°You are certain there is nothing else you find useful, darling?¡± the metal fairy asked, just to be certain. The prospect of him gaining hair did please her. Although she loved Apexus as he was, him slowly progressing towards a more humanoid standard of beauty catered to more shallow parts of herself. With that said, her analytical mind was stronger and she wouldn¡¯t have wanted him to forego something practical in favour of some hair.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus responded, similar thoughts going through his own head. He wanted to look more pleasing to them, being well aware that a visible skeleton and his completely untoned body was rather unnatural. ¡°Any favourite on the hair colour?¡± he asked. ¡°Usually, when I acquire a permanent Growth, it changes somewhat depending on my thoughts at the time. Otherwise they just become blue.¡± He spread his wings a little bit to show what he meant.


    Aclysia blushed a little bit, knowing their emerald colour came from him thinking of her eyes at the time. It had been a while before they had fallen in love, but looking back at it had her embarrassed regardless. That embarrassment allowed Reysha to speak up first.


    ¡°I think black would be best,¡± the tiger girl said. ¡°Either that or blue. Make it opposite of either one of us.¡± She pointed between herself and the white-haired Aclysia. ¡°Makes for a good team look.¡±


    ¡°I think blue would not look particularly good. Black, however, is a natural hair colour and would be aesthetically pleasing indeed,¡± Aclysia backed up that opinion. "However, one must consider the colour of your ears, so perhaps blue is better?"


    "I could combine the Growths once both are permanent," Apexus pointed out, rubbing his ears with one hand. "Make the fur the colour of the hair. Should work. Black, then?" The two girls nodded and Apexus went through the process.


    A single follicle grew, basically invisible, on top of Apexus¡¯ head. Then, a conscious choice later, it changed from a simple addition to being a proper part of the slime. Looking at Aclysia and checking with his memory, he created more and more of them until they were spread over the appropriate area of his skull and the space above his eyes. He remembered that Reysha also grew hair around her genitalia, but those seemed more trouble than they were worth. With the locations done, he started feeding the follicles energy. Had they not been permanent, their function would have been limited to the natural capabilities.


    He didn¡¯t go for a lot of hair and it still looked odd to the two girls to see hair just appear on the slime. Eyebrows and short hair grew out, while the fox ears went from primarily blue, to black with a hint of blue (the white tips remained). On one hand it did increase the humanoid features the slime had, on the other it did increase the uncanny valley effect. Especially the unmoving brows, lacking the muscles for proper facial features, were quite odd. Either Apexus would learn to move them as he spoke or the girls would get used to it, just as they had gotten used to the slime communicating so many emotions through movements of his head.


    ¡°I suppose that means we only got to look through the loot,¡± Apexus said, pointing at the chest in the middle of the monster¡¯s corpse.

 Humanoid Road 11 – Out of Verdany

    ¡°For the love of fuck, please give me some new armour,¡± Reysha prayed as she raised the lid of the chest. Her wish was with good reason. Although they had limited damage to her armour through proper engagement strategies, mistakes and simple wear and tear had by now reduced it to only a half-usable state. There were several holes punctured through the leather and some of them had widened to create gashes in the fabric that made it slowly disintegrate. It gave her a rugged sexiness and didn¡¯t hinder her yet, but using this armour actively for a few more weeks would have seen it destroyed to a barely usable degree.


    Apexus peeked under her shoulder. He was curious to see what the chest held, but he also appreciated the easy excuse to hold onto her waist for a little bit. Aclysia hovered next to them, unwilling to put her feet on the boss¡¯ remains. A sphere of light she had conjured illuminated the twilight of the groove.


    For its size, the chest was remarkably empty. Being over a metre across and half of one deep, it could have contained a nice number of items, and that was before considering that these divinely placed chests had the capacity to be bigger inside than would have made sense. In this specific case, no such dimensional stretching was necessary.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, we got a pouch with¡­ fifty silver, stingy divine ass,¡± Reysha grumbled and pushed her hand into the pouch to see if it was at least an adventurer¡¯s bag. It wasn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t even particularly good cloth. ¡°How come I get one gold in a starter dungeon and here we get half of that, huh?¡±


    ¡°Likely a continuation of the gods making earlier dungeons more rewarding to incentivize beginners to put themselves in risk,¡± Aclysia swiftly found a logical explanation. ¡°Although danger never fades, I imagine that beginners have the highest fatality rate among all adventurers. Only after a few dungeons have been defeated, are group dynamics formed and basic stratagems hammered in.¡± The metal fairy stopped for a moment to catch the pouch. Since it was just money, she was in charge of keeping it. ¡°It may also be that the god of this dungeon truly is stingy.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he counterbalances it with other good items?¡± Apexus suggested.


    ¡°I see nothing large or shiny, so I doubt it,¡± Reysha stated and reached back into the chest. She pulled out a steel sickle that was enchanted with lasting sharpness. The group, however, was unaware of this. While Aclysia and Apexus could sense the faint magic of a weak enchantment, they couldn¡¯t decipher what it did. Since the effect wasn¡¯t immediately visible, they assumed it was something relating to sharpness or durability, but they had no way of confirming it at that moment.


    ¡°Someone who can Appraise would be useful,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Scribe thing?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Scribe for a general overview and Crafters for details, yeah,¡± the tiger girl answered, her tail waving around. ¡°What kind of Crafter depends on the item, of course. Smith won¡¯t tell you a lot of useful stuff about robes.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I will look into learning about basic Scribe spells whenever the opportunity arises¡­¡± Aclysia thought out loud.


    ¡°Can you even learn things outside of your created Class?¡± Reysha wondered, as she pulled the next item out of the chest. A blue satin dress, valuable but not fit for the adventuring life.


    ¡°I believe so. Such flexibility has been given to me,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°Perhaps my father is playing a deliberate gamble to acquire a stronger servant. Us angels can come in many forms, but rarely is one created that can rival a top-level adventurer. The time and energy needed to manifest such a being is rarely spent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Reysha hummed and picked up an ornamented gemstone. It looked beautiful, but that was just the craftsmanship. The actual material it was made from was quite common.


    Apexus held it for a moment, he liked the way the light played on the facetted surface. ¡°Would diverting your attention that way make your healing weaker?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It certainly would create the necessity to continue to hone that skill in the time I would otherwise spend improving my healing knowledge. It would also tax the shape of my mana circuitry, but I would regard this as a minor issue. Fate and Holy magic are the closest two related schools.¡±


    Most adventurers preferred to become extremely good at one or two things, moderately good at a few others, proficient at whatever else they had to and rely on their group for everything else. This was, in large part, because of sheer time constraints. Someone who was a good smith may also have been a good carpenter, but it was unlikely that they would find the opportunity to chase both occupations in equal measure. Another drawback was the shaping of magical circuits and the magical cortex inside the body. Like muscles, they would develop to best fit the strain they were regularly presented with and come to support certain spells more effectively than others. Also, like muscles, they could be retrained with time and dedication. It was rare to go for drastic changes, however.


    ¡°I¡¯d still rather you don¡¯t. Magic items are good, but we don¡¯t need them as badly as good healing,¡± Apexus stated his opinion.


    ¡°Would be really fucking nice if we had someone else tag along for stuff like that. Some kind of Scout plus Scribe and a Warrior would make this group a bit more versatile. Can¡¯t do that at the moment though,¡± Reysha said as she pulled the last item out of the chest. ¡°Well, this looks kind of interesting at least.¡±


    She was holding a glove of a deep green, leafy colour. It was made from some odd material, like woven strands of shaved wood. The palm displayed a yellow ivy leaf. Apexus held it for a second, just to feel the magic radiating from the item. ¡°It is enchanted,¡± he reported and gave it back to Reysha, who eagerly put it over her hand.


    Making a fist, waving her arm around and spouting a few random words that sounded magical, the tiger girl tested if she couldn¡¯t find out what the inlaying enchantment was. No lighting, no fire and no steam rose from her hand, so elemental enchantments seemed to be out. The item didn¡¯t seem or feel particularly sturdy. Thrusting her open hand forwards, she finally succeeded in activating the magic.


    A leafless ivy shot out of her palm and extended for five metres before falling to the floor without any extra effect. ¡°Well, that¡¯s okay?¡± Reysha wondered and spent half a minute trying to recall the plant still connected to her palm. Once she had succeeded, she pointed another thrust at the ceiling. It connected to some part of the branch ceiling. Testing, Reysha wrapped the connected ivy around her hand and pulled as strong as she could. When the ivy held, she put her second hand on it as well and climbed upwards. Even when she was all the way up, the conjured plant held. ¡°Not exactly new leather armour, but it¡¯s pretty fantastic,¡± she grinned from underneath the ceiling, before lowering herself back down. When she made the recalling motion, the ivy let go and retreated without protest.


    ¡°A utility item is always of value,¡± Aclysia agreed. ¡°Was that all?¡±


    ¡°That was all,¡± Reysha confirmed. Just because of good manners, they closed the chest before they headed back out.


    The view of Verdany was a strange one. The immediate surrounding remained unchanged, but the massive tentacles they had always seen moving around in waving and coiling motions were now all rigid. Frozen in motion, some of them slowly slumping, they showed nothing of the dedicated power they had previously. With their ¡®brain¡¯ dead for the moment, these plant-tendrils concentrated on the regular parts of being flora: standing around and absorbing sunlight.


    ¡°No regular shortcut this time around,¡± Apexus noted and started morphing into the shape better lending itself to carrying the tiger girl.


    ¡°We have flight privilege, so who cares,¡± Reysha giggled, swinging herself on his back once the transformation was complete. Apexus started running and beating his wings, taking off and then quickly gaining height. Following right behind them with her magical flight, Aclysia caught up the moment the slime switched to a more stable soaring.


    ¡°Which way?¡± Apexus asked. Beyond the bramble wall of the dungeon, there was just an ocean of green. He knew they needed to go north-east, but had no idea where that was. The only way to find out was to look at the sun and he didn¡¯t feel like searing his retinas if Aclysia could do it without damage to her eyes.


    After a moment of looking up, Aclysia pointed in a direction. ¡°If we go in that direction, we should see the bridge soon. We will stop in a city on this side of it and sell what we got,¡± she told him and they went on their way. They had spent about two and a half weeks inside the dungeon. By the standards of regular adventurers, it was a fast but not impossible clearing time. Even considering the fact that they had nothing in the way of guides. With it, it was normal for adequately prepared adventurers to clear Verdany in about a week. Information was the basis of warfare, even when the war was targeting a spawning location for monsters.


    The next two steps of the plan were very basic. Once they had made a short stop in whatever city Aclysia chose, they would sell all their things and then continue their journey to Myrlight on foot. The north was too densely populated to risk landing and exposing Apexus¡¯ morphed shape. The same reason why they landed on the northern outskirts of the jungle before reaching the village when the sun moved towards the horizon.


    The streets were buzzing with the last spurt of daily business. People were packing their things for the day or getting in what they still could. After the time they had spent in the dungeon, seeing other people again was somewhat odd. That there were so many of them didn¡¯t help. The city wasn¡¯t huge but it held a couple thousand people. It was a stark contrast to the violent nature of the dungeon, exaggerated further by the suddenness with which they had reached this new area.


    Kids were crying, neighbours chatting and bells rang all over the place. A fellow with a dog tail and ears was growling at a cross-armed merchant who refused to lower his prices. Worried, a guard looked over to the discussion, hoping he would get to end his shift without a sudden complication. A group of bored, young men were engaging in some friendly bullying of one of their members to approach a woman and ask her out for drinks. Somewhere, a cat meowed. Barrels were rolled over the pavement. Footsteps, hundreds of footsteps accompanied the movement of people through the broad streets.


    There was room to walk and navigate between the wooden stands, something the group appreciated. Walking across the market and looking for whoever seemed willing to buy their things, the group could avoid any close contact with people. Whenever they found a promising shop, like a jeweller for the nicely carved rock, they haggled only for a little bit and then sold the item a fair bit under value. They knew that it was happening, but they weren¡¯t in pressing need of the money and preferred to just get the affair over with.


    Once they had traded all of their items for coin, they searched for someone who could patch up the holes in Reysha¡¯s leather armour and, if they had some money to spare after that, someone who could clean and look at Aclysia¡¯s robe as well. Since both women had changed into their casual clothes, they could get that done without being left stark naked.


    ¡°I can do that for you, but not today,¡± a leatherworker they eventually found told them, inspecting Reysha¡¯s armour and pants. ¡°Just some standard cuts. Stitches won¡¯t be pretty, but they¡¯ll work. Again, not today though. I¡¯m ready to close shop.¡± Glancing at the white-haired woman and the air they gave off, he added, ¡°I¡¯ll start with it before I usually open the shop. Should be done with it by noon. It¡¯ll add another 5 silver to the price though, so you owe me a total of 15.¡±


    Reysha was just barely listening to those words as she concentrated on breathing. The sounds of the crowd were getting to her.


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration. I will gladly pay that extra,¡± Aclysia stated and bowed her head.


    Behind her, Apexus was looking at the many wares on display. Leather sheaths for knives and other tools, cut-outs to serve as a separation between plates and tables or other kinds of barriers, and other simple things. It was a nice and practical shop. Every time the slime looked at leather, he was fascinated that animal hides could be transformed into such an array of soft, hard, thick and thin materials.


    Reysha slowly stepped away. Her senses were dull and memories flickered across the inside of her eyelids whenever she blinked.


    Fascinated as he was, Apexus was paying enough attention to see the redhead sway into an alleyway. Looking between her and Aclysia, still talking to the leatherworker about a few pieces of information he may have to give, he presented a somewhat silly picture. Like an extremely confused owl, his head flew left to right and back again. The hood and wooden mask obscured his features and most people remained more intimidated by his large, enigmatic form. Funny wasn¡¯t the word that came to their mind. Creepy was their chosen description.


    Once Reysha was out of view, he could no longer wait for the metal fairy to turn his way and quickly took after her. Leaning back against the wall and her eyes closed, the tiger girl didn¡¯t immediately respond to his approach. Careful not to set her off, Apexus stood there, his wings creating a barrier between the street and the little space between the two houses.


    Eventually, the tiger girl opened her eyes and gave him a weak, but triumphant smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t lose control,¡± she proclaimed. ¡°I got it under control, Apexus!¡±


    Since he had no smile to show her at that moment, the slime went over and hugged her instead.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy,¡± he said.

 Humanoid Road 12 – The Troll Toll

    They spent the night underneath a comfortable tree and were on their way as early as the patching of Reysha¡¯s armour allowed. ¡°I still really miss that suit,¡± she complained all of the sudden, when they had been wandering for half the day already. ¡°It was such a nice and tight fit!¡±


    ¡°I would assume it also offered less protection,¡± Aclysia retorted. ¡°Especially around the chest area.¡±


    ¡°Dunno, that stretchy material was surprisingly sturdy,¡± Reysha sighed. ¡°It was PERFECT for me. Didn¡¯t hinder movements, offered a moderate amount of protection and looked sexy as hell.¡±


    ¡°For two of those three, you would surely be optimized fighting naked,¡± the metal fairy pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯ve considered that.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you did,¡± Aclysia couldn¡¯t help but let a dry, sarcastic comment escape.


    Apexus tilted his head. ¡°Why is fighting naked wrong?¡± he asked. ¡°I do it. All Reysha needs to really be effective is a knife.¡±


    ¡°You tell her, honey!¡±


    ¡°While it is certainly true that fighting naked can be tactically sound due to the degree of freedom and agility it offers, Reysha does need more than a knife to be truly effective. Her belt contains secondary weaponry that is quite important and stripping before every engagement is largely unfeasible,¡± the metal fairy responded. ¡°Furthermore, the-¡°


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it,¡± Reysha interrupted with a giggle. ¡°Don¡¯t take everything so seriously, Clysia.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t, especially when corresponding with you,¡± the angel agreed, her soft tone taking the edge out of those words. ¡°Your choice of dress or lack thereof, the suit we  found in Clearwater would have likely been discontinued from use already. Even if it was as sturdy as leather, it would still have gotten damaged and I don¡¯t think that peculiar material could be fixed by average leatherworkers.¡±


    ¡°Would still rather have worn it until it broke down than have it confiscated by those fuckwads of the city guard,¡± Reysha grumbled, her tail curving into an annoyed question mark shape.


    Suddenly, Apexus stopped. So did Reysha and Aclysia. ¡°Speaking of nude things,¡± the slime segued into what he was spying in the distance. ¡°Is that a very large, blue, naked man sitting over there?¡±


    The answer to that, confirmed completely when the trio approached a little bit further, was mostly yes. A male creature of three metres height and a body of raw muscle was sitting next to the base of the massive bridge that spanned over the strait. He wasn¡¯t completely naked though, wearing a loincloth that at least covered his groin.


    Aside from his size, a number of other things made him stand out from regular humanoids. His skin was not only a dark shade of blue, but also had a leathery texture, with patches that looked like a mixture between stone and scales. His hands only had three fingers, two thick main ones and a thumb. A grey mane covered part of the shoulders, the complete neck, chin and head of the monster. Only his face was free, a quite ugly, but not initially aggressive looking visage with a giant nose and thick lips that were kept partly open by a pair of tusks extending from the remaining arrangement of sharp teeth. Dull, green eyes looked at the group, when they stopped at a distance, they felt to be safe.


    ¡°Is that a troll?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°That appears to be a troll,¡± Aclysia confirmed, making a sour expression.


    ¡°A troll?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°A very peculiar species in the Omniverse, darling,¡± the metal fair explained. ¡°We refer to beings such as them as semi-monstrous. While they were created by the gods to be a foil to those of us capable of growing our divine sparks, being born with powers that only expand according to biological function, they were also blessed with sapience.¡±


    ¡°Would that make me semi-monstrous?¡± Apexus wondered.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Aclysia hadn¡¯t been finished with her explanation and needed a second to consider the sudden topic change. ¡°¡­Under the presupposition that you were created by a god, you may fall under that category¡­ but you do not have a spark at all, making this highly unlikely. The only category you can currently fit in is that of an enigma.¡±


    ¡°As always then,¡± Apexus hummed. He would be interested in where he came from, but at the same time he also wasn¡¯t too bothered by it. An answer would have sated some curiosity, but had no practical application.


    ¡°Let the poor encyclopaedia inform us about the rest of a troll¡¯s characteristics,¡± Reysha chimed in, mimicking the melodic voice of the angel in a mocking fashion.


    ¡°Trolls are also so-called dimension hoppers,¡± Aclysia continued on, now that she had the chance. ¡°They can change between Leaves without navigating the branches. Instead, they migrate from world to world by shifting out of reality on one Leaf and appearing on another, usually around bridges. While there, they gather up the Troll Toll.¡± She sighed. ¡°It appears we must pay to cross.¡±


    ¡°We could always fly over,¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°WILL CHUCK ROCKS AT PEOPLE TRYING TO FLY OVER BRIDGE!¡± the troll suddenly shouted over. Demonstrating, he stood up and grabbed a nearby rock. It was large enough that a fully grown man could have done nothing but roll it somewhere, but the troll easily picked it up with both hands. Throwing it upwards into the air, he had the trio follow the trajectory.


    It was an absolutely absurd display of strength. The rock flew up over a hundred metres, before its arc finally reached the zenith and curved back down to the ground. Slamming into the dirt just a few metres next to the troll, who looked at it with surprise. He had not thought about the possibility that it may come back down so close to him. ¡°AIR OVER BRIDGE PART OF BRIDGE!¡±


    ¡°Never mind then,¡± Reysha giggled, an instinctual response to the weirdness of the situation. It wasn¡¯t her first encounter with a troll. Ragressia had bridges, so a troll appearing at some point had been inevitable. They were too widespread not too.


    Apexus was somewhat certain that they could still avoid paying this ¡®Troll Toll¡¯ if they just retreated and started their flight from elsewhere. As impressive as that throw had been, if they just flew a large curve, they could avoid attention and the range of this brute. A direct confrontation, however, was clearly out. His raw strength aside, a big stone club leaning against the bridge¡¯s railing made it doubtlessly clear that they couldn¡¯t win. One swipe of such brutality would send Apexus¡¯ slime flying in all directions.


    Whether or not they retreated to fly was up to Aclysia. It was her plan that suggested they should stay on the ground to avoid risks. She was also the money manager of the group. After considering their options, the metal fairy noticed the awaiting gazes of her party members and then declared, ¡°Let us negotiate with this keen-eared creature,¡± she finally declared.


    The group approached the troll, who sat back down. He neither thought them a potential danger, nor did he care about the insulting descriptions. In part because he didn¡¯t think about either thing being a possibility at all. ¡°You pay Troll Toll to Turl,¡± he declared, his deep voice rumbling. ¡°Remember name. Pay Troll Toll once to Turl, you won¡¯t have to pay again to Turl in year. Turl will know if you try to cheat. Try to swindle or pass without paying and you get the squash.¡±


    ¡°We will recognize your likeness and remember your name, should we ever cross paths again,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°Do you require us to name ourselves?¡±


    Turl looked at Aclysia for several seconds, blinking slowly as the gears inside his head turned even slower. Looking over to Apexus, he stated, ¡°White woman uses too many words. Use fewer, masked man. Make them shorter too.¡±


    Scratching his head, Apexus took the lead in the negotiations. ¡°We¡¯ll remember you. Do you need our names?¡±


    ¡°No, Turl will know you,¡± the troll decisively stated.


    ¡°Can you tell us how much money you want?¡±


    ¡°No, Turl will know the Troll Toll when Turl perceives offering.¡±


    With everyone else, the group would have assumed that they were robbed of as much they could give, but Turl remained friendly. The Troll Toll was based more on the fickleness of the troll taking it and the words of those paying it than any actual value given.


    ¡°We have coin,¡± Apexus reported and had Aclysia hand him a single silver coin. Holding it up for inspection, he waited for Turl to take it. The troll just leaned forwards and looked at the shiny metal.


    ¡°Coin good. Have more valuable coin? Have gold?¡± Turl wanted to know.


    Reysha wondered if she should insert herself in the discussion with a lie, but a glance at the club dissuaded her from trying anything she didn¡¯t know would work. Cheating would get them squashed, that much had been established. Aclysia had similar thoughts going through her head, although she stopped herself earlier in the thought process. Lying was a tool to be used only if necessary.


    It didn¡¯t even cross Apexus¡¯ mind to swindle. He was catering to a peculiar predator and if he could dissuade it from eating him by offering some money, then that was a perfectly valuable survival strategy. ¡°We have enough silver to equal the worth of a gold coin,¡± he told Turl, ¡°but no gold.¡±


    ¡°Is stupid. Silver coins worth less than gold coin.¡±


    ¡°One hundred coins of silver are worth as much as one coin of gold,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°Is nonsense. Silver coins worth less than gold coin,¡± Turl insisted. ¡°Have something aside from coin?¡±


    ¡°Clothes and equipment, but we can¡¯t give you those,¡± Apexus told the troll.


    ¡°Why not? Are not valuable clothes?¡± Turl wanted to know.


    ¡°We need them. Some of what Aclysia and Reysha own is valuable, but that¡¯s mostly because they wear it,¡± Apexus gestured at his women and, mostly seriously and only a little bit joking, said, ¡°They are pretty, so normal dresses become very valuable if they own them.¡±


    Aclysia blushed slightly, weak to any level of compliment, while Reysha giggled. A giggle that escalated into full blown, roaring laughter, when Turl himself laughed. His deep voice was transformed into a higher pitched, repeated ¡°O-ho! O-ho! O-ho! O-ho!¡±. The amused sound was like a mixture between a drunk owl and a particularly arrogant merchant. Coming from that massive, muscular body made it even funnier. That laugh was a lot more entertaining than the joke had been, and soon Reysha was rolling on the floor.


    ¡°O-hohohohohoho,¡± the troll let out a last series of giggles before getting himself back under control. ¡°Your Troll Toll is quarter paid. Am entertained. Good entertained. Dresses best kept on pretty woman, yes! Turl agrees! Small womens, those, and no pretty tusks, but good bodies. Fit and curvy. Good taste, masked man.¡±


    ¡°Thank you?¡± Apexus responded, unsure how to respond. ¡°You accept payment outside of physical valuables? Like jokes? Would you take a song?¡±


    ¡°If song good, Turl will allow it,¡± the troll said. Apexus and Reysha both looked over to Aclysia. ¡°Many worded women will sing?¡±


    ¡°Is this required?¡± Aclysia wanted to know, feeling self-conscious now that she was put on the spot like this.


    ¡°We could pay, but you singing costs us nothing,¡± Reysha pointed out.


    ¡°It costs us time,¡± the metal fairy grasped at the first argument that came to mind.


    ¡°Time spent listening to you sing is not time wasted, my melody,¡± Apexus told her.


    Now Aclysia was blushing heavily. The red of her face made the white of her hair and eyebrows stand out heavily. Still embarrassed but willing to oblige what she would much rather have done in the privacy of her close circle of associates, the metal fairy concentrated on her breathing to calm herself down. ¡°As you wish then, darling, Reysha, I will sing.¡±


    Apexus and Reysha sat down next to Turl and waited for the metal fairy to sing for them. The slime loved to listen to her ever since that night on their way to Clearwater and Reysha had found her own enjoyment in sweet tones. Enjoyment and, in some nights in which her trauma had wrecked her mind, a piece of salvation.


    Keeping her eyes closed, uncertain if she could perform if she saw the expecting faces, Aclysia inhaled one more time and then started to sing. Sing in the common tongue, rather than angelic, letting the lyrics flow from her heart. Her voice would have moved even the greatest connoisseurs of operas and in the open space of the street, it reverberated with an untainted beauty. Innocent, strong and steady, her voice was carried by the wind.


    ¡°Far astray from paths wide open,


    Let us find hope between the oceans.


    Shadows fall,


    Nightmares come,


    Leaves sway and Branches shake.


    Let us not forget the Tree we share.


    Far astray from paths wide open,


    We find soothing words between the worlds.


    Spaces of spaces,


    And time goes to time.


    Created are we all,


    With some sense to us.


    And those that forget.


    Suns rise,


    Nightmares grow.


    A life exists beyond the waking.


    Far astray from paths wide open,


    We cross the bridges that cross the ocean.


    From land to land,


    And world to world,


    Stems and paths they carry us.


    May we find the way to those wide open.¡±


    A pause followed in which not even Aclysia was certain she had any more words to sing. When her instincts created no more lyrics and her active mind could supplement nothing, she opened her eyes and looked at her little crowd. ¡°I hope this pleased you,¡± she said and bowed her head.


    ¡°I loved it,¡± Apexus responded immediately, feeling an oddly happy pressure on his core. Hearing her sing loudly like this was a rare treat while they were on the road. If there had been anything good about being stationary in that house for a couple of months, it had been listening to her every day.


    ¡°Same,¡± Reysha grinned and stood up. ¡°You and your cheesy happy lyrics!¡± she declared and suddenly rushed at the metal fairy to cuddle her. Apexus would have joined, had it not been for Turl holding him back with one finger.


    ¡°Give silver coin and your Troll Toll to Turl is paid,¡± the blue giant said.


    Gladly, Apexus handed over the tiny bit of money.

 Humanoid Road 13 – Getting a little clarity

    The trio had no further issues on their travels north. Keeping a quick pace and never dwelling anywhere, only stopping to sleep or hunt, they reached the north of the island in a bit over five days. Once there, they were faced with good and bad news. The good news was that there was no city around this dungeon. The entrance to Myrlight was located at the bottom of a large, rocky crater and apparently nobody wanted to set up more than a few farming hamlets in the area. Those farming hamlets, however, supplied food to an Adventurer¡¯s Guild outpost that was built on top of the entrance.


    That building, a large wooden house with several open windows on ground level, through which officials could talk to approaching adventurers, was the bad news. The trio continued to be wary of Distance Feathers or other mechanisms by which the Adventurer¡¯s Guild may have spread news of their existence. Should news of their current location spread, there was no telling how the Guild would react.


    In this lay a bit of a problem that Aclysia now brought up.


    ¡°¡­Reysha¡­ I¡­ want to ask you something of low moral calibre,¡± the metal fairy spoke up, while they rested in a corner of the rocky crater that shielded them from unwanted views.


    ¡°Oh? Do tell!¡± Reysha¡¯s tail waved slowly with excitement.


    ¡°How secure do you estimate that building is when it comes to thieves?¡± Aclysia asked.


    Raising an eyebrow and smiling broadly, Reysha peeked out behind the rock and inspected the outpost with more careful eyes. ¡°Depends,¡± she answered while looking at the layout. ¡°I mean, getting in there should be really fucking easy. There¡¯re all of those Scribe windows that I can climb in through or I could climb up the walls and get in through the normal windows on the second floor. I reckon I could even cut myself in through the roof, if I was given enough time. With how temperate it is around here; I doubt that straw layer is particularly thick.¡± She pulled back and leaned against the very rock she had looked past, ¡°Getting in is very easy, but whether or not it¡¯s safe to do so depends on who and how many are staying there overnight. What¡¯cha thinkin¡¯ about, Clysia?¡±


    ¡°I would like you to get inside and see if they have received any news of us and, if yes, what that news entails,¡± Aclysia responded.


    ¡°A hunt-down order?¡± Apexus suggested, inspecting an interesting looking rock. Its outside was craggy, grey and just what would be expected of a stone. Part of it, however, had burst off and revealed that the inside was hollow and lines with crystals. ¡°What else would they send?¡±


    Reysha nodded and Aclysia found it hard to disagree. None of them had particular great experiences with regular adventurers, given what they had been put through because of people in that profession. They were all wise enough to not be prejudiced against individual adventurers because of this, but they did distrust the institution at large. They had hunted Apexus when he had spared Mehily and her group. Now that he and his two women were affiliated with the murder of several thousand people on a Safe Leaf, they doubted the Adventurer¡¯s Guild could have produced anything outside of a bounty and vile propaganda. They had the same view towards the Church.


    Recently, however, Aclysia had been reconsidering the possibilities. A sign of her own psychological trauma waning and because they had met quite a few entities by now that had been good to them, she wondered if, perhaps, there were people further up the command chain that considered things more carefully.


    ¡°I understand and agree that a bounty has most likely been placed on us,¡± Aclysia said. ¡°Whatever news has reached them; it is most probable that they interpreted it to place us as an accomplice in Apotho¡¯s action. It could also be, however, that they are not inherently hostile towards us and are simply looking for more information. Aside from us, who could have provided the entire picture?¡±


    As far as the group knew, the answer to that was nobody. Perhaps Mehily had survived, she knew much of the story and had appeared repentant. This wasn¡¯t something they were sure about. Aside from her, everyone had been used as fuel by Apotho. The next best source about the happenings were those that had ran or lived far enough from the city that the Deathhounds hadn¡¯t found them.


    ¡°What little information they have could cast us in a bad light, but it is by no means guaranteed that they will be inherently hostile.¡±


    ¡°I suppose not¡­¡± Apexus hesitantly agreed. Carefulness drove him to remain rather suspicious, but since it was his love presenting an understandable line of reason, he had to accept the possibility.


    ¡°So, you suggest I break in there and steal the communication documents?¡± Reysha asked, seeing where this was going.


    ¡°Steal them or, better, read them while you¡¯re there. The less signs of your presence you leave, the better it would be,¡± Aclysia confirmed and lowered her head in a pleading motion. ¡°I know this request puts you in harm¡¯s way and it will be difficult to find anything, but I would ask you to try.¡±


    Apexus put down the geode. ¡°Let¡¯s assume she finds the documents,¡± the slime said, ¡°and let¡¯s assume they mark us as neutral or even approving, what then? Do we hand ourselves over?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aclysia¡¯s answer was firm and quick, since she had already thought about this. ¡°No, I do not wish us under the influence of anyone we do not trust and I¡¯m unwilling to risk a change of mind inside the organization ending our lives. If they are neutral or friendly to us, we can behave more lax in the future. Optimal for us would be, however, if they do not care about our existence at all. This is, as unlikely as I find it, also a possibility.¡±


    Apexus hesitated. Through all of the last few months, he had assumed that there was someone on their trail. Being hunted several times by adventurers had made him think that way. Like Aclysia, he reconsidered. The people of this Leaf hadn¡¯t treated him in such a way at any point. Blind trust was out of the window, but now he wondered if he was more paranoid than he needed to be.


    ¡®Maybe the Omniverse is much larger than I thought it was?¡¯ the thought occurred to him. He had seen the sprawling Branches and the endless Leaves attached to them. ¡®How quickly can an organization that spans an endless number of worlds conceivably make decisions?¡¯ He felt almost stupid for not considering this earlier. Like Reysha had succeeded in taking greater control of herself during trauma, Apexus felt as if he was finally able to think in broader terms than his own immediate survival instinct. He hadn¡¯t noticed just how thick that barrier had been until this point. ¡°I support this plan,¡± he said.


    ¡°Guess this outpost is a blessing in disguise then,¡± Reysha hummed and rolled her neck. She had been following along and agreed with what had been said. ¡°What if I find nothing though?¡±


    ¡°Then we continue under the worst assumptions, behaving the same way we did until now,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°This outpost may not have been important enough to get the information. Better to be safe than sorry.¡±


    ¡°Roger that,¡± Reysha nodded. ¡°Alright, then we start the first part of a successful break-in,¡± she said and laid down so she could keep watch of the building while still being concealed. ¡°Let¡¯s study our victims.¡±


    Three days, the group spent looking at the building and checking on things. During that time, they spotted nine people around it. Six of them were adventurers, a party of four that had gone in and a party of two that had come out. One was still inside, while the other had left westwards. The remaining three seemed to be the local employees and none of them appeared to be fighters to the trio. Looks could lie, but they only ever saw them in work clothes and only armed with writing utensils. All of them went to their homes in the nearby villages at the end of the work day. However, the building was never truly vacated.


    Because adventurers could have come out at any hour, one of the employees was present at any given hour. There were hours of overlap, where it was two of them, and hours where they were alone. ¡°I can do it,¡± Reysha decided on the morning of the fourth day. ¡°Should be child¡¯s play.¡±


    ________________________________________________________________________


    During the night of that fourth day, Reysha snuck up to the back of the house. Her most important tool for that mission were her ears. Listening for the sole Scribe currently inside the outpost  determined everything about the success of this break-in. Silently, she stood by the back door, the opposite end of the house that faced the large hole that was the dungeon entrance. She waited for steps, a tired yawn or simple, bored monologue.


    She got the middle of those three options, audibly echoing from within the first floor and near the openings made for conversing with passing adventurers. The Scribe on duty was sitting on his post, drawing pictures to pass the time, completely oblivious to the Rogue now gently pushing down the handle of the backdoor. As she had seen numerous times from the other Scribes working at this place, it opened without issue.


    The door was left unlocked all the time to ease shift changes. A luxury that could only be taken by people that lived in an area nobody really cared about. The outpost existed solely because this was the designated dungeon recommended to adventurers who had graduated from the difficulty of Summer Rest. There was no shop there, no inn and no valuables to steal outside of copper cards and information that was basically freely distributed. The only interesting thing there was the dungeon itself and so the Scribes never had to deal with anything but a few eccentric fellows. Nothing that warranted a bodyguard had happened in several years and so they just hadn¡¯t employed one.


    Such safety now served Reysha well, as she made her way inside. The floor was the same stone as the crater, modified by a mason to make for a level footing. Everything else was wood, parchment, or metal, in order of most to least common material used. The furniture, from the chairs to the tables, was simple brown wood and covered in all sorts of notes. Candleholders were scattered about, illuminating the inside of the house quite well. The door that would have led to the room where the on-shift Scribe was simply leaned on. It was enough for Reysha to feel secure and carefully close the door behind her.


    She avoided stepping into the view through the gap and read a few of the documents without touching them. It was a series of reports. What had happened during what shift, if an adventurer¡¯s card had been given out or updated, who had been there and other such basic things. Nothing of that seemed to be what Reysha needed to find and, more than that, it was all quite recent.


    ¡®There has to be some kind of archive,¡¯ she thought and looked around. There was another door, which led into a carefully sealed latrine. Heavily doubting she would find what she wanted there, Reysha retreated and looked for the only avenue of search left: the floor above. Inside the building, a flight of wooden stairs led upwards. ¡®Can¡¯t take that way,¡¯ the redhead decided. ¡®There¡¯s no way those won¡¯t creak. Guess I¡¯ll have to climb in from outside.¡¯


    Leaving through the backdoor, she searched for an extended truss and an open window. Once she had found a place where both coincided, she extended her right hand in a quick motion. The ivy of the enchanted glove flew outwards and attached itself, allowing Reysha to climb up without coming in contact with the wooden walls. Silently, she climbed in.


    Inside she was greeted by the smell of parchment. ¡®Careful now,¡¯ she told herself, looking at the wooden floorboards. They were sturdier than those of the stairs, but the danger existed regardless. Slowly moving through, she took a look around. Scrolls upon scrolls were tucked away in shelves Reysha thought would be better used for wine bottles. On a table lay a blank sheet of paper and, held up by a small construction of metal, was a particularly large and ornate feather. A Distance Feather, the very tool used by Scribes to communicate over long distances and, potentially, even across Leaves.


    That one was only paired with one in the Adventurer Guild¡¯s centre on the Leaf by the city located around the Stem. Reysha guessed as much but grinned regardless. A surprised giggle got stuck in her throat. If they had a stable line to the centre, all widely distributed information would have ended up here eventually. Given that it had been several months since the events in Ctania, it doubtlessly had reached this little outpost.


    Now it was just a question of where. The room was well sorted, but Reysha wasn¡¯t privy to the system used. ¡®I can¡¯t read all of these,¡¯ she thought the obvious and tried to make sense of the badges fixed to the shelves. There were dates, but she hadn¡¯t kept track of the way this Leaf counted its months, so those were absolutely useless to her. Instead, she looked for something that just screamed ¡®urgent¡¯. After about twenty minutes of moving around the large archival room, always listening to any sounds she or the person downstairs made, she found a shelf that wasn¡¯t sorted by date. It was largely empty, the scrolls arranged into separated pockets. Curious, she pulled out one.


    ¡®Economy on Lurkelia Winter Leaf stabilized. Situation ended,¡¯ it read. Putting it back and taking another one from the same cluster, she read. ¡®Investigations have shown that it was an influx of adventurers from nearby leaves flooding the markets with extra loot. All Adventurer Guild employees in the area are to stop recommending Lurkelia as the follow-up Leaf to visit. Distribute them more broadly instead.¡¯


    ¡®I guess these are sorted by crisis topic,¡¯ Reysha thought and put that one back as well. Before she pulled out scrolls at random, she tried to find those that looked the newest. Finding a whole cluster of relatively new scrolls, white where others were starting to go yellow, she extended her hand. ¡®And there we go,¡¯ she thought, happy with herself. Her mood dampened when she read the report.


    ¡®Ctania ruined ¨C Heralry inhabitants almost completely eradicated ¨C Investigations Pending ¨C Do NOT send ANYONE to Ctania under ANY circumstances.¡¯ She put the scroll away and took another one. ¡®Known entity on Leaf escaped containment. Further matters are classified. Seek out your local guild master, if you wish to find out more.¡¯ She read through a couple more scrolls, about how the investigation continued, until she came about the one that held the information Aclysia had sought. ¡®Matter inconclusive and investigations at a stalemate. Beware of redheaded Warlocks.¡¯


    Reysha blinked at those simple lines of text. The realization only slowly dawned on her as she put the scroll back from where she had it.


    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had gone through all of the paperwork that they could that was left on the Leaf. It wasn¡¯t much.


    There were sightings and developments regarding Apexus. Quest logs kept by guild officials that showed when the bounty for an odd, winged slime had been put on. A death record of a guard noted that he was eaten by the slime previously thought dead.


    There were a few records about Reysha. Particularly her getting caught and escaping. That was about it.


    There was almost no info about Aclysia. All the Adventurer¡¯s Guild investigators had was a single sighting during the Stem confrontation. Nothing else about her appearances had been kept in writing, only referring to her as the Divine Quest otherwise.


    None of these three individuals and the limited data available about them had led anyone to think they were in any way related to the death of an entire city. Reysha and Apexus were just another thing that occurred around that time. An odd occurrence, certainly, but nothing that could be put into relation to the deaths of thousands. It would have taken someone from Heralry, someone who had been around, to fill the gaps. The bureaucracy of a Safe Leaf simply wasn¡¯t designed with the sudden death of everyone keeping it up in mind.


    And so it was that none of their names or appearances had ended up in the communication. Everyone assumed Reysha was either dead or still on the Leaf, the same was true for the slime. Even if they thought the two had left, they had greater worries than report such a comparatively small incident.


    Reysha, of course, had no idea how their lack of presence came about. All she could be sure about was what she had just read. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild didn¡¯t know they were connected to this case. They hadn¡¯t been lucky in avoiding attention, they weren¡¯t being searched for at all.


    Calmly she left the building through the window and went to share this information with the rest of her party.

 Humanoid Road 14 – Confusion

    The group sat silently under a tree and tried to fully comprehend what they had just learned. Reysha knew what she had read. Apexus could understand that tracing their trail may have been harder than he anticipated. Aclysia reasoned how bureaucracy and a lack of leads may have caused the investigations to miss them. The full story was outside their reach, but they could understand it. They had hoped for it.


    Now that they had gotten it, they were confused.


    It wasn¡¯t common confusion. They knew where they were. They knew how they had gotten there. They knew what this meant. They knew and understood. Yet, their minds inspected that piece of news, churned it through, and then stopped when they were done only to think about it again. They came to the same conclusion each and every time.


    ¡°He¡­¡±


    Apexus looked back at his behaviour for these past few months. All of the times he had felt threatened merely by people being around, adventurers especially. A series of precautions taken, for what? To feed a sense of security that was born from paranoia. They weren¡¯t in danger. They were not in danger. Apexus had thought they were just one mistake from being chased. He had thought that for so long, a different view had trouble seeping into his nucleus.


    ¡°Hehe¡­he...haha¡­¡±


    Aclysia remembered how she had, every morning and every evening, searched around the cabin. For several months, she looked out for any adventurers that might discover them. Even if they had found them, they would have only seen an odd trio in the woods. They would have had to stay there either way, Reysha¡¯s mental state was disconnected from whether or not they were chased or not. It had been wise to behave cautiously. Still, she couldn¡¯t believe all of the stress she had put on herself for so little.


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ ahahahah¡­ AHAHAHAHA!¡± Reysha burst out laughing. Having had a bit more time to come to terms with this and being the most spontaneous in the group in the first place, she managed to find her outlet of the absurdity of it all in the laughter she so gladly shared with the world. The crazed, unsteady tones echoed over the nightly landscape. They didn¡¯t have to care about being discovered. The break-in had been done, Reysha hadn¡¯t left any signs she had been there, and the guild wasn¡¯t looking for them.


    Every repeated giggle was a little push of the information to finally enter the consciousness of the other two members of their little party. Apexus first, then Aclysia, joined Reysha¡¯s laughter. They didn¡¯t really know why or what was so funny that they kept going for several minutes. Whether they laughed at themselves or something else completely eluded them. They simply felt elated. Elated, confused and weird.


    When the laughter finally faded, the three went still again. Reysha was laying on her back, Apexus was looking at his hands, and Aclysia swiped little tears from the corners of her eyes. Then the metal fairy said something, ¡°This reduces our need to be cautious by quite a margin.¡±


    ¡°Quite a margin?¡± Reysha asked, only raising her head to establish eye contact. ¡°The fuck do you mean? No¡­ wait¡­ I just got it¡­ the Church is still a thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Aclysia nodded. ¡°Whether Mehily survived or not, I find it unlikely the Church would not have started its own investigation into the matter. The seal was in the basement of their building and the Cardinal fuelled it. They may have, like the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, failed to link us to Apotho breaking free. They may know almost everything. Why they wouldn¡¯t share information in this case, I do not fully understand, but animosity between those two organizations may very well exist.¡±


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll try to break into a church next we see one that has a Distance Feather?¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°That would be the necessary course of action¡­¡± Aclysia hesitantly agreed.


    ¡°Could have gotten that done a while back,¡± Reysha scratched her chin and made a sour face. ¡°Probably would have collapsed in the glimmering corridors, though. Churches always looked the same to me, plus or minus some extra gold here and there.¡±


    Apexus stretched his fingers, ran his hands through his short hair and then sighed in relief. Somehow, the prospect of them still having a source of worry was more calming than worrying. They had worked around the assumption that they could get caught for so long, Apexus needed a minor source of stress to feel normal. A slow diminishing of the constant worry, rather than a sudden drop.


    ¡°That is then and now is now,¡± he spoke up and got up. ¡°Let¡¯s get into the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Reysha responded and pulled her knees up to her chest. Tensing up, she launched her feet into the air and a moment later stood on them. Apexus lacked that level of athleticism and got up the old fashioned way. Looking between both of them, the metal fairy seemed somewhat perplexed.


    ¡°At this very moment?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t see why not,¡± Reysha asked, looking up to the moon. ¡°None of us are tired, none of us are hungry, and they won¡¯t have any reason to assume it was us even if they somehow do find a trace of me. Might as well start getting work done.¡±


    ¡°That,¡± Apexus underlined.


    ¡°You are correct,¡± Aclysia conceded, even if she found it unorthodox to start work in the middle of the night. When she was on her feet, she could feel a twinge of nervousness again. A deep-seated feeling that something would go wrong, that persisted while she got changed into her proper adventuring gear. The other two felt it as well and it grew with every step they took down the large crater.


    Where they started the short journey bantering in the usual way, they went silent when they were closing in on the building. When they walked past, they heard the voice of the Scribe. ¡°Hey! Hey, listen! Hey!¡± he shouted out. Reysha snorted with amusement, wondering if these words were ingrained in all people that sat on dungeon outposts.


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡± Apexus reacted, turning his masked face towards the Scribe. He had to concentrate to keep his wings from unfolding and betraying his tenseness.


    ¡°Just standard guild questions, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± he said. ¡°Need an update to your identification cards or new ones?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus kept it short.


    ¡°You signed in with the local guild?¡± another question.


    ¡°No,¡± another short answer.


    ¡°You want to sign in?¡± the Scribe continued to riddle him, leaning out of his window. His job was usually so dull that he welcomed any change of pace. Apexus¡¯ height and looks didn¡¯t faze the guild employee the slightest. He had seen quite a few adventurers of odd appearance and talked to many who didn¡¯t have many words to say.


    ¡°No,¡± the slime was growing more uncomfortable by the second. Was he being kept in place so help could be called? Could he get away with just ignoring all of this and marching on?


    ¡°Want to buy a map of the dungeon? Myrlight is static. We have a number of pre-planned routes that present you with some challenges. The monsters are life-threatening, of course, so please don¡¯t take them lightly just because I sell this to you like a tourist attraction.¡± Reaching under the windowsill, the Scribe produced a simple map and showed it to the group. The outlines of caverns showed as black bloats on the white parchment. ¡°It¡¯s a bit simplified, ignoring depth, but you should still be able to find your way around. Do you want one?¡±


    Apexus did not have a quick answer to that and looked over to Aclysia, who slowly nodded. ¡°How much?¡± he then asked.


    ¡°Three silver, one if you pay a membership fee to the local Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± the Scribe recited the words of his business. ¡°Membership fee is two silver per month and comes with other bonuses such as-¡°


    Aclysia already stepped forwards and put three silver on the table.


    ¡°The map,¡± Apexus said and extended his nail-less right hand. The Scribe took a moment to fold it neatly and then handed it over. Money was pulled into the outpost, the map wandered over to Aclysia and the trio distanced themselves from the outpost.


    ¡°Be wary,¡± the Scribe waved them goodbye.


    ¡°Have a nice evening?¡± Apexus returned the wave awkwardly before turning around. The nervousness still clung to his core, diminishing slowly while they walked down the slope to the dungeon¡¯s entrance. It was a large arch. Its shape betrayed that it wasn¡¯t a natural formation, having a shape identical to a castle¡¯s gate, even though it was cut directly into the craggy stone. Its outline shared the roughness, but it was still too steady to be mistaken for a natural cave.


    The first few metres were illuminated by torches that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had put there. Soon, however, the flickering fire was made unnecessary by crystals that covered the walls. Gold and silver, they started as a couple of shards across the walls but soon grew to large formations that dominated the spacious caverns. Pathways led between large clusters, particularly spikey ones made for natural traps along walls and at the bottom of pits and some even connected ceiling and floor as pillars that emanated steady light.


    Apexus felt as if he was on the inside of one of the geodes that could be found all around the crater above. A deliberate design decision of the god who had created Myrlight. They made their way to a particular cluster and stopped. Not because they had encountered an enemy yet but because they needed to discuss their strategy.


    Studying the map, Aclysia got used to the particular design and how it showed things such as underpasses, elevations and other important details. Healing fountains were marked through direct descriptions, as was the boss room. Alongside the cavern paths, different kinds of lines were drawn. One line was simple and parallel to the walls, another was squiggly, yet another went in a steady zig-zag. A legend in the corner of the map showed what route each of those lines was meant to represent. It was a simple solution to the lack of colour otherwise used to differentiate such things. There was also a number indicating how many days should be planned to take such a trip.


    There was the safe route, recommended to newcomers to get used to the enemies in the dungeon, the long route, used to maximize the chance to find some additional chests that randomly spawned in, and the boss rush route, which didn¡¯t need further explanation. ¡°It would be best suited to our interest if we went with this one,¡± Aclysia declared, while showing it to her party members. ¡°Would you agree, Reysha, my love?¡±


    ¡°You should ask Apexus too,¡± the tiger girl joked and got herself pinched in the butt by the slime for the comment. ¡°Hey! What was that for?!¡±


    ¡°You wanted an excuse to make a joke, so you took it,¡± Apexus returned. ¡°I wanted an excuse to touch your ass, so I took it.¡±


    ¡°¡­You know what, that¡¯s fair,¡± Reysha giggled. ¡°It IS a really nice ass.¡±


    ¡°While I agree that your behind is rather pleasant, it does not answer my question,¡± Aclysia pulled the discussion back to the topic at hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, bubble butt, your ass is fantastic. Might even go as far as admitting it''s even nicer than mine,¡± the tiger girl¡¯s grin went ever wider. ¡°But I¡¯m me and that¡¯s a gap ya can¡¯t overcome, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°I do not have any intention to even attempt to do so,¡± Aclysia responded.


    ¡°Probably for the best. World couldn¡¯t handle that much awesome¡­ or carry that much stupid¡­¡± Reysha mumbled the self-deprecating part. As confident as she gave herself and as much of her ego may have been restored, she wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to just forget what she had caused. After all these months, she did manage to not let it bind her down either. ¡°Anyway, yeah, rushing to the boss sounds good.¡±


    ¡°We should take it a bit slower than the map suggests,¡± Apexus added his opinion. ¡°Instead of three days, let¡¯s aim for seven.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡± Aclysia wanted to know. ¡°The entire idea behind the current strategy we follow is to maximize our time usage. Why waste four entire days?¡±


    ¡°The boss rush path goes from healing fountain to healing fountain,¡± Apexus explained and showed things on the map. ¡°If we followed it, we could probably beat the dungeon in two days, because we don¡¯t need to rest as much as normal people. We also would encounter less normal enemies. Less normal enemies means less chances to find a useful Growth. If we find anything I know I want permanently, we can accelerate again. Make¡­ Does that make sense?¡±


    ¡°That is an understandable analysis and acceptable adjustment to my suggestion, yes,¡± Aclysia nodded.


    ¡°Man¡­ even a week feels really fucking fast,¡± Reysha mumbled as she looked at the map. ¡°What a difference it makes if you know where you¡¯re going, huh? We should make a jaunt by an actual guild building when we¡¯re in the next big city and just get the maps we still need.¡±


    ¡°The maps we can get,¡± Apexus responded. ¡°I understand that there are dungeons that shift shape with time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but those usually are higher up¡­ ah well, we¡¯ll see when we ask about them.¡±


    ¡°Even if we buy them, we should not show our identification cards. As a matter of fact, I suggest we destroy them in the near future,¡± Aclysia said, while looking over the map one more time to engrain the path in her mind. ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild may not be searching for us now, but I remain wary they might in the future. We can be less on guard when it comes to people seeing us, but leaving our names somewhere unnecessarily may be an issue. Especially since we have rather unique Classes.¡±


    ¡°I mean, the cards don¡¯t really serve us a purpose if we don¡¯t update them¡­ so yeah, for all I care, let¡¯s bust them,¡± Reysha agreed. Identification and checking one¡¯s level were the only two uses for a copper card. Rarer metals were badges of honour, but copper, iron and even silver cards were sort of just used for ease so guilds (Adventurer and others) were certain they were handing privileges to people that had paid their membership fees.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t teach me much,¡± Apexus shrugged, not caring if the cards were around or not.


    They would get rid of the cards whenever they found a fire hot enough to melt them.


    For all of you who want to chat with me and the fanbase, there is a Discord link

 Humanoid Road 15 – Dazzling Things

    It had the shape of a large chrysalis. Broken up into several large surfaces, its facets glowed with the same golden light as the crystals that illuminated every bit of Myrlight. Slowly it expanded, little bits of golden mist escaping between the gaps. Exhausted mana, channelled to uselessness before it could be brought to a proper purpose, leaked into the air. This was what set the monster apart from its surroundings, as it was lodged between several crystals.


    Apexus stared at it and slowly took a step forward. No reaction. The slime took another step. Nothing. A third step. The chrysalis suddenly opened and the stored up energy cascaded towards the floor. Magic was shaped into a body, a constant stream of golden light became a humanoid torso with a swirling lower body connecting it to the ground. It started as half of Apexus¡¯ height, but grew bigger with every passing second.


    A knife flew over Apexus¡¯ head and into the radiant insides of the open chrysalis. There was a metallic sound, the knife dropped down to the floor and a certain redhead clicked her tongue. ¡°Fucking hard to aim into something that bright!¡± Reysha defended herself, and tried again. This time, the knife struck something and the chrysalis¡¯ spewing of light ebbed away.


    The light elemental in front of them had grown to the height of Apexus¡¯ shoulders. With no more power flowing its way, it did what felt right and rushed towards the slime. A raised fist crashed into his ribcage and Apexus was forced half a step back. He tried to grab the arm and keep the elemental from moving around too much by utilizing his weight.


    With normal enemies, this would have been where Apexus would have moved to pull the monster inside him or at least acid-burn the hand away. The issue was that he couldn¡¯t. What the slime¡¯s supernatural acid was limited to was organic matter. Manifested magic of the light variety was most certainly not part of that category. Something inside the being that allowed it to stabilize may have been, but not even that was true in this case.


    The stream of fresh energy removed, the light elemental¡¯s form was already beginning to drift apart as a fine, golden mist. Despite that ongoing disintegration, it was still quick enough to escape Apexus¡¯ hand. It hardly mattered, the slime was only supposed to draw attention anyway.


    With a satisfied giggle, Reysha extended her claws and dashed around the two of them. Apexus kept advancing on the radiant monster to have the aggression of it locked on him. He had to take two more punches. A few cracked ribs and lost energy were a worthy price for Reysha to get a free attack on the elemental¡¯s open back.


    All ten of her fingers dug deep trenches into the creature. She felt the heat and magic tingle on her skin, neither strong enough to harm her as long as she kept moving. The gashes spewed forth concentrated mist and more of the shrinking creature¡¯s mass was consumed to heal the wounds. Reysha danced back, narrowly dodging a wide-swing by the shortening arm of the enemy. Apexus threw himself on top of the monster and kept it in place as a combination of more tearing by the tiger girl and simple time caused it to completely fall apart. It left nothing behind, the last bits of golden mist soon becoming lost in the air.


    ¡°Alright, where did that knife go?¡± Reysha wondered, while reaching inside her adventurer¡¯s bag and retrieving her glove. Putting it on, she looked around. Somewhere between the softly glowing crystals of gold and silver, she spotted the less bright metal sheen of her thrown weapon. It had bounced off the stone path they were currently on. ¡°Clysia, could ya be a dear and get me that?¡± she asked and made big kitten eyes towards the metal fairy.


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia answered and hovered over. In the meantime, Apexus stretched up. His body elongated until he could reach the chrysalis under the ceiling and pull at it. With a bit of force and grinding, the thing became dislodged. Apexus simply let it fall.


    The hollow corpse bounced off the stone floor, some of its crystal outside cracking but not splintering off. A second, smaller bounce followed the first, then it only rolled left to right. Reysha stopped the remaining momentum by planting her foot on the knee-high, laying spawner. Turning its opening towards her, the tiger girl reached inside to retrieve her throwing knife.


    ¡°I fucking hate this dungeon,¡± she cussed, when she pulled it out of the single concentration of flesh inside the chrysalis. Most of the creature¡¯s insides were strictly nothing, with one lump of meat housing the heart and magical cortex, and the rest of the insides being covered with a thin, bump-covered, skin-like membrane that produced the crystals on the outside. ¡°There¡¯s basically nothing to eat around here!¡± she expanded on her complaint and then dug into the apple sized lump from the corpse.


    Apexus tended to agree. They had only encountered two types of enemies inside this dungeon. One were these chrysalises, or Light Cocoons as they called them, who would create a light elemental if triggered by the proximity of an adventurer. Depending on the colour of the Light Cocoon, gold or silver, the elemental would either be specialized in strength or speed. The group had found that they had more issues with the latter. Apexus was falling ever further behind in combat, the lack of muscles and sinews limiting his own physical ability. His weight and acidity still helped in most ways. This particular dungeon just had him delegated to being a damage sponge. When fighting a faster opponent, he was of little help to Reysha.


    The second type of enemy was a sentient crystal formation that also fell in the elemental category. Essentially, it was a Light Cocoon who had traded being a hollow spawner for more crystal armour and limbs. They called those Brightshards and they too had attributes depending on colour. They also shared the attribute of having next to no meat to them.


    ¡°Does it occur to you that the Light Cocoons appear to be reverse geodes?¡± Aclysia asked, while giving Reysha her second dagger back. ¡°Their outside is beautiful, but the inside has a messy texture and is overall unappealing or uninteresting to behold.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too hungry to make any observations like that,¡± Apexus responded, wondering if he wanted to devour what Reysha left him. The problem was that the crystals tasted like barely anything and what was there wasn¡¯t exactly appetizing. It had a dusty taste to it, as if he was cleaning a surface with his tongue after leaving it alone for a week. The meat was alright, but there wasn¡¯t a lot of it. Essentially, eating any of the enemies in this dungeon was like eating only the carapace of a lobster.


    It was a good thing they had a map or otherwise the lack of food variety may have driven the slime and the Noir Rogue crazy. They had enough to keep them from starving, but they still wanted to be out of there as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Elementals are bad food,¡± Apexus spurted out his thoughts and Reysha nodded.


    ¡°Technically speaking, these,¡± Aclysia pointed at the Light Cocoon, ¡°are not elementals. By strict categorization, only beings who are comprised primarily of magic may bear that title. They would be a related sub-species.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t caaaaareeeee,¡± Reysha whined, swallowing what little meat she had harvested. ¡°This shit tastes like unseasoned chicken and there isn¡¯t even a lot of it. Where is all my good magic spice?!¡±


    ¡°They likely exorcise all of their magic in the process of creating the actual elementals,¡± Aclysia explained.


    ¡°Can you ring up your daddy and tell him to rework this piece of shit dungeon?¡± the redhead kept complaining, while straining her ears. She pointed at one of the nearby tunnels. Apexus turned his head and noticed the clicking as well. He stepped away from his two women to position himself in wait. To keep luring the monster in, Reysha kept talking, ¡°For real, this is so boring. We¡¯re just carving our way through these caves!¡±


    ¡°For one, this dungeon would be rather dangerous for beginners, may I remind you that Nudru¡¯s group was annihilated here?¡± To the experienced and highly synergistic trio, Myrlight was of little threat, but there were a number of mistakes new adventurers could make. Underestimating the physical ability of the elementals was an easy starter. Triggering several Light Cocoons at the same time the second. Not killing the Light Cocoons quickly before their constant energy feeding created a monstrous elemental a third.


    The first few encounters had been quite dicey even for the three of them, but they had figured out strategies that worked out in most situations after the first day. That wouldn¡¯t work if they hadn¡¯t already had the power to brute force through some experimental encounters. Under-levelled adventurers, such that Nudru¡¯s group had been, would be slaughtered with one misstep.


    ¡°Secondly,¡± Aclysia continued, ¡°it is highly doubtful my father ¨C who I would implore you to not call daddy ¨C was involved in this.¡± Her open mouth indicated that she had more to say, but Reysha¡¯s giggling made her hesitate.


    In that pause, the monster came around the corner. A silver Brightshard, balancing on two stilt-like legs. Its neckless head was of a narrowing, cylindrical shape, a single jagged shard serving as the top. While that part of the body was smooth, the rest was broken up into several asymmetrical segments. Even the two arms weren¡¯t the same girth. Both had lower segments that resembled blades.


    Springing the surprise on the monster, Apexus cut off the easy escape route by extending his wings. The fast enemy was startled enough that he could do so before it jumped away with its superior speed. Apexus then proceeded to hug the enemy in a deadly embrace and started to envelop it. Dissolving the crystal would take quite a while, its high mineral density made it hard to process for Apexus. Not impossible, armour grown by prey was recognized by the slime¡¯s acid regulating system as part of their biology, but difficult.


    To reduce the struggle, Reysha stepped over and crushed the monsters still exposed head with a couple of choice kicks. Strictly speaking, Apexus could have stopped eating at that point. Needing to replenish biomass and energy, he was best advised to keep munching on the dusty crystals. The constant glowing didn¡¯t leave a lot of the spice of magic inside them.


    ¡°What do you find entertaining?¡± Aclysia wanted to know when Reysha continued to giggle.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ you know how some people pray to the gods for forgiveness and guidance and that shit?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what about it?¡±


    ¡°You know ¡®Forgive me, father, for I have sinned¡¯?¡± She sat down next to Aclysia.


    ¡°I successfully recall that being the common phrase for the worship of more stern and male entities like Jersoja, yes?¡±


    ¡°What if-¡° Reysha snorted, barely holding in her own laughter. ¡°What if they said: ¡®Sorry, daddy, I¡¯ve been naughty¡¯?¡± Just after she had managed to say that, she toppled over backwards. Insane laughter echoed from the walls while the angel next to her blushed with a mixture of second-hand embarrassment and anger.


    ¡°You should respect the divine!¡± the white-haired woman declared. ¡°They are the reason you are here!¡±


    ¡°I guess they pushed the boat out, but mortals are sailing it,¡± Reysha slowly recovered from her giggling. ¡°I don¡¯t care much for the theoretic great, great grandmother thanks to whom I was born. I mean, praise be to Proadi for having the brilliant idea to make something as sexy as me. Don¡¯t feel I owe her my life for it tho.¡±


    Aclysia just sighed, knowing she wouldn¡¯t be able to pull the redhead into expanded theology and its virtues no matter how hard she tried. ¡°To expand upon my point, my father would have nothing to do with the creation of this dungeon. The aesthetic of our surroundings lead me to believe this would be the work of Clort, god of crystals and competition. It may also be the case that a god outside the 33 originals made this place. In any case, this Spring Leaf does not bear the sign of my creator.¡±


    ¡°Hashahin wouldn¡¯t put something this awful on us,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°He is a good person. He gave me my melody. Nobody who makes Aclysia could do something this awful.¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ entirely fair,¡± Reysha conceded the point.


    ¡°Your flattering does not bring you forgiveness for the awful joke you just made,¡± Aclysia pointed out.


    ¡°Aww, sawwy mommy,¡± Reysha spoke in an absurdly cutesy, downright obnoxious, slur. ¡°I¡¯ll be a gowd liddle gawl I proimise.¡± She leaned in closer. ¡°Can I haz kisses?¡±


    ¡°I require you to never do that voice or that joke again and then I may oblige you,¡± Aclysia retorted.


    ¡°Can promise for the voice, not for the joke, sweet cheeks,¡± Reysha winked. ¡°Ya know how I work.¡±


    ¡°Then I shall withhold what you desire and give it to someone more deserving,¡± Aclysia decided and got up. With hasty steps and flowing robe, she made her way to Apexus and cuddled his expanded body. ¡°Darling deserves all of my kisses,¡± she hummed and showered the side of his face with attention.


    ¡°My melody deserves all of the hugs,¡± Apexus responded and wrapped his unoccupied arms and wings around the metal fairy.


    ¡°Oy, what¡¯re ya leaving me out of your love-pile for?¡± Reysha complained and quickly followed. The rest of the monster was dissolved while they giggled, hugged and kissed. They stayed on alert through ears and Reysha¡¯s nose, but otherwise took a moment to forget about their frustrations. As Apexus reshaped his regular form, the tiger girl suggested, ¡°Serious question though, how about we spare us the rest of the extended route and just get the fuck on with it and out of here? Everything here seems to have three organs tops.¡±


    Apexus considered for a moment. Because she was absolutely right, the decision wasn¡¯t straightforward. They had been walking around for four days now and encountered only one Growth Apexus found worthwhile. The crystal-producing ducts the enemies shared wasn¡¯t the most revolutionary thing ever but, at the very worst, it would give Apexus some glowing nails and the chance to grow protective patches elsewhere. At the best, it would evolve with him to become crystals he could reactively increase in size.


    Finding another kind of enemy, one with more choices, would have been more to his liking. However, between having something that was good enough, Aclysia¡¯s plan to exploit the workings of his evolution conditions and this dungeon being low on the deliciousness scale, the decision was made. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s rush to the boss,¡± he said.

 Humanoid Road 16 – Blinding Path

    The path to the boss took less than a day. Knowing exactly what fork in the road to take minimized travel time and, by consequence, the number of encounters they ran into. As per usual, they stopped at the healing fountain that preceded the stone gate that separated the boss room from the rest of the dungeon. Sleeping there, they headed into the boss room, fully refreshed, shortly after they woke up.


    ¡°Please let the boss have some meat on his bones,¡± Reysha complained, not used to fighting on an empty stomach. They were all filled enough to have all the energy they needed, otherwise they would have gone hunting. Regardless, the general state of low sustenance persisted.


    ¡°If it even has bones,¡± Apexus¡¯ hungry grumble was the verbal equivalent of a stomach rumbling, as he pushed against the stone. Slowly it caved and then swung open all on its own, leaving the trio to walk inside slowly.


    As with a lot of boss rooms, the actual monster they had to fight didn¡¯t appear immediately. It would only reveal itself once the group was actually inside, assuring they couldn¡¯t pull back. That left them to inspect the room itself.


    It was a corridor. The walls and roof were uneven and craggy, not unlike the rest of the cave system they had already left behind. A broad walkway led forwards, sometimes winding and curving but never completely abandoning its straightforward trajectory. On either side of that path was a steep decline, at the bottom of which hip-deep water pooled around an occasional crystal of golden or silver glow. They were fewer in number than throughout the rest of Myrlight, only enough to tint the room in twilight. The back of the cavern consisted of a grey crystal wall, appearing as if all colour had been sapped from it.


    Part of that wall, a diamond-shaped cut-out, began to glow. Soft gold at first, it soon rose to such incandescent brightness that the illumination of the entire boss room became the most intense in the entirety of Myrlight. Shadows were banished, making walls and path seem almost two-dimensional. The pupils of Reysha and Apexus pulled together, to shield their acute eyes from being overly inconvenienced by the light. Two elongated shapes moved behind the crystal wall.


    The diamond-shaped source of light vibrated audibly, creating a distorted, triangle-like sound that swelled. Prepared for danger, Apexus nevertheless failed to dodge when a laser suddenly struck him in the chest. The impact was low on kinetic energy, but seared away the membrane over his ribcage. It continued to do so, as the golden ray of light kept streaming on. A smell like boiling saltwater filled the air. Apexus dove down, the laser attack continuing for several seconds even after he got out of the way.


    ¡°Gods fucking dammit, no meat or bones!¡± Reysha cried out and started running down the central path as soon as the first laser faded. ¡°I HATE THIS DUNGEON!¡± She squinted, trying to see more of the enemy than its overly bright outline. ¡°I can¡¯t see shit. Aclysia?¡±


    ¡°Dodge to the left!¡± the metal fairy instructed, hovering above. Albeit her vision was generally poorer than that of her teammates, she could stare at the brightness without the drawbacks of biology. Where Apexus and Reysha only saw the incandescent outline, she could actually make out the boss.


    Its shape was that of two pyramids cojoined at their square base. One of the middle corners extended out of the lightless crystal wall, energy gathering in front of it. Without resistance, it turned within the wall it was embedded into, as if it wasn¡¯t even there. That turn allowed Aclysia to make out where the boss was aiming.


    Reysha still couldn¡¯t see a thing, but the angel¡¯s advice kept her safe. Dashing to the side, she managed to evade the laser that cascaded outwards. She lost her footing, having stepped off the safe path and onto the slope. Barely, she managed to remain on her feet while sliding down two metres.


    As she recovered and Apexus caught up to her, the missed laser hit one of the spaced out crystals. The golden glow of it intensified, fuelled by the magic it now absorbed. At its peak, it almost rivalled the boss, then the magic oozed out of a golden mist that flew towards the central path in an arc and gathered in a humanoid shape. A new light elemental was being born from the unused power of the attack.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it, keep running at the boss,¡± Apexus instructed and ran at the golden light elemental. It was larger than the ones they usually fought, but wouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue. The way power rose from its form made clear that it was just as short-lived as other elementals in this dungeon that were without an energy source. ¡°Aclysia, take care where you instruct Reysha to go,¡± he said while standing in the way of the monster. All he had to do was hold his position.


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia shouted back. The metal fairy rose as high under the ceiling as she could. Against elementals, particularly those of the light variety, her own magical attacks would be of insignificant effect. It was better for her to do what only she could and analyse the position of every crystal in the room. The straight path and stationary nature of the boss made it easy for her to estimate the trajectory of Reysha and the attacks of the boss. ¡°Keep to the right of centre.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± the tiger girl responded, as she planted her feet firmly on the path again and started to run.


    ¡°Next laser, in three¡­ two¡­ one¡­¡± Aclysia counted down. Her number was slightly off. The very start of the laser hit Reysha in the chest and, as she ducked down, she felt its searing energy burn a line into her skin. Neither lasted long enough to deal any significant damage, but Aclysia felt the sting of guilt regardless. ¡°My apologies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll fix it afterwards,¡± Reysha responded with a maniac¡¯s giggle. The pain was only slight, a bothersome itch that ran across her face. It got her adrenaline pumping, her heartbeat drummed in her chest. This excitement was what she craved almost as much as sex or food. The laser faded and she continued to run.


    Apexus was dodging the swings of the diminishing elemental, slowly stepping back. Where he saw an opportunity, he took it. His hands scooped through the energy, a feeling like rushing one¡¯s hand through a mixture of a campfire and water, disrupting its flow and accelerating its decay. His back turned to the rest of the boss fight, he simply trusted his girls to take care of things.


    Reysha dodged a fourth laser, then a fifth, listening to Aclysia¡¯s instruction. One mistake wasn¡¯t enough to break the redhead¡¯s trust and she was rewarded by reaching the boss without any further wounds. Her weapon already drawn; she drove it with the entire force of her charge into the crystal.


    The distorted sounds were replaced with something like the cracking of a frozen lake. Reysha was satisfied for one moment, madly laughing as she tried to twist the dagger around. Then she was thrown back by a wave of energy. The colourless crystal wall exploded into a myriad of shards. The two elongated shapes behind it were revealed to be a pair of wings of pure energy. Streaks of lights woven together and attached to the boss. The angelic prism flew backwards at an impressive speed, entering a chamber behind the pathway that had been previously hidden.


    Apexus disengaged with the now harmlessly small elemental to quickly take stock of the situation. Brushing a large number of small crystals off herself, Reysha attempted to get on her feet. Red blood oozed from her right thigh, where one larger crystal had embedded itself over the course of the explosion. ¡°Asshole,¡± she cussed, while the slime and Aclysia approached.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead, follow when ready,¡± he said, the two girls nodding. Gathering her magic, Aclysia focused on some quick healing.


    Apexus advanced into the adjacent cavern chamber through a short corridor.  It was larger and of a circular shape. Around a large central platform wound a spiralling walkway, the beginning of which led several metres down. The gaps between the stone path were several metres wide and filled with water and the occasional crystal pillar, each one as wide as a person.


    The boss hovered towards the platform and stopped in the dead centre of the room. Standing there, its geometric form upright, its bright light switched from gold to silver. The cracks spread throughout its body and surface were invisible to Apexus, all he saw was that light. A swelling, distorted tone, warned him of a renewed laser attack and he quickly retreated to hide behind the wall between where he needed to go and where he came from.


    Against his expectation, an energy ray never came flying out of the corridor. Apexus waited for a second to verify, then carefully advanced back into the chamber. The laser spell had been cast, four of them. Each extended from one of the boss¡¯ corners with silver brilliance and aimed at one of the crystal pillars. Slowly, very slowly, the silver crystals were charged with light.


    Knowing what this would mean, Apexus rushed into the room as quickly as his slimy origin allowed and dropped to all fours at the edge of the walkway. The intention of the room was to follow the spiralling path, but the chimera was not exactly bound by his feet. Leaping with all of his might and a mighty beat of his wings, he soared over the several metre-wide chasm between two segments of the spiral and landed almost elegantly.


    The chamber wasn¡¯t high enough to let him fly properly, even with the lower level the ground had here, but he could repeat that motion rather easily. That was, in theory. Reacting to the invasion, the silver-gleaming boss rotated. Advantageous for Apexus was that the boss was no longer charging any of the pillars. The trade-off was that one of the lasers was now aimed at him and that the energy that had already charged the four crystals now seeped out to form four tiny, silver elementals.


    Apexus was willing to take the damage from the former. Compared to the singular ray he had previously been struck by, these silver ones weren¡¯t that harmful. However, as he spread his wings for his next leap. One of the silver elementals reached him and pulled on his feathers. Storming down the spiralling path, a second one joined almost immediately. The third and fourth were on their way, but would take a while longer.


    While being harassed, Apexus couldn¡¯t jump again, not with enough certainty that he would cover the entire chasm. If he dropped into the water below, that would waste an immense amount of time. As it was, he focused on fighting the tiny elementals. All he had to do was wait them out again.


    A challenge going alongside that was the need to keep tabs on where the boss aimed again. One of the lasers was always going after Apexus, but the other three could have easily hit one of the pillars and spawned in yet more obstacles. He had to be careful, which wasn¡¯t easy with the third, half-metre elemental now coming in and running circles around him with its immense speed. At the same time, the laser was burning away at him. Slowly but steadily, he was losing biomass.


    ¡°Come on, you can manage a couple of metres!¡± he heard Reysha¡¯s voice.


    Aclysia looked at Reysha, then at the chasm they had just arrived at and hesitatingly nodded. Grabbing the healed redhead under the arms, the metal fairy concentrated all of her magic on her wings and generated as much lift as she possibly could. Sluggishly, they went into the air together and advanced. Their flight was downwards tilted and vulnerable in its speed.


    ¡°You¡¯re heavy,¡± Aclysia whined. Her magical flight was designed to lift her light metal body, not a fully grown person.


    ¡°Hardly a time to call me fat, bubble butt,¡± Reysha laughed in response, just as they reached the bit of the path where Apexus was dealing with the enemies. They were so low that Reysha had to land with her legs pulled in. Once there, she immediately charged forwards to help Apexus. One mighty kick and the first of the elementals immediately dissipated into silver mist.


    ¡°I will take the duty of distracting the boss,¡± Aclysia announced and flew forwards. Predictably, the monster changed its attack priority towards the closer target, not knowing that Aclysia didn¡¯t have the physical capabilities to harm it. Tilting, it aimed up in the air, the laser following the metal fairy as she flew in circles, avoiding both the attack and the creation of additional enemies.


    ¡°Go get it!¡± Reysha told Apexus, as she dealt with the other elementals.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the slime did not know what else to respond with and once more leapt across the chasm. Then a third time. A fourth. A fifth. The sixth leap finally brought him just in front of the platform. The boss realigned its priority again. Too late to change anything. Apexus jumped one more time and the entire weight of the chimera slime, from its simple gooey mass, to its bones, to its limbs, crashed into the absurdly bright enemy.


    Pushed over, the already cracked crystal burst upon impact with the floor. Energy wings dissipated among a final discharge of energy that catapulted Apexus backwards and almost had him tumbling into the water. With all of her physical might, Aclysia tried to catch him. She slowed his fall enough that he could catch himself.


    Reysha finished off what remained of the decaying elementals and then jogged up the walkway as was intended, where Aclysia was healing her darling. ¡°Does that even do anything for him?¡± she asked, looking at the slime. Part of his bones were visible, the membrane above completely seared away.


    ¡°It makes the mending go faster,¡± Apexus answered. Normally, he would have just eaten to hasten the process along, but the now colourless crystals didn¡¯t exactly seem edible. He was right, except for a marble sized sphere of a swirling gold and silver colour, laying among the shattered remains. Reysha picked it up. ¡°You can have it,¡± he said, before she could ask.


    ¡°You sure?¡± she asked. She had held something like it before. It was the magical cortex of a stable elemental. Aside from being small, it was also extremely delicious. It was the condensed centre of a supernatural being and, as such, had a ludicrous amount of the taste the two of them craved and regular mortals couldn¡¯t properly digest.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus answered. He wouldn¡¯t get anything useful from eating it. As he had already resolved, he was acquiring the crystal ducts as nail replacements at the moment. With just a bit of concentration, he made a silver-white nail grow at the appropriate place of every toe and finger. As he had hoped, he could make them sprout rapidly, just at the expense of some energy. Their exact capabilities would have to be tested through time.


    That was enough reward for him. Giving the awesome tasting boss core to Reysha to brighten her mood was the best use for it, without a doubt. As such, Apexus had no qualms about leaving it to her.


    He did not expect her to moan when she ate it.

 Humanoid Road 17 – Overcharged Tigergirl [Erotic Content]

    Reysha hadn¡¯t expected to moan either, but as the boss¡¯ centre had touched her tongue, it had simply escaped her. Like chocolate, the piece of crystal melted in her mouth and unleashed a cascade of sweet flavours that dominated her consciousness for a moment. The concentration of raw magic fuelled her Noir condition and made her feel as if she was about to climax. Her dark grey eyes visibly darkened, shifting ever closer to pitch black, just as the red of her nails intensified.


    Swallowing the dissolved core, the rush of pleasure spread throughout her entire body along with a sated feeling. For the first time in days, she didn¡¯t feel hungry or frustrated. Albeit, the latter changed as she continued to gasp wantonly from the tingling that rushed through her and then stopped. Left so close to the edge, she breathed heavily and absent-mindedly pushed a hand inside her leather pants.


    Apexus¡¯s inquiring eyes kept her from doing more than briefly touching her clit. ¡°Victory fuck, please,¡± the caramel-skinned redhead begged, knowing full well her own fingers couldn¡¯t compare to what a threesome could bring her. ¡°I need it¡­ I need it so badly.¡±


    ¡°Strip then,¡± Apexus stated in his deep voice, he saw no reason to refuse. Looking over to Aclysia, he made sure she understood that this command extended to her as well. Both women shivered with visible delight. Short, decisive orders were how they liked their lover to assert himself during situations like these. It was a delightful way to remind them that Apexus was more than just understanding and curious. Primal and savage facets of his personality that were seldomly used, but could surface without harm during their lustful encounters.


    As best she tried, Reysha couldn¡¯t strip as quickly out of her armour as Aclysia got rid of her robe. Undoing a cord around her hips made the white fabric fall off her with one decisive movement. A strip of cloth around her chest and a pair of basic panties served as her underwear. Neither were particularly sexy, being simple linen articles worn just for some basic comfort. Aclysia took them off as quickly as she could.


    Standing next to her sitting awakener, the pale angel exposed her body without shame. She was beautiful, especially in the silver light of the cavern. It complimented her porcelain skin and backwards-flowing, white hair wonderfully. Her pink lips, nipples and pussy rose softly from that colourless display, as did her green eyes. The lust grew rapidly in them as she displayed her body to him.


    ¡°Stand still,¡± Apexus spoke another order.


    ¡°Yes, darling,¡± she said, half sighing, when she felt his gentle touch on her skin. Smoothly, the membrane of his fingers brushed over her flat midriff. The barely visible muscles shifted when she trembled expectantly. The hand slowly trailed up to her moderately sized breasts.


    Apexus played with the soft flesh for a little bit, cupping her breasts one after the other. He rolled her nipples between his fingers and then decided to test out his newest Growth in a little more detail.


    Concentrating energy on the crystalline ducts he had placed on every one of his fingers, he made the ones on his right hand grow larger. He had a pleasing amount of control over this and given how small each nail was, it didn¡¯t take long for them to extend into claws. They were less like Reysha¡¯s and more like that of a monster, extending not only from the nailbed, but also the fingertip. They were curved, thick and, at least in this iteration, not particularly sharp. Apexus used them to pinch one of her nipples.


    Aclysia gasped as the tip of her breast was softly pincered and then pulled on. A few twists and grabs and her pussy began to glisten with love juices. Enticed, Apexus stopped concentrating on her chest. The claw of his index finger travelled down the valley of her breasts and the slight depression in the middle of her stomach. ¡°Do you like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, darling,¡± Aclysia repeated what she had said earlier, her mind too distracted by the anticipation of proper pleasure to think of a great answer. The hardness of the claw and the way it scratched over her skin, harmless but with the potential to pain her, pleased something related to her submissive side.


    Apexus reached her clit and gently circled it. Watching the soft flesh of her smooth thighs jiggle as she gasped was a great reward. ¡®The boss created sounds while using magic,¡¯ the slime thought, while engaged in bringing greater pleasure to his beloved fairy. ¡®Sounds are vibration, so¡­ if I direct power at the nails¡­¡¯


    Awful (or unknowing, rather) as Apexus was about using proper magic, he still could put magical organs towards their intended use with his sharp instincts. Magic was the fuel of his acid, the source of his movement, and the building block of his pheromones. All he needed to do was get the hang of things. As he had hoped, the nail on Aclysia¡¯s clit began to vibrate. At a low frequency at first, but increasing quickly as he figured out how to moderate things.


    ¡°Oh, fuck me, yesssss,¡± a finally fully naked Reysha hissed, as she dropped on all fours. She crawled towards him, keeping her chest lowered and her ass raised. Apexus saw the magnificence of her round ass and the red tiger tail lustfully waving while she approached. The sound of the vibrations made her want him even more. That unique pleasure certainly raised the horny kitty¡¯s eagerness for sex.


    Once she had reached him, she extended her tongue and licked Apexus¡¯ membrane from his stomach up to his neck in one wild, needy motion. Now it was his turn to shiver with delight. The primal lust in her blue, black-surrounded eyes was inflamed even more as she kissed her way over his body. There was something missing from the moment.


    ¡°You can use your pheromones,¡± Aclysia said, realizing the same thing. Her voice was unsteady, her clit still being teased by accurate claws and powerful vibrations. ¡°We a-aahh-ren¡¯t being chassssed anymore ¨C not by person¡­ p-people that come heeeeerrrre.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Apexus nodded and let the sweet scent rise from the many ducts and pores he had kept sealed. Taking a deep whiff, Reysha giggled with insane desire. Aclysia simply moaned, her less acute sense of smell sparing her from such a direct impact. Both of their body temperature and sensitivity rose, however, as the pheromones rushed into their systems.


    ¡°I need you to fuck me!¡± Reysha almost screamed, her aching need having reached the peak of what she could bear. ¡°Tentacles, tongue, finger, I don¡¯t care, just make me cum like only you can!¡± She got on her feet and presented her pussy to the sitting slime. The outer lips were darker than Aclysia¡¯s, harmonizing with her caramel skin and the stripes covering her. When she spread them open with her fingers, and showed exactly how dripping wet she was, Apexus could see all of the light pink of her insides.


    Taking the invitation, he put his left hand on the bottom of her hourglass figure and pulled her that little bit closer. Then he opened his mouth and let a long tentacle-tongue slither towards that delicious display. It penetrated without issue, lubrication spreading over the smooth membrane, and went in as deep as Apexus knew he could go without causing discomfort. Spurred by his voice plates, vibrations spread through the entire tongue.


    Reysha¡¯s eyelids fluttered as she let out a series of high-pitched moans. The flexible tentacle curved inside her, moved back and forth, and grinded against her weak spots. Vibrations maximized the pleasure, teasing her pussy and her clit in particular. With delightful haste, she lost strength in her legs and had to lean on Apexus¡¯ head for balance. Even the little hair he now had made that a more satisfying experience than before, she found.


    Her cries of pleasure synchronized with that of Aclysia, who was receiving the fingering of her life. Although Apexus received no direct pleasure from it, he was happy to experiment. The pieces of crystal could be sprouted with relative haste, even at new places. A smooth piece was now on his wrist, pressing against Aclysia¡¯s clit while his index and ring finger moved inside her, all of it buzzing at a high frequency.


    Keeping what he was doing at a steady rhythm, Apexus let general lust rise. The sweet tones of both women were soon a steady symphony of beautiful ecstasy and reached the height of volume at the same moment. Reysha clawed at his skull and Aclysia instinctively grabbed his hand as they both shouted out their climaxes. Continued movement prolonged the orgasms until their legs grew too weak to support them. They fell, but never touched the ground. Tentacles already in position stopping their descent and slithering around them.


    A large number of tendrils enveloped Aclysia, restricting her movement completely. Forcing her to extend her arms past her head and keep her legs widespread, she was completely at her darling¡¯s mercy. She was about to cry out how much she loved him and this position, when a thick tentacle quickly constricted her neck and then penetrated her open mouth. Her pussy gushed at the sudden, rough treatment of her throat. That hole was filled quickly thereafter, making the angel scream as best she could.


    Reysha was less confined. Her arms got bound behind her back, but the restriction her legs experienced was short lived. Wrapped around her ankles and knees, they made her envelop Apexus¡¯ head with her thighs. Her cries of lust were muffled when a tentacle came up to her mouth as well. The engorged tip pressed against her soft lips and Reysha hungrily leaned forwards to suck on it. She wanted more. She wanted as much as she could get. Every inch of her body was something she gladly used in the pursuit of feeling even better.


    The view Apexus enjoyed was fantastic. Conveniently, the eyes on a human were just high enough that they could look up over the stomach of their partner while eating them out. The slime looked up the midriff of the fit redhead, all the way up to her decently sized breasts and the face he could see through the valley between them. Her hollowed out cheeks and stretched out lips were a delightful contrast to Aclysia¡¯s wide-open mouth. One woman loved to suck him off, the other loved to offer her throat to be used. Neither had much of a gag reflex left.


    Both were in arm¡¯s reach and Apexus used this to satisfy a need to touch them beyond penetration. His fingers pressed into the firm, luscious meat of their backsides. There was more to Aclysia, her perfect ass juicy and round, but Reysha¡¯s butt was second to it by only a small margin. Their bodies were as gorgeous as their faces: trained, slim and clean. Optimal to be bred as well, a thought that could never escape the slime even if it wasn¡¯t something he currently thought appropriate.


    Digging his fingers more into their soft butt cheeks, he fucked them with tentacles and tongue. Reysha was so much easier to make cum today, the sensitivity caused by the sudden spike of her condition making her feel orgasm after orgasm. The clenching folds only inconvenienced Apexus. Aclysia didn¡¯t cum as rapidly, but was far from dissatisfied herself. Aside from the deep and well-aimed thrusts and the adoration she felt for her bondage, the surmounting effects of the pheromones were causing her to become easier and easier to bring to climax.


    Originally only a pleasing smell, the pheromones had evolved to have a slight, and now quite noticeable, aphrodisiac effect. It was far from being overpowering, but the effect continued to grow alongside Apexus. All of his Growths were capable of evolving alongside him and this one had a particularly noticeable, sexual benefit.


    Still in an experimenting mood, Apexus moved his hands from only fondling their asses to sliding into the gap between. The puckered hole he found there, he was still uncertain if he wanted to fuck as he did with their mouth and pussy. Reysha insisted it could feel good, but neither him nor Aclysia were yet willing to give a try. Full on penetration may have been out, but he was willing to tease their assholes with his vibrating fingers.


    To Aclysia, it was just another layer of pleasure. A little bit extra, she barely even noticed it in her haze. Struggling against her bindings as wave after wave of lust rushed through and caused her muscles to tense against her will, that was the main source of her delight. Knowing that she was of use in pleasing Apexus, that fucking her brought him pleasure, her servile personality resonated with all of it.


    Reysha¡¯s chest suddenly curved as she felt the touch on her back entrance. ¡®Fuck, please, please put something in there!¡¯ she screamed inside her mind, the words reverberating uselessly in the tendril-cock she refused to stop sucking. ¡®Fill all my holes! I want it! I only want you and I want you to spread out every bit of me!¡¯


    Apexus may not have heard her begging for triple penetration, but her ecstatic display convinced him to push it a bit further than he had originally planned. One of his vibrating fingers, lubricated with excess pussy juice, pushed into her. The redhead began to thrash wildly, as he played more with her asshole.


    Before he could do anything more, his sense of exploration took the backseat to his rising lust. All the pumping into all their greedy holes had brought him ever closer to orgasm. Now his tentacles accelerated in their pumping, seeking to bring him to a finish. He concentrated only on the four buried inside them. A last bit of sense told him to try and keep things clean. Then the cum started flowing out of his tentacles.


    Filling the depth of their pussies, pumping into Aclysia¡¯s gullet and gathering inside Reysha¡¯s mouth, the thick, white liquid was happily accepted by their bodies. The feeling of her darling painting the insides of her womb with his seed made the metal fairy cum almost spontaneously from the psychological satisfaction. The redhead nearby came so hard from the overlapping delight she squirted all over Apexus¡¯ face. Vibrating tongue, the finger in her bum, the taste of his cum ¨C made so oddly sweet by magic and a dose of pheromones mixed into it ¨C all combined for a moment of ecstasy that left her cross eyed.


    They calmed down slowly. From ecstatic thrashing they went to the occasional little spasm. Apexus was given all the aftercare he could have asked for. Happily, the two gorgeous women continued to suck on his tendrils until every drip was spilled inside them. Their pussies contracted and milked him with their tight, wet folds.


    The tentacles at their mouths pulled back first, then those from their cunts and those restricting them. Apexus only had a single load inside him today, due to the slight malnutrition. Even that load was more than the average man from every tentacle tip. As he pulled the tentacles back inside him, he was presented with one more treat.


    Reysha presented her open mouth. She hadn¡¯t swallowed his cum, but hoarded all of it instead. Swirling it with her tongue, she took great pleasure in how the thick liquid felt on her tastebuds. She was about to close her mouth and swallow it, when Aclysia approached with desire in her eyes. The begging was clear without words and the redhead indulged.


    The two women embraced each other, their hands sliding over the soft and smooth curves as they exchanged a kiss. Their lover¡¯s cum was swapped back and forth, swallowed little by little. Tongues whirled and sloppy sounds dominated the cavern until all of it was gone.


    ¡°Satisfied?¡± Apexus asked. He would have loved to continue, but seriously needed some sort of food first.


    ¡°Yes, darling,¡± Aclysia sighed happily, as if they had done all of this for her.


    Smirking, Reysha pecked another quick kiss on her cheek. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go check out the loot then,¡± she said.

 Humanoid Road 18 – Loot and Crystal

    Apexus looked at his newly grown claws and let some mana flow inside them. He relied on his instincts and the purpose of the organ to achieve any effect. How to form the supernatural energies into something that had an external effect, the slime still didn¡¯t know. Inside his body, he had some limited control. He couldn¡¯t dictate what his acid burned, that was strictly limited to organic entities that had been recently alive, as the slime understood it, but he could influence the strength of the acid if those conditions were fulfilled.


    In the same fashion, he could control pheromone production, the dimensions of his skeleton, the shape he took, and several other things. The crystal nails now joined that series of Growths in three different ways. Number one, the predictable, was that he could make them grow and manipulate the shape it came out as to quite the degree. Number two, as he had found out during the sexual encounter, he could make them vibrate. Number three, which he realized at that moment, he could make them glow.


    The nails retained the attributes they had held while part of their original organism. Apexus continued to push mana into a single finger until it burned bright enough to put a hole in his retina. Then he let the magic ebb away again. He was left with a slightly heated nail. A mere side effect of the imperfect energy transition and not exploitable for the slime. Notably, he couldn¡¯t create a light elemental, but that was tied to some other organs and magical shenanigans.


    Apexus looked at the path of smooth, flat crystal on his wrist. He had used it for lewd purposes, but the interesting revelation was that he could grow crystal ducts wherever he wanted on his body. Pushing the experiment a bit further, he realized that, while position may not have mattered, the size of what he tried to grow out very much did. A nail, a claw or a small rectangle? All done in a matter of seconds. A thick defensive plate covering his forearm? He still wasn¡¯t done growing it by the time the girls were dressed again. The energy expenditure was noticeable as well. If he kept using it for too long, he would be like a thin bit of slime spread over too much game.


    ¡°Does the new Growth satisfy you, darling?¡± Aclysia shouted a question over from the edge of the boss arena.


    ¡°Hoped I could use it as reactive armour. It¡¯s not fast enough for that,¡± Apexus responded and inspected the addition to his body a bit more. The silvery crystal on his arm had a few facets, but an otherwise smooth surface. ¡°It¡¯s still pretty useful though. Just takes preparation.¡± He severed not only the flow of mana, but also discontinued the unnecessary crystal glands on his arm. The patch fell to the ground, no longer properly connected to the slime¡¯s membrane. The extended claws soon followed. Apexus wasn¡¯t able to reduce the size of the crystals, the ducts only permitted the addition of more materials. Replacing them entirely was the only way to get some regularly shaped, if still silver, fingernails. They weren¡¯t that conspicuous as long as Apexus didn¡¯t make them glow.


    The slime grabbed the discarded pieces of crystal and tried eating one of them to regain at least a fraction of the energy he had used creating it. Even the single claw he now had in his stomach only dissolved at a crawling pace. The high level of inorganic material that was part of it made it a chore and it didn¡¯t taste all that great either.


    ¡®Feels like it would take even longer than normal crystal,¡¯ Apexus thought, wondering why that was. ¡®Maybe the crystal I grow is just better? That¡¯s usually what happens with these permanent Growths.¡¯ Whatever it was, he didn¡¯t feel like melting through all of them. Rather than eating them, Apexus tossed the remaining crystal pieces into the water. They wouldn¡¯t be found there, not with all the other pieces of crystal that were slowly dissolving in the water. ¡°How is the loot?¡± Apexus asked loudly.


    After they had put their clothes back on, Reysha and Aclysia turned their attention to the chests that were revealed. At the outer part of the walkway, where it touched the wall before curving into the spiral, pieces of the wall had parted and revealed the boss rewards. Because this was the first time they had beaten the boss, a total of three chests had shown themselves. Repeated killings rewarded only one item at a time. That was how dungeons tended to operate. The gods wanted to incentivize adventurers to keep moving on.


    The ultimate purpose of adventurers was to perpetuate the cycle of birthing new gods. They could hardly do so if they stagnated on one level of difficulty.


    Reysha pushed the lid of the leftmost chest open. ¡°Looks good, actually,¡± she shouted back and pulled something long from the chest. Apexus, done with his experiments, came over with a couple of wing-boosted jumps. ¡°Think you¡¯ll like this, Clysia.¡±


    What the tiger girl held in her hands was a metal staff. It was of a fairly boring design and material, a long metal rod of steel grey whose only accent was a tip of six black and white crystals that locked into each other to create a colour-inverting diamond shape. Aclysia took it with interest, but immediately seemed a bit disheartened. ¡°It¡¯s heavy,¡± she noted.


    ¡°No, it''s not, ya just have weak arms,¡± Reysha giggled.


    ¡°Be that as it may, if I am to wield it, it should function with my physical abilities in mind.¡± Raising and lowering the staff several times, Aclysia continued to test how bad exactly it was. She could fly with it and she could hold it without tiring too quickly. Standing, it helped that the thing was long enough that she could rest the bottom end on the floor. The crystal tip would still be at shoulder height.


    Aclysia closed her eyes and extended her mind into the tool. The metal served as a connection between her and the crystal, which served as a focus for her power. Drawing magic out of the surrounding area, she shaped it into a familiar structure and then opened her eyes. The tip of the staff glowed. With a thrusting gesture, she caused the energy within to become unbound and fly across the room as a simple Sunlight Bolt.


    It was more powerful than the variety she could cast with just her hands. Staves, large as they were, happened to be the best focuses that existed. Priests often preferred pendants for their religious iconography, but there was nothing stopping someone from using both. Only one could be utilized at a time, at least by a regular mage, but having a back-up focus on hand was never unwise. They eased the gathering of external mana into spells and amplified the effects of the spells through magically resonant materials. Every mage could cast with their hands, most would find greater success when using a focus.


    ¡°It is a well-made staff,¡± Aclysia begrudgingly admitted. It was difficult to get hands on mage tools. The materials necessary to make a worthwhile focus required a particularly skilled gem cutter or jeweller, and were rare on any Leaf. Beginner friendly worlds often had a few very basic focuses in stock. Mostly, mages had to rely on dungeon loot to replace their starting equipment. Luckily, they were dangerous without additional weaponry. ¡°It¡¯s still so heavy, however¡­¡±


    ¡°Ya gotta train a bit if ya wanna be able to ever lift anything,¡± Reysha pointed out.


    ¡°That is technically correct,¡± Aclysia sighed. Although she lacked the biological components to grow muscles, she did become stronger through the same magical mechanism as all regular adventurers did. Magic unleashed by slaying dungeon creatures or solving whatever quests or riddles the god¡¯s placed through the Omniverse was partly absorbed by her Spark. The increase of power that absorbed magic brought was largely dependent on the way one had exerted oneself recently.


    As with all things, retraining wasn¡¯t impossible, but quite difficult. It often involved a cleansing ritual that left the person weaker but, because their Spark was already ¡®widened¡¯, able to regain power quite rapidly and in ways that fit their desires. If they did it correctly, of course.


    ¡°I admit, my physical strength continuing to be this low may bring about problems in due time,¡± Aclysia said and ran a hand through her silky white hair. ¡°I will attempt to use this staff.¡±


    ¡°Good girl,¡± Reysha grinned and walked over to the second chest. ¡°Alright and here we have¡­ whatever the hell this is?¡± She pulled out a statue, only large enough to serve as table decoration, that looked like a mixture of a boar and a woman with a noticeable but not worrying amount of body fat.


    ¡°I believe this might be a variety of fertility idol,¡± Aclysia responded.


    ¡°It¡¯s hideous,¡± Apexus stated, heavily displeased by the giant tusks and pig nose that distorted the woman¡¯s face.


    ¡°Interesting that you agree, darling,¡± Aclysia noted. ¡°The Omniverse houses many sapient species with a Divine Spark. It is doubtlessly the case that a species of boar-people exists and looks similar to this idol. It should be possible for you to procreate with such a woman,¡± she pointed at the statue, ¡°which I took to be your primary interest in the other species.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Apexus thought about that. ¡°I do like wide hips and I cannot lie, that¡¯s because of the shape of butts and the promise of easier childbirth¡­¡± Pausing, he searched his core for any reason why he was so put off by that face. The idol didn¡¯t look unhealthy. It was easy to explain why Apexus didn¡¯t like bags under eyes or dry skin. Tusks and a pig¡¯s nose weren¡¯t indicators of bad health in a species that was born with tusks and a pig¡¯s nose. ¡°It might be¡­¡± he slowly formed his hypothesis, ¡°¡­because of you two. I¡¯ve become conditioned to see your face shapes as the most pleasing so things that are far removed from them just put me off? If I was born on a Leaf where these were the norm, it might have gone differently? I could have become a female as well, after all.¡±


    ¡°Wonder if ya would have become pink and called yourself Apexa in that case,¡± Reysha joked.


    ¡°I am pleased to have become your beauty standard, darling,¡± Aclysia smiled.


    ¡°Standard?¡± Apexus wondered out loud. ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the right word. Ideal, Aclysia. You¡¯re my beauty ideal. Both of you are.¡± For once, he knew that this would have a pleasing effect on the two beloved women. They blushed a little bit, showed him their smiles, then gave him a kiss. He was getting better at flattering them deliberately, rather than just saying things and accidentally pleasing them.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just hope that sells for something,¡± Reysha tossed the fertility idol at Aclysia, who barely caught it and stored it in their financial bag. ¡°Chest number three we got¡­¡± she pushed the lid off the stone container. Like the doors, it wasn¡¯t her physical strength alone that enabled the movement, but the magical design of the chest as well. Eventually the lid fell to the ground and Reysha reached inside. ¡°¡­a bag of seeds.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°Seriously,¡± Reysha confirmed.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Apexus repeated the question.


    ¡°Yeah, seriously,¡± the tiger girl stated a second time.


    They came in a bag of simple linen and were of a white colour. Aclysia inspected the bag first, then Apexus did. The slime grabbed a couple and extended his supernatural senses. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ moving?¡± he said, not quite certain. ¡°They¡¯re quivering. Not sure if its physical movement or the magical pulses.¡±


    ¡°So, they aren¡¯t just seeds?¡± Reysha wanted to know.


    ¡°They have quite a bit of magic for their size. Something is going on with them,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°We could eat them? I am very hungry.¡±


    ¡°I reckon that is better fixed with fresh prey,¡± Aclysia suggested and took the bag from her darling before he could actually devour the seeds. ¡°Before we know the value of these, we should not hastily dissolve them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, for the love of fuck, let¡¯s please get out of here and get some meat,¡± Reysha declared. With all of the chests plundered, there remained no reason for them to remain in the incandescent cave. The winding tunnels of Myrlight that held them in a state of voracious dissatisfaction for several days were no longer a confinement they had to suffer in. With that realization, even for the feline redhead who had her major urges satisfied so recently, the promise of delicious game was all the reason they needed to finally leave the dungeon.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to walk,¡± Apexus pointed out. There hadn¡¯t been a shortcut that opened for them. ¡°Let¡¯s make it as quick as we can.¡±


    And so they did. Following the map back out as hastily as they could, only stopping twice ¨C once to get a minimalistic meal and once to sleep ¨C they marched out of the dungeon in the matter of two days. The person on the reception didn¡¯t pay any attention to them at all. Their job was to inform adventurers going in, not to look after those going out. The group didn¡¯t care for them either. They were just happy they still didn¡¯t get bothered. Reysha¡¯s break-in hadn¡¯t been noticed.


    The group got to walk away, as free as they had been in months, and hunt themselves something proper to eat.

 Humanoid Road 19 – Path to Lava Fields

    Reysha pulled her knife across the twig one more time, before sliding the utility blade back into the adventurer¡¯s pack. Using the now sharpened piece of wood, she picked whatever remains of her last meal that were stuck between her teeth. Once that was done, she pulled a thin strip of linen from her bag and dunked it into the little pond the group had spent their night next to. After she had washed it thoroughly, she wrapped it around the tip of the twig and stuck it into the ash of yesterday¡¯s campfire. The fine remains of thoroughly burned wood stuck to the wet cloth. A moment later, the ash-covered tip disappeared into her mouth and Reysha dragged the rough surface over her teeth.


    ¡°Itsh noht thaht interishting,¡± the tiger girl told her two staring party members. ¡°Shome people here havhe normahl teeth that need caring for.¡±


    ¡°One person here does,¡± Aclysia corrected. Her own teeth were metal, so even in the rare cases she ate anything, they weren¡¯t susceptible to damage. While Apexus¡¯ teeth may have been the usual biological components, his mouth lacked the bacterial cultures to attack their outer layers. Constant acid washing kept the sharp, oddly human-like, teeth cleaner than they had been in the mouth of the snake Apexus had copied the Growth from.


    Reysha¡¯s teeth were mostly normal. Sure, her particular race had teeth a bit sturdier and noticeably sharper than the humanoid norm, but she only had the one set. With her particular diet, them rotting away due to sugar was the least of her concerns, but it still was best to give them the occasional cleansing.


    Once she had scrubbed all of her teeth thoroughly with the ash-covered cloth, she took a mouthful of water, swished it around, and then spat into the grass nearby. The grey-tinted liquid slowly seeping into the wet ground, as she took a second mouthful. After gargling that one, she spat it out as well.


    ¡°If I may be of assistance,¡± Aclysia offered, taking the strip of cloth from Reysha after she washed it again. Conjuring some of her magic, she exposed the linen to heat that would accelerate the drying process.


    ¡°Thanks, babe,¡± Reysha grinned and sat against a nearby tree. There had been light rain over the night, combining with the morning dew to make everything not covered by a canopy an uncomfortably wet place. Even under the roof of leaves, the tiger girl wasn¡¯t quite secure. A drop of water fell on her naked shoulder. At the moment, the tiger girl was completely bare. Despite the rain, the night had been quite warm. Under the cover of Apexus¡¯ wings, it was pretty difficult for a night not to be. Reysha had decided to enjoy some nudity. She didn¡¯t feel like dressing again yet.


    Aclysia had also stripped down over the night, just to enjoy more skinship with the two people she loved so dearly. Unlike Reysha, she had put on her clothes first thing in the morning. A simple, casual dress, with a long skirt, open at the back to allow her wings to stretch out. Wearing the robe would have only attracted additional attention to herself.


    They had reason to be less paranoid than before, but that didn¡¯t mean they shouldn¡¯t be careful.


    Which was also why Apexus had to keep his robe on through the entire night and currently covered his face with the wooden mask. Nobody would ask questions why people camping out in the woods were sleeping nakedly. Some may find it odd, most would be too busy ogling Reysha¡¯s curves, but nobody would think much about it. However, Apexus¡¯ muscle-free, sexless, noseless body was a different matter, even if he mimicked a human skin tone with his membrane.


    The slime was walking around randomly, absorbing moisture through his feet. ¡°We¡¯ll head east next, right?¡± he asked.


    Aclysia nodded, giving the now dry cloth back to Reysha. ¡°That is correct, darling. If we are to eventually head into a more frigid area, we are best advised getting you a Growth that can keep you warm.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to be slowed to a crawl,¡± the cold-slimed chimera agreed. ¡°Also, the cuddles are going to be nicer if I am warm, I think.¡±


    ¡°The cuddles will be amazing,¡± Reysha agreed. ¡°Have a couple of questions though. What do we do if we don¡¯t find anything that has a heat producing organ? Likely as it is that some god decided to place a fire monster close to the volcano, it isn¡¯t guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°In that case we will have to rely on the White Ice dungeon supplying such an organ,¡± Aclysia responded, having already considered this. ¡°The surrounding areas would also do. There should be at least one animal or monster in any of these three biomes that has adapted in a way that darling can exploit for his own survival.¡±


    Apexus nodded. ¡°If all else fails, I¡¯m sure there are items we could buy that can keep me warm. Adventurers have to have some way of surviving trips down there. You¡¯re warm blooded, but I don¡¯t think you just rely on clothes to keep out this ¡®freezing cold¡¯.¡± Still not knowing how cold that was supposed to be, Apexus made that point purely from what he had gathered so far. ¡°Would be bothersome during combat to wear several layers.¡±


    ¡°Right, there have to be some enchanted pieces of gear that people use,¡± Reysha hummed. ¡°We might have to save for that.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, our expenses remain minimal,¡± Aclysia declared and then looked back and forth between Apexus and Reysha, expecting them to laugh. Both tilted their head in confusion. ¡°Fortunately,¡± the metal fairy repeated.


    ¡°It is fortunate, yes?¡± Apexus continued to be confused. ¡°Are you attempting a joke, my melody? Because a sum of money is called a fortune and fortunately is a closely related word?¡±


    ¡°Your explanation eliminates the potential of the joke having its proper impact,¡± Aclysia pouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny either way, Clysia,¡± Reysha said and moved her hand as if she was throwing a fistful of something at the angel.


    ¡°It is an entertaining pun,¡± Aclysia insisted. ¡°What is it you¡¯re trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Throwing imaginary salt at you to see if anymore of it can dissolve inside your aura,¡± the tiger girl giggled. Apexus joined in the quiet laughter. Crossing her arms, Aclysia gave displeased glances to both. ¡°See, I am funny, leave the jokes to me.¡±


    ¡°Any further questions?¡± Aclysia steered the conversation back, to end this situation as quickly as she could.


    ¡°Alrighty, so let¡¯s just assume that we¡¯re in luck and find what our slime-lover-mind-reader needs to-¡°


    ¡°When did I turn into a mind reader?¡± Apexus wondered out loud.


    ¡°When you somehow deciphered that awful pun,¡± Reysha swiftly responded and went on. ¡°-needs to survive the cold. What do we do if Apexus can¡¯t acquire it permanently there? Rush through the next available dungeon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be my idea,¡± the slime responded and the metal fairy just nodded along.


    ¡°And if we out level the Myrm Nest by then or are too slow? Apexus can only hold Growths in ¡®storage¡¯ for about a month. Do we go back to the volcano, have him eat it a second time, then head to the Drowned Altar?¡± She was met with quiet. ¡°I see I¡¯m answering my own dumbass questions here. I thought either of you big brains had some secret super plans.¡±


    ¡°Are bigger brains a sign of higher intelligence?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Bigger dicks are certainly better than small ones,¡± Reysha responded, ¡°I think the logic still applies.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a brain or a dick though.¡±


    ¡°Nah, ya have several tentacles that effectively are dicks, and they are way fucking bigger than what normal males can provide.¡±


    Aclysia sighed, ¡°I feel obligated to remark that, although I enjoy your tentacles myself darling, I do not think that enjoyment stems from size. Our badly behaved Reysha-¡°


    ¡°Love it when ya talk about me like an unruly pet. Imma keep it in mind when I spank ya the next time.¡±


    ¡°-our kinky, sassy, sadistic, badly behaved Reysha,¡± Aclysia added to the list of adjectives, ¡°is what would be commonly referred to as a ¡®size queen¡¯. She does not speak for womankind.¡±


    ¡°Oy, don¡¯t you exclude the gays from liking big dick,¡± Reysha laughed.


    ¡°The amount of attitude you display at this early hour is thoroughly unappreciated,¡± the metal fairy responded.


    ¡°I love ya too, bubble butt,¡± Reysha winked. ¡°Anyway, since I¡¯ve been reading all our plans successfully so far, I guess we¡¯re heading to that big city north of the volcano, enter the local Adventurer¡¯s Guild outpost, ask if they have a monster compendium, look through it to see if they have something we want and go from there?¡±


    ¡°That is a splendid idea,¡± Aclysia responded in an overly cheery tone. ¡°If only someone had thought of it sooner and created the entirety of our travel route with that in mind!¡±


    ¡°Sarcasm really isn¡¯t a good look on ya.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I kind of like it,¡± Apexus put a hand to his chin, as if appraising an item of great worth. ¡°Something about the aggressive attitude is attractive. It is part of why I am so fond of you, Reysha.¡± After a second of thought, he added, ¡°I appreciate your diligent side more, though, Aclysia.¡±


    ¡°I must apologize, but that side will have to take a backseat until you admit my pun was entertaining,¡± Aclysia demanded.


    ¡°Can¡¯t do that without lying,¡± Apexus responded truthfully, then put his arms around Aclysia and embraced her deeply. ¡°I can do this though. Is this enough?¡±


    As much as she tried to say it wasn¡¯t, the metal fairy¡¯s dislike of lies prevented her from doing so. Answering the hug with her own arms, the two soon swayed on the spot, the angel humming a little, happy melody. Loving hands and soft feathers enveloped her. Her own wings fluttered at a high frequency, as her tantrum melted away and was replaced with her deep love rising to the surface.


    Reysha locked her fingers behind her head and gave them a moment. ¡®Can¡¯t tease the poor adorable thing all the time,¡¯ she thought with a grin. ¡®I might make her grow and pop a vein.¡¯


    Once her patience batteries had been recharged through cuddles, Aclysia finally announced their plans for the direct future. ¡°Given our recent discovery, I deem it optimal for us to fly. My concern was that we would get spotted while doing so or shortly after landing. While these remain valid, the people spotting us should only feel it odd to see Apexus¡¯ flight form in movement. Without further context, they shouldn¡¯t be alarmed. If someone spots us on the ground and sees darling in more detail, we may have an issue, but none that will necessarily lead to us being hunted down immediately.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m happy we¡¯re saving travel time or annoyed that I¡¯ll have to keep sitting on Apexus¡¯ back,¡± Reysha groaned and got up. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be happy. Let¡¯s get going then. Transform, my loyal steed! This may not be my favourite kind of ride, but I¡¯ll take it!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± Aclysia asked, even as Apexus began the process of turning into his four-legged shape.


    ¡°What would that be?¡± Reysha stretched, her nimble body and delicious, light brown skin a tasty display in the early morning sun.


    ¡°Clothes, Reysha, you are heavily advised to wear clothes,¡± the metal fairy pointed out.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± the tiger girl scratched the back of her head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to freeze my nipples off thanks to the wind.¡±


    ¡°Decency would be another factor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Reysha just laughed out loud.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°We will be by that fountain,¡± Apexus promised and pointed at the impressive piece of carefully shaped stone and metal. After only five days of travel, four spent flying and one on foot, they had arrived in the city. Before going to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, the group had the drops from Myrlight to sell. Finding people who would buy them wasn¡¯t going to be difficult. Elven dominated, the city north of the volcanoes was as large as the two on the Summer Rest island and teeming with trade that flowed from east to west.


    The streets were brimming with people busy to get somewhere. Barely, the group had entered those busy roads when Reysha said that she wanted to take a stroll through those streets ¨C alone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come back if I have to,¡± she promised.


    Apexus just nodded and, together with Aclysia, watched the redhead step away. They got to a slightly elevated position, keeping watch over Reysha¡¯s unusual hair.


    ¡®You can do this. You can do this. You can do this,¡¯ the tiger girl kept repeating to herself as she walked down the street. Side stepping everyone was easy at first. The broad business street gave ample space to the busy people. Shops were largely confined to the insides of the tall houses. Chatting groups of friends walked together, clumped several paces away from her. ¡®You can do thi-¡®


    Suddenly, the crowd became denser. People rammed into her, in a hurry to get to the side of the road. Loud, animalistic noises and surprised exclamations accompanied the angry screaming of a man. The sounds blurred together with memories. Reysha felt the panic rise in her chest. Through rough motions, she made her way through the crowd.


    Breathing heavily, she made it onto a side street. It was far from a hidden alleyway, and several people looked at the agitated redhead in the casual shirt and tight pants with confusion. Reysha leaned against the wall and watched the horse cart roll by as quickly as the chauffeur could get the crowd to part in front of it.


    She managed to keep her panic from overtaking her and as the situation relaxed and the crowd dispersed again, the tight feeling in her chest slowly dissolved. ¡®You can do this,¡¯ she told herself and resumed her walk.


    Only after thirty minutes, did she return to the rest of her party.

 Humanoid Road 20 – The inside of an Adventurer’s Guild

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild in the city was a bit more than just an outpost. The building it occupied was so large, it encompassed the entire city block. Although everything was connected, the architecture was segmented. There was a tall tower with a clock, a large, round dome that dominated the majority of the building, a square addition, and an almost unfitting, triangular cut-in. The joined design and white walls with blue roof tiles, gave everything a roughly unified feeling.


    They had went there after selling their items. The mysterious seeds had turned out to be a mix of decorative plants. They had fetched the highest price out of the bunch, with the fertility idol only getting bought by someone that thought they could carve a more beautiful face out of the piggish one. They needed to buy a few resources as well, such as a proper whetstone for Reysha¡¯s weapons, and came out at the end with a meagre fifteen silver being added to their current wealth. It put them at a total of 1 gold 33 silver. Although they didn¡¯t actually have a single gold coin - just a lot of silver and some copper.


    They entered the guild without hesitation. Reysha had gone through a worse walk today, Aclysia had thought about this carefully enough that she felt confident, and Apexus was just done with the prey mindset. An organization was something to be afraid of, adventurer¡¯s roughly on his level were not.


    The double-doored entrance was wide open, with merry sounds of laughter greeting them when they entered. Smelling of beer, wine, and roasted meat, the tavern so commonly found in the entrance halls of the guild was filled with business. Parties sat around tables and used the lack of structured working hours in their profession to get boozed up shortly after noon. Others were having a sober discussion over water and a proper meal to decide where they should go next. Yet others were simply sitting around and waiting for something.


    There were about fifty people in the room, separated into eight parties of three to seven members and a few people that weren¡¯t part of any firmly established group. The tables and benches they sat on were expertly crafted wood, dented with years of usage, while the ground was cobbled stone.


    There were three separate counters in different areas of the room. At the left-hand side, leading towards the tower, was the guild¡¯s mission counter. The female receptionist standing there oversaw the blackboard and checked what missions locals offered. For the regular adventurer, there was a bit more to do than just delve into dungeons. The second counter was the bar, stocked with several large barrels of alcohol. Behind it, a doorway led towards the rectangular segment. Lastly, in front of the path to the triangular area, was the guild store.


    The person manning it looked at them expectantly, hoping for another lazy party to sell their loot under value to them, so they could make an easy profit later. That was the only concentrated attention the party got as they entered. Although they looked a tad weirder than the average adventurer, the three were far from the only exotic ones around. Animal ears and unusual hair colours were scattered about and one of the Warriors wore a cursed glove that had fused to her arm.


    Apexus and his party were taken note of as newcomers, but ignored otherwise. Even as they made their way to the guild reception, all that happened was that the store owner clicked their tongue and went back to reading a book they had brought.


    Finding all of this fascinating, the slime hadn¡¯t been inside many buildings and especially not one this large, Apexus kept looking around. His hair brushed against the inside of his hood repeatedly, which was slightly bothersome. Especially with black fox ears being right there, noticing every sound. He made a mental note to grow his hair out later, just so he didn¡¯t have to wear the hood anymore when visiting cities. Once he had a nose to complete his face, he wouldn¡¯t have to keep either the hood or mask on anymore.


    ¡°Hello,¡± the female receptionist exclaimed in a cheery fashion. She was an elf, about a head shorter than Apexus and of a lithe build. Blonde hair and pale skin made her visibly different from all of the wood elves that dominated the demographics of the spring areas of the Leaf. ¡°How may I be of service?¡±


    Aclysia stepped forwards, taking her usual role of lead conversationalist ¡°We would like to inquire if you have a monster compendium inside your archives and, if so, may we have access to it.¡±


    ¡°Yes we do, and maybe you can. Are you a member of the local guild branch?¡± the receptionist asked, which Aclysia had to deny. ¡°We only allow members access to the archives. Sorry, but letting unknown freelancers in is a bit risky. If you have any specific information requests, I may be able to find what you¡¯re searching, for a fee of one silver ¨C or you can pay the two silver for this month¡¯s membership.¡±


    ¡°We are looking for a kind of monster or animal that has a heated core,¡± Aclysia responded. As far as potential obstacles went, this was one they had expected.


    ¡°Oh, want to get the ingredients to an alchemist to make some Warmth Potions?¡±


    That was not the excuse the metal fairy had prepared. Her story would have been that they got a mission to find something like that from an odd, out of Leaf merchant they met at the Stem city. Unsure whether she should go with her original lie orwith this new one, she wasn¡¯t sure about. It sounded more convenient, but it may have been a trap. Her overthinking mind was only halfway through analysing this when Apexus simply answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Standard stuff, give me a second,¡± the receptionist quickly vanished behind the backdoor.


    ¡°What if that was a trap?¡± Aclysia quietly whispered.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have predator eyes,¡± Apexus responded just as quietly. ¡°Nothing to fear from her.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty, so,¡± the receptionist came back quickly and waved around a rolled-together scroll. ¡°This here contains the details about every ingredient needed to make Warmth Potions and where to find them. You¡¯ll still need an alchemist to put the things together correctly, but it¡¯ll cut the costs tremendously if you make them yourself. Especially if you do it before you head down to White Ice.¡± She put the scroll on the counter and leaned forwards in a jokingly conspiratorial fashion, ¡°Supply, demand, you know how it is. Colder it gets, the more people buy that stuff.¡± She straightened back up. ¡°Now, for four silver, you can have the scroll. For one silver, you can read it through once. For two silver, you can buy the membership and read it whenever you want alongside other benefits such as-¡°


    ¡°We¡¯ll buy the scroll,¡± Apexus interrupted.


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± the cheery receptionist immediately stopped. ¡°Four silver please.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia responded, while reaching for the group¡¯s purse. Coins hit the counter and the receptionist reached for them.


    Apexus quickly put his hand over the coins. ¡°Let us see the scroll first.¡± His deep, decisive voice made the statement one of threatening totality. Realizing this in the way the receptionist¡¯s eyes widened, the slime added, ¡°Please?¡± in a tone as friendly as he could make it.


    ¡°Uhm,¡± the receptionist cleared her throat and resumed her friendly chatter. ¡°Sure, sure. Can¡¯t let you read it though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°I just want to verify it¡¯s not useless.¡±


    The cord keeping the rolled-up paper sealed was unmade and showed a long list of several items. After about three seconds, Apexus nodded and lifted his hand. The receptionist took the money, Apexus took the scroll and then they awkwardly looked at each other for several seconds. ¡°Can I help you with something else?¡± the receptionist asked.


    Apexus looked to Aclysia. Aclysia looked back. Reysha leaned against the counter and gave the fairy an amused smirk. ¡°The map, bubble butt.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Aclysia¡¯s brain shook off the remaining surprise and turned back to the receptionist. ¡°I would like to inquire whether or not you have any maps of the Myrm Nest dungeon.¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t¡­ you won¡¯t need one either,¡± the blonde elf assured them. ¡°It¡¯s a large downwards spiral. Can¡¯t exactly get lost in there. I do have a strategy guide for it though. Would you like that?¡±


    After their Myrlight experience, the group was very happy to buy anything that told them what kind of monsters to expect inside a dungeon. After the Myrm Nest guide, they also bought one for the Drowned Altar and White Ice. There was a map available for the Drowned Altar as well, which was nice, but not for White Ice, due it being a dungeon whose layout shifted. The Long Way had neither a strategy guide nor a map available for it.


    In total, they paid thirty silver for the information they bought. With everything they could want cleared, they headed for the exit. They stopped shortly before the door, when an adventurer stepped in their way. She was a tall wood elf, with dark hair and blue eyes. ¡°Yo, want to hire some help?¡± she asked. ¡°My usual party is out of town for a while, so I¡¯d be happy to get something done in the meantime.¡±


    Apexus looked at her. She was pretty. Her skin was lighter than that of other wood elves, but still noticeably brown. Her dark red lips were curved into a charming smile and the dark green outfit she wore clung tightly to her. On her slender body, her large breasts stood out quite a bit.


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± the slime responded. ¡°We¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°Ah, pity then,¡± she sighed and let them pass without further inquiry. She returned to her seat to offer her services to some other party that seemed to have lucrative plans. Apexus, meanwhile, led his party out of the building.


    Once outside, the trio went to a quiet corner nearby to read the scroll. There was a description of some herbs that grew on different parts of the Leaf, certain animal innards that could be used or what they could be substituted by and finally the ingredient they were actually looking for.


    As they had theorized, there was a monster in the volcano area that had an organ providing heat. It was useless as a biological adaptation, living where it was, the hottest would more than likely cause a creature to be less reliant on its own body temperature, but the gods seldomly cared for logic when they put specific enemies somewhere. In most regards, the gods were happy to just throw a few basic animals into the wild and let them sort out the ecosystem among themselves. At other times, they decided: ¡°this goes here!¡± and disregarded logic. Because they were placed there by divine will, even if they were somehow unsuccessful in the environment or hunted to extinction, they would be back.


    In this specific case, they were looking at a so-called Azenian Volk Dragon, or Volcano Tearer, as they were more commonly named. Much like Ctania¡¯s Forester Dragon, it actually wasn¡¯t a true dragon. They were a bit more closely related, with their capacity to breathe fire and the amount of magic pumping through their veins, but far from the intelligent and legendary lizard. They could just barely qualify as drakes, being large, scaled beasts with a bit of intelligence and magic. No wings though, which the group read about on the informal paper.


    ¡°Whoever wrote this has an interesting style,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think ¡®the Azenian Volk Dragon is most commonly found east of the central volcano. Thanks to it''s smoke-breathing, they are easy to spot from a distance. Furthering this is their tendency to claw at mountainsides and unearth magma veins, earning them the name Volcano Tearer. It is advised to approach in a group of four or more, with adventurers of level 13 or higher.¡¯ Is interesting writing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the letters,¡± Apexus elaborated. ¡°All of the same kind have the exact same look.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ¡®cause it¡¯s printed,¡± Reysha responded.


    ¡°Printed?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°You carve the shape of the letter into wood or something else, wet it with ink and press it on the paper,¡± Aclysia explained. ¡°It is a common technique to copy more regularly sold informal pieces. It makes the article cheaper and quicker to produce.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t they print the maps then?¡± Apexus wanted to know.


    ¡°It is highly likely that they do, but the result would not be as detailed as hand drawn maps.¡±


    ¡°Dunno, maybe they got really good ones around here,¡± Reysha scratched her head. ¡°Haven¡¯t been to a lot of Leaves yet, but technology levels kind of vary.¡±


    ¡°If they were highly developed and readily available on this Leaf, the map would have been cheaper,¡± Aclysia asserted. ¡°Whatever may be the case, as long as printing cannot infuse parchment with magic, it will remain inferior to Scribes in all important ways.¡±


    ¡°Printing¡­ interesting,¡± Apexus wanted to see one of those presses, but now wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°Level thirteen being recommended means that it might yield a permanent Growth. That¡¯s useful.¡± He pivoted back to their original topic.


    ¡°We¡¯re under the recommended party size,¡± Aclysia pointed out.


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out,¡± Reysha grinned. ¡°Hunting is what we¡¯re best at. Let¡¯s get-a-going.¡±

 Humanoid Road 21 – What the slime did best

    Apexus felt absolutely fantastic.


    The eternal spring had been an adequate climate for him. Not as good as the summer of Ctania, but good enough to get his goo flexible and fast flowing. The further south they travelled from the city, however, the more Apexus felt his energy increase. It culminated in Reysha eventually asking, ¡°What the fuck is making you so happy?¡±


    ¡°I feel like I am going home,¡± Apexus responded. There was a feeling in the air, a sort of vibration, that resonated with his membrane and elicited a joyous and bittersweet feeling from his core. ¡°I think this is what you would call nostalgia.¡±


    ¡°Okay, follow up question: what are ya nostalgic about?¡± Reysha continued with a puzzled expression. ¡°You¡¯re a slime. I get you¡¯re not exactly the common variety that¡¯s usually found around watery areas, but you shouldn¡¯t be this happy to get close to fucking lava.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about lava. I have never seen any anyway,¡± Apexus pointed out. ¡°I was told that there were magma chambers around where I was¡­ where I spawned.¡± It was difficult to find the correct choice of words for his unexplained start of being. Spawning sounded a bit too monstrous, but it was also the closest word they had. ¡°The air is just similar. Very hot. Not as humid as the cave I came from though.¡±


    ¡°Who told you about magma being underground?¡± Reysha wondered, not recalling lava anywhere on Ctania.


    ¡°¡­Gizmo¡­¡± Apexus mumbled quietly.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    They silently walked on for five minutes, before the slime decided that he wouldn¡¯t let his mood get spoiled. ¡°Have you ever seen lava?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I have,¡± Reysha answered.


    ¡°The knowledge of its appearance and attributes has been ingrained in my mind,¡± Aclysia¡¯s response came with the usual melody of her voice, ¡°but my eyes have yet to witness molten rock.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to bathe in it,¡± the giggling tiger girl said.


    ¡°I probably could,¡± Aclysia thought out loud and earned herself a duo of surprised glances. ¡°Not for any extended period, but this vessel of my angelic spark does not suffer from having its flesh seared.¡± She raised a hand to her chest, stroking her collarbone to underline her words. ¡°I might melt, however, which is an experience I doubt will be pleasant.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we throw you in the frontline more often if you¡¯re that sturdy?¡± Reysha wanted to know.


    ¡°She¡¯s not sturdy,¡± Apexus chimed in, not wanting to entertain the thought of the metal fairy taking a physical role. ¡°My melody is too light to take any attacks and the¡­ what¡¯s the proper word¡­ integrity? The integrity of her body is important. If it gets damaged too much, her spark might get loosened.¡±


    ¡°As darling says,¡± Aclysia¡¯s comment was a little song. Taking his arm, she held onto him as they walked on. The slime put it around her waist to hug the metal fairy as much as he could while still walking. Happily, she hummed a further melody. Apexus got to hear both her beautiful voice and squeeze her butt a little bit. ¡°My particular circumstances likely mean that my father would send my soul back to this vessel, should it get damaged beyond function. As long as it gets restored, that is.¡±


    ¡°How would we even ¡®repair¡¯ you?¡± Reysha wondered.


    ¡°Likely, the aid of a priest would need to be enlisted,¡± the angel responded. ¡°Although, others skilled in rituals would presumably do as well, given that I was restored by Gizmo before.¡± She tried her best to make that name pass her lips in a casual fashion. ¡°I would assume that this vessel may have self-regenerating capacities as well. It would simply take a lengthy amount of time.¡±


    ¡°Man, I wish I just came back to life a couple of days after getting stabbed,¡± the redhead playfully kicked a pebble down the road.


    ¡°It¡¯d be bad for you,¡± Apexus put an arm around her as well, now having both of the bubble butts of his gorgeous lovers and party members in his hands. ¡°You already fight too recklessly.¡±


    Reysha let a purr rise from deep in her throat and licked Apexus¡¯ exposed neck. ¡°I guess so,¡± she whispered, leaning up to his midnight blue, almost black fox ears. ¡°Just keep holding me and things will work out.¡± Her soft tail brushed over his arm, as it slowly moved with feline delight.


    Apexus made a mental note to hold them like this more often. Both of his lovers liked it and he was himself very pleased with the situation. It certainly made the fact that they had to spend time wandering less cumbersome. If this stretch of land hadn¡¯t been so densely populated, Apexus could have transformed and carried Reysha to their destination by air.


    Eventually, the ground way brought them to the destination as well. The landscape changed around them with every step. Slow at first, with the occasional large, dark rock sticking out between the fertile fields, but quicker the more the mountains in the distance grew. The ever-present heat increased as well, until it was hotter than even on summer leaves. Last fields were left behind them and replaced with patches of dirt and grass between large rocks. Soon, even that was gone, leaving only craggy stone and a metallic, sulfuric smell.


    Apexus continued moving with more vigour, while Reysha occasionally lifted her practical shirt at the chest part to get some air flowing over the naked, sweaty skin underneath. ¡°It¡¯s hot here,¡± the desert child pointed out, as they walked towards their first lava pool.


    With curiosity, all three of them looked at the lake of molten rock that had formed at the end of a thin stream, running down from the main volcano that rose ahead. The orange-red glow of the superheated stone and the black layer that consolidated into an isolating, only slightly cooler sheet, were interesting to behold. When a gas bubble caused some of the lava to jump into the air, the three quickly backed off.


    ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s lava¡­ huh,¡± Reysha looked at it and then started laughing out loud. ¡°It looks like dangerous tomato sauce!¡± She continued to laugh and then looked over to Aclysia. The angel tilted her head. ¡°Come on, bubble butt, I am setting you up here!¡±


    ¡°Setting me up for what?¡± Aclysia tilted her head.


    Apexus had the answer at the ready, ¡°A pun, I think.¡±


    ¡°Okay, how do you keep doing that?¡± Reysha wanted to know. ¡°Did you evolve mind-reading?¡±


    ¡°No, I just love you two, so I watch you like an ant colony does their brood,¡± the slime explained from behind his mask. ¡°I want to understand you, so I keep track.¡±


    Reysha blinked a couple times and wondered why the only thing she felt at that revelation was a warm, happy fuzziness in her belly. Having someone watch her so intently that they could read her intentions should have been at least a bit creepy. ¡®Love is so weird,¡¯ she thought and cackled in a content fashion. ¡°Do ya know what the pun was supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Apexus answered immediately. ¡°I can read body language, not minds. I¡¯m an ambush predator.¡±


    ¡°Did ya figure it out Clysia or can ya only think of bad puns?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I can only think of superb puns and this one is awful?¡± Aclysia suggested.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Reysha waved off, not even bothering to show why that was an impossible scenario. ¡°Anyway, you were supposed to say ¡®more like hot sauce¡¯.¡± Against her best intent, Aclysia let out a single giggle. ¡°AHA! You laughed; I win.¡±


    ¡°I refuse the terms and conditions of this battle.¡±


    ¡°Too bad, I¡¯mma make ya play by them anyway,¡± Reysha slurred her words as she continued to giggle. Her laughter ceased, just as Apexus¡¯ head moved. Even Aclysia could hear the reason for their sudden shift in attention.


    There was a distant roar, a deep tone that echoed from the mountain. Ears rotating, Reysha and Apexus tried to pinpoint the origin. They only got a rough direction before it stopped. ¡°Prey,¡± the slime spoke a single word and looked over to the other two. ¡°You mind if I scout ahead?¡±


    ¡°Please do, darling,¡± Aclysia told him. ¡°We¡¯ll see if we find a proper camping site.¡± Reysha simply nodded to that and left the slime to start running.


    Even with all of the heat of the place, he wasn¡¯t as fast as Reysha. No amount of external heat could really make up for the lack of muscle. Still, the slime sprinted at a pace regular humans would have found impressive and he benefited from being tireless.


    The slime unfolded his wings. With one mighty beat, he went into the air. Three more quickly followed to let him gain height. Then he went about it more methodically. His robe fluttered in the wind of the flight. A moderate bother, as long as he kept his limbs close to his body and the cloth from moving around too much.


    He went higher above the rising ground of the mountain, not wanting to find himself in the range of even the largest of creatures. Looking around for any birds that might come to harm him, the chimera only found eagles that he had outgrown and who didn¡¯t regard him as prey anymore. Secure, Apexus then scanned the ground and watched for the smoke plume that was supposed to betray his target¡¯s location. He only had to reorient himself once towards the east to find a Volcano Tearer.


    The lizard was massive, larger even than the house the group had stayed in on the Summer Rest island. Being the apex predator of the region, it didn¡¯t bother with stealthy colours, its scales being a bright red and green. Six long, clawed legs extended out of a sleek torso. The pairs in the middle and the back were identical, muscular things, optimal for sprinting. The legs at the front were slightly altered, possessing thicker claws on larger paws. Those claws dug into the rock as the Volcano Tearer followed its namesake.


    The long neck of the monster allowed it to look down at its claws, digging through the rock, and a tail extended far from its hindquarters, thinning until it shaped a profile like a whip. Noticing the movement in the sky, the monster stopped tearing out stone for a moment and looked up at Apexus. Its eyes were entirely black, its rows of sharp teeth exposed in a threatening hiss. When the slime flew by overhead, the faux-dragon shot a breath of fire in his direction. It didn¡¯t come close to bridging the distance between them, but the signal was clear.


    The Volcano Tearer went back to digging. With one brutal motion, it opened a hole in the mountainside and caused a new river of lava to bleed from the black rock. Unbothered by the heat running around its claws, the monster lowered its mouth to the hole and snapped at something that moved in the stream. A kind of squid that lived in the extreme heat and usually kept to the innards of the volcano. Numerous and reproducing in relative safety, they only came out accidentally when pulled along a stream. They were the common meal of the Azenian Volk Dragon.


    Keeping the stone liquid through the extreme heat in its own innards, the monster regurgitated most of the lava once it had separated meat from rock. The organ responsible for that heat, the melting core, was what Apexus was after.


    The slime circled above its future prey for a few more minutes, looking at the surroundings. The mountain was less craggy where the faux-dragons regularly hunted. Repeated opening and sealing of holes by claws and cooling lava had created a mixture of naturally rocky and oddly wavy surfaces, with the rare lava pool scattered where orange-red rivers had become somewhat stable. ¡®Nothing here,¡¯ the slime thought and flew further up the mountain. He found the lava lake on top, as well as a few more of the Volcano Tearers. They were clumped together, evidently unbothered by each other¡¯s presence, which would make it hard to hunt any that kept close.


    The rim of the crater in which the lava lake sat was more interesting to the slime. The volcano never erupted in the proper sense, but the level of the lake¡¯s surface varied with time, sometimes spilling over the edge. This created a peculiarly shaped, solid circle. Apexus landed to inspect things more closely.


    ¡®Nothing here either,¡¯ Apexus thought, when he failed to find any loose rocks he may have been able to send tumbling down the mountainside. Quickly rising back into the air, the slime continued his scouting of the area. Just because they were going to fight the massive lizard didn¡¯t mean they had to do so in a fashion that was likely to get them hurt.


    The slime looked at the layout of the land and the way these creatures moved over it. His attentive mind noted every detail he could spot as he tried to find the weaknesses in the being¡¯s design. There was no such thing as the perfect form, every shape of being had some sort of blind spot. Being a sapient hunter, the slime was adept at finding them. Higher intelligence was the greatest tool when it came to hunting large game.


    Perhaps there was no immediate victory to be found in the environment, but he could still use it to the greatest effect. Once he had formulated a plan in his mind, he returned to his women to discuss it.

 Humanoid Road 22 – Strategize and inside Hide

    Aclysia hovered above the mountainside and analysed the digging lizards and their positions. The night made this slightly more difficult for her, but the glow of dug-open lava rivers helped locate the prey. Several specimens were open for her to initiate the trio¡¯s agreed strategy on. ¡®Which one to choose?¡¯ she asked herself, looking at all the factors available. ¡®The smallest Volk Dragon will have the least amount of physical prowess. However, that one over there would be easiest to antagonize on its own. That one is closest to the chosen battleground¡­¡¯ she continued to run the intersecting benefits and drawbacks through her head in an effort to find the optimal route.


    For several minutes, she just hung up there, hit by decision paralysis. Whenever she got closer to finding a satisfying answer, one of the faux-dragons moved, recalibrating her entire pattern recognition. Everything but the perfect choice in this situation would have left her dissatisfied with her path of action. Yet, she was forced to make an imperfect call eventually.


    ¡®Thirty seconds and then I proceed with the choice that appeals to me the most,¡¯ she told herself. Thirty-six seconds later, she had finally convinced herself to start moving towards one of the Volk Dragons. It was an individual somewhat on the malnourished side, which Aclysia hoped would make it easier prey. Hovering down, she raised her staff with both hands and pulled the magic out of the nearby air. There was a lot of it. Beginner friendly Leaves tended to be more gracious with the mana they provided to mages.


    Raw mana congealed in the crystal tip and became shaped by Aclysia¡¯s will, emanating a golden glow. Like pulling a bowstring within her mind, the pressure grew on her as the Sunlight Bolt¡¯s power expanded until she could hold it no longer and unleashed it on her target. Gold exploded on the red-scaled monster, followed by it rearing its head towards Aclysia. With a deep growl, it turned away from the digging operation.


    They stared at each other, beast and angel, and waited. Aclysia kept her staff raised on high and fired a second bolt. It shot out the tip at the wanted angle, another slight advantage using a medium had over casting with her hands. Like the first spell, it scattered on the heat resistant scales without much impact. All that happened was that the creature closed its eyelids to protect the vulnerable oculars and got annoyed. Quite annoyed indeed.


    A wave of fire was the answer Aclysia received for her meddling. The metal fairy flew effortlessly to the side, utilizing her aerial agility to dodge. Manoeuvrability and a resistance against fire were why she was the one to lead the encounter. As high as her heat tolerance was, the same could not be said about her clothes. Not wanting to end up naked, she flung more of her bothering attacks at the Volk Dragon.


    As inconsequential as the spells may have been, they did cause the territorial creature to fully commit to fighting Aclysia. The metal fairy hovered just in reach of its jaws and flew backwards when they snapped at her. Annoyed, the Volk Dragon roared and set after her, allowing her to kite it down the slope. When the monster threatened to lose interest in chasing her, Aclysia showered it in magical attacks again until it kept following her. It was a tense game of preserving magical power and calculated interactions. If Aclysia flew too far away, the monster would have retreated immediately, if she got too close, a single bite would have incapacitated her.


    Past the last lava lake, the Volk Dragon chased. ¡®Almost at the target location,¡¯ Aclysia thought. The mountainside offered nothing but disadvantages to the trio. The gatherings of lava were, at best, minor inconveniences for the monster and, at worst, death traps for the group. Better to fight on even ground.


    The further they distanced themselves from the volcano, the darker it got as well. Aclysia heard Reysha whistle, the pre-agreed signal, and then backed away from the massive lizard. Furious, the Volk Dragon roared, and got on its hindlegs to swipe uselessly at the far-away metal fairy with its digging claws. It seemed ready to attack just about anything right now. Which was exactly what Apexus hoped when he stepped out from behind a nearby boulder.


    ¡°Come here!¡± he shouted, just to get the creature¡¯s attention. Wings folded in front of him, the slime poured magical energy into the nails of one clenched fist, a little bit of heat being produced as the byproduct of the energy flow. The Volk Dragon answered the challenge and charged at Apexus. Both eyes focused on the robe-wearing chimera, the Volk Dragon opened its maw slightly, ready to bite him in half the moment he was close enough. Then the slime opened its wings and revealed the magically charged hand. Extreme levels of light flashed in the darkest point of the night, blinding the monster.


    Its charge continued, but went off course. Apexus jumped to the side and Reysha jumped down from the boulder. The flash beyond her closed eyes had been her signal to get into action. Landing on the monster¡¯s neck, she quickly made her way towards its head. At first, confusion protected her, but by the time she was sitting on its neck, the six-legged faux-dragon had recovered enough to thrash around. Reysha kept holding on with her legs and one hand. Her left raised a dagger and plunged it down, turning the temporary blindness of one eye into a permanent affliction.


    Before Reysha could draw her second weapon, the Volcano Tearer slammed the side of its head against the boulder in an effort to get rid of her. It was a wild, uncalculated movement, hurting both of them. While the lizard with its thick skull only dazed itself, the brutality of the impact seriously harmed Reysha. Her shoulder and head were smacked against the abrasive surface, hard enough to make her see stars. The true devastation was delivered to the leg stuck between rock and hard skull. Her thighbone cracked, the shock rippling through and making her lose control for just long enough that she fell from the monster¡¯s neck and had a painful landing.


    Apexus immediately intervened. Confused as the Volk Dragon was, it didn¡¯t immediately set after Reysha, but it could have trampled her by sheer accident. Moving into the halved field of view with shining hands, the slime became the only thing the monster¡¯s overexposed eye could properly see. With raw aggression, it spewed a wave of fire towards the chimera.


    Having hoped for a more physical assault, the slime was slightly caught off guard and exposed to the fire for a couple of seconds before he got out of the danger zone. His robe and mask took the majority of the damage, forcing him to discard both, as they were set aflame.


    The Volcano Tearer shook its head several times, trying to see and make sense of the situation. As quickly as she could, Reysha limped away, allowing Aclysia to land nearby and start healing her leg.


    Apexus had to keep the faux-dragon occupied for as long as that took. More afraid of the fire than teeth and claws, the slime went into close range and kept to the properly blind side of the Volk Dragon. In order to keep him in its field of view, the monster had to keep bending its long neck, inhibiting its range. Apexus made himself as large as possible, spreading out his wings and illuminating his form. To an animal¡¯s brain, such a display had an imposing effect. Despite being much larger and immensely more powerful, the hurt, red-scaled creature took several steps backwards.


    Eventually, it had given enough ground and growled with renewed resolve. Blood dripped from the dagger still lodged inside its eye socket as it took a step forward. Apexus stood his ground. The Volk Dragon hesitated, then snapped its sharp teeth at the slime.


    Apexus presented his arms willingly and rammed one down the throat of the monster. The bite separated his arm at the shoulder, too quickly for any acid-burns to harm the inside of the monster¡¯s chest-sized head. The slime didn¡¯t care for the loss of a limb. That the monster¡¯s remaining eye was blinded was the true priority. Out of the darkness, beyond the slime¡¯s light, flew a knife that true its target.


    Now completely blind, the Volk Dragon thrashed around once more. A slam by its head catapulted Apexus away, but the slime was more thankful for that than anything. The thin lizard started spewing fire in random directions until it had no more magic to kindle and only tiny tongues of flame flickered past its teeth. Tearing at the ground, whipping its tail, it backed away until it hit another boulder. In ceaseless panic, it attacked the inanimate object. Its roars transformed into fearful, high-pitched screams as exhaustion settled in.


    ¡°Please end it as quickly as is reasonable,¡± Aclysia requested. A fight for life and death was never pretty and the drawn-out, final moments of a creature in pain were nothing she wanted to witness for longer than she had to. ¡°I will gather darling¡¯s clothes¡­¡± It was an easy excuse to get a little bit further away from the noises.


    ¡°We will,¡± Reysha promised, drawing her second knife. While her right side was still hurting, she could walk and stab. Apexus kept poking the dragon. Not to torture it, although it doubtlessly was torture, but to draw every last bit of energy from it and guarantee that Reysha was in no danger when she approached. The two had less qualms about the monster¡¯s pain, knowing that this was just the ugly side of nature. Regardless, they had no interest in prolonging the pain themselves. It wouldn¡¯t have been the effective way to hunt anyhow.


    Hacking into the scales with her dagger, Reysha caused several defenceless squeals to echo through the night. When she was finally through the natural armour, it didn¡¯t take long for her to hit a vein. Dark lifeblood splurged out of the wound, quickly becoming less as the final heartbeats faded in the monster¡¯s chest. Reysha withdrew all of her knives and began cleaning them.


    ¡°A bit messier than it needed to be, but it worked out,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus didn¡¯t have anything else to say. The strategy had been to get a weaker member of the species and keep them blinded through all means possible. No matter how imposing a creature, they couldn¡¯t do anything if they couldn¡¯t sense their target. Once the most important sense was removed, death was only a question of time.


    Aclysia suddenly landed next to them, ¡°Adventurers,¡± she said in a panicked tone, ¡°quickly put this o-¡° she raised up the half-burned robe. Even if Apexus put it on, his missing arm and part of his abnormal body would be on open display. ¡°Shit,¡± she cursed.


    ¡°Kick the stomach three times when they are gone,¡± Apexus had already found the single place where he could hide in the rocky landscape. Melding his arm into his torso and his legs together, he crawled inside the dead Volcano Tearer¡¯s mouth. Usually, he would have eaten his target from the outside, but under the circumstances, this was the best he could do. The internal warmth of the corpse allowed him to slide down to neck fast enough that no conspicuous bulge remained visible. Reysha ripped Apexus¡¯ clothes from the stunned Aclysia and stuffed them into her Adventurer¡¯s Bag before their visitors arrived.


    It was a group of three, all male, and all stomping around in heavy armour. There were differences, some subtle and some overt, between their plates that differentiated their Classes. One was a Paladin, one a Knight and one a Warrior, the choices of their weapon reflecting their preferred combat styles being a sword and shield, a two-hander and a massive axe respectively. All three were tall men with short hair, albeit two looked almost identical and the Paladin was blond and had a less broad frame by comparison. All of this was visible thanks to the Ilumni spell the Paladin had ignited in his palm. Aclysia, out of proper behaviour did the same.


    ¡°Oh wow,¡± the Knight, their leader, said when looking at the corpse. ¡°I expected to find some humanoid corpses lying around, the way that fight sounded.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ya underestimate girl power,¡± Reysha shot right back. ¡°Whoever you are. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°This is Roland,¡± he pointed at the Paladin, ¡°This is my twin brother Tomas,¡± he pointed at the Warrior, ¡°And I am Lomas ¨C yes, our parents were creative. We are the Plated Trio.¡±


    ¡°Proving that he inherited all of the creativity,¡± Tomas chimed in.


    ¡°Will you ever not make that joke when I introduce us?¡±


    ¡°Will you ever decide to change the name?¡±


    Lomas grumbled and looked back to the two women. He saw that Reysha kept a hand on her dagger and disarmingly raised his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not here to steal your kill,¡± he assured. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be caught fighting two adventurer¡¯s that took down a Volcano Tearer on their own. We just thought we could help out and get parts of the spoils.¡±


    ¡°And go back to sleep,¡± Tomas yawned. ¡°Whatever flash spell you used woke us up and the screams did the rest.¡±


    ¡°It woke you up,¡± Roland corrected. ¡°I was on guard.¡±


    ¡°You can bicker later,¡± Lomas intercepted.


    ¡°Oh, by all means,¡± Reysha still kept a hand on her dagger, but she no longer had the handle gripped, ¡°do bicker around. Ya ain¡¯t getting anything though, since we already took it down.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t dream of it,¡± Lomas stated. ¡°For the sake of campers, you should think about getting a mercy weapon though. Those squeals were not nice to hear.¡±


    ¡°A mercy weapon?¡± Aclysia asked, intrigued by such a concept.


    ¡°A big hammer or a pickaxe,¡± Lomas explained. ¡°You know, something that¡¯s heavy and cracks the skull open. Makes death a lot swifter.¡±


    ¡°Huh, yeah, that¡¯s a pretty good idea,¡± Reysha agreed. As much as she preferred daggers, having a different weapon for that task made enough sense to carry something like it around. ¡°We¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to hunt more of these tonight, or can we go sleep?¡± Tomas wanted to know.


    ¡°We just wanted the one,¡± Reysha assured. ¡°Ya boys can have your beauty sleep. Gods know ya need it more than me.¡±


    The men laughed. ¡°For sure. If we ever see each other in a tavern, come see me. I¡¯m buying,¡± Lomas raised his hand and turned away.


    ¡°I have a boyfriend!¡± Reysha shouted after them.


    ¡°Good for him,¡± the Knight returned and continued walking away.


    ¡°People are so nice when they can¡¯t make a profit killing you,¡± Reysha hummed, while Aclysia let out a long sigh. ¡°You doing fine, bubble butt?¡±


    ¡°I despise sudden situations,¡± the metal fairy mumbled.

 Humanoid Road 23 – Heated Core

    It was far too hot inside the Volcano Tearer, even for Apexus, especially in the creature¡¯s chest. For all the fire it had expended, its heated core remained scorching hot and the slime tried to stay away. His sense of heat was just about the only thing he could rely on while gnawing on the Volcano Tearer¡¯s insides. Dissolving something inside out wasn¡¯t easy, since he had to somehow get the to-be-eaten chunks underneath his membrane. Teeth made the process a bit easier.


    Apexus didn¡¯t eat much at first, keeping only to what he needed to replenish his lost biomass. The last thing he needed was to alarm their sudden visitors to his presence by writhing visibly inside the corpse. Once he felt the three quick impacts of Reysha¡¯s boot against the side of the beast, he went about it with less worry. Eventually, he emerged from the monster¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Gross,¡± Reysha laughed, looking at the almost human head sticking out of the red scales. Several unappetizing fluids covered the slime, blood and stomach acid first and foremost. ¡°How¡¯s it taste?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Apexus said, devouring more as they spoke. With some already torn off, progressing was made easier. ¡°Who was it?¡±


    ¡°Just a trio of kinda nice guys,¡± Reysha responded, pulling out her knife to taste some of that alright meat herself. Opening the hole Apexus had created further, she soon got access to the almost black meat. ¡°Guess we should finish this before the sun rises.¡±


    ¡°As much as I know this will irk you, I must insist that you do not finish this meal at all,¡± Aclysia informed the duo and sighed when she got two complaining, almost childish, outcries in response. ¡°It would appear immensely suspicious if the corpse were to vanish overnight. Now that we have been spotted, we should only remove the organ we sought and leave the rest to rot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s such a waste though!¡± Reysha complained.


    Apexus let out a saddened noise, ¡°Now that we were spotted, its best not to leave obvious traces of our true nature. Camouflage doesn¡¯t work if you are parading your fangs around.¡±


    ¡°Camouflage is for suckers, just sneak up on your prey. Maybe finger yourself to orgasm behind their back, just for the fun of it,¡± the brightly coloured tiger girl declared, her red tail waving as she munched on a strip of dark, bloody meat. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right¡­ this is pretty ¡®alright¡¯,¡± she mumbled while chewing. The Volcano Tearer¡¯s flesh was stringy, firm and had almost no flavour. Magic provided a bit of that delicious sweetness and the element that kept the faux-dragon from cooking itself made it a bit spicy, but it still wasn¡¯t exactly tasty. Part of that was because it was a malnourished creature.


    ¡°You may be able to sneak up to civilization, but I doubt it is a target you can kill with a pounce,¡± Aclysia remarked.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Reysha sighed and cut a second strip out of the belly. ¡°We¡¯ll still have to make it look like we took the core out regularly so I can at least fill up, right?¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡±


    ¡°Thwanks, mawm- ow!¡± Reysha rubbed her head after she was bonked on the head by Aclysia¡¯s staff. ¡°That¡¯s not how you are supposed to use that!¡±


    ¡°Would you rather I summoned a spell for disciplinary measures?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve disciplinary measures for that!¡±


    ¡°I vehemently disagree, for that voice is obnoxious and¡­¡± Aclysia stopped and sighed. ¡°I just encouraged you to do it more frequently, did I not?¡±


    ¡°You sow swmart bawblwe buwtt,¡± Reysha said and then laughed out loud. ¡°Sowwy is-¡°


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus chimed in. ¡°Too much.¡±


    ¡°Joke getting worn out?¡±


    ¡°We are getting there,¡± the slime confirmed.


    ¡°Alrighty, more eating then.¡±


    Reysha continued to slice open the monster¡¯s belly, occasionally cutting out a chunk of meat for her to munch on, while Apexus did his own devouring trying to keep it spread out. It was fine if people asked themselves why the corpse looked so weird, as long as the questions raised weren¡¯t the right ones. Once he had eaten enough to replenish his biomass, he crawled out.


    ¡°Can you grow the core?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus answered the question.


    ¡°So, this wasn¡¯t challenging enough?¡± Reysha was a bit confused by this and had to keep herself from scratching her neck with her bloody hand.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was?¡± Apexus returned a question of his own, then it clicked. ¡°Oh. Sorry. I answered the question too simply. I can¡¯t grow the core because I haven¡¯t eaten it yet. It¡¯s too hot. Need to wait for it to cool down. Permanent Growth is possible though.¡±


    ¡°Minor inconvenience, major benefit, I can roll with it,¡± the redhead said. ¡°Where is the core, just about? Might as well take it out, let it cool quicker, ya know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about¡­¡± Apexus climbed on top of the corpse and rested his hand between the shoulder joints of the front and middle legs. ¡°¡­under here.¡±


    Reysha went to work and started to gut the creature. It was bloody work and she had to be careful not to burn herself. ¡°Should buy a butcher¡¯s knife in addition to that pickaxe,¡± she grumbled, hacking away at the stringy flesh with her combat dagger. ¡®At least I have that whetstone now,¡¯ she thought to herself, certain her weapon would be in dire need of sharpening after she was done there. ¡°Alright, Clysia, if ya would.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± the metal fairy was extremely taken aback by the suggestion of partaking in the disassembling of the corpse. It was necessary work, so she didn¡¯t mind witnessing it. Taking part in it was quite another thing. Getting blood all over herself was unappealing on several levels. Shoving her arms into the guts of an animal was several levels above that.


    ¡°You¡¯re the gal with the heat resistance,¡± Reysha pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna burn my fingers and I doubt ya want your darling to boil his.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I would boil.¡±


    ¡°Not the point, pretty slime.¡±


    ¡°Am I pretty?¡±


    ¡°Maybe once ya get a nose you¡¯ll be.¡±


    ¡°Interesting that some cartilage dictates attractiveness.¡±


    ¡°Some cartilage or being a stunning redhead.¡±


    ¡°Are you stunning because you are attractive or are you attractive because you are stunning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say when the Progenitor God started seeding the Omniverse with life, he just had decided that: Reysha therefore is beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I thought Reysha was a common name where you are from.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but there is only one me.¡±


    ¡°Wonder how many Apexuses there are.¡±


    ¡°Apexi.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Plural of Apexus. Apexi.¡±


    ¡°Ya sure?¡±


    ¡°Ya sure ya want to talk like me?¡±


    ¡°Maywbe, ya curwy kittew.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re fucking later, ya sassy liquid ass,¡± Reysha laughed and looked over to Aclysia. ¡°Ya gonna stop being a salt pillar before Apexus retorts he¡¯d be more a liquid stomach?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°I know it is.¡±


    ¡°Just as true as you having a bubble butt of your own.¡±


    ¡°Ya like it?¡±


    ¡°You know I do.¡±


    ¡°Ya gotta get some muscles to spank it properly.¡±


    ¡°Would that make me more attractive?¡±


    ¡°Multi-dicked Adonis with killer bod? Hellroots yeah. Fill all my holes, make my tits jiggle and my ass ripple!¡±


    ¡°Does sound nice. Maybe we should hurry to the Drowned Temple?¡±


    Aclysia finally snapped out of it, ¡°Inefficient order would be a long-term detriment, darling. You would deny your nose to prioritize your body.¡±


    ¡°True. Here is another inefficiency,¡± he pointed at the corpse underneath him. Watching his love hesitate further, he said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it if you don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t think there will be any less blood in our future though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a grim way to formulate it, but not inaccurate.¡± With a heaving sigh, Aclysia resigned herself to the accuracy of the argument and closed in on the dead Volcano Tearer. Taking her robe off to not make it soak up the blood pooling on the dark stone, she pushed her hand into the innards. They were firmer than she would have thought, but also slippery. When she reached something hard and smelting hot, almost shoulder deep in, she tried to pull. With a displeased expression, she reached in with her second arm as well.


    With a couple of yanks, she tore the core out of the flesh and placed it on the ground with a mixture of relief and an intense desire to wash herself.


    ¡°Good job, ¡®Clysia,¡± Reysha complimented.


    ¡°I require a large, preferably heated pond,¡± the metal fairy complained, looking at her dark red arms.


    ¡°Well, maybe Apexus can heat one up for ya after he eats that,¡± the tiger girl said and reached into her Adventurer¡¯s Bag. Retrieving the destroyed robe, she used it as a mere rag. The thing was so ruined that Apexus wouldn¡¯t wear it again anyway. Once her hands were the slightest bit clean, she pulled out her water bag and helped Aclysia wash her own arms with the contents. Afterwards, the metal fairy looked a lot less unhappy about her situation.


    Reysha then poured the rest of the water over the blood and flesh covered object on the rock. Steam rose as some of it vaporized on impact. Enough persisted to reveal the organ in its entirety.


    It had a form similar to a knot of roots. Light grey tunnels of varying thickness intertwined, forming a roughly spherical clump that was about the size of a human head. An entrance and exit set right next to each other, covered in meshes big enough for the liquid stone to be pulled and be regurgitated while separating out the food items. The inside of the hollow tunnels were covered in patches that conducted magical energy. They were responsible for keeping the lava heated. Pressure from outside muscles would have squeezed it back out, the tunnels being a special kind of cartilage that was quite flexible and heat resistant.


    It was an outstandingly mechanical solution for a living creature, but the monster had also been helped in its evolution by divine influence.


    Apexus waited for it to cool even further before taking it and shoving it inside his stomach. He took his time dissolving it, in order to understand everything about it that he could, before reforming it inside himself. Once he had confirmed it could be used to heat himself, acquiring it permanently was an easy decision. What followed were a couple of minutes of silent experimentation.


    The design of the Volcano Tearer¡¯s melting core was easily adjusted to serve Apexus¡¯ needs. The tunnels were almost perfect to push his own slime through, albeit he had to make a conscious effort to keep that internal movement running. It entered cold on one side, exited hot on the other and the heat distributed itself throughout his liquid body almost evenly. Cold was, in the current environment, quite the relative term, so he had to expend a vast amount of energy to keep the biological furnace running.


    ¡°Uh, not to rehash our earlier conversation over what¡¯s attractive or not, but you¡¯re steaming hot, Apexus,¡± Reysha remarked, watching thin white trails rise from her beloved slime. ¡°Don¡¯t think that¡¯s healthy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s burning a lot of energy. I feel pretty awake though,¡± the slime waved his hand around and was pleased with how quick the motion went. ¡°Want to race me to that boulder?¡± the slime asked and pointed at a random one about fifty metres from where they were. ¡°Just to test the speed.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Reysha agreed, interested herself. They got into a starting position and had Aclysia give the signal.


    For the first half of the track, they were neck and neck, but the tiger girl progressively gained more ground on him. Flying, the slime may have arrived first. Keeping to their feet, Reysha remained faster. Not by a whole lot though.


    Apexus arrived shortly after her, only for the tiger girl to suddenly turn at him and send her fist hurling towards his chest. Reacting in time, he managed to knock her arm aside, then dodge a first roundhouse kick by bending his midriff backwards in an inhuman fashion. The second kick that immediately followed connected, however, and sent him flat on his back.


    ¡°Might just be in bursts, but it seems pretty useful,¡± Reysha remarked, offering him a hand. She pulled it back quickly when he was about to take it. Not to prank the slime, but because she got afraid that her hand might suffer the same fate as a tongue getting boiled by tea. ¡°That heat is almost as bad as you being quick though. Can ya shut it off?¡±


    ¡°Already have,¡± the slime answered. ¡°I just have no way to cool down quickly.¡±


    ¡°Is that bad?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t burn energy anymore, but I¡¯m still losing water. So yes, kind of,¡± the slime answered. It hadn¡¯t even been a minute of him entering that overheated state and he already felt like he was transforming into a raisin. With more water accessible around and bigger energy stores, he may have been able to maintain the state for longer than that. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t use it all the time, it is useful to have a way to raise my physical ability to not useless.¡±


    Aclysia walked over to them, her Priest robe back on, ¡°I suggest we continue the experimentations somewhere we have ample water, available food and less risk of prying eyes.¡±


    Hello, just letting y''all know that there won''t be a chapter next week as I am taking off the first week of the new year.


    I''ll also use this opportunity to shill my Discord. Joining now allows you to take a gander at the sketch for the upcoming, official Aclysia artwork. Join here:


    https://discord.gg/BspTctF


    I wish you all a nice transition into the new year. ^^

 Humanoid Road 24 – A Warm-Slimed Slime

    Their search for water took a while longer than the dehydrated Apexus would have liked. Part of this was due to the slime¡¯s uncovered state and the extra precaution that they had to take thanks to it. Mostly, however, it was because a mountain that bled lava was an unlikely place for sizable water formations.


    Rock basins by themselves luckily were, and eventually the group stumbled over a peculiarly deep pond that had water clear enough to drink. Reysha refilled her water skin, then drank quite a bit, before she and Aclysia  went in to clean themselves. After having his fill of hydration, Apexus prioritized fixing the gnawing feeling under his membrane and munched on some nearby plants. The girls remained in the lake purely for comfort¡¯s sake.


    Apexus eventually joined them, happy to get a bit more water into his fluids and be close to their naked bodies. A conveniently shaped ridge under the surface allowed Apexus to sit with his shoulders still above the surface and legs dangling. The moment he was comfortable, the two girls moved over to cuddle with him. Reysha was a bit faster and pressed her entire front against his chest, while Aclysia claimed his right side for herself.


    ¡°Hmmm, yeah, this is nice,¡± Reysha purred, straddling his leg. As far away as the pond was from the actual magma chambers, it was still part of the same biome and raised the temperature to one of a lukewarm bath. The slime she now snuggled with was quite hot. ¡°Ya need to be a bit cooler to blend in,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Don¡¯t fix that now though¡­¡±


    Sighing softly while sliding back and forth on Apexus¡¯ thigh, the redhead closed her eyes. The heat he radiated revved up her own desires. Although not as much as she would have liked, a satisfying meal had been consumed and now, other base urges demanded to be satiated. Not that the tiger girl needed much of an excuse to be horny in the first place.


    Apexus embraced her with his left arm, feeling her breasts and hard nipples against him. ¡°You like me being warm?¡± he asked, groping her round butt. The grinding against his leg only grew more heated.


    ¡°I do,¡± Reysha gasped. The level of the slime¡¯s heat reminded her of the cosiness under a thick blanket. Desert nights got cold, incredibly cold, and the heat stored in houses over the day only lasted for so long. Any hotter and Apexus may have been uncomfortable to remain in contact with, but this much was just right. ¡°Fuck me,¡± she suddenly whined in a wanton tone, about to bring herself to orgasm on his thigh.


    Quick to oblige, Apexus sprouted a tentacle and penetrated her ready folds. Reysha moaned into the silent night. Combing her wet, wild hair back with her hands, she felt the thick, long tendril split her. Its warmth had more of an effect than she had anticipated. As fantastic a partner he had always been, Apexus¡¯ lack of natural warmth had made it feel a bit odd at times. Now he was inside her, searing hot and showing that he still hadn¡¯t reached the height of his potential.


    ¡°Oh my¡­ fuck¡­¡± Reysha gasped, her voice devolving into a series of high-pitched cries as she gyrated her hips. It only took the help of a few thrusts by the flexible limb to send her over the edge. Orgasming with a series of spasms, she slouched forwards. ¡°Hmmm¡­hehehe,¡± she giggled when her climax died down.


    ¡°Ehem,¡± a heavily flushed Aclysia cleared her throat to gain attention. ¡°I believe we still have things to discuss about our way forwards.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ya worry, bubble butt, I can ride this tentacle dick and talk at the same time,¡± Reysha grinned, scratching Apexus behind his blueish black fox ears. ¡°Bit of lazy sex is nice.¡±


    ¡°Really nice,¡± the slime agreed. They both kept their movements minimal, barely even disturbing the surface of the water. Rising lust was definitely present, but it was far removed from the ecstasy of earnest lovemaking. This was the snack fruit equivalent to fully digesting a freshly hunted piece of game. ¡°Want in?¡±


    Aclysia hesitated. Curiosity about how his warmth would feel inside her warred with the wish to get the serious topics out of the way. ¡®We have nothing of grave importance to discuss¡­¡¯ she told herself and felt a surge of pleasure. When she realized she was already touching herself at the sight of Reysha riding her darling, she simply nodded.


    Making her raise one leg, Apexus had an easy time sliding into her pussy as well. Aclysia reacted with a loud, lustful scream to the deep penetration. Not wanting to be interrupted by yet more people camping in the countryside, the slime shut her up by kissing her. At the same time, he increased her lust even further by rubbing her clit with his vibrating fingertips. Aclysia¡¯s sealed cries turned muffled when Apexus¡¯ tongue transformed into another tentacle and slid deep into her throat.


    They didn¡¯t discuss anything for several minutes. Not because of Reysha or Apexus, both of them were lucid enough to do as promised, but purely because of Aclysia. Her glassy eyes reflected a numb mind and only after the slime had cum inside her once did she slowly come back to reality. When the tongue-tentacle retreated from her mouth, she still had to bite the inside of her cheek to not moan too loudly.


    ¡°You depraved little angel you,¡± Reysha mocked.


    ¡°I¡¯m nnnnooot depra-ah-veeed,¡± Aclysia¡¯s heated breaths made her counterpoint moot. ¡°Darling just¡­ feels¡­ too good¡­ inside me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, doesn¡¯t work.¡± The slime recognized the reality of the situation and pulled out of Aclysia entirely. He still gave her clit a bit of attention with his fingers and cuddled her. That was about as much as she could handle without losing the ability to speak coherently. ¡°I have a minor update on the heating core.¡±


    The tiger girl was still moving her hips in little circles. ¡°Do tell?¡± she whispered into Apexus¡¯ left ear, rolling the other one in her hand. The soft fur was satisfying to caress and the slime¡¯s heat transferred into the other biological bits as well.


    ¡°I fused it with my nucleus. Wanted to see if it was possible and it very much is,¡± the slime reported. It had felt bothersome to have two spherical objects swimming around in his chest and the presence of his core had also messed with the slime flow somewhat. Now the heating core was a structure around his nucleus. Aside from saving space, Apexus also noticed two other advantages. ¡°It¡¯s not proper armour, but any barrier is good. It also made choosing the heat level more¡­ subconscious? It''s more like this now.¡± He raised a hand to illustrate. ¡°It just works.¡±


    ¡°Extra safety is welcomed,¡± Aclysia supported this development entirely. ¡°Any further experiments you concluded or hunches you have?¡±


    ¡°Can ya heat this bath up until it¡¯s steaming hot?¡± Reysha wondered.


    ¡°With enough energy, I probably could. I would turn steaming hot in the process though.¡± Thrusting into her, the slime reminded the redhead why that would be a bad idea.


    ¡°Alright, not doing that then. I prefer getting fucked by dicks that are only metaphorically ¡®searing hot¡¯,¡± the tiger girl shuddered, only with horror. ¡°Don¡¯t even want to imagine what a burned twat feels like. Don¡¯t get any hotter than you are right now, please.¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted me to become more attractive?¡± the slime asked with teasing glee in his voice.


    ¡°Ooooohhh, Apexus does puns, I¡¯m a proud kitty!¡± Reysha underlined her approval by increasing the speed of her movements for a bit. ¡°Anything -mhm- else about the new Growth though?¡±


    ¡°Energy is exchanged for heat. Heat can be harnessed into physical prowess. That¡¯s about it,¡± the slime reported. It was very simple to summarize, which just meant that it was a pretty elementary advantage. ¡°I will need to eat more frequently to keep my body heat above surrounding temperature.¡±


    Aclysia wrapped her arms around her darling¡¯s neck and grinded against him. ¡°Let us hope that it won¡¯t be a drastically increased food intake.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been eating a lot for pleasure and learning more temporary Growths. Shouldn¡¯t come down to any more hunts in our regular life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ that¡¯s good then,¡± Aclysia stumbled over her words, as a spasm travelled up her spine and exploded into a series of lights before her eyes. Once that minor climax had faded, she switched to the topic of actions in the immediate future. ¡°We¡¯ll need to visit a city and buy a replacement robe and mask for Apexus. Then we should make our way to the Myrm Nest.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should head back to the Volk Dragon¡¯s corpse tomorrow before we do that?¡± Reysha suggested. ¡°I¡¯d imagine there is more to that beast that sells well. Scales, claws, something like that.¡±


    ¡°You may be correct in that assessment, but I¡¯d rather save time than money,¡± Aclysia responded.


    ¡°I agree with my melody,¡± Apexus nodded.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± the redhead conceded and kissed the side of Apexus¡¯s face.


    _________________________________________________________________________


    Aclysia kept watch that night, while Reysha and Apexus slept. The slime¡¯s need for regular rest was still growing, continuing with the increasing complexity of his body. It was only a third of the sleep a normal human needed. While the slime was slightly wary of the possibility that he may eventually become such a layered organism that he would spend more time asleep than awake, that possibility seemed incredibly far off. The only drawback from sleeping he currently experienced was that all non-permanent Growths dissolved while he was unconscious. A tiny hindrance, given how little he relied on temporary acquisitions these days.


    The group spent the next two days travelling south, finding the narrowest point between the peninsula they were currently on and the neighbouring island where they needed to go. By the time they found it, a thunderstorm had arrived and forced them to hold position for two days as it passed.  Once the skies were clear again, they flew across the strait.


    It was the longest continuous flight yet, and by far the most dangerous when it came to the sheer distance. Without any islands between them and the target, they had no choice but to fully commit and continue flying for over ten hours. It was exhausting. Apexus had to carry both Reysha and Aclysia. While the metal fairy could fly, she couldn¡¯t soar. Once she was out of magic, she would drop like a stone. To avoid that and to let Apexus go as quickly as possible, she stayed the entirety of that uninterrupted flight on his back.


    Those were troubles Apexus¡¯ was already used to however, and Reysha was quite a bit heavier than Aclysia to start with. Simultaneously difficult and monotonous as it may have been, they made their way across and landed in a small forest, where Apexus then stayed for three days on his own. The girls went north to a nearby city, bought two new robes and masks, and returned. Once more satisfyingly concealed, the slime then accompanied them on their travels north and then, following a curve in the road, east.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Apexus spoke up during the fifth day of that journey.


    ¡°Well, fuck me sideways, because I do,¡± Reysha grinned. Both of them were reacting to the same phenomenon.


    After spending almost two weeks in the regular Spring landscape of Azenia-Ra, they were once again faced with the slow heating that accompanied entering one of the inserted biomes of the Leaf. The heat of the approaching desert was quite different from that of the volcano, however. Whereas the mountain range had been heated from below, it now was the sun that cranked up the heat with merciless rays of ever-brighter light. At the same time, the air got continuously drier.


    Both combined to make the chimera feel exceedingly uncomfortable. As a liquid being, evaporation and low humidity were his natural enemies. While his thick membrane and clothes somewhat protected him, the instinctual aversion remained.


    Reysha, on the other hand, felt right at home. The exotic tint of her skin existed to shield her from the excessive sun and her heat tolerance was quite a bit higher than the average person. The third member of the party didn¡¯t care either way, although the discomfort of Apexus made Aclysia somewhat unhappy with the general situation.


    ¡°A number of oases are scattered throughout the desert, darling, there is no necessity to worry,¡± she assured him. ¡°Following the sun, we can find our target with certainty.¡±


    ¡°Also, we bought, ya know, a compass,¡± Reysha added.


    During their trip to the city, they had stocked up on quite the number of additional things. A tent and a few blankets to make their nights less reliant on natural resting spots, a pickaxe and a sword to increase Reysha¡¯s arsenal, and the aforementioned compass to be less reliant on Aclysia¡¯s intuition. There were also a couple lesser items, rags and new throwing knives, for example, that had been bought.


    They made their way over a little hill. Reysha stopped at the highest point, looked down on the landscape below, and just started laughing. ¡°I swear, sometimes gods aren¡¯t even trying,¡± she managed to get out between fits.


    The reason for her amusement was the shape of the desert. Rather than a smooth transition from grass to sand, speckled with dunes and half-dead rocky landscapes, the group was looking at a clear line. It swerved along the horizon, but there was a clear divide between green and yellowish brown. A distance of less than a metre where the fertility ended and the desert began. It looked as if someone had taken a brush, dragged it over the world, and declared it good enough. The truth was that the god responsible had been inexperienced and simply didn¡¯t yet have enough experience in making biomes. Even divine beings had to learn new things.


    ¡°That¡¯s what ya pray to, Clysia,¡± Reysha couldn¡¯t help but point out.


    ¡°Remind me to buy a hand mirror when we next enter a city,¡± Aclysia sighed. ¡°Whenever you criticize the work of the divine, I shall simply hold it in front of you. That ought to remind your entitled self what it is worth to be thankful for.¡±


    ¡°Appealing to my egomaniac side will only get ya that far. How about ya show me your perfect ass instead?¡±


    ¡°In private, perhaps¡­¡±


    Bantering, they advanced towards the Myrm Nest.

 Humanoid Road 25 – Into the Myrm Nest

    Apexus only grew to loathe the desert more with every bare-footed step he took. The days were horrendously hot, to the point that the air itself wobbled and waved, as if exhausted. The nights would have been even worse, had it not been for the tent. So cold that even Aclysia shivered and that it gave Apexus his first idea what ¡®freezing¡¯ meant, it was impossible for them to continue walking through it. Instead, they huddled up together, under the blanket, and let the slime¡¯s heat get them through the dark, chilling, night.


    The lack of food was also a problem. There was nothing to hunt between oases. Nothing with enough meat to be worthwhile anyway. Even at those miraculous ponds, there was fairly little to sink teeth into. Instead, they had to rely on fruit from the palm trees. It worked well enough for Apexus, who could eat them, including the big seeds inside the firm body. For Reysha, it was an absolute nightmare. Only about half of the fruit was digestible, it was disgusting due to her Noir condition, and it stuck to her teeth due to the sugary, thick, consistency. As much as she enjoyed the desert itself, eating those fruits had her agreeing with the slime that they needed to get to their target as quickly as possible.


    Luckily, the desert wasn¡¯t too large. Even with the hassle of traversing the waving dunes, it only took them three days to arrive at the Myrm Nest dungeon. The entrance was a pillar of light brown stone that stuck out of the sand, with a large cave entrance leading underground. The decline started steep and only shallowed out when the entrance was a distant point of light behind them.


    The Myrm Nest was a particular challenge for new adventurers and, despite being in the same level bracket as Myrlight and Verdany, was recommended to people when they had beaten those two dungeons first. In the words of the guide the group had purchased:


    ¡®Myrm Nest is the first dungeon where the value of a dedicated support Class will seriously show itself. The surrounding desert means additional rations have to be packed in order to survive. While the water of healing fountains can be used for hydration after being boiled (or thinned out with regular water), the meat of dungeon creatures is guaranteed to create a hostile mana reaction. A support Class should have the storage to pack extra rations and the utensils to stretch them. Furthermore, Myrm Nest is a dungeon without natural light. While torches and basic light spells are readily available, carrying either in combat is not ideal. Relying on a support Class means that the combat Classes can fight to their fullest potential and keep their adventurer¡¯s bags full of their equipment. Lastly, in the specific case of the Myrm Nest, support Classes come in handy because they, particularly Scouts, specialize in sensing dangers. Something quite useful when dealing with Myrm.¡¯


    While the trio that entered the darkness didn¡¯t have a dedicated support, they were confident in their ability to get through with only the expected level of danger. The limitation on rations didn¡¯t apply to them as dungeons were the environment for Apexus and Reysha to gorge themselves. The Noir condition was, at its basis, the integration of that hostile mana into the tiger girl¡¯s body. That did cause its own disadvantages, but it also meant they would only run into the rationing issue if they ever went into a dungeon where enemies were entirely rock or some other kind of inedible material.


    Raising his hand, Apexus let his fingernails emanate a steady glow, eliminating the need for a torch. A pace behind him, positioned between himself and Reysha, Aclysia conjured her Ilumni. While the spell wasn¡¯t as bright as Apexus¡¯ nails or a proper torch, a secondary light source was good insurance to have. The metal fairy was as close to their support as they had. Together, they eliminated the second hurdle of the dungeon.


    As for the third, relating to the Myrm, the primary monster of the dungeon itself, Apexus had all the senses that would be needed to deal with them.


    The slime walked along the right wall, keeping a hand on the rock and careful to have one foot firmly planted on the floor at all times while advancing. Although the slime had come to rely less on it as time progressed, his first sense was still much sharper than average. What Reysha couldn''t hear, no matter how much she strained her ears, he felt as a hundred little vibrations in the walls.


    ¡°Watch out for holes,¡± Apexus warned. The rock was too firm for something to break through, at least the guide had said so.


    ¡°Roger that,¡± Reysha confirmed and gave up trying to hear anything. Instead she concentrated on trying to spot irregularities in the darkness. ¡°Does it distract you if I talk?¡±


    ¡°No, I like it, but I might only listen to your voice,¡± Apexus responded, still concentrating on the tremors.


    ¡°That¡¯s a way to say I¡¯m blabbering vapid shit,¡± the tiger girl playfully complained. ¡°I know you¡¯re only keeping me around for my sharp knives, but I¡¯ve a sharp tongue too, ya know?¡±


    ¡°What may be affirmed is that you know how to fence with it,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°D¡¯awww, I like kissing ya too, bubble butt,¡± Reysha let out a series of giggles. ¡°Upstairs, downstairs, I ain¡¯t picky.¡±


    Aclysia looked over her shoulder and, drily, answered, ¡°I was referring to your wordsmithing ability.¡±


    ¡°Nimble tongue translates into a bunch of good things,¡± Reysha continued to laugh. ¡°I know how to get into pants and stay there. The trick is going up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right,¡ª¡±


    ¡°Back!¡± Apexus shouted and quickly reversed the direction of his steps. Instinctively, Aclysia and Reysha pulled along with his command, the metal fairy hovering backwards and Reysha drawing her dagger. A group less in sync would have fallen over like a chain of dominos.


    The slime had moved in time to avoid the strike of a creature that shot out of one of the walls. Massive, red-tinted, teeth clacked into the air. Quiet, but frustrated, the entire monster slid out of the wall and raised its head to search for the prey that had eluded it. The creature was of a light pink, the furless skin hanging loose and wrinkly on its pig-sized frame, while also covered in a sort of slippery mucus. Its raised head was simultaneously simple and grotesquely misshapen.


    Their eyes and ears were tiny and barely functioned, only enough to make out the direction of the party. To compensate, its nose was quite large, extending above its mouth and four large incisor teeth. A stubby tail moved around when the Myrm audibly sniffed, its entire head wrinkling even more with each quick inhale. It turned on its four legs towards the group, having found their exact location from their scent. Saliva dripped slowly from its partially open mouth.


    The Myrm carefully tapped forwards one step, sniffed again, and then suddenly charged. Apexus dropped on top of the creature. They were about matched in size, but the slime was heavier. Something that, as it turned out, didn¡¯t count for much if one¡¯s foe was lubricated beyond anything reasonable.


    Apexus tried to grapple the naked, rat-like monstrosity, but it slipped out of his arms before he could envelope anything in a meaningful amount of acid. As a parting gift, the Myrm bit into the slime¡¯s leg. Four teeth were all it needed to shear a piece of bone out of his thigh. It pulled back before the acid could hurt those iron-reinforced teeth.


    Reysha threw a knife at the Myrm. While it did connect, the piece of iron only penetrated flabby skin. It wasn¡¯t even a proper inconvenience for the Myrm, as it sniffed around some more and then decided to attack Apexus again. Slower than his assailant, the slime just let the enemy commit and spread out his slime in anticipation. That was until he felt more tremors under him, his priorities suddenly shifting.


    ¡°Left!¡± he shouted, trying to get out of harm¡¯s way and assist the tiger girl that was about to get attacked. He wasn¡¯t allowed to. Incisor teeth tore through his membrane as if it was wet paper and slid between parts of his ribcage, keeping him where he was.


    Reysha, however, reacted in time. Out of a hole to her right, sides inverted due to positions, slid another Myrm. It burst out of the slimy tunnel with a level of speed its digging claws would have never allowed it to reach while running. Still, with the warning, the tiger girl twisted out of the way and even managed to raise her knife in the path of the creature. It sliced through skin, the second Myrm unable to stop its accelerated state.


    Although the entirety of its length was cut open, the wound still wasn¡¯t overly bloody. Not letting a single sound of pain be heard, the monster just landed a couple metres away. The excess skin continued to be a reliable shield. The mucus covering it only added to the defences, making the Sunlight Bolt Aclysia launched at the monster almost ineffectual.


    ¡°Fucking Hellroots, this is disgusting,¡± Reysha complained, noticing all of the goo that had covered her weapon and had been splattered over her clothing. ¡°Your insides better be as delicious as you are fugly.¡± She discarded the dripping dagger by dropping it. ¡°This is NOT the kind of slime I want around, on, or in me!¡±


    ¡°Fugly is not a word,¡± the slime she wanted around, on, and in her pointed out.


    ¡°Not the time, tentacle stud!¡±


    Apexus would have retorted, but he was getting his neck separated at that moment. Losing most of his senses in one moment was a rather large inconvenience, making him reconsider putting all of them in the head area. Despite that, he felt all around good about the progress of the fight. The loose skin, great as it was for defensive purposes, made the Myrm rather dull on the sensitivity side of things. The entire time it had spent gnawing at the slime, he had flowed around it. Not to digest it, yet, just to dissolve the mucus that made it so hard to hold onto the damn thing.


    Now was finally the time and Apexus gave the naked rat creature a deadly embrace. Surrounded by acidic slime, their speed difference was switched to his favour and the Myrm only realized that it was in a sticky situation when its airway was blocked. Now bereft of its only reliable, if highly acute, sense, all it could do was thrash around in an attempt to get out. It succeeded in breaking the membrane with its outstretched limbs, but Apexus didn¡¯t let it escape his grip. A couple more minor losses of biomass wouldn¡¯t matter, not as he was actively replacing it with the rat.


    While all of that was going on, Reysha had switched her weapons. ¡®If shallow cuts don¡¯t do the job¡­,¡¯ she thought, weighing the pickaxe in her hand. They had bought it as a ¡®mercy¡¯ weapon, but there was no need to confine it to that singular use. Charging at the Myrm she had cut earlier, she swung the double-headed mining tool at the creature.


    And completely whiffed.


    The top-heavy weight of the swing influenced the arc of her attack in different ways than she was used to. Having smelled her approach, the Myrm barely needed to move to get out of the way before immediately lunging at her leg. ¡°RATS DON¡¯T EAT CATS!¡± Reysha screamed, even while she rammed the tip of her shoe into the monster¡¯s throat. The aggressive strategy (or reflex, as it was more aptly described in the instinctive fighting style of the tiger girl) paid off. The foot in between it¡¯s jaws prevented the muscles from clenching.


    Utilizing the head of the pickaxe as a blunt weapon, Reysha slammed the Myrm in the head and retreated in the ensuing daze. She tried to get back two steps with her usual grace, but slipped on a mixture of thick saliva and spread out mucus, landing on her ass.


    The Myrm, for no reason other than instinct, turned towards the other source of unusual smells. Running at Aclysia, the monster was met with another Sunlight Bolt, which left it largely unharmed, and then a jab by the lower end of the metal fairy¡¯s staff. A panicked and unsuccessful attack, Aclysia¡¯s physical inferiority making her unable to put a noticeable dent in the monster¡¯s momentum.


    The maw opened. Incisor teeth parted and then closed again, penetrating the light metal the angel was made from as if it had bitten through an iron sheet. Aclysia cried out in pain, as the front half of her left foot was almost entirely separated from the back. If the bite had been just a little bit better placed, the entire foot would have been gone.


    Before the Myrm could try to make that a reality, Reysha shattered its skull with an overhead swing of the pickaxe.

 Humanoid Road 26 – Take a closer look at that Snout

    Apexus would have hurried over to his beloved angel, but moving around with a dying creature in his biomass wasn¡¯t exactly easy. If it broke out, that may have complicated the situation more, so he had to push down his worry and just ask, ¡°Are you alright, Aclysia?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ will manage,¡± the white-haired woman responded, removing her foot from the dead beast¡¯s teeth. While she wasn¡¯t stuck between them, the bite had gone clean through, she did have to pull away sideways to not tear the front half of her foot off. At least the peculiar shape of the creature¡¯s mouth allowed her to do that without first prying its maw open. Once she had successfully pulled away, she used the wall as support to slide down into a sitting position.


    ¡°Ya sure about that?¡± Reysha asked, looking at the foot. ¡°I guess it¡¯s not bleeding, so that¡¯s a good start. I don¡¯t like those fumes though.¡± With a worriedly raised eyebrow, she inspected the green and gold trails rising from the wound. ¡°Is that normal?¡±


    ¡°I assume so,¡± Aclysia answered. Her getting hurt to a significant degree was so unusual, none of them knew all of the side effects. Once she was sitting, she placed her staff next to her and gave her foot a once over. It was attached only by a finger-wide strip where the sinew of the little toe ran along. Unsure what else to do, she tried to wiggle her toes. All five moved.


    ¡°Woooow, that¡¯s freaky,¡± the blood and mucus covered tiger girl with the blackened scleras remarked. With the carelessness of the knowingly helpless, she inspected the wound closely. It allowed her to get a peek into what the metal fairy looked like under the skin.


    The bite was clean, when it came to the quality of the cut, and made a cross section of her foot visible. The majority of the ¡®flesh¡¯ was white, with the ¡®bones¡¯ being black instead. Green spots and lines were present throughout, expanding and contracting mildly with each pulse of magic sent through Aclysia¡¯s body. The mana, oddly coloured due to her status as a divine creation, exuded from those veins.


    There were no sinews, only the appearance of them. As Aclysia wiggled her toes a couple more times, the skin shifted and lines rose on both sides of the cut, as if there was no issue whatsoever.


    ¡°REALLY freaky,¡± Reysha remarked, sitting on all fours before the foot. Her tail swayed slowly, occasionally stopping in the shape of a question mark. Fascinated, like a cat looking at a box, she could only stare.


    ¡°I do not.. appreciate¡­ being an object of study,¡± Aclysia whined, feeling the steady pain from the wound.


    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry, sorry,¡± Reysha hastily apologized and moved from looking to sitting next to the metal fairy, giving her cuddles.


    Apexus, finally certain that his Myrm was dead, crawled over and hugged her as well. It was a bit awkward, with the slime¡¯s shape bloated out of humanoid proportions, but a hug by a loved one was a hug by a loved one. ¡°It¡¯s fine right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°My body recovered from lesser wounds, so it should recover from this one,¡± Aclysia said quietly. There was a fair bit of uncertainty in her voice, since she didn¡¯t see any healing process occur yet. Worse, when she raised her foot from the ground, the front half slouched down. It didn¡¯t hurt more, but the visual wasn¡¯t pretty. ¡°I hope¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should eat something to replenish material?¡± Apexus suggested, noticing the same problems.


    ¡°If you have any parts of me that you found on Ctania but hid so far, I would be open to test that hypothesis, darling,¡± Aclysia responded in a serious fashion. ¡°Theoretically, lesser metals could be enriched inside my body¡­¡±


    ¡°How about ya, ya know, heal it?¡± Reysha asked, moving out of the cuddle pile to get to her would-be meal. ¡°Could also put it back into position. If you¡¯re waiting for your natural regeneration to kick in, ya should set the proverbial bone.¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ true,¡± Aclysia relented, looking at the foot. A weak part of herself whispered that it was only hurting a little bit at the moment, so she shouldn¡¯t mess with it. Taking a deep breath, she overcame that hesitation and grabbed the barely attached bit of her foot. A cry of pain escaped her when she pressed the halves of the cut back together. Reuniting synapses announced their return to the body''s operating system with a unified firing of all signals.


    Regardless of the displeasure of it all, Aclysia could feel the parts of her foot growing back together. By the time she was confident enough to let go, the wound had reduced from being a gap to being a cavity. It was still a visible line in her skin, but she was no longer losing mana. Once she applied healing magic, even that started to disappear.


    Reysha looked over her shoulder and grinned. ¡°Feeling any lighter, bubble butt?¡±


    ¡°I feel relieved, but that is unlikely to be the kind of lighter you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m not,¡± Reysha said and raised a thin sheet of metal. ¡°Just got a piece of you covered in monster saliva, is why I¡¯m asking.¡± She tossed it over and Aclysia caught it, more out of reflex than by her own decision. ¡°Just wondering if ya had to fix yourself up with material from the rest of your delicious body or not.¡±


    ¡°Aclysia is not for eating,¡± Apexus pointed out.


    ¡°I vehemently disagree,¡± Reysha stated and pulled the pickaxe out of the Myrm¡¯s shattered skull.


    ¡°That thing is for eating,¡± the slime continued.


    Reysha pointed the pickaxe at the corpse, ¡°That¡¯s for eating,¡± she then pointed at Aclysia, ¡°she¡¯s for eating out.¡±


    ¡°What do you mea-¡° Apexus watched Reysha split index and middle finger in front of her dark lips and suggestively wiggle her tongue in the resulting V-shape. The realization came pretty much immediately. ¡°Oh¡­ oooooh¡­ Right, you do eat with that hole, so I guess that turn of phrase makes enough sense.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone has a tentacle tongue that¡¯s only there to make a woman¡¯s day brighter,¡± Reysha hummed.


    Aclysia looked unwillingly at the removed piece of herself. It was about as thick as three sheets of paper, merely what the incisor teeth had stuck between them. ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be too picky,¡± she sighed and put it into her mouth before she could decide otherwise. She had eaten live bugs and the like in the past, purely out of necessity, but this was somehow worse.


    ¡°These things are really disgusting,¡± Reysha remarked.


    ¡°Taste alright though,¡± Apexus remarked, mostly through his meal. ¡°Skin aside. Loose and tasteless.¡±


    ¡°Just going to skin my way through that then,¡± Reysha pulled a knife out and started her work. ¡°Ya ready to deal with me getting all horny from getting my fix?¡±


    ¡°You are not putting your tongue anywhere inside me after you ate that thing,¡± Aclysia declared.


    ¡°Whaaaa? But you like it when I mess with your pretty little pussy!¡± Reysha complained. ¡°I would get your nice thighs around my head and just really dig in there. Maybe I¡¯d even scratch ya a bit while the handso- OH MY GODDESS, WHAT IS THAT?!¡±


    Her scream was in remark to Apexus, who had shrunk down to his regular form again, with one unmissable difference. From the middle of his face, where the lack of nose was usually pronounced by the prodding bit of bone that acted as the base of the smelling protrusion, extended an absolutely massive sniffer. Light pink, it doubled the depth of Apexus¡¯ head, went so far upwards that the bridge parted his forehead, and was so wide the slime had to move his eyes wider apart to accomodate.


    ¡°Aha¡­ ahahaha¡­ AHAHAHAHAAHA!¡± Reysha toppled over, letting the knife fall to the floor to allow her to roll around without the risk of cutting herself.  ¡°YOU LOOK LIKE A DRUNK BIRD CROSSED WITH A JESTER!¡± she roared, kicking the air before barely being able to get the remaining words out. ¡°And¡­ and¡­ and, and, and¡­ and I was about call you FUCKING HANDSOME! HAHAHAHAaaaaaaaaaa-¡° she wheezed, running out of air but still shaking from amusement. ¡°Air¡­ need air¡­¡± she took half a breath in and looked over to Apexus.


    The oversized nose sniffed with a sound like an old man snorting tobacco.


    Aclysia couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    Reysha died.


    ________________________________________________________________________


    Somehow, the joke that was his face just didn¡¯t stop being funny. Aclysia laughed quite a bit, while Reysha regularly struggled to breathe if he made even the slightest attempt at a humorous visage. There was a diminishing return on this, but it seemed to settle slowly. It was only really important that Reysha was able to walk while they continued.


    Apexus was fine with being the laughingstock of their continued descent down the sandstone tunnels. The sniffer was the copied Growth of the Myrm. Thanks to the dungeon guide, they had been able to pick it out of the monster¡¯s characteristics and choose it for his permanent acquisition in advance. Despite its rather absurd size in relation to the human head, the nose was, in shape, human-esque. Upon becoming a permanent Growth, melding it to his skull and the Skinwalker Hide would integrate it into the rest of his head and remove the largest remaining obstacle to making his face structure ¡®normal¡¯.


    It was also quite the powerful nose, which was more important to Apexus than the appearance. Preferably, he would look similar to his girls but it was established that more animalistically designed humanoids existed. While it would have raised eyebrows if he had put something like a badger¡¯s nose in the middle of his face, the Omniverse had thrown out odder species. He could have gotten away without the mask even with just the skin colouration hiding the slime underneath, most likely. It would have just been quite difficult to explain to anybody they met a second time how he had suddenly grown missing parts of his face.


    Regardless of other people¡¯s comments, the slime would have rather been able than aesthetically pleasing. A glass sword, no matter how beautiful, was a terrible weapon to protect loved ones with. Making himself a living work of art would bring similar drawbacks. At this particular juncture, aesthetics and practicality thankfully overlapped.


    Because the current enormity of that nose was to be removed eventually, Apexus had no problems with being laughed at for it. The girls got to laugh for as long as it lasted and providing amusement for them was no issue for him. He was their male of choice, but that wasn¡¯t a task solely of showing strength. It was about making their day better, because their laughter also made him happy. Exclusively being a target to be laughed at would have been an issue, but a short-lived indulgence was fine.


    Especially since the dungeon was so dreadfully dull.


    As the guild receptionist had said, no map was required for the Myrm Nest. The lightless tunnel spiralled down and down and on and on, with not a single unexpected fork, rise or pitfall. The holes of the Myrm were the only interruptions and they were themselves so regular that it hardly counted as anything of interest.


    The structure was extremely dull to the three, as they had reliable sources of light, but was meant as a forgiving test to other new parties. Dangerous as dungeons may have been, they were still moving in the beginner range of things. If a dungeon with floors and chambers had been completely and utterly black, inexperienced parties would have wandered in them to their death. With the Myrm Nest, getting so disoriented that one wandered back and forth to their death was an accomplishment. Either one got to the end or they accidentally turned around and went back to the entrance.


    This was easier than one may think, given the regular battles. Aclysia¡¯s pattern recognition and the occasional pheromone marker prevented the three from suffering that fate. What other parties required a supporter for, they could fulfil with their unusual set of abilities.


    While those abilities aided them well in overcoming the environment, the Myrm were consistently difficult enemies. Aclysia was mostly useless when it came to fighting them, Apexus could barely even defeat one at a time and so it was on a pickaxe-swinging Reysha to carry the group through the tunnel. This set of circumstances made Apexus consistently more dissatisfied with himself the further they advanced.


    What had begun to show in Verdany had now manifested completely: he was, doubtlessly, the least powerful member of the group. Even if Aclysia¡¯s attack spells were useless, her main utility, healing, worked just fine. Reysha may not have been familiar with the pickaxe, but she was getting better at it. Apexus couldn¡¯t properly lift the thing, much less swing it. Because the opponents were so much faster than him, and slippery to boot, he couldn¡¯t even function as a proper wall between opponents. At best, he could make himself big and be intimidating. He was all hot slime though, as he couldn¡¯t catch his enemies unless they made a mistake.


    The good news was that alleviation for this was on the horizon. Still, the slime hated it. He used to be the strongest of the three, but had fallen behind quite a bit. His main utility was light and enemy detection.


    Apexus just didn¡¯t like being a support.

 Humanoid Road 27 – Resting

    Apexus sat against the wall, eyes closed, and indulged in his other senses. Distant, very distant, he felt the tremors of the Myrm, digging and crawling through the walls. The rock that surrounded the healing fountain they were resting at, was too dense for the monsters to get through. They only ever traversed the main tunnels to fight invading adventurers.


    Closer was the running of water. Spawning from within the earth, the healing fountain was steadily renewed and depleted, ensuring it stayed fresh. Stale water from a healing fountain quickly lost its helpful properties until it was only water with mana in it, which was toxic for the average person. Adventurers often used the water to refill their potions, but that was only a short-term solution. It didn¡¯t heal them as quickly and had to be splashed onto the wound, which was a bit more cumbersome than gulping down a vial worth of liquid.


    Even closer were the steady breaths of Reysha. The tiger girl was laying on the floor, wrapped inside a blanket, and peacefully sleeping in the total darkness of the dungeon. Usually, she would have slept at Apexus¡¯ side, but she had decided the even floor was better than the craggy wall. The last thing she wanted when waking up in a dungeon were back problems.


    Apexus couldn¡¯t really understand, but he respected the notion.


    Closest to him, were the many sensations coming from the metal fairy by his side. Softly, she breathed, a gentle rhythm that had guided him to sleep several hours earlier and still remained to caress the membrane of his neck. She was warm, something especially pleasant because of how cold he was at the moment. Theoretically, he could maintain his body heat even while he was asleep, having merged the heating core to his nucleus had brought the advantage of making it a subconscious process. Practically, that would have been a giant waste of energy.


    In return for her warmth, Aclysia received a little bit of his mana. Every half an hour, Apexus felt a tiny pull, so miniscule that it couldn¡¯t have awakened him. Aclysia was using incredibly little energy, just resting by his side, her consciousness effectively shut down. Still, she was using some, proven by the tiny vibrations that pulsed through her like a heartbeat. Rather than constantly draw from him, her instincts deemed it more effective to only do so when a minimal amount of her reserves had been depleted.


    More important than her sounds, her warmth or her dependence on him was, simply, her presence. The way she had nuzzled against him, her head between his shoulder and his cheek resting on her silky hair, made him feel fulfilled. His hand around her waist seemed to be in the best place in the world. His right wing also surrounded her. Albeit a dull sense compared to the others, he could still feel her beyond the feathers. Her own fuzzy, moth-like, wings partly covered his legs. They could be surprisingly limp, when she relaxed.


    While that was, doubtlessly, what he enjoyed the most about their current situation, he couldn¡¯t ignore the novelty of her smell. Apexus had acquired a temporary nose before, but he had never concentrated on the sense because of that short-lived stay. Now that he had one that was both to remain and potent, he gave it a bit more attention.


    Aclysia smelled a lot like she tasted, something Reysha had assured him was normal. There was the undercurrent of metal, with a smell similar to cherry layered on top. Her fragrance was lesser than her taste, regardless of whether Apexus compared it to her skin, lips, or other delicious bits of her.


    ¡°¡­darling?¡± her quite voice reached him, ¡°are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered the slime, pulling his wings in a bit tighter. The feathers would muffle their words and keep them from waking Reysha. The tiger girl rolled onto her side and mumbled something about strawberries and stabbing people ahead of her in line at the farmer¡¯s market. She often had vivid dreams like that, although she only spoke in her sleep when she felt comfortable.


    Aclysia giggled, something Apexus more felt in the way her body shifted than he heard it.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he wondered.


    ¡°I noticed you were awake due to the sound of your smelling,¡± she told him. ¡°It amuses me slightly, my Apexus.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the slime sniffed, just to remind himself that the large sniffer on his face did indeed make a considerable amount of noise whenever he used it. Indulging in how she stimulated his senses, he had forgotten about that. ¡°Hope¡­ I hope that didn¡¯t inconvenience you.¡±


    ¡°My rest is a decision taken purely to shorten the experienced time between when we get to talk,¡± Aclysia¡¯s answer was as wordy as always. ¡°When you are awake, I want to be awake, darling.¡±


    Apexus squeezed her waist a little bit, the happiness he felt at those words making him wish he could hug her more deeply. In the past, he would have flowed around her with his slime. Nowadays, it was a bit too complicated to get all of it moving around her. Hugs with his arms seemed better anyway. The more he understood about social things, the more he understood the importance of reserving them. Cuddles were for people he loved, handshakes for people he knew, engulfing people with slime was for prey to be eaten. Since getting limbs, slime hugs were no longer necessary.


    Trying them with Reysha would have been a pretty bad idea. One careless slip or flash of hunger and her skin would have gotten some nasty marks. Also, he couldn¡¯t do that kind of hugging in public. Arms and hands were great for cuddles. The human shape had a lot of great things about it.


    Lips, especially the full ones of a woman kissing his neck, were beyond fantastic.


    ¡°I love you,¡± the slime said. Despite the lack of light, he knew she was smiling now.


    ¡°I love you too,¡± she returned, snuggling against him, hoping she could hug him even more deeply. ¡°I love you with everything I am.¡±


    ¡°Even with the bits that get frustrated when I make fun of you?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he got a straightforward answer.


    Their communication fell into silence, disturbed only by a little song that Aclysia hummed. Neither of them wanted to say something needlessly. When it was just the two of them, their talks were much different from when Reysha was around. Words felt inadequate and unnecessary. The tiger girl¡¯s bantering attitude drew something out of both of them they didn¡¯t get from each other. It was one of the reasons why they also loved the redhead. They completed each other, catered to different aspects of their personalities.


    If Apexus and Aclysia were locked into a room forever for eternity, they would have been content. With Reysha in the mix, they would have been fulfilled. Theirs was a complicated triangular relationship. Complicated and wholesome. Apexus wouldn¡¯t have traded it for anything in the world.


    Still, a little bit of doubt gnawed at him making him question if the metal fairy felt the same. ¡°Are you happy?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Aclysia wondered, puzzled by the question.


    ¡°It¡¯s all different from when we fell in love,¡± the slime said. ¡°I¡¯m different. Very different. Membrane to core.¡±


    The metal fairy tilted her head. ¡°I have not pondered much about that proposition,¡± she said. ¡°I do not find much about you, darling, that is different from the reasons I fell in love with you. Your appearance changed, you learned to speak and your character grows more complex as experiences accumulate, all of that is true. Much of the last also applies to me. The angel that was created to present a Divine Quest differs from who I am today in numerous ways. She was simpler and, yes, you were simpler too.¡±


    ¡°You were never simple,¡± Apexus responded. ¡°From the moment I was able to understand what you were, I knew you were beautiful. You saved my life. You were patient with me, when I knew so little. You helped me, guided me, and you figured out so many things I just couldn¡¯t. You¡¯re brilliant, perhaps a bit inflexible, but your ability to reason and to calculate are wonderful. They contrast with your strong morals in ways that are far from simple. You did, and do, what is right by your principles.¡±


    ¡°Not always,¡± Aclysia quietly mumbled. ¡°I almost tried to convince Reysha she shouldn¡¯t have helped Nudru¡­¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t perfect.¡±


    ¡°And you think of me higher than I deserve regardless,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°Yet, that honesty is what drew me to you in the first place. When we first met, I served you out of obligation, but¡­ when you managed to remake this shell of mine, I saw a little more in you. You never stopped trying to learn things in the months we spent with Gizmo. That drive, those earnest attempts, and the interest you showed towards me, they let me discover this beautiful emotion. That moonlit night in which I sung for you¡­ and the jealousy I felt in Clearwater. They let me realize this love I felt for you. Even when you couldn¡¯t talk, even when you looked like a monster, you proved not to be.¡±


    The slime didn¡¯t know what to do with all of these compliments and confessions. In the absence of any adequate response, he only saw two options: silence or humour. ¡®I still look like a monster,¡¯ he thought to say, but he didn¡¯t. He just held her and they sat together, two minds who had expressed their emotions as best words could.


    A while later, they heard a drawn-out groan. ¡°I¡¯m awake¡­ or am I? It¡¯s so dark, I can¡¯t even see my voice.¡±


    ¡°¡°You don¡¯t see a voice,¡±¡± Aclysia and Apexus remarked at the same time.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t ya two in sync this morning,¡± Reysha asked and yawned. Apexus got to see her teeth clack back together as he created silver light from his fingernails. ¡°Pffft,¡± the redhead held back her laughter upon seeing Apexus and his humorously enormous nose. ¡°It¡¯s still funny¡­ anyway, did I miss anything?¡±


    ¡°We exchanged a few confessions of love,¡± Aclysia informed her.


    ¡°Huh, hope ya skipped me there. Would¡¯ve been a waste to talk about me when you¡¯re both so darn wonderful,¡± Reysha tossed her blanket to the side. ¡°I mean, I look good, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re funny,¡± Apexus remarked.


    ¡°Your spontaneous nature is refreshing,¡± Aclysia added.


    ¡°I like the way you laugh.¡±


    ¡°And you challenge my decisions in ways I appreciate.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, stop, before I vomit from the sweetness you¡¯re throwing at me,¡± Reysha giggled and visibly blushed. ¡°Seriously, what wholesomeness crawled into your breakfast and bloomed into a whole fucking Summer Leaf?¡±


    Apexus pointed at Aclysia, then at Reysha. ¡°You two. You¡¯re all the summer I could ask for.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so fucking corny,¡± the redhead laughed.


    ¡°I find it to be sweet,¡± the metal fairy swooned and kissed Apexus¡¯ cheek again.


    ¡°Ya would, bubble butt,¡± Reysha¡¯s friendly mockery accompanied her rising to her feet, showing the entirety of her naked body. ¡°Well, if we¡¯re confessing why we love each other¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ Apexus is a mess of the most practically minded predator and a strong batch of goo and I love it and you. Aclysia, you are an insufferable cunt that preaches way too much about morality, who knows way better than me in every regard, and who I just want to kiss until you turn silly and I love that too.¡±


    Apexus found that very oddly worded, but Aclysia suddenly started laughing. Every little sound of joy was like a purifying note in a complicated melody. It didn¡¯t last long, the metal fairy quickly regaining control over herself again. ¡°It occurs to me that you may be the simplest of us,¡± she blurted out in a jovial tone.


    ¡°Sure, sounds like me, honest to a fault and prone to absolutely idiotic mistakes,¡± Reysha grinned and strut over to tap the metal fairy on the nose. ¡°Hope ya don¡¯t mind me indulging more in being around you, miss divine brain.¡±


    ¡°I do not and you should not sell yourself short either. For all your faults and hasty decisions, you are not stupid and your sass brings me joy ¨C even when it annoys me. Somehow,¡± Aclysia wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into the embrace. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you,¡± Apexus echoed, adding his own arm and wing to the mix.


    Reysha was stunned. Something about the tone of their voice or perhaps just the mood of that morning made the moment hit harder than it usually did. No banter and no joke came to mind. Only a wholly inadequate, ¡°Thank you,¡± while she let herself be cuddled by the two of them. She blinked away a hint of tears in her eyes, while the mistakes of her past, of the great missteps and cruel decisions, were dulled. While she was there, she was safe. She was complete.


    They all were complete.

 Humanoid Road 28 – Slime Hub

    The door to the boss arena swung open and the trio walked inside with a more relaxed attitude than normal. A spherical room opened up before them, a room filled with a sickeningly sweet smell, so thick, Apexus could taste it on his membrane.  That was only the third most disgusting thing inside it. Second was the liquid that filled most of the room. The same goo that enveloped the Myrm pooled about a metre deep all around. At that quantity, it proved to have an ever so slightly, dull green tint to it. Stone walkways and pillars with flat tops gave routes to avoid sinking into the disgusting mess.


    Just like the smell was topped by the liquid it originated from, the liquid was topped by the creature that created it. A blob of pink meat sat in the middle of the room, ten metres across and possessing only tube-like protrusions that laid flat, hanging from its flabby shape. A long snorkel connected it to a feeding tube in the ceiling. The wet, squelching sounds it produced would have been even worse, had Apexus and Aclysia not illuminated much of the room.


    Reysha retched. All ease she felt was extinguished by the sight of the boss monster. ¡°The guide really undersold the disgusting part. I¡¯m not eating that.¡±


    ¡°More for me then,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°You want to devour that¡­ I don¡¯t even know how to describe it mockingly¡­ bloated phlegm factory?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had worse. We covered that before,¡± Apexus said and tilted his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t even look that bad to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s disgusting!¡± Reysha shouted and, as if to prove her exclamation, one of the floppy tubes erected and splurted out a new batch of slime. Most of it, it poured over itself. Several centimetres thick, the vicious fluids slowly ran down the bloated abomination. The rest flowed into the pool, where it lubricated the tunnels that the Myrm used to travel. ¡°If ¡®disgusting¡¯ had a living concept, then that bloated mount of fuckery there would be it!¡± She averted her eyes and instead pointed at the much more pleasing metal fairy. ¡°Aclysia agrees.¡±


    Aclysia did indeed agree. Due to her lack of a stomach, she wasn¡¯t retching, but she was a less pleasing variance of pale at the moment and her face was contorted into a grimace that reflected the utter disdain she felt for what she was seeing. Trying to distract herself with logic, she said, ¡°Darling isn¡¯t a visual predator, nor does he have to consider traditional diseases. It does make sense that he isn¡¯t visually taken aback by the same things we are.¡±


    ¡°Well, go eat it then,¡± Reysha waved off, holding her nose with the other hand. Her voice becoming nasally, she added an extra posh accent to it. ¡°Apexus, be a dear and remove your meal from my presence. Bathe yourself thoroughly after you¡¯re done. Your slime pleases my royal quim, but this goo shall not touch any of my blessed skin.¡±


    ¡°What blessed your skin?¡± Apexus wondered.


    ¡°Cocoa beans, how else ya think I look this smooth and sexy?¡±


    ¡°Cocoa beans sound tasty.¡±


    ¡°They are.¡±


    Aclysia cleared her throat, both to actually clear it and to get their attention. ¡°May I remind you of the pre-agreed combat strategy. Chances that you can stay clear of the slime are dwindling, Reysha.¡±


    ¡°Urgh,¡± the tiger girl made an annoyed sound. ¡°Eww,¡± she followed it up after looking at the basin filled with goo again. Her blue eyes wandered on to the boss and she resigned herself to her fate. ¡°I¡¯ll suffer what I must, I guess¡­¡±


    As much as Apexus may have wanted to eat the boss, there was no way for him to start the devouring process while the entirety of the monster was covered in such a thick layer of mucus. Thanks to the dungeon guide, they were already aware of that circumstance. It was the challenge for everyone who got there after all. Killing something that size which was covered in liquid armour, was impossible with any weapons people of the appropriate level had access too. The boss monster was, in fact, not designed to be a combat encounter at all.


    It was a puzzling and coordination exercise.


    There were two ways to defeat the boss, a quick and messy one, and a slow and relatively clean one. Both hinged on several machinations found all across the room. Levers, valves, and buttons that adjusted the speed at which slime was drained into the tunnels, how nutrients pumped into the boss abomination and how warm it was..


    The quick strategy was to increase the heat in the room, increase the speed at which the slime drained away, and seal the nutrient delivery. By doing all of that, the boss would dry up and die, like a slug sprinkled with salt. It was incredibly messy because the valves to increase the slime drainage were underneath the surface of the goo.


    The slower strategy was to concentrate on raising the level of slime in the room and give the boss even more to eat. All of those levers were above the surface and high pillars scattered throughout the room could be climbed, keeping everyone involved clean. Once it was dead, the proverbial floodgates would open automatically, draining the room and leaving the loot accessible. It just took a lot more patience.


    Given the existence of the guide, the puzzling part of the dungeon had been largely neutralized. Simply following instructions as to what lever or valve to interact with at what time streamlined what would have been a thought exercise. Regardless, the dungeon fulfilled its educational purpose for adventurers; to show them that not every dungeon is defeated through violence.


    Aclysia had suggested they go with the quicker strategy, Apexus had been ambivalent, and Reysha had agreed to get this done as soon as possible. Something that the two women came to minorly regret, while Apexus was now fully in support of that decision. If they defeated the boss the slow way, they would have to wait for an additional time for all the slime to get off it. Before Apexus devoured his target, he could not permanently acquire his nose.


    ¡°¡­Should I strip¡­?¡± Reysha thought out loud. ¡°It¡¯d be like three times more disgusting to swim in that naked, but I don¡¯t want that to seep into all of my armour.¡±


    ¡°It would probably be a wise idea,¡± Aclysia agreed and the redhead started to slip out of her leather armour. Each piece she handed over to the metal fairy, who stored it in the appropriate bag. As the designated instruction¡¯s reader, Aclysia would not participate in the goo-diving and therefore held everything that couldn¡¯t be put away. This also included Apexus¡¯ robe.


    ¡°I became an adventurer to be rich, powerful, and free,¡± Reysha complained, while sliding out of her pants and panties. ¡°Now I have to jump into some fucking snot.¡±


    ¡°It is doubtful anybody who acquired power gets handed them without often unpleasant effort,¡± Aclysia pointed out.


    ¡°Said the immortal angel with the round ass of a seductive demon,¡± Reysha cracked one last joke, before looking over to Apexus. ¡°What are the chances you actually don¡¯t need my help and I stripped without reason.¡± She looked down on herself and cupped her breasts, jiggling them around for the fun of it. ¡°Not that I should need any reason to strip.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see in a moment.¡± The slime jumped into the viscous liquid without hesitation and slowly sank down. Now that he had made contact with it, Apexus felt a hint of the discomfort the girls were experiencing. It wasn¡¯t disgust, in his case, but mere physical inconvenience, like being in a place where the air was too humid. The goo was difficult to swim or wade through and the way it clung to his feathers, hair, and the fur of his fox ears, was just awful.


    Regardless, he reached the first of the valves. It was a circular, metal wheel. With both him and the valve under the surface, it wasn¡¯t that difficult to grasp. ¡°Left or right?¡± Apexus asked the metal fairy hovering above him.


    ¡°Twist it left,¡± Aclysia instructed and her beloved started working on it. Even with his grip secure, Apexus couldn¡¯t get the thing to budge.


    ¡°No fucking choice then,¡± Reysha resigned herself to her fate and walked up to the edge of the clean stone path. With one hop, she got it over with, sinking down to her navel into the green-tinted slime. ¡°Gods, this is so gross. Why would any use their divine powers to make this? Some sick fucking fetish?¡± she kept complaining while wading over to Apexus. ¡°Let me try and let¡¯s get this over with¡­¡±


    Reysha put her hands on the valve and tried turning it, with as little success as Apexus had. They then both grabbed the wheel, Reysha pulling while Apexus tried to turn it. Gathering all the physical force they could muster, they got the valve to give. It was a sudden turn, causing the pulling tiger girl to slip and fall backwards into the goo.


    After a moment of being fully submerged, Reysha broke back through the surface. ¡°FUCKING GROSS!¡± she shouted, trying to wipe the thick goo off her face.


    Apexus was at least inclined to agree. Usually, he loved seeing Reysha glisten, but that was also because of the sweat she worked up during more pleasurable activities. The viscous droops that fell from her hair were entirely unattractive. The snotty membrane that was created between her arms and the surface of the slime pool just made him want to scrub her down and make her smooth and clean like she usually was.


    ¡°We¡¯ll cuddle in a bath after this,¡± he promised.


    ¡°Fuck cuddling, I¡¯ll need you to put your tentacle dick so far up my cunt you¡¯ll scrape all of me clean,¡± Reysha declared, wading towards their next target. ¡°This is the kind of punishment I¡¯d deserve in the afterlife if I don¡¯t clean up the mess I helped make. I¡¯ve been a good kitten recently, so can¡¯t I get a break while I¡¯m trying to redeem myself in life?!¡± Apexus snickered. ¡°What¡¯s so funny, Bignose?¡±


    ¡°From what I understand about religious teachings, I don¡¯t think good kittens ask for tentacles to penetrate them deeper than the average humanoid can.¡±


    ¡°Good slimes would put a tentacle in all three of my holes. Anal is fun.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that hole is made for that.¡±


    ¡°Well, this hole is made for eating and I still crack the best jokes with it,¡± Reysha said, pointing at her lips. ¡°And, you know, deepthroat your dicks. Give a girl some triple penetration, would you? I''ve never experienced that.¡±


    ¡°Are you earnest in that claim?¡± Aclysia asked. ¡°I do not wish to offend, but you are somewhat of a nymphomaniac Reysha¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would ya say ¡®I do not wish to offend¡¯ and then follow that up with a compliment, bubble butt?¡±


    Aclysia sighed at the interruption. ¡°Because I sometimes forget you are utterly depraved in every aspect. To the point, as I understand it, you liberally engaged in sexual conduct before you met darling. I thought you would have experienced all you wanted before. I cannot imagine you were lacking in suitors, given how attractive you are.¡±


    ¡°First off, I kinda was but I also wasn¡¯t. Ya know, a surprising amount of people don¡¯t want to stick their dick in kinda crazy. I mean, I get it, given what happens around me all the time. Anyway, second, I got action regularly, but not as often as ya may think and, third, it is almost impossible to get two guys naked together, let alone three. Never even got two guys to fuck me at the same time.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that,¡± Apexus chimed in. ¡°I don¡¯t even like hearing about you having been with other males. If you had sex with another man in front of me, I think I¡¯d do something very unfun. Don¡¯t quite know what though, depends on the situation.¡±


    ¡°I get that,¡± Reysha nodded in a serious fashion. ¡°I only slept with them because it felt good though. I stick with ya because I really, really, like ya, so you got that on everyone else. Plus, you make me climax a lot, so that really helps this nympho kitty.¡± She giggled again in her usual, carefree, way.


    They kept chatting about this and other topics to distract themselves from the environment. Going from one valve to the next was an exhausting and eww-inducing task, but it wasn¡¯t difficult as long as they had light and the guide. It also got a bit easier with time as the slime came to be shallower the more progress they made.


    While Apexus and Reysha were busy with the dirty work, Aclysia hovered around the room following the rest of the guide. With wings and magical flight, reaching the buttons and levers for temperature and food control was tremendously easy. Some of the buttons were at the top of climbing obstacles on the wall, others were at the end of a series of rising pillars that had to be jumped up on to reach.


    Usually, someone risked dropping into the goo when failing such a trial, but Aclysia could just hover up to her destination. The buttons were easy, the levers she somewhat struggled with, but both were easier than the often stuck valves her teammates had to contend with.


    Distressed sounds came from the abomination as it noticed the changes in its environment. The lower half of its body, previously submerged, was now laid bare. It tried to counteract this by splurting more mucus over itself, but that solution became untenable once it was disconnected from the steady stream of nutrients.


    The temperature rose, to summerly degrees, after Aclysia flipped the final switch, and the group came together to sit and talk more. Waiting for the boss to die wasn¡¯t pleasant. Much like with the Volcano Tearer, the group would have preferred to bring it to a swift end. Since that wasn¡¯t really an option, they tried to ignore as best they could. The more overt discomfort they experienced while waiting was the slime drying on their bodies. It turned into a hardened layer that was both flacky and crystalline. Apexus got rid of it pretty reliably by expanding his body but Reysha had to keep scratching herself to get any of it off. Both of them suffered from the amount that had seeped into their hair (or feathers), however. Only a good bath would remove that.


    ¡°Absolutely disgusting boss,¡± Reysha put her final complaint out after a series of loud, metalic, clunks from within the cave walls announced the death of the abomination. ¡°I¡¯d rather risk my life again than do this.¡±


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to eat any of that?¡± Apexus asked, looking at the massive pile of meat ready for consumption. It was a pink mountain of fat, skin, and muscles. Visually it wasn¡¯t all that appealing, but meat was meat.


    ¡°¡­fuck it, I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± Reysha submitted to her bodily needs.

 Humanoid Road 29 – A slime with a face

    ¡°You know what? This is actually delicious,¡± Reysha said, while cutting herself another block out of the boss. The tiger girl was still nude and eagerly awaiting her chance to bath, but the taste that filled her mouth kept her from being too disgruntled with her situation. Not only did the meat have an intense, beef-like flavour, but it was also as soft as perfectly prepared goulash. Unappetizing as the boss looked (alive or dead), it was a tasty treat.


    Apexus agreed so much, he skipped out on the answer. After days of dissolving through the salty layers of mucus to get to some medium quality meat, this abomination was a welcome change. Adding to the euphoric feeling of a giant and delicious meal was the tingling feeling in his core that he could acquire a new growth permanently.


    He only went consider it after him and Reysha had devoured the entirety of the boss. It took them about an hour, but the hungry duo of semi-monstrous adventurers made the pile of meat disappear. Most of it was dissolved inside Apexus. Not being held back by a digestive system that needed emptying, as Reysha was, the slime just kept eating. Eventually, there was no sense to it aside from the deliciousness of his prey.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got really fucking huge,¡± the tiger girl remarked.


    In order to devour the boss as quickly as possible, Apexus had bloated to his maximum size. His membrane was as thin as the Skinwalker Hide allowed, stretching over a dark blue mass shaped like a resting drop of water and four metres wide and two high. Out of the top poked his torso, wings, head, arms and all the other things attached, allowing him to watch over the surroundings while his slime body cleaned up the last scraps.


    ¡°It¡¯s bothersome,¡± Apexus responded and started to shrink down. ¡°The only thing being this large gets me is weight. I¡¯m slower, I can¡¯t heat all of this, I can barely manoeuvre and I don¡¯t fit in anywhere ¨C both in the space and social sense.¡± His body seemed to deflated, as slime consolidated into a thicker, gel-like consistency. After ten minutes, he had become small enough that he could properly stretch his membrane over his bones again. After another five minutes, he had the usual humanoid shape again.


    ¡°I am curious, would you say that your ability to grow larger has lost its usefulness entirely?¡± Aclysia asked. She had seen Apexus expand quite a lot since their initial meeting. She also knew the basic rules. While everything Apexus could eat aided him in nourishing him, only new things that were devoured increases his maximum size. Nowadays, only dungeon monsters, particularly the bosses, seemed to fuel a noticeable increase in overall size and even that was slowing with time.


    ¡°No, probably not,¡± Apexus said, wiggling his fingers to get used to them again. ¡°It could be helpful at some point. Not like all of the slime I don¡¯t use for size disappears. The more I consolidate, the tougher this gets,¡± he pulled at his membrane. ¡°Also more energy to replenish lost limbs in general.¡±


    ¡°It gets tougher?¡± Reysha raised an eyebrow. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look harder to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not hard its¡­ sturdy yet flexible,¡± Apexus told her. ¡°Like your leather armour. Except its my skin. The Skinwalker Hide evolves to become stronger as I become stronger. Like all my Permanent Growths.¡±


    ¡°Wonder if that¡¯s stronger than what adventurer¡¯s usually experience,¡± Reysha hummed.


    All adventurers grew stronger, as represented through levels, as they succeeded in their endeavours. That growth was most pronounced in regularly used skills or attributes, but there was at least some all-around improvement. All level 100 adventurers could expect a basic iron weapon to break before their skin did. Only Classes manning the frontline, and particularly those that regularly took a punch, could be entitled to more. There were also magical ways to reinforce one¡¯s skin with mana, but those were active measures.


    ¡°We are already aware that our darling also experiences the levelling phenomenon. It may be safe to assume that his Growths also evolve depending on the level of use they get?¡± Aclysia put the idea out there.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Reysha cussed, as if those were extremely bad news. ¡°Quick, spread pheromones everywhere! I want that smell to evolve into something that instantly soaks my panties.¡±


    ¡°I think they evolve along with me in general,¡± Apexus put his own theory out there. ¡°Specifically, because of the pheromones. I barely used them these past months, but the aphrodisiac property became stronger regardless.¡±


    ¡°I wished there was a way to properly measure these things,¡± Aclysia rubbed her chin. ¡°Alas, this is not the time, nor the place.¡±


    ¡°It is the last time and place you get to laugh at this though,¡± Apexus said and pointed at the gargantuan sniffer still dominating his head. ¡°It¡¯s going to disappear soon.¡±


    ¡°No, wait!¡± Reysha cried out. ¡°You can¡¯t get rid of looking stupid while I¡¯m still covered in this stuff.¡± Reaching into her clumped, red hair, she pulled out a bunch of hardened goo, which crumbled into flakes halfway through. ¡°What am I going to do without the entertainment of your broad-nosed absurdity?!¡±


    ¡°Masturbate?¡± Aclysia suggested in a dry tone. ¡°That seems to be your usual answer to boredom.¡±


    ¡°And I can¡¯t do that while there is a risk I¡¯ll push any of this disgusting manure into the temple that is my body!¡± the tiger girl bantered back swiftly. Putting her hands together in a motion that was equally praying and pleading, she bowed her head towards Apexus, ¡°Please, darling, can you keep the nose until I get a bath? Do it for my entertainment?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus responded. Not that he was fundamentally averse to the idea, he just wanted to see what Reysha would give him if he pushed back a little bit.


    The redhead gave him the best big eyes her wild and clumpy hair allowed. ¡°Pretty please?¡± she repeated the question with a little pout.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Clicking her tongue, Reysha crossed her arms and considered. ¡®Man, if he was a normal guy, I could just promise a blowjob and get what I want. Too bad tentacle guy here mainly cares about stuffing my ¡®breeding hole¡¯ and we both know he¡¯ll stuff that later either way¡­¡¯ She directed her thoughts in a different direction before she could get horny. ¡°Dangit, I got nothing,¡± she finally exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯d owe you one?¡±


    ¡°One what?¡±


    ¡°Proverbial one, metaphorical one, something, a solid, dunno,¡± Reysha babbled. ¡°A favour to be called at a later date.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, fine,¡± Apexus agreed with an audible, triumphant and entirely deliberate huff of his massive nose.


    Reysha giggled immensely. Aclysia also laughed, but the sound was tainted with some worry.


    ___________________________________________________________________________


    There was an actual, if very minor, risk involved with keeping the nose around. Because the door they had entered the boss room through had shut and remained so even after the monster died, there was no way to go but out. If they ran into someone while Apexus had the sniffer on his face, that could have spurred the usual questions and suspicions. This was one Growth he could not hide underneath his mask.


    Given that they were still in the middle of the desert, Apexus was willing to run that risk, Aclysia deemed it just low enough to not complain about it and Reysha kept laughing whenever the slime did as much as move the sides of his nostrils.


    They emerged back on the surface courtesy of an elevator that revealed itself along with the boss loot. When it came to the items they were rewarded with, none were of practical use to them this time around. Whoever the group could sell them to, they would in the near future.


    From the top of the Myrm¡¯s Nest, there were two ways to get clean. One lead back into the dungeon and towards the first healing fountain inside it. That was likely quicker, but also came along with the guaranteed enemy encounters and the entire group was unwilling to engage anymore of those naked, slimy rodents. Instead, they chose to go where they had to anyway and backtrack the path they had taken to the dungeon.


    Flying would have made the path towards the closest oasis more pleasant, but that was not an option. On the way to the dungeon, flying had carried with it the risk to miss the landmarks described from the earthbound perspective, laid out in the guide. Now on the way out, the muck sticking to Apexus¡¯ feathers lessened his confidence in his aerodynamics. They had to walk over the scorching hot sand. Through will and on a full stomach, they still made it to the oasis hours before the sun set.


    ¡°Oh my gods, I love you Aclysia,¡± Reysha declared, when the metal fairy handed her the bar of soap. They only had the one scented bar and it had to be used in moderation. Less than a problem of price, it was one of availability. Soap wasn¡¯t sold just everywhere.


    ¡°Your hair is beautiful, it deserves attention,¡± Aclysia said and then disrobed herself. She was incredibly clean compared to the tiger girl, due to all kinds of biological functions on Reysha¡¯s part, but a bath was always appreciated. It was where the group calmed down. All of the dungeon visits had started to engrain in them the idea that a place where one could clean themselves was a safe place.


    ¡°Blood red is a nice colour,¡± Reysha agreed with a wide grin and extended two of her claws. Scratching some of the solid soap off, she rubbed it into her already wet hair until she could feel a little bit of foam building on the top of her head. ¡°Wish I had eyes in the back of my head,¡± she complained, trying to find the parts she hadn¡¯t reached yet. Soap was a rare enough treat to be thorough with it, disregarding the dried-up mucus.


    ¡°I can help,¡± offered Apexus, returning at that moment from a little hunt. His prey, a six-legged animal with an elongated body, was small enough that Apexus had been able to kill it with a bite to the neck. An herbivore that usually covered its presence up by using magic to make its light brown fur assume the texture of the trees it clung to, it and its kin had managed to evade the trio on the first time through. Now that Apexus had an extra sense to rely on, however, he had spotted one of them while gathering figs.


    Knowing how much Reysha suffered when eating non-magical matter, he had swiftly hunted one down. It hadn¡¯t been overly difficult. These animals had very few natural predators. The older ones got picked off by the occasional vulture and that was it.


    ¡°Good man, providing for me,¡± Reysha purred, waving the slime closer with her index finger. Apexus got out of his robe, placed it and the future meal on the ground, and joined his women in the water. The sun was still cutting through the dry air, making the water pleasingly rehydrating. The tiger girl¡¯s purring grew from a mere matter of intonation to an actual sound from deep in her throat, when Apexus massaged her sculp. Soon it was free of all remaining bits of slime. ¡°Can you spread pheromones with only your fingers?¡±


    ¡°Yes, why?¡± Apexus wondered.


    ¡°Why do you think? I want to smell like you,¡± Reysha answered with an adoring laugh. ¡°That fine with you, Aclysia?¡±


    ¡°As long as the fragrance primarily sticks to you, there should be no issues,¡± the metal fairy responded after a moment¡¯s consideration.


    ¡°I was asking if it was fine with you if I smelled like your darling, but alright.¡±


    ¡°Why would it not be alright if you smelled like our darling?¡± Aclysia cocked her head, unable to fully comprehend the question. ¡°Certainly, you¡¯re not insinuating I should feel jealousy at this point? That would be odd, given the triangular nature of our relationship.¡±


    ¡°Ya know what, you¡¯re completely right, forget I said anything, bubble butt,¡± Reysha conceded the pointed and instead continued in her purring while Apexus fulfilled her wish. Marking her with his fragrance in such a fashion felt appropriate and satisfying to the core. There was a bit of him that wanted to rub her up and down until every bit of her was covered with his smell, letting any other males know that she was claimed. That kind of recklessly obvious behaviour was reserved for times less reliant on them staying undercover, however.


    Aclysia soon joined the two of them, taking the soap and grooming Reysha by cleaning her body and tail. Once the tiger girl was clean head to toe, she returned the favour by helping the metal fairy clean all of the dirt out of Apexus¡¯ feathers. That was also when Apexus finally pulled the trigger on the nose.


    Visibly, nothing happened at first. Inside Apexus¡¯ nucleus a series of signals, mana flowing across new channels unlocked by the overcoming of a new challenge, burned these circuits permanently into the core of his beings. Encoded into physical magic, the Growth was translated from something in the short-term memory into the genetic library of the supernatural slime. It was a significant and quick change, taking less time than a blink.


    With the integration done, the active mind of the body, Apexus, was free to manipulate his newest acquisition with more leeway. Fusing it to the appropriate place in the skull and decreasing it size a whole lot, he recreated what felt like a human face.


    Reysha laughed.


    ¡°Your face is still super broad,¡± she explained herself between giggles. ¡°It looks like all the times Aclysia placed her giant fat ass on your face flattened it.¡±


    ¡°My ass is not fat¡­¡± Aclysia grumbled.


    ¡°It is, but only in the complimenting way,¡± the redhead insisted.


    ¡°Aclysia doesn¡¯t have fat anywhere on her,¡± said Apexus, while taking the feedback he had been given and narrowing the width of his skull.


    ¡°The colour of your nose and skin don¡¯t match,¡± Aclysia pointed out. The nose was swiftly integrated into the Skinwalker Hide to compensate.


    ¡°Wait a second here,¡± Reysha stopped in combing through his feathers to circle to the front of Apexus. ¡°Clysia, do you realize what we get to do right now?¡±


    ¡°Continuously groom darling¡¯s soft feather¡¯s until they are as pristine as he deserves to be?¡± Aclysia presented her best guess and current goal in life. Serving the being, the man, she loved in such a basic and thorough fashion thoroughly satisfied her diligent personality.


    ¡°No, we get actually decide what our perfect man looks like!¡± Reysha pointed out. ¡°I mean, at least when it comes to facial structure. You can adjust that however you like, right?¡±


    ¡°With time and energy,¡± Apexus nodded. They had a wealth of both at the moment. ¡°If it makes you happier to be with me, adjusting my face is an easy task.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if ¡®happier¡¯ is the right words, but you being as good looking as Aclysia is-¡°


    ¡°Is impossible,¡± Apexus interrupted with all of his conviction.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that, mister ¡®I can mould my face to the dreams of my tiny harem¡¯,¡± Reysha responded and looked over to the metal fairy. ¡°You going to help me pick a face for him or what? All of womankind will want what we have!¡±


    Aclysia continued to groom her darling while she thought about those words. ¡®Do I truly want him to be beautiful if that encourages other woman to want him?¡¯ the selfish thought appeared in her head. ¡®No, at the very least he should look inconspicuously average¡­ Although, if I already get to choose what my darling looks like, why should he not be as beautiful on the outside as he is on the inside?¡¯ With that rhetorical question floating around inside her, she sat down next to Reysha.


    What followed was a whole hour of back and forth between the two girls. It started nice and easy. Ironing out the initial kinks of his appearance was something they agreed on. Making sure most of his features were symmetric, that his eyes and eyebrows properly aligned, even choosing the colour of his skin, all of that was chosen as swiftly as Apexus could amend the shape of his bones.


    The devil was in the details, however, and even an angel could be possessed by a demon when it came to discussing the optimal shape the jaw of her lover was going to take. Reysha wanted it to be a bit rounder, Aclysia wanted it extremely masculine and square. Reysha suggested a beard, Aclysia rejected that outright. The possibility of a cleft chin was raised. The height of the cheekbones was changed at least five times before they found a compromise. The dimensions of his forehead, the placement of his hairline, and even the angle of his fox ears was brought up and argued at length.


    Despite their differences in these minute details, the two girls always reached an agreement. Sometimes that went entirely to one side, the beard for example was discarded in its entirety, other times there was compromise, like with the shape of his chin.


    When they finally had gone over every possible facet of his face, the sun was setting and Apexus inspected his new self in the reflection of the water. His skin was of a light brown, a shade above Reysha¡¯s caramel, and flawless. The previously comedically large nose was now a properly integrate and sized. Its shape had been carefully optimized, from the swing of the bride, to the width of the wings. Same could be said about his lips. They were a bit darker and noticeably pinker than the rest of his skin. The demon¡¯s exterior he had acquired had conveniently come with the capability to take care of this.


    Pale blue eyes sat under dense, sharply cut eyebrows. They sat deep enough to create a bit of a shadow around them, but not enough to make him look sleepy or unhealthy. His face was a bit on the longer side and his jaw had ended up more square than round, but with a lightly curving, rather than a pointy chin. Two human ears sat on either side. They were entirely useless constructions made of nothing but slime membrane. He had placed them there after Reysha said he looked a bit odd without. Given her own four-eared nature, that was understandable.


    Apexus inspected himself from several angles. His black hair, now long enough to reach his upper back, moved with every motion. Aclysia had said it looked better on him, Reysha had agreed and Apexus knew he could eject his hair at the root should he ever get grabbed by it, so he hardly cared. Regardless, it would take some getting used to.


    By every objective standard, he looked good ¨C beautiful, even. All had been nudged into the right place. Personally, he couldn¡¯t see how he was meant to compare to Aclysia or Reysha in terms of looks. Men just didn¡¯t have any appeal to him, an instinct informed entirely by his lack procreation abilities with them. As for the girls, shallow as they may have thought they were for it, they had never been happier to be with the slime than they were before. They still had all of his kind, odd and savage personality, with a pretty face on top. Only the fact that his body looked one step removed from starving put a damper on his new looks.


    He pulled back his lips. The teeth, just a tad sharper and pointier than human teeth should be, glinted dangerously. Moving around some other facial features, the slime tried to get used to them. ¡°I¡¯ll have to learn to emote properly with this now,¡± he said, while accidentally raising one eyebrow diagonally.


    ¡°You learned everything else, you¡¯ll manage, darling,¡± Aclysia said, while resuming her long-stopped work on his wings.


    ¡°And you better learn fast, it¡¯d be a shame to hide that face under a mask for too long!¡± Reysha declared.

 Humanoid Road 30 – The final stretch of the road

    As much as Reysha wished otherwise, Apexus did have to wear the mask when they went into the next city. Learning all of the ways his facial features should and should not move was difficult. Apexus¡¯ facial features had too much manoeuvrability. Pulling the corners of his mouth up to the height of his nose was as easy as pulling his lips back to reveal his teeth.


    It was best to keep his face concealed, lest he tried to wrinkle his forehead and instead push his hairline back by several centimetres.


    ¡°I hope my face fixes itself when I get muscles,¡± Apexus said, while they left the town behind. ¡°In the way I move it, I mean,¡± he clarified before Reysha could say that there was nothing left to fix about his face.


    The tiger girl¡¯s mouth was already open, so another comment flew out with bantering ease, ¡°How would muscles help your face? Do ya want to beat people up by wiggling your eyebrows?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about limiting the movements,¡± Apexus explained. ¡°When you smile, it tenses and relaxes muscles and sinews. It does that the same way every time. I need that too, so I can stay consistent with my facial expressions. Otherwise, I have to actively think about where my eyebrows go every time.¡±


    ¡°That does sound annoying,¡± Reysha said, while making a variety of faces. Smiling, frowning, confused looks, surprisedly raised brows, wide and narrowed eyes, the whole program.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Apexus wondered.


    ¡°Ya talked about my face and now I have to test all of it,¡± Reysha explained. ¡°It¡¯s like when someone tells ya that your tongue is too big for your mouth or that you are breathing loudly so you become super aware of it¡­ or if someone yawns around you so you¡­ haaaaaaaaaaahhh¡­ do it without thinking about it yourself.¡±


    Apexus, who did not get any of those urges himself, tilted his head and then looked to Aclysia for confirmation. He got it not in proper words, but in the fact that the metal fairy was in the middle of yawning. Despite her not needing sleep, she had been created with an accurate representation of all standard humanoid urges. The slime, on the other hand, (currently) had no tongue, didn¡¯t breathe, and hadn¡¯t evolved to be a social animal in the same sense as humanoids.


    ¡°How are you doing, my melody?¡± Apexus asked, since Aclysia behaved absently.


    ¡°Calculating our current finances,¡± the metal fairy responded. ¡°We are in possession of forty-two silver and three copper now.¡± She looked over her shoulder. ¡°I am considering if we may have bought a little too much.¡±


    Because the group was so light on living expenses, not having any rent or food costs, money easily pooled in their pockets. After they had sold everything they had recently gotten, they had been around two gold in wealth. To the average person, that was existence assurance for a solid two weeks. For the three of them, it was money for new equipment. A new dress for Aclysia, an extra pair of boots for Reysha, as well as maintenance of her weapons and armour, and a couple of general tools to add to their growing arsenal of things. Also, additional underwear and means to clean it. As cleanly as they tried to be, certain kinds of dirt, sweat for example, tended to stick to clothes.


    The only thing Apexus had wanted out of that entire shopping spree were two simple strips of linen that he could use to tie his hair together. The slime found it bothersome for the entirety of the black strands to fly around every time he moved his head. Being confined to a ponytail was a bit better. The girls liked it too, more than they had thought when he had suggested it.


    ¡°Not like we¡¯re going to use that money for anything else,¡± Reysha pointed out.


    ¡°I suppose so, but I prefer having a sizable amount of disposable income,¡± responded Aclysia while they continued their march south. ¡°It gives me a bit of ease.¡±


    They had been out of the desert for about two days now. It had taken them one day to take the air route of it and another for them to approach a city with the wanted level of inconspicuousness. Now they were making their way to the Drowned Altar, one of two dungeons remaining before they could access the one at the centre of Azenia Ra, called the Long Way.


    The Drowned Altar would be more of a challenge. Being a dungeon of a higher-level bracket, the monsters inside were tougher than those they had faced previously. As its name implied, it was also partly underwater. The prospect didn¡¯t bother Apexus, he had been born from and lived his early life in water. Aclysia and Reysha would struggle with the environment. They were already clear on that much.


    Good news for the trio was that they had thoroughly read the guide and could prepare themselves in various ways, be that by discussing tactics or simply mentally adjust for the potential of water combat. They had also been able to scout out what Apexus would want next and the choice had been obvious and splendid.


    _______________________________________________________________________________


    The sound of water dripping from the cave ceiling into the ponds was steady and calming. It echoed from both the natural formations all around and the stone bricks that surrounded the ponds and walkways. The Drowned Altar was a typical dungeon, in case of its location. At the heart of a half-flooded landscape laid the entrance to a tunnel that led deep underground. Down there, the dungeon sprawled out in all directions.


    The trio had descended several hours earlier and had gotten familiar with their surroundings. That was, at least, the walkable parts of it. Between the drip stones slithered semi-aquatic snakes with a weak venom, their black scales glistening from the moisture in the air, reflecting the light of the glowing insects that hopped around in search of plant life to consume. Proper walkways were nowhere to be found, instead they had to weave through the stalagmites, and so run-ins with those snakes were an ever-present obstacle, but they weren¡¯t so powerful as to serve a proper threat to the three as they searched for the correct pond to advance their dungeon crawling.


    As they knew from the guide, the Drowned Altar was roughly separated into two different kinds of segments. Those were the cave areas, such as the one they were in at the moment, and the underwater areas, accessed through the many ponds that were found all across the caves. Any sane landwalker would have avoided hopping into the water if they could help it. Aside from humanoids being, in almost all cases, not optimized for underwater combat, there was also the issue of warmth. The water of the Drowned Altar wasn¡¯t freezing cold, but neither was it warm by any description. It would sap the stamina from anyone inside. There was also the standard water issue of diving coming with the question of breath.


    Knowing that mortals would consider all of these drawbacks, the god that had created this dungeon had decided to leave people no choice. The entrance area was filled with nothing of interest. The snakes were simultaneously weak and punished carelessness, making them awful opponents even for the task of training for additional levels. To access more interesting parts of the dungeon, one had to swim through underground tunnels that connected the different cave segments.


    As clear as the water was, fighting in it was going to be difficult or border on suicide. The strongest monsters of the dungeon lurked in there. ¡°So, how are we going to go about things?¡± Reysha wanted to know, once they had found the correct pond. With the help of the map they had bought, they could minimize the number of times they had to dive and aim for the safe caves where the healing fountains were. Regardless, they had to dive. ¡°We just jump in face first or what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°As the guide describes, we have to consider three types of enemies,¡± Aclysia reminded the redhead. ¡°A many-toothed fish with a lamp-like appendage attached to its head, a large eel with a venomous bite and a slime with adjustable tentacles. All of them are ambush predators to some degree, so I think it would be unwise to advance recklessly.¡± She looked to Apexus. ¡°Darling, as previously discussed, I think our smartest path is for you to clear the way and to signal us once its safe.¡±


    ¡°Urgh, but that means we just have to sit here and wait,¡± Reysha complained before he could answer. ¡°I want action, bubble butt, action!¡±


    ¡°May I remind you of the described appearance and behaviour of the Anklebiter?¡± Aclysia asked and pulled the guide out of the adventurer¡¯s bag to cite a well-chosen passage. ¡°The Anklebiter is named for its tendency to attack prey after it has passed them, usually catching its victims ankles. It does so with needle sharp teeth that are set in a jaw that make up 70% of the monster¡¯s total body. The bite strength is enough to penetrate even leather boots. The teeth will usually break in the ensuing struggle, allowing one to get away, but drain blood until a person arrives on the other end of the tunnel.¡± Aclysia took a dramatic pause to put away the guide again. ¡°Blood is not replenished by simple healing spells and taking a break every time you become anaemic would slow us down considerably.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Reysha sighed and conceded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll just keep gutting snakes then. At least I can gorge myself around here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just get to it, then,¡± Apexus let the two women know and turned to the pond.


    ¡°Retreat if it''s too dangerous, darling,¡± the metal fairy called out, before he got into the water. ¡°We can come up with alternative strategies, in case this gets too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± the slime assured her, his tone free of worry. Because he wasn¡¯t human, the hunting strategies of any of the three water predators didn¡¯t scare him. Bleeding out was not a concern and neither was running out of oxygen or stamina.


    With wings barely the size of a hand, Apexus walked into the water. It was shallow at the rim, but quickly dropped. Soon the calming drop sounds all around were replaced with the unique sound underwater. Moving liquid surrounded him while he followed the oddly smooth floor of the pond into the tunnel.


    In the absence of illuminating insects, glowing bits of crystals lended their light to the tunnel, creating spots of security between dark stretches. It was about twenty metres long, a considerable but not unreasonable distance for people to dive. A humanoid, particularly the kind that hadn¡¯t grown up swimming regularly, would have been nevertheless unnerved by the prospect. The further one advanced into the tunnel, the further air was away. Anything could have lurked in the darkness and anything would have been more mobile down there than oneself. Humanoids weren¡¯t usually anything but the top of the food chain, but in this environment, they were most decisively not.


    Apexus felt nothing of that and took the opportunity to drink some of the water surrounding him. ¡®Would be nice if I had something to control my buoyancy,¡¯ he thought, while crawling along the tunnel floor on all fours. Being a solid blob of slime and bone, he stuck to the bottom with ease. ¡®I hope the Graplegoo is down here¡­¡¯ he thought eagerly.


    His prayer was heard.


    A quarter down the tunnel, his wrist came into contact with something slippery. It proceeded to swiftly wrap around his hand and then expanded. Tendrils sprouted from the tentacle, crawling up his arm. The mass for this was provided by a blob that spilled out of a barely visibly crag, holding onto Apexus with all its weight.


    The chimera was curious and dragged its would-be predator into the light. It was a long-winded action, but one he had more than enough time for. Being weighed down until he suffocated wasn¡¯t something that he felt threatened by.


    It was, like himself, a slime. The Grapplegoo¡¯s body was made from a light grey, translucent liquid, with a clearly visible, black core at the centre of it. Where Apexus differed from that base template through a vast accumulation of individual limbs and organs, the Grapplegoo stood out through the spiky appearance of its nucleus, a large number of hard, red spots all over it and a beak-like protrusion.


    Each spike of the nucleus was connected to one of the red dots through a barely visible bundle of fibres. Each of the red dots, in turn, was the tip of one of the tendrils that extended from the main tentacle, which had a particularly large red dot on its own tip. The nucleus and the hardened spots were the two anchor points for the organs that gave the Grapplegoo its strength to hold its prey. These fibres were exactly what Apexus was looking for. Highly adaptable, stretchable tissue that fulfilled the role of muscles and sinews.


    With each passing second, the Grapplegoo extended more tendrils around Apexus¡¯ arm, making it almost impossible to be removed. If it had been capable of higher thought, it would have thought it would have been in for an easy meal. If it had been capable of more senses than touch, it may have been surprised to see the stomach of its prey bloat and deformed. As it was, the Grapplegoo only got to panick by the time it¡¯s watermelon sized body was enveloped by a more potent variant of slime. One of these two had to rely on a beak to tear its food into smaller pieces and that one wasn¡¯t the steadily evolving chimera.


    The Grapplegoo tasted like saltwater with a pinch of sugar. Not all that pleasant, it had to be said. Apexus also was mildly displeased with himself for eating a fellow slime in the first place. There was no kinship between them, they were too different beyond the base to be considered to be the same species. Still, like many humans would feel it odd to eat a gorilla, the chimera slime was filled with a fundamental distaste for devouring the Grapplegoo. That it had very little in the way of sustenance didn¡¯t help.


    Instinctual dislike aside, Apexus had to eat it and he had to kill it to allow Reysha and Aclysia safe passage. When he had to kill it anyway, not eating it would have been even more disrespectful. Letting things rot was a waste. Prey deserved to be treated with respect, as Apexus saw it.


    ¡®It being mostly water makes it pretty quick to eat,¡¯ the slime thought about the upside and resumed his movement down the tunnel. He would clear it out while he was forming his new Growth. It was going to be temporary for now, but testing things was never wrong.

 Humanoid Road 31 – A sexually motivated predator

    ¡°DISAPPOINTEEEEEEEEEEED!¡±


    ¡°Reysha, please,¡± Aclysia looked at her shouting companion with a distressed glare.


    ¡°What? The guide said nothing about monsters that were attracted by loud noises,¡± the tiger girl returned, wringing the water out of her hair. She was standing in the cave in nothing, while Aclysia only wore her underwear. Swimming in full gear would give it unnecessary damage and clothes had the tendency of soaking up and adding extra weight.


    Inside the adventurer¡¯s bag, the gear was moderately safe. As long as the cord remained tight the objects inside would stay dry. If the bag was opened underwater, or if it stayed submerged for too long, the bag would malfunction. Water, by the laws of physics, would try to enter the magical space but the enchantments of the bag would see all of the water surrounding it as one object. What happened in such a case was the sudden and surprisingly harmless ejection of all items inside the bag, followed by the destruction of the enchantments on the bag, making it just a simple pouch. In the event that the amount of water actually could fit into the bag, it drenched everything inside the bag.


    Higher grade adventurer¡¯s bags were safe from this for a longer time, the highest practically forever. Regardless, it was something people had to be aware of. Putting pure water into an adventurer¡¯s bag was not recommended. Neither was using it as a water pouch. While it may sound convenient at first, one had to realize that the only way to get it back out was to scoop it out by the hand. Technically speaking, turning the bag over also worked, but that wasn¡¯t exactly a proper way to drink. Also keeping water sloshing around freely inside an adventurer¡¯s bag eventually caused it to drip. The enchantments were not designed to carry a liquid inside them.


    Similarly, the gripping tissues of the Grapplegoo were not really designed for the human body and Reysha took issue with what she was seeing because of it. She had expected the acquisition of muscles, or a replacement for them, to immediately transform Apexus¡¯ body into a work of art that pleased her as much as his face. ¡°I was hoping I could build my dream man here,¡± she voiced her continued disappointment with the situation, ¡°Instead I¡¯m looking at¡­ well, that,¡± she gestured wildly at her beloved chimera.


    Apexus looked basically unchanged.


    When he moved his limbs, some of the semi-liquid muscle tissue became visible as sinew-like strings that rose out from underneath his light brown membrane. As for the rest of his appearance, it was as lanky as before. ¡°They do their job,¡± Apexus stated, nodding towards the two rocks he had thrown in demonstration. One was a mere three, the other about seven metres away from them. Not the world¡¯s most prestigious throwing record, but it showed a clear improvement.


    The tissues were not made to attach to human bones, but even as a temporary Growth they latched on well enough to fulfil the basic function wanted. Apexus tensed the muscle that ran along the insides of his arm repeatedly. After all of this time consciously moving a limb, it was entertaining how simple it was to make his arm fold at the ease of a single thought.


    ¡°I wanted a buff man whose abs I could kiss and who could spank the bad girl out of me!¡± Reysha wailed in a dramatic fashion. ¡°Woe is me, I miscalculated and now I¡¯m stuck with this terrible, multi-dicked lover with a vibrating tongue that goes deeper than any cock out there¡­¡±


    Aclysia couldn¡¯t withhold her sarcasm, ¡°While your irony lays thick, I cannot help but feel that part of you is honestly distressed by this lack of physical impressiveness.¡±


    ¡°I think I will faint!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a temporary Growth,¡± Apexus reminded Reysha.


    ¡°What is the point of being, if my cheeks don¡¯t get clapped?¡±


    ¡°Plus, the human body is pretty intricate,¡± the slime added. ¡°It¡¯d take me a bit to set it all up correctly.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, what is a lewd maiden to do, when she is left waiting like that?¡±


    ¡°Masturbate?¡± Aclysia suggested.


    Instantly, Reysha¡¯s behaviour switched from hyperbole to an amused giggle, ¡°Hey, you said it sweet cheeks, not me.¡± Aclysia pressed her lips together and blushed a little bit at that comment. ¡°Anyway, did I just hear right that all you need to finalize your ascension to a sex god¡­¡±


    ¡°A humanoid,¡± the metal fairy chimed in. ¡°With the muscles, he would finalize his TRANSFORMATION to a HUMANOID, Reysha. Please, ascension to godhood means a very specific thing.¡±


    ¡°¡­to finalize your elevation to a sexual superbeing,¡± Reysha obliged the corrections, ¡°is for ya to eat the boss and then spend whatever amount of time sorting out where you place all of the muscles?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d probably need to inspect a live specimen while I do it,¡± Apexus responded and tried to smile suggestively. He hadn¡¯t hooked up any muscles to his mouth yet, so that was a purely conscious effort.


    It didn¡¯t quite work out, as Reysha proved by asking a quick question, ¡°Are ya genuinely saying ya need reference material or do ya just want to feel me up?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Reysha broke out into wild, manic laughter. ¡°ACLYSIA?!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± the metal fairy was slightly taken aback by the mad tone of the redhead.


    ¡°Quickest route to the boss, now,¡± the redhead declared. ¡°We¡¯re going balls to the wall until Apexus has the strength to spank me with.¡±


    ¡°I do not think that¡¯s wise,¡± the white-haired angel suggested. ¡°While swift movement may be advisable, discarding safe progress in favour of intense intercourse in the near future is an unwise trade.¡±


    ¡°Aclysia¡­ Aclysia, Aclysia, Aclysia¡­¡± the redhead sighed and patted her fellow, not quite as nude woman, on the shoulder each time she said her name. ¡°How do I put this¡­¡± she rolled her neck. ¡°What do I do with you, Clysia?¡± Reysha sighed. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to put it into words¡­ Ah, right,¡± she snapped her fingers. ¡°Abs.¡±


    ¡°That does not strike me as enough reasoning to¡­¡±


    ¡°ROCK HARD,¡± Reysha interrupted loudly, only to tone it down to a whisper, ¡°abs. Right? Hard enough to grind meat on. Bulging biceps that you know make the grip of his hands strong enough that he can squeeze your pretty little throat strong enough that it silences the ¡®Aaaahhh¡¯,¡± it was a very well-acted gasp of pleasure, ¡°in ¡®asphyxiation¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think biceps are related to grip strength,¡± a red-faced Aclysia said, her rapidly blinking gaze dashing from Reysha¡¯s face to Apexus plain body and then down to the redhead¡¯s hourglass figure. Occasionally she tried to focus on eye contact. It didn¡¯t last longer than three seconds at a time.


    ¡°What do you care about the thickness of my arms for?¡± Apexus wondered.


    ¡°What do you care about the thickness of my thighs for?!¡± Reysha responded in a shaken tone. ¡°What kind of fucking retarded question is that?¡±


    ¡°The state of the thighs is a good example for balance between a healthy amount of fat and a trained body,¡± Apexus answered factually. He had thought quite a bit about why he found what about the female physique attractive. ¡°The size of the bicep is related to the amount a male can lift, which would likely make them a better protector of the offspring, instinctively speaking. I just answered my own question. Sorry, I should have considered the seed before the tree.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ alright, okay¡­¡± Reysha mumbled, growing more exasperated by the lack of awareness her less sexual teammates/partners displayed. ¡°Okay, you come here,¡± she wrapped her arms around the necks of both of them and pulled them so close she whispered into both of their ears. ¡°I¡¯ve been teased that this goo ball that saved my life and that I somehow fell in love with, despite him looking like an eldritch abomination half the time, is going to turn from a gorgeous, skinny lad into a gorgeous, muscular god.¡±


    ¡°Not a god,¡± Aclysia complained.


    ¡°Shhh, shhh, bouncy bottom angel, the crazy kitty is speaking,¡± Reysha responded, her pearly teeth revealed in all their sharpness. Her lips were pulled into a wide grin and her eyes wide open. The near absolute black of her sclera dominated the blue iris. ¡°The point is that I¡¯ve been teased with that and a thorough body inspection, because, let¡¯s be clear, you¡¯re a replica of a person and I¡¯m flesh and blood.¡±


    ¡°Accurate,¡± Apexus said. ¡°Technically it would be better if I looked at another man for reference¡­¡± The stare he received made him shudder with mild fear and wild anticipation for what the redhead wanted from him. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll learn all I have to from your body. It will be more pleasing than the alternative, in any case.¡±


    ¡°Yesssssss,¡± Reysha hissed, her red tail slowly curving and a long giggle reverberating from her throat like a threatening purr. ¡°So what we will do, is clear this dungeon in record time, because I¡¯m a horny, fuck-ass crazy nympho who wants her ass fucked by the man who makes me feel satisfied, wild and tamed.¡± She kissed Apexus on the cheek, nibbled on his fake ear. She leaned up to the proper ones on top of his head. ¡°Sorry if this is a bit sudden or unreasonable, but something just snapped and now,¡± she went back to giggling, ¡°now I need it!¡±


    Apexus was distracted from answering by noticing a movement in his periphery. Before he could warn anyone or react to it, Reysha had already snapped forwards and grabbed the snake mid-strike. The serpent coiled, in an attempt to get out of the tense grip, but Reysha twisted its neck before it made any progress.


    ¡°We¡¯re going full speed with the necessary amount of security, okay?¡± the crazy tiger girl asked.


    ¡°The necessary amount of security,¡± Aclysia nodding, rubbing her thighs together. She was sexually submissive and this current situation had those impulses awake despite it not really being an intercourse situation.


    ¡°As fast as we SHOULD,¡± Apexus added emphasis to the last word, trying his best to keep his tentacles from forming. While he did find her display of sexually-driven insanity immensely appealing, he did not want it to threaten their wellbeing. Sticking his tendrils in crazy was very fun, as long as he still had the tendrils.


    Reysha was the most combat savvy member of their group due to her spontaneous and instinctive nature. Both of these attributes did not lend themselves well to a thought-through, secure strategy. It was Apexus¡¯ job, as the team leader, to reign in the excesses of her desires. Even if he, as her lover, wanted to cater to them.


    After a short, impatient nod by the tiger girl, they continued their advance into the depths of the dungeon. It was a good thing that Reysha, as much as she wanted, could not force them to progress any faster than Apexus deemed safe. Even if the redhead wanted to see the boss devoured and the slime to fully form his humanoid shape, she would not jump headfirst into dark water and get herself killed or injured. If she was hurt, healing her would take time and being dead was a hindrance to having sex.


    Even though Apexus took his time to thoroughly munch his way through the tunnels, they did advance at a breakneck speed. Most of this was due to the slime¡¯s unique advantages. Even species that could breathe and live underwater were less well equipped for this particular dungeon.  Apexus didn¡¯t have to worry about getting too cold, about his stamina, about surfacing or about wounds. All he had to protect was his core and none of the monsters had any way of threatening him.


    Dangerous as the Drowned Altar would have been to regular adventurers, particularly those that usually relied on heavy gear to protect themselves, to Apexus it was a delectable buffet. Because all of the water assailants were ambush predators, he didn¡¯t have to try much to find them either. All he had to do was look helpless and then eat them.


    He chased that goal with the appropriate thoroughness, given the security of his women was on the line. However, saying that the promise of pleasing Reysha and attaining these highly useful muscles permanently didn¡¯t motivate him would have been thoroughly wrong. Reclaiming a position of physical dominance in the group was a matter of pride for the slime. He was a predator and a protector. He couldn¡¯t do either reliably if he relied on idiotic enemies that couldn¡¯t handle his unique body type. All it took was one somewhat smart person with a long metal stick and Apexus was dead. The slime that could effortlessly clear a dungeon many adventurers struggled with for two months could be killed by the average farmer with a pitchfork. By raising his body heat to an extreme degree, he could have won that fight. Otherwise, he was slower and weaker than that farmer. An unacceptable circumstance.


    Between their diving exercises, Reysha drove them to top speeds. She took the helm, made out the snakes and slew them quickly. Usually, Apexus would have served as the warning system for near-invisible monsters, but snakes messed with his tremor sense by virtue of gliding around. Hyped up on desire and monster meat, Reysha heard their quiet hisses and saw them slither in the dark.


    When they stopped, the tiger girl always immediately passed out and they immediately went on when she was awake again. They didn¡¯t take breaks for their usual bodily indulging. Reysha was too concentrated on the reward of this journey to spend additional time on the path. Apexus and Aclysia still had their little lovemaking sessions while she slept, but that was rather tame and short compared to their usual coitus.


    And deeper and deeper they went into the Drowned Altar.

 Humanoid Road 32 – Deep and dark

    ¡°Stay close,¡± Aclysia warned, trying her best to make the Illumni spell glow as bright as possible as they advanced through the algae-covered temple.


    The changes had been subtle at first. A few cobblestone paths between the dripstones, a religious symbol here and there, structural hallmarks inside the waterways, such and similar things mingling with the largely natural look of the caves. As the trio progressed, the deeper they got inside the Drowned Altar, the more that natural look made room for structures. Every slanted waterway, every cliff or drop in the caves, brought them into darker territory. The bugs that had dispersed the shadows with their glow became rarer and rarer until they ceased to be around altogether. Now it was just Aclysia¡¯s spells and Apexus¡¯ nails that allowed them to see.


    Their surroundings contained few dripstones at this point and most of them hung from the ceiling. Everything else was cobblestone or brick, both usually covered in slimy algae or wet moss. The air was thick with humidity and the smell of salt. Some of the water condensed on the naked bodies of the three. With the number of times they had to swim, putting on clothes was a waste of time. They hadn¡¯t worn any in three consecutive days, belts to hold the adventurer¡¯s bags aside.


    ¡°We need to get done with this shit quickly or this map is going to be useless,¡± Reysha told them, currently on navigation duty. With one hand used to cast the Illumni, Aclysia could hardly do it and, for all of its inconveniences, at least the current layout of the dungeon was easier to read. Tunnels that were made to emulate a temple had a more organized structure to them than caves. ¡°Humidity is seeping into the paper.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be too far off,¡± Aclysia said. Even if she wasn¡¯t holding the map, she had looked at it long enough to have ingrained much of it into her acute memory. ¡°Darling, could you¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t need to finish the question. Apexus was already walking toward the green carpet in front of them.


    The layer of algae parted and rippled, as Apexus¡¯s foot pushed through the surface of the water. He kept one foot on the solid stone until he felt the ground, then he slowly marched on. ¡°They could have made markings how deep these puddles are,¡± he complained. Originally, every pond had been the entrance or exit to a tunnel. Now there were random gatherings of water everywhere in the wavy tunnels. Thanks to the algae, their depth was concealed. As was whatever may be lurking inside them.


    ¡°It may be that the depth of these varies with time,¡± Aclysia provided an explanation. ¡°These tunnels have seemingly random depressions and rises that could be filled up and drained depending on the divine machinations that keep the dungeon operating. As such, drawing them would be a fool¡¯s errand.¡±


    ¡°Could at least write that into the guide, if that¡¯s the case,¡± Reysha chimed in and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Maybe they did though. The letters are start¡¯n to¡­¡± she had to quickly raise the map to save it from splattering water. ¡°There goes our slime.¡±


    Apexus didn¡¯t struggle against the sudden pull that had yanked his leg off balance. The tendril sitting taught around his leg dragged him over the slippery floor and right to the Grapplegoo at the source. A second predator took the opportunity to deliver a bite to Apexus¡¯ arm. Venom shot out of hollow teeth into Apexus¡¯s thick membrane. Both the venom and the delivery of the Stalker Eel were rather weak, but it would have worked well enough to wear the average adventurer down.


    The Grapplegoo was going nowhere, so Apexus took care of the eel first. Grabbing its elongated body was difficult, but Apexus¡¯ had gotten a vast amount of experience in it over the past seven days. Stalker Eels retained their bite until their target stopped moving or they were threatened by something. Hooking a finger into their gills trapped them in that biting position. Not advisable for most people, but the slime could use that to ensure that he had the time to engulf and devour the eel.


    After that predator was dead, he turned to kill the Grapplegoo. The oddity of killing a fellow semi-liquid being had dulled, but it never vanished. It never would vanish. Out of respect for the ended life, Apexus offered the nucleus to Reysha. He himself didn¡¯t want to eat it, but he also didn¡¯t want to let it go to waste.


    ¡°It gets pretty deep,¡± Apexus reported back.


    ¡°Can see that, moss hair,¡± Reysha giggled, her comment squarely aimed at the green Apexus¡¯ black hair had gathered while wading through the saltwater. ¡°If ya would take it, for a sec, Aclysia?¡± Reysha asked and folded the map together. While the metal fairy flew over the obstacle, Apexus carried the redhead through the water. It was an opportunity to touch her naked body. The actual reason was to keep her hands dry though. That way, she could take the map back on the other side without adding to its creeping water damage.


    Past the wet obstacle was a circular hall. A stone bowl atop a pillar was at the centre of it, with five paths branching off in every direction. Reysha hastened towards the bowl and sniffed the clear water within. ¡°Freshwater,¡± she said in a delighted tone and lowered her head further to drink from it.


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Apexus demanded and stepped up besides her.


    Reysha obediently backed off. A little jab would be the least she would have done normally, but the banter would have delayed their progress. She was on her seventh day of high-degree horniness and she used every bit of that torture to spur her along the path. Her eyes darted between the arches along the curved wall. The tunnels extended into the innards of the earth, swallowing all light with their depth.


    By putting his hand inside the bowl, Apexus absorbed some of the water into his membrane. When he failed to detect any magic or poison, he nodded. ¡°It¡¯s safe,¡± he confirmed and Reysha took a few hearty gulps. ¡°The salt is bothersome,¡± he said. Not even Apexus could drink water that was this filled with the mineral. ¡°Makes the water dehydrating.¡±


    ¡°That way,¡± Reysha dictated after she was done. With the map, she waved at the leftmost tunnel. ¡°One more dive and we should be there.¡±


    Her fingers jittered with excitement, claws extended to slice open anything that stood between her and the muscles of her beloved. The excitement spread to the other two and Apexus quickly took the helm. As much as Reysha may have wanted to stride ahead, now that she was carrying the map, she had to be more careful.


    Apexus kept a hand raised, as if he was holding a torch, illuminating the path before them. Like always, the changes were crawling, but the slime noticed it anyway. How the walls turned less and less green. How he could walk faster on the less slippery floor. How the smell of salt grew so intense that it hurt his eyes.


    Coughing, Reysha tried to repress the urge to breathe through her mouth. ¡°What a torturous arrangement,¡± Aclysia complained, looking at her suffering companion. ¡°The guide ought to warn of this circumstance.¡±


    ¡°Maybe ya should file a feedback form, or something like that,¡± Reysha suggested with a grin, despite the unpleasant taste that left on her sensitive tongue. Wise would have been to keep her mouth shut, but the tiger girl would rather be sassy than wise. ¡°Swing your butt, bubble butt, we¡¯re getting there. Just stick to the left wall.¡±


    ¡°Roger,¡± Apexus obeyed. The gaps between the bricks, and even parts of the bricks themselves, were covered in a white, crystalline crust. Stagnant air, saturated with water and salt, clung to Apexus¡¯ skin. He hastened his steps further, hearing the shallow breaths Reysha took. This was not an environment for a human to thrive in.


    The tunnel soon opened into another cave. Dripstones were replaced with salt pillars. There was nothing but darkness around. Although the group stayed wary of snakes, there were none to attack them. Not even the dungeon monsters could stand the hostile air.


    Eventually, something glittered in the darkness, reflecting the moving lights they carried. A body of water peeled out of the bleached surroundings, a lake whose surface was perfectly clear. An unwelcome sight, given the promise it entailed. ¡°Welp, here we are,¡± Reysha said and stowed away the map. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and get out of here before I become another one of these salt pillars.¡±


    ¡°You might be more correct than you think¡­¡± Aclysia said, glancing at a pile of crystals that remarkably resembled the shape of a lying human. Her intuition, in this case, was correct. The air in this room had spelled the end for several adventurers that, exhausted from the rest of the journey, managed to stumble their way there and collapsed. Ultimately, their bodies would be dissolved by the dungeon itself. Until then, they were buried under the growing white. A fate better than ending as monster food, many would claim. Trember, the God of Death and Decay, saw no difference.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see to it,¡± Apexus announced and jumped into the water, leaving the two girls to stand there and wait.


    ¡®So close, so fucking close,¡¯ Reysha thought, feeling the excited shivers all over her body. As bland as standing there was, she still couldn¡¯t help but jump from one foot on the other. ¡°Abs, Aclysia,¡± she giggled. ¡°We¡¯re getting abs.¡±


    ¡°I am aware,¡± the metal fairy said, sparing herself the pedantic correction. As well as she carried herself, she too was excited at the prospect. Keeping the desire bottled up until the appropriate time just seemed more beneficial to her. Instead, she gave the calm surface of the lake a worried look. ¡°Will you be able to dive through that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to hurt like a bitch, but I can deal with that,¡± Reysha stated.


    ¡°We could guide you,¡± Aclysia offered. ¡°If you keep your eyes closed, it shouldn¡¯t be too bad.¡±


    ¡°Appreciated, but I¡¯ll get through it,¡± the redhead insisted and repressed a cough by gulping heavily. ¡®I wish I could scratch the back of my throat,¡¯ she thought.


    About thirty minutes later, Apexus resurfaced. ¡°It should be safe now,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a very long dive though.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°Too dark to tell properly¡­ five to seven minutes of swimming?¡±


    Reysha grimaced. She had never dived that long before in her life and doing so inside a lightless tunnel didn¡¯t tickle her fancy at all. ¡°Seriously, where are the dungeons were we just murder things to get through?¡± She complained and walked towards the water.


    ¡°There is the long way around,¡± Aclysia reminded them. They would need to backtrack a day¡¯s progress and then go for a route that would take them another three days at best, but there was a route with shorter waterways. It would also have no salt, albeit the group wasn¡¯t aware of that bit.


    ¡°No delays!¡± Reysha declared. ¡°Only direct route to handsome slime!¡± She took as deep an inhale she could off the air, ignored the scratching and the burning of her lungs and then dove under the surface. Aclysia and Apexus followed her quickly. ¡®Probably shouldn¡¯t have led the charge,¡¯ it occurred to her, but she refused to waste breath or time on turning away now. There could have been a monster down there which Apexus had missed. It would have been a proper assumption. ¡®I¡¯ll deal with it, if it comes to it,¡¯ she thought. That was the last thought of the dive she had.


    It only took a minute for dread to settle into her brave soul as she advanced away from the light of her companions and ever forwards into the pitch black. She was a faster swimmer than they were, but she couldn¡¯t afford to wait for them to catch up. Darker and darker, it got, the craggy walls of the underwater passage narrowing or widening randomly. No state of space was good. Feeling enclosed in water and stone, looking up and knowing there was no air to be had, or being surrounded on all sides by nothing but lightless water, none of it was a hopeful visual. Her eyes burned, the raw amount of salt torturing her. She could taste it, small droplets making it into her mouth when she let out some of the held air.


    The pressure on her body increased. Her heart drummed in her chest with desperation. Most of her instincts screamed to rise to the surface and the rest screamed back that there was no surface in reach. Her body revolted against the position that it had been put into. It wasn¡¯t made for this. She wasn¡¯t made for this. Reysha tried to stay in control of herself, even as the panic settled in. Helpless, uncontrolled panic, a hand clutched around an infernal gem, energy searing her flesh away, melting her bones and leaving her shouting with pain and confusion at her own action.


    It burned. Her lungs burned. Her eyes burned. Her skin burned. Her legs kept kicking. Her arms kept moving. Visions of hurt and panic kept rising. Reysha concentrated solely on the one instinct that was useful to her: the will to survive.


    Every fibre of her being struggled on. She had no way of knowing how far in she was. All she knew was that her companions were far behind her. A strange calm set in. The burning ceased. Her body seemed to accept its fate. Desperation and relaxation mixed into a tranquil state. A state too effective. Instinctively, Reysha snapped for air. Her lungs filled with a mouthful of water. Coughing threatened to follow. Her muscles tensed, some of them cramped, absurd pain shot through her body, worse than the burning, not worse than the memories. She pushed herself along the ground, crawled along, swam, tried to move.


    Light.


    Reysha pressed herself off the rock with all the might she could muster. All instincts locked together, giving her a spurt of power, and she broke through the surface. Barely she managed to grip the edge of the pool and pull her upper body over the ridge. She spat out water, then the panic still pumping in her veins made her empty her stomach on the stone. Tears ran down her face, a natural reaction to the fear and an attempt of her body to wash the saltwater out of her eyes. The tiger girl was effectively blind, confused and trembled.


    When Apexus grabbed her, she first went rigid and growled like a wounded animal, then she recognized his scent and relaxed.


    Hastily the slime carried her out of the pool. The salt crunched under his feet, as he hasted towards the door. The air cleared up, by magical forces, smelling oddly sweet and becoming filled with warmth. A circular pond sat in a square room, humidity rising from its hot, clear water. It was the first room in over one and a half days they had been in that had light, stemming from crystals covering the walls.


    Reysha jumped from the pain, as the water of the healing fountain touched all of the bruises and scrapes she had covered herself with during the dive. It closed them slowly. A modicum of thought returned to her, and she washed out her eyes with the clear water. Her breathing slowly calmed down.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Aclysia wanted to know, her and Apexus too worried to notice anything else. The lungless pair had been slower, but they hadn¡¯t been bothered by the distance at all.


    ¡°I know I say it all the time,¡± Reysha croaked, trying her best to form a smile, ¡°but why, the fuck, can¡¯t we have more dungeons that¡¯s just MURDERING things?!¡± A sudden shudder overcame her and she hurried to the edge of the healing fountain to spew more bile into the drainage. ¡°And underwater dungeons SUCK.¡±

 Humanoid Road 33 – The Lesser Mind Flayer

    ¡°¡­We may have a¡­ medium problem,¡± Reysha said, a deep night¡¯s rest later. As much as she wanted to hurry, she had needed that time to gather herself and clean herself up. The other two had taken the chance to relax as well. It had become somewhat of a tradition between them, to do so in front of boss rooms. Not that this habit was exclusive to them. It was common for adventurers. ¡°¡­We could even call it a large problem¡­ A giant fucking problem might also be appropriate.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Apexus asked.


    Reysha¡¯s red cat ears were lowered, an expression of pure misery and regret on her face. ¡°I lost my bag,¡± she reported and held up her empty belt.


    Nobody needed to guess when that had happened. Sometime during her desperate dive, the knot had loosened to the point that water resistance pulled it off her. Reysha had only now noticed, as she wanted to put on her armour before the boss fight. That armour, alongside her weapons and other equipment, were the most valuable things the group possessed. The glove that shot a grappling vine was of especially notable worth.


    ¡°I¡¯m so fucking sorry,¡± Reysha exclaimed.


    Apexus got up, but not to scold her. ¡°We should have noticed.¡± Him and Aclysia had been swimming behind her, so anything falling off should have caught their attention. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can retrieve it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come along,¡± the metal fairy was already rising from the ground via magical flight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡± Reysha started.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally recovered and will wait here,¡± Apexus declared, thinking both as a worried lover and pragmatically. ¡°If it¡¯s a good way into the tunnel, you would do more harm than good.¡±


    Reysha¡¯s ears dropped a little bit further. ¡°I really want dungeons that focus on murdering tasty monsters¡­¡± she complained, while the two air-independent party members returned to the saltwater.


    It wasn¡¯t overly difficult to find Reysha¡¯s bag. Several minutes before the tiger girl had noticed its absence, the enchantments on the bag had succumbed to the external pressure and evicted all of its internally held items. Now it was a regular pouch, surrounded by equipment and miscellaneous items, all of it soaking in the saltwater.


    Over a couple of trips, Apexus and Aclysia brought back all of the items they could spot. Smaller things such as her lockpicks had partly vanished in the crags of the cave and the duo didn¡¯t even bother searching for them. A washcloth was both cheap to replace and readily available wherever they went. Getting the pieces of Reysha¡¯s armour and her clothing out was more important. For the leather parts, however, the redhead decided they could spare themselves the trouble.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with the armour, it''s ruined anyway,¡± she sighed, inspecting a soaked piece of armour. Bringing it to her had taken about fifteen minutes and there was only so much each of them could carry on one trip.


    Water damage was one of the silent killers for all kinds of equipment, but basic maintenance usually kept it from being the sole reason anything broke down. Soaking in water for several hours was a different matter. Soaking in water so salty that the ocean tasted sweet by comparison for that time was basically a death knell. By the time it was dry, the leather would be so brittle she may as well wear a dress made out of paintbrushes. Theoretically, she could have worn it until then, but it would be heavier than normal. Reysha was more comfortable betting on her ability to dodge than the defensive capabilities of her ruined leather armour.


    ¡°Ya know I like being naked, but can I stop ending up nude in all of the dungeons?¡± the tiger girl asked, while dropping the armour and instead turning to what she could save. Her clothes wouldn¡¯t be the same afterwards, but the degradation of linen would be nowhere near as drastic as leather. All she needed to do was wash the salt out first. Luckily, the healing fountain was regular on the mineral level.


    ¡°It¡¯s just been this and the last one,¡± Apexus pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s 100 percent of the last two,¡± the tiger girl grumbled and then sighed. ¡°Plus, the one you found me in! It has a tendency of happening.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how often regular groups suffer from that issue,¡± Aclysia thought out loud. ¡°Darling doesn¡¯t usually wear his robe, so it remaining in one piece is to be expected.¡±


    ¡°Still got one destroyed,¡± Apexus added in. ¡°Volcano Tearer, and all that.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± the metal fairy nodded. ¡°As for me, I don¡¯t usually engage in physical combat. I suppose Priest or general healer garbs are below average in replacement rate. When it comes to the armour of physical fighters in general, your situation doesn¡¯t strike me as unlikely to occur.¡± She took a short pause. ¡°Albeit most people would carry more spare clothes than us, I reckon.¡±


    Aclysia was correct in that assessment. Any party that set out to clear a dungeon had to commit to the dive for several days, if the dungeon was short, weeks, if it was a normal one, or even months, if the dungeon was particularly enormous. Guides could cut that time considerably, but combat, walking, eating and resting simply took their toll regardless of preparation level.


    Weapons and armour put under repeated strain for such a stretch of time did inevitably get worn down and nobody was exempt from this. Bowstrings were worn down, magical focuses slowly lost efficiency, armours got scratched or dented, and clothes torn. There were three ways to handle this issue. One, by far the most popular for beginners with little funds, was power through the issue and improvise. Two, favoured by established groups that had more money available, was to carry spares. Three, the rarest, was to have a group member who specialized in repairing armour.  That wasn¡¯t to mean someone apt at basic maintenance, all adventurers learned how to take care of standard issues by necessity, but something like field smithing. This last option was usually favoured by groups that were more aptly described as expeditions than parties.


    Reysha just sighed again, her tail lethargically laying on the stone. ¡°Stupid cat,¡± she mumbled to herself while washing out her clothes. ¡°Water dungeons suck¡­ Guess I¡¯ll have to fight the boss naked,¡± she raised up her shirt. ¡°If this also tears during the fight, I¡¯d have nothing to wear after we get out. At least I still have this,¡± she looked at the wet glove on her hand.


    ¡°Be extra careful,¡± Aclysia reminded the tiger girl. ¡°This will not be an easy encounter.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Reysha¡¯s ears flicked as she wrung as much of the wetness from her top as she could. Then she handed it to Apexus to be stored in his bag. For the shirt to dry, the humid air of the healing room was no suitable environment. They needed to get outside for that. ¡°I¡¯ll channel my horniness for maximum performance.¡± Even if the bag situation put a damper on her mood, her overarching goal of the dungeon was still in reach. They were one fight away from a fully humanoid Apexus. The thought made the redhead¡¯s heart beat heavy with excitement. ¡°We know what we¡¯ll face, we can do it!¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Aclysia nodded, feeling a hint of the same excitement.


    Apexus just nodded, looking forward to the end of this segment of the journey. Reaching a goal was always satisfying.


    About ten minutes later, they had made their final preparations and stood before the final barrier between them and the boss room. It was a stone gate, made up of two halves that shared between them a picture of an underwater monster with over two dozen tentacles. Depicted was a Depth Flayer, an elite monster rarely found in much higher-level water dungeons and sometimes even in the oceans of Death Leaves. Such a monster would have been far above the group¡¯s current ability.


    Apexus pushed against the stone with all his might. After about three seconds of deliberate force, the dungeon acknowledged his intent to enter and the stone swung inside magically. Lowering his hands, he stepped in ahead of his team mates and quickly analysed the boss room.


    It was a pyramid-shaped room with a square base, four hexagonal pillars standing in groups of two at the back wall and, between them, was an altar. Simple grey stone dominated the design of the room. Grotesque faces were carved into the left and right wall, illuminated by bright stones embedded into their foreheads. Even more disturbing than those faces was the humanoid figure on the altar, lying on it in the foetal position.


    It had thick, glistening, greyish blue skin and was so thin the blades of its spine poked out. Bony, dull protrusions covered its ribcage in numerous bumps. The creature quivered, before raising its head, the neck twisting in an impossible way, had it possessed regular joints. Three pitch black eyes, like those of a fly, stared at the trio. The mouth underneath opened wide, revealing a maw with countless short and sharp teeth. The boss monster hissed and rolled off the altar with viscous fluidity, as if its flesh had not been fully formed from the primordial soup.


    The trio felt universally and involuntarily disgusted by their enemy. Standing with a heavy hunched back, the tall creature showed all of its unnaturally smooth skin and bony warts to the trio. Its four fingers and three toes were all elongated, with the last segment bloated, like a frog¡¯s. Nothing about that thing seemed right.


    When it hissed again, the disgust the group felt surged. It was a stronger kind of disgust than they had felt towards the slime-producing heap of meat that had been the last boss. A deeper, more thorough one, so intense that it threatened to goad them into a mindless assault. Something this unnatural had to be removed from the world.


    Had they not been prepared by the guide; the group may have given into that feeling. The boss was a Laghast, a monster well known for its usage of beginner-level mind attacks. As the final challenge of the Drowned Altar, it fit the theme of unusual obstacles in many ways. Its arms parted wide, it waited for the group to attack.


    Apexus calmly continued his stride.


    Clutching her dagger, Reysha moved to the left, while Aclysia hovered upwards to a height where she was relatively safe.


    The Rogue kept a clear focus and a throwing knife in her right at the ready. They had only found both of her daggers and this single knife, but due to a lack of belt and sheath, she was confined to a single dagger. Her mind clear of thoughts. She waited for her opportunity to strike. Impatient as she had been to get to this point, recklessness was not an option.


    While Apexus approached the boss, he ramped up his body temperature. Energy burned to increase his internal heat. Slime and liquid muscles became more reactive, easier to control and influence. Calm steps became certain ones, then a sudden sprint.


    Screeching, the Laghast raised his hand. The noise carried an impulse of fear that Apexus was barely prepared for. It made him hesitate for just one second. Fast, faster than the slime had thought, the arm came back down and slammed the side of his skull. Head spinning, he fell to the ground.


    The lanky limbs of the boss had a surprising amount of strength, as the Laghast demonstrated by immediately kicking Apexus¡¯ chest. His ribcage dented in enough that he could feel the impact in his nucleus. Genuine pain rushed through his system, as he was rolled on his back. The boss was ready to stomp down and fully shatter his bones, but Apexus recovered before that could happen. Rolling to the side, he got on feet just quick enough to meet the next charge of the Laghast with open arms.


    ¡°Krrhhhrchr,¡± a broken noise echoed from the slime¡¯s mouth, the plates inside rattling under the heavy impact. He remained standing, wrapped his arms around the Laghast¡¯s chest and kept increasing his temperature. The heat was far above comfortable, even for the boss, and it hissed directly into Apexus¡¯ ears. Intense disgust dwelled up inside the slime and it grew stronger the longer the sound lasted. All the while, the boss¡¯ arms drummed on his back. The second the disgust grew too strong, when the wish to let go of this deep-sea creature became overpowering, he would be thrown to the ground again. Apexus clenched his teeth and held on. He wanted to expand his slime, but his instincts screamed no. The hissing continued.


    Reysha planted one foot ahead of the other. ¡®Just a bit longer,¡¯ she mentally urged her partner. Circling around the pillars, she had successfully Sneaked outside the boss¡¯ field of vision. Her presence masked, her breathing calm, her approach soft, she focused entirely on the wide-open back of the monster. Counting the ribs, she knew exactly where to plunge her knife.


    With a sudden lunge, she bridged the remaining distance, the tip of her blade sliding accurately between the ribs. Thick skin and blubber were parted around sharpened metal. The hiss turned into a loud screech. Fear gripped Reysha¡¯s heart and she let it spur her into pulling the knife back and hastening backwards. Blue blood spurted out, as the punctured heart beat once more.


    Apexus let go, driven back by the same fear. Knowing what came next, it was an emotion adequate regardless of mind manipulation. The Laghast¡¯s screech soon transformed into an enraged series of wild, unsteady noises, as it flailed wildly with its arms and stumbled after the fleeing slime. Its neck extended twice as long as a human¡¯s would have, its short teeth uselessly snapping at the air. Apexus was out of reach and kept running towards Reysha.


    Finally, the boss stumbled and fell to its knees. Blood still spurted out of its back. The noises ceased. Maw opened wide, the Laghast raised its shivering arms upwards, as if praying to a distant god. A second of complete silence, then the boss monster froze in its position. The trio convened at one spot of the room, waiting with baited breath.


    With a wet crunching sound, tentacles exploded out from deep within the Laghasts¡¯s throat. Gargling, it screamed in pain as its teeth violently extended outwards like that of an anglerfish.


    And a wave of energy exploded from its now white skin.

 Humanoid Road 34 – Phase Mutation

    Raw kinetic energy torrented outward. While they were safe behind the pillars, the sheer force of the impact broke the delicate crystals on the walls. In one moment, the entire room went dark. Apexus¡¯ nails were already shining, illuminating their environment as they hurried out of hiding and back towards the kneeling Laghast.


    Their hasty steps were but one sound in the room. The pained, squelching groan of the Laghast was another, caused by breaking and rearranging bones inside its changing shape. Louder than that was the grinding of stone on stone, as the mouths of carved faces opened. Out of them streamed a thick fog that quickly spread in the room.


    The Laghast raised a hand to block the Sunlight Bolt that Aclysia had just sent hurling from the tip of her staff. The burn caused vanished almost immediately, just as the wound in the boss¡¯ back had sealed up. With a tearing sound and another tormented scream, the Laghast threw its head back, as the bumps all over its ribcage turned into spiky protrusions. The tentacles extending from its impossibly wide-open mouth curled in the air as it fought itself to its feet. The black spheres of its eyes shattered like orbs of glass. Two were now white, the third, upper one revealed underneath it a tendril that extended forwards. On its end was a thick lump that exuded light.


    Reysha had reached the boss now and was ready to finish what she had started. About to lunge again, she wisely interrupted her attack upon seeing something slither in the accumulating mists. A long, naked tail sliced through the air where she would have been. The Laghast gargled annoyedly, having missed its target with this new limb. It took a step backwards and was swallowed by the tumbling white that filled the air.


    ¡°Stick to me,¡± Apexus commanded. The distance he could reliably see through was shortening. Mist and darkness made the chamber feel like an endless pit of danger. His light at least let his party members find him. Soon, the three of them stood shoulder-to-shoulder, waiting for anything to tell them where the Laghast might be. The thickness of the mist peaked.


    The phenomenon that had just occurred was called Phase Mutation. Monsters, usually of the boss variety, sometimes possessed more than one form that they took throughout the battle. How much these forms differed from one another was wildly inconsistent and so were secondary effects that may have come along with the transformation. In the case of the Laghast, its Phase Mutation unleashed a strong energy wave and granted it short-term regeneration. Both served to make sure it wasn¡¯t killed during the transformation and that it would remain a challenge afterwards.


    In the mist, the Laghast gurgle transformed from pained to gleeful. Its prayer had been answered and the power the god of this dungeon deposited inside it had been unleashed. The anglerfish light that hung from its forehead glowed with baleful light. It was of an unnatural, sickly pale tone.


    Apexus dimmed the honest silver coming from his fingernails in response. The more the Laghast¡¯s light contrasted with the surrounding darkness, the better they would be able to make out its position. Dispersed by the mist, it was little more than a dull dot, but it was better than nothing.


    The guide had warned them about the transformation and about the capabilities the boss now had. His emotional manipulation changed from an active measure to a passive, dreadful aura, steadily spreading from the light. It reinforced the uncertainty of the mist. The Laghast could have been stalking, walking, crawling or crouching for a charge, the group had nothing to go off except the occasional mocking gargle and the position of the light.


    The latter was also treacherous.


    What the boss had lost in active emotional measures, it had gained in minor illusion magic. In this environment, just the act of faking a sphere of light was a massive advantage.


    Hyperaware of this, Apexus tensed all of his senses. His tremor sense combined with sight and hearing to create a more accurate layout of the room. At least he tried to get an accurate reading. The Laghast was moving with such utter care that Apexus couldn¡¯t feel it outside of tiny missteps. Eyes and ears were better relied on, in this situation. Eyes, ears, and the capabilities of his teammates.


    The slime narrowed his eyes on the light, several metres removed. Staring directly at it was dreadfully hypnotic. Like a rabbit staring at a snake, he was drawn in by the danger. He growled at the feeling, a gesture Reysha echoed with a cat-liked hiss. As predators, they hated this feeling of being prey. A mocking gurgle responded to their dread.


    A gurgle right in front of them.


    The light in the distance suddenly switched off, just as the bleak-white skin of the abomination launched out of the dark mist. Two lanky arms snapped forwards, grabbed Apexus and Reysha and tossed them to the side with immense force. They were knocked to the ground, sliding over the slippery wet stone, while the boss monster assaulted the last member of their trio.


    Several options rushed through Aclysia¡¯s mind, her brilliant mind trying to discern which was the perfect one and taking too long to decide. A simple panicked reaction was to protectively raise an arm in front of her chest. The Laghast took the outstanding target and bit down.


    Needle sharp teeth penetrated the soft, flesh-like metal that made up the majority of the angel¡¯s physical form. Yanking its neck back, the Laghast forced Aclysia to extend her arm. The tentacled slithered out between the thin needles, grabbed the white-haired woman¡¯s arm and held it in place while the abomination changed the angle of its bite. Like a bizarre mixture between serpent, octopus and anglerfish, the Laghast unhinged its outer jaw and let the tentacles pull Aclysia¡¯s limb into its maw.


    Aclysia whimpered and screamed in pain, a sensation she experienced so much less than her comrades, while she struggled to pull out. The boss was too strong, especially once its four elongated fingers wrapped around her narrow waist. Like tightly wrapped wires, they started squeezing, putting immense pressure one her bones, while the skin of her fist and arm was rapidly gnawed off by a secondary, internal set of teeth within the monster¡¯s throat. Every layer of ¡®flesh¡¯ removed made it more difficult to use magic with that limb.


    When she was down to the shoulder inside the disgusting, fleshy depth of the creature, Aclysia managed to formulate a single thought. ¡®Bolt.¡¯ Heaving the tip of her staff against the monster¡¯s chest with one hand was difficult, but the metal fairy managed. Magic concentrated in the crystal tip and then came blasting out.


    The heat dispersed on the thick skin of the creature, leaving a scorched mark on the blubber and a pissed Laghast. Its jaw unhinged further; the formerly humanoid shape now grotesquely stretched when it came to the head.


    ¡®Thinner,¡¯ Aclysia realized what she had to do in order to penetrate the opponent. ¡®Like a dagger.¡¯ Magic weaved together again, while sharp teeth borrowed into the underside of her shoulder and the top of her scalp. The monster wasn¡¯t trying to eat her, all food it needed was supplied by the dungeon, just to break her bones with the sheer force of its jaws. At least her skull was harder than her skin, buying her time. ¡®Concentrate¡­¡¯ she tried to blend out the pain, even as a steady whimper escaped her lips. All she could see was the writhing flesh inside the monster¡¯s maw.


    When pain and dread became too much, the spell was unleashed.


    Magic, condensed into a smaller point, blasted at the already wounded spot on the monster¡¯s chest. The blubber was penetrated by the concentrated Sunlight Bolt, scorching the muscles underneath. ¡°Grhhrhrhhhrllll,¡± the monster let out a gargling, pained protest, all of its muscles tensing and relaxing for a moment from the shock. Its neck snapped back and Aclysia finally saw the room again.


    And a redhead¡¯s dagger descending.


    She had needed to orient herself, but Aclysia¡¯s pained outcries had allowed her to know where to go fairly quickly. With the calm rage of a semi-insane tiger Rogue, she had snuck back to her original position. The Laghast didn¡¯t know he had to hurry until a knife was rammed into its left eye.


    It was much harder than it seemed to be, feeling more like a mass of cartilage than an eyeball under Reysha¡¯s blade. ¡°Piece of shit!¡± she growled, pulling back her blade for the next strike. A wave of revulsion hit her, as the Laghast defensively increased the light its lantern produced. Towards a more weak-willed adventurer, that would have had a paralyzing effect. Reysha, however, had gone through too much trauma to let something as simple as magically induced despair stop her. ¡°GET OUT OF MY MIND!¡± she screamed and sliced off the lantern.


    The boss let out a high-pitched scream and stumbled back, pulling Aclysia with it. The metal fairy felt parts of her spine shatter under the continuing squeeze. An organic person would long since have died from organ¡¯s tearing. It was her luck that she didn¡¯t die from those causes, but the continuous degradation of her form threatened to destabilize it enough that her divine soul would be evicted.


    Before the boss could retreat into the dark mist, it was suddenly tackled by Apexus. Rage surging inside him at the sight of his beloved fairy¡¯s state. Her spine was crooked, her beautiful white hair disrupted by several dozen thin trenches, and from the boss¡¯ maw exuded the green mist her wounds dispersed.


    Wordless, Apexus grabbed the monster¡¯s face, embraced his shoulder and bit his neck. It was far from a loving gesture, as the duality of sizzling and pain from the boss proved. The slime¡¯s body, heated to the point that he added additional steam to the mist, scorched the creature wherever he touched it. The blubber protected against the worst, but its eyes weren¡¯t shielded in the same way.


    All the while, Apexus ripped chunks out of the monster¡¯s shoulder and swallowed them whole. That arm became useless in a matter of bites. On the other side, Reysha was frantically hacking away at the monster¡¯s jaw muscles. She had to dodge the Laghast¡¯s wild attempts at getting away in the meantime. Even covered in wounds, it still tried to retreat backwards. Its tail swung from side to side, but the vengeful duo ignored the whipping and kept on going.


    The boss and the group knew that the adventurers had won. However, the Laghast could make that a hollow victory if it only managed to ruin the corporeal form of the angel. Granted, the Laghast thought of this as an act of simple murder. A slightly less despair inducing prospect for the group.


    All the Laghast had to do was keep biting and squeezing, using its remaining hand.


    ¡°No, no, no, no,¡± Reysha stammered, letting the panic fuel her movements. She needed no method to dissect an unknown organism, she just needed enough stabs that the jaw failed to work.


    Done with the arm on his side, Apexus started to expand. By pure accident, he found the wound Aclysia had blasted into the monster¡¯s chest. Slime as hot as steaming water poured into the cavity. He couldn¡¯t start dissolving the Laghast, pulling something out of the body and under his membrane was too difficult to try in this position but it did hurt. Hurt enough that the Laghast¡¯s body trembled and that the sinews became loose for one moment. Loose enough for Reysha to cut it.


    Noticing her success after three more stabs, Reysha backed off the ruined, slacked jaw and instead ruined the monster¡¯s arm with a few deliberate cuts with both of her weapons. Then she simply dropped both and wrapped her arms around the metal fairy. While the Laghast kept retreating, Reysha pulled at Aclysia.


    ¡°Fucking tentacles!¡± the tiger girl cursed over the disgusting sound of teeth scraping over metal. She knew nothing of the internal jaw and Aclysia was in too much pain to explain things to her. Capable of feeling torment with every part of her body, nervous system replaced by a magical sensing of body integrity, it didn¡¯t matter that the arm that slowly emerged from the disgusting maw of the Laghast was gnawed down to the bone. ¡°Hang in there, Aclysia!¡±


    The metal fairy did. She did more than that. Clenching her teeth, ignoring the tears of pain that rolled over her face, she raised her feet and kicked the Laghast¡¯s chest as strongly as she could. That she hit Apexus¡¯ slime in the process was of fairly little concern. The heat didn¡¯t bother her and all that mattered was that she got out.


    Scratching over her raw, black bones, the two sets of teeth kept torturing her body and ears. The more she slid out, the more tendrils tried to grip her. The boss got a good grip on her towards the end, only for her absolutely ruined wrist to snap off. Reysha and Aclysia fell backwards, the boss swallowed the hand, and Apexus enveloped him fully. The Larghast tried to free himself, using his still functioning legs. In a limited way, it succeeded, one of the kicks breaking through the inside of Apexus¡¯ membrane. Getting out of the boiling, acidic slime was impossible, however.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine¡­ it¡¯s going to be fine¡­¡± Reysha mumbled repeatedly, both to Aclysia and to herself. While the metal fairy healed herself from the heavy damage, the tiger girl tried to not think too much about the memories the sight of the black bone evoked.


    While it may have been far from clean, they had won.

 Humanoid Road 35 – The devouring of the Laghast

    The taste of victory had seldom been sweeter. After the Laghast stopped moving, Apexus got to finally turn down the superheating of his body. His appetite was considerable, following the fight, but he still left some of the best bits of the Laghast for Reysha to indulge in. At the same time, he cuddled the metal fairy that so thoroughly deserved it.


    The degree to which Aclysia had been hurt had them worried for a while. Only after the healing magic started to work, the skin restoring from her torn shoulder downwards, did they start feeling comfortable. As for the room itself, the mist had dispersed and the crystals resumed their light production. The loot awaited them in five chests, four having been revealed inside hidden chambers on the inside for the pillars and the fifth, the bonus chest for going through the dungeon the first time, inside the altar. The stone had simply parted on top and revealed a wooden chest within.


    That had to wait though, until they were finished cleaning up.


    Layer after layer of deliciousness presented themselves to Apexus. The thick skin of the monster was essentially cooked fat drenched in the spice of magic. Underneath were surprisingly tender muscles that had a similar taste as clam. The internal organs were little to sing home about, but the bones had a specific flavour that the slime couldn¡¯t really share with Reysha.


    The redhead devoured the boss with an unbridled appetite. Eating something that had given them so much trouble just felt right and knowing what would follow, she wanted to have all the energy she needed. Wanting less than usual, partly because the meal was so filling, partly because she wanted the slime to restore as much energy as he could, the tiger girl soon recused herself. ¡°Imma go and freshen up,¡± she purred. ¡°Call me when we get to the lootin¡¯ and the lewdin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Apexus promised and pulled a shard of Aclysia out of himself. Luckily, Aclysia was made out of indigestible materials, so the slime could dissolve everything around her parts. While it was not strictly necessary for the metal fairy to have the metal returned to her, it did speed up the regeneration process immensely. Were they not absorbed back into her body, the pieces of metal would soon become simple iron. The body of an angel wasn¡¯t something that should be left somewhere random.


    ¡°Thank you, darling.¡± Aclysia took the shard of herself and simply swallowed it. To absorb it this way was simpler than to try and reassemble her arm. Much of her bone was still visible, but the steady healing she cast on herself in combination with the return of materials let her fully recover by the time Apexus finished his meal.


    For all the difficulty the boss had given them, at least there had been enough energy to its mutated flesh to refill most of what Apexus had expanded. An appropriate reward, as far as the slime was concerned. Of all the boss monster¡¯s they had fought so far, it had definitely been the most difficult. As much as he hated that Aclysia had gotten hurt this much, he also appreciated the challenge. The possible evolution echoing inside him felt every bit earned.


    The difficulty rising steadily was, of course, a deliberate design decision by the gods. While the ultimate goal of this design was to cultivate new adventurers into becoming new deities, it would have been foolish to entice people only with the end of the journey. Especially with how few people ended up achieving it. Loot was a way to motivate people into trying, the parts harvested from monsters another, and both were lucrative. Lucrative enough that many adventurers didn¡¯t do their job in search of some faraway divinity, but merely for the money.


    For those adventurers, level 25 dungeons were the general stopping point. Average people with coordination could clear dungeons up to level 10. Adventurers with no drive to continuously outdo themselves continued up to 25. Above that, willpower was usually the true divider of how far a person came. Willpower and a fair share of luck. Everyone who had no talent was long filtered out by that point. People who stopped at level 40, 50, 75, or whatever else before divinity, they did so not for a lack of possibility or because they wanted to do a simple job, but because of ever increasing danger.


    The Drowned Altar was a level 15-20 dungeon. Just one step below that dividing line where the casual adventurers and those who strived for greatness separated. Because of their unique combination of factors, the dungeon itself had been relatively easy. Not that the group lacked in the will to keep growing anyway.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the loot,¡± Apexus said, him and Aclysia going over to Reysha. The tiger girl was soaking in the healing fountain. Something Aclysia mimicked for a quick dip. She wasn¡¯t dirty, but rubbing the combat off her body and it was a good excuse to change out of the priest robe. With one sleeve completely torn, it wasn¡¯t as fashionable as before.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even bother putting something new on,¡± Reysha laughed, when she saw Aclysia pull her travelling dress out of her bags. ¡°We all know what comes next.¡± Her blue eyes reflected an entirely different kind of hunger now, as she looked at Apexus. ¡°You can do it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the slime kept the answer simple, while filling his body with all of the liquid it still needed. ¡°I¡¯ve already acquired the muscles ¨C I just need to properly construct them now.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, yes,¡± Reysha gasped and involuntarily reached down to her nether regions. She stopped herself just before she actually started something. ¡®There¡¯ll be enough of that in a minute,¡¯ she scolded herself. ¡°Let¡¯s see that loot.¡±


    ¡°I am honestly surprised you have the patience to put that first,¡± Aclysia pointed out, while stuffing her dress back into her bag. The tiger girl was entirely right, she would just have to remove it again in five minutes. Three naked people, two gorgeous women of delicious curves and one gorgeous man with the body of a malnourished hermit, they returned to the boss room.


    ¡°Got a lick of reason right now because the fight was so gruesome,¡± Reysha reported. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, my body is absolutely ready for whatever is going to happen, but my mind wants a bit of a transition.¡±


    Aclysia, as someone who recently had her arm restored, could only agree with that. Although not as outspoken about it, she could feel the lust swirling inside her. The hasty sex they had during the travel wasn¡¯t the same, not with the quickness of it and not without the tiger girl in the mix. ¡®And darling will be fully perfected soon,¡¯ she thought, a little bit of thigh-rubbing sneaking itself into her step. It wasn¡¯t just the bath that made her wet down there.


    For his part, Apexus noticed all of this and hardly held back his own excitement. The mood that permeated the gazes of his companions made it easy to forget that he acquired the liquid muscles for the sake of his personal strength. Even Apexus felt that priority cede ground to the overt desire of his lovers. What man wouldn¡¯t be swayed by his women having such a clearly manifested wish?


    The chimera slime kept his core clear as best he could, while approaching the chests. ¡®One thing after the other,¡¯ he thought.


    They started with the chests inside the pillars. Traditionally, the first kill bonus loot was of a higher calibre than the rest and the best was saved for last. The mantle of the nut would be inspected before the delicious inside became unveiled. The first chest they approached was the leftmost one.


    In the decrepit stone structure they inhabited, the wooden, completely intact, chest seemed incredibly out of place. Apexus didn¡¯t mind that much, simply lifting the lid and reaching into the darkness. Often containing items larger than themselves, dungeon chests were divinely enchanted to accommodate and a side effect of this was a mysterious shroud keeping the suspense going for a little bit longer.


    From the depths of the chest, the chimera slime produced a robe. It was of dark blue colour, invoking the feeling of the ocean, and covered in black embroidery that roughly resembled the sea. It shimmered, being woven from fine silk, and parted into two segments on the lower half through slits that started below the waist segment.


    Apexus turned it around and found two holes at the back that were sewn shut. A person who didn¡¯t have wings would leave that untouched. For this robe to work for Aclysia, they just had to cut the string. A fair design adjustment, all things considered.


    Aclysia looked at the robe with a mixed expression. ¡°I somewhat dislike the thought of wearing the robe of another god,¡± she confessed. ¡°Particularly Sloan, after I was so disgustingly maimed by what I assume is one of his creations.¡± The god of the depth and darkness was the third winter and 11th of the 33 original gods. He was generally regarded as the closest approximation of an evil god in the generally benevolent pantheon. A more accurate description of him would be demanding.


    ¡°That¡¯s your issue?¡± Reysha asked, ¡°not the absolutely SCANDALOUS amount of leg that¡¯ll show?¡±


    ¡°My divine garb revealed about as much. You know, the black dress I was created with?¡±


    ¡°That your daddy took away and left you naked, flying through an entire village?¡± Reysha giggled, ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t ever forget that. Shit was hilarious.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call my father ¡®daddy¡¯ and do not remind me of that incident.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Reysha denied the request, quickly undoing the seams and then tossing the robe at Aclysia. ¡°Either way, ya need a new robe, so ya might as well use it.¡±


    Aclysia let out a resigned grumble and put the robe on. As magical dungeon loot, it would change its shape once to fit the party member it was given to. The very act of putting it on diminished its value, which was about the same as Aclysia accepting the tiger girl¡¯s statement. ¡°I must admit that the silk is rather pleasant on my skin,¡± she said and tied the two dangling cords around her waist. Both were so long that she had to wrap them once around herself before she could properly bind them. Once she was done, the robe sat so tightly on her figure, it looked more like a dress.


    ¡°Dark colours suit you,¡± Apexus said, looking at his beloved angel. Because her skin and hair were so pale, the deep-sea coloured robe created a nice contrast. The way her legs were partly revealed when she moved around, smooth and thick, white thighs emerging from the skirt, only reinforced the slime¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°Thank you, darling,¡± the metal fairy smiled, her wings doing a happy little flutter. She posed a bit more than she needed to really feel the comfort, but stopped when she started to get daring. Something about showcasing herself like that, even for her loved ones, just made her feel embarrassed. ¡®I¡¯ll need something to cover my legs,¡¯ she thought. She was fine with showing them, but perhaps not in their complete nakedness. Panties were a must, but her divine garb had also come with gloves and stockings. The former were unnecessary thanks to the long sleeves, but the latter was an idea.


    Reysha would have poked fun at that fact, but instead went to the second chest. ¡®Quicker the loot gets done, the quicker he fills me up¡­ or do I mean feels me up? Ah, who cares, both are good!¡¯ she reached into the darkness and gripped the handle of something. When she saw what the chest contained, she whistled. ¡°Now that¡¯s an interesting thing.¡±


    Both Apexus and Aclysia, who was already stripping out of the robe again, looked at what she was holding. It was a small axe, optimal to be wielded with one hand, with a crimson red head. It had a bearded shape, the blade elongating downwards and creating something like a hook. Where metal and wooden shaft met, the materials seemed to meld together in an impossible fashion, the red bleeding into the texture of the light brown wood.


    ¡°Dibs,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°Have you ever used an axe before?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± the tiger girl announced, giving the weapon a few testing swings. ¡°I can learn though. Might as well, since I¡¯m the only one in this group who even uses weapons.¡± She grinned ear to ear, ¡°I¡¯m a multi-purpose tiger. Feast for the eyes, feast for the ears, and hoarder of weapons.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware we have a kobold in our group,¡± Aclysia drily remarked, while stuffing the robe into her adventurer¡¯s bag.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have,¡± Reysha grinned. ¡°A kobold and a tiger. If ya give me long ears, I may even pass as a dark elf.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need even more ears,¡± Apexus said, while he touched the axe for her. ¡°Hmmm, doesn¡¯t seem to be enchanted.¡±


    ¡°Prolly just high-grade material then,¡± the redhead hummed. ¡°It¡¯s very light, I can tell ya that much. Wouldn¡¯t be a good thing for normal fighters, but works for me.¡± Since lighter equipment also meant that the force behind a swing was generally lesser, people that had the strength to wield them generally preferred heavier weapons. For someone who relied on her speed to deliver precision cuts, Reysha was fine with adding another light piece of equipment to her slowly growing arsenal. ¡°Now I have daggers, throwing knives, a pickaxe and an actual axe.¡±


    ¡°Correction, you have a dagger, a throwing knife and an axe,¡± Aclysia reminded her of the bag incident.


    ¡°¡­yeah¡­ yeah¡­¡± Reysha¡¯s ears deflated in shame. Apexus wrapped his arms around her in an appreciative cuddle. Within moments, the redhead purred and Aclysia took it upon herself to wander to the rightmost chest.


    ¡°The goddess of future and fortune smiles on us today,¡± the metal fairy remarked, as she revealed the item. Fashioned from strips of snakeskin, the dark grey top was both flexible and decently protective. Reysha got to find that out by putting it on immediately and having it adjust to her form. ¡°A replacement for a third of your armour,¡± she pointed out.


    ¡°More fashionable too,¡± the tiger girl purred, the leather stretching around her chest until it was a snug but not uncomfortable fit around her decently sized bosom. ¡°Just need new pants and a new belt.¡±


    ¡°And a new bag,¡± Apexus added.


    ¡°¡­yeah¡­¡± Reysha mumbled and was right back in the slime¡¯s embrace, after she gave him the top for safekeeping. The slime had hoped for that outcome and started feeling her in all the ways the tiger girl desired. Heavy, the desire still hung in the air and it became more difficult to hold back.


    Aclysia wrestled down her envy and concentrated on the task at hand. For all the cuddliness the two displayed, they were still paying attention to the loot. Quickly, the metal fairy approached the fourth chest. ¡°And here we have¡­ an eyepatch?¡± she wondered and looked at the black thing. It looked like what pirates were supposed to wear in stereotypical representation.


    ¡°You should try-aahhh- it oonnnn,¡± Reysha suggested between gasps. The slime was only brushing over her skin, but even that was enough to get her panting. ¡®If only he activated his pheromones now¡­¡¯ she thought, lustfully shuddering from the fantasy alone.


    Then she started laughing when Aclysia actually followed the suggestion. Amusement and horniness swirled inside the tiger girl, for the ultimate cocktail of Reysha¡¯s favourite emotions. ¡°You said I should!¡± Aclysia pouted, a naked, moth-winged angel, with a red face and her right eye covered.


    ¡°Does it do anything?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°I cannot spot anything,¡± the metal fairy reported and took it back off. She handed it to the slime for magic inspection.


    ¡°There is magic in it,¡± Apexus said. They didn¡¯t know what, of course, Apexus could only read the presence and rough strength of the magic imbued in an item, not what that magic did. They would never find this out, but the eyepatch was enchanted to prevent people from getting seasick. With that remaining a mystery, Aclysia pocketed it for later selling.


    Then there was the final chest. Reysha was still immobilized and Apexus had his hands full with Reysha, so Aclysia went to the altar and bowed over. At the sight of her perfect, round ass stretching, the remaining self-control became very thin. The sight of the item did fix this somewhat.


    It was a pair of shoes made from a material that was polished like glass, but wasn¡¯t translucent and lined with soft fabric on the inside. Like the axe¡¯s blade, the pair was crimson red. ¡°You require new shoes as well, correct?¡± Aclysia asked the flush-faced tiger girl, who only nodded. With the last bit of discipline, Reysha managed to sit down, while still being cuddled by Apexus, and put on the shoes.


    She felt that little mental click that occurred when one equipped magical items that could be commanded by thought alone. Instinctively, she grasped what she could do and the sole of the shoes started to change shape in response to her desires. ¡°That¡¯ll be useful,¡± she hummed. Then she moaned, as one of the slime¡¯s hands travelled down her midriff. ¡°Done with the loot, let¡¯s get to touching me ¨C more!¡±


    Apexus so gladly indulged her. Once those shoes were put away as well, there was nothing holding him back anymore. All over her body, his hands glided, slowly driving the tiger girl absolutely crazy with the need for more. For all of the enjoyment he drew from touching her, the true intent remained to understand the humanoid physique optimally. Biting her lower lip, Aclysia watched and lightly touched herself.


    Reysha¡¯s body served as a nice reminder for where things were supposed to be, albeit that she wasn¡¯t the perfect guide. The female physique, beautiful as it was to look at, was inferior to the male he wanted to emulate, when it came to physical prowess. The muscles he inspected were different in several key areas, due to being attached to a skeleton that had to take into account the burden of childbirth. The gap in his pelvis didn¡¯t need to be nearly as wide, his shoulders and chest could be broader because he didn¡¯t have to accommodate mammary glands.


    These fundamental differences were bridged by magic, in their case, but there was no need to Apexus to carbon copy these disadvantages. None of them were flaws, the design compromises were ingeniously small given the gift of making life they were granted in return. The slime had decided to be a male and his body had followed suit at that time. There was no need not to walk that road to its end now.


    Even if he ignored the sex-specific changes, inspecting Reysha closely served as a fantastic template for all of the things he was only vaguely aware about from the time he had eaten a human. The placement and connection between abs, the many different strings of muscle that were in the upper arm alone, what truly made a thigh, where sinews attached to ligaments and so much more.


    The tiger girl kept panting, doing her best to lay still while she was being felt up with intense curiosity and a fair bit of perversion. For someone that did not wish to acquire breasts, the slime was squeezing hers more than the zero times he needed to. Behind her back, she felt Apexus¡¯ form change. The smooth and mostly flat surface of his chest became broader, broke up into segments that rose and fell, and developed that specific firm but soft feeling of relaxed muscle tissue.


    After thirty minutes of that almost torturous inspection, Reysha finally heard the words, ¡°I have the basics done,¡± and hurriedly backed off. Although Aclysia had followed the transformation, it was only now that Reysha crawled away that both of them got the full view. In perfect unity and with feverish gazes, they gulped at the sight of the chimera slime. He rose to his feet to present the full view.


    Apexus was taller than before, standing at about 1,90 metres, and had a balanced figure. Indulging too much in bulk would have impeded his flexibility and he remembered the time before he learned to condense his membrane. It had its advantages to be narrower, but being broader meant more room for muscle mass, and so he had struck a decent middle. A middle by the slime¡¯s personal standards, it should be said.


    By regular human standards, he was noticeably above average both in terms of the impressiveness of his figure and the definition of his form. The former was shaped such that he would have been a natural favourite in a weightlifting contest. The latter, more aesthetically important, was something that caused both of the women to swoon.


    With no body fat, hair or veins that could have tainted the display of his crafted body, the humanoid slime¡¯s figure was without any blemish. Light brown skin stretched smoothly and evenly over each muscle segment. Combined with the long dark hair framing his equally carefully crafted face, the once monstrous slime was now one of the most attractive beings in the infinity of the Omniverse. The addition of jaw muscles had only made him more handsome.


    ¡°Anything to fix?¡± Apexus asked, the deep voice he had possessed for so long now coming from a body that so perfectly fit it. The lips still didn¡¯t move, but that was a work in progress. When he didn¡¯t receive an answer, he raised one of his eyebrows. That many little muscles in his face definitely helped with that. ¡°Aclysia, Reysha?¡±


    The tiger girl remained silent, her mind drowning in a large amount of indecent phrases, none of which managed to dominate long enough to be spoken.


    ¡°U-uhm,¡± Aclysia¡¯s reasonable faculties managed to spot a few bothersome differences. ¡°You¡­ should simulate nipples, I think¡­ chest looks a bit barren without.¡±


    Apexus nodded and made the tiny change. The Skinwalker Hide coloured the circles and small protrusions that appeared a shade darker than the rest of the skin. Since it evolved with him, slowly as such things happened, such a small feature beyond the initial range of capabilities of the Growth was now easily implemented. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°M-m-m-maybe add a bit of artificial bodyfat?¡± Aclysia kept stammering, her eyes gliding over his curving biceps. ¡°You¡¯re a tad too defined right now, for my liking.¡±


    Adding a bit more slime between the muscles had the desired effect, the trenches between the different segments becoming less deep and giving Apexus a more natural look. Only the smoothness of his crotch showed that he wasn¡¯t just an exceedingly gorgeous male specimen of some fox humanoid.


    ¡°SPANK ME!¡± Reysha finally shouted the two words that made it to the forefront of her mind.


    And the humanoid road entered its final stop.

 Humanoid Road Finale – More. [Erotic Content]

    Aclysia used what little presence of mind she still had to hastily pull a blanket out from her inventory and throwing it onto the stone. Reysha wouldn¡¯t even have needed that comfort to hastily turn on all fours and present her ass to her lover. Pussy and the inside of her thighs were already glistening with steadily flowing honey. Quickly emulating her, Aclysia kneeled down next to her. Her cunt was no less drooling, and the two fantastic bubble butts were both shoved in his direction. Pale white and caramel brown skin rub together as they squirmed.


    ¡°Fucking spank me, gorgeous!¡± Reysha pleaded, panting audibly between her words. Everything aligned and there was no holding back now, she wanted to feel everything she could. ¡°Make my ass ripple!¡±


    Apexus was somewhat hesitant. Not in getting behind them on the blanket, that was something he did in a core pulse, but in actually spanking her. He had no idea how strong he actually was now and to test it first on his girls felt like risky business. ¡°You sure? I¡¯m not sure how hard I can hit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been way too fucking long, yes!¡± Reysha near-shouted curving her spine to make her ass that bit more presentable. She had been together with the slime for over half a year now and in that entire time, the best spanking she had gotten she had given herself. A rather hollow imitation of the genuine feeling, which lay even further back than the start of their relationship. Reysha wasn¡¯t impressed enough by just any man she had a tumble with to play the bottom. When it came to Apexus, that question had been solved a while ago. ¡°Spank me!¡±


    ¡°Start careful, if it pleases you, darling,¡± Aclysia added, her tone sweet and submissive. The sexual tendrils were ready to extend from the slime¡¯s back at any moment, but for now he concentrated on the task at hand.


    He put one hand on each of their asses, Aclysia to his left and Reysha to his right, and squeezed. Both women mumbled something under their breath at the touch. His hands had gotten larger and the grip was unsurprisingly firmer than before. Being able to sink that little bit deeper into their bouncy butts was already a fantastic feeling. Then he raised his hand of Reysha¡¯s, just a few centimetres, and brought it back down. That barely had any impact, so he tried again with a bit more distance.


    Immediately, Apexus knew that this was something he would love to do again and again.


    The sharp, clapping sound. The yelp of pain and pleasure by Reysha. The jiggle of her ass. The little reddening that came in response. All of it spoke to the dominant and sadistic sides of his character. ¡°Harder,¡± Reysha pleaded and Apexus eagerly gave her what she wanted. ¡°Harder!¡± she pleaded after the third smack on her ass. ¡°HARDER!¡± she screamed and a rush of delightful pain ran up her spine when he hit her for the fifth time. ¡°Yessssss,¡± she hissed, feeling the burning on her ass cheek. ¡°That¡¯s it, more, please!¡±


    The slime was all too happy to oblige her, alternating between spanking and groping her ass. Instinctive responses to the pain grew more intense, as the imprints of his hand became more numerous and her sensitivity rose. Soon, he had to just give her a little tap to get a little whimper out of her.


    One the left side, Aclysia was getting the same treatment. Her fantastically fat ass bounced as Apexus hit her. She didn¡¯t beg for more, she just moaned with such delight that the humanoid slime couldn¡¯t hold back on doing it again and again. Reysha may have been the one demanding to be spanked initially, but the metal fairy was quickly getting hooked on the taste. A few love taps had been given by tentacles and Reysha before, but this was a whole different level. It made her submissive and masochistic sides sing with delight.


    Appreciating the jiggle, Apexus spread the love to the previously untouched parts of their butts until Aclysia¡¯s ass was red and Reysha¡¯s a deeper shade of reddish brown. ¡°Fucking hellroots, you enjoy this,¡± the tiger girl giggled, starring at the metal fairy who was already drooling on the blanket. Leaning over, Reysha claimed the pink lips of her fellow slime-enthusiast. They moaned, gasped, whimpered and yelped into each other¡¯s mouth while more sharp slaps echoed in the boss room. ¡°Goddess, a hard cock is all I want from life now.¡±


    ¡°Darling¡­ darling would csssss-¡° she took a sharp inhale when her ass was hit another time. The slime was toning it down now, wanting to hear what they were saying. Little taps were enough now anyway, with their backsides that sensitive. ¡°certainly¡­ b-benefit from a penis¡­ it would make the disguise complete¡­¡±


    Reysha giggled and Apexus tried his best to make a smile appear on his face that was not creepy and reflected the amusement he felt at that flimsy excuse. Along with amusement, Apexus felt curiosity. He had eaten enough dicks in his time to understand how to make one or, at least, make something very similar. Theoretically, he had all he needed.


    While still giving their round, red butts the kneading they deserved, he concentrated some attention inwards. The liquid muscle was originally meant to connect to membrane anyway, so Apexus had an easy time constructing a simple, flaccid extension from his groin area. Then he manipulated the membrane around that muscle to mimic the spongey tissue usually found in reproductive organs and concentrated an above average amount of slime in it. That gave it the rigidity of an erect phallus. Finally, he fused one of his sexual tendrils to the thusly created member. The engorged tip of his penetration tentacles had been similar to that of a human in the first place, just without the foreskin.


    All of that happened behind Reysha. The only warning she got for what was about to happen was a more and more excited look in Aclysia¡¯s eyes. Given their continued kiss and the butt worship, the tiger girl hadn¡¯t thought that anything unusual was going on. Then she felt this cock press into her pussy lips and penetrate her.


    ¡°YESSSSSSHHHHH!¡± she screamed, immediately orgasming when his hips pressed against her ultra-sensitive ass. ¡°It¡¯s so hard¡­ it¡¯s so hot¡­ fuck, yes, yes, this is what I needed. I love your tentacles and I love your cock!¡±


    ¡°Want it to be bigger?¡± Apexus asked in a serious tone. ¡°Longer? Shorter? Girthier?¡±


    Reysha¡¯s pussy was still gushing from the orgasm, as she turned hear head and stared with lustful love at her man. ¡°Stretch me out!¡± she shouted. Trembles ran through her, became proper spasms while the cock inside her became thicker and just big enough to be comfortable. ¡°Yes¡­ yes¡­ yeshhh!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so tight,¡± Apexus groaned, the tiger girl¡¯s folds writhing around and clinging to his expanding cock. Once he had reached what felt like the largest extent he could go without hurting her, he started to slowly move. Reysha¡¯s first orgasm rolled over into a second one in a matter of a few dozen thrusts. The sensitivity from a recent meal, her general anticipation, the aching state of her behind, the pheromones rising from Apexus, and this being the first doggy style she had in so long all contributed to her immense sensitivity.


    Apexus appreciated all of what he felt and saw at that moment. The largely unmalleable shape of this improvised organ certainly lend itself to a different kind of feeling than his tentacles. Rather than simply penetrating her, he was properly stretching her out. Gripping the hard shaft tightly, her tensing pussy walls quivered around him with each renewed climax.


    Having to use his hips to penetrate her was something he wasn¡¯t used to either, but it was a splendid exercise in muscle control. Even the initially inexperienced movements were enough to get Reysha screaming and once Apexus got the hang of the simple back and forth, he properly hammered her. Slamming against her backside, making the manhandled ass ripple and her whole body quiver, that was yet another thing the slime loved immediately. He acquired the tastes for humanoid copulation and he wanted more.


    However, for all of the pleasures that hammering Reysha¡¯s drooling wet cunt brought him, the tendrils remained something he was just as eager to use. They flexibility and reach were their own advantages, not to mention the ability to adjust their heads to more specialized purposes. Perhaps most importantly, they allowed him to fuck more than just one woman at a time.


    Aclysia looked with glee at the tentacles curving around her lover¡¯s back. For sentimental reasons, Apexus¡¯ kept the Skinwalker hide off them, leaving the tentacles with the natural dark blue translucency of his fluid body. For all of the advantages this humanoid body gave him, the slime was still a slime at core.


    For her part, the metal fairy just liked the traditional look of the tendrils for aesthetic and nostalgia reasons winding around her wrists. A third tentacle slithered around her neck, pulling her towards her darling while her hands were raised above her head. Once she was upright, the hand on her bubble butt pressed her against his side. ¡°Darling,¡± she gasped loudly when he gave her ass one more slap.


    Apexus devoured her parted, pink lips by bowing down. At first, he simply kissed her. His tendril of a tongue started by swirling around her regular tongue, tasting her metallic sweetness. As greed grew, more tentacles assaulted his beloved angel. Pressing into the softness of her thighs, restricting the lustful quivering of her waist, assaulting her erect nipples with specialized tips and, most overtly, grinding through her pussy lips. The lubricating fluids the tentacles exuded on their own wasn¡¯t needed in the slightest to penetrate that sopping wet cunt, but Apexus loved to see the growing need in the submissive fairy¡¯s eyes.


    When he finally did penetrate her, the tentacle in her mouth simultaneously expanded. At the same time, Apexus kissed her, fucked her face and her cunt. Aclysia immediately came and she came hard enough for a gush of pussy juice to stain the blanket with a large wet spot. A second one quickly followed when the slime gave her ass another hard smack. Pain made her entire body rigid for just one moment, the sensation immediately mixing with the numerous pleasures of the bound body and ecstatic mind that rushed through her. One final, tiny tendril, attached to her clit, splitting from the thick one that slid in and out of her cunt. Aclysia¡¯s eyes were glassy and unfocused.


    Reysha was insatiable. ¡°Mhre, mhre, mhre,¡± she gasped into the blanket, clawing at it and biting the cloth with primitive need. Shivers and spasms travelled up and down her spine, the roots of her hairs tingled, her body was glistening from sweat and the high humidity of the place, giving her caramel skin and the stripes a seductive sheen. She had just enough control of her body to swing her ass back and forth. ¡°MORE!¡± she screamed, throwing her head upwards, just as Apexus sheathed himself all the way inside her.


    Although the seed didn¡¯t have to rush up from everywhere, the pumping still made the hard cock tense in a fashion very similar to a human. Spurt after spurt of cum flooded into Reysha¡¯s cunt, filling her with a massive, if infertile, load that no regular man could have compared with. Pressed against his side, by her own volition and by delectable force, Aclysia had not just her pussy filled, but her throat as well. The other tendrils remained steady at their work.


    While Aclysia was forced into several more orgasms, Reysha got to ride out the one she was having. Both were having the time of her life. It catered to their individual kinks, the levels of control they wanted to have. Aclysia forfeit it all to please her darling, that was how she preferred to serve him. Reysha was more ¡®selfish¡¯ wanting to dwell in sexual ecstasy.


    ¡°Cock,¡± the tiger girl gasped, kneading the blanket like a very happy feline, ¡°cock¡¯s sho goooood.¡± She gyrated her ass, her pussy working Apexus¡¯ dick to milk every last drop he had from him. The hot seed inside her, the shaft fitting so snugly inside her stretched, sopping wet cunt, her ass still aching from the wonderful abuse, it all made her heart beat up to her throat with delight. ¡°Mooooaaarrrreeee.¡±


    Apexus pulled his tongue out of Aclysia¡¯s throat. To the mindless gasps of the metal fairy, the slime asked. ¡°You want more?¡±


    ¡°Yesshh- AH!¡± Reysha screamed when he hit her ass mid answer.


    ¡°You two want me to fuck you more?¡± Apexus asked, really getting the hang of this dirty talk thing. ¡°You want me to make you quivering messes?¡± The humanoid slime was far from done himself. He felt so powerful at the moment, so incredibly ready to engrain himself into every part of them. ¡°When I¡¯m done with you, you won¡¯t ever think of another male.¡±


    ¡°I never needed another man,¡± Aclysia gasped instinctively. ¡°I love you, I love you, darling, please use me more. Spank me more!¡± the ecstasy loosened her tongue and made her shamelessly blabber. ¡°Fill me in every way you want. Please, please, I want you to use me. More!¡±


    ¡°More!¡± Reysha echoed, still wiggling her ass. ¡°Ruin me, you magnificent cock. Make love to me, take me, stretch me out, tease me, pull my hair, hit my ass, cuddle me tightly, do it all. I only want you anyway!¡±


    Apexus smirked with adoration and dominant delight. He reached out to Reysha, ¡°I¡¯ll give you what you want. I¡¯ll give you everything you want, because I love you and your body.¡± He bundled up the majority of her crimson mane, leaving only some strands to messily frame her face, and firmly pulled at her until her spine arched. Her ass was flat against his groin, when he asked, ¡°Can you feel that?¡±


    Reysha moaned and madly giggled at the same time, while she felt a soft but growing pressure against her backdoor. That little bit was enough to make her tongue loll out. Wild anticipation made her feel hot and cold at the same time. ¡°Yeshhhh,¡± she answered, trying her best to remain still. ¡°I want that tentacle inshide me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a tentacle,¡± Apexus told her, drifting into the tone of a factual explanation. ¡°There is nothing preventing me doing the same improvised thing twice.¡±


    While Reysha thought that his tone wasn¡¯t fitting for the mood, she was too focused on the sensation pressing against her sphincter to care. Because he knew that hole wasn¡¯t, traditionally, meant for what he was about to do to it, Apexus proceeded with caution. The second pecker started comedically small, exuded a lot of lubrication while it grew bigger. A slightly disappointed whimper by the tiger girl could be heard when he first penetrated her backdoor, but that soon changed into wild panting as he surely but steadily widened her. Just as the girth increased, so did the length of the secondary cock.


    Reysha¡¯s eyes rolled up bit by bit. By the time the cock in her ass had the same cunt-stretching size as the one in her pussy, the expression of her face was one of raw ecstasy. The blue iris in her black sclera was barely visible anymore, fluids dropped from her tongue and her cunt, and she was completely silent for a few seconds. She trembled wildly, as if she was overtaken by an intense fever. Then he started moving again.


    Her ass was tight. The sphincter clenched even tighter than her pussy and the insides of her backdoor pressured him from all directions. It was all different from her pussy and mouth, a third flavour of pressure. Apexus very much preferred the proper hole for these things, but it wasn¡¯t as if he was limited in his choice. Having both at the same time, in addition to so much more, was a heaven on its own. Even if he had been ambivalent to these new sensations, Reysha¡¯s screams would have been all he needed.


    ¡°FUUUUUUUUUCK!¡± the redhead roared on top of her lungs. She blinked rapidly, got control of her sight back for a moment, then he plunged into both of her holes again and wiped every sign of thought from her mind. ¡°Cumming! Cumming! Cumming!¡± she gasped, her pussy squirting several times, completely drenching the cloth under her knees. ¡°HARDER! FASTER! YES! YEAAAHHHHHSSHHH!¡±


    Apexus obliged her, thrusting into her with all the power this evolved body allowed him. The blanket tore, Reysha gripping it too tightly as she kept orgasming. A tentacle appeared in front of her. Perverted instinct drove her to lean towards it, but Apexus still held her by the hair. He teased her for a moment, keeping the tip just out of the range of her lips. She tasted the tip with her tongue, the pheromone-induced juices were so incredibly sweet. Already drowning in the full-dose, it had no additional effects on the tiger girl. No, the only thing that heightened her pleasure even further was when the tentacle slid into her eagerly offered mouth and stretched out her throat.


    From unthinking to reality-annihilating ecstasy, her delight was amplified. The triple penetration she had wanted for so long was finally here, all of the nympho tiger''s holes filled by the one slime, the one male, she so deeply adored. He was fucking her so hard every thrust reverberated in her entire being. She could feel nothing but his hard cocks plunging into her ready body over and over again. Climax after climax rolled over her and squirt after squirt she drenched the blanket.


    ¡°Darling¡­¡± Aclysia whispered needily, looking enviously at the loss of reason that was her fellow lover. Before she could formulate her plead, Apexus was already moving. He kissed her again, another tentacle growing from his back and reaching for her own back entrance. With her, he was less careful, knowing that her metal body could take things quicker and that she would delight in a hint of pain.


    Aclysia¡¯s eyelids fluttered as she experienced that same insanity of pleasure. She couldn¡¯t have guessed just how full she would feel, with him inside all of her fuckable holes. It was an incredible sensation, having her entire body dominated and used by his extensions. Steadily, they slid in and out of her, the smooth movements bringing her nothing but delight. ¡®Use me,¡¯ she gasped inside her mind, hoping her body served him well.


    It did. Without a shadow of a doubt, Apexus was intoxicated by the many sensations running through his sexual growths. The rhythm of all of his movements aligned, making them one messy collection of limbs, squirting orgasm and delight. Tentacles slithered around Reysha¡¯s decently sized tits, kneading them and playing with her nipples, while his left hand still groped Aclysia¡¯s exceedingly juicy ass. Their cunts were trembling all around him, their assholes pressuring him so incredibly tight, their mouths so willing and reverberating with desperate moans.


    The stamina of the slime was boundless. He didn¡¯t need air, his muscles didn¡¯t get sore, all he needed was the energy to keep his heat up and he had recently had a filling meal. The only limitation was pleasure. After a time that could have been long or very short, none of them were in a condition to say, Apexus felt that inevitable conclusion grow closer. He had no need to announce himself, they were both beyond satisfied and he knew that.


    When he finally came, all control slipped for him for one moment. Every last tentacle in use started covering the bodies of his women in white, thick seed. More, much more, came from the six buried inside them. The surrounding heat told the slime¡¯s instincts that those tentacles were ready to fill breedable cunts. His deliberate infertility and the inaccuracy for most of them didn¡¯t matter.


    As their asses, stomachs and wombs were all painted white with an abundance of seed, both women tensed up completely. They made no sounds, forgot how to breathe and how to see, hear or smell. Only taste and touch remained ¨C the taste of Apexus and his seed and the touch of his cocks and tentacles. Had their bodies not been so exhausted already, they would have squirted more. As it was, even their adventurer physique gave in to the white-hot lightning that wrecked them.


    Apexus felt similar, having all the cum his body could produce being drained into their greedy little holes. They clung so tight, but also pulsed in the tiniest ways that kept his pleasure high. Thick spurt for thick spurt, he kept filling them.


    The pleasure abated after a while, quicker for the slime than the two women. While he started to retreat, they were still getting claimed by intense aftershocks. When he pulled out of their mouths, they swallowed and coughed heavily. Leaving their cunts and backdoors was a lot messier, the widened holes immediately starting to leak their cream filling on the blanket.


    With his strong arms and emerald wings, Apexus embraced both of them. Holding them until they calmed down was its own pleasure.

 The Long Way Prologue 1 – The Doubtful Blessed

    The presence of the divine was everywhere on Sanctuary LXIV. It weaved through every stone that made up the Cathedral Leaf. As the name implied, the entirety of this world was one large place of worship, dedicated to the 33 originals and all that had followed their example. Every blessed brick that made up the superstructure was crafted by a god, a work of art and a mark of their existence. The unfathomably gargantuan structure was unified in its colours. White, the colour of the Progenitor God, was the most prominent, with silver, the colour of the Omniverse, being the second most common. The colours of the other seasons, red, green, brown and blue, were steadily present as well.


    This place was created by the Divinity Beckons Art of the Progenitor¡¯s Chosen, the head of the Church, her holiness Liberia Justitia Amenia the First and Only. By her request, the Progenitor God itself had made this Leaf in the image of his season. Sorcia, the season of magic, in which the weather was an unchanging tranquil and the air became enriched with a steady flow of new mana.


    Mana, the magical resource that the Omniverse created from the void that surrounded it. Its divine presence flowed through the stone. It flowed around the trees in the forest that filled one of the endless courtyards of the cathedral. It played with the leaves, permeated the soil, made it incredibly easy for the Druids and Priests to convince the fields to produce food. Without magic, the supermassive structure would have been unsustainable in terms of food. With magic and those who could wield it, it was a paradise of learning.


    Mehily stood in a corridor, her hands resting on the stone railing that separated her from the drop into the courtyard. Desperately, she tried to perceive colour. She assumed the trees were green, but was unable to verify for herself. For all she knew, every one of those trees, bearing multiple kinds of fruits, could have been tiny representations of the Omniveserse itself. The magic that played around them certainly indicated as much.


    No matter how much she tried, no matter how much she attempted to even be sure of the shape of the trees, she saw nothing but the magical outline of them all. The properties of the Leaf made them rather obvious. Other worlds would not give her as much of a luxury.


    ¡°Attempting your best, as always,¡± a voice filled with unwilling respect reached the blonde¡¯s ear.


    Mehily opened her eyes and turned towards the speaker. Not that this made her perceive the other in a greater fashion than before, it was simple etiquette and a habit that she retained from a time, not terribly long ago, before that which filled the sockets in her skull were pale blue spheres of glass.


    ¡°Lord Inquisitor Lars,¡± the blonde bowed her head before the man. She couldn¡¯t really make out his features, only the mana coursing through him. It was filled with divine purpose, outlining the fibres of muscles and the position of his bones. His sex was apparent not only from that revealed build, but from a lack of seedbed in his lower torso. A woman¡¯s womb was a highly concentrated nucleus of the soul. A man was more evenly distributed in that regard. ¡°I greatly value your respect.¡±


    ¡°As you should, priestess,¡± Lars almost spat out the last word. He and the other Inquisitors on the Leaf, established or in-training equally, never tired of reminding her of what she was. They taught her to see like an Inquisitor, but she never had the convinced zealotry nor the stoic character to actually become one. Mehily was a Priest. ¡°You carry the eyes of one of my pupils and I will not let you waste them.¡±


    ¡°I will not disappoint you,¡± Mehily promised, still keeping her head lowered. That the glass of her eyes originally came from Evmaria was a situation she was never going to fully come to terms with. She and the Inquisitor had never been on friendly terms. Regardless, her death was a great loss. That it came at Reysha¡¯s claws made things even more complicated.


    Lars clicked his tongue, as if Mehily could not possibly succeed with that promise. ¡°What do you see?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Shapes,¡± she responded. ¡°Outlines, veins, cracks. Attributes, to a lesser degree, density, the difference between organic and inorganic. Souls, the presence of Divine Sparks, but little more.¡±


    ¡°Do you see the gardener with the hoe?¡± Lars asked.


    ¡°Yes, Lord Inquisitor. His heartbeat is accelerated from the heavy swings.¡±


    ¡°How about the nun carrying a basket of apples?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She is with child.¡±


    ¡°¡­Indeed¡­¡± Again, there was the tone of hesitant respect. ¡°And the man walking across empty handed?¡±


    Mehily¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, as she concentrated to find who Lars was talking about. The range of her perception increased as her focus intensified. Suddenly her sight was illuminated by a brilliant soul. ¡°¡­a Cardinal?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°¡­No¡­¡± Lars responded slowly. ¡°Anohal Victor. He is a personal assistant of Ecclesiarch Melawa. Your mistake is understandable. He has the power of a Cardinal, but not the rank of one.¡±


    ¡°The Omniverse is too large to be overseen by only thirty-three Cardinals,¡± Mehily said. ¡°Does his presence here mean that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, word of your report has finally reached Illumia,¡± Lars scoffed, a shade of red tinting his soul. That was the only place Mehily had found to reliably see colour. ¡°Her supreme holiness should reconsider the proposal of the First Inquirer. 162 days for a message of this importance to come to the attention of the Blessed Council. A streamlining of the bureaucracy is clearly in order.¡±


    ¡®A streamlining under Inquisitorial oversight,¡¯ Mehily thought the quiet part and kept her lips sealed. As much respect as she had for the militantly faithful, allowing them to dominate the Church¡¯s daily affairs would lead the holy institution to become something wholly different. The current divide between Priests and Inquisitors and the further break-up along sect lines served to keep the entire structure from becoming a hardened monolith. Had it been such when Mehily¡¯s faith was at its most shaken, it would have shattered at the purity required to be accepted into the Church.


    Even now, she had her doubts. Were the mortals truly deserving of the freedom to choose their own path if monsters like Apotho were created from it? If they could execute a creature like Apexus merely for failing to understand what it was? In Jersoja¡¯s teachings, she found her answers to the questions of discipline and self-improvement, but not the whys and hows of the Omniverse. The libraries of Sanctuary LXIV offered the words of other Cardinals and the tenants of other gods to research. Much of that had been enlightening.


    Those libraries, she did not trust the Inquisitors to oversee. She had an inkling that more fundamental texts would become all that was easily available. The Inquisitors wouldn¡¯t dare to burn the other sacred texts, certainly, but those that didn¡¯t fall into the rigid understandings of the most zealous would find themselves sealed in some hidden away vaults. Even now, such a thing happened occasionally.


    ¡°Then it is time to act?¡± Mehily asked.


    ¡°No, it is time to catch up,¡± Lars told her. ¡°I¡¯ve come to bring you to Anohal. He wishes to speak to you personally.¡±


    ¡°It will be my honour,¡± the blonde Priest said in a steady tone. She so clearly remembered the awe she felt when she first spoke to Remezan. At this moment, she felt not even an echo of it. The splendour of the Cathedral Leaf had made her grow accustomed to intense divinity. More than that, the chain of events that had ultimately brought her to this place had taught her that the wisest men could be fools.


    They descended into the forest through a flight of stone steps. Mehily¡¯s bare feet felt grass. She was trying to hone her sense of touch as much as possible. Here on Sanctuary LXIV, she could see a good hundred metres with her Inquisitor¡¯s eyes. Through the sacrifice of other things, she could perceive so many tiny details. Once she left this place, it would be more difficult. Few Leaves were as drenched with magic and divinity as this one.


    ¡°Anohal Victor,¡± Lars called out.


    ¡°Ah, no honorific, as usual of you,¡± the same responded in a soft voice. Now that she was closer to him, Mehily perceived Anohal in more detail. His build was quite effeminate, long, slender limbs, a bone structure on the androgynous side, and a thin torso was densely packed with muscles that looked unimpressive.


    ¡°You are an assistant, you have no honours to your name,¡± Lars remarked.


    ¡°Quite,¡± Anohal chuckled. ¡°Lord Inquisitor, you truly live up to the title.¡± While his tone was amused, a multitude of complicated colours flared in his soul. It was a spectacle of light and emotions.


    ¡°How I loathe you worshipers of Hashahin,¡± Lars confessed. ¡°Blessed by the God of Arts and Actors, but your double-faced nature is infuriating.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain it confuses your uncracked eyes,¡± the effeminate man laughed, moving one hand to his mouth to hide his smile. The sound of bells rang out as he moved. ¡°What do you think about what you see, Mehily?¡±


    ¡°I do not understand it,¡± the blonde responded earnestly, looking into the flares of emotion inside Anohal. There was a pattern to it, manifesting in a mandala of repeating colours. ¡°I can see control, but I can make no sense of it. Whatever you feel, you do it with chaotic deliberation.¡±


    ¡°I dance to the greatest of tunes,¡± Anohal said and opened his arms wide, ¡°and I have come as quick as I could to this place.¡±


    ¡°162 days,¡± Lars growled.


    ¡°Did you truly keep count?¡±


    ¡°As best as our state of information allowed me to. This is no laughing matter, Anohal Victor.¡±


    ¡°That purely depends on your stance on joviality and your state of sanity,¡± the follower of the Great Actor giggled. ¡°Either way, you must admit that I came here quickly.¡±


    ¡°Half a year ¨C is that what the sacred administration calls quickly nowadays?¡±


    Anohal¡¯s tone suddenly swung into earnest scolding. ¡°When responding to the matters of the endlessly sprawling creation, I would assert this, yes. What do you expect, Lord Inquisitor, that the news of a Warlock sends the gods themselves into motion?¡±


    ¡°A Warlock?¡± Lars growled. ¡°We are talking about a Master of the Roots who saw the Core of Creation and who lost his Divine Spark in the process.¡±


    ¡°A Warlock,¡± Anohal waved off, ¡°of considerable power, yes, but just a Warlock. Fallen adventurers are hardly something new. Someone of his power will burn a Leaf or two before we can stop him, rather than one or two cities before the local government does it. The stakes are different, but the play is going to continue according to the plan. Just as it always does.¡±


    ¡°Your arrogance will be your undoing,¡± Lars stated.


    ¡°Is that an Inquisitorial prophecy, I wonder?¡± Anohal hummed.


    ¡°A statement of fact, Imk be my witness.¡±


    ¡°Swearing on our Lord of the Compass? You truly must despise me.¡± Although she couldn¡¯t see it, Mehily knew the man was smiling. ¡°Then I swear upon Hoard that I will give some more to charity this year. That should certainly delay the dark fate in store for me.¡±


    ¡°Swear to that selfish Kobold entity all you like.¡±


    ¡°Selfish or not, he is still a divine. I thought you respected all matters sacred deeply, Lord Inquisitor.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Mehily spoke up, ¡°but is this truly necessary?¡±


    Her question was born from two factors. For one, this was a waste of her time. There was much she still had to learn, to understand, before she could head back out into the world. More importantly, the dismissiveness with which this man treated this whole affair bothered her. She still remembered the horror of the Deathhound. The silence of Heralry was carved into her ears. The darkness that accompanied her all the way to this Sanctuary. Confusion as she was transported, days spent sleeping in avoidance of trauma. Reclaiming the ability to see.


    ¡°Necessary for my entertainment,¡± the follower of the Great Actor told her. ¡°Does it offend you, perhaps? I must apologize. It is true that Apotho breaking free is a concern slightly above average. My master has even deemed it necessary himself to see to the matter.¡±


    ¡°¡­Your master only?¡± Lars asked. ¡°Must I repeat myself? We are dealing with a Master of the Roots here, Anohal. The Progenitor¡¯s Chosen herself must attend to this issue.¡±


    ¡°And she will, she certainly will, once we make her aware of Apotho¡¯s location,¡± Anohal hummed. ¡°Until then, our highest lady has to deal with more important issues. You will have to agree that a Leaf-Eater is of a higher concern than an adventurer enslaving a few thousand people, yes?¡±


    To that, Lars had no response. Yet, Mehily was shaking. ¡°You see this as an ordinary affair?¡± she wanted to know.


    ¡°It is an ordinary affair,¡± Anohal responded, flatly. ¡°I understand that, from where you are standing, Apotho is a threat like no other. As difficult as it may be for you to believe, him breaking out is a catastrophe of the level that, to me, merely means that this is a day that ends in Y. The humanoids of the Omniverse strive for divinity. Those unfit to reach it fall to basic pleasures. The pursuit of basic pleasures leads them to egotistical cruelty and corruption. The humanoids that still strive for divinity, or are simply decent, ultimately remove them through much hardship. The play of history unfolds over and over again. This is just another curtain rising.¡±


    Mehily calmed herself. ¡®Think of the teachings of Jersoja. Freeze your emotions and only assert what is virtuous to feel.¡¯ ¡°Then what do you need to know to make this curtain fall swiftly?¡± she wanted to know.


    ¡°Primarily where he is. Personally, I also have a moderate interest in where the trio you mentioned have gone,¡± Anohal tapped his foot in a steady rhythm. ¡°If Apotho let them live, they will either know something or he will come to seek them sooner or later. The villains can never help themselves. When power becomes the lens through which one views the world, cruelty becomes a sport.¡±

 The Long Way Prologue 2 – The Certain Desecrators

    Tehomeia, that was the name of the Paradise Leaf.


    The season of magic impregnated the air with boundless energy, roiling forests of crystal-leafed, silver trees covered hills and mountains with their brilliance. Between them played the animals. Albeit predators needed to hunt the less fortunate members of the ecosystem, when there was no hunger, there was peace between all of them. They were brilliant beings, evolved to blend into the fantastic landscape. Silver sparkling scales and fur, teeth like gemstones, eyes that saw the flow of magic. The animals were well-nourished and happy, the plants practically shot out of the fertile soil, and the oceans were overabundant with the fruits of the sea.


    The local population of humanoids knew little of shortcomings. Certainly, they experienced the ups and downs of life, death, drama, love, care, friendship, betrayal, injustice, and family, but the hardships which nature usually piled onto the sapient experience they were spared. Outside problems, they encountered rarely. Few people could step into the thick magic unprepared and survive for long. What the inhabitants of the world had been acclimated to from birth was a deadly miasma to most beings. So concentrated was the power.


    In that isolated garden of divine creation, full of brilliance, in a flat valley between black mountains covered with white snow, festered a scar. Silver wood and crystal leaves, the colour of the four regular seasons, were scattered about. Hacked into pieces by thralls, the magically rich material was tossed into massive furnaces. Blood red fire consumed them, boiled chunks of the mountains and turned it into proper Blackstone.


    The ash spewed forth from the chimneys settled in the exposed soil, tainted what once was fertile brown a leaden grey. Infused with hellfire, the ash sent out sparks of blood red and bright green whenever disturbed by the thralls that stomped eagerly from one point of the scorched earth to another. The grey scar grew, made larger by the endlessly falling ash and every tree chopped down to fuel it.


    At the centre of the scar, toiled yet more thralls. With metal and magic, they fashioned blocks from the Blackstone. Each was a work of art, the surfaces carefully smoothed and polished. Runes, sigils and decorations were chiselled into the hard stone. Each block had its place and mistakes were unforgivable. The master¡¯s house could be nothing short of a monument to his glory.


    A crowd of fervent worshippers were granted the tiniest pause, observing what was happening on a podium near the centre of the scar. A man was on his knees, tears streaming down his ash-covered face. He begged for another chance to be useful. That he regretted rebellion. That he should have never raised his hand against her master¡¯s work.


    Above him stood the empress of this place. A beauty above all beauties, beyond compare. Her alluring figure was covered by black satin. Not a speck of ash or dust dared to settle on her hourglass figure. Auburn hair framed her gentle face, each feature aligned with perfect symmetry. Most outstanding of all were her emerald green eyes. They gazed at the man with deep vice. Five slender fingers and a warm palm were gently placed on the rebel¡¯s head.


    With the ease an adult would have torn paper with, the Empress of Blood tore open the top of the man¡¯s skull. Pain and doom dominated the consciousness of the man in his last moments. His screams were drowned out by the crowd. Adoring, with voices deep and ecstatically shrill, they shouted her name: ¡°Jolene! Jolene! Jolene!¡±


    The local population of humanoids had known little of shortcomings. Certainly, they had experienced the ups and downs of life. Now they no longer cared for them. They were truly free of all worries of nature, even their own. They were nothing but thralls to the whims of their empress. The whims of the empress were in service of her master.


    While the empress relished in the blood dripping from her hand, while the crowd worshipped her, around the execution stand the work continued. With rope, wheel, crane and magic, they moved the finished Blackstone blocks to the centre of the scar ¨C the very centre of this world.


    Bit by bit, they erected the master¡¯s house. The mansion was finished, a luxurious and cyclopean, circular structure, but it was a mere base for what he needed of them. A tower, tall enough to part the clouds, that was what he needed. The centre of a summoning circle that would span the entire world.


    From the third and uppermost floor of this mansion, Apotho looked down at the execution. Jolene looked up to him, waved innocently with her bloody hand. The Warlock made a gesture with his head, commanding her return to the insides of the house. She nodded and started to move. Apotho turned away from the filth outside and faced the clean luxury of his home.


    He was dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. They had running water, heat and energy for their operations, all drawn from the enriched air and soil, but the state of decoration wasn¡¯t enough for him. Blackstone, good as it was as a conductor, was hardly pleasing to look at on its own. The Deathhounds had been sent out to slaughter nearby wildlife to fill the rooms with furs and other trophies. Something to break up the black and decorate the walls with splendour befitting of their master.


    The room he was currently in benefitted the most from these developments. It was one of the many bedrooms and the one he currently preferred to use. The mountain of cushions and furs didn¡¯t meet his standards of a bed, but it was a start. Once they had properly established themselves here, he could send out raiding parties to bring him what he deserved.


    ¡®Have you no shame?¡¯ his voice whispered into his mind.


    ¡®The only shame here is how inept those thralls are,¡¯ the Warlock responded, while sitting down on the fur of a Greatwolf. It was situated in front of a fireplace. Although the season of Sorcia kept temperatures at a pleasant balance, the Warlock always kept a fire crackling. It comforted him. The flames had the same colour as his long, crimson hair. It was neatly combed. His muscular, lean body was clean and naked. He hadn¡¯t yet been offered tribute that he deemed worthy of wearing outside of protecting his skin from the muck. ¡®I give them the chance to contribute to greatness and this is all they achieve in a month.¡¯


    Finding a proper base of operations hadn¡¯t been an easy task. Even with all of the tools Apotho had at his disposal, navigating the Branches took time. As a Master of the Roots whose level 50 Art had been Ritualist, he could open portals between demonically tainted worlds. For that, he just needed an adequate amount of lifeforce to sacrifice. Thanks to Deathless Greed that was not an issue. He had infinite energy to sacrifice within himself.


    Finding the first tainted world, however, that had taken some time. Apotho even considered transforming one himself. If it hadn¡¯t been for the Church, he would have considered. Staying stationary near Ctania would have been risky. Slow as the response of the Church would be, the Warlock needed to delay the confrontation for as long as possible. They had more resources than he could hope to gather even in a thousand years. Engaging them had to be carefully weighed.


    Ultimately, after two months, he found what he needed. As far as tainted worlds went, it wasn¡¯t an impressive one. Apotho would have rather taken the time to dethrone a halfway powerful overlord than take the time of building up his own infrastructure there. Beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers, as they said, and so Apotho established himself as ruler there. He wouldn¡¯t stay, but the children he had abducted from Ctania would. At worst, this place would serve as a distraction. At best, it would be an outpost for future operations.


    Many of the corrupted Leaves that Apotho once knew had since been cleansed, eliminating his first choices. Rather than a specific place, the Warlock came to travel to an area he found the Church wasn¡¯t particularly influential around. There, after several more months of search, he finally found, close to the tip of the Branch, a Paradise Leaf. Only the most powerful of Adventurers could even breathe the air without choking at the raw magic. A perfect barrier between him and the scouts of the Church.


    Enslaving the local people and putting them to work had been the easiest part of all of this. They wouldn¡¯t serve him for long. Much as regular folk couldn¡¯t enter, those born in this atmosphere couldn¡¯t leave. They had their temporary use as builders and slaves, but Apotho needed warriors if he was to build an empire. The gods had denied him his right of creation and so he would carve out of their worlds what he wanted.


    Tehomeia, that had been the name of the Paradise Leaf. The Warlock did not care for what the divine had ordained a place to be called. He was his own master, he was the master of these people and this Leaf. It would be called Fell Seed, the place where his reign over the Omniverse blossomed from.


    Apotho turned his head as Jolene reached the current floor. Stairs were beneath people of their status, so magically lifted stone platforms brought them up or down instead. Along with the meticulously clean Empress of Blood came the four Deathhounds.


    They were roughly humanoid in shape, albeit none would have ever thought of them similar to even the most monstrous of the ¡®proper¡¯ humanoids. Their skin was dark and leathery, and glistened as if oiled. Their heads were neckless and elongated, with four black eyes. They moved independently from each other, the red of their scleras shifting around. Two slits between the eyes served as the nostrils. Their maws extended halfway down their long heads, filled with nothing but canines, developed to rend flesh.


    One of the Deathhounds tasted the air with his pointy tongue, while he tapped around Jolene on his six limbs. Each of the demons had four arms, ending in three long claws and two, comparatively short, thumps. Their four-taloned legs could support upright walking just as well, but they knew better than to raise their head above their superiors. The one that kept running around Jolene¡¯s legs wagged his prehensile tail.


    ¡°Purlesk, out of my way,¡± Jolene scolded him. ¡°Master called for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Empresssss,¡± the demon hissed obediently and made his way to the corner of the room where a pile of bones from various lesser animals had been piled up.


    The other three Tharnatos class demons followed their enthusiastic brethren. Soon, they fought over who got to sharpen their teeth on the human skull. As always, Kurlesh was the one to win that fight. ¡°Know your place!¡± the leader of the pack scolded the rest.


    ¡°I know my place, yes I do,¡± Purlesk amusedly responded. ¡°I serve Master and Empress, not a show-off like you.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrr,¡± Kurlesh growled, pulling his lips back. He only stopped when he was about to salivate on Apotho¡¯s gleaming floor.


    ¡°Can¡¯t even growl right¡­¡± Terlash chimed in, quiet for a monstrosity of his size. Next to him, Turlesh looked for the Ice Drake bone that he preferred to gnaw on. Anything else just didn¡¯t taste right.


    Kurlesh tensed up, ready to assert his dominance, when Apotho said a simple word, ¡°Quiet.¡± The entire room obeyed. The Deathhounds didn¡¯t even dare to touch their bones, in case their rattling annoyed their Master. Apotho stared into the flames and thought. ¡°Jolene, strip.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Master,¡± the Empress of Blood swooned, sliding out of her dress with supernatural elegance. Even if he was only looking from the corner of his eyes, she put all of her sinful lust into the motions. She wore nothing under the dress. Her pink nipples were already erect and her cunt overflowing. ¡°Do you wish to take me, Apotho?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m yours and yours alone, do with me as you wish, Master!¡± The execution had left her excited and serving him would please her greatly.


    ¡°Get on the bed and play with yourself,¡± he gave her another command and the outwardly perfect woman obeyed with crazed haste. While ecstatic moans and the wet dancing of fingers filled the black mansion, Apotho directed his gaze at the Deathhounds. It had been a while since he last attempted to solve a certain matter. ¡°Turlesh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Massterrrr?¡± the Deathhound asked, having finally found his favourite bone.


    ¡°I want you to¡­¡± he pressed against mental resistance ¨C and broke though, ¡°¡­to find that pesky slime.¡±


    The moans from the bed spiked in intensity. Jolene¡¯s excitement only grew, witnessing the Master she had helped create inch closer to his old glory. There was a gap, when she brought herself to a first climax.


    ¡°If that issss your wish, Master,¡± Turlesh obediently bowed his head and made his first steps towards the elevator. Kurlesh grabbed him by the leg and pulled him back.


    ¡°Only to find him, Master?¡± the leader of the pack asked. ¡°Shall I bring him back? Unharmed?¡±


    Apotho knew what he wanted to say, but those words refused to leave his lips. The remains of Gizmo struggled, still strong enough to protect the few people that he had come to care for. ¡°Just find him¡­ and¡­¡± it physically strained the Warlock to speak, his commands changing to an angry growl. ¡°You useless splinter of my mind, shatter already¡­¡± he inhaled and stood up, crossing the room.


    His aggression found its outlet in Jolene¡¯s throat. With both hands, he gripped her and strangled the Empress of Blood. Her ecstatic sounds were silenced, her eyes rolled up, their white surrounding turning as red as the other demons. Her flaming locks of auburn hair shook wildly, as her body spasmed. ¡°Yessshhhh,¡± she managed to press out a wanton cry. Her spine curved, black wings, like a bat¡¯s, extending from it. Still, her beauty remained peerless.


    ¡°Hurt ¨C him!¡± Apotho shouted. ¡°Remind that creature that his life is mine to take!¡±

 The Long Way 1 – The Slime has no clothes

    Reysha ran her tongue along the side of the shaft and then slipped her lips around the thick tip. Even with the entire group clean and thoroughly satisfied, the tiger girl remained figuratively glued to her lover¡¯s crotch. Much as the tiger girl liked getting her mouth filled, she hadn¡¯t actually given blowjobs for the fun of it in the past. It had always been an enthusiastic preamble to the main course. After such a long break without hard cock around her, she was driven to break with that behaviour and enjoy the act of worshipping the erect member itself. Certainly, another part of her engaging so eagerly was that the person who that cock was attached to was dearer to her than random hook-ups.


    Apexus had improvised the dick by using muscle to create a dangly outgrowth and then manipulated the membrane in the area to be of a spongy structure. By filling the resulting caverns with slime, he could achieve the same pressure-induced hardness as a male reproductive organ. As for the engorged head, he didn¡¯t need to recreate that, since the top of his tentacles had always been similar to a human¡¯s, minus the foreskin. Just fusing one of them into the improvised extension finished the product and gave it top-centred sensitivity, even if the shaft was a lot more sensitive than it would have been for the average male. As a being that was used to several pleasure sources simultaneously reaching his core, Apexus had no issue with that.


    From a purely visual standpoint, the copy was almost flawless. The liquid muscle at the centre of the crafted cock even poked out of the underside, mimicking the tract that usually ran along there. Apexus didn¡¯t have a need to urinate and his cum was produced at the tip, so that was just decorative. Reysha appreciated the familiar sensations, as she took him all the way into her throat.


    If he still had the second dick around, she would have been all over that one as well. After they had finished their threesome, Apexus had decided that it was superfluous to keep it around. If he wasn¡¯t in the process of double-penetrating both of her lower holes, two dicks were a bit of an issue.


    For all of the fun he had with it, the one male reproductive organ he kept around was also part of his disguise. Possessing no dick would have raised eyebrows, one dick was normal, and two would have caused questions again. There was also the practicality issue of where to leave that floppy thing.


    ¡°We should go,¡± Aclysia spoke up, her wisdom triumphing over her desire to join in the cock worship. They had places to be and affairs to get in line. Also, she felt some phantom-aching on her round backside. Healing magic took care of the actual drawbacks from being aggressively spanked and fucked, but her body remembered.


    ¡°I need food,¡± Apexus backed up his metal fairy, his hunger triumphing over his to desire to keep watching the tiger girl¡¯s head bob in his lap. Blowjobs were pretty fantastic from every angle, he had to admit, but he was running low on energy. All of the seed produced put aside, most of the energy he had gotten from eating the boss had gone into transforming into his new, muscular form. Additional nutrients were required to increase his reserves.


    ¡°Jusht fiahve more minutesh,¡± Reysha slurred and slobbered all over the hard prick, her lust triumphing over anything else. The ecstatic return of cock into her life had her desires at an immense high. Even if tentacles were their own fun, the tiger girl could not deny how much she craved to suck on Apexus¡¯ manmeat. The tip produced a steady stream of pheromone-induced lubricant, which only prolonged her desires. The actual cum had an even bigger amount of the ever-stronger aphrodisiac in it. It was a new capability, activated by Apexus¡¯ breeding instincts and not disabled yet by his will.


    If pure lust wasn¡¯t enough to keep on going, then Apexus being an absolute hunk of a gorgeous man, who she also happened to be in love with, absolutely was. With her blue eyes looking up into Apexus¡¯, she continued to caress the entirety of his length with lips, tongue and throat. Her eyelids fluttered when her fingers rubbed her to an orgasm of her own.


    While she gasped and throated his cock, the chimera slime considered her plea. ¡®We¡¯ll be here until I have absolutely no energy left, if I keep indulging her,¡¯ he realized. A moment later, his dick began to deflate. It wasn¡¯t pleasant to stop in the middle of, what his instincts perceived to be, a potential breeding encounter. What had to be done, however, had to be done. Sustenance was more important.


    The shape of the improvised male reproductive organ was maintained remained the same. This was notable due to the nature of the tip, being the kind of tendril Apexus usually only manifested during sexual encounters. Fusing it to the muscle and membrane gave it staying power. As a minor drawback the pleasure cells in the area did not go completely dormant, while the head and the entire cock shrunk down.


    As Apexus experienced all of that, Reysha was experiencing a state of shock. As a woman of considerable beauty, libido and skill at giving head, she had not had a man go limp on her outside of the bumbling beginnings of her sexual adventures. ¡°Please tell me you can do that deliberately?!¡± she asked in an almost panicked tone.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus gave the direct answer, slightly tilting his head. ¡°Can normal men not?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s usually more of an automated reaction,¡± Aclysia informed him, ¡°from what my pre-conceived knowledge tells me, an erection does not go away because the man just wills it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds bothersome,¡± Apexus said, and looked at the tiger girl poking his now flaccid dick. ¡°I won¡¯t make it erect again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Reysha pouted, but kept inspecting it. Fully deflated, his pecker was less than a fifth of its previous size. Given the fully adjustable dimensions of the member, that spoke to nothing consequential. ¡°You¡¯re definitely a grower,¡± she joked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want it to dangle too much,¡± Apexus told her. Because of the simplicity of the improved organ, he could theoretically create it in a matter of minutes. If it was already present, he could adjust it in a matter of seconds. It was better to keep it around for the odd case that someone had a thorough look at him. At such an occasion he would get mocked for the deceiving smallness, but the slime didn¡¯t care about a measuring contest. ¡°Anything you want adjusted, now that you are clear-minded?¡± he asked, gesturing at his body.


    There was a stark difference in perception between the horny and the sober mind. Both women, however, found that the only reaction they had to inspecting his crafted muscles was that they drifted from the latter to the former.


    ¡°Nah, ya nailed it,¡± the tiger girl spoke for both of them and looked back between his legs. ¡°Having no balls is a bit odd, but there are races that have them on the inside, so that works.¡±


    ¡°Alternatively, he could tell that he is a eunuch?¡± Aclysia suggested.


    ¡°That is not untrue, I think?¡± the slime tilted his head the other direction.


    He had made himself infertile a while back, when the girls first found out that he was able and aiming to impregnate them. A misunderstanding born from Apexus thinking that was the natural reason why anyone would engage in procreation proceedings. Nowadays, he was wise to the fact that sex just felt really good. Whenever they felt that they wanted to pursue offspring again, he could just undo the change.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with my explanation, it¡¯s easier and closer to the truth ¨C which makes it an easier maintained lie.¡± Reysha rubbed herself down with healing fountain water one last time. Then she nodded towards the way they had originally come from.


    There was no shortcut out of this dungeon.


    ________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Dungeon tore all of his clothes apart, so we had to give him one of our robes,¡± Reysha lied naturally, while the tailor took Apexus¡¯s measurements. The newly improved body of the slime had outgrown all of his previous clothes and so they had to get him something new. They were getting that done before they looked into replacements for Reysha¡¯s lost equipment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what happened, as long as you pay me,¡± the tailor grumbled and suddenly looked up. The already unfriendly face of the middle-aged human darkened when he spotted a young woman peeking into the shop. ¡°Oy, Veera, get out of here!¡± Hastily, she ran away. Grumbling, the tailor finished taking the measurements. ¡°Sorry about that, I¡¯ll remind my daughter that she has manners later.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Apexus asked slowly, raising an eyebrow only after he had finished speaking. It was the first time the slime was in a village without his mask. The presence of facial muscles helped him emote properly, but there was a delay between what his old mouth said and what his face expressed. Part of that was because he was still getting used to faking his lip movements. The week they had spent getting out of the dungeon and to this city had been filled with acting lessons.


    They hadn¡¯t been filled with common sense lessons though.


    The tailor looked with befuddlement at his naked customer. ¡°You¡¯re an odd one,¡± he commented, before stomping over to the many drawers that covered one wall of the workshop. ¡°First things first¡­ undergarments,¡± he declared, ¡°before another one of my daughters tries to take a peek at you, cover your shame up.¡±


    A pair of simple linen trunks were soon tossed across the room. Apexus turned them in his hands, then sighed mentally and put them on. ¡®All to fit in,¡¯ he told himself, pulling the undergarments up to his waist and then securing them in place with the ends of the cord that stuck out the front.


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure you only need the one pair?¡± the tailor asked.


    ¡°We have to conserve our money,¡± Aclysia responded in the slime¡¯s stead. ¡°We are not lacking funding, but our income streams are unreliable.¡±


    ¡°If money is the issue, I could give y¡¯all a quest,¡± the tailor said, peeking into another drawer. ¡°You lot interested in going back into the Drowned Altar? I¡¯d like someone to harvest some of the slime muscles for me. They make for flexible waistbands. It¡¯s a lot more comfortable to wear than cords.¡±


    ¡°Appreciated, but we must decline,¡± Aclysia shook her head. ¡°We have other destinations in mind.¡±


    ¡°Hrmph, I¡¯ll post something on the blackboard then,¡± the tailor didn¡¯t pursue the discussion further. Craftsmen paying for monster materials found in dungeons was one line of income the group was missing out on with their current lifestyle. Depending on what was asked, supplying merchants with certain materials could be incredibly lucrative. Apexus and Reysha liked to eat more than they liked to be rich, however. ¡°Guess you¡¯re on your way to White Ice then?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Apexus wondered, happy to continue the conversation. Anything to continue his emotional display training.


    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me the sort that would visit the Trickster¡¯s Tower, so I took a wild guess between the Lemyr Crater and the dungeon,¡± the tailor explained with a shrug. Both places that he mentioned were some of the god-placed landmarks on the Leaf that weren¡¯t dungeons but still could be of interest to an adventurer. The trio, with their defined goals, had no interest in sightseeing.


    There was silence in the room for a little bit, as the tailor placed a robe on the table and checked on its status. As a fully dedicated craftsman, he created clothes in his spare time. Either to have something to sell immediately or to keep his skills sharp. What he currently held was more an overcoat than a robe, and of a simple grey colour.


    ¡°Put this on for me, would you?¡± the tailor requested and handed it over to his customer.


    While the size was about right, there were some structural issues. ¡°It doesn¡¯t close properly in front of the chest,¡± Apexus stated, pulling at the v-shaped cut-out on his chest. There was only a single band that kept the robe in place, bound around the slime¡¯s waist. ¡°Same for the legs.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± the tailor knew that from the start, but he hadn¡¯t known what he could do about it before seeing the overcoat on his customer. ¡°You¡¯re broader than my usual customers, so I don¡¯t have a lot of things that would fit your shoulders, especially with the wings. I could sew a couple of buttons on the top, that should make it work for you. The bottom just doesn¡¯t have enough cloth to do the same without making it look like pencil skirt.¡± He gave the trio a series of apologetic looks. ¡°If y¡¯all want a different robe, I¡¯d have to make it from scratch. Its either this one with pants or a new one.¡±


    ¡°Or, option 3, he runs around with visible legs all day,¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°That would be improper,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°It works for you though, bubble butt.¡±


    ¡°To begin with, the skirt of my Priest robe is only used in combat situations, not social ones. Additionally, it does not reveal my undergarments and I do wish to acquire stockings to compliment,¡± Aclysia pointed out.


    The tailor blew air out of his nose, ¡°You all should also look into thicker clothing, if you want to go to White Ice. Anyway, what¡¯s it going to be? I would recommend some pants anyway and a shirt to boot. Also boots. Ya can get some across the street.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I might as well get a full set,¡± Apexus said and looked to Aclysia for confirmation. He wasn¡¯t psyched about it. Robes were a lot more comfortable because of how loose and easily removed they were.


    ¡°That would likely be wise indeed,¡± Aclysia conceded. ¡°Please adjust the robe. We¡¯ll buy two fitting shirts and pants along with it.¡±


    ¡°As long as you pay me,¡± the tailor shrugged and got to work.


    After they were done there, Apexus could move through the town¡¯s streets without feeling like he was besieged by string. It was a moderately sized town, the kind that supplied all of the necessary gear for smaller villages in the area and for travellers coming through. While there was steady movement on the cobblestone roads, there was nothing in terms of a true crowd. The majority of the people around were standard humans, in contrast to the mostly wood elven population in the north of the Leaf.


    They continued their shopping spree for several more hours. Reysha needed new pants to complement the red shoes and snake-skin top she had gotten in the dungeon. Almost more important was that she got a new belt to secure her daggers, axe and throwing knives on. A new Adventurer¡¯s Bag followed suit, as did some other tools that she had lost in the dungeon. With the necessities out of the way, the group decided to replace some of the worn out cloths and such little things. They also sold everything they no longer needed in the process.


    It was a long list of changes in their inventory.

 The Long Way 2 – The long list [Info List]

    Author¡¯s Note: Yeah, it¡¯s another one of these. Last one has been in Verdany and I figured enough changes occurred, especially to Apexus, that an updated gathering of information is warranted. I was also going to do it anyway, because I need these gathered docs to keep my literal story straight. Might as well get a chapter out of it.


    Apexus


    Class: Omniverse Slime Chimera


    Level: 16 (Approximately)


    Spell list:


    -


    Equipment:


    Wing-friendly Robe (Grey): A grey robe, originally an overcoat that was adjusted to fit Apexus¡¯ impressive frame. Open in front of the legs. Otherwise, grey and simple. The humanoid slime only wears it in social situations.


    Wooden Mask: A simple, undecorated mask that conceals the face. It makes the wearer stand out quite a bit. Apexus has little reason to hide his face nowadays, but he keeps it around should he come in a situation where his lacking emotional displays could be a detriment.


    Shirt: A simple linen shirt, the kind a farmer would wear in springtime.


    Pants: Baggy pants that sit comfortably.


    Undergarment: A simple pair of trunks, secured in place by a cord.


    Shoes: Simple leather shoes. Usual purpose limitations.


    Hairband: A simple string, used to bind hair into a ponytail.


    Adventurer¡¯s Bag: Although often held by Aclysia, Apexus has his own bag. Usually, it only holds his clothes.


    Inventory:


    Gloves: Simple brown gloves, once used to hide a lack of fingernails. Useless nowadays.


    Shoes (Small): Shoes once used to hide Apexus¡¯ lack of toenails. They did not keep up with the demand of his new size. Apexus refuses to shrink his feet, as that would impact his balance.


    Other Factors:


    Beyond Divinity ¨C Does not possess a divine spark. The exact ramifications of this remain unknown.


    Slime ¨C A being who is, at its base, made out of only two components: a nucleus and the name giving liquid surrounding it. The former serves as brain, heart, and every other important organ of the creature. Without it, the slime dies. The slime around is a magically acidic substance that is separated from the outside world through a magical membrane. The acidity of Apexus¡¯s slime is also magical, thus transforming it into a harmless liquid when separated from the main body. Only possess a natural sense of touch, noticing potential prey through tremors, working best underwater and worst in the air.


    Acquiring Devourer ¨C Can grow or replicate limbs, organs and attributes of things he has killed and eaten. Those replications do NOT scale with the size or power of Apexus and they cost varying, but often high, amounts of energy to make. After roughly thirty days, knowledge of these replications fades and Apexus would have to devour a new member of the species. Can keep a Growth around for longer than he remembers how to remake it. Apexus loses all non-permanent Growths when he goes to sleep, something that grows more frequent in need the more complicated his own body gets.


    Challenging Evolver ¨C Upon beating and eating the Apex Existence (Not necessarily Predator) in an ecosystem, Apexus may acquire one of his Growths permanently. These permanently acquired parts do scale with Apexus¡¯ abilities and will outperform their natural counterpart fairly quickly. If and how this ability would work in social settings, where the Apex Existence is determined not by natural factors, is unknown. Permanent Growths can not be completely dissolved, only shrunk down to an insignificant level.


    Magic Sense ¨C Can sense magic while in contact with it, differentiating between a normal and an enchanted object.


    Rebirth from Core ¨C If the nucleus is removed from Apexus¡¯ body in a mostly intact fashion, the slime does not perish immediately. While the entire body will immediately collapse, the slime turning into a harmless liquid and the remaining Growths laying around on their own, the ego and acquired information of Apexus will survive in the nucleus. Given enough time, the nucleus will shrink, its outer layers turning into slime, and allow Apexus to be ¡®reborn¡¯ in a severely weakened state. Water and food are an immediate necessity after such a regeneration.


    Spark Eater ¨C Apexus devours the divine spark of a being along with its flesh. This bars demons from returning to the Hellroots, ending their life permanently.


    Permanent Growths [and their current abilities]:


    Pheromone Ducts ¨C Produce pleasant smells that can manipulate receptive insects and other organisms. Easily tracked by creatures with fine noses. After choosing his gender, Apexus¡¯ pheromones have shown the capability to perform as a minor aphrodisiac. Apexus is able to tune the amount he spreads quite accurately, limiting or increasing the time the scent lingers. The aphrodisiac has come to also be mixed into his sexual fluids.


    Bird Wings ¨C Originally the shape of an eagle¡¯s, these wings can be transformed to better fit the environment or purpose Apexus needs them for at any given time. Such transformations take time and energy, however, especially when it comes to increasing size. Making muscles and fibre out of slime takes a tremendous amount of energy. The wings have an emerald green colour, inspired by Aclysia¡¯s eyes. Attached to Apexus¡¯ shoulder blades and supported by liquid muscles.


    Cat Eyes ¨C Pale blue eyes, chosen for their superb night vision. Sit in their appropriate place inside his skull.


    Fox Ears ¨C Once pale blue, the fox ears have changed to a near black, blending nicely with his black hair. Grant superb hearing that is highly adjustable in its directional perception. Located on top of his head.


    Speaking Plates ¨C Wooden plates attached to the roof of Apexus¡¯ mouth. They vibrate to create a deep, extremely pleasant voice. Can be purposefully manipulated to create a cracked voice that¡¯s similar to a boy in puberty. Through continuous humming, Apexus can create vibrations that have, so far, only been used for lewd purposes. The slime is in the process of linking the creation of syllables to muscle movement, emulating the appearance of regular speech.


    Toothed-Snake Teeth ¨C Uncannily human-like teeth, although with more pronounced edges and spikes. Attached to his human jaw, making it seem almost correct. Inspected closely, their feral appearance becomes clear.


    Human Skeleton ¨C The skeleton of a male human. Adjustable in dimension of the individual bones, manipulating length and girth, but not in placement. Apexus remains completely flexible, as he doesn¡¯t have to worry about nerves and veins and such.


    Skinwalker Hide ¨C Replaced Apexus¡¯ outer membrane with a superior version. It can part and close quicker. It¡¯s harder and more flexible at the same time. It allows him to hold appearance shifts without problem. Can change to different mono-colourations and minor colour deviations appropriate for mimicking a human. It¡¯s also a perfect base for further improvements.


    Black Strands ¨C Black hair that can be grown to whatever length the owner wants. The roots are highly sensitive to movement. Each strand can be ejected at will, preventing grappling. Used to create hair and eyebrows.


    Silver Crystal Ducts ¨C Ducts that can grow sheets of a remarkably stable crystal material. It turns brittle once grown out too far. Can grow at an incredibly fast rate, if desired. Used as fingernails and emergency claws. Can create protective patches, if the strike is anticipated in time. Can be made to glow or vibrate. Develops only minor heat and only as a side product.


    Volcano Tearer Heat Core ¨C A spherical object that appears like knotted roots made from stone. It¡¯s true nature is that of a bony material, originally evolved to withstand magma. Burns energy to heat up liquid flowing through it. Allows Apexus to moderate his own body temperature, keeping his stamina high. He can increase the heat to the point where his own slime starts to evaporate, granting him a speed and power increase. Increases the amount of energy and water used tremendously. Fused to and surrounding his nucleus.


    Myrm Nose ¨C Nose that, once combined with the Human Skeleton, is indistinguishable from a human one. Sense of smell is several times better, however. Particularly good at picking up organic smells, like sweat, earth or blood.


    Liquid Muscles ¨C Strands of densely packed, elongated slime cells, each with their own membrane. They tense in response to magical energy, like electricity is used for regular muscles. Sinews and muscle regions have been created and attached to the human skeleton, giving them staying power. Movement with liquid muscles takes more energy than the previous method of shifting slime around, but the movements are quicker and more precise. The muscles also give Apexus proper grip and bite strength and allow him to more finely control his facial features.


    Physical Description:


    While Apexus remains fundamentally a slime, making his shape a thing of his own choosing, he has very little reason to assume anything but his humanoid form. Despite being cobbled together out of numerous monster parts, he appears as an incredibly attractive and muscular man in his mid-twenties.


    His frame is balanced between bulk and agility. This does mean he is short of being a goliath, but he would still stand out even among muscular men as one of the most impressive. In most weightlifting competitions, he would be the natural favourite by his size alone. 1,91 metres tall and broad enough to make either of his women disappear in a hug, the slime is covered in impressive muscles, with no body region neglected. He appears like a hero at his peak performance.


    Due to his nature, his skin is without blemish, unwanted hairs, or popping veins. The colour emulates a healthy tan, giving him a light brown tone. Two large, emerald-feathered wings sprout from his upper back. His nails are of a light silver colour and usually short.


    His face is masculine and handsome, coming with a square jaw and a softly curving chin. His eyes are of a pale blue, the pupils slit. The eyebrows are perfectly swung and dense, every hair placed as desired. His lips are pinkish brown, the teeth behind them sharp. A pair of fox ears extends from his long, black hair. The slime has grown it out on request of his women, but finds it bothersome if it whips around when he moves fast. Because of this, he usually keeps it bound into a ponytail. A pair of regular ears sit on the appropriate places for a human. They are fakes that only emulate the appearance and cannot hear.


    His flaccid dick is tiny, to avoid flopping.


    Aclysia


    Class: Guardian Angel [Basic Class]


    Level: 16 (Approximately)


    Spell list:


    Sunlight Bolt ¨C Bolt, the most basic attack spell, limited to the Divine-Light category due to Aclysia¡¯s nature, adjustable in strength according to the amount of mana put into it and the user¡¯s skill.


    Divine Healing ¨C Basic healing spell of all Classes that are divinely attuned, uses a moderate amount of mana for a moderate heal, scaling with the user¡¯s mana input and familiarity with the spell.


    Sunray Mending ¨C Quick heal that consumes a lot of mana.


    Sunshine Rejuvenation ¨C Time consuming heal that is very mana efficient.


    Sunlight Focus ¨C A technique used to prioritize the healing of particular areas first. Mana costs are dependent on the healing spell used, but generally higher than the basic version. Failure prone if used without proper concentration.


    Illumni ¨C Basic Light spell. Creates a stable, pleasantly warm sphere of sunlight that hovers over the user¡¯s fingertip. Functions as a basic, slightly inferior in terms of range, torch replacement.


    Flare ¨C A flash of cold sunlight. Highly mana intensive basic blinding spell. Does next to nothing to people not looking in the direction of the user.


    Spark of Life ¨C Analyse a female humanoid¡¯s body to find out whether or not a divine spark is forming inside them, thus detecting whether a person is pregnant and, if so, with how many children.


    Equipment:


    Depth Priest¡¯s Robe (Sloan) ¨C A shimmering silk robe of a deep blue colour, invoking the feeling of the deep ocean. Black embroidery covers it like the waves of the sea. The lower segment is slit open at both sides, revealing a large amount of leg every step, and the back has holes for Aclysia¡¯s wings. The robe is blessed by Sloan, the 11th of the 33 original gods.


    Metal Staff ¨C A staff dropped in Myrlight, mimicking expert craftsmanship. The rod is of a simple steel grey. At the tip, six black and white crystals lock together into a diamond shape. The staff and the crystal focus are in a good state.


    Leather shoes ¨C Nothing great, just some basic protective wear for her feet.


    Adventurer¡¯s Bag ¨C Aclysia has her own bag, containing their gathered funds and a few commonly used items. She also used to hold the group¡¯s communal bag, but gave it to Reysha, as they couldn¡¯t find a vendor for a new one.


    Inventory:


    Casual Dress ¨C A single article of clothing that covers the entire body, save for the upper back. The kind of dress that farmer women can work and walk in without issue. Not particularly beautiful or outstanding.


    Washcloths (5x) ¨C A number of linen squares used for whatever purpose is appropriate at any given time.


    The group¡¯s funds ¨C Aclysia holds and manages the group''s finances. Their wealth after all newest income and expenses: 1 Gold 22 Silver 3 Iron 55 Copper.


    Other Factors:


    Divine Flight ¨C Can use her moth-like ¡®angel¡¯ wings to hover, as long as there is enough room to stretch them. This consumes a minimal amount of mana. If her wings are damaged, the ability to hover decreases accordingly.


    Metal Fairy ¨C Is made from a metal that is lighter than flesh. This comes with several factors. Aclysia is unlikely to ever win in a melee battle, particularly without weapons, due to a lack of weight and therefore force behind her attacks. Aclysia only requires mana to survive, which she can win by eating basically anything in creation or by absorbing it from a willing other.


    Angel on her own ¨C Does not hold any natural sway over any member of the Church despite being a divine creation by the 33rd of the 33 original gods. This also prevents her from being recognized at a glance by all but the most the divinely attuned.


    Physical Description:


    Aclysia is 1,81 metres tall and has white hair, which is always combed back and falls down to the middle of her back, ending at the base of her wings. Akin to a moth in texture and shape, she possesses a total of four wing segments, they are mostly white and have symmetrical patterns in black running over them.


    Her skin is of a milky white and meticulous, not a single strand of hair anywhere. Her bust is of a moderate size, slightly below average, with light pink nipples. Overall, her figure is defined by her hips, giving her a pleasing pea-type body with long legs and nice thighs.


    Her face is defined by its fair cut, having something ephemerally beautiful about it and the brilliantly shining emerald eyes. Her ears are pointy, like an elf¡¯s, but not unusually long. Her nose has a well-rounded tip, her eyebrows are as white as her hair, her lips are pink and pillowy.


    Reysha


    Class: Noir Rogue [Unusual Basic Class]


    Level: 16 (Approximately)


    Spell list:


    Sneak ¨C Footsteps and other actions are more silent and careless glances glide over the user easily. Basic Rogue spell that helps with stealth.


    Aimed Whisper ¨C The voice of the user travels in one direction only. Should it hit a surface, it will bounce from it as if it was the original source. If it hits the ear of someone, the sound will be swallowed entirely and the said thing only be heard by that one person.


    Dis/locate ¨C Dislocates or relocates the joints in the arms magically. While painful, this does make it possible to slip out of many hasty or loose bindings. The first spell any Rogue learns, as it is fundamental to applying magic to joint areas.


    Equipment:


    Snakeskin Leather Armour Top ¨C A leather armour top made from the dark grey skin of snakes found in the Drowned Altar dungeon. Above average normal leather armour in every regard, but not enchanted and still not nearly as protective as anything made from metal.


    Leather Armour Pants ¨C Pants made from leather treated to be stretchable and decently protective.


    Crimson Bearded Axe ¨C A bearded axe for one handed use. The blade extends downwards, creating a hook-like shape between blade and handle. It is made from a crimson metal, fused into the handle. Red melds with the light brown wood, connecting both closer than is possible by regular crafting methods.


    Iron Dagger (2) ¨C A basic iron weapon, sold to beginner adventurers. One serves as her main weapon, the other as replacement. She wears both on her body, one sheath strapped to the right side of hips/her right thigh and the other attached to her lower back.


    Throwing Knives (10) ¨C Small, iron knives good for throwing but too small to be reliably used in melee combat. Worn on a belt. Currently, all holsters on her belt are filled.


    Iron Warpick ¨C A pickaxe with only one spike, the flat surface of a hammer attached to the other side. This weapon is popular among adventurers who transition out of the novice stage. While not common as a main armament, its ability to slam holes into the skulls of large beasts is valuable in specific situations and to end the suffering of already beaten creatures.


    Adventurer¡¯s Bag ¨C Formerly the group''s communal bag. Holds up to 25 kilograms worth of stuff inside it.


    Rogue Belt ¨C A basic belt with holsters for the tools of the trade.


    Crimson Shoes ¨C Shoes of the same colour but not material as the axe. They shimmer like polished glass and the inside is lined with soft cloth. The soles can be reshaped however the user wishes. Within the limitation of the present material, of course.


    Inventory:


    Washcloth ¨C Reysha¡¯s personal washcloth. It isn¡¯t used for her body, instead, it''s there to clean her weapons after combat.


    Water Bag ¨C A bag of leather used to transport water.


    Lockpicks (5) ¨C Sets of thin metal needed to carefully open doors that were meant to remain closed by physical means.


    Other Factors:


    Tiger Girl ¨C Possesses formidable sight and hearing, cat ears, eyes and tail, as well as retractable, sharp claws. Has a much higher chance to give birth to females.


    Noir [Semi-Final Stage] ¨C Increased physical and magical attributes, improved senses. Can eat the meat of dungeon monsters and drink the magic infused water of the structures without problem. In return, normal food and drink are absolutely disgusting, worse the stronger the natural taste. When not having eaten magically enriched food for several days, negative symptoms begin to surface. Currently [days since last ¡®proper¡¯ meal]:


    10 days ¨C Reysha can operate normally


    11-30 days ¨C Senses will begin to dull, sexual drive dies down.


    31-60 days ¨C Colour will begin to fade from perception, slowly greying out, constant white noise drowns out previously heard, fine noises. Reysha may fall into stretches of time where she is apathetic towards most things going on around her, acting like a half-asleep person.


    61+ days ¨C All emotions and senses are heavily dulled and the stretches of apathy continue to grow longer. Eventually, the body overcomes Noir, restoring itself to a balanced state previous to the condition, at the cost of the subject¡¯s adventuring potential.


    Demon Arm ¨C Reysha¡¯s original left arm was seared away by the magic that sealed Apotho. The warlock replaced it by utilizing the blood of a Tharnatos class demon, the Deathhound Kurlesh, as her reward for setting him free. As of this moment, Reysha is aware of the fact that the arm bleeds black demon blood and regenerates extremely quickly. If there are other attributes affiliated with it remains to be seen.


    Physical Description:


    Reysha is a 1,78 metres tall redhead with wild flowing hair. Despite her lack of care for it, aside from the occasional combing with her claws and baths, her nature as a tiger girl prevents it from matting and rarely does it look like anything else than a perfect scarlet mess. It grows past her neck and miraculously never gets in the way during fights, partly thanks to the pair of cat ears that grow out of the top of her head, the same colour as her hair.


    With a naturally light brown complexion and a lot of time under the sun, Reysha has a colouration whose exoticness is only furthered by the tiger stripes. A few shades darker than the rest of her skin, they stretch over her body, adding chocolate to caramel.


    From above the ankles, over the long, smooth legs and her athletic, hourglass curves, with the well-proportioned breasts with the pinkish brown nipples up to the last two stripes, the only ones on her face, that run around her blue eyes like natural warpaint. The stripes on her red tail, growing out where the spine ends and adding her primal flavour to her bubble butt, are the only truly black ones. However, they are notably absent from her crotch area, where only a moderate, usually trimmed, amount of red hair decorates her sex.


    When her claws are retracted, her fingernails look, aside from their progressively reddening colour, like a normal human¡¯s. If they come to use, however, they lengthen a fair bit and the tips condense into the curved, needle-like claws of a cat.


    She has a sharp face, with clearly defined feminine features finalized to be both intimidating and seductive, savagely gorgeous, with dark lips often curved into a mad smile, showing the fangs inside her otherwise human teeth and a pair blue eyes contrasting heavily with the reds and browns of the rest of her body. Something only worsened by the steady blackening of her eyeballs by Noir. She has normal human ears in addition to her cat ones.

 The Long Way 3 – the value of extra layers

    From the city, the group travelled south and east, along the coast. The southern areas of Azenia-Ra were colder. Not much so, the season would be adequately described as a cold spring, but enough to be noticeable. The frequency of rain in these parts was more outstanding than the depressed temperature, for most people.


    The less pleasant climate and distance to the Stem were the two most pronounced reasons why the south of the Leaf was less populated than the north. That only the White Ice dungeon existed in that hemisphere did not help either, making adventurers in the area scarce. Less strong hands meant less people willing to contend with the dangerous wildlife. In turn, that limited the opportunity for the expansion of infrastructure. Poorer infrastructure meant people stuck to the north. As the years rolled by, the north kept expanding in its richness and the south continued to stagnate.


    However, the people weren¡¯t badly off. Predators in the area, although they possessed magical abilities, avoided humans for fear of retaliation. Even if it took an Adventurer to safely kill a bear that could shoot lightning, a mob of angry farmer folk could still slay the beast with their pitchforks. That safety in numbers gave them enough stability to till their fields. The soil was still fertile and losing a sheep every other week didn¡¯t matter much when they could be bred all around the year.


    Even the poor in Azenia-Ra had a stable existence. Criminality from the large cities was vastly more likely to kill a person than hunger was. Second were the animals in the wild.


    Which was where the trio spotted the opportunity for some quick money. The villages they came through on their way were all happy to see a group of Adventurer¡¯s visit their neck of the woods. Similarly, they were happy to make their surroundings a little bit safer.


    It had started with the richest man in a town the three walked through approaching them with a simple offer: a gold coin for the head of a large stag. The beast had developed a taste for the rare crops the man grew and he wanted it gone before it could devastate him more economically or before someone ended skewered on its antlers.


    At first, they wanted to refuse. They hadn¡¯t been approached like this before. Largely due to the north being safer, but Apexus no longer appearing like a skeleton wearing a robe certainly helped as well. Regardless, it struck them as odd and they had never been a trio of particularly sociable individuals.


    Aclysia did raise the argument that they could use additional money and Apexus did think that stag sounded tasty. Reysha was inclined to agree. They promised the man to try and he led them to the field where the stag often searched for food.


    The same night, the stag appeared. He was an impressive specimen, with large, pointy antlers and a bulky body. Impressive, but no challenge for the three of them. Through exhaustion and a few well-placed bites and stabs, they subdued the beast. It was the first time Apexus really used his jaws in combat. The simplicity of the motion gave the bite a lot of persistent power, he discovered.


    They presented the head of the stag to the man, who paid them as agreed. When asked what happened with the rest of the body, the group lied that they had buried it in the forest for religious reasons. While finding that odd, the man didn¡¯t raise it to the trio.


    The three moved on and decided that, maybe, they could take other such jobs while they were at it. Hunting was something they would do either way and if they had to invest an extra day or two to get some money out of it, that was a fair deal. In subsequent villages they came through, they spent a moment to ask if there was a bothersome animal that needed slaying. Whenever the answer was yes, they would track it down by whatever means available and make short work of it. Even the largest bear in the wilderness had less bite strength than a Myrm.


    None of the following quests paid as handsomely as the first one, but the group still raked in a considerable amount of money. The time they needed to get to their destination went from three days to a whole week, but the size of their purse also swelled to more than three gold. There was a glut of easy missions for adventurers and they just so happened to be the first that had come by in a while.


    They continued along the coast and eventually reached the largest town in the area. Most people went there because it was the best place to buy a crossing from this continent to the one in the southeast of the Leaf. The group was more interested in the thick fur clothes that could be bought there. All of the extra money they had made quickly vanished again into the fur-lined clothes. Nobody in the local area needed them, so their value was inflated immensely, but the group needed them a lot.


    At the very least, Reysha did. What they bought for Apexus and Aclysia in addition was primarily to stay safe. They did not yet know exactly how their bodies would react to extreme cold and they were not willing to venture into that territory without any preparations.


    All of the final preparations done, they set out to the small continent in the southeast. Not by ferry, as was usual in this locality, but by wing. For one, because the ferry wouldn¡¯t have taken them directly to White Ice. Instead, it would deliver them to the northernmost tip of the continent, where the sister city of their current one was located. The ferryman did it for understandable economic reasons. The group had no reason to take that detour when they could fly.


    With Apexus¡¯ fully presentable humanoid form came two advantages. First off, he actually had the strength to carry Reysha without morphing into the four-legged shape. By extension, because he looked like a regular enough adventurer, they didn¡¯t need to search for a point around the strait where they were safe from spying eyes. Once they were done with their business in the city, they simply walked to the pier and took off.


    They did discover some issues with this way of doing things on the trip. Princess-carrying Reysha worked over short distances, they had tested that previously, but the day-long flight was a different beast altogether. Because the slime flew at a horizontal tilt, holding Reysha sideways under him added an extreme amount of drag. It wasn¡¯t pleasant for Reysha either, to have her body rest on only two arms for over four hours. It would have been an additional six, had they not been lucky enough to spot a rock to land on, revealed by the ebb.


    There, they experimented for about 10 minutes on how to make things more comfortable. Going for the full morph would have been a waste of energy. Instead, they found that Apexus broadening his back was all they really needed. As long as Reysha fit between his wings without obstructing their movement, she could hold onto his neck and stay pressed against him.


    Travelling the rest of the way with Reysha laying on top of Apexus was smoother in terms of drag and when it came to her comfort. It didn¡¯t look as romantic, but efficiency was more important than appearances.


    ¡°Solid fucking ground, I love you!¡± Reysha declared regardless, when they finally landed. She fell on her knees and smooched the grass repeatedly, before dropping down and rolling around in it like a feline would in catnip. Stopping only when the vertigo made her stomach churn, the redhead then exploded into laughter.


    ¡°You will stain your clothes,¡± Aclysia reprimanded.


    ¡°Fuck my clothes, I am ALIVE!¡± Reysha shouted. This was the second time they had been in the air for that amount of time and it left the tiger girl no less euphoric when it was over than the first. ¡°I¡¯m meant to CLIMB onto high places. Cats belong in the sky as much as pigs do.¡±


    ¡°Why mention pigs specifically?¡± Apexus asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Reysha attempted to answer, but burst out into another series of laughter when seeing Apexus. The slime¡¯s torso was disproportionately wide, with his arms, legs, and head all remaining the same size as before. It looked like someone had stuck tree branches into a wooden crate, in human form.


    ¡°I am pleased that my bodily exploits continue to amuse you,¡± Apexus spoke his true feelings, even as he ¡®slimmed down¡¯ to his regular width. ¡°Aclysia, could you explain?¡±


    ¡°¡¯When pigs fly¡¯ is a hyperbolic figure of speech used to describe impossibilities, darling,¡± the metal fairy was quick to answer, hovering over to her beloved slime and hugging him. ¡°Why pigs in particular, I sadly cannot offer a resolution.¡±


    Apexus took what he could get. ¡°When pigs fly,¡± he slowly repeated, careful to move his lips in accordance to the sounds produced by the wooden plates on the roof of his mouth. At the same time, he picked up Aclysia and held her like a princess. ¡°Weird turn of phrase.¡±


    ¡°The majority of them are,¡± the metal fairy conceded, wrapping her arms around the humanoid slime. As little as she liked to admit it, she was feeling envious that she had to go a whole ten hours without cuddles, while Reysha got to hug him the entire time. Keeping body contact like this served to recharge the mana she had expended to fly, but that was just an excuse. In reality, it was all about the hug itself.


    Apexus indulged her further by pulling her in close and kissing her lips. Happily wiggling in his arms, Aclysia only lamented that her lover lacked a permanent tongue. The tentacle he used as a replacement was only present during sexual engagements and too thick to be used during making out anyway. The contact of their lips felt great, but she would have liked that little extra.


    They were done by the time Reysha was done cackling. ¡°Wide-pexus,¡± she snorted, as she got up.


    ¡°As predicted, you have gotten grass spots all over your clothes,¡± Aclysia berated, still being held by Apexus.


    ¡°And?¡± Reysha gestured down on the casual shirt and baggy pants combo she was wearing. ¡°Just adds to my wild, rugged charm.¡±


    ¡°Tomboy,¡± Aclysia offered an alternative word.


    ¡°Whatever ya wanna call it, bubble butt, I am hotter than the Hellroots.¡± The tiger girl tossed her red mane back with a strong swing of her head and grinned madly. ¡°Tell her, sexy slime.¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Apexus flippantly shot back. ¡°I have no measure for how hot the Hellroots are. Therefore, I cannot agree.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you go logical on me,¡± Reysha complained. ¡°I thought we had an agreement to bully Aclysia until she does some adorable pouting.¡±


    ¡°I am already holding all the adorable that I need,¡± Apexus said and smiled at his angel.


    Aclysia¡¯s magical pulse skipped a beat, seeing that incredibly charming expression on his handsome face. She let out a number of girly squeals, while waving her legs. ¡®It is possible to love him more,¡¯ she thought to herself and obsessively gazed at the humanoid slime who was now, in personality and appearance, all she wanted in her partner. ¡°I love you, darling!¡± she exclaimed and went in for a second serving of cuddles. She was falling so deeply for him; it would have been scary had it not been so delightful.


    Apexus chuckled and carried her, while they made their way away from the shore. ¡°You need to let go soon,¡± he softly told her. ¡°We need to hunt something soon.¡±


    Aclysia held on until the very last moment.


    _______________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Cold is vile,¡± Apexus declared, about a day later.


    They had eaten, slept and made their way south. The mountains that dominated the south pole of the Leaf had soon come into view. As they approached them, they experienced the same phenomena as they had when walking into the volcanic landscape or the desert to the north. Just that, rather than rising, the temperature rapidly dropped.


    That he wasn¡¯t good at retaining heat, Apexus already knew. The outer membrane of his slime was effectively just human skin and the layer of thickened slime underneath was essentially the same as the minimal layers of fat his fellow humanoids had, in terms of temperature conduction. This meant that, all things being equal, Apexus experienced the cold in essentially the same way as a human would. If there was a tangible difference, then it was that he could regulate exactly how much energy he burned to stay warm.


    It was a lot.


    ¡°Snow sucks,¡± he added, not liking the crunchy white under his feet at all. It reflected the sunlight with blinding radiance, made noises with every step he took, stuck to his boots, and was incredibly cold.


    ¡°Just put on your winter clothes already,¡± Reysha told him, herself covered in layers of additional clothes. They were primarily fashioned from furs. Apexus hated them. They covered up Reysha¡¯s natural, sweet scent with leather and her sexy curves with fuzz.


    ¡°It would be advisable,¡± Aclysia reinforced. The metal fairy didn¡¯t wear anything extra. The cold was taking a toll on her own magical heat regulation, but it affected her way less than Apexus. In the first place, her being warm existed primarily to mimic the humanoids in whose image she was created. Apexus warmth was his stamina and if he was cold, the speed of his motions suffered.


    Grumbling, the slime conceded and they took a short break for him to put on the extra clothes. Brown and furry, he put several layers of cloth and tanned animal skin on himself.


    ¡°It is working,¡± he admitted by the end, but he wasn¡¯t happy about it. Clothes were a sacrifice to his bodily freedom that he made hesitatingly to fit into public order. Wearing extra clothes to ward against environmental factors was a surrender of his dignity and to nature to Apexus. ¡°I need to eat something with cold resistance capabilities,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t like extra layers.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Reysha sighed, not quite as unhappy but far from content. ¡°Somebody give me a bodysuit that insulates perfectly!¡±


    They stomped on.

 The Long Way 4 – Fate Tracking

    Turlesh was a Deathhound.


    It had taken him a long time to rise to this form. Hatching as a lowly Rootcrawler, an Impreh class demon, devouring the smallest Parasystes in the Hellroots and being occasionally summoned by apprentice warlocks. He remembered the first time he had been called to the upper Leaves. How he had, despite his limited mind, immediately understood that they did not deserve what they had. The safety, even in the icy landscape that he had been presented with, and the lusciousness of the upper worlds.


    From the moment they could move, the Omniverse¡¯s firstborn had to fight. That was what they had been made for. Who enjoyed the fruits of their toils? Who enjoyed what demons prevented from being pulled back into the void it spawned from? Weak-minded little children, with fickle Sparks that didn¡¯t survive their flesh. The Spark of a demon was sturdy, superior. It survived their bodies many times over. Only Sparkeaters could kill them, rare Parasytes, hated above all others. Only gods could kill them, the loathsome, righteous rulers, sitting by the unblemished Progenitor.


    It was a demon¡¯s every right to toy with the mortals. To indulge in the food. Food that didn¡¯t taste like ash and bitter corruption. Not that the latter taste bothered the warped forms of the immortal monstrosities anymore.


    Turlesh ate to grow. He loved to grow. He loved to eat. He loved to eat tasty things. Bones were his favourite. Gnawing splinter for splinter off the outer layers, only to reach the marrow and the remaining taste of life within. There was no greater joy. Boneless Parasytes, he hated eating them, but alas, it was his obligation and what he had to do to nourish his Spark. To expand his mind and power.


    With time, he didn¡¯t know how much, he came to evolve. A Fleshgorger, a Tempths class demon, was his second stage. Then a Boneseeker, a Dergil class demon, fitting given his favourite meal. He had become strong at that stage. Stronger than most of his kin. It was when she took interest in him. The ancient beauty that governed one of the thicker roots of hell. One whose presence made bark and caverns tremble. She invited him to the Court of Massacre.


    He died and died again for her entertainment. Never did he feel more distressed when he disappointed her, never greater joy than when he made her laugh. Glorious were those days, where he was summoned into a delicious world only to return to one of bloodshed. To fight not only the despicable Parasytes, but also the demons that followed ones of the lesser Unreavs ¨C one of those other individuals that dared to claim they were as fantastic as the Empress of Blood.


    Further, he grew. A Fearseeker, a Deslors class demon, was the fourth shape he transitioned into. After aeons spent in the Court of Massacre, the Empress of Blood took renewed interest in him when he killed a Sparkeater all by himself. She elevated him from a mere member of the court to one of her elites. She wrote his name into her book, for all Warlocks to see that he was one of her favourites.


    That was how he met him. How he came to be summoned by the Master. A man who wielded the forces of the Hellroots foolishly but with great aptness. He served as one of four demons for the Master. His fellow Fearseekers, Terlash and Purlesk, and the Mindeater Kurlesh. All of them chosen by the Empress, Jolene who whispered of truth into Apotho¡¯s ear. He travelled with two, an angel and a human of great power. Three that travelled far and wide, a man and two women.


    Turlesh had never tasted anything as delicious as that human¡¯s ribs. So close to the heart, so delicately thin yet so filled with fickle power. A taste near divinity, drenched in betrayal and heartache, overseen by a no longer foolish Master.


    There was enough power in her flesh to bring all of them to that next level. It had been a day to remember, when all four of them had become Deathhounds, Tharnatos class demons, and on which the essence of the angel had been reforged into a core for the Empress to reincarnate in the worlds she was entitled to walk.


    ¡®All for the Empress and her chosen Master,¡¯ Turlesh thought, as he stepped out of the portal. Months ago it had delivered them from this tainted Leaf to the one closest where Apotho had put up his base. Now the Deathhound had to retrace their steps. He had to return to the point where Apotho had separated from that abominable creature. That confusing thing, clearly from this world but capable of devouring Sparks. Turlesh¡¯s instincts didn¡¯t tell him to hate Apexus. His Master, however, did and that was reason enough.


    He started running, passing through the corrupted landscape of the tainted world. Gnarled trees, freely roaming demons, and the fragrance of death in the air, all the signs of a veritable paradise of violence and power. How Turlesh wished he could stay. He was the strongest here. He could break what he wanted to, command who he wanted, eat whatever or whoever he wanted, but alas, he wasn¡¯t here to claim the demon¡¯s right to enjoy the fruits of the silver tree.


    Before his four eyes, the world was a field of potential slaughter and through it ran the veins of magic. With all six of his limbs, he took hold of one such vein, used as his footing to traverse over a ravine in the scorched world. A Deathhound couldn¡¯t fly, but they could use their innate closeness to the Omniverse and the source of magic to manoeuvre in ways lesser beings couldn¡¯t consider. Many of the Tharnatos class demons had that ability.


    Within a day, he had crossed the entirety of the Leaf and emerged on the Branch of the Omniverse. He raised his long head, let his pointy tongue curve out of the many teeth, and tasted air and magic and the power that connected everything. The origin to which all could be traced back and from which everything could be found. It was the Common Art of some demons, those that became Deathhounds most commonly, Fate Tracking, that allowed them to follow the steps of anyone they had met before.


    The drawback of this incredible ability was written into its description: Turlesh did not know where the chimera slime currently was, only the path he had taken to get there. Even on that path, the Deathhound only knew the last step he had witnessed. Like a dog following a scent trail, Turlesh had to track the line Apexus had left in the nature of the Omniverse.


    Once Turlesh had realized the direction of Ctania, he started running again. He didn¡¯t need rest, not while he merely ran over the Bark. That his body oozed magic and attracted Parasytes didn¡¯t bother him. The little ticks that scurried around everywhere were no threat to him. He had devoured them in the hundreds of thousands in his life. Their mass was only dangerous if he stopped to let them attach. As it was, he was like a magnet who moved quicker than his attraction pulled. The Parasytes scurried in his direction but were left behind before they could reach him, resuming their largely dormant state.


    Turlesh would have loved to cleanse the brilliant tree of these pests, but he had his orders.


    Similarly, when he reached Ctania, he would have loved to silence all of those screams. Heralry reacted to him with alarms and fearful screams. Survivors and rebuilders equally cowered before him. ¡°Wiiiiissssssse,¡± he hissed at the guard who hastily abandoned his post by the stone structure that oversaw the Stem. ¡®Terlash and Purlesk would waste time massacring these lesser ones, but not I. I am Empress¡¯ loyal servant. My time is Master¡¯s time. Wasting Master¡¯s time is a sin,¡¯ the demon thought, as he advanced on the plaza, his snout lowered.


    He couldn¡¯t withhold the occasional cackle. Burned into the ground were the ashes that remained of those sacrificed to summon Jolene. Those that remained alive, those that came to repopulate the Leaf, they didn¡¯t know that the mere remainder of such a circle altered the world. Not by a lot, misfortune wouldn¡¯t come to their crops and the children wouldn¡¯t be born with horns. No, it was nothing that overt. It would have needed power and a new purpose to be used like that. Still, its presence would invite a stray, corrupted Spark to manifest as flesh. People would disappear in the dead of night. Just a few of them over the course of a decade. Enough to fill the dark streets with uncertainty.


    Where Apotho dwelled, however short, the world was altered. Such was the presence of one who was the right of creation removed from divinity.


    ¡°S-stop right there, monster!¡± a brazen fool declared.


    Turlesh moved one of his eyes at the adventurer. A man clad in simple grey armour, wielding a spear. The secondary lid cleaned small amounts of dust from the demon¡¯s eye. The black slit in the red sclera moved on, just as the demon continued to move.


    ¡°I-I said¡­¡± shouts all around, demands of further away people that the adventurer should stay back. Then, a laughable attempt at a stab. The iron didn¡¯t even leave a mark in the leathery skin of the Deathhound.


    Turlesh kept moving. It had been somewhere close to the centre of the plaza. He could feel it, he was close to the start of the trail. He could also feel the continued stabs by the spear. The desperate attempts of vengeance by a man that was not strong enough to enact it.


    ¡°W-what are you doing?!¡± another man shouted and ran towards them. He wore flashy clothes, a fine blue vest and white pants, both shining in the summer sun of the Leaf. ¡°Get away from that thi- AAAAAHHHH!¡± He screamed, as the tail of the Deathhound grabbed his ankle.


    ¡°Too briiiiight,¡± Turlesh screeched, dragging the man after him. He ignored both the desperate kicks be the second and the continued stabs by the first man. Still, the crowd around screamed for them to get away, all too cowardly (or wise, in this instance) to move closer than fifty metres. ¡°There you are,¡± the Deathhound gloated, when he found the trail.


    Happy, he raised his tail and smacked it back down with such force that the head of the second man cracked on the stone. Impotent rage echoed from the first adventurer, first in response to the death, then to Turlesh absent-mindedly biting the head off the corpse. The many canines that made up the Deathhounds maw messily reduced the skull into a gory mass of bone shards and brain matter. While he munched, the dull-armoured man continued his useless nuisance.


    Since Turlesh didn¡¯t want the rest of the brightly coloured corpse anywhere near him, he discarded it by tossing it at the adventurer. Metal screeched over stone, when the two bodies, one still alive, slid over the pavement.


    He focused on the trail and resumed his movements. The people of the rebuilding Heralry looked as the demon they feared vanished back up the Stem. Ten minutes of horror ended as abruptly as they had come. Most felt relief that only one brazen fool had died.


    Turlesh was back on the Branch before long. It had been a while since he tracked someone with his Art. He would need to get the hang of it again. That would slow him down for a couple of days, but that didn¡¯t ultimately matter. The slime would stop sometimes, he would be slowed by the need to eat or to rest, by idle conversations or the desires of the flesh. The demon would keep moving, running, following the trail in deadly pursuit. He would be obedient. He would make it as quick as possible.


    The Empress and her Master would be pleased.

 The Long Way 5 – Energy Consumption

    Aclysia was walking along, Reysha was hungry and Apexus was famished. The metal fairy was largely resistant to the cold and therefore operated like normal. Reysha, because of her desert upbringing, was somewhat used to extreme cold and otherwise functioned as a normal person would. Her hunger was solely thanks to the lack of prey in the snowy landscape. Apexus¡¯ famishment was sustained for the same reason, but the origin was slightly different. The way he heated his body, greater as it customizability may have been, also cost him more energy to sustain against the cold.


    Humanoids, generally, had a way to retain heat where it mattered, their organs for the most part, while Apexus was the same temperature throughout his liquid innards. At the same time, his body heat was exclusively produced by a central source. Humanoids generally produced heat as a beneficial by-product of other activities, such as movement or metabolism. The human body producing heat for heat¡¯s sake was rather rare and, usually, unwelcome. Humanoids created heat while running fast; Apexus created heat to run fast.


    As long as the environment was moderately warm and there was enough food around, that difference was ignorable. Stomping through the snow for hours on end, however, left the slime feeling intense hunger. His entire body felt heavy and sluggish, despite his body temperature being up and his movements as fast before.


    ¡°How much further?¡± Apexus wanted to know.


    ¡°You¡¯ve asked that fifteen times in the past two hours,¡± Reysha pointed out.


    ¡°You kept count of darling¡¯s complaints?¡± Aclysia asked. She had done the same, which was why she was surprised that the tiger girl had gotten the number correct. Their reasons for counting differed immensely though.


    ¡°Not like there is anything else to fucking do, is there?¡± Reysha asked, stomping after Apexus. The snow was almost knee deep, but not dense enough to walk on. That Apexus, being the broadest and strongest of the lot, was the group''s snowplough furthered his energy conservation issues. The two girls walked behind him. ¡°There¡¯s white everywhere, except for there,¡± she pointed at the mountains, peeking out of the snow in their dull grey, ¡°and there,¡± she pointed at the ocean, about fifty metres to their right, a greyish blue expense sparkling under the sunlight. As for the morning star itself, it was progressively getting closer to the horizon. Soon, its rays would tint towards purple.


    ¡°I could freeze,¡± Apexus suggested and listened to Reysha laugh. ¡°That was not a joke.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the still giggling redhead responded. ¡°I am mocking our misery.¡±


    ¡°Is it an imminent threat?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°No, I could continue for another day, if I had to,¡± Apexus told her. ¡°I¡¯d have to shrink in the process though.¡±


    ¡°No shrinking!¡± Reysha declared. ¡°Shrinking means I have to look at a less muscular man and a less muscular man means that fine ass in front of me is getting diminished. Therefore, no shrinking!¡±


    ¡°You could switch positions with Aclysia, if you want to look at a fine ass,¡± Apexus suggested. ¡°Anyway, can I get an answer?¡±


    ¡°It remains the same, darling,¡± the angel answered patiently. ¡°We are in the correct area; we just need to locate the proper entrance.¡±


    Apexus grumbled, a sound like stones rolling down a hill. ¡°If we could at least fly there,¡± he complained, taking the next ploughing step with kicking intentions. The dungeon entrance was, according to description, located under an overhang at the mountainside. From above, such a landmark would be near invisible, covered by ice and snow, and the cold winds made flying low equally difficult.


    ¡°Flying in this weather sucks,¡± Reysha pushed back, ¡°I¡¯ve barely got feeling back in my face.¡±


    ¡°Everything in this weather sucks,¡± the slime remarked, straining his eyes for the dungeon or something, anything, he could eat. ¡°What god would create a place where not even trees grow?¡±


    ¡°A sadistic one,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°One with an understanding of the beauty of nature by itself,¡± Aclysia offered an alternative opinion.


    ¡°Pretty hard to appreciate any kind of beauty while I¡¯m freezing my butt off.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is that an immediate danger?¡± Apexus asked, earnestly alarmed by the prospect of Reysha¡¯s rump losing its squishier aspect.


    ¡°No,¡± Reysha giggled, only to then let out a long-frustrated sigh. ¡°This is where I would usually tell you to warm me up by clapping those cheeks, but we¡¯d probably die if we fucked out here.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be a nice experience,¡± Apexus mimicked and they stomped on.


    By the time they finally found the dungeon entrance, the sky had a fervent purple tint to it. That they didn¡¯t have to march through the night was a relief, as it would only have gotten colder.


    Even walking, the entrance had been difficult to see. Between the snow that covered the mountains and what covered the ground, it had been little more than a vertical gash in the white. That had been enough, however, for Apexus¡¯ keen and prey-searching eyes to spot it. When they finally stepped into the cave and no longer needed to plough with every step, they already felt warmer.


    That wasn¡¯t to say that it was actually warm, though.


    ¡°I hope snow goes fucking extinct,¡± Apexus cursed, his rare use of a slur causing both of his women to look mildly surprised. He didn¡¯t respond to the raised eyebrows, only pat the remaining powdery white from his pants and tried his best to get it unstuck from his soles.


    ¡°Should we perhaps take a break?¡± Aclysia suggested. Her companions looked exhausted and the overhang they were currently in provided satisfying protection from the elements. Between the start of the overhang and the entrance of a dungeon, an arch of bricks inlaid into the mountain, lay a ten-metre space that could be used to camp. Wrapping up in their blankets for a few hours would serve to gather some energy.


    ¡°I need food,¡± Apexus overruled the suggestion in an authoritative tone. ¡°Desperately.¡±


    ¡°I could go either or, but I won¡¯t complain about a meal,¡± Reysha agreed, and so the three headed into the dungeon proper.


    A couple of metres past the entrance and the stone walls were steadily replaced by glowing cold ice. The substance created the light necessary for the underground expedition and gave the dungeon its name. Apexus brushed over the wall with his bare hand.


    ¡°Hnnngghhhh,¡± Reysha made a wanton sound, when she smelled the pheromones in the cold air. ¡°Hellroots, I love that aroma.¡±


    ¡°I dislike that we have to resort to it,¡± Aclysia had a different take on the matter.


    ¡°Better than to get lost,¡± Apexus said. ¡°I¡¯ll stick to the right walls as we go on, as agreed.¡±


    Aclysia just sighed and nodded. ¡°I would still prefer to have a reliable map.¡±


    ¡°Dunno, I kinda prefer it that way,¡± Reysha let her know. ¡°Kinda defeats the mystique of spelunking if ya already know where you¡¯re going.¡±


    White Ice was a dungeon that shifted in its form over time. The tunnels that cut through the magical ice wound here and there, became wider and narrower, and just generally shifted. A map made during one trip would be minorly inaccurate after a week and practically useless after a month. Since the dungeon was also remote, nobody bothered to keep up to date maps and the guide only laid out what enemies could be fought inside and what kind of environmental hazards to expect inside.


    ¡°What¡¯re ya so afraid of anyway?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°We know we¡¯re not being followed.¡±


    ¡°For now,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°Times might change. I admit it''s pathological, but I feel more comfortable when we leave the minimum necessary traces.¡±


    ¡°This is a minimum necessary trace,¡± Apexus asserted and took his hand off the ice. Some water stuck to his palm. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long the smell will stay on ice anyway.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon at least has an exit shortcut, so it won¡¯t matter too much if it gets washed away,¡± Reysha said, while putting her weapons on. She was wearing her proper armour underneath her winter clothes, but the weapons had been kept stored in the bags until now. The daggers she strapped to her waist and the axe to her back. The warpick remained with Aclysia, who would pull it out only when necessary. It was too cumbersome to carry around all the time. ¡°We just want the smell for orientation.¡±


    ¡°Might still mean we¡¯re running in a circle,¡± Apexus pointed out.


    ¡°Supposedly, the dungeon is of moderate size, so let¡¯s hope that won¡¯t be an issue,¡± Aclysia said. She noticed both Reysha and Apexus suddenly raise their heads. Their furred ears turned and finally settled in the same direction. Their eyes soon followed. ¡®They must hear something,¡¯ the metal fairy thought. When the two predators looked at each other, the angel followed as quiet as she could.


    They stopped in the sneaking attempts fairly quickly. The floor was made out of ice and rock in almost equal measure and trying to walk silently was near impossible. Apexus took the front, following down a side tunnel, deliberately slipped down a segment, and soon stepped into a chamber.


    The chamber itself was largely unspectacular. A larger cavity between tunnel segments, with a milky white crystal growing out at the centre that seemed different from the surrounding ice in the tint of its colouration and the smoothness of its reflecting facets.


    What was interesting, however, was the creature eating that crystal. It was a bear in practically every way, with blue, rocky spikes growing out of its spine and shoulder joints. It had already noticed the newcomers and growled at them, even as it continued its meal.


    Despite its passive behaviour, for a dungeon monster, it did perfectly meet the description of a White Ice Bear. Like the dungeon itself, it was rather simply named. Its abilities were supposed to be minor ice magic and respectable physical power. That it didn¡¯t attack outright was due to its current occupation. Dungeon monsters, despite their purpose of being stumbling blocks for adventurers, were also animals. These crystals were the dungeon¡¯s way of nourishing what spawned inside it in the absence of ¡®fresh meat¡¯ and the White Ice Bear seemed more interested in finishing one meal than to try and hunt another.


    The hungry duo of adventurers had other priorities.


    Reysha grabbed her axe. ¡®Big target makes for good practice,¡¯ she thought. Against something that size and thickly furred, her daggers were better as a support weapon.


    Before she could go on the offensive, Apexus raised a hand. ¡°I want to try on my own,¡± he told her, rolling his shoulders.


    Reysha couldn¡¯t help but purr, watching that broad back. ¡°Knock yourself out,¡± she said and retreated to Aclysia¡¯s side.


    If he had been a human, they wouldn¡¯t have let him go ahead with this. Even less after he quickly got rid of his top, throwing it aside. As it was, Apexus was more afraid of damaging the barrier between himself and the cold, than he was of ripped skin or broken bones.


    The bear continued to growl, as the shirtless giant came closer. Then when its instincts told it to, the mass of muscle and fur launched itself at the mountain of muscle and slime. Ready for the assault, Apexus swung his clenched fist.


    Crashing into the side of the bear¡¯s head, the impact made the head of the beast fly to the side. Its body still rammed into Apexus, but he dug his heels into rock and ice and withstood the momentum. The nails on his left extended quickly, the silver becoming sharp claws that aided him when he gripped the monster¡¯s neck.


    ¡°GRrrroaaahhhrrrr,¡± the bear roared, his skin cut, and started to thrash. The brittle claws broke quickly, but the strong fingers dug into the holes created. Without remorse, Apexus kept deepening the blood-oozing holes. The muscles of his right arm were equally tense, having gripped the monster¡¯s snout and keeping it from biting.


    Soon realizing that it couldn¡¯t overcome this adventurer that way, the bear swiped with its paws at Apexus¡¯ legs. The slime had overestimated his physical ability, courtesy of the initial success, and toppled over. No sooner had he hit the ground, than the White Ice Bear was on top of him, trying to deliver the throat bite that traditionally would have ended life or death engagements like this.


    Apexus didn¡¯t fear such a strike, but neither did he feel like regenerating his head and all the Growths that were part of it. He caught the jaws coming for him with both hands. The bear tried to snap them shut, but the humanoid slime kept them pried open. During this struggle for physical superiority, the chimera thought quicker, pulled his leg back, and delivered a powerful kick to the bear¡¯s chest.


    The monster was actually forced off the slime, who quickly got up. Greeted by the rearing bear, Apexus ducked under two swipes. He dodged to the side of the monster. Both standing, it was taller than him, but not by much. Apexus didn¡¯t care for the size difference outside of the practical applications. All he saw was a large target.


    Laying into the beast¡¯s side was a rush of violence. After seeing and subjecting himself to the physical force of other creatures, Apexus felt immense satisfaction of being able to assert himself in this manner. His punches broke ribs, sent the bear toppling over, and forced it to summon an ice breath to hurl at Apexus. The slime burned more of his energy reserves to counteract the temperature loss. His current famine would quickly come to an end.


    Raising his fists as one conjoined unit, Apexus targeted the bear¡¯s skull once more. It was like a hammer of membrane and bone. His entire weight, size and power was in the strike and he felt something crack. The bear let out a howl, its brain scrambled inside a broken skull. It wasn¡¯t dead yet and could have recovered from the blunt trauma if nothing had threatened afterwards. As it was, the concussion left it too confused to resist what came next.


    Apexus grabbed the monster''s head and twisted. Twisted as hard as he could, to the struggling and desperation of the disoriented bear. Then the neck snapped with a crunching sound not unlike the snow they had marched through to get here. The large beast shuddered one last time and then collapsed, limp.


    Kneeling down, Apexus looked at his hand. ¡°This is a different way to kill,¡± he remarked. ¡°Violence is¡­ exciting.¡±


    ¡°Exhilarating, yessss,¡± Reysha hissed approvingly.


    ¡°I request you keep it to proper targets,¡± Aclysia reminded them.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time Apexus had killed something using his physical prowess. They had hunted on the way here, but nothing had put up a real fight for the slime¡¯s newfound power. Unrefined as his techniques were, the slime knew enough about his physique to know how to swing his arms properly.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Apexus assured his beloved fairy. As rewarding as it was to use this power, he didn¡¯t care to expend energy without a goal in mind. ¡°What parts do you want, Reysha?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t really care, just let me eat something,¡± the tiger girl said.

 The Long Way 6 – Strength

    Apexus had three good reasons to keep engaging in physical fights.


    One was the obvious, he was the sturdiest of the lot. His bones, already respectably solid from their human origin, had been modified. The ribcage was practically melded together, other bones thickened, and all of it evolved to become stronger as the chimera evolved. His slime was easily healed. All his limbs were replaceable. He only had one internal organ that could be damaged by physical trauma. One could hardly ask for a better body to take blows with.


    Second was what Apexus had discovered since first using his muscles: physical dominance was enticing. Battling things straight on, rather than relying on ambush tactics, had a nice feel to it. Victory was sweeter this way. The combat and general options that strength opened were numerous. Utilizing his body to hunt was deeply ingrained in Apexus¡¯ instincts and doing it well was a rewarding feeling.


    The third was a reward of a different kind. Every time Apexus demonstrated his mastery of his body, his women were enticed by the show. Reysha more so than Aclysia, certainly, but both still noted this positively. Everyone wanted a partner that was smart, strong and beautiful. Apexus had always been strong in certain ways, but physical presence was easiest for the brain to recognize. Especially, for humanoids, if it came in the shape of another humanoid.


    Rewarding as combat was, Apexus still saw it as a road to a goal. To get food, traditionally. To pass through a dungeon, oftentimes. To establish dominance, rarely.


    They were sitting among the corpses of three more bears. They had been in the dungeon for about a day now, and those massive monsters had been all they had encountered so far. One at a time, the group could very easily deal with them. Their main weapon was the same as Apexus¡¯, raw physical strength. As it so happened, the slime matched them in that department and one-upped them through his regenerative capabilities.


    Reysha and Aclysia were less sturdy and would be in serious trouble if they got caught by a paw swipe or bite. The damage to their bodies would be the immediate concern, the damage to gear long term. Broadly speaking, that was always the case. The frozen environment only exaggerated the importance of functioning clothing. The difference between whole and broken armour was, usually, only important in combat. In dungeons like White Ice, the environment itself was a steady source of danger.


    They could still deal with larger groups of these bear monsters relatively well. They were pretty slow, so Reysha could keep her distance. Whether she did it with her axe or dagger, the tiger girl could take them out with one or two well-placed strikes to the neck. The throwing knives were useless, though, unless they hit the eyes. Between fur and fat, the bears had enough of a barrier to ignore the small blades.


    Aclysia could deal with them by not really dealing with them. The ceiling of the caves was usually high enough that she could hover out of their range. From there, she supported the other two with simple Sunlight Bolts, aimed at blinding the bears. One bear was a trivial encounter, two bears simply handled, but three were an issue. Apexus could overpower and Reysha easily dodge one. Outnumbered, those advantages were greatly diminished. Simple-minded beasts as they were, the White Ice Bears were not stupid enough to try and snap at Aclysia¡¯s unreachable heels.


    They dealt with these groups one of two ways. Either they tried to separate individuals from the group, only possible if they were wide enough apart that one bear¡¯s attention could be grabbed without the other two (or more) noticing, or the trio pulled them into a narrow corridor where the number of enemies didn¡¯t matter as much. In the case of these three carcasses, it had been the latter strategy. They had moved them into the main cave afterwards, for ease of consumption. As for the crystals, they were inorganic and attuned specifically to the dungeon monsters and therefore useless to Apexus and Reysha as food.


    Apexus bowed over one corpse and sunk his teeth into the fur. His teeth closed around a mouthful of flesh and fuzzy biomatter. Slime from within his throat filled his mouth and then transported the fully engulfed food deeper inside him, to digest while he took another bite.


    One of the drawbacks of muscles was that he couldn¡¯t open his membrane as easily as before. Whereas he could have expanded his stomach area previously to encapsulate what he wanted to eat, he was now hindered by a bunch of abs in the process. Moving them to the side would have worked, but would have forced the slime to spend time afterwards to reconfigure the entirety of his midriff. Expanding the membrane on some part of his body, his hand for example, could have worked but taken forever and required concentration. Although more involved and messier, all around, munching down on his food the Reysha way was more convenient all around. Eating in smaller chunks also quickened the dissolving process, which was a minor benefit to balance things out.


    Rather than skinning a bear of her own, Reysha decided that she wanted to eat from the same one as him. Aclysia stood three steps away from them. The sight of their bloody gorging, primitive as she found it, hardly fazed her. That she didn¡¯t want any of the fluids or gore hitting her feet was another matter entirely.


    ¡°We should consider skinning some of these bears,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°The additional supply of furs may serve as an emergency barrier between either of you and the cold, should the clothing fail.¡±


    Apexus contemplated the suggestion. It would slow them down and they would have to largely improvise the process. It also meant he would have to skip out on eating the hide, which was a minor sacrifice, taste considered. ¡°We can try, if we find a healing fountain,¡± he said, between bites.


    When he bowed back down, he and Reysha bumped heads. The tiger girl growled. He growled back. Her tail swayed softly, the motion agitated but the fur still sitting flat as it usually would. She bowed down again, glaring at him to dare and stop her. Apexus did, putting his hand on top of the opening in the carcass. Reysha hissed and they stared at each other.


    It was a very primal exchange, one wholly civilized people would never have had. Which was why Aclysia sighed and took another three steps backwards. First step, Reysha tried to slap Apexus¡¯ hand away from ¡®her¡¯ meal. Second step, Apexus shoved her away from the corpse he had claimed first. Third step, Reysha launched herself at the humanoid slime.


    ¡®Why they must engage in these playfights is beyond me,¡¯ Aclysia thought, watching the two roll over the icy ground. Apexus was still shirtless, Reysha in her complete armour, but the state of their equipment hardly mattered. All the scratching the redhead did, she did with her claws withdrawn. All the physical force Apexus exerted came purely in the form of grappling.


    It was almost always Reysha that initiated these little bouts. The more savagely attuned parts of her mind urged her to test where she was in the physical pecking order of the group. Occasionally, Apexus would start such a playfight to remind her of the same. It was a part of social bonding for those two. Something that Aclysia, who saw this as an unnecessary conflict over an abundance of food, which could be solved with conversation, could barely empathise with. She accepted that this was natural for those two and just left them to it.


    It was the first time they had this bout since Apexus had developed his muscles. When the two of them locked hands and entered a simple pushing contest, Reysha felt herself give in a matter of seconds. Previously, she had to succumb when Apexus got on top of her and dominated her with weight alone. Now he had weight and force on his side.


    Rather than let herself be folded like a pretzel, Reysha suddenly ceased resistance. Apexus couldn¡¯t cease his assault quickly enough and fell forwards, while Reysha slipped out to the side. She quickly mounted the slimes back and attempted to lock his arms at the joints. When he twisted them by 180 degrees and reached behind him as if that was his front, she was already escaping.


    ¡°Freak,¡± she cussed, giggling with a smile on her bloody lips.


    Apexus didn¡¯t honour that with a response, only kept a keen eye on Reysha as she slowly circled around him. She stopped in her stride, for no apparent reason. Then she slowly reached out with her hand. A quick, weak jab to his shoulder came quicker than Apexus could react. Smirking like a kid that had found the sugar pot. Reysha jabbed him a second time. Then a third. Apexus tried to grab her arm, but was too slow. She purred mockingly. He took half a step towards her. She took a full step back. Then she lunged at him.


    Again, his attempt to grab her arm failed. The tiger girl had made her point that she was quicker and Apexus saw no other choice than to leverage the brute force advantage he had. Arms wide open, he chased after her and tried to confine her with a bear hug. Having seen this coming, Reysha dodged away under him, slid through his parted legs and knocked them away under him.


    Apexus hit the ground. He was halfway through the motion of getting up, when the redhead suddenly had her thighs around his neck. What was fundamentally a pleasant sensation, still had him underneath her.


    ¡°You really need to watch your feet more,¡± Reysha mocked him, as fighting friends tended to mock each other.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus admitted freely and grabbed his teammate by the waist. Both of his large hands together could almost reach around her. His attempt to pull her off competed with the lock of her legs. She grinned down at him, her thighs still squeezing him. His chin poked into her groin. The awkward angle made it impossible to overcome her resistance. ¡°I could squeeze your organs out.¡±


    ¡°I could claw your eyes out,¡± Reysha responded with a big grin on her face. They both knew what the rules of this engagement were and who had won.


    They stayed in their lock for a little while, until Apexus let go and spread his hands out in a surrendering gesture. At that point, Reysha dropped down from her lover¡¯s neck. With a kiss to his check, she wandered back to the corpse that she now had the right to for herself. It was functionally the exact same as the other two but she still enjoyed it a lot more than Apexus did the one he started eating.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time Apexus had lost and it wouldn¡¯t be the last. Their combat potential was about equal. Unpredictability was Apexus¡¯ advantage, while Reysha had her few Skills, basic martial arts and weapons to lean on. He won most of the time because, taking weapons out of the equation, he had the advantage. Losing wasn¡¯t too bad though. It did bother him that he could have fought better. Resentment for Reysha wasn¡¯t a thing he had time for.


    ________________________________________________________________________


    The Frozen Wraith wailed, its scream cooling every fluid in the bodies of those that heard it. Literally, as Apexus had to experience first-hand, while he crushed the skull of the creature. It had the rough shape of a woman, albeit a heavily malnourished one, covered by a translucent veil of icy blue. Its body was similarly made from magical ice. Their magic power was respectable for their current level and they could hover, making catching them a bit of a pain. Especially since they liked to retreat, rather than stand and fight.


    Between Apexus¡¯ hands, the ice shattered, ending the scream with an impotent rattle.


    ¡°Tell your nieces to stop screaming so much, bubble butt!¡± Reysha demanded, dancing away from the claw swipe of a White Ice Bear. It hadn¡¯t originally been part of this fight, the trio had just happened to run into it while they chased down the wraith.


    ¡°There is no relation between me and those creatures,¡± Aclysia denied, letting loose a Sunlight Bolt.


    It hit the bear in the head, blinding it for long enough for Apexus to run over, despite his chilled sluggishness. He held the bear in place, giving Reysha the space and time she needed to swing her axe in a wide arch. The first hit broke the skull. The second sunk into the brain. The third properly killed the monster


    ¡°Female, god-created flying things that wail a fucking lot, I see a lot of parallels,¡± Reysha stated, turning head and ears in search of other threats. ¡°Just saying.¡±


    ¡°Aclysia looks better than these things,¡± Apexus said, testingly shoving a shard of ice into his mouth. ¡°¡­I hate elementals¡­¡± he grumbled, tasting only water. He tore the body apart in the search of a core or something else that provided some magical nutrition.


    ¡°I look better than all my siblings, doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re not related,¡± Reysha responded. ¡°I mean, most of them are only half-siblings, but still¡­ do you hear that?¡±


    Apexus swallowed the marble-sized core of the Frozen Wraith and turned his own ears.


    ¡°An enemy?¡± Aclysia asked, somewhat confused by their behaviour.


    ¡°No¡­ water?¡± Apexus tried to pinpoint what he was hearing and got up. The noises in this dungeon were often odd. The ice wall bounced sounds between them, carrying them quite far, but the snow that often covered the ground did a fair bit to swallow other things. The two of them had to concentrate quite heavily to pinpoint a direction.


    They had been inside the dungeon for three days now. Reysha¡¯s armour was lightly damaged from one encounter, four slits across the left sleeve, creating a minor draft sometimes. Apexus¡¯ habit to remove the top of his before engaging paid off in his clothes being unscathed. Both of their furs suffered from their eating habits, though, being stained and clumped from the blood they spilled in the process.


    More bothersome than that had been the conditions they had to sleep in. Aside from the cold, taking their rest outside a healing fountain meant that monsters could walk in on them. Which, practically every ¡®night¡¯, they did. Aclysia watched them so they were never in real danger. Proper rest was something Apexus and Reysha desperately wanted though.


    They left the bear corpse behind for the moment and followed the sound of flowing water. After about ten minutes of tracking the echo through the wind corridors. They finally found it. A chamber in the ice, fashioned almost completely from stone, with hot water constantly bubbling up in a circular pool.


    ¡°Bath!¡± Reysha exclaimed enthusiastically.

 The Long Way 7 – Expanding Survival Skills

    As could be expected, they went through more activities than simple bathing. Along with the clothes, all bets were off and it only took ten minutes for Aclysia to have her darling inside her. Reysha felt challenged and things escalated from there. By the end, they were exhausted, clean and happy, the perfect combination of attributes for a long rest in a relatively safe environment.


    ¡°Meeeowwwwrrrr,¡± Reysha yawned, purred and stretched, all at the same time, her naked body exposed to the air. It was less humid than they were used to from healing fountain chambers and a little bit colder, but not cold enough that they had to wear clothes. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± she looked back and forth between Apexus¡¯ crotch, the healing fountain and the tunnel they had come from. Lust, hygiene and hunger fought inside her. ¡®I¡¯ll still need my teeth,¡¯ she thought, letting the unlikely contender win.


    Taking a pocketed twig and a strip of cloth out of her inventory, she wetted it, covered it in some ash, and scrubbed the insides of her mouth with the coarse result. While she made sure her sharp teeth were in pristine condition, Aclysia turned to the slime. ¡°Darling, would you bring the bear we left behind yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Cahld breakfasht ish grosh,¡± Reysha complained, slurring past the stick in her mouth.


    ¡°More for me,¡± Apexus said and got on his feet. Before he left, the slime restocked on fresh water. He didn¡¯t really need it. It was more of an excuse to kneel down next to Reysha and scratch her ears. A deep, steady purr came from the redhead¡¯s throat. He rubbed her soft ears between his fingers, scratched the base of them with pleasingly vibrating fingernails and generally caressed her into a deeply relaxed state. She leaned into it, turning her head to make him scratch specific areas. Her eyes closed and opened slowly. Apexus kissed her neck, got dressed, and then finally went underway.


    He followed the scent trail he had left behind to where they had their last fight yesterday (or at least what the group perceived to be yesterday). Trailing back was a lot quicker and he soon found the White Ice Bear corpse. Ice had, over the several hours they had left it laying there, come to cover much of its motionless form. Peculiarly, the ice was noticeably thicker on the ground level. It was less a natural phenomenon than a cocoon spun around the corpse.


    ¡®The dungeon is integrating the monster back into itself,¡¯ Apexus realized and looked around. ¡®I wonder what happens if it gets done? Does the ice melt or is this part of the process of reshaping the layout?¡¯ The white ice of the dungeon would eventually fully hide the bear inside it, making the corpse nothing more than another proverbial brick in the wall.


    Returning his analysing gaze to the frozen corpse, Apexus wondered if he should bother breaking it open. He couldn¡¯t imagine that the meat was still in a particularly good condition. Neither was the fur and skin, by his estimate. Reysha wanted a warm breakfast and Apexus had been able to infer that Aclysia wanted them to skin the monster. The corpse would do poorly to satisfy either demand.


    ¡®I can at least check,¡¯ the humanoid slime thought and walked towards another corridor of the dungeon. It didn¡¯t take long for him to find another chamber filled with monsters. Two bears and two wraiths, more than he was comfortable taking on his own. He retreated back to the chamber he came from and walked down another path. At the end of that one, he found a single bear with two wraiths. That, he could deal with.


    The chamber had a donut shape, a large central ice pillar making it one go-around. Bored, the bear walked in circles, while the two Frozen Wraiths were hibernating, two skeletal, blue shapes attached to the white walls. Neither noticed the slime, hiding behind one of the rocks jutting out of the corridor walls. There, he made his preparations.


    Apexus counted the seconds needed for the bear to make a single round. Once he was comfortable in his estimate, he waited for the bear to be halfway around the pillar and charged into the room.


    The Frozen Wraiths detached from the walls, their thin limbs cracking as they were spread out and their icy veils covered them. Taking full advantage of this waking period, Apexus leapt and grabbed one of the monsters by the thigh. It was pulled down to the floor with him. Its shriek pulled the warmth from Apexus¡¯s body. Grabbing its skull, the slime shattered it against the ice pillar with one heavy blow.


    The second skeletal creature hovered away, shrieking and causing Apexus¡¯ body temperature to drop further. The slime had anticipated this happening and raised his body temperature in advance. He became slower because of the cold, but rather than becoming sluggish, he was merely brought down to normal speed. That was still quick enough to chase after the second Frozen Wrath and catch her by the foot.


    Apexus smashed her down on the ice and rock floor. Dazed, the monster struggled to fly away immediately. The slime first stomped down on its back, immobilizing it fully, and then on its skull, breaking it.


    As quick as he had been about all of this, Apexus knew that the next part was inevitable. The bear had charged around the pillar and was now slamming into the slime¡¯s open back. Between dodging the assault and finishing off the wraith, Apexus had made his choice.


    He paid a price for it. Acting swiftly, the bear ripped off one of Apexus¡¯ wings before the slime could fully recover from the fall. Before his neck or second wing could be taken, the slime ripped his right elbow backwards. The point rammed into the bear¡¯s face, keeping it away for long enough that Apexus could turn on his back. The jaws came for his throat and Apexus let it happen. Ripping out a mouthful of acidic slime, the bear snapped back in pain and confusion. The biomass turned into harmless water before it could deal more than bothersome damage, but it was enough for the humanoid slime to get up and charge at the startled bear.


    Extending the nails of his thumbs Apexus grabbed the monster¡¯s head and aimed at the eyes. A gruesome squelching sound accompanied the gouging of the soft and delicate flesh. The bear tried to pull away, but it was already too late. Apexus let it go.


    Thrashing around, the opponent did as they all did once blinded, retreating until they had their back against the wall and swinging at the blackness they now perceived. Apexus waited for an opening and swung his massive fist at the bear¡¯s head. The impact caused the imbalanced monster to fall over. Exhausted, it struggled to get up. Apexus delivered a quick stomp to the neck, breaking it and ending the struggle.


    Apexus grabbed the ripped off wing and re-attached it to his back. It would take a bit to move it back into the correct spot, but less time and energy than to regrow it entirely. His throat, on the other hand, was back already. The teeth had missed the bone. Slime and membrane were simple to replace.


    Moving the bear was a bit complicated, given its size, but combining his strength with the slippery floors let Apexus drag the mountain of fat and muscle along. Halfway back, he met Aclysia, who had wondered what took him so long. She did her best to help move the bear back to the healing fountain. Primarily, her help consisted of nudging the bear so it didn¡¯t get stuck on any rocks.


    Reysha came running over at one point, completely nude. While Aclysia could put on her robes and underwear and be protected enough, the tiger girl would have needed her complete regalia to comfortably cross even a moderate distance. To no surprise, she quickly dashed back into the warmth of their ¡®camp¡¯. Even exposed to the icy air, she took the time to laugh, make a joke at Apexus¡¯ expense, and slap Aclysia¡¯s butt though.


    Once the bear was inside the chamber, Aclysia and Apexus took a well-earned break and Reysha grabbed a dagger. Having only a rudimentary idea about what to do, she cut the bear open at the belly. Before worrying about what else to do, they had their breakfast. Reysha stuffed herself with as much as she could handle. As per usual, that was more than what should have fit into her stomach. The Noir condition caused a fair chunk of what she ate to dissolve into magical energy at a rapid pace. It was the lack or overabundance of this energy that caused her to suffer from depressive episodes or benefit from sharper senses.


    Apexus ate the rest and, because he was flexible and thorough, hollowed out the fur in the process. That wasn¡¯t exactly the usual procedure to skin an animal, but it worked well enough. Cutting the remaining fur open so it could be sprawled out with the insides exposed, Reysha then got to work. As much as he tried, the slime had trouble eating things he couldn¡¯t envelop and the remaining fat that stuck to the skin fell into that category.


    Reysha did her best to scrape the remaining gunk off. The result was a White Ice Bear fur with several holes and slices in it. Some of them were owed to the crystals that grew out of the monster¡¯s bones, the majority came from the redhead¡¯s inexperience at the craft. ¡°You sure you want to use this?¡± she asked, trailing a hand over the still moist skin. ¡°It¡¯s kinda gross.¡±


    ¡°Gross is better than freezing,¡± Aclysia told her. ¡°Perhaps it will be better once it''s dry?¡±


    ¡°How would it get dry in here?¡± Apexus asked. ¡°It will freeze or remain moist.¡±


    ¡°I will experiment,¡± Aclysia told them and kneeled down next to the fur. Spreading her hands out over it, she concentrated magic in her palms and formed it into gentle, warm sunlight. The two predators of the group made a sound between respect and awe. They waited. Then they waited in the pool. Then they waited with Reysha busying herself with a cock in her throat.


    Their breakfast experience prolonged their resting time by several hours. When Aclysia was done, they had a fur that was dry, difficult to bend, patchy, but no longer extremely gross. Whether it would last longer than a month was doubtful, however. It lacked all of the treatments that made leather soft and durable.


    Even rolling it together was impossible, which meant it was equally impossible to stuff into an adventurer¡¯s bag and therefore impossible to transport. ¡°A beautiful failure!¡± Reysha exclaimed.


    ¡°It appears so,¡± Aclysia agreed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus nodded.


    ¡°Ya aren¡¯t bothered by that, bubble butt?¡± the tiger girl wanted to know.


    ¡°Failure is the first step to wisdom,¡± the metal fairy responded, walking over to where they had left their things and packing them up. ¡°While the fur itself is useless to us, we are now aware that we can, in an emergency case, produce something like it. Next we stock up on supplies, I will ask a leatherworker for basic sewing equipment and a tannery for chemicals or tips on how to make the skin more flexible. What is important is that we gathered additional knowledge that will help us survive.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we lucky to have ya looking out for us?¡± Reysha hummed and tapped over, giving the white-haired angel a sudden hug.


    ¡°We¡¯re lucky,¡± Apexus confirmed for the redhead, soon closing his large arms around both women at once. ¡°Are we in a hurry to move on?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not necessarily. Why, darling?¡± Aclysia answered with a question of her own.


    ¡°You should be rewarded for your care,¡± the humanoid slime told her, ¡°and I spent all morning tending to Reysha¡¯s needs already.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, I am fairly needy,¡± the redhead joked.


    ¡°I¡­ wouldn¡¯t complain about some additional attention before we continue,¡± Aclysia smiled.


    So they did that and moved on about thirty minutes later.

 The Long Way 8 – In the Ice

    They spend another five days in the dungeon. Those were five more days to the three that they already wanted to spend elsewhere. After having his first experience with ice and snow, Apexus absolutely agreed with the decision of every other adventurer on the Leaf to avoid this dungeon. Why would anyone deal with an environment where not wearing clothes was more threatening than two-metre-tall bears that could themselves breathe ice?


    In those five days, they only came about one additional healing fountain, leaving their rests to be rather unsatisfying as well. Apexus was annoyed with the environment, Reysha was underfucked and Aclysia was getting increasingly worried about the gradual deterioration of their equipment. The last of those was the most worthwhile out of the three, given that every scrape and tear lowered the heat-retaining efficiency of the clothes. Regardless of validity, they all just wanted to get out.


    They were consequently relieved when they finally found the boss room. Rather than the usual door, they were looking at a hole at the bottom of a funnel-shaped room. According to the guide, the boss would be down there. For the first time, the boss room was not preceded by a healing fountain, which made their final tactics discussion and rest less pleasant than usual. A perfect summary, for all of them, of the dungeon in its entirety.


    They were a couple of metres removed from the funnel, careful to not slide down the smooth surface before they were ready. Reysha was sitting on a stone, Aclysia on the ground and Apexus was leaning against a wall. The feathers of his wings were good enough of an insulator on their own that he didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Have you encountered any useful Growths to replicate?¡± Aclysia asked, after they were done discussing their encounter strategy. It was a valid question, given they were about to face the monster whose defeat would enable the next permanent acquisition.


    ¡°Nothing of tremendous use,¡± Apexus shook his head. The dungeon supposedly had four monsters, bears, wraiths, some kind of caterpillar and butterflies. The last two were evidently rare, as they hadn¡¯t encountered any of them. ¡°Acquiring the bear fur may be a good idea in case of future cold areas.¡±


    ¡°If you copied the fur, we could skin ya in the future,¡± Reysha joked.


    ¡°Unlikely,¡± Apexus responded seriously and pulled at his skin a little bit. ¡°My skin is a mixture of demon and my own membrane. Separated from me, it will dissolve into water. You¡¯d just have a bunch of fur.¡±


    ¡°Would spreading your hair over your entire body not have the same result regardless?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°My current hair is not particularly good as an insulator. It¡¯s designed to be sensitive,¡± the slime denied. He had gotten it from the Verdany boss, who had used the hair as tripwire and as soft ¡®walls¡¯ by letting it hang from tentacles as curtains. ¡°Not that the bear fur alone will do much to retain heat either. The fat would help more there.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Fatpexus on the menu then?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Because depositing fat correctly is a complicated process and takes more energy than to grow out fur. Plus, it¡¯s harder to get rid of afterwards¡± Apexus gestured at his crafted, muscular perfection of a male body. ¡°I¡¯d rather not mess with the balance unnecessarily.¡±


    After letting out a long sigh, Reysha giggled. The reality was unlikely to occur, but she could still imagine the large humanoid slime turning a chubby giant with small wings. ¡°What about the bear''s claws though?¡± she asked, between chuckles. ¡°Yours keep breaking.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the crystals are too brittle to withstand force. I¡¯d like something retractable though¡­¡± Demonstratively, the slime¡¯s eyes wandered from his own hands to Reysha¡¯s red nails. ¡°¡­Can I eat you?¡±


    ¡°Ya can eat me out later,¡± Reysha purred, her tail flopping left to right on the stone she was sitting on.


    ¡°Won¡¯t get the Growth out of that. It¡¯s too late and the wrong kind of eating.¡±


    ¡°Psh, don¡¯t be stupid,¡± the redhead waved off. ¡°Ya can¡¯t eat me, I¡¯m cute.¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Apexus surrendered the argument. ¡°Anyway, another option is the stomach. Would allow me to mimic human breathing.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, wouldn¡¯t ya need lungs for that?¡± Reysha asked.


    Placing a hand flat on his chest, the slime explained, ¡°The motion of breathing originates purely from a cavity in your chest filling up with air. I don¡¯t need to process the air, I just need an organ that I can rhythmically inflate and deflate with surrounding muscle tissue.¡±


    ¡°I guess?¡± Reysha tilted her head. Having been to various environments, she was aware enough that there was something in the air that she needed to inhale to survive. The exact working of the lungs was beyond her expertise, however. ¡°You¡¯re the expert on what organs, I just know where they are so I can stab them.¡± Furrowing her eyebrows, Reysha noticed that she was now consciously breathing. Another thought sparked inside her head. ¡°Won¡¯t you have terribly stinky breath though?¡±


    ¡°Maybe? Depends on how the stomach works once it''s part of me,¡± Apexus told her. ¡°Worst case, I¡¯ll seal it off when I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Would it not be more beneficial to go for lungs for authenticities sake?¡± Aclysia wondered.


    ¡°There should be no visible difference from the outside and any side benefits I would get from lungs, such as buoyancy, I would also get from the stomach. The specific use of lungs, to absorb desired parts of the air and add it to the bloodstream, is no use to me, as I don¡¯t have blood. I do eat things though and I wouldn¡¯t mind swallowing to be more efficient.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh,¡± Reysha made an understanding sound. ¡°Well, if ya put it like that, it does make more sense to get a stomach to mimic breathing¡­¡±


    Satisfyingly informed about the thought process, Aclysia said, ¡°I concur.¡±


    Silence settled between them and they exchanged glances. With nothing left to say, they directed their eyes to the funnel. Apexus pushed himself off the wall, Reysha rose from the stone and rolled her shoulders, and Aclysia hovered upwards. All they had to wait for was for Apexus to do the usual and put his top away to protect it from battle damage. Then the slime led the way, sliding down the funnel.


    It was a ten-metre drop from the hole, which was in and of itself unpleasant for the average (especially plated) adventurer. With the power increases up to this point, ten metres were non-threatening even without rolling correctly, but it would be far from pleasant. Apexus could feel the impact in his bones, but recovered fast. Nothing broke and there were no nerves or tissue that could take offense from the blunt trauma. Reysha was a bit more delicate, but the tiger girl knew how to land: by being caught by Apexus. Aclysia flew in right behind them.


    ¡°My hero,¡± the redhead laughed, as she was carefully let down to the ground.


    The room¡¯s floor was the inverse of the funnel above, a hill of ice that declined towards the edges of the boss arena. That slope was incredibly dangerous, as it led down to a ring of water, a dozen metres wide, that separated the ice in the middle from the ice of walls. Pale crystals jutted out of the black rock, an extreme colour difference to the otherwise omnipresent white ice that gave the dungeon its name. Those crystals illuminated the room. The water was milky and impossible to visually penetrate despite the light and shielded the boss inside even from Apexus¡¯ tremor sense.


    Reysha managed to get a proper foot courtesy of the adjustable soles of her red shoes. The ice was hard, but with sharp enough spikes anything could be done. Apexus had to rely on his winter boots as they were, which was still adequate but somewhat risky. He took a slow step down the slope. ¡°Be careful, darling,¡± Aclysia said, following directly behind him in the air. Reysha took a slightly different route and kept her distance.


    Their strategy was simple and all of the risk was frontloaded. Apexus had to watch his balance.


    It took fifteen step until his feet were in the water. The shoes started to soak up the milky fluid and cold quickly. Unpleasant as it was, it was at least firmer ground to stand on than the ice. Raising one foot after the other, he splashed around.


    Soon, he felt the mildest of vibrations. It was difficult to notice, given the effect water had on weight, but it was all Apexus concentrated on. Something very large was inside the water and the closer it got, the shallower its habitat became, the less room it had to swim. The form remained obscured, but Apexus could see the curling of the surface, caused by something moving underneath. There was a moment of calm. Everyone tensed up.


    A massive pair of jaws burst out of the water at impressive speed. Thick, curved teeth set inside an elongated maw were spread out wide, enveloping Apexus horizontally, attached to a long, white-scaled body beset with blue crystals. The White Ice Crocodile exuded an air colder than the environment itself, but Apexus was more threatened by the impending bite.


    Moving with all of the speed he had to offer, Apexus tried to dodge by throwing himself to the ground. The boss, however, was too fast. The jaws snapped shut, catching the upper half of Apexus¡¯ torso. The teeth were blunt instruments, designed to aid in the crushing of bones, and they did a splendid job cracking the most solid parts of the humanoid slime¡¯s body. Shoulders, ribcage, skull, wings and everything in between were crushed in a moment. Slime splattered outwards, squished out by the brutal force of the bite. The forearms fell off and the legs crawled to the side.


    This was, strictly speaking, in the confines of their plan. Someone had to lure the boss out and Apexus was the obvious choice. By moving his core between the hips in advance, he took advantage of the described ambush style of the monster. Now it was out of the water, committed to a movement, and had a mouth full of pain acid. He would have preferred to not lose most of this torso though.


    ¡®That¡¯s a failure on my part,¡¯ Apexus thought- he couldn¡¯t talk. He couldn¡¯t see either. He could still sense Reysha charging in with the war pick, though. Similarly, he could feel the healing energy of Aclysia¡¯s spell coming his way. They accelerated his reconstruction tremendously and supplied some of the necessary energy. His usual form was too complicated to regenerate in a sensible time frame though, something preconstructed had to do.


    Reysha, meanwhile, landed the one hit their plan fundamentally relied on. Swinging the war pick, only aiming to connect at all, the weapon punched through scale and hide, grievously wounding the White Ice Crocodile at the neck.


    It wasn¡¯t an immediate kill. In pain and panicked, the boss monster slammed its snout sideways into Reysha, sending her flying. The impact was accompanied by the sound of ribs cracking underneath the thick fur clothes. The wound was opened further in the process and that was all that mattered.


    Landing in the shallow water a few metres away, Reysha was about to be chased by the angry crocodile when an even angrier, naked bear slammed into its side. Copying the body structure of the monster had been easier and faster, the structure of muscles and bones nothing Apexus had influence over and therefore constructed entirely on fast instinct. The simple, small components of his Growths, like ears and eyes, he used over what the bear would have naturally had. The end result was a chimera in every sense.


    The slime and the boss monster made a large splash when they slammed into the water. Red mingled with milky white, as they struggled. Larger and in its element, the boss was the immediate favourite. Apexus knew this and had only one priority: to stay away from those jaws.


    Once he heard a whistle, he disengaged. It wasn¡¯t easy and a stroke of luck was that the crocodile¡¯s thrashing tail hit him in the back, making him fall towards land. Reysha and Aclysia then dragged him further away before the boss could chase after its prey.


    Calm set onto the battlefield, the crocodile sitting by the shore and hissing at them, while the trio of adventurers, Reysha recovered thanks to Aclysia¡¯s healing, stared back. The wound continued to ooze red. Blood of a creature such as this didn¡¯t freeze easily. Additionally, the wound was deep enough to connect to the windpipe and the boss¡¯ thrashing had caused a vein to be scratched open.


    Their strategy was simple and all of the risk was frontloaded. Bait the boss into a large attack and exploit the window of opportunity to land a single, devastating hit to the head. Now they simply had to wait. Either the boss would succumb to the wound or its stamina would be gradually drained by the blood loss.


    If the crocodile had been smarter, it would have likely realized its impending death and gone on a rampage to fulfil its imperative to be a threat to adventurers. As it was, it just retreated back into the water and waited for them to give it another opportunity to ambush. It waited, bled and waited, until there was not enough left in its system to supply its organs with energy.


    The group was contemplating a second attack when the ice in the room melted away.

 The Long Way 9 – A post ice resort

    White ice melted away at a rapid pace, transforming their frigid environment into a clear lake that washed around their feet. Simultaneously, the ceiling was sealed by rapidly growing crystals leaving the group no avenue to leave the room. Not until, suddenly, the still lake began to stream away. A hole, hidden behind a layer of ice over a metre thick, had become unsealed. Although most of the opening was above the surface, there was enough of it below to give the water an escape route. With the sole purpose of counteracting this drain, several circles opened along the walls, pumping fresh water inside.


    The group, having known this would happen, stripped to protect their clothes from getting soaked. The water was thankfully hot, but, somehow, the air was still frigid cold. Because of that, all three of them dropped down under the surface the moment they could. That moment being after Apexus had ¡®devoured¡¯ their adventurer¡¯s bags. He kept them in a cavity he had created in his chest. It took conscious effort to maintain such a hole inside himself, similar to walking around with puffed up cheeks. It was also the best way the group could come up with to prevent another loss of one of their valuable adventurer¡¯s bags.


    ¡®If I can turn acid production off, the stomach is going to work as an in-body pouch too,¡¯ Apexus realized, while they walked over to the boss. The crocodile¡¯s body was plainly visible in the now clear water.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to land on that,¡± Reysha commented, with an eye on all of the spikes jutting from the crocodiles¡¯ scales. They were more abrasive than sharp, but that only reduced it from ¡®deadly¡¯ to ¡®incredibly painful¡¯.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go down first and make sure that doesn¡¯t happen,¡± Apexus assured and rolled his shoulder. He was mostly restored by now, there had been enough waiting time to get himself back in order. Obviously, the regeneration left him quite famished and there was a mountain of meat, over five metres long, right in front of him. It wasn¡¯t on the menu quite yet, however.


    ¡°I approve of that plan, darling,¡± nodded Aclysia.


    ¡°Fun part first,¡± Reysha sighed and moved to the tail-end of the crocodile. ¡°Hope you can lift this fucker, Apexus.¡±


    ¡°I can try,¡± the slime responded and all three of them did their best to move the corpse over to the hole. Normally, when a group went through the hassle of doing what they were doing now, they did so in order to skin the beast afterwards. There were enough eccentric or highly skilled craftsmen interested in the white scales. This eccentric group only cared for their next meal though.


    It took them about ten minutes of shoving and pushing to get the crocodile to the hole. Once they had aligned it head first with the hole, the water drag started to ever so minorly move the body along. Apexus gave it one last kick and then the corpse was past the point of no return, sliding down and vanishing from sight behind a corner.


    ¡°Ya better not start eating without me!¡± Reysha warned.


    ¡°No guarantees,¡± the slime responded with a deliberate grin, before jumping after their next meal.


    ¡°SLIMY COCK-PROVIDER!¡± he heard shouted after him, as the stream claimed him. There were a number of other curses, but they were lost between the growing distance and the sound of rushing water all around. Looking over his shoulder, the humanoid slime only saw stone, while he slid down a winding path.


    All around Apexus was stone, polished by divine will to the point that there was basically no friction left. The tunnel steadily descended, gravity accelerating water and water accelerating the slime, who greatly enjoyed the sensation. ¡®It¡¯s quite similar to flying,¡¯ he thought, turning on his stomach. His wings, particularly his feathers, were aligned in the wrong direction and slowed him down. Once he had fixed that issue, the only thing that stopped him from forever accelerating were water resistance and curves.


    Apexus didn¡¯t know when he reached top speed. After about a hundred metres down the slide, the only light inside it came in the form of tiny fluorescent crystals that were part of the flawlessly smooth walls. The dots flew by him, as if he was rapidly cutting through the midnight sky. It was such a carefree rush of speed that the slime couldn¡¯t help but smile widely.


    He was inside that slide for half an hour, travelling far out of the main dungeon and through entire mountains. The hot water kept him warm through the entire trip. All good things came to an end eventually, however, and this particular one came into view as a bright light at the end of the night sky tunnel. Apexus braced himself for impact.


    Sliding into a large, deepening pool, he gradually lost his speed, thanks to the larger body of water putting up more resistance. By chance, the crocodile corpse had swerved off to the left, sparing Apexus the potentially painful collision. Moving it further to the side wasn¡¯t exactly easy, but he managed to at least drag it far enough that there was no risk involved. Then he managed to even drag it out of the pool entirely.


    ¡®I guess Reysha is slower because she is lighter?¡¯ Apexus wondered. Minimizing resistance and maximizing mass were the key to acceleration when sliding down a slope and, given the distance involved, the difference in weight caused a predictable difference in time as well. The slime used it to pull out their bags and inspect the surroundings.


    The slide had ended in an underground cave of the cosy variety. It was clearly not natural. The walls were almost perfectly rectangular, stone benches stuck out of the walls and there were two fireplaces, one for a simple campfire and one for an impromptu stove. A number of stone barriers segmented five narrow areas that could be used for people to sleep in relative privacy. There were also stone chests there, whose lids just waited to be lifted by those that had weathered the White Ice dungeon. Two tunnels lead out of this underground chamber. While all of that was impressive, in a way, it only accounted for the quarter of the room that was dry.


    The rest was taken up by the pool. The slide provided steady, fresh and warm water. The further one got away from the slide, the deeper the water got, reaching its maximum depth at about two metres. Turning into a soft L-shape at that depth, the pool had a part to it that was optimal to swim in. On the inside corner of that curve was an area isolated via a circular wall that rose knee-high above the surface. A submerged bench was attached to the inside of that wall and at the centre of that segment was a thermal vent, which steadily spewed out pleasantly hot bubbles.


    ¡®Looks quite relaxing,¡¯ Apexus thought and raised his eyes to the ceiling. A giant red crystal was fused to it and provided the light for the entire place. It was round and the qualities of the light reminded Apexus of a weaker evening sun. It heated up the room to decent temperatures as well. A distant shout caused him to direct his gaze back at the slide.


    ¡°WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡± Reysha shouted, coming down the rest of the slope feet-first and cutting through the water. She vanished completely under the surface for a moment, then jumped up, naked and happy. ¡°That was fucking AWESOME!¡± she declared, walking over to Apexus. ¡°Ahhh, fuck, my heart is pumping, that alone was almost worth the shitty ice dungeon.¡±


    ¡°It was entertaining,¡± Apexus wasn¡¯t quite as enthusiastic, he could fly and get a similar feeling whenever he wanted, but he got where she was coming from. ¡°Where¡¯s Aclysia?¡±


    ¡°No fucking clue, she jumped in right after me but her fat ass slowed her down,¡± Reysha looked to the corpse, then to Apexus, and deliberated what she wanted to eat first. Adrenaline got the better off her, ultimately. ¡°Fuck me?¡± she half-asked, half-suggested, casually.


    ¡°Food first,¡± the slime had to deny her. The mind was willing, especially after the below-average opportunities they had inside the dungeon, but the body was famished and not ready to perform to the degree Reysha deserved. Mildly disappointed, but appeased by the alternative prospect, Reysha accompanied the slime to the corpse. They divvied up who got what, Reysha claimed most of the meaty bits while Apexus was happy to proclaim a monopoly on bones and most organs, and started eating. Apexus held back on forming the stomach, in case the crocodile one was more to his liking.


    They had already gotten through a fifth of the mountain of meat, when Aclysia slowly and quietly slid down the water stream. She had so little momentum, she barely even disturbed the water¡¯s surface. A fact that seemed to bother Reysha, ¡°You¡¯re supposed to shout and make a giant splash, Aclysia! Were you unable to pick up speed because your ass is that deliciously huge?¡±


    ¡°You already made that joke,¡± Apexus remarked, while yanking an entire leg bone out of the meat and swallowing it like a circus actor would a sword.


    Reysha¡¯s bloody knife, her primary assistant in carving out mouth-sized pieces, pointed at Aclysia. ¡°Not towards her, I haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And what, if I may inquire, Reysha, makes you the grand overseer of stone sliding culture?¡± Aclysia asked. The white-haired fairy fluttered her wings at a high frequency after she had left the pool, drying the black and white fuzz in record speed. ¡°Although the size of my butt certainly was a slowing factor, I deliberately did not chase immense acceleration.¡±


    ¡°Why not though?¡± Reysha munched on a strip of meat while she asked. ¡°We knew where we would end up, no need to play it safe.¡±


    ¡°Because I do not enjoy uncontrollable velocity.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a weirdo, bubble butt.¡±


    ¡°I do not want to hear that from you, you¡­ you¡­¡± Aclysia, brilliant as she was, did not possess the talent of quickly coming up with witty nicknames, ¡°¡­bloody cat!¡±


    ¡°Hehahaha,¡± Apexus laughed out loud, deeply amused.


    ¡°Really?¡± Reysha raised both eyebrows. ¡°That made you laugh, really? Bloody fucking cat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an acute observation of your visual appearance,¡± Aclysia defended her choice of words. ¡°You¡¯re redhaired and a humanoid of the feline beastkin category. Furthermore, you¡¯re absolutely covered in gore at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Ya could say I have bad table manners ¨C or floor manners in this case,¡± Reysha rammed her knife into the corpse and sawed through the weakest link between scales and flesh she could find. ¡°Call me a mental mess of a messy eater or something. That¡¯s way better than bloody cat.¡±


    ¡°Bubble butt is just as much a physical observation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different and you know it,¡± Reysha countered with a giggle.


    ¡°Logically it¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°In reality it hits different though, so I win.¡±


    ¡°Bloody cat is a physical description, bubble butt is also a desirable trait and more humorous due to the casualness with which Reysha approaches sex,¡± Apexus chimed in.


    ¡°I thought you were on my side, darling.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Aclysia, but I laughed because of how awkward the delivery was.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± the metal fairy¡¯s wings spread out, while the shame flushed her face.


    ¡°Look at that, a blood red angel,¡± Reysha joked.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± Apexus interrupted the bantering. These two got along lovingly almost all of the time but there were some times, when Aclysia had a particularly vulnerable and Reysha an especially mean day, that their discussions could slide into genuine fight territory. They were still the same two girls who had bitterly bickered over moral differences in the Birchia dungeon, after all. Even being lovers didn¡¯t just eliminate personal differences. In some cases, that relationship dynamic even served as an exasperating factor. ¡°Speed is nice, but my melody being careful is good for us all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right in that sense,¡± Reysha conceded that point immediately. She didn¡¯t register actively that she was pushing it a bit too far, but she wasn¡¯t opposed to complimenting Aclysia either. In the first place, Reysha was just insanely blunt about everything she thought. It just often came out as semi-insulting banter. ¡°Love ya, ¡®Clysia.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ haaah¡­¡± the metal fairy sighed and calmed the complicated mess of emotions. Walking over to the bubbling fountain, she sat down on the wall and watched the two eat. ¡°I love you too¡­ annoying as you can be.¡±


    ¡°I get paid in meat for shutting my stupid trap,¡± Reysha joked. ¡°Monster meat or man meat, I accept either.¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t accept all comers.¡±


    ¡°I only accept one cummer,¡± Reysha giggled and accelerated on eating. Thinking about it had made her horny again and the quicker she and Apexus ate, the quicker they could transition to the next stage of their post-dungeon relaxation schedule.


    The only flaw with that plan was that she, stuffed to the brim with the rich, dark meat of the crocodile, had no room for any other kind of stuffing. ¡°I think I might fall into a food coma,¡± she gasped, laying on her back, her usually flat stomach visibly rounder from the thorough meal. ¡°If I don¡¯t wake up¡­ I died happily.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic,¡± Aclysia told her and pulled a blanket out of her bag. ¡°Wash yourself, I¡¯ll get us a place to sleep in order.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the best,¡± Reysha burped and made her way to the water. Soon thereafter, she was laying on a makeshift bed and drifted to sleep. Aclysia went back to watching Apexus eat. There was still a lot of it left and he didn¡¯t have a stomach that could be filled up.


    That wasn¡¯t to say he had no stomach at all. That was no longer true. He had, after some deliberation, acquired the crocodile¡¯s over the bear¡¯s digestion organ. The choice for this was simply that one had come from a boss and the other from a regular dungeon monster. Neither had better acid than Apexus¡¯ own, so it hardly mattered what he went with in that regard.


    The new Growth sat, as planned, inside Apexus¡¯ ribcage and functioned exactly as expected. Fundamentally, it was nothing but a permanent cavity within him, which he could use to mimic breathing, store things inside his body or digest things. Digesting things through the stomach was noticeably more efficient than doing it with the rest of his body. The acid was of a higher concentration and churned through basically anything organic in a matter of, at most, minutes. The hole that usually connected the stomach to the intestines was then used to distribute the nutrition in the rest of the body. The stomach acid production could be started and ended whenever Apexus wanted.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to test something, don¡¯t be alarmed,¡± Apexus warned the metal fairy watching him and tensed up, mouth open. Acid rushed up the connection between mouth and stomach, but stopped short of the back of the throat. Apexus had to lean forward and spit, to force any at all out. The drop fell on the crocodile corpse, sizzled for a moment, then became simple water. It was stronger acid, but it was still his acid ¨C disconnected from his mana, it lost its properties. ¡°Guess that won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Acid spitting?¡± Aclysia guessed correctly. ¡°There would be strategic utility to it. I must admit, however, that I find it aesthetically displeasing.¡±


    ¡°Is that because of the acid itself or the way I would deliver it.¡±


    ¡°The latter,¡± Aclysia explained, after a moment of deliberation. ¡°If summoned in a similar fashion to fire or ice breath, it doesn¡¯t strike me as an aesthetically displeasing display. Vomiting in someone¡¯s face, however, is rather crude. Admittedly, crude and effective should be prioritized over good looking and dead.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Apexus agreed.


    He was just finishing with the crocodile when Reysha woke up again from her nap. Needing to go for redheaded tigers, she went down the left of the two passageways. The dungeon guide had described this cavern in all of its details, including the optimal place to take care of waste disposal. Once she was back, and considerably less bloated in the stomach area, Reysha hopped back into the pool and thoroughly cleaned herself. Towards the end of that procedure, she suggested, ¡°How about we stay here for a couple of days? Like two or three.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to a break after that horrid ice dungeon¡­¡± Apexus said and looked over to Aclysia. ¡°Can we stay here, resource wise?¡±


    ¡°That depends entirely on your gluttony and the availability of fresh game,¡± the metal fairy pondered. ¡°This room remains accessible from the outside, provided we know the entrance. This may allow us to hunt, which means we won¡¯t have to rely on our dried meat stores. The water supply will dry up when the boss respawns, which should occur within a week at the earliest, so will not have an issue there.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s snow outside the door, water will never be a problem,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°I mean that the water will no longer be heated,¡± Aclysia clarified.


    ¡°Ah, alrighty,¡± the tiger girl nodded. ¡°So, proposal accepted?¡±


    ¡°I would say we can stay up to five nights if we procure additional food, two if not,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°Five is a tad longer than what I suggested,¡± Reysha pointed out. ¡°Somebody sick of ice as well?¡±


    ¡°I would just appreciate a prolonged break from travelling,¡± Aclysia sighed and stretched. She had always been the most ¡®civilized¡¯ of the three and therefore less enthusiastic about their nomadic lifestyle. That was not to say that she was feeling tortured because of it, just that she wanted to settle down somewhere safe sometime. ¡°Five days is as long as I can justify to myself, given our, thankfully distant, predicaments.¡±


    ¡°Are we going out searching for food then?¡± Reysha asked, kneeling in the water.


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus denied and got on his feet. The two women looked at him quizzically, but switched moods immediately when they saw the swelling member between his legs. ¡°First we properly celebrate our victory.¡±

 The Long Way 10 – Relaxation

    ¡°I can¡¯t feel my legs,¡± Reysha purred, vocal fry dominating her voice, as soon as she had the breath to spare to talk. The victory celebrations had continued for half an hour and Reysha was laying on top of a hastily made pile of blankets in the middle of the land segment of the cave. It had been used for the second half of the proceedings. There had been pounding involved that, on the raw stone floor, would not have been comfortable.


    ¡°I could fix that for you,¡± Aclysia offered. Thanks to her nature, the post-coitus stage of exhaustion mostly affected her mentally. Both girls were still getting their breath back under control, both were sweaty and both had their pussies filled, but one was definitely less threatened by short-term physical effects than the other. Even the marks from whatever manhandling Apexus had employed disappeared faster on the angel.


    ¡°Nah, girrrrrrlll,¡± the tiger girl continued to speak with vocal fry, rolling over on her back to have an easier time breathing. ¡°Imma enjoy that feeling for a little bit. Maybe in a minute.¡±


    Apexus, proud of his work, looked down at his two pleased partners. There was a mild urge to continue, there almost always was, but there was no need to overdo it. Plenty of opportunities would be had later. ¡°You mind if I check out the loot?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, gimme a sec,¡± Reysha slightly repositioned herself so she could look at the area of the room where a couple of stone barriers created five narrow corridors. They doubled as a place to sleep in relative privacy and as the place where the dungeon¡¯s boss chests were stored. While it was highly unusual that such chests would be outside the dungeon proper, they still couldn¡¯t be opened without defeating the boss first. ¡°Alright, now ya have my permission.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I needed permission from a woman that forgot how to walk,¡± Apexus joked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t forget, boytoy, and it¡¯ll come back to me in a couple minutes and then I¡¯ll kick your ass!¡±


    ¡°We will see about that,¡± the slime said, a tad too seriously. He was eager to establish physical dominance in their relationship again, since he had lost their last playfight. From the standpoint of less ¡®savagely¡¯ minded people, like Aclysia, the humanoid slime had proven his superiority in that regard over the course of the last thirty minutes. Logic like that wasn¡¯t exactly involved in the process though.


    Apexus headed to the leftmost chest. It was a simple stone block of a dark colour. Fused to the main chest, the lid was only visible courtesy of a line that was etched along the side. Apexus took a moment to inspect the design and wonder how he was supposed to open this. ¡®Divine designs always work somehow,¡¯ he thought, finally deciding to just give it a shove. Reacting to his intent and registering that he had indeed slain the boss, the lid of the chest simply disintegrated.


    Bowing over the resulting opening, Apexus looked into the chest. The inside walls were unnaturally black, courtesy of not being walls at all. The inside of dungeon chests had never quite made sense and it didn¡¯t start now. Half-hovering, half-laying at the ¡®bottom¡¯ of the chest was a two-handed sword. It had a simple cross-guard, a leather wrapped grip and the blade was iron. Apexus had to angle it to pull it out, as the blade was longer than the chest was wide. A small amount of cold mist trailed in its movement. Apexus didn¡¯t have to test if this item was enchanted.


    ¡°Do you suppose that would be a weapon appropriate for your usage?¡± Aclysia asked, hopeful he would say yes. Up until now, Apexus had only fought using his own body and while that tended to work out, courtesy of his unique or highly unusual traits, the metal fairy did not like seeing him torn apart or otherwise hurt. A weapon, and the range it offered, would go to some length helping with that.


    Apexus immediately made a sour face and inspected the two-hander further. Although the ice enchantment instinctively repulsed him, It was a weapon appropriate for his size and stature. Heavy, it would be able to land quite a blow, but it also wasn¡¯t so overly weighty that the slime felt pulled down by it. Swinging it around, he found he could even wield it with one hand.


    ¡®Sloppy technique though,¡¯ Reysha couldn¡¯t help but think, watching the slime swing around the sword with the same level of skill a ten-year-old had when playing knight with a stick. There was no unnecessary shouting and Apexus was an overall more intimidating figure. ¡®Not that he¡¯ll need the best technique with the amount of brute force involved there. Plus, he could learn.¡¯


    Apexus¡¯ sour face only deepened and he stopped. Similar thoughts were going through his head. He put the two-hander down. Utilizing an ¡®appendage¡¯ he couldn¡¯t feel with to fight just didn¡¯t feel right to Apexus. He had heard Reysha talk about how weapons could become an extension of oneself, but the slime had a hard time setting himself in that mindset. Weapons were tools and tools were objects to achieve specific goals or improvise with. Relying, permanently, on a weapon over his own body was alien to the chimera. ¡°I won¡¯t use it.¡±


    Sighing, the metal angel accepted this. There wasn¡¯t much sense in arguing over his preferences. She just wished that his fighting style would be less self-harming. ¡°It would be prudent to assume that enemies in these dungeons will eventually be too strong to be taken head-on like you currently do, darling.¡±


    Apexus raised his hand and looked at the skin. It turned translucent, revealing the dark blue slime underneath and the bones within. ¡°I evolve and become stronger myself. Yet, I do know that you are correct.¡±


    As it currently stood, Apexus was stronger than the average adventurer. Extreme regenerative abilities, a multitude of tools and muscle strong enough to wrestle even with supernaturally empowered bears all elevated him above the rest. In one way or another, the advantage he had in these regards would diminish with time. Although his regenerative capabilities would likely remain above almost anyone else, other adventurers would grow incredibly resilient in their own ways. His biological tools would compete with growing magical arsenals. In the realm of physical strength, he wasn¡¯t that far ahead of other people of his size and group role to begin with.


    Dungeon monsters were created to force people to grow and therefore needed to pose a challenge. If Apexus kept relying only on what his body was equipped with, he would fall behind and eventually find a foe too strong to just trade upfront blows with. Magic, in particular, was a threat. In this low-level bracket, magic in enemies wasn¡¯t overly strong. It was only a matter of time before that changed. The number of vast improvements Apexus could make to his physiology were limited as well. Muscles, bones, eyes, all of these and other things could only be acquired once. They became stronger with him, could even be improved with additional Growths, but there was a point at which things naturally had to slow down.


    ¡°Well, he looks like a person now, so maybe we can find a teacher of some martial art class once we get out of here,¡± Reysha suggested. ¡°It¡¯s not like all Classes utilize weapons.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± Aclysia nodded along. They had talked about this before, so there was not much more that needed to be said. Guidance from a teacher would serve them all well. Aclysia and Reysha could learn some new spells and skills, while Apexus still had to figure out how to utilize magic properly in the first place. The sooner they got those conditions cleared, the better. None of them were experienced enough to discover or formulate new magic on their own. Aclysia got close, but even she only improved on things she already knew how to do thanks to her divine origin.


    ¡°Would you want the sword?¡± Apexus asked, while making his way to the second chest.


    ¡°Would you?¡± Reysha asked Aclysia with a giant grin.


    ¡°The question was obviously directed at you,¡± the metal fairy said and hovered over to the water. She had recovered enough now to clean herself.


    ¡°Yeah, but why would I acknowledge the obvious when I can make a cheap joke?¡± The angel and the slime didn¡¯t answer the question, they knew that was the quickest way to get an answer to their own. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t like big swords, so nope.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry it to the next city then,¡± Apexus said. While size was not really an issue, adventurer¡¯s bags could only carry a certain weight, about 25 kilograms for the standard bag, inside them. The sword was about five. That was above average for a sword of that variety but Apexus¡¯ bag was scarcely filled. ¡°Only money in this one. 100 silver, I estimate.¡± He threw the purse next to the sword, for Aclysia to pick up later, then moved onto the third chest. He pulled a crystal pendant out of that one. Beauty was its only value, as Apexus could sense no magic from it. They resolved to sell it later.


    The fourth chest had something more interesting. A blue, one-piece dress from a soft, smooth fabric, similar to silk. It would have been appropriate for any noble lady to wear and was worth more than either the money or the pendant by a longshot. After a short discussion, they decided to keep it. Ironically, the discussion stemmed from the obvious recipient, Aclysia, insisting they could use the funds more than a dress too fancy to wear while travelling. They countered that they didn¡¯t need money that badly and there was no telling when they could use a fancy dress. As she also lowkey wanted it, Aclysia relented after some pushback.


    The last piece of loot was a steel stiletto ¨C a dagger whose ¡®blade¡¯ was more of a three-sided thorn. Like the two-hander, the stiletto exuded a cold aura. ¡°Yeah, I call dibs on that one,¡± Reysha announced, unsurprisingly. Having a close-range stabbing weapon was never wrong for a Rogue.


    With all of the loot out of the way, Apexus returned to Reysha and picked her up. The two then joined Aclysia in the water for some additional fooling around and cleaning. Nothing as excessive as their earlier engagement, but enough to distract them until they inevitably got hungry again. The crystal in the ceiling had dimmed to a dark blue in the meantime.


    ¡°Alright, magic girl, hit me up with your healing hands,¡± Reysha finally declared and got proper feeling back into her legs. They got out of the pool, put on their winter clothes, and headed towards the right of the two exits. ¡°Time to see how long we can camp out in here.¡±


    The warmth of their safe chamber was gradually replaced with the cold they had come to know so well these past days. Howling wind echoed in the distance, then around them, as tumbling snow was blown into the winding passage. They saw the mountains beyond the exit, their white covering basked in silver light. Then they saw the entire vale.


    They emerged on top of a solid stone plateau, an eighth up the way of one of the many mountains, overlooking a valley between several of the stone giants. A river, fed by a neighbouring glacier, fed water into a lake below that bubbled and steamed from seismic activity. The resulting heat had allowed some plants to take root around. It was far from a paradise, the plants were generally small and hard, but it was enough to sustain a herd of mountain goats that cared neither for the snow nor the threat of falling into one of the gas vents.


    ¡°Think those goats are magical?¡± Reysha asked. She could eat them either way, but would much prefer not to in one case.


    ¡°I¡¯d assume so, given the way they scale the walls,¡± Apexus stated.


    Aclysia wasn¡¯t convinced on that alone. ¡°Goats are quite famous for their ability to move up near vertical surfaces.¡±


    ¡°How about upside down?¡± the slime asked and pointed at the goat that made him make the comment in the first place. It was walking up a cliffside, the tip of which jutted out several metres from the rest of the mountain, by just putting one hoof in front of the other. Each time, it had to secure its position by letting its legs freeze to the stone, a deliberate and magical process, but it did still climb at an angle that left its long fur dangling.


    ¡°¡­I support the theory of a certain degree of magical ability,¡± Aclysia conceded.


    ¡°Next question is if we can hunt one,¡± Reysha said and looked down at the vale. ¡°Not sure I can move down there. Too much superhot water. I guess I¡¯ll have to leave it to you two.¡±


    ¡°As long as the wind plays along, I can do it,¡± Apexus assured.


    ¡°Long vacation it is then!¡± Reysha grinned.

 The Long Way 11 – Trampling a Path

    Turlesh¡¯s tongue slithered through the air, tasting the traces of magic.


    ¡®So, so, weak,¡¯ he thought. It was in reference both to the general ambient magic and the boss he was currently facing. The Voraroot, the monster awaiting anyone who made it to the end of the Summer¡¯s Rest dungeon, was a monster between a carnivorous plant, octopus and a spider. It had squeezed out of its spawning pod in the ceiling and was now hooking the tips of its tentacles into the wooden walls. Its head dangled from the centre, swinging like a pendulum. The shape was dominated by a large jaw and four pincers. Bad as its senses were, it had to rely on its prey moving into proximity of its head.


    Turlesh lowered his own and followed the track of his prey. He had arrived on the leaf a couple of days ago and had steadily followed the track. It was a bit difficult at times to resist the urge to tear down the villages he passed by, but Turlesh was a good servant of the Empress¡¯ master. ¡®Have to find Spark Eater,¡¯ he thought, moving up to the wall opposite of the entrance.


    The boss still failed to notice him and would never get to suicidally try and bite the Deathhound, as Turlesh rammed his four clawed hands into the wood and pried it open. What should have only opened when the boss was defeated, the Tharnatos class demon opened with ease. Behind, he revealed a number of chests and a tunnel. While he could have forced open those chests as well, he would have found them empty. The Deathhound was more interested in the tunnel anyway and followed it back outside.


    The Deathhound hadn¡¯t ran past that boss for the first time today, but it was finally the last. Because of the way he tracked his prey, Turlesh had to follow the path of the slime exactly. That did include any back and forth commuting between locations. Consequently, Turlesh preferred it when his target either rested somewhere for a stretch of time, or kept moving somewhere. Even a demon felt silly going from A to B, back, and back again, about thirty times.


    The crowd that had gathered, watching the Deathhound come back out of the dungeon from a safe distance, did not feel like laughing. They were all far too terrified of what they were looking at. The two and a half metre long monstrosity, with a tail that added over another one, of polished, leathery skin and muscle was far too alien to make fun of.


    Turlesh considered tearing the crowd apart and to feast on their skulls. Aside from the back and forth, the look of the Summer Rest island annoyed him. Everything was bright, summerly and green. He hated the overburdening colours and how they burned themselves into his retinas. He had devoured among the Hellroots most of his life so this Leaf was safe and he hated it. He hated the chaotic ways of nature. The only chaos he desired was that of a battlefield and a crowd feverishly worshipping the Empress ¨C often one and the same thing.


    The magical track directed him westwards, and he growled quietly with contentment at this fact. ¡®Bright place, blessed place, makes me annoyed,¡¯ he thought and started running. Running into the forest. Out of principle, he tore down the shack between which and the dungeon he had repeatedly travelled. ¡®Home of prey is just another target,¡¯ he justified to himself, before targeting the hills.


    On the western stretch of them, far away from the onlookers, the Deathhound stopped and raised his head. His tongue, once more, tasted the air. The track bent into the air there. Turlesh was aware that his prey could fly. As ugly as he found the slime¡¯s wings to be, just as obscenely vibrant as the summer around him, he did acknowledge that they had to work.


    As a Deathhound, he had no need of such limbs to get off the ground.


    Turlesh¡¯s four eyes independently moved around, looking for his path. Every world was a Leaf of the Omniverse, every Leaf was filled with veins, every vein was a path through which the divinely created aspects of the Leaf were given the energy to sustain their operations. Their density and size also caused the ambient mana in the air to be more or less. Arcanists and similarly self-sufficient casters named these veins Leylines. Druids and Shamans and similarly naturalistic casters preferred the title of Leaf Veins. Priests and similarly divinely attuned casters called them Divine Paths. To Turlesh, they were a way to move over the ocean.


    Much like some insects could move on top of water, powerful demons could interact with the Omniverse¡¯s energy with such harmony that they could grasp these veins. Angels and demons, protectors of the Branches and Roots, they could pull off this miracle. Certain specialized mortals could as well, but that was a vast exception from the rule. Only gods and Parasytes, however, could hope to withdraw power from those veins.


    Moving was good enough for Turlesh and he spotted a vein that would bring him where he wanted to go. He grasped it with the same certainty a monkey would grab a tree branch and pulled himself up. Quickly, he pulled himself along the vein. There were others nearby, not a whole lot of them, but enough to correct his course whenever he moved too far away from the tracks.


    Once past the ocean, he ran again. He ran faster, much faster, than a horse in full sprint. His stamina was boundless and he continued on and on. The trail may have continued in the sky, but he could still sense it as long as he moved directly under it. That was enough.


    His steps broke roads. An unlucky cabbage merchant drove his cart in the path of the Deathhound. The unrelenting force shattered the wooden vehicle, broke his legs and sent his donkeys into a panic. Later on, he would report to only have seen a horrifying streak pass him by, vanishing in the jungle.


    Turlesh moved onto Verdany, taking a few days where the group needed several weeks. The insides of the dungeons, he barely cared about. When a monster was in the way or offensively bright, he killed it. The boss went ignored again. All the Deathhound cared for was the track. As long as he could follow it, killing was only something he did when something was offensively bright and conveniently in reach.


    ¡°How farrrrrrr?¡± Turlesh growled, while charging back north. Useful as it was, the Fate Tracking did not give any indication of how much further he had to go to reach his target. Turlesh could only keep going on, certain that, eventually, he would reach his target.


    The bridge came into view, the massive stone construct that spanned this particular strait. It was somewhat more convenient than using the veins, so Turlesh would have been eager to see it, had it not been for the big, dark blue humanoid that stood right next to it. His skin was leathery, like Turlesh¡¯s, but less smooth and polished in its appearance. There were patches that looked like stone scales, covering shoulders and limbs mostly. A grey mane stretched up his neck, over his head, and left only an ugly face with a giant nose and thick lips behind. Tusks jutted out of the humanoids mouth.


    He wore only a loincloth, leaving the rest of his body naked. Far taller than a human and even a good bit taller than Turlesh, the being was an impressive figure. His dull green eyes narrowed at the approaching demon. His hand reached for a massive stone club, standing nearby, the three thick fingers grabbing the leather wrapped handle.


    ¡°PAY TROLL TOLL!¡± the bridge-warden shouted at the sprinting demon and swung his club.


    Turlesh had to stop and jump back to avoid the hit. Hissing past his uniformly sized canines, the Deathhound prowled back and forth in front of the troll. One eye looked the semi-monstrous being up and down, the other three looked at their surroundings. ¡°Troll¡­ troll¡­¡± he mumbled. ¡°Annoying creature.¡±


    ¡°You pay troll toll to Turl,¡± the troll declared.


    The Deathhound¡¯s maw parted properly, the teeth parting halfway down its elongated, flexible head. Saliva dripped onto the dirt road, black and gooey. ¡°Your name ¨C similar to mine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care, just remember Turl. Turl take toll, you don¡¯t have to pay toll in year.¡±


    ¡°Turlesh is in Empress¡¯ book.¡±


    ¡°Turl shorter. Shorter better.¡±


    The Deathhound rushed forwards and slashed open the troll¡¯s chest down to the ribs. The blue-skinned, and blooded, humanoid shrugged it off without issue and swung his club. Flying several metres, Turlesh stopped himself by holding onto one of the veins, before dropping down on Turl.


    Dull as he may have been, the troll possesses excellent combat instincts and dodged back. He dodged backwards, several claws missing him, and then pulled his club up in an upward swing. Turlesh caught the strike with his two left arms. ¡°You ¨C bother ¨C me,¡± he hissed.


    ¡°Pay toll!¡± Turl insisted, the two of them holding their position with stubborn intent. The wounds on the troll¡¯s chest were already healing again, the regeneration factor of the bridge-warding species was renowned for a reason.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Turlesh asked. ¡®Have places to be, many places, can¡¯t waste time tearing apart a troll, would take too long.¡¯


    ¡°Will know when shown,¡± Turl responded.


    Growling with frustration, the Deathhound was reminded that, no matter when he was summoned, trolls were always dull and unknowing. ¡°I hate you,¡± Turlesh hissed.


    ¡°Can¡¯t pay toll with that, not funny or beautiful,¡± the troll let go of his club and instead hurled his fist at the Deathhound. Catching it, the demon threw Turl over his head and slammed him down on the ground. The two giant creatures engaged in a series of quick strikes, Turlesh steadily on the offensive, Turl never able to do more than drive the Tharnatos class demon back for a couple of moments.


    Raising both hands, the troll tried to smash Turlesh¡¯s head between his palms. Instead, his arms got caught by one each of the demon¡¯s four. Their limbs trembled, competing for dominance. No matter how hard he tried, Turl couldn¡¯t overcome the resistance. Reaching upwards, Turlesh¡¯s sharp talons reached for the trolls¡¯ eyes. Laughing victoriously, he had already sunk his way into one socket, when Turl screamed and kicked the Deathhound with all he had.


    Turlesh was driven back, tearing trenches into the skin of the troll in the process. His upper right arm pulled with it the eye of the troll and snapped it out in the process. The troll screamed, enraged. While the demon dangled the ocular by its nerve cord. He raised it up high, curved his flexible head as if he was going to eat it, then stopped and turned it so it ended up laying in his palm.


    ¡°My toooolllllll,¡± he said, drawn out, offering the eye with urgent motions.


    Turl looked down on the eye. It would heal much faster if he popped it back in, even the dull being knew that, but that wasn¡¯t the offering here. Although the troll was too strong to be completely ignored, the Deathhound was still a league above. Combat between them would be lengthy and ultimately end in Turlesh¡¯s victory. The demon just didn¡¯t care to spend the time.


    ¡°Troll toll¡­ paid¡­¡± Turl grumbled, essentially giving a surrender. He received his eye back and Turlesh resumed on his path.


    Nothing else on the Leaf had any chance to stand up to him. It was only a matter of time before he caught up. A couple of weeks at most. The Deathhound was coming for Aclysia, Apexus and Reysha.


    And they knew nothing about it.

 The Long Way 12 – Others

    Apexus was in a very happy situation. Sitting in the bubbling pool, with Aclysia in his lap riding his erect shaft and Reysha next to him, getting fucked by a tentacle, the two of them kissing to the sound of the metal fairy¡¯s moans. It was the morning of their fifth and final day in the retreat. They were safe and sated, having nothing to do but to keep themselves busy with indulging in each other¡¯s bodies.


    It was incredibly relaxing. It also started to become boring, especially to Apexus. Aclysia would have been happy to bask in the simplicity of a stationary life for a little longer, while Reysha was adequately distracted by the constant stream of sexual engagements. Both did still experience the same pull as Apexus to do something. As much as they liked each other¡¯s company, it wasn¡¯t enough to fill out sixteen hours a day completely.


    They did their best to alleviate that fact. Besides sex, which was the best time waster they had, they engaged in telling each other stories and playing games. In the story department, Reysha had a lot more to offer than the slime or the angel, courtesy of their difference in life experience. Aclysia was technically the oldest of the bunch, but she had spent much of her life sealed. Apexus was pretty young when compared to either of them, approaching three years by his own estimation. While his nature meant that he had the maturity of an adult humanoid from the word go, there wasn¡¯t a whole lot of time to gather up interesting stories. A further issue was that he shared so much of his story with Aclysia and Reysha. Telling them about things they were there for was somewhat redundant.


    As for games, Aclysia came up with a couple simple ones that they could play with rocks laying around. When Apexus tried to come up with games, he often failed at making a ruleset that was engaging. Every game Reysha designed was a pretence to fuck and include some kind of theme in what came next. She was pretty creative in that regard.


    The last way they entertained themselves was combat practice. Apexus and Reysha fighting each other was nothing new, but their playfights usually ended fairly quickly. When they were on the move, they were either too tired or too busy to have any prolonged engagements at the end of the day. Inside dungeons, their energy was better spent killing monsters. Prolonged engagements, like the ones they had in the past four days, had not been had before. Especially noteworthy was that they had never included Aclysia. Even if they all pulled their punches, it was still a good learning experience.


    For the moment, Apexus¡¯ encroaching boredom was thoroughly sealed. The delighted gasps and greedy kisses were the most definitive way to keep him happily occupied. ¡®They¡¯re so beautiful,¡¯ he thought, gladly embracing his companions while the pleasure of their union made him shiver.


    ¡°WHOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOO!¡± a sudden shout caused all of them to freeze and direct their gaze on the slide that delivered fresh water to the pool. A couple seconds after their shout, four people came flying out of the tunnel. They had hooked their bodies together for maximum speed and the result could hardly be argued with.


    They went all the way to the deep end of the pool and vanished under the surface for a solid two seconds. Apexus, Aclysia and Reysha spent that time just looking at the disturbed surface of the water in confusion. Then the new arrivals burst through the surface in a mixture of laughter and playful complaints. ¡°Stop trying to drag me down, Ungi!¡±


    ¡°I am not trying to drag you down, it''s just easier to get pulled out than to swim!¡±


    ¡°Stop being so heavy then.¡±


    ¡°Ever met a dwarf that¡¯s not heavy? It¡¯s in the bo-¡°


    ¡°Guys, we are not alone,¡± a third member of the party interrupted the banter of their group, having spotted the trio.


    There was a moment of silence, both groups sizing each other up. The quartet that had just arrived consisted of a tanned dwarf with thick, black hair, a straight beard and almond shaped eyes. The one he had bantered with was a woman of unusual size and muscle, barely shorter and narrower than Apexus. Her hair was auburn and very short. The third, quiet so far, was a slender man with light-brown skin, pointy ears and greyish, silver hair ¨C a wood elf. The last was the man who had first spotted the current occupier of the cave, an androgynous fellow of small stature and a bald head. All of them were naked, appeared to be around their thirties, and only held adventurer¡¯s bags.


    ¡°Eeep,¡± an embarrassed sound broke the silence when Aclysia¡¯s mind finally digested the situation they were currently in. Blushing, she hastily got off Apexus dick and did her best to hide her body, using the surface of the water and her wings.


    ¡°By all means, continue,¡± the giant of a woman joked carelessly, while she and the other adventurers swam to the edge of the pool.


    While they were pretty relaxed about finding the cave already occupied, the trio was more careful and observed their new arrivals with suspicious eyes. Apexus quietly pulled back the tentacle that had been inside Reysha.


    ¡°Tough crowd,¡± the dwarf mumbled.


    ¡°Shy too,¡± the amazon remarked.


    ¡°Cut them some slack, we just slid into their private time,¡± the androgynous man stated and reached into his bag, distributing a couple of towels among his group.


    The trio in the bubbling area exchanged a couple of glances and whispered among themselves. ¡°What do we do?¡± Aclysia was the first to pose a, somewhat panicked, question.


    ¡°Relax,¡± was Apexus¡¯ first answer. ¡°They don¡¯t act like predators.¡±


    ¡°Just some other adventurers,¡± Reysha backed the slime up. ¡°They¡¯ve no reason to harm us.¡±


    ¡°What if they do though?¡± the metal fairy wasn¡¯t convinced.


    ¡°Then we eat them,¡± Reysha grinned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that,¡± Apexus stated firmly and glanced at the newcomers. At this point, they had grown a little tense themselves. With no words exchanged and the conspiratorial whispers, the quartet started to wonder if they were going to have a problem on their hands.


    Understanding that much, Reysha spoke up. ¡°Sorry about that, not a lot of blood in the brain at the moment,¡± she said in the same joking tone the amazon had used. It worked well, especially with that giant woman.


    ¡°Again, feel free to finish up,¡± she said.


    ¡°Nah, mood is ruined,¡± the redhead stood up in the pool. Her body immediately drew the gaze of the three men in the group.


    The dwarf opened his mouth, a shameless flirt on the tip of his tongue. It got stuck there, as the dwarf watched Apexus follow the example of his beloved tiger girl and stood up in the pool. While they had moved around, the quartet hadn¡¯t fully realized just how impressive the humanoid slime¡¯s stature was.


    As adventurers grew more magically potent, looks became increasingly less important. At their current level, it still had some importance though. Only the greatest of stupid perverts would have picked a fight with a nearly two-metre-tall giant of muscle. ¡°You wanted to say something?¡± Apexus asked, genuinely curious of what the dwarf may have been thinking about.


    ¡°You have a pretty lass by your side,¡± the dwarf responded with something inoffensive and looked over to Aclysia, who was peeking over the rim of the bubbling area. ¡°Two pretty lasses.¡±


    ¡®Lass?¡¯ Apexus wondered, having never heard the word before. From context clues, he assumed, correctly, that it meant woman or something like that. ¡°I do, yes,¡± he confirmed, not knowing what else to say.


    The quartet chuckled at the odd seriousness of the answer and started to get dressed. ¡°Really sorry we interrupted you,¡± the androgynous man apologized again. ¡°We knew people could be down here, but since there was no way to really warn you of our arrival, we decided to just slide on down like we usually do.¡±


    ¡°Really bad luck for you lot that we came in here today,¡± the amazon joked.


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s whatever,¡± Reysha waved off.


    ¡°Could you do us a favour and leave though?¡± Apexus asked and then added. ¡°For a couple of minutes. She¡¯ll be too shy to dress if you stay,¡± he gestured at Aclysia.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± the androgynous man stated. The quartet first finished dressing themselves, each of them putting on casual clothes from linen and other simple cloths. Then they moved into one of the side corridors, leaving the trio to their own devices.


    While the request had been made in earnest, Apexus did have an ulterior motive for requesting this. ¡°How do we proceed?¡± he asked, while putting on his own clothes. He didn¡¯t mind the nudeness, but he wanted to keep up proper appearances. Reysha, after considering whether she valued her freedom from clothes more than that, decided to follow suit. All of them grabbed their casual clothes, but kept their weapons somewhere nearby.


    ¡°I see no reason to be anything but kind to these people,¡± Aclysia responded, able to think clearly again now that she was no longer embarrassed. ¡°However, using fake names may be advisable.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think it¡¯ll make a difference whether we do or not, but sure,¡± Reysha said. ¡°I¡¯ll be Meira.¡±


    ¡°Call me Hanna,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Bubble butt, got it,¡± Reysha joked.


    ¡°Chris,¡± Apexus said the name that came to mind first. All three of them had stated false names they had used in the past. Even if the only reason they still operated in such a careful fashion was paranoia, it didn¡¯t mean nobody was out to get them.


    They finished putting on their clothes and then Reysha shouted down the corridor. ¡°Alright, the prude got her clothes on!¡±


    ¡°There is no need to be so insulting,¡± Aclysia pouted, while they heard the steps of the newcomers. They were tense again. If their sudden guests had waited for an ambush opportunity, this would be the last best chance they could get.


    Nothing of the sort happened, instead the quartet just came back in. ¡°I remember when I was still bothered by people seeing me naked,¡± the tall woman joked.


    ¡°You mean when you were fat?¡± the dwarf asked.


    ¡°I was never fat!¡±


    ¡°Chunky,¡± the elf said his first word since arriving.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± the massive female nodded strongly and smiled. It occurred to Apexus that her face was quite feminine for the unusual size of her body.


    ¡°How about we sit down?¡± Aclysia suggested and gestured towards the stone benches by the two fireplaces. Everyone agreed with that and soon they sat in their two groups. Apexus sat on the right, Reysha in the middle and Aclysia on the left, on their side. ¡°Let us introduce ourselves properly. We are Chris, Meira and-¡°


    ¡°Bubble butt,¡± Reysha spoke up just as Aclysia said her own fake name.


    ¡°Accurate,¡± the dwarf mumbled.


    ¡°Ungi,¡± the elf let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s a compliment.¡±


    ¡°Excuse our dwarf, he is a horn dog,¡± the androgynous man, and apparent leader of the group, said with a soft smile. ¡°I am Tep. With me are Ungi,¡± he gestured at the dwarf, ¡°the quiet fellow is Malik,¡± the elf raised one hand and quickly lowered it again, ¡°and the giant woman is Leverel.¡±


    ¡°Just Rel works,¡± the same said.


    ¡°A pleasure,¡± Apexus said and bowed his head respectfully. He was taking the opportunity to practice his social skills.


    ¡°Likewise,¡± the smaller man mimicked the gesture. ¡°Would you mind if we got a fire going? We haven¡¯t had anything proper to eat in¡­ how long were we in there?¡±


    ¡°6 days,¡± Malik gave the short and to the point answer.


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Apexus answered slowly, careful to keep his lip movements synced up to his words. Ungi took that signal to move over to the open of the two fireplaces, while Malik used the stone plate on top of the second one as a table to pull out a number of dried ingredients and a pot. The tinder in the fireplace, provided by the same magic that kept the rest of the cave so comfortable, ignited quickly. While the dwarf and the elf threw everything they wanted into the pot, Tep pulled a large field bottle out of the adventurer¡¯s bag.


    ¡°Want a sip? I brewed it myself,¡± he offered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try it,¡± Reysha eagerly drummed her hands on the table. The other two declined and so three glasses were soon on the table and filled with a puddle of clear liquid. Tep, Reysha and Rel toasted and downed the strong alcohol.


    Reysha regretted the decision immediately. A rotten taste filled her mouth and she had to repress the instinct to throw the liquid back out the way it came. ¡°That bad?¡± Tep asked, ¡°I thought it was one of my better distillations¡­¡±


    ¡°Dunno, might be,¡± the tiger girl swallowed heavily and looked towards the exit. ¡®Could I get a goat before the taste fades by itself?¡¯ she wondered, while continuing the conversation. ¡°I got a condition that makes regular food disgusting. I just hoped strong alcohol wouldn¡¯t be included in that¡­¡±


    Reysha didn¡¯t care about saying that much, although she did skip out on mentioning Noir by name. If someone was looking for them, just describing what they looked like would be enough to get almost everyone on their trail. The trio was quite memorable, visually speaking. Telling people about Noir would also get them mentioned for the unusualness of the condition. Rumours were not a thing they wanted to spread unnecessarily.


    ¡°Guess we won¡¯t offer you soup then,¡± Ungi chimed in from the side lines.


    ¡°We already ate,¡± Apexus just ended that topic.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Tep poured a second glass for himself and Rel, and a first for his other two companions. ¡°Mind if I ask what brings you three all the way to White Ice? People normally don¡¯t bother with this dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Just felt like facing the challenge,¡± Apexus lied. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°We come here once a year to collect resources,¡± Tep told them and raised his second glass. ¡°Pelts, White Crystals, such things.¡±


    ¡°It''s our way of getting rich,¡± Rel added, while the group¡¯s leader down his second shot. ¡°Nobody bothers coming to White Ice, so all of the stuff you can only get here is in high demand. We get several resource quests done in one go and then head back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite lucrative¡­ we wouldn¡¯t like the competition,¡± Tep said after placing the glass back down. The tone made it clear that it was a plea, not a threat. They weren¡¯t looking for a fight, just for clarification.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be,¡± Apexus assured them. ¡°Frankly, I never want to set foot in this freezing place ever again.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± the androgynous man smiled. ¡°When did you kill the boss, by the way?¡±


    ¡°Four days ago.¡±


    Tep clicked his tongue. ¡°Would have been better to wait for the respawn then¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you,¡± Malik claimed his glass and downed it immediately. ¡°You should remember the adage.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, always trust your Scout¡¯s intuition,¡± Tep sighed. ¡°Guess that means we are heading back in tomorrow. The haul isn¡¯t complete without the teeth.¡± The man looked around. ¡°What did you do with the boss corpse by the way? We didn¡¯t see it upstairs.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon must have reabsorbed it already then,¡± Aclysia answered.


    ¡°I¡­ suppose so,¡± the androgynous man said hesitatingly. It struck him as odd, having visited this dungeon ten times before and having found the boss¡¯ corpse a couple of times. White Ice absorbed corpses by freezing them, so even the process in motion was observable. ¡®Perhaps they¡¯re afraid we¡¯ll rob them?¡¯ he made an educated guess as to why the three before him would lie. The truth, that they ate the dungeon monster, drenched in toxic magical energies, did not enter consideration. ¡°Anyway, I hope you don¡¯t mind if we stay here for the day. We¡¯re not exactly keen on heading back into White Ice ourselves¡­ the pay is just good enough.¡±


    ¡°It will be a minor obstacle to my enjoyment,¡± Aclysia admitted, ¡°but that is no reason to deny you shelter.¡±


    Reysha grinned and put her arms around her companions. ¡°I ain¡¯t moaning quieter because you¡¯re around,¡± she warned.


    They took it as a joke.

 The Long Way 13 – Briefly crossed Paths

    It had been a challenge to do the usual without tentacles, but Apexus managed to achieve the satisfaction of his women. Aclysia refused to join immediately. It took her watching her darling and Reysha fool around for about thirty minutes, before she decided that just covertly touching herself wasn¡¯t going to touch it. Although she stayed much quieter than usual, she still joined them. Reysha, as she had announced, had no qualms at all.


    ¡°Pretty rare to see a group like you running around,¡± Tep commented the next morning. Despite the noise, he hadn¡¯t lost a wink of sleep. Any adventurer with enough experience learned to sleep both lightly and through whatever ruckus was happening, depending on where they were.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°To start with, it¡¯s considered bad luck if two women sit at a table with one man,¡± the effeminate adventurer responded and then shrugged. ¡°If you put any stock in something like that. More seriously, I mean that most adventuring groups with relationships break apart pretty quickly.¡±


    ¡°Do they?¡± Apexus wondered about that. Their group seemed stronger for the fact that they were all in love with each other. Thinking about it, he did recall the trial that had been Birchia though, not to mention a lot of other squabbles they had over time. Although the slime didn¡¯t understand humans perfectly, he knew enough to understand that their group could have broken apart in the past.


    While the slime thought, Tep kept talking, ¡°The best I saw work out, in the long term, is two couples making up one group. When there¡¯s polyamory going on, or if it''s one couple with a third person without a significant other, it usually ends with someone feeling excluded. The group members first get estranged when it comes to social settings, then their dungeon performance diminishes, and ultimately they break apart.¡± The group leader took a pause to look over to Reysha and Rel, who were sparring at the moment. ¡°Granted, some groups manage to keep their combat ability high despite their private differences. That¡¯s rare though. It¡¯s difficult to fight well together with someone you don¡¯t really like anymore and with whom you have to spend days or weeks in tight spaces.¡±


    Apexus just nodded and watched the playfight play out. Ultimately, without her weapons, Reysha proved unable to make Rel submit. The best the tiger girl managed was to make the much larger woman fall over. Once Rel got a hand on Reysha though, the fight was over. No matter how much she kicked and struggled, in a fight where lethal means were disallowed, that was the end of the rogue¡¯s rope.


    ¡°Good fight,¡± the muscular female complimented.


    Reysha let out an unwilling grumble as she sat down somewhere to lick her proverbial wounds. Taking it upon herself to cheer up the redhead, Aclysia walked over. After a couple of ear scratches by the fairy, Reysha was too occupied with purring to pout.


    Rel walked over to Apexus and Tep. ¡°Yo, big guy, you want to have a go?¡± she asked.


    The slime hesitated. On one hand, he was interested in testing his power against a humanoid who was of a strength-oriented Class. On the other, even a playfight bore the risk of him getting discovered. To win some time considering the question, he chewed on some dried dungeon monster remains. Since they could hardly go after their usual eating habits with this quartet around, the trio had tapped into their stocked-up food. They had to churn through it anyway, as the magic faded away and left the dried snacks as little more than mildly flavoured dust or otherwise without nutrition.


    Glancing over to Reysha and her unharmed state, Apexus decided to oblige. ¡°Fine,¡± he agreed and stood up.


    ¡°Alright! How serious are we taking this?¡± Rel asked, rolling her shoulders to relax them. ¡°We have two healers here, so might as well get a bit more serious.¡±


    Apexus had to consider that again and then slowly nodded. This was getting risky now, but Apexus really wanted to know how he would measure up against an adventurer utilizing magic. ¡°Just don¡¯t wound me,¡± he told her and took off his top. Rel was already wearing nothing but minimalist clothing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to be gentle,¡± she promised with a grin on her attractive face. She raised both hands into a fighting pose and Apexus mimicked as much after he took position opposite of her. The people in the room continued talking, but everyone was watching while the two giants stepped towards each other.


    Neither of them stopped and, in a silent agreement, they both raised their hands and met each other in a frontal assault. Hands locked, Rel clenched her teeth, and the two large humanoids pressed against each other. Apexus was taller and wider, but Rel reinforced her muscles with magic. She was a Fighter, a standard continuation of the Brawler Class with some Warrior elements mixed in. As such, her main forte was to increase the strength of her actions, reinforce with mana what will and adrenaline alone did not enable.


    In Rel¡¯s specific case, she specialized in bursts of power. Her arms felt hot, her fingers clenched, and she managed to push Apexus back. Her satisfaction about this was cut short as the humanoid chimera kept a calm face and continued to push back. While his arms were no less tense than hers, he lacked the instinct to show his effort openly. All he did was keep up as long as he could.


    The intense torrent of mana couldn¡¯t be sustained for long. Like most other things about the human body, the magic circuits needed rest at some point and so Rel cut the flow before she dealt damage to her own fibres. The tide only reversed slowly, as Apexus had to recover from being pushed so far back. Gradually, inevitably, he continued on. Rel¡¯s face was red at this point, her breathing audible, pumping oxygen in and out of her nose.


    Suddenly, she gave in and her head came straight for Apexus¡¯ nose. He reacted fast enough that they met forehead to forehead instead. The impact did worse to her than him. He had no brain inside that thick skull of his that could be shaken by the impact. Taking the initiative, he raised his knee up high and straight into her stomach.


    Sharp as the tip of his knee was, her abs were as hard as a stone wall. The attack accomplished nothing, and Rel quickly wrestled free one of her hands before he could restore his balance and landed a retaliating strike on his own midriff. While he didn¡¯t have magic to resist the blow, he had no reason to fear it either. The muscles there were strictly for mobility and strength purposes.


    Apexus pulled his head back and retaliated with a headbutt, causing Rel to lose her sense of everything for a solid second. Before she could hit the ground, Apexus caught her. Raising her free hand in surrender, he then guided her fully to the floor. Tep came over quickly and cast a healing spell on her head.


    ¡°By the Progenitor, what kind of stamina do you have?!¡± Rel asked, clearly agitated and still breathing heavily. ¡°What¡¯s your class? Monk? Please tell me you are a Monk and you¡¯re just good at hiding exhaustion.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus took the offered lie.


    ¡°You did strike me as pretty monk-ly,¡± Tep hummed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sound offensive but you seem to consider your actions to an almost¡­ inhuman degree.¡±


    ¡°No offense taken,¡± the slime stated and helped Rel back up once her small concussion had been fixed.


    ¡°Pretty atypical for a monk to ¡®travel¡¯ with beauties like these though!¡± Ungi chimed into the conversation. Aclysia and Reysha, who was in some kind of petting trance, didn¡¯t really react to that. ¡°Where¡¯re you from anyway? You¡¯re a pretty unique humanoid, if I may say.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Apexus answered with a vague half-truth. While Ctania was the obvious answer, where Apexus really came from was still a mystery. ¡°I am me. That¡¯s all I care about.¡± Before they could think of any more questions, Apexus shifted the focus of the conversation. ¡°So, what is your relationship with each other? Outside of the working one, I mean.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re part of the same adventurer Chapter,¡± Tep answered. Apexus nodded, even though he had absolutely no idea what that meant. He felt like that wasn¡¯t a thing he could just say out loud though. ¡°We usually meet up for this job every year, because the groups we are actually part of don¡¯t feel like dealing with White Ice.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t work together otherwise at all?¡±


    ¡°Only if its convenient,¡± the androgynous healer shrugged.


    What the humanoid slime gathered from that was that a Chapter must have been some kind of communication network between different adventuring parties. Something between the groups and the guild, to make organizing easier on a smaller scale. ¡°I see,¡± the slime looked up to the large crystal in the ceiling. Even though it was morning, the crystal, whose intensity and kind of light was connected to the current state of the sun, was dimming. It was a change that started yesterday evening and would come to its completion by noon. Similarly, the water was gradually stopping.


    Apexus pulled his clothes back into their proper place. ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± he suddenly said and pulled his winter equipment out of his bag. Aclysia and Reysha reacted to that with a bit of delay, but nodded.


    The quartet was a bit surprised by the speed of that decision. ¡°You¡¯re heading north?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Apexus responded.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see you in a guild outpost sometime?¡± Ungi added, his tone making it sound like a question.


    ¡°Unlikely,¡± Aclysia answered, while the humanoid slime pulled the thick clothing over his robe. ¡°We will not stay on this Leaf for any further time. We intend to clear out Myrlight and then attempt to get a job protecting a caravan on its travels to another Leaf of appropriate difficulty.¡± That was a lie she had prepared in advance.


    ¡°Huh¡­ well¡­ maybe you¡¯ll meet one of us again sometime, somewhere else,¡± Tep shrugged. ¡°Some of us want to stay here, some of us want to go. Fate weaves in odd ways. May you find your roles in the great play.¡±


    Aclysia lowered her head respectfully, ¡°May the curtain rise on another day.¡±


    There were some further words of goodbye exchanged and then the three of them headed for the exit while the four of them stayed. All in all, it had been a pleasant little encounter. Apexus doubted their paths would ever cross again. Creation was too vast for that and their path too complicated. There was no reason to make it a definitive ¡®never¡¯ though.


    ¡°Any reason ya wanted to get out of there so quickly?¡± Reysha asked, once they were past their usual hunting grounds and far beyond any reasonable doubt that they could still be heard.


    ¡°They started to ask too precise of questions,¡± Apexus told her, leading the way through the snow. It was a clear day, which was a blessing in its own right, with neither wind nor fresh snows covering them. What was already there never really melted, however, and so Apexus still had to lead the way while the two girls followed in the path he created.


    ¡°Fair¡¯nuff,¡± Reysha slurred her answer and looked back. ¡°Were a nice couple days. Pleasant people. They did ruin the mood though.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Aclysia agreed weakly and sighed. ¡°It is pleasant to know that we pass at least minor scrutiny easily at this point.¡±


    They took a couple of minutes to just chat about their impressions about their own acting. Where they had to improve their lies, what parts of their story they could change up for the next encounter, to keep even rumours of their location obscured, and if they should stick to their current fake names. Eventually, their conversation changed to what they thought about the talks they had with the four ¨C or three, rather, as the elf had not said more than fifty words over the several hours they spent together. Once they were done with that topic, silence followed.


    ¡°A Monk, hm?¡± Apexus thought out loud.


    ¡°That was super funny,¡± Reysha giggled. ¡°They mistook your inexperience with deliberate thought.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference, if the outcome is a well-formulated answer?¡± Aclysia defended her darling.


    ¡°Difference is that the answer is pretty hit or miss.¡±


    ¡°Like your jokes?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°HAH!¡± the redhead laughed. ¡°Okay, yeah, you¡¯re getting pretty good with me, but you¡¯re still hella awkward with random people. Plus, your face is still most of the time. I can read your tone, they can¡¯t.¡± She pointed behind her, in the rough direction of the cave.


    ¡°That you two understand me is enough,¡± the slime stated. ¡°Enough for me to be happy, at least.¡±

 The Long Way 14 – To the last dungeon

    They had to travel to the centre of the map. With every other dungeon cleared, their goal to leave this world behind via the Long Way connection was one dungeon clear away. Getting to that dungeon was entirely eventless. They got to the hospitable part of her south-eastern continent, flew across the strait, then spent a day wandering on solid ground so Reysha wouldn¡¯t go crazy in different ways than she was already. On the northernmost tip, in the shadow of a massive tower of dark stone, they took their final rest.


    It was called the Trickster¡¯s Tower. The circumference of its base was wider than some villages and the roof pierced the clouds. Filled with puzzles and riddles, it was a challenge for groups or individuals that wanted to face a different kind of dungeon. The rewards that could be gathered from there were varied and almost entirely random. Although the trio wondered about how well they would fare inside there, they weren¡¯t willing to invest the time.


    They inspected their equipment and slept in the relative peace of the grassy landscape. Fully rested, they then made their way to the entrance of the Long Way.


    Information on the dungeon was scarcer than for the rest of Azenia-Ra. Even the people that headed to White Ice ultimately came back to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, selling their info for a couple free beers or hard cash. The Long Way was different. People that bothered to go into it often did so with the portal in mind. Between the people who left and the people who died in there, less than one in a hundred people going in returned to give any sort of recollection of what they encountered. The majority of information that did exist came from a guild financed expedition that had happened over a hundred years ago.


    There was enough to work with in that report that the group didn¡¯t feel like they were going in completely blind. The bigger problem was getting there though. For two reasons, there was no conventional way to get to the dungeon entrance. Number one was the lack of demand for ferrymen to go there, as only the infrequent adventurer party wanted to go there. Number two, somewhat related, was that ONLY infrequent adventurer parties wanted to go there, no regular people. There was no trade route that went by, nor were there people fishing in the area. A giant whirlpool surrounded the dungeon entrance and leaving it required clearing the dungeon and then not taking the portal. No sane boat-owner would even sail in those waters.


    Consequently, the regular adventurer had to buy themselves some kind of small vessel, a rowboat would do, and go on a trip that either ended with them dying in the dungeon or conquering it. The group could fly and therefore didn¡¯t have that issue. Their biggest problem was Reysha. The tiger girl was both immensely bored and had to cope with the fact that she didn¡¯t touch any solid ground for almost a day.


    Overcoming both hurdles, they descended on the whirlpool during the early hours of the night. It was a particularly dark hour. Thick clouds covered the sky, blocking light from both moon and stars. Far out in the ocean, there was no source of light and the swirl of black water beneath could have hidden anything underneath its rushing surface.


    Even with their sensitive eyes, the Apexus and Reysha had an issue finding the centre of the whirlpool under these circumstances. The slime went on a slow, spiralling descent while Aclysia scouted the way with her glowing spheres of magic. Once the light touched a platform of stone, they knew where to go and went down.


    ¡°We¡¯re pretty lucky that it didn¡¯t start to rain,¡± Apexus said, while Reysha hastily got off his broadened back. ¡°Would have made things considerably harder.¡±


    ¡°Flying over the ocean always carries an uncomfortable amount of risk,¡± Aclysia hummed, looking at the almost pitch-black sky. ¡°A Scout would be useful for such things¡­ they can learn to predict the weather in limited ways. A sudden storm could be our demise.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be fun at least,¡± Reysha commented, while dancing over the stone plateau. The re-found freedom of movement had to be celebrated. ¡°Crash landing is fun.¡±


    ¡°Your love of danger is ever puzzling ¨C how can a being whose existence is likely to end permanently upon their demise be this eager to face it?¡±


    ¡°Your love of safety is equally stupid, given that you¡¯ll just live on in one way or another,¡± Reysha responded.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s an angel so¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, I know that part,¡± the slime clarified quickly. ¡°I mean the ¡®likely to end permanently¡¯ bit. Why likely?¡±


    ¡°In select cases, gods may decide to preserve the spark of a mortal and use it to form a new being. Typically, this either means a reincarnation without memories or a new body in the form of an angel. Such a boon is granted either to a particularly devout follower of a deity or someone who fulfilled some kind of Divine Quest.¡±


    ¡°Not even sure what the point of a reincarnation without memories is,¡± Reysha said, her dance having transformed to taking long strides along the edge of the stone platform. It was small enough that they could hear her, but she still had to shout over the rushing water of the whirlpool. Magically, the water directly around the platform was calm. ¡°It''s just a person with your talents being born somewhere after you die.¡±


    ¡°Presumably there is a way to regain one¡¯s memories as life progresses? I have no further information on this.¡±


    ¡°Think he might be a reincarnation?¡± Reysha asked jokingly, while doing a headstand.


    ¡°Darling does not possess a Divine Spark, the chances of this are therefore null,¡± the metal fairy denied the possibility. ¡°However, you may need to pray for a chance at rebirth if you fall into the water.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You can barely see underneath the surface, there might be some variety of shark hiding underneath.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll worry about that if I fall into the water.¡±


    ¡°With your current choice of action, the question is not if, but when.¡±


    ¡°I know! Isn¡¯t that just exciting? Think of the possibilities,¡± Reysha walked on her hands. ¡°This is why ya never have stories to tell, bubble butt. When I¡¯m not around, ya just sit on your squishy behind and¡­ dunno, read a book or something.¡±


    ¡°I would love to afford literature at some point¡­¡± Aclysia mumbled.


    ¡°Perhaps we will have time and funds wherever we end up,¡± Apexus suggested and looked towards the dungeon entrance. It was a rectangle of marble, its inside empty like a doorframe. The image of another place wavered in place, as if observed through a thick sheet of glass and water. Apexus walked around the portal and found that the other side was an exact copy of the image. Not a mirrored one, just the exact same. It was a long corridor with a marble floor and distant walls that were covered in vines. ¡°Everyone ready?¡±


    Reysha pushed herself off the ground and landed on her feet. ¡°Ready as I¡¯ll get,¡± she answered.


    ¡°I do not look forward to this,¡± Aclysia sighed and they lined up in front of the portal. ¡°According the guide, the Long Way is a shifting dungeon, so we will have to improvise our path,¡± she reminded her companions.


    ¡°All eyes on Apexus¡¯ ass, got it,¡± Reysha responded.


    The slime raised an eyebrow. ¡°That sounds inadvisable. I¡¯ll be the tail of the initial formation.¡±


    ¡°I mean that we should follow your intuition and stuff, boss-slime.¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t say often enough that language is stupid.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. Know what else is stupid? Not getting in there!¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Apexus agreed and lost no further time. He started running towards the portal.


    Coming into contact with it was like pushing his body through some kind of non-sticky sap. There was some resistance, particularly where he first touched the portal, but it tore away quickly as he pushed through.


    The trio emerged on the other side into the vine-covered corridor. They took no time to take in the scenery, instead started to move as fast as their feet or wings would take them. Their arrival caused a number of sentient stalks to rise out of the vines. They were tipped with fleshy, dark brown bulges, from which a pair of eyes and several dozen tentacles grew. There was a gap in each of these central pieces, about the size of a bottle¡¯s base.


    The monsters were the Common Thornspitters the group had previously encountered in Verdany and a whole lot of them. They covered the walls and the ceiling, awoke in response to the invaders and each other. The trio had to get ahead of the chain reaction, if they wanted to have any chance to make it through this initial challenge unscathed.


    The thorns started flying all around them. The initial stretch of the corridor was the most dangerous ¨C a straightforward line with nothing to hide behind. Nothing but Apexus, who sacrificed quite a bit of his speed by opening his wings wide enough to form the best shield they had. Several projectiles hit his feathers instead of his girl¡¯s backs.


    Their first break, but also first problem, came in the shape of a crossroads. ¡°Left!¡± Apexus shouted, after seeing that the corridor was the shortest one. They heard the hardened wood bounce off the stone floor behind them, as they left the line of fire of the original Thornspitters and entered the domain of a whole new cluster.


    Consequently, they were not finished running. Their next break was just twenty metres away, however. They stormed as quickly as they could while keeping a mostly unified speed. Any group member that pulled too far ahead would cause Thornspitters to rouse faster than necessary.


    For that reason, they all saw that they were heading into a dead end at the same time. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate!¡± Reysha giggled and all three turned around as quickly as possible. Apexus barely felt how the ground under his right foot gave on the final step into the corridor. A ¡®click¡¯ preceded a series of louder noises and a bunch of hisses above them.


    ¡°Get back!¡± he warned, pulling back the hovering fairy. Reysha reacted fast enough on her own, leaving only Apexus underneath the hatch that opened to unleash a rain of snakes on the corridor. They were the same as they had faced in the cave segments of the Drowned Altar. Their bite was bothersome to Apexus, strong enough to pierce through his naked skin, but the poison they injected him with wasn¡¯t strong or quantitative enough to inflict more than a little pain before it was neutralized by his acid.


    Tearing off the one that had sunk its fangs into his neck, Apexus felt the first true dread in a while when one of the ensuing barrage of thorns punched through his fused ribs. A cold feeling rushed through his limbs, as the tip of the thorn hit his core. It failed to do more than damage the surface, but Apexus had to wrestle to stay in control over base flight instincts.


    ¡°Straight!¡± the slime shouted, several snakes still gnawing on him, and ran forwards. If there was any benefit to the situation, it was that the Thornspitters directly around them were now out of ammunition. Several of the snakes tried to catch Reysha¡¯s feet in passing, but the red, enchanted shoes were too hard to be bitten through mid movement.


    Going straight wasn¡¯t necessarily the best of the two remaining options, but at least they didn¡¯t enter a dead end this time around. They triggered another pressure plate at some point, but were past the falling snakes before they could harm any of the three. Several more thorns punched holes into Apexus¡¯ wings. One of them hit Reysha in the calf, luckily missing anything that was important to running.


    They hit a short break in the form of a zig-zagging stretch. While it was a drain on Reysha¡¯s stamina, the constant turns meant that they were safe from Thornspitters as long as they kept moving faster than they could rise. The corridor transitioned into a long curve, the end of which was another straight corridor. That one, however, was just pure, polished stone on all sides. No more Thornspitters in sight. About a hundred metres ahead, they saw and heard the telling signs of a healing fountain ¨C steam and flowing water.


    Motivated by the sight of this safe haven, the trio accelerated. They were curbed in their hope by another pressure plate causing walls to descend in front and behind them, sealing them into a long room. The ceiling opened and out dropped water and a number of light grey slimes. The surface of the blobs were covered in red dots, the nucleus black and spiky like a sea urchin. The Grapplegoos, yet another monster from the Drowned Altar, were quick to attach themselves to whatever surface they found and then reach out to the group.


    The water rose quickly. An occasional additional goo was flooded in. The group had to kill them quickly, particularly the ones that attached themselves to Reysha. It was easy at first, but got harder the further the water rose, slowing down weapons and making Aclysia¡¯s magic entirely ineffective against the Grapplegoo under the surface. Because of the size of the room, Reysha could eventually swim safely out of reach in the middle of it, however, leaving Apexus to tear apart whatever specimen still bothered them.


    The question of how to escape was eventually answered by the mechanic that entrapped them itself. That water went high enough that they could swim to the hole in the ceiling and enter the tunnel above. High enough to surround their ankles, saltwater flowed through the dark corridors only lit by the occasional crystal in the wall. The ceiling was low and various pipes cut across the ceiling. Apexus bumped his head more than once, despite keeping it lowered in the first place.


    They had a moment of relative calm and Apexus ripped off the last snake that had, somehow, remained attached to him through that whole ordeal. ¡°We should look for a way back down,¡± he said, while Aclysia healed Reysha¡¯s leg.


    The metal fairy was about to answer, when a screech echoed through the dimly lit floor. All three recognized the sound as the scream of a Laghast, the boss monster of the Drowned Altar. They kept their mouths shut to not attract its attention needlessly and nodded at each other.


    Finding a way down was the first easy thing they got to do while entering the dungeon. Knowing the direction they had to go into, Apexus just took the lead and concentrated on the sensation around his feet. If there was an opening, the water would likely flow in that direction. Moving quietly through water was difficult and they heard several Laghasts screech in the distance, some coming closer. The layout of this floor resembled a labyrinth and seeing anything approach from far away was impossible. At least, however, the water ensured that they wouldn¡¯t get caught completely off guard by any large predator.


    Soon enough, they found a metal grid, through which water fell down into some kind of pool. Apexus could remove it by gripping the bars with both hands and using sheer force. Afterwards, he dropped down. It was confusing for a moment, as he was surrounded on all sides by thin waterfall and ended up in some kind of small lake. A number of small fish monsters attacked him before he surfaced. He dispatched one of them before Aclysia and Reysha were in the lake with him.


    Surfacing, they found themselves in some kind of grotto. It was beautiful, the green on all sides, the crystal in the ceiling that simulated sunlight, the small lake and waterfall. The problem was the several Thornspitters who stirred in response to the trio. When the projectiles started flying, they hid under the surface of the water. That didn¡¯t fully protect them, but it was enough to keep any damage to negligible levels.


    They got onto land afterwards unmolested and killed the Thornspitters one by one in melee range. Bereft of their projectiles, these monsters were relatively easy to isolate and kill. One solid blow to the fleshy centre usually did it. The movement of their tentacles were noticeably faster than Apexus remembered. That was no surprise though, given the level difference between the original and this dungeon.


    Drenched, somewhat exhausted, and happy to have gotten through the gauntlet of an entrance, the group found their way to the healing fountain without further incidents.


    They were now on the Long Way to leaving Azenia-Ra.

 The Long Way 15 – Dark Wrestlings

    ¡°That went about as well as could be expected,¡± Reysha said, while taking off her left shoe. After pulling out a thorn in her calf, she put the leg into the hot water of the healing fountain. Blood swirled in the streaming water. What started as a small cloud was quickly claimed by the stream and washed down the metal grid surrounding the pool. The band of blood grew thinner. Then it completely vanished.


    Apexus had stripped completely in the meantime and laid down in the shallow rim of the pool, soaking his wings. His own regenerative capabilities would have taken care of all the holes. However, letting the healing fountain do that work was more cost effective. The slime hadn¡¯t eaten or drank since they had taken off on the mainland; he had to be conservative with what he still had.


    ¡°Mind if I sit on your face for a bit?¡± Reysha purred.


    ¡°Later,¡± Apexus told her. ¡°Now is not the time.¡±


    ¡°My sadness is immeasurable and my day is ruined.¡± Despite her dramatic choice of words, Reysha smiled when she looked over to Aclysia. ¡°Can ya throw me a towel, bubble butt?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia nodded and reached into the group bag. She pulled out one of the pieces of cloth they used exclusively for bathing purposes and tossed it over to Reysha. The tiger girl proceeded to wipe her feet with it. Simultaneously, Apexus got out of the pool. He dried himself by absorbing the remaining wetness through his skin. At least when it came to thirst, he was satisfied now.


    ¡°We should hunt some food,¡± the slime stated, after he had his legwear back on.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ hmmm¡­ yeah,¡± Reysha agreed. She hadn¡¯t realized just how hungry she actually was. Adrenaline remained strong in her system and the sight of a healing fountain was automatically associated with lustful activities, so her brain had sorted horny over hungry in the short term. Now the order went back to survival priority. ¡°We could just go back to the lake ri-¡°


    Just as Reysha said that, there was a sudden series of clicks. The ceiling block above the corridor quivered warningly. If anyone had stood underneath it, they would have gotten enough time to get out of the way, before the entire block suddenly descended and sealed the trio in.


    Apexus looked around and listened closely. Both the entrance they wanted to enter through originally, where the slimes had rained down on them, and the entrance they had actually entered through were now sealed. The ceiling was solid, as was the ground. There was no apparent way to get out.


    ¡°Did I jinx it?¡± Reysha asked, rising to her feet. ¡°I feel like I jinxed it.¡±


    There was a loud ¡®CLUNK¡¯ echoing from the ceiling, followed by the rustling of chains. The entire circular chamber they were in started to descend. The smooth crystal patches along the walls, the only natural light source around, were soon swallowed by the ceiling. A new one was not revealed by the floor. Only Aclysia¡¯s Illumni spell kept them from being fully enveloped by the dark.


    A quiet click announced the end of their descent, then a number of hatches in the walls opened up and out came crawling, oversized, naked rodents with big noses and even bigger incisor teeth, their bony colour tinted red by the imbued iron. Their bodies were covered in a thick mucus and smelled disgustingly sweet.


    The Myrm used their oddly human-esque sniffers and slowly closed in on the trio¡¯s location. There was a total of ten of them, coming from every direction. Reysha pulled both her axe and dagger out of their hoisters. ¡°This is against the rules!¡± she complained.


    ¡°There was never a rule, only an accepted happenstance,¡± Apexus countered. The Myrm, practically blind and deaf, were still sniffing out the trio¡¯s location. Once they were certain, they would all charge at once. ¡°Concentrate on the ones closest to us,¡± he instructed Aclysia and Reysha, while pushing the pheromone duct on his left little finger into overdrive. Usually that was something he did for sex or to mark certain pieces of the landscape. Now it served to make every Myrm suddenly rear their head. First, in the direction the trio, then following the path of the severed and tossed finger.


    Five of the Myrm, the five on the other side of the room, fell for the trick. Following the intense scent, they all pounced at the finger where it landed. They smashed into each other, wallowed in the liquifying body part, and spread the remaining scent all over themselves. In accordance to their instincts, they then started to tear each other apart.


    The other five Myrm were attracted by the original source of the scent and started running a moment later. Apexus wasn¡¯t fond of having to be the one to meet them head-on, but it was their best bet.


    Three pairs of incisor teeth carved chunks out of his body. Myrm were more dangerous to Apexus than most monsters. Their bite was strong enough to threaten any part of his body, too quick to fill their mouths with acid and their bodies were too slippery to grapple. The remaining two of the five were dealt with by Aclysia and Reysha.


    With a spell that basked the environment in intense, golden light, the metal fairy scorched the inside of one Myrm¡¯s open mouth. Another found their immediate end, delivered by Reysha. A quick strike with the axe to the neck ended the wolf-sized rodent.


    ¡°I already love this thing!¡± she exclaimed and moved on to finish up the Myrm Aclysia had weakened.


    Apexus retaliated against one of the three Myrm that had bit him by kicking it with as much force as he could muster. The loose-skinned monster landed over a metre away and kept sliding away on its mucus. A couple of ribs had definitely broken under the impact, but the monster was only dazed, not dead. The other two went in for seconds.


    The humanoid slime fell on top of the Myrm.


    It wasn¡¯t an elegant way to fight, to just drop on one¡¯s opponent with all of the available weight. With something as slippery as the Myrm, elegance wasn¡¯t really an option. The two monsters were flattened under the weight of two metre of slime and bone. Their exposed teeth cut skin through sheer chance. Apexus ignored that damage and opened his jaw wide, biting the neck of the closest Myrm.


    The monster struggled and it was incredibly difficult to keep it contained. Mucus and loose skin combined into a highly effective protection. Having been prepared for both, Apexus embraced the monster while his teeth sunk into muscle. The second Myrm recovered far enough to start gnawing into the slime¡¯s stomach, wildly biting away. It was far from a pleasant sensation, but Apexus had to endure it to keep the first Myrm in a secure grip. His jaw clenched more and more until, finally, the bone snapped.


    Reysha had finished off the spell-maimed Myrm and was quickly moving on to intercept the dazed one. With its last strength, the monster launched itself forward. Caught off-guard, the tiger girl only managed to get her left arm between the open teeth and her face. Sinew and bone were cut apart, separating the left half of her lower left arm from the rest.


    ¡°You slimy cuntwaffle!¡± the tiger girl cursed. The axe slipped out of her hand, black blood oozed out of the wound, and her dagger repeatedly sunk into the throat of the creature. The clenching of its jaw remained even after it was dead, leaving Reysha to deal with that first before she could re-join the battle.


    Apexus rolled off the last Myrm, his stomach a torn-apart mess. The good news was that the Myrm, in its steady assault, had basked its own face in the acid. While its mucus protected it from any deadly effects, the nose of the monster had been destroyed, leaving it without any sensory capabilities. Apexus just waited for it to look in the wrong direction, then descended on its neck.


    The vibrations of the feet alerted Apexus to the charge of two more Myrm.


    Of the five that had attacked each other over the finger, two had survived and were now certain their true target lay elsewhere. Whatever wounds they had were healed, as their path towards the trio took them through the healing fountain.


    Already resigning himself to taking yet more damage, Apexus concentrated on crunching the neck of this Myrm as well. His partners had other plans. Aclysia had charged up a spell and aimed the tip of her staff at one of the two Myrm. The Sunlight Bolt slammed into it. The force of the spell was enough to kill the monster instantly and send its half-cooked corpse flying.


    The last Myrm leapt at Apexus, only to be smashed down by an axe. Now swinging it with her right, Reysha grinned widely, believing to have landed another instant kill. Her smile turned sour, when the Myrm slipped away under the weapon. She had left a trench in the monster¡¯s skull, but she hadn¡¯t broken it and now the slimy creature was coming for her leg.


    Reysha let go of her axe to dodge to the side. Wild, like a rabid dog, the Myrm kept coming after her. Saliva flew everywhere, the large incisor teeth opened and clenched, always closely missing the Rogue. Apexus was still preoccupied and Aclysia uncertain how she could engage in an altercation of that speed.


    Trying to confuse the monster by circling around it, Reysha quickly found out that she had miscalculated. A single step onto the Myrm¡¯s slime trail had her falling to the ground. Immediately, the monster charged at her.


    ¡°JUST DIE!¡± she screamed, angry and annoyed. The nails of her left hand extended into thick, red claws, each almost as long as the finger segment they were attached too. Slashing at the Myrm, Reysha gouged out its throat. Breathing heavily, she tossed the corpse off her. After a couple of moments, she exhaled and relaxed, ¡°Phew¡­ I guess we got our food, eh?¡±


    The other two members of the group got closer. The room started to rise again, but they were concentrating more on what Reysha had just done. ¡°Show me your hands,¡± Aclysia demanded and Reysha raised both. The right was like usual, her nails, turned red due to the Noir condition, having turned into sharp cat-like claws. The claws of the left were more akin to that of a monster. No less sharp, a lot longer and thicker, and more of an extension of her fingers than only of her nails.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Reysha asked, looking at the unexpected mutation. ¡°¡­Gods, I hate that demon arm,¡± she cussed. None of them had to think too hard on why it was her left hand over the right one that showed any odd symptoms. It was the one Apotho had restored with her, using the blood of one of his Deathhounds.


    Before either of her companions could ask, Reysha pulled the claws back in like she usually would have. Right and left retreated back into their usual shape as usually sized fingernails. When Reysha extended her claws again, both hands were the usual cat variant.


    ¡°Weird,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°Guess it only works when I¡¯m really agitated?¡± Reysha presented the first possibility that came to mind.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Aclysia hummed. Unable to find another valid answer, she let out a long sigh. ¡°Whatever it is, we can do nothing about it.¡± She dismissed the Illumni spell, as the natural light of the crystals once more flooded the room. ¡°I do not like it when the demon arm expands in its abilities.¡±


    ¡°Same,¡± Reysha echoed.


    ¡°You strike me as someone who would rather enjoy having a natural weapon attached to each finger,¡± Aclysia pointed out.


    ¡°Ya know me so well, bubble butt,¡± the redhead cackled drily, somewhere between sarcasm and genuine affection. ¡°I¡¯d rather not become a demon and get pulled down to the Hellroots though. ¡®Cause fuck that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are capable of becoming a demon¡­ however, that is a gap in my knowledge, not something I can doubt,¡± Aclysia frowned and looked at her friend with uncertainty in her eyes. ¡°We will have to have this investigated. I do not want to lose you.¡±


    ¡°Awww, so you DO like me,¡± Reysha smiled.


    ¡°I love you,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°Even if you can be obnoxious and uncultured.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep the insults for another time,¡± Apexus put his arms around both and hugged them. ¡°We do have something to eat, so now it''s time for a proper pause.¡±


    ¡°Good call,¡± Reysha agreed.

 The Long Way 16 – Complicated Paths

    ¡°This is the last thing the guide warned us about,¡± Aclysia said, the three of them standing in front of a hatch. It was a two-metre wide square, more than large enough for them to drop down. The ground wasn¡¯t terribly far down, about three to four metres. If they helped each other, they could make it back up easily even after jumping down. That was under the condition that the hatch didn¡¯t seal itself, which it most likely would.


    ¡°Three layers, an actively shifting layout and an enormous size,¡± Apexus listed the attributes of the Long Way¡¯s structure. ¡°Filled with monsters from all previous dungeons, including the bosses, traps and other environmental obstacles.¡±


    ¡°That succinctly summarizes it, darling,¡± Aclysia nodded and folded the guide together, permanently storing it in her bag. They had learned everything they could from it. From here on out, they were on their own. Taking a moment of tenderness, the metal fairy stepped up to the humanoid slime.


    Wordless, Apexus turned towards her and placed a hand on her cheek. Leaning into it, Aclysia felt safe. His hand was large and strong, the touch soft and tender. He brushed a strand of her white hair behind her ear. The two looked at each other.


    Reysha let them have their moment. ¡®Aclysia needs the attention,¡¯ she thought to herself, happy to concede it. What the tiger girl required in emotional support, she received plenty of in their post-coitus or pre-sleep cuddling sessions. ¡®I¡¯m more of a casual chatter kinda gal,¡¯ she thought, twirling one of her throwing-knives around. Something about the air down there looked odd, ¡®Casual chatter and violence!¡¯


    With swipe of her arm, she tossed the throwing knife down the hatch and hit the back of a previously invisible enemy. The invisibility fell off the monster as a stream of cold fog, revealing the white fox that had cast it. With two tails and blue-glowing eyes, the creature showed that its true capabilities lay in its magic rather than its body size, comparable to a farm goat.


    Opening its mouth, the fox conjured a sphere of blue energy, which turned into a flying icicle once unleashed. The attack impotently sailed past Reysha. ¡°Guess we finally met that last kind of monster we missed in White Ice,¡± she pointed out and drew her dagger and axe. Then she dropped down.


    The fox had not predicted this sudden assault and was killed instantly, as Reysha buried her dagger in the monster¡¯s spine. The tiger girl let go of the dagger to roll sideways, riding out the remainder of her momentum and dodging the path of icicles that suddenly travelled towards her.


    Reysha half-rose into a crouch and raised her axe. Her eyes darted towards the origin point of the icicles, left of it she spotted a moving shimmer. A moment later, she threw her axe. It spun through the air, then slammed into its target. The fox let out a miserable cry, when its ribcage was cut open by the bearded blade.


    Sprinting forwards, Reysha grabbed the hurt fox by the throat. The claws of her left hand thickened and pierced the skin. ¡°I really don¡¯t like that,¡± she said, before smashing the fox into the wall. The neck shattered, the skull cracked and Reysha felt the force of the impact all the way to her spine. She dropped the corpse, pulled out the axe, and looked at her left hand. ¡®You¡¯re useful, but I don¡¯t like ya,¡¯ she told her demon arm, as if it could answer, only to be distracted by yet another icicle.


    She narrowly dodged the projectile, feeling it tickle her red hair as she drew her head back. Instinctively, she charged in the direction of the attack. A third fox had hidden in a side chamber. Reysha had stood at the angle that the monster could attack her while remaining inside, but that didn¡¯t save it now. The tiger girl leapt over the path of ice that greeted her when she passed through the open entrance, grabbed the handle of her axe with both hands, and smashed it into the skull of the invisible monster, killing it instantly.


    ¡°Gods, I love this thing,¡± Reysha purred. Liquid crimson dripped from the solid crimson of the weapon as she pulled it out again. She looked around the small chamber she was in. Three of the walls were cobalt blue stone, cut into large bricks and covered in strange symbols. The last one was translucent, with a mild blue tinge, which was only reinforced by the endless light of the flickering, blue flames of the chandeliers above. The entrance was located in the gap between that translucent wall and the one to Reysha¡¯s left.


    Standing there, half-ready to be attacked again, she watched as Apexus and Aclysia dropped down. The two had not wanted to land on top of Reysha in the initial engagement and so waited until things had calmed down. Now they looked around in search of the tiger girl. ¡°Reysha?¡± Aclysia shouted.


    ¡°Over here, ya blind dunce,¡± Reysha shouted, knocking against the glass.


    Apexus looked over before Aclysia did and both tilted their heads. Because he could smell her, the slime was certain where she was now. All he could see was a solid, dark blue wall though. ¡°Interesting,¡± he remarked and walked over. ¡°Interesting,¡± he repeated when he peaked his head into the room and saw Reysha standing there. His voice was momentarily overshadowed by the sound of the hatch finally snapping shut.


    ¡°What¡¯s interesting?¡± Reysha asked. Following Apexus, when he gestured her to, he showed her that the wall was translucent one way, but solid the other. ¡°Neat,¡± the tiger girl declared, then looked around.


    There were several other walls of this kind around, all of them dark blue. Reflective surfaces to them and windows to whoever or whatever was on the other side. They added an element of confusion to a layer that was already pretty odd. The room they had dropped down into was connected to three staircases, each of them went down into larger halls, filled with their own series of opponents.


    ¡°It happened again, by the way,¡± Reysha said and waved her left hand around. The claws were still visible, until she made them disappear the regular way. ¡°Guess they just come about when I¡¯m agitated or something.¡±


    ¡°We definitely need to get you looked at,¡± Aclysia stated.


    Reysha laughed, ¡°Ya make it sound like I¡¯m your pet or something.¡±


    Sighing and rubbing her forehead, the metal fairy mumbled, ¡°I do feel like your owner sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Careful, bubble butt, talk like that gets your face used as my seat again,¡± the redhead said and winked. Aclysia blushed at the reminder what happened about nine hours earlier, shortly after the fight against the Myrms and before they slept. ¡°Hellroots, one would think ya would learn to handle my flirting at some point.¡±


    ¡°Getting accustomed to you and your perversions is an impossibility!¡± Aclysia declared and looked to the humanoid slime for support. ¡°Darling, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s adorable to watch you get embarrassed,¡± the slime confessed, while pondering the structure of the Long Way dungeon. ¡®The uppermost layer is a maze with limited space and filled with saltwater. Light is limited and there are Laghasts around. Fighting there would be difficult, so we should avoid that layer wherever we can. The middle layer is more of a traditional network of corridors, but the traps make it difficult to navigate. The crystals in the grey walls make it easy to spot enemies. Seems to be the easiest of the three. This layer seems to be built around confusion and we probably will encounter more of the status affecting enemies here, like the Frozen Wraiths.¡¯


    Aclysia and Reysha had continued their banter while he thought, and came to an end, as it was so often, with the guardian angel falling silent when the more nimble tongued tiger girl verbally overwhelmed her. ¡°So, what¡¯re we doing?¡± Reysha asked and looked up to the hatch. ¡°We can¡¯t go back. Not sure if that¡¯s good or not.¡±


    ¡°It''s probably a good thing,¡± Apexus told her. ¡°Assuming it stays closed, it blocks us from accidentally backtracking. Annoying that we can¡¯t retreat to the health fountain, but useful in order to let us progress.¡±


    ¡°Ya would think that they would have details like this in the guide,¡± Reysha complained.


    ¡°I assume that the list of details that was compiled was lost to time and the guide we have is the sorry remains.¡±


    ¡°Ya would think they¡¯d do a better job at archiving.¡±


    ¡°That would be optimal,¡± Aclysia agreed. ¡°It would surprise me, however, if they sold more than one of these guides per decade. The patchy state of information may be a consequence of commercial interest.¡±


    ¡°Stop with your logic, bubble butt, I¡¯m complaining over here,¡± Reysha laughed. ¡°Anyway, ya made a decision yet, big guy?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go this way,¡± the slime announced and pointed in at the path ahead of them. There was no particular reason for it, but they needed to take some path. Stepping down the stairs, the ceiling growing more distant with each step, the three eventually arrived in the ¡®hall¡¯. What Apexus had thought to be a wide open room from a distance was really a long corridor with both sides walled off with the one-way windows.


    On their left, they saw multiple water monsters swimming around in a lake, on their right a bunch of Frozen Wraiths were hovering around. Without something to attack, the monsters appeared limp and almost lifeless. Although their physical shape was that of animals, their purpose was so drastically different that they were more like animated tools than sentient beings.


    The group advanced down the corridor, until they heard the distinct call of a bear. Storming down the staircase at the end of the corridor, a White Ice Bear charged at them. The monster was larger than its kin found in the original dungeon and almost too broad for the corridor. That size was why Apexus was willing to meet it head on.


    ¡°Concentrate on its back,¡± the humanoid slime instructed, opening his arms. Reysha put her axe into its sleeve and drew a second dagger instead. Waiting for the inevitable clash, Aclysia concentrated magic in the tip of her staff. Although she still had to hold it with both hands, the metal rod no longer weighed her down to a cumbersome degree.


    The bear was upon him, massive maw wide open. That was the attacked Apexus concentrated solely on. He made himself as small as possible, escaping the deadly bite, then rushed up and slung his arms around the white bear¡¯s neck. His soles were ground down, forced over the bumpy texture of the black floor tiles by several hundred kilos of bear slamming into him. While he was forced several metres back, Reysha climbed over him. She landed on the monster¡¯s back and wildly stabbed away at it, using her daggers both to hurt their enemy and to maintain her hold. As best as he tried, Apexus could only hinder, not contain, the thrashing of the large creature. The relative narrowness of the corridor did more to that end than his muscles.


    Things got both harder and more difficult when Aclysia unleashed her spell from her hovering position. The corridor was illuminated by the golden sunlight of the spell. Seared hair and flesh, an unpleasant mixture of fragrances, filled the air after the spell hit the bear¡¯s head. The thrashing got wilder, the bear expanding all energy it had, now half-blind. Each movement drained its stamina and caused it to lose more blood. Reysha kept stabbing and stabbing whenever she was given the opportunity.


    Eventually, the endurance of the monster started to fade. The thrashing decreased in its violence, until the creature collapsed, quivering and breathing heavily. Reysha ended it with a deep twin-strike of her daggers.


    ¡°Phew,¡± she exhaled slowly and looked over her shoulder. Their path was clear. She looked at the bear with some regret. ¡°Big mountain of meat and I¡¯m still sated from the least meal.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to eat every opportunity you get,¡± Aclysia berated. ¡°You putting on weight would be a disadvantage to us.¡±


    ¡°Aww, you¡¯re worried about my figure?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, additional body fat would decrease your flexibility and speed.¡±


    ¡°It would also make your midriff less appealing,¡± Apexus threw in there, while blobbing out to engulf the bear. Reysha was sated, but the slime could always go for more. With the continuous difficulty and frequency of events inside this dungeon, restoring his energy storage was always a wise decision.


    There was a lot to explore.

 The Long Way 17 – Continuous Advancement

    Apexus struggled against the closing mechanism of the Laghast¡¯s jaw muscles. Sitting on the back of the creature, his fingers penetrated by the anglerfish-like teeth and his legs getting cut by the thorny-protrusions of its ribcage, the slime kept the boss monster down. The tentacles that were connected to the depth of its throat wrapped around Apexus¡¯ hands in an attempt to pull them away. At the same time, Apexus tried to break the creature¡¯s neck.


    Before either of them could succeed, Aclysia kneeled in front of the immobilized boss monster and aimed the tip of her staff as closely to the wide-open maw as she could. The lantern dangling from the humanoid-creatures head quivered violently. Then a Sunlight Bolt evaporated the surface of the shallow water and flew into the mass of tentacles and teeth.


    The magical energy seared the monster¡¯s head from the inside out, killing it quickly.


    ¡°Found the path down!¡± Reysha shouted from elsewhere. That her voice was answered by a myriad of quickly approaching screams and gargles was neither surprising nor a mistake on her part. The other Laghasts on the upper layer were attracted to the fighting noises. One of them, still showing the less eldritch and blue-skinned base form before the Phase Mutation, appeared behind a wall of the labyrinth. It was sprinting as fast as its lanky limbs allowed it too and slithered across the watery floor to get around the corner. Approaching Apexus and Aclysia on all fours, it screamed.


    The high-pitched sound was infused with a fear inducing spell and, for once, the two of them let their mind be overtaken by that. Towards Reysha, who held open a hatch of solid metal, the two of them ran. Not slowed down by the water, Aclysia arrived first and dived down through the hole, pulling her wings in to neatly fit through. Apexus overcame his fear when he was at the edge. ¡°You first!¡± he insisted and grabbed the edge of the hatch.


    Reysha opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself when a second Laghast entered  her field of view. They had no time for disagreements. Her hands let go of the hatch. Immediately, Apexus could feel the sealing mechanism press against him. Reysha quickly circled around and jumped. The Laghast closed in, just as Apexus got ready to jump. It wasn¡¯t easy, the second he relaxed the hatch would slam shut. He increased his body heat and his speed with it.


    At the very last second, Apexus dove down the hole. The hand of a Laghast reached after him. Bones crunched and broke under the slam of the hatch. Screaming, skin shaving off, the monster drew its arm back. The screams of itself and its kin suddenly vanished when the gap closed completely.


    Apexus was sliding down some kind of tube. It was similar to the end of the White Ice dungeon, but nowhere near as long. After only about twenty seconds of a steady descent, he emerged in ice cold water.


    ¡°LITTLE HELP HERE, BIG BOY!¡±


    Reysha¡¯s scream had Apexus get to his legs as soon as possible. Not that her voice was necessary to alert all of them to the massive white crocodile that chased after the tiger girl. The room was dark, hiding deep holes under the surface of the shallow, milky water. Apexus could distantly feel their presence thanks to the vibrations under his naked feet. ¡°Light,¡± he instructed Aclysia, while charging at the boss monster.


    Repurposing mana she had gathered for an attack spell, Aclysia conjured as bright of an Ilumni as she could. It was only at the same level as a torch, but it was enough to show the depressions around as darker spots in the water. At least, as long as she was close enough in the large room.


    With the aiding light, Reysha managed to jump over a hole, rather than fall into it and likely meet her end between the massive jaws of the frost-exuding reptile. It tried to open its jaws again, but Apexus was in reach now. Wrapping his thick arms around the snout of the creature, the slime kept things shut. The opening mechanism of a crocodile¡¯s maw was considerably weaker than the closing one, but it was still difficult to keep a grip on such a massive and powerful creature.


    The surface of Apexus¡¯ body would have started to freeze, had it not been for his continuous ramping up of the temperature. Steam started to rise from his skin, water and energy evaporating at a rapid pace to give the slime the boost in speed and power he needed to keep up with the crocodile¡¯s thrashing.


    Soon the layout of the room that would normally allow the boss monster to catch its prey became its undoing. One of its legs sunk away, tilting the entire beast and slowing it enough that Reysha could ram the hastily-drawn warpick into its side. The hit wasn¡¯t as decisive as it had been on the first one of these monsters they had fought, but neither did it need to be. Again and again, between the thrashing of the boss, did she hit the creature until it collapsed dead.


    The holes all around started to bubble. Getting immediately ready for another attack, the group kept an eye out for monsters. Source of the bubbling was the air that rushed upwards to take the place of the water that was now being drained away. The natural light in the chamber grew more intense, until the Illumni was entirely unnecessary.


    Then they heard a loud ¡®CLUNK¡¯, as several gears in the walls started moving. Spikes shout out of the ceiling, which then began its slow descent.


    ¡°Fuck, this dungeon keeps us busy,¡± Reysha complained, as they looked around for a route to escape. Apexus was feeling the fatigue set in, as his body cooled down. He was visibly slimer, a chunk of his biomass having been sacrificed to maintain his elevated state. Even now he was losing water, the cooling down needing its time.


    They didn¡¯t need to guess what their escape route could be, only which of the holes was the most promising. At a moderate pace, they inspected the openings large enough for a human to fit into. The ceiling was a constant threat, but not an imminent one. Reysha took the time to leisurely put away the warpick.


    ¡°There is faint light down this one!¡± Aclysia shouted and dove down.


    Apexus and Reysha waited. Because she could hover, the metal fairy was the ideal scout in this situation. ¡°Soooooo,¡± the tiger girl looked her lover up and down and bit her lower lip in an exaggerated fashion. ¡°You come here often, handsome?¡±


    ¡°Not if I can avoid it,¡± Apexus responded, with a worried look at the spiked ceiling.


    ¡°Really? ¡®Cause I may have a whole lot more than three holes big enough to fuck if we stay here,¡± she purred, the sweetness of the tone clashing heavily with the grotesqueness of the words.


    Apexus glanced at her with one raised eyebrow. ¡°Another thing I would like to avoid. I like your body as it is,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Think of it though ¨C omni-penetration.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s disgusting.¡±


    Reysha laughed out loud and bowed over the hole, ¡°I found the comfort limit of the slime monster, bubble butt!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good?¡± Aclysia¡¯s voice echoed from down the hole, highly confused. ¡°Either way, it seems safe!¡±


    ¡°Good enough for me,¡± Reysha said and got ready to jump. When Apexus grabbed her by the wrist, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°I reconsidered the extra holes,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Awww, so you DO want to be inside of me as much as you can,¡± the redhead grinned madly and turned towards him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°I do like guys with a bit less body temperature and a bit more mass, though,¡± she said and then leaned up. They kissed.


    When the tip of the spikes was about to tickle Apexus¡¯ head, they jumped down the hole together, landing in a pool of lukewarm water below. It was clear and Apexus was quick to start drinking from it to make up for lost fluids. The walls were of the cobalt blue typical for the lowest floor.


    Between the ceiling and the surface of the water, there were a good three meters. The pool itself was another three metres deep. There was nothing to the square room aside from the holes in the ceiling and the walls.


    ¡°Wonder what would have been down the other holes,¡± Reysha thought out loud, while holding onto Apexus. Having filled his stomach with an abundance of air, the slime was effectively a buoy. Since Reysha was only an adequate swimmer, she did like having something secure. Aclysia hovered above.


    ¡°We are not heading back up to check,¡± the metal fairy said.


    ¡°But bubble buuuuutt,¡± Reysha cried like a spoiled child. ¡°There is food up there!¡±


    ¡°How would you even get up there?¡± Apexus wanted to know.


    ¡°You could carry me like the princess I am?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t fly up there. The hole is too narrow. Not that I could even start from here,¡± Apexus moved his wings, more to stabilize his floating position than to demonstrate anything.


    ¡°Hey, Clysia, feel up for carrying me?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the metal fairy shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re too heavy for me.¡±


    ¡°Oy, I¡¯m not fat, I just have thick bones!¡±


    ¡°You have a thick skull, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Aclysia retorted and both of the swimming members of the group laughed. It was rare for the metal fairy to have such an immediate comeback delivered in such an earnestly exasperated tone. ¡°You can pull yourself out over there,¡± the metal fairy pointed at a number of stones along the wall that lead up to another hole in the ceiling.


    Apexus and Reysha swam towards that wall, when the slime noticed another hole at the lower edge, far under the water. ¡°¡­Would you protest the dive?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Why? Oh,¡± the tiger girl asked, then spotted. ¡°Well, if you go first and report that it''s not so long that I¡¯ll almost drown, I¡¯d oblige. I¡¯m already wet.¡±


    ¡°I will trust your intuition, darling,¡± Aclysia said from above, even if she wasn¡¯t too keen on getting soaked. So far, she had managed to only get pretty moist.


    ¡°Wait here,¡± the slime said and the dove under. Opening his mouth, he let most of the air escape, easing the sinking process. More climbing than swimming, he made his way through the tube. He emerged in a room with a circular pond in the middle. Quickly, he returned and reported, ¡°There¡¯s a healing fountain.¡±


    ¡°I would be in agreement to target that room first. Above is a simple continuation of the path,¡± Aclysia reported and so the decision was made. Reysha went ahead of all of them, partly because she needed air the most and partly because none of them wanted to repeat the Drowned Altar disaster. After her, Aclysia, and then Apexus surfaced in the healing fountain room.


    ¡°10 silver that we get attacked by Myrm again,¡± Reysha bet, while she started to strip.


    ¡°I bet against that,¡± Apexus said, thinking the chances in his favour.


    They had been inside the Long Way for over two weeks now. By now, they were pretty used to the constant chain of events that unfolded whenever they left a safe haven. Each segment of the dungeon was its own gauntlet and the deeper they went; the more deadly things became. At the current depth, it was fairly common to face boss monsters on their path. That was, aside from the Laghasts that always were a threat when they moved through the upper layer.


    ¡°Do you feel comfortable stripping?¡± Aclysia wondered, looking at the walls. They were of the smooth, dark blue that betrayed that it was a one-way window. Anyone or anything on the other side could spy on them and they would never know it.


    ¡°Who the Hellroots would be this far in to sit on the other side of a wall and jerk off?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°A fair contention,¡± Aclysia nodded, somewhat hesitatingly. Logically speaking, the chances of another person even being able to survive inside the Long Way for long enough to go after such activities were unfathomably small. The food question alone made it downright impossible. After having convinced herself of that, Aclysia slipped out of her own wet clothes. They all put their adventurer bags far away from the water and spread out their clothes to dry.


    Apexus inspected his with some worry. ¡°Maybe I should continue without clothes,¡± he said, checking the many holes they had by now. The robe he wore to cover his chest was easily folded down and got out of harm''s way most of the time. While his pants were usually safe in a similar fashion, his recent strategy of pinning down Laghasts had caused their spiked to tear all sorts of holes into the fabric.


    ¡°Not like we¡¯ll run into anyone out here,¡± Reysha shrugged, herself naked. ¡°Save for Myrm.¡±


    ¡°It is heavily advised that we keep our weapons close for at least thirty minutes,¡± Aclysia said. As dangerous as the dungeon was, it was also pretty fair when it came to warning signals. If they didn¡¯t notice anything off relatively soon, this healing fountain would be as safe as most were.


    ¡°Thirty minutes¡­ however long that is,¡± Reysha said and dipped her toe into the water.


    Apexus looked around the rest of the room and the two exits. One was in the ceiling, another hatch that would allow them to ascend to the upper level. Wherever they could, they avoided those paths. Moving over the upper level, they had found out, allowed them to backtrack to earlier segments, while the middle and lower one always progressed in some way. They had no idea in what direction they were progressing, but they didn¡¯t emerge at the same point twice.


    Moving through the upper layer was only worth it in two cases: either the dungeon delver wanted to head back or they wanted to hasten towards the exit. Neither condition was true for the trio. They were content dealing with the ramping difficulty. Dealing with a dark labyrinth full of Laghast didn¡¯t strike their fancy. Especially since they hadn¡¯t scouted it out for long enough to confirm if there was more than them up there.


    The other path was a simple corridor leading deeper down this floor. It seemed pretty standard, save for the continuous, deep blue smoothness of the walls.


    ¡°I need to plunder our rations,¡± Apexus said and opened their community bag. They tried to keep chunks of yesterday¡¯s kills around for cases like this, where the machinations of the dungeon made the bodies inaccessible. For the sake of storage, the meat was drained and lightly seared with magic. Apexus preferred the taste of raw meat.


    ¡°Of course, darling,¡± Aclysia allowed him.


    ¡°Toss some over here!¡± Reysha demanded.


    And so they took their break.

 The Long Way 18 – Having fun watching [Erotic Content]

    Reysha walked around the edge of the room, continuously looking for any kind of movement. Out of caution, she had put on her leather armour again after healing her injuries. Similar was true for Aclysia, while Apexus had remained nude as announced. It was the latter where Reysha¡¯s gaze eventually got stuck.


    Back to his usual body mass, the black-haired humanoid slime remained on the lookout for surprises. The level of alertness had dropped considerably, as they had waited for quite some time already. Without a way to measure time, guesses were all they had.


    Even at low alert, Apexus towered in the centre of the room. A defined build, toned muscles strong enough to crush skulls, from the large shoulders to the shapely ass and the strong legs. Some of the long black hair framed his masculine, attractively crafted face, the rest was confined into a ponytail. His piercing blue eyes wandered around the room and always paid attention to either of his two lovers. He was watching them with protectiveness, appreciation and desire.


    Being looked at this way by this man she cared so deeply about, it inflamed the shallowly suppressed desires of the redhead. ¡®Fucking¡­ I love him,¡¯ she thought, feeling obscene needs and pure adoration pull at her unsteady mind. Trusting her instincts, Reysha decided that she was safe enough and gave into what felt just so right.


    Her hands travelled over the outside of her snakeskin leather top. The origin of its material left the top with vertical stripes, where the dark grey skins bordered each other. Through the leather Reysha¡¯s touch felt muted to herself. Still, when she reached her breasts, she let out a quiet gasp. Through leather and the undergarment she wore to prevent chafing, she massaged her nipples. They were incredibly sensitive, food and safety making her Ragressian breeding instincts run away with the Noir-induced heightening of her senses. Even though she wouldn¡¯t actually get pregnant, that was what her body craved.


    Reysha played with her breasts as much as her firm clothes allowed. Eventually, one of her hands travelled down to her pants, slipped under the waistband and stretched the soft leather and panties underneath. She found her pussy, only slightly wet yet, and moaned when she touched her clit.


    The desire to do more, to be free of the confined of her clothes, wrestled with her need to continue. It was the pressure that her pants put on her hand, restricting movements, that finally got her to take the time to strip out of her armour.


    The leather always sat tight on her hourglass figure. Practical as that was when it came to combat and sneaking, letting her move without ever having to fear any part of her gear would get stuck anywhere, when it came to dressing or undressing, it was a project of peeling and wiggling. Pulling her top over her head was comparatively easy to her pants. Although not as large as Aclysia¡¯s bubble butt, Reysha¡¯s own ass left nothing to be desired in terms of size and roundness. Even with the waistband loosened, pulling the leather down the curve of her hips and thighs was different.


    When she finally succeeded, clothes piling on top of her utility belt, Reysha was left in all of her nakedness. Caramel-coloured, brown skin, smooth and covered in stripes of a darker, more chocolatey shade, was revealed openly under the artificial light that filled the room sufficiently. Her decently-sized breasts topped her hourglass figure, crowned by clearly erect, pinkish brown nipples. Her pussy¡¯s outer lips had the same colour and glistened with moisture.


    Her mouth was noticeably redder, even if it was still in the range of brown. She bit her lower lip, her right, upper fang showing in its perfect white, while staring at Apexus. Blue in black, surrounded by the brown of the two sole stripes on her face, surrounding her dark sclera like permanent warpaint, she looked at Apexus.


    Of course, her comrades had noticed what she was doing and the silent question in the room was how to continue. Reysha resumed masturbating, cupping her tits and circling her clit with two fingers. With gasps and gaze, she communicated quietly what didn¡¯t need to be said. Her striped, red cat tail moved randomly and erratically.


    Apexus understood what she wanted to do and turned his attention to Aclysia. ¡°Strip,¡± he commanded the submissive angel. The single word and its demanding pronunciation switched Aclysia from being cautious and horny to just horny.


    Robe, pants and panties were quickly removed from the bottom-heavy guardian angel, sitting only loosely on her body. Although her thick thighs and ass were the most immediately eye-drawing features, the rest of her pear-shaped body was no less enticing. Her skin was as pale as snow, her sexual features a healthy pink, and her eyes a verdant green.


    By instinct, Aclysia got embarrassed about revealing herself so fully. The obscuring movement of her arms she forced to turn into her angling her right behind her back and grabbing hold of her left upper arm. She lowered her head, but kept her eyes on Apexus. Smiling slightly, she looked every bit the sexually submissive she was. ¡°Do you have further demands of me, darling?¡± asked the almost hopeful Aclysia.


    ¡°On your knees, in front of me,¡± the slime fulfilled her desire and she obeyed as quickly as she could while keeping her movements graceful. Once on her knees, the pointy-eared angel was repositioned so Reysha had a good side-view of the situation. Then he placed his erect cock across the angel¡¯s face.


    The mild pink of excitement and lingering shyness gradually turned into the red of extreme desire. Each breath she took caused more of the slime¡¯s aphrodisiac pheromones to enter her lungs. It worked perfectly well, even on a purely magical entity like her. Soon she breathed through her mouth, panting and tasting the air. Her pink lips were parted invitingly, her tongue about to stretch out. Only her wish to remain in accordance to her darling¡¯s desires prevented her from taking any action herself. Her moth-like wings quivered, parted wide enough that the slime could see her bubble butt.


    ¡®Finally,¡¯ Aclysia caught herself thinking with such impatient perversion, when Apexus took her head with both of his large hands and pulled her to the tip of his dick. It was large, above average in both length and girth. Still, she managed to take it, all the way down into her throat until her light pink lips were sealed tightly around the base. The precum dribbling down her gullet contained even more potent concentrations of the aphrodisiac, turning her pussy into a dripping mess.


    ¡°Do not touch yourself,¡± Apexus warned, when her hands were creeping up her thighs. ¡°Arms behind your back.¡± Green eyes stared adoringly up at him and the tiniest of nods could be felt around his cock. Pleased, Apexus let go off her head. ¡°Suck me off.¡±


    Swiftly, Aclysia obeyed. The pace of her blowjob was quick from the very start, seeking to pleasure him as much as Apexus demanded. His groans spurred her on to try even harder. Although she would have never, out loud, admitted to it, she was trying her hardest to perfect her technique when it came to sucking her darling off. She feared, with reason, that Reysha would never let her hear the end of it if she admitted just how much she cared about this. Every bob of her head, every little rotation and every gyration, was either an experienced or an experimental motion. She needed to get better at it, to please her dom to the greatest extent of her ability.


    Reysha was in no state to notice any such obsession at the moment. Moans growing louder and louder, the tiger girl was rapidly approaching her voyeuristic orgasm. Knowing not what else to do with it, Reysha first ran her hand through her wild, scarlet red hair, pushing down one of her cat ears in the process, then started to suck on the fingers. While imagining having that large cock in her own mouth pushed her over the edge.


    Eyelids fluttering, she had to try really hard to keep staring at the debauchery before her. So much so that control over her legs was conceded, the quivering limbs folding and slowly giving in. Reysha slid down the smooth glass wall, while the muscles of her lower body repeatedly tensed from wave after wave of her climax.


    Panting heavily, she recovered, a mess of gorgeous brown flesh and heavy breaths on the floor. Before her, Apexus was taking back control of the situation, putting a hand on Aclysia¡¯s head and dictating her pace for her. It had nothing to do with her doing a bad job, just that she and him enjoyed it more when he took charge that way.


    ¡°Oh, fuck yeah, dominate that gorgeous little angel,¡± Reysha gasped, swallowing to get her breathing under control.


    Apexus gave her a quick glance and smirked. Two tentacles sprouted from his back, dark blue like the slime hidden under the skin, and slithered around. They were outside of Aclysia¡¯s field of view, leaving her unaware until they started sliding over both of her holes. Her pussy was absolutely drenched, but her asshole would need some extra lubrication. ¡°Raise your butt,¡± Apexus told her, wanting to get a better view.


    Aclysia pushed out her ass, emphasizing the roundness of her absolutely fantastic, pale backside. Kneeling, repeatedly impaling her throat on her darling¡¯s cock, she was in her own conscious heaven until her remaining two holes were simultaneously penetrated. From that point onward, conscious thought was a distant concept.


    Pussy and back entrance were both wonderfully tight. The quivering of her folds and the clenching of her sphincter both seemed to beckon Apexus to use them. Simultaneously, the guardian angel had stopped sucking him off properly, too overwhelmed by the pleasure to do more than quiver. Seeing no other option, the slime took absolute control of the situation, fucking all of her holes at the rapid pace he desired. He slammed against her face, the tentacles pumped in and out of her lower pair of holes, all coordinating so that there was always one in the thrusting motion while the other two withdrew or stayed. The result was an incredibly fine-tuned torrent of ecstasy.


    Eyes rolled back and spasming where she kneeled, Aclysia experienced multiple climaxes while Reysha chased her next one. As much as she tried, the tiger girl¡¯s rapid movements failed to be as effective as the slime¡¯s action. Giving herself entirely to the stream of her desires, Reysha moved her saliva-drenched fingers and pressed them against her sphincter. Her entire body quivered, when she started fingering the back entrance feverishly, wet noises echoing from where fingers rapidly flicked her clit.


    Legs drawn up, knees almost up to her ears, her lewdness was openly displayed, her moderate breasts nicely squished between her arms. ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuc-yeeeesssss,¡± she screamed, groaned and hissed, getting so close to her next release. She could hear that Apexus was getting close as well, holding onto her climax for as long as she could, and then let go when her lover froze with his cock down Aclysia¡¯s throat. ¡°YYYYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!¡± she screamed.


    It was music to Apexus¡¯ ears, while he pumped Aclysia¡¯s every fuckable hole full of his seed. Produced in vast quantities, the fresh, hot and thick liquid painted her insides almost as white as her skin. The bliss the temporarily mind-broken angel felt at that was almost indescribable. All of her sweaty, spasm-wrecked form was on the verge of collapsing, squirt gushing from her cunt, and screams echoing from her occupied throat.


    Reysha¡¯s orgasm wasn¡¯t nearly as satisfying. As much as she loved watching, her fingers felt so inadequate compared to the thick cock that slowly pulled out of Aclysia¡¯s throat. Still shivering with aftershocks, she started crawling towards Apexus, who carefully lowered the metal fairy into a lying position after withdrawing completely from her.


    ¡°Let me take care of you, big man,¡± Reysha purred, giving the erect cock in front of her a quick kiss. It immediately turned into something more, the sweet taste of the aphrodisiac-infused cum combining with that of Aclysia¡¯s saliva. Before she knew it, the sex-loving redhead was slobbering all over his dick, cleaning it of all she could find.


    ¡°However, you choose,¡± Apexus hummed. His dominant side was already satisfied and Reysha was the wrong girl to take it far with anyway. Carefully, to let her continue while he was moving, he sat and then laid down.


    ¡°I want¡­ two¡­¡± Reysha moaned, while sliding down the side of his erect shaft. He was as clean now as a blowjob could manage. Only for as long as it took him to grow out the second cock, did she keep on sucking, then she climbed on top of him. Straddling his hips, using his angled knees as support for her shaking body, Reysha aligned both of her holes with his phalluses and then plunged down.


    Her brain short-circuited when both of her holes were filled with cock. A surge of pleasure made her sit still where she was, head almost loosely falling to the side, staring ahead blankly and mouth open in a quiet scream. After having turned herself on so immensely, the double penetration was an almost too intense a moment of fulfilment.


    Apexus took advantage of the small break to test a new sexual strategy he had recently come up with and not tested yet. A thin and, for the moment, stubby tentacle grew from the base of the upper of his two cocks. The tip was a marriage between a small suction cup and a flat piece of crystal, the same he used for his nails. While the primary use of these crystals was light, they had a convenient alternative function.


    The high-frequency vibrations against her clit snapped Reysha out of her ecstatic stun. ¡°Oh fuck me, you can do that?!¡± she shouted, while her hips began to rise. The only answer she got was a wide grin and a pair of hands grabbing her firm, round butt. Although her hips rose higher, the tentacle stayed connected, simply extending and, once she plunged back down, retracting as needed. ¡°I¡¯m getting ruined¡­ I¡¯m getting fucking ruined and I¡¯m fucking loving it!¡± she laughed.


    What regular man could hope to compete with two size-adjustable cocks with a vibrator attached? None came to Reysha¡¯s mind and she also didn¡¯t care to consider for any more than a few seconds, too busy loving every second of her sphincter and pussy getting stretched out by the fat dicks in each hole.


    Too turned on for anything creative, Reysha just went up and down at a rapid speed. Taxing on her body as it may have been to keep going through all of the spasming, she needed to make him cum before she was satisfied. Her pussy gushed, her athletic midriff tense, her breasts bounced and her lungs pumped. Under her, Apexus supplemented her wild ride with rhythmic thrusts of his own, fingers digging into her brown bubble butt.


    Reysha was brought to the edge of her endurance, her curves glistening with sweat and eyes glazed with exhaustion and lust. Finally, she felt a demanding pull from Apexus hands and both of them froze, screaming, when his hips shot up into her cunt with one last, loud ¡®Smack¡¯ of flesh against flesh.


    Semen filled the luscious tiger girl¡¯s greedy milking pussy. Each spurt eased her longings, and had her in a daze of sexual fulfilment. Spasming was replaced with intense relaxation and she slowly slumped forwards.


    Apexus caught her, holding her in a loving embrace while filling her with what else he had to give.


    Then they nodded off together.

 The Long Way 19 – Winding Tracks

    ¡°By the heavenly¡­¡± Aclysia began what would have turned into a curse, had she not been too occupied lugging a metal pole around. It was almost too heavy for her to even lift, flying with it was a chore, and yet she managed. With desperate strength, she dropped it above Apexus.


    The slime caught it with both hands and lodged it between the approaching walls. The sound of turning gears turned into the desperate grinding of metal against metal. Already the pole started to bend. ¡°Another,¡± Apexus shouted up to the metal fairy.


    ¡®Can¡¯t we take the other way, darling?¡¯ she wanted to beg. Physical labour was far from her favourite activity. Consequently, grabbing the poles from their holsters on the platform above the narrowing corridor and tossing them down was torture for her. ¡®Don¡¯t be a burden,¡¯ she told herself and did as her beloved demanded.


    For his part, Apexus was considering heading back where they came from. The corridor had started to narrow in on them the moment they had entered, but the entrance had never closed. It was a trap, but it wasn¡¯t an unforgivingly deadly one. A group that couldn¡¯t access the upper platform would have died here outright and, while dungeons may have been difficult, they didn¡¯t exist to murder everyone unfit in one aspect. It was a testing ground, not a selection by criteria.


    The slime received the next pole and lodged it between the walls. They had convenient depressions in the light grey stone. He just had to angle them properly to fit. ¡°You can do it, Aclysia,¡± Apexus shouted some motivational words up. He would have gone up to help her, but, like usual, there wasn¡¯t enough room to take off. That his wings carried him was a miracle in and of itself. Flapping them and hoping to make it straight up was a pipe dream. Apexus needed forward momentum to gain height. He would have sooner managed to scale the walls.


    At the end of the corridor, the third member of the party was lodged in an activity she preferred to outsource: thinking. Reysha stared at a four-by-four panel, containing fifteen small tiles. They could be slid around, using the gap, and the lines on each was all the clue she needed to know some kind of pattern was wanted. She scratched her head, not quite sure what pattern that was.


    Reysha looked over her shoulder. By virtue of the work required, she was the only one left in the situation. ¡®Ya aren¡¯t that stupid,¡¯ she thought and looked back to the panel. There were several more lines around the panel that connected them to symbols on the wall. ¡®Are there any doubles or something¡­?¡¯


    The answer to that was no, none of the symbols were doubled or even similar. The best she got was that some had round and other square frames. With nothing else to go off, she started sliding things around to connect two of the squares. That did nothing, so she tried two of the circles next. That caused light to slowly creep down the lines from both sides. Once they met, Reysha noticed nothing happening.


    ¡°The walls are speeding up!¡± Apexus shouted over the sound of one of the longer poles snapping.


    Hastily, Reysha disrupted the connection and the pressure the walls put on returned to regular levels. ¡®So, circles are energy source, squares are receivers?¡¯ Reysha guessed and tried her best to establish a new connection between two as quick as possible. Her approach to this was to wildly slide the panels around until something matched by happenstance. Sometimes she stopped to plan a few steps ahead, but she lacked the patience and structural thinking to lay out anything truly advanced.


    Resultingly, she took longer to get to the result than Aclysia would have. Apexus would have taken about as long, although for different reasons. When she had a square and a circle connected, the gears in the walls suddenly slowed to a crawl.


    ¡°Well, that did something useful,¡± Reysha said and scratched her head. ¡°Yo, Clysia, think ya have enough time off carrying duty to solve this now?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡­ dunno¡­ do¡­ I¡­?¡± Aclysia asked, heaving heavily to bring down her internal temperature.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus gave the quick answer and Aclysia made her way over as quickly as exhaustion allowed. Once she stood and looked at the mental task, she was more lively. This was her element. After staring at it for three minutes, she broke the currently active circuit and shuffled the tiles around with steady certainty.


    To Reysha, many moves looked counterproductive. The walls around moved, soon snapping another one of the poles. Not knowing what else to do, Apexus grabbed the longer of the two resulting pieces and lodged it back into place.


    Aclysia did not let any of that distract her. Staring with single-minded pursuit, she continuously analysed the predictable field of input and reaction. Movement for movement, she arranged the chaos Reysha had found and, in some ways, worsened, into a symmetrical pattern. Only the sole empty field interrupted it. All the lines connected a square to a circle.


    The gears stopped completely, then rolled back at a rapid speed.


    They all took one relieved breath. Alarmed by the massive ¡®CLUNK¡¯ that accompanied walls settling back into place, the group got ready for combat. It was the right decision, as the panel now parted to reveal another wall right behind it. One made out of pure, grey crystal.


    A diamond-shaped segment within it began to glow. Golden light of the soft variety grew in intensity, until it reached incandescence.


    ¡°Aclysia, recover and count, Reysha, attack,¡± Apexus gave the simplest and quickest strategy he could, while charging at the crystal wall. The Myrlight dungeon¡¯s boss was still seared into their memories, even if it had been months since they fought it.


    A sound like a ringing triangle filled the air, as forms wavered behind the crystal wall. Soon their presence was completely obscured by the brightness of the boss. Blinded, Apexus nevertheless continued his charge. The swelling noise unloaded in a laser beam that struck him in the chest. It carried little in terms of kinetic energy, but seared skin and slime underneath. A smell like salt water filled the air.


    Apexus took the enemy spell head on and hurled his fist at the wall. It was sturdier than the one they had encountered before, withstanding the force of the impact. Cracks nevertheless spread out from the impact like a spider web. Shards started to fall out as he kept punching, ignoring the hole getting burned through his abdomen.


    Finally, the laser ebbed away and Aclysia started counting down from thirty. That was what they had last measured the distance between attacks to be. They wouldn¡¯t find out whether or not they were correct, as Reysha had drawn out the warpick and swung it at the boss monster. The tip smashed into the crystal, cutting into a crack already made, and hit the boss within.


    Like a frozen lake¡¯s surface thunderously tearing apart, the wall of crystal exploded into an energy wave, releasing the monster. Ebbing away, the light lowered to such levels that the form of the boss could be made out in clearer detail. Like two pyramids attached at the base, the tips aligned in perfect verticality, the crystal creature was simple in its body. Two large wings of pure energy, light woven into arches, expanded from its centre point. The prism was based on an angelic creature and the sounds of its wrath sounded like the singing of wet glass.


    Colourless crystal still rained down when the boss started to retreat into a room behind. The group pursued immediately. Unlike last time, there was no wall between them and the next chamber, giving them the safety to heal their wounds. No, the boss immediately started to fire another laser at them.


    ¡°Twenty second gaps,¡± Aclysia informed her party members, while taking the frontline.


    The room they entered was massive, over fifty metres wide and ten tall. Filled with dripstones, water and brick pathways leading to a centre platform, it gave more than enough room for aerial mobility. Aclysia utilized that fact by drawing the initial attention of the attacks to her. The discharging laser followed her and failed to land a hit, while Reysha and Apexus stormed down the path on foot.


    Apexus spread his wings, ready to either fly over to the centre platform immediately or at least leap forwards to cut the time taken to get across the spiralling path. Before he could take off, a Light Elemental manifested in the path before them. It was golden, taking the shape of a broad humanoid with a hovering tail instead of legs.


    ¡°Oh no you fucking don¡¯t!¡± Reysha shouted, while the creature tried to grab Apexus¡¯ arm. The tiger girl slammed her axe into the head of the being. It cut through with ease, interrupting the existence of the magical being enough that the energies dispersed. The hold on the humanoid chimera¡¯s arm became ephemeral before it could stop him and he took off.


    Other monsters appeared all over the room, Frozen Wraiths, more elementals, and in the water lurked Grapplegoos. Only the former of these enemies were of a bother to Apexus. Their wails chilled him, made him slower and the beat of his wings less energetic. Still, each clap of the verdant wings allowed him to leap across the watery ditches that separated the parts of the path. Reysha tried to follow as fast as she could while fighting her way across the regular way.


    Aclysia was still occupying the boss, who had settled on the island at the centre of the room. It turned its prismatic body in an attempt to hit Aclysia with any of its lasers. Things were getting increasingly tight, until Apexus arrived and slammed his massive fist into the boss¡¯ surface. In retaliation, the laser was redirected to Apexus. Now threatened at direct range, it did not ebb away, but Apexus managed to stay ahead of the boss by circling around it while pelting it with attacks.


    Knowing how to deal with it, and being able to cheat the layout of the room, dealing with it wasn¡¯t immensely difficult. Soon the angelic prism fell apart, collapsing into a pile of shards with a pure core. The other monsters in the room had their life energy suddenly cut and collapsed, dead, wherever in the room they were.


    ¡°That was a fucking thing,¡± Reysha said and looked over to the three paths that consequently opened. One went up to the Laghast layer, one continued on this one and another went down. Only after eating what they could from the, primarily magical, assortment of enemies, did the three check out the paths available, starting with the lower level one. ¡°Would ya look at that,¡± hummed the tiger girl.


    The path took them down to one of the translucent walls. A particularly large and curved one, looking at a healing fountain. The same healing fountain that the tiger girl had some voyeuristic fun in. That been over ten days ago for the group, but they remembered the layout of the room well enough.


    Demonstratively, Reysha raised her nose and sniffed. ¡°Hey, do ya smell cum?¡± she asked and broke out into a manic laughter when Aclysia¡¯s face twisted into a shocked expression. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, bubble butt. Can¡¯t smell anything out of the ordinary here. Aside from us.¡±


    Apexus knew what she meant. They had been without a bath, or any other form of break, for three days now and just yesterday they had fought the boss of the Myrm Nest again. Swimming in the disgusting slime without the option of a cleansing healing fountain rest afterwards had Apexus consider getting into the water in the boss room upstairs.


    ¡°You are terrible,¡± Aclysia shook her head and turned her attention to another four-by-four panel in one of the walls. ¡°Should I attempt to solve this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That will either open the further way or the entrance to the healing fountain,¡± Apexus theorized, ¡°so yes.¡± They had no intention of turning around, but the bath was seriously sought after.


    It only took Aclysia about a minute to figure things out. Once the puzzle was solved, part of the wall slid open.


    Screams, infernal screams, echoed out through the opening in the once solid blockade. Laghasts, somewhere in the distance, shouted with all of their might. Their roars were overcome by another creature. One much, much more terrifying.


    None of the three realized immediately what it was, but their subconscious knew that something horrible was on the way. All three pressed against the nearest solid wall, recalling fire and death. Reysha pressed all air out of her lungs and forgot to breathe. Unpleasant as it was, having nothing to shape into a scream saved them. They were dead silent, just as the dungeon became dead silent.


    Frozen for several minutes, unable to think about anything but the question if they had perhaps misheard, they stayed put. Then the Deathhound walked into the room. On all six of its limbs, the demonic monstrosity named Turlesh advanced. The nostril slits on the front of its elongated head widened and slimmed with each breath it took. Blood and water covered its skin, leathery and glistening like it was polished by the life fluids of lesser monsters. Its tail curved in the air, casually whipping against the nearby glass and leaving a scratch in the material the group had previously thought nigh indestructible.


    Reysha shivered in fear. Memories of Heralry flooded back in. Traumatic visions she had seemingly overcome framed the gaze focused on the monster that looked around with its four, independently staring eyes. When one of them stared right at her, she fainted. Apexus moved just before the redhead fell over, overcoming his own fear. In silence, they stayed, pressed against the rock wall.


    Raising his head, Turlesh growled, acidic saliva dripping from his exposed, equally sized teeth. The Deathhound loathed the chase and how long it had already lasted. His tongue extended from his fluidly parting maw, the flesh parting like two snakes. The air tasted of his prey more than usual, concentrations of pheromones in the air letting him know he was getting closer. ¡®Back to Empress,¡± the Tharnatos-class demon thought, walking down the track of the slime step by step.


    While the two still awake parts of the group witnessed this, the demon only saw a healing fountain room with three attached doorways and dark blue walls. Investigating any was uninteresting to Turlesh. Fatetracking would bring it where he had to. No need to waste time on side paths.


    All Aclysia and Apexus knew was that Turlesh had already crossed the recently opened path three times and never entered it. Then the demon continued on its path. Out through the doorway they had eventually taken.


    They continued to sit there for a solid twenty minutes.


    Then Aclysia broke out into nervous and relieved tears.

 The Long Way 20 – The Trail of Destruction

    They remained there, huddled up together, imprisoned by their individual trauma.


    Reysha¡¯s mind was confined to the realm of dreams, where the horrid reality of her guilt and the emphasized destruction she had witnessed in her drugged-up state could be broken down into the realm of abstracts.


    Aclysia sobbed. Sobbed and sobbed, unable to keep the stream of tears or the swirling of her thoughts under control. Nothing clear could be seen, nothing clear could be thought. Over half a year since the day Apotho was freed, and now the sight of one of the Deathhounds returned her to her powerlessness and the stress of despair.


    Apexus was seething with anger. The initial threat had passed, his survival instincts had calmed and now he held both of the women he cared more about than anything else in this world. He knew he couldn¡¯t protect them from that creature, a servant of the traitor that had exploited and broken the slime¡¯s young naivety. Thus, he raged, raged at what could be the dying of their lights.


    He refused to go quietly into the night.


    Grabbing his two dearly beloved, he carried them away from there. Whatever they did next, doing it there would have been counterproductive, perhaps even dangerous. As far as Apexus knew, it was unlikely that the Deathhound would turn around. Turlesh was headed down the same route that had eventually brought them to this point. He couldn¡¯t hear them anymore. Regardless, the slime exercised the caution his instincts told him to.


    Inadvertently, his decision stirred Reysha out of her dream of fire and brimstone. Outside the confines of her mind, she felt everything but safe. Her first action was to scream at the top of her lungs. The unreasonableness of this, the deadliness even that it posed, forced Apexus to take drastic measures. Placing the tiger girl down, he hurriedly placed a hand on her mouth.


    The reaction was, expectedly, violent thrashing. Reysha¡¯s claws, demonic and catlike, left and right, cut into Apexus¡¯ chest. Her sharp teeth managed to catch two of his fingers. She chomped at him with the genuine desire to defend herself to the death. A correctly placed bite like that would have taken his fingers off. As it was, the bones merely broke under the strength of her jaw. Surrounded by mostly membrane and muscle, there was little slime around the finger. A happy circumstance, as it prevented her mouth from melting.


    Biting and slashing him like this kept her scream muffled and slowly tired her out. Next to them, Aclysia stared, unsure what she was looking at and unwilling to comprehend anything. This state subsisted, until Reysha went from violently erratic to exhaustedly panicked. ¡°How¡­ How could it find us?! TELL ME, ACLYSIA, WHY THE FUCK IS THAT THING HERE?!¡±


    Apexus was about to reign the redhead in again, when she stopped making any sounds beyond choked sobbing. Crawling over, she grabbed the angel by the shoulders and started shaking her with what little strength remained. The logic to asking her first and foremost was purely habitual. Reysha had come to expect the angel to have an answer to whatever issues there were.


    The question slowly registered. As if a switch had been flicked, her mind suddenly grasped at the purpose. What had been disoriented nothingness rapidly formed into the most focused thoughts imaginable. Conscious and subconscious, the need to distract herself from the reality of the encounter and the need to avoid it in the future, locked together into a moment of brilliance only possible during extreme stress such as this.


    Aclysia remembered what had just happened. The Deathhound was just a shape in that memory, a shape that moved in patterns that seemed to make no sense. Was it smelling to track them? If the sense of smell had been strong enough to track them down to this point, it couldn¡¯t have missed them, no matter how much the slime crust on their bodies may have competed with their natural scent. Hearing couldn¡¯t explain it either. Was the demon here because it had heard rumours? Impossible. Even assuming it had extracted intel from random people it had found, things didn¡¯t line up. Nobody could be interrogated to find out which Leaf they had gone to. Nobody on the Leaf could be interrogated to point directly at the Long Way dungeon. It was, fundamentally, impossible to find them this quickly without having some sort of tracking ability.


    ¡®How does it work? How does it work? How does it work?¡¯ ¡°How does it work? How does it¡­?¡± she repeated over and over again in her thoughts and voice.


    Aclysia did not remember every step they had taken while they had occupied that healing fountain chamber, but she did at least remember certain positions where they had dwelled. The Deathhound had visited several of them. Could it be that it was following them in a chronological order? Could it be chasing down their steps? That would be an ability on the level of an Art. It wasn¡¯t an absurd hypothesis to make. More importantly, Aclysia could find no other possible answer.


    ¡°The demon is following our steps in the order we took them,¡± Aclysia told them, her voice calm and emotionless. ¡°It will eventually succeed in hunting us down.¡±


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t,¡± Apexus denied and stood up. ¡°We have to make it to the portal.¡±


    ¡°Since it pursues us on our trail, it will have killed all bosses on the way,¡± Aclysia offered the immediate counterargument, feeling nihilistic acceptance quickly settle into the void that her now unoccupied mind created. ¡°There is no hope.¡±


    ¡°There is little hope,¡± Apexus corrected. ¡°My melody, please we have to¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if we go,¡± Aclysia interrupted, pulling her knees up to her torso and burying her head between her knees. ¡°What price do we force on others? It can follow us to any destination. Anyone living where we have walked is going to encounter this spawn of the Hellroots. We are bringers of death¡­ would it not be useful for us to¡­¡±


    ¡°I WANT TO FUCKING LIVE, ACLYSIA,¡± Reysha shouted and grabbed the angel by her white hair, forcing her to raise her head. ¡°Get that into your immortal, dumb-fucking head! I will die if we don¡¯t run. Apexus will die if we don¡¯t run.¡±


    ¡°How much is our life worth¡­¡±


    ¡°EVERYTHING,¡± Reysha shoved the angel back, making her land limply on her back. Tears of panic and confusion streamed down both of their faces. ¡°Get your head out of your fat ass!¡± she threatened to climb on top of the white-haired woman and start punching her, but was held back by Apexus. Adrenaline, or whatever substitute they had, was pumping through their systems.


    Aclysia was no exception. Her mood transformed yet again, suddenly, and she jumped to her feet. ¡°STOP BEING SO ARROGANT! What right do we have to threaten everyone in our path?!¡±


    ¡°We did not choose this,¡± Apexus chimed in, as calmly as he could. He was less saying things to take a stance and more to put some kind of reasonably loud voice in there.


    It succeeded somewhat and he could soon let Reysha go, the two women staring at each other blankly. ¡°We have no fucking right, but I also have no obligation to die because of shit I can¡¯t change. I¡¯m not as happy to martyr myself as you are.¡± Stabbing the angel in the sternum with her demonic left finger, the tiger girl quickly added. ¡°Plus, what the fuck do you think we actually achieve by dying, huh?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ we wouldn¡¯t bring needless demise to others!¡± Aclysia already felt that there was a flaw in her argumentation, but shoved it aside.


    Not kind enough to let the metal fairy reason her way out of this, Reysha growled, ¡°That thing murdering us doesn¡¯t make it disappear. It just goes back to fucker at the heart of this and continues doing its bidding. You won¡¯t diminish the suffering in the Omniverse just by making sure you aren¡¯t involved in it.¡±


    That left the metal fairy speechless.


    Apexus, even if he tried to be the neutral voice here, agreed wholeheartedly with Reysha. This was not their fault. All that could be asked of them was that they minimized the suffering their pursuer caused. A demand that they lay their life down so that it may hunt elsewhere was just as selfish as their desire to stay alive. At least, that was how the slime looked at it.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let myself be killed,¡± Apexus formulated the hard core of the entire argument. They could reason around that all they wanted. Running may have been futile, it may have brought more suffering to more people than necessary, but he would not roll over and die because something was likely. Any course of action or inaction that had, at its base, him forfeiting his life was fundamentally unacceptable. ¡°My melody, Aclysia, do you want this to end?¡±


    The question was difficult. The moral compass of the angel was firmly set to minimize suffering that plagued the Omniverse. Reysha¡¯s point had already undermined that and Aclysia¡¯s love for her companions now competed with the nihilistic acceptance that poisoned her thoughts. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s simply impossible for us¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no virtue in immediate surrender,¡± Apexus told her.


    Taking a slow inhale, Aclysia tried to clear this fog that had descended on her mind. ¡®My loss is easily accepted, but theirs is final,¡¯ she reminded herself, finally managing to make her reason supersede the shaken instincts. ¡°I apologize, darling,¡± she finally said, mustering as much resolution as she could. ¡°Let¡¯s survive.¡±


    ________________________________________________________________________


    Knowing when to rest was impossible for the three of them. They didn¡¯t know how fast the Deathhound would move through the dungeon. The Deathhound had been ten days behind them, on their route. Given that it would have much less issues with whatever dungeon monsters it encountered and could stay on a steady move, it would need less than half the time to bridge the same distance. The labyrinthine structure of the Long Way worked somewhat to the trio¡¯s advantage, as the many corners, ups and downs prevented the demon from using the whole speed it was capable off.


    Simultaneously, it was to their disadvantage, because it slowed down their own advance. They had to take time to eat and sleep already. Rest was neither thorough nor satisfying. As a long-term strategy, their bodies were bound to collapse. In the short term, stress and adrenaline fuelled their engagements. They fought with less caution, because they couldn¡¯t afford it and because their pain reception was muted in response to the danger closing in. Simultaneously, they were so paranoid that no ambush surprised them.


    They advanced faster than could be reasonably expected, not because they worked particularly efficiently but because every fibre of their beings demanded them to. The excellency in combat and situational awareness was paid for in gradual degradation of their physical states.


    Reysha was the most affected, the lack of proper sleep and time to groom resulting in dark bags under her eyes and matted, dull hair. Her equipment was covered in dried gore and damage from attacks she would have usually managed to avoid.


    Aclysia''s usually so orderly appearance was similarly disrupted. Robes had been torn by attacks she had blocked out of necessity. Several strands of her white hair had curled or otherwise stuck out of the flowing hole.


    Apexus was almost the least affected, courtesy of his lack of clothing to be torn. However, he had lost his hair. An enemy had grabbed it in a tussle, the slime had cut it off, causing them to lose their balance as the thing they pulled on suddenly came off. With how little time they had to eat, this was not a priority for him to regenerate. All he got was a bit of stubble among long strands that had not been ejected at the time.


    They continuously moved at the edge of exhaustion. They walked when they couldn¡¯t sustain jogging, but even those steps were rapid. Every muscle burned, but the sensation was entirely shut out. They kept going deeper and deeper into the Long Way, praying that they would hit the end. Each day was worse than the last, the mounting drawbacks of the massive pressure adding to the certainty that the Deathhound was catching up.


    They avoided the upper layer, even now. It was the quickest way to advance, but it was also the only way to reliably head back. Without a map, they could accidentally stumble into a path they had used  before and that could put them face to face with Turlesh. The middle and lower layer had to do. They slaughtered their way through every monster they encountered, ran more on instinct and experience than proper strategy, and paid for it with wounds at several encounters. After every fight, Apexus and Reysha savagely ripped a couple pieces of meat out of the cadaver to have something in their bellies and then left the rest.


    Then, they finally found the boss room.


    It was a large gate of grey stone, set into an arch. The cobalt room around them was gorgeous, covered in reliefs of the other bosses on the Leaf and divinely created landmarks like the massive bridge to the west. The three of them appreciated none of it, only splashing some of the healing fountain water over themselves to heal whatever wounds they had recently sustained and hydrate.


    They exchanged no words. They hadn¡¯t in several hours. Aside from orders, warnings or the occasional reassurance, they didn¡¯t have the energy to talk.


    Apexus put his two hands on the door and pushed.

 The Long Way Finale – Trembling Demon

    The gate opened the view to a schizophrenic room. Crystals, bricks, solid stone (smooth and like a cave in equal measures), and cobalt rock bled water and liquid light, running down the walls whose shape differed depending on segment or side of the room, with no clear pattern to it. Floor and ceiling were just as confounded with dripstones, artistically designed temple ceiling, and flat roof all existing next to and within each other above, and dripstones, water pits, and several styles of walkways all existing next to and within each other below. The final result was stark, raving lunacy, with a room whose shape may graciously be described as rectangular.


    Opposite of the entering trio, about fifty metres across, was the far side and on it the only point that made a modicum of sense. A ring of metal, unlike anything seen in previous dungeons of this Leaf, covered in complicated, golden runes, stood there, encapsulating nothing and a series of steps led up to its lower curve. That was the end of the Long Way, the portal that only opened if the group had conquered every other dungeon on Azenia-Ra. For Apexus, Aclysia and Reysha, only one boss remained between them and the end.


    That boss fell from the ceiling, a batch of greyish white goo that splattered on the floor and then hovered up, forming a head-sized sphere. ¡°Hehehe¡­ HAHAHAHA!¡± it laughed from a mouth that tore itself open with a squelching sound. Two eyes, large as teacups, followed immediately ¨C  a sulfuric yellow iris within a bloody red sclera.


    This kind of creature was commonly called a Delirium demon, a specific kind of demon family that specialized in confusion and combat fluidity. The family derived its name from the Tharnatos class demon simply called Delirium. Not even a sadistic god would have placed a creature equal to the Deathhounds at the end of a dungeon. The demon they were facing was, instead, the Tempths class demon along the evolutionary chain: the Jitterling.


    The cackling stopped as suddenly as it had started, when the trio charged their opponent. They had no idea what it was, the guide had not covered the boss, just as it had covered little else over the Long Way in detail. Usual strategies and carefulness had to be discarded though. The stone gate behind them shut and it would be the only barrier between them and the Deathhound on their tails. Aggression was the only way forward.


    Reysha was the fastest and sunk her dagger right into the boss¡¯ body. The face of the Jitterling contorted, its entire body twisted, then suddenly pulled into a thin, vertical line that consequently vanished. An unnatural sound, like a slowed down whistle rung through the room upon its disappearance. Then that same sound rang through the room again.


    A nervously quivering copy of a Thornspitter, maintaining the greyish white colour of the Jitterling, appeared underneath the roof and pulled its head back. Aiming at Aclysia, its projectile went up in flames before it could hit its target, colliding with a Sunlight Bolt. The boss disappeared again, teleporting right in front of Apexus, now the shape of a White Ice Bear, its yellow-red eyes focused firmly on the humanoid slime.


    It opened its maw, unnaturally white from the teeth to the gums, to maul Apexus, but the slime ran on pure instincts. His thoughts were empty, his limbs moved on their own with nothing but purpose and control. The open maw was clenched shut between a raised knee and a descending elbow.


    Leaping on the back of the Jitterling, Reysha repeatedly stabbed the demon until it thinned out and she dropped to the floor. The slowed whistle acted as both their warning and their clue for where the boss was now. Once again a Thornspitter, it spat one thorn at Apexus, who dodged just in time. Then the Jitterling teleport elsewhere, attached to another piece of the schizophrenic walls, keeping the form of the Thornspitter. Another thorn, this time aimed at Reysha, disturbed the surface of a water pit when it sailed past the nimble tiger girl.


    Suddenly the centre of the room was filled with a huge, grey blob, belching slime into the air ¨C a copy of the boss that had awaited them at the end of the Myrm Nest. Apexus and Reysha dodged the slime, leapt over the slippery trails, and rammed teeth and steel into the soft, pale flesh. More slime was belched into the air, until they had dealt enough damage to force the demon to teleport again.


    It was a fox running in circles, conjuring icicle paths.


    It was a batch of slime, grappling the members and trying to choke them.


    It was a rodent with massive incisor teeth that mercilessly pursued Aclysia.


    It was a being of twisted, baleful light, moving at an absurd pace.


    It was chaos. It was chaos. It was chaos.


    The more they pummelled the creature, the more erratic it became. Its transformations grew more frequent, always occurring simultaneously with its teleportation. Its quivering, spasming, jittering display grew more quivering, spasming and jittering. A two-metre-tall bear twitching like a drug addict and laughing like a maniac past curved canines was not an image for the sane mind.


    ¡°AHAHAAHA!¡± laughed the fish that flopped away from Reysha¡¯s dagger with repeated, chaotic bounces, only to disappear into a strike of its own mass and be replaced by a massive crocodile.


    Reysha skipped backwards, almost stumbling into one of the holes in the ground. Stressed focus allowed her to react to the boss¡¯s rapid developments acutely, but her environmental awareness suffered. It was her luck that Apexus was there to catch her. He pulled her to the side as the grinning crocodile launched forwards. The jaws snapped.


    ¡°Pick,¡± Apexus said his first word in a while and the command was understood. He charged at the crocodile, while Reysha pulled her warpick out of her bag.


    The slime got a single punch on the crocodile, and it already vanished again. Appearing back in front of the portal, this time in its original shape, the Jitterling bounced on the spot. It vibrated with such frequency that its eyes were a blur. Only the sulfuric yellow of its eyes was clear. Laughter, manic laughter, was distorted, ¡°¡­hehehehehehehehehe¡­¡±


    The sound stopped when a Sunlight Bolt hit the boss. Aclysia, feeling just a moment of pride between the paranoia and concentration, was immediately threatened by the boss. One whistling sound, a short delay, then the second one, and the boss was before her as a Frozen Wraith, wailing at her with sharp claws and chilling screams.


    Aclysia blocked the strikes with her forearms, letting her skin be broken and the divinely created magical blood underneath flow from the gashes. The liquid froze on her skin before it could drop, her wings grew heavy and she sailed towards the floor.


    Piercing the back of the demonic shapeshifter, a throwing knife caused the Jitterling to back off and once more teleport. A series of harmless and disorienting teleportations occurred. There was the bouncing head again, the fish on water, a small snake slithering, and then a tentacle. A white tentacle, a downsized version of those that had guarded the sky in Verdany, slamming down randomly at the point of the room the boss was at. Once it was struck, it teleported and struck again ¨C and again and again.


    Often, the trio was nowhere near even where the boss operated. They tried to chase it, but it wouldn¡¯t stop teleporting. Whenever they were close enough from the start, they had a tentacle lash to dodge before they could even attempt to strike. Only Aclysia managed to get a couple more spells in.


    Then Jitterling¡¯s transformations settled on something massive again. A six-legged lizard appeared, four of its legs optimal for sprinting, two equipped with thick claws on large paws made to tear open the side of volcanoes. A long tail and neck gave the creature the remote appearance of a dragon, even if its status as such could be questioned in the wild and most certainly wasn¡¯t truthful when mimicked by a demon.


    The fake Volcano Tearer reared its front legs and swiped at Apexus, who concentrated entirely on dodging. He could have struck, caused the cackling being to transform again, but why go for the simple punch when a tiger girl with a pickaxe was charging across the room?


    Leaping from one of the elevations on the unsteady floor, Reysha slammed the point of the warpick into the Jitterling¡¯s torso. It let out something that could be understood as a pained sound, the first one they had heard since starting this fight. A gush of black demon blood spurted around the edges of the weapon, before the being teleported again.


    A humanoid figure appeared elsewhere in the room, screaming and gargling out of a mouth filled with pointy teeth and tentacles ¨C like an anglerfish crossed with a squid. Thin limbs, a bioluminescent lantern extending from its forehead, a ribcage covered in spiky protrusions, and large, hateful eyes, all of that marked the horrific appearance of the Laghast mimic that now screamed and screamed, trying to induce fear into the trio that feared something more than the creature.


    And the reason for that fear banged on the stone gate.


    The group noticed it even over the scream, the sound of rock grinding against rock. A steady drum, a maddening pounding, made the sealing stone quiver at the force of the four arms slamming into it. A chunk of rock fell out and Turlesh spied through the gap. It was sheer chance that their eyes met, a moment of weakness that made Apexus rear his head despite the additional haste that was truly warranted.


    ¡°I SSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!¡± the triumphant roar of the Deathhound echoed through the gap.


    For a moment, the trio was paralysed by the sound. Then every last emergency system the body was capable of simultaneously flared up. Priorities were set, any emotions that weren¡¯t fear, resolution and care for their loved ones completely shut down. There was only the now, the certain future of death and the uncertain possibility of life. Two barriers were between them.


    The Jitterling took their momentary freezing as a sign that the fear-inducing scream had worked and charged at Apexus on all fours. A flying knee was the response to that. The boss teleported, turned into a Thornspitter, and before it could even pull its head back it was bashed over the head by a metal staff. Even if it was meant to channel magic and even if the angel wielding it was physically weak, a strike was a strike and the demon relocated yet again.


    The warning whistles were reacted to with unsustainable adrenaline. A tentacle lashing out. A Laghast charging. A bear swiping. A crocodile snapping. One form after the other, existing only for a couple of seconds before being eliminated.


    One rock after another fell out of the magically reinforced stone gate, as the energies sealing it shut weakened from the physical strength it wasn¡¯t meant to withstand. Turlesh started to pull the gate open. It slammed shut and he screamed with frustration, digging and striking further at the door.


    Once more the Jitterling turned into its true form, now a gooey, unclear shape that laughed and screamed and cursed, ¡°Dungeon delver. Deep seeker. Creature killer.¡±


    The only retort any of them had was a panicked cry by Reysha when the monster of her nightmares caused a particularly large chunk of the gate to fall into the room. The demon hand she so loathed, it manifested on its own once more and granted her the strength to throw her pickaxe across the room.


    Luck, instinct driven accuracy, unquestionable aiming talent, all three of these factors played into the pickaxe skewering the boss monster, nailing it onto the floor in front of the portal. A shiver went through the entire room, the runes on the metal circle lit up among a metallic hum, as if one was rattling hundreds of sabres.


    The trio all sprinted towards the portal. Swirling magic flowed towards the centre, gradually consolidating into a surface. The gate behind them shattered completely and Turlesh charged after them. Elongated head parted, boneless maw open, the six-limbed monstrosity was ready to grab the angel or the slime by whatever means necessary. Only they were important. Only they had to remain alive ¨C albeit not intact ¨C and to be brought back to Turlesh¡¯s master.


    The surface of the portal calmed to show a path of silver among a midnight blue world sprinkled with stars. Details were not important for any of the three aiming, only that they got through.


    Aclysia dropped her staff to fly quicker. She was the tail end of their flight, following after the two physical fighters. They ignored the pickaxe, just as they completely ignored the chests of loot that appeared along the sides of the room. None of that mattered.


    The gap between them and the Deathhound narrowed. They had a head start of more than half of the room, but that only counted for so much. Reysha made it through the portal first. Then Apexus. Finally, Aclysia touched the swirling magic.


    With a massive leap, Turlesh bridged the remaining distance. One arm extended in front of him, he was certain to land on top of the metal fairy. His victorious cry was turned into one of raw rage when he slammed against the portal as if it was a solid wall. His hands and feet caught the impact and he slid down the ephemeral barrier.


    The trio collapsed, each of them staring at the demon that was bashing the portal with unfathomable rage. ¡°COME HERE!¡± the Tharnatos class demon screamed, clawing at the portal he had not earned his entrance to. His maw opened completely. A rim of equally sized canines, set in a fleshy maw each the length of a human arm, pressed against the portal. The long tongue of the monster lashed around, its five fingered hands, two of which were opposingly located thumbs, scratched over the surface of the portal. At the bottom of its maw, the silently quivering trio could see something resembling a flat beak ¨C the voice box of the demon. ¡°MASTER HATED! SPARK EATER! SPARK EATER!¡±


    Turlesh continued to bash against the portal for several minutes. Each of the three was terrified beyond movement and yet there was something liberating in this moment. To see one of the primary cause of their trauma impotently hammer against this final barrier between them, to see that even it had hurdles it couldn¡¯t destroy, it diminished their possessing fear. The monster their experience had made out of the Deathhound was even larger than the Deathhound itself. Each of their heartbeats was taken with less mindless panic and more reasonable terror.


    Eventually, Turlesh backed away from the portal. Prowling up and down in front of it, one of his four eyes focused on each of them, with the last one scanning the runes, the monster growled. His long tail lashed against the surface, causing nothing more than a temporary disturbance.


    ¡°RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± the Deathhound roared, then turned around ran back out the way it came. It vanished past a curve in the distance.


    And the trio collapsed into a deep, necessary sleep.


    End of Season 2

 Season 2 Epilogue – What now?

    When they woke up, the portal had closed. They had slept for more than twelve hours and still all of them felt tired. They were famished, exhausted, thirsty, at the edge of their mental capacity, and alive. Despite how narrow it had been, they were alive. That alone caused Reysha to giggle, when her mind was as awake as it could be. It was a weak, quiet giggle. Her burning lungs wouldn¡¯t allow her any more than that.


    Apexus reared his tired head and checked out their surroundings in more detail. They laid on the silver pathway they had seen before, located inside a midnight blue sphere, silver dots were sprinkled about the surface. Now that he looked at them more closely, Apexus realized that the dots were more akin to stylized root-knots than the dots he knew as stars.


    At the side of the path, several forks led up to portals on their own. The slime counted a total of ten. At the end of the path was a throne, on which an angelic and unnerving figure sat.


    Petals grew from its metal flesh and bloomed into white, golden and red flowers that covered up the majority of its paper white skin. The largest of all replaced the upper half of its head with an intricate rose, leaving behind a human mouth with dark red lips and an androgynous chin. Eight eyes, like those of a fly, sat in a circle under the rim of the head-rose.


    Its body was both male and female, having one medium sized breast on the left area of his chest. Aside from its limbs, that was the only part of the angel¡¯s body untouched by any flowers. Although arms and legs were humanoid, a set of insect-like, white legs extended from in between the flowers at various points.


    Although Apexus knew that this was an angel, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was staring at something alien to the world he came from.


    ¡°Venerable one,¡± Aclysia said, her tone as weak as Reysha¡¯s giggles and Apexus¡¯ thoughts. ¡°May I request your name?¡±


    ¡°Veramas, 1042nd of the hallowed Progenitor¡¯s angels,¡± the flower-covered being, showing needle-like teeth behind its human lips, answered in a tranquil tone, neither male nor female in its pitch. ¡°I¡¯m the guardian of the paths between Leaves the first one created. The Long Way, as it has come to be called.¡± He raised a hand to the sound rustling leaves and gestured at the portals. ¡°You may step through whichever gate you desire. If you are uncertain, I can advise you.¡±


    ¡°Can we stay here for a bit?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°You can stay until you starve, certainly,¡± Veramas responded with cosmic apathy.


    ¡°Sounds great!¡± the tiger girl responded with what little energy she had mustered. ¡°I¡¯ll need another minute¡­¡±


    Apexus wholly understood that and laid back down next to her. Aclysia followed suit.


    _______________________________________________________________________


    When they awoke again, several more hours later, they were finally in a state of mind to consider their next step. A waterskin passed between Apexus and Reysha, keeping them alive in the absence of any remaining food. They had no rations; their hunger was only growing and even their water was running out.


    ¡°What now?¡± Reysha finally presented the question on everyone¡¯s mind.


    ¡°We¡¯ll continue to try and survive,¡± Apexus told her, emptying the rest of the waterskin.


    ¡°Yes, obviously, but how are we going to do that?¡± the redhead specified her question. ¡°Oy, flower-angel-creature-thingy, if we step out of one of these portals, can we come back in afterwards?¡±


    ¡°You will be allowed to step back for ten minutes,¡± Veramas responded, continuing to be indifferent to seemingly everything.


    ¡°Thing gives me the creeps,¡± Reysha mumbled.


    ¡°Be respectful, you are before one of the most ancient beings in the Omniverse!¡± Aclysia chided her comrade. ¡°As the 1042nd angel, Veramas is older than all of the gods after the Progenitor. They must have seen the shaping of the first Leaves.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Reysha looked over. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s dressing up as a Parasy-¡°


    ¡°REYSHA!¡± Aclysia interrupted violently. ¡°Do not finish such a blasphemous sentence!¡±


    The two had a staring contest, one trying to intimidate and the other measuring how far she could take whatever joke she was laying out in her head. Also, just exactly how much she wanted to rebel against commandments she wasn¡¯t allowed to violate. ¡°Alright then,¡± Reysha relented, to keep the peace.


    ¡°My greatest apologies, venerable one,¡± Aclysia bowed to the angel on its throne.


    ¡°See to it that it is not repeated,¡± Veramas commanded, a slither of annoyance worming its way into the tone of the ancient, divinely created being.


    Deciding to switch the topic before Reysha¡¯s contrarian nature could show itself, Aclysia asked, ¡°Why did you want that knowledge anyway, Reysha?¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking, if that¡­ thing,¡± she glanced at the closed portal. ¡°Follows the path we took, stepping out into various worlds would confuse it, right?¡±


    ¡°That could work, but it is more likely that it will come here first,¡± Apexus chimed in. ¡°So, it would just step out into the other worlds briefly, like we would.¡±


    ¡°The issue is that we do not know exactly how a Deathhound¡¯s tracking ability works¡­¡± Aclysia mumbled and looked over her shoulder. ¡°Venerable one, would you share with us the wisdom, if you have it, of how a demon may track us?¡±


    Veramas stared blankly for several seconds, weighing its decisions. It didn¡¯t have the emotional range to care much for anything, not the aeons that passed by it in silence and not these newcomers asking for advice beyond the usual. Not even the sparkless nature of the humanoid slime, clear to the angel¡¯s gaze, fazed it. To such a being, sharing information or passing it by made no difference.


    The response had a tone similar to it reading off a page, ¡°A Deathhound tracks those it has interacted with before by following the trail they leave in the fabric of worlds, an Art called Fatetracking. Should its target move out of Leaves and to a world where the powers are constant by divine decree, the trail would be interrupted.¡± The trio perked up at that, hopeful. ¡°The trail could still be followed, albeit the gaps would cause confusion.¡±


    While that was not quite as good as complete freedom, it did mean that Reysha¡¯s plan could work. ¡°What¡¯re we fucking waiting for then?¡± Reysha asked, gesturing at the gates. ¡°This could buy us months, years even!¡±


    ¡°Unless the demon is smart enough to find out about the Long Way,¡± Aclysia pushed back.


    ¡°Then we gambled and lost nothing,¡± Reysha responded with a huge grin. ¡°Come on, bubble butt, there¡¯s no downside to this. What¡¯re ya getting so worked up about?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll doom ten worlds!¡± Aclysia shouted back.


    ¡°At worst we¡¯ll doom several dozen lives on those worlds,¡± the tiger girl responded immediately.


    ¡°How dare you be so callous, Reysha?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Apexus raised his hands, ¡°Stop.¡± The girls pressed their lips together, knowing this would devolve into a fight if they kept going. ¡°We already had this argument. The creature will exist and move on Apotho¡¯s behest, whether it¡¯s chasing us or not, bringing death wherever it goes. It may be callous to send it on collision course with certain worlds for our benefit, but there will be no increase in suffering because of us.¡±


    ¡°We direct the suffering and the moral content of an action is in its means,¡± Aclysia responded.


    ¡°The moral content of an action is dependent on the shit sandwich you have to eat otherwise,¡± Reysha crossed her arms. ¡°Again, bubble butt, you can have us and everyone else that encounters that thing die or you can have everyone that encounters that thing die. We¡¯ve been through this.¡±


    Aclysia ran the logic through her less trauma-addled mind and was unable to find a repudiation that wasn¡¯t based purely on her emotions. ¡°We must find a way to kill it,¡± she presented, however. ¡°To our benefit and to that of all we would doom in the future. That you must agree with.¡±


    ¡°Of fucking course.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus nodded as well. ¡°We must grow strong ourselves or ally ourselves with those that could protect us.¡± He hesitated to say it, but ultimately knew that they had an obligation to try. ¡°Perhaps the Church or the Adventurer¡¯s Guild can help us.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± Aclysia was slow to agree. Even now, knowing that they were, at least, not actively pursued by the Church, the three were hesitant. ¡°We should investigate a possible agreement¡­ and we should seek out teachers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ been kinda okay to figure things out on my own¡­ but it¡¯d be better if I had someone who could at least give me an idea what I can do,¡± the tiger girl agreed. ¡°Plus, I need someone to teach me about different weapons.¡±


    ¡°I will need someone who can teach me at all.¡± Apexus looked at his hands. ¡°Raw physical strength is not enough ¨C will not be enough.¡±


    Aclysia nodded and turned to the flower-covered ancient one more time. ¡°Venerable one, may you tell us the world that best fits our criteria? We seek to train ourselves and find allies to kill the Deathhound that chases us.¡±


    ¡°You will not find the Church there, at least not in a matter beyond the barest of outposts,¡± Veramas gestured at one of the gates. Beyond it lay a golden landscape of trees carrying leaves of yellow and orange. ¡°The Autumn Leaf of Tacuitus, a place where many former adventurers of high standing retired to train others in safety. It is unlikely they will appreciate such a threat, but organized and warned they could face it.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s where we¡¯ll go,¡± Apexus nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for gratitude,¡± the eight-eyed angel responded, tranquil like the primordial void. ¡°I have no use for the concept.¡±


    The three stepped through each of the nine other gates once. Then, finally, through the one recommended.


    Hope ¨C they dared to feel as much.

 Drip-Fed Season 2 – Author’s Note

    Hello!


    Funatic here, author of the work you care currently reading, as well as The Gamer CHYOA Edition (where I write a branch), Who a King Must Do (Where I make Anduin conquer Azeroth by building the biggest harem of WoW babes), and Welldark, a story about a student at a interdimensional university.


    If you wish to support me please her here (https://www.patreon.com/Funatic) or here (https://subscribestar.adult/funatic). If you already do, I HEREBY SLAP YOU WITH THE GAUNTLET OF THANKS!


    Alright, shilling done, let¡¯s talk about the story.


    Let¡¯s start where we left off. In the Season 1 Author¡¯s Note, I laid out several things that I was unhappy about and most of them I can say have been alleviated over the course of this season.


    The chapter length was obviously the easiest one to fix, since I was deliberate holding myself back previously. From there flowed, naturally, a deeper description of the whys and hows of the actions taken, which helped flesh out the characters I would say. Some of you may say that my characters are still rather flat, and perhaps you have a point, but I think we can all agree that they are better now than they were then.


    Up next was to plan out all of the arcs in advance, which has also worked quite well. I moved some things around within the plans to make sure they manifested in a sensical manner, but I mostly stuck to the outline and that made for a much cleaner flow of events. I haven¡¯t, during the entire time, felt like I was forcing the plot along. One could leverage that it was a bit contrived that the Leaf they ended up on just so happened to have a portal in the final dungeon, but that¡¯s a level of contrived I can live with. It¡¯s not unreasonable that such portals would exist within a Leaf, as far as the worldbuilding is concerned.


    Speaking of the worldbuilding, that¡¯s definitely the area where I am not quite satisfied yet. What I have is a lot more stable than it was in Season 1, but it hasn¡¯t been fleshed out that much yet. The major problem for this has been because of the constant movement of the trio and low interaction with society. I hope to alleviate this next arc, by having the group interact with teachers and clobber together an alliance to take care of the Deathhound chasing them.


    As for the contents of the season I have¡­ fairly little to say. It was all very straightforward. They dealt with their trauma, Apexus became a proper humanoid, and then they left. I think I did an appropriate job with the weight of each decision.


    As for the future, you can fundamentally expect the number of dungeons they visit to diminish from here on out. Rather than many dungeons, I will go for fewer and more difficult ones, serving as a noticeable challenge between societal endeavours. This is because I want to mix things up and because I need to slow down that rate at which Apexus acquires more Growths.


    A typical hurdle of ¡°acquiring power¡± stories is that the continues growth of the main character eventually leads to them being horrendously overpowered compared to everyone else. While I am happy to give Apexus a leg-up over most opponents due to his exoticness, I don¡¯t want him to be able to create Omega Acid +15 on his wolverine-claw knuckles, which he can launch at supersonic speed whenever he wishes.


    His powers, while unusual, should roughly stay in balance with that of equally levelled colleagues. This is not only to keep the threat levels up but also because Apexus outclassing his comrades would make things fairly stale. When the best answer to every problem is to throw Apexus at it, it makes Aclysia, Reysha, and any potential future group member essentially just pretty looking weight.


    So, his Growths have to be fewer and I need to be very careful what I can put in his path. Luckily, there are enough levers to limit what he can usefully and reliably acquire that it shouldn¡¯t confine me too much in my creative enemy design.


    What should make up for this, at least in short term, is Apexus acquisition of a Class next Season. I think a lot of you have already figured out what he will end up as, but I will leave that for the comments to discuss, rather than outright confirm anything at this juncture.


    So that will be the focus of the next Season: Worldbuilding, Classes and making an Alliance. Several pieces are already in place, several more need to be moved, and of course I have to package all of this in a logical and followable narrative. We¡¯ll see how I fare.


    If you wish to give me your feedback in an easily readable and comparable manner, please head on over here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUPbUrYEkNQGlxGSNb0s8h2DzRstSuwZdGmwY_c2UBH22V8w/viewform?usp=sf_link


    If you could also leave a Review on the story, that¡¯d be much appreciated. Because people are more easily motivated by negative emotions and this story definitely did ruffle some feather tastes, the Review section (especially on RoyaRoad) is negatively slanted. Now, I am not asking anyone to just give blatant five stars. Just put your thoughts in a Review, if you would be so kind, it would help with visibility of the story.


    Also, as a bonus to all of this, here are three pieces of artwork for our main characters. I¡¯ve had them for a while, but only now make them public here. If you wish to see future artworks ahead of time, do join the Discord (https://discord.gg/aac3W9XyRJ).


    Aclysia


    Reysha in a torn, future outfit


    Apexus


    I will be taking a break from publishing Drip-Fed to lay all out I need to. Because I had some delays in buffering further chapters, this will probably be about two months long. Until then, I wish all of you a good time and hope to see you back for Season 3 ¨C Allegiances.


    Let¡¯s turn a new leaf, everbody!

 Season 3 Prologue – Forwards

    Apexus slowly checked every part of his body, internal and external. The position of his fingers. Small displacements of muscles and bones due to stressed regeneration. Whether his skin was still of human quality. The state of his scalp, entirely hairless after he ejected the sorry remains still there.


    What was out of place, he carefully nudged back into its optimal position. There were few flaws even worth the effort and none that had truly hindered him. A much larger issue was the amount of body mass he had lost. He was five centimetres shorter and noticeably less hulking than before. A good meal would fix that, but none were in sight.


    His two partners were going through their own preparations. Aclysia had confiscated all of the group¡¯s bags and sprawled their contents out over the flat, stone ground. Weapons, clothes, washcloths, a waterskin, and various other items, all getting neatly sorted and individually inspected by the metal fairy.


    Reysha had taken one of the washcloths and currently used it to groom her naked body. As a source of water, she had a depression filled with rainwater. It wasn¡¯t particularly much, but it was enough for the purpose of giving herself some direly needed attention. The tiger girl reeked of cold sweat and, in general, had suffered more from the lack of proper sleeping breaks than her companions.


    Defining the reason for their quiet, simple tasks was difficult. Nervousness, perhaps, a desire to return to relative normality, or maybe their minds, still winding down from days of high physical and mental strain, just needed something simple to keep them occupied in the times they weren¡¯t quite tired enough to sleep. For one reason or another, they were all keeping silent and waiting.


    Indifferent to their plights, the angel Veramas walked up to the other side of the portal. It walked on human feet and several spider-like legs that grew out between the white, golden, and red flowers that covered its body. Its eight, multi-facetted eyes stared everywhere and nowhere. The rose that made up the upper half of its head rustled. Sparks of magic scattered like pollen. Then the portal closed with a sound like a mass of water hitting the ground all at once.


    Unified, the trio took a long, relieved exhale. Their way back was cut, their path clear, and somehow that restriction was a liberating feeling. Any and all doubts they still had were now useless. There was only the path forward or waiting out their death by demon.


    Alternatively, hunger would also do it.


    The three of them had emerged on an island, no more than sixty metres across, marked by its complete and utter lack of anything alive. It was entirely made from rock, specifically the kind of porous stone that was created by the continuous assaults from salt water. As far as their eyes could see, there was only water in every direction. The weather was calm, with only a couple of clouds drifting through the afternoon sky. Despite the sun, it wasn¡¯t hot whatsoever.


    Although there was nothing to eat around, the island did have two remarkable things to it. One was the portal frame, a ring of metal covered in golden runes, with a couple of weathered stairs leading down from its bottom curve. The second was an outstandingly smooth and untouched cube of black stone, several metres across.


    ¡°I want to check on that,¡± Apexus broke the silence and marched over.


    ¡°It better contain some damn food, I¡¯m starving!¡± Reysha shouted after him, scrubbing her armpit with the wet cloth. Sniffing at herself, she shook her head in disgust. ¡®Not my sexiest moment¡­¡¯ she thought and inspected the rest of herself. This was another day on which she was happy that her species only grew hair in one place under the neckline. Excluding the tail, that was. ¡°Could you do the usual, by the way?¡± she added.


    Apexus just nodded; he was still close enough for her to see it. He didn¡¯t particularly enjoy ¡®eating¡¯ her hair, it tasted bad and had little in the way of energy, but he did enjoy her being clean shaven and this was the most effective method they had to ensure that. It certainly was safer and quicker than a razorblade, especially out in the field.


    The cube of smooth stone, on closer inspection, had words etched into its surface. The shape of the letters was different than Apexus was used to. Although the language and writing of the Omniverse was generally uniform, all coming from the same set of gods, branches that were further apart or Leaves that had existed for a while tended to differ in the details. Culture evolved, accents changed, but for a Leaf to develop entirely away from the common speech was incredibly rare.


    So, even if the letters looked somewhat different, Apexus could read them fairly easily. ¡°Those who come a Long Way, place your hand upon this box, receive your vessel, and head north-north-west to find land,¡± he read out loud. After confirming with the other two, he did as instructed.


    The stone vanished into a cascade of fading particles, revealing underneath a sizable rowing boat. It was of outstanding quality, divinely created from a single connected piece of wood. A compass was laid into the wood at the tip of the hull and two paddles lay parallel to an erectable mast.


    ¡°It is a vessel,¡± Apexus commented on the obvious.


    For some reason, Reysha found that incredibly funny and she started laughing. She continued for way too long. At three different points, she almost fell off the stone she was sitting on. Had the ground looked more inviting or had she worn more than her naked skin, she would have rolled on the floor in her jubilation.


    ¡°Aaaaaahhhhh, FUCK I was desperate for a laugh,¡± she shouted at the end. ¡°Hellroots, I want to eat, sleep, and eat, all at once.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a change of pace,¡± Aclysia shook her head, squatting in front of the, by now, orderly aligned ownings of the group.


    Reysha instantly knew what the metal fairy was getting at. ¡°Seems like stress kills my sex drive.¡±


    ¡°Which proves that at least your biology is still sane,¡± Apexus remarked.


    ¡°Hah!¡± the tiger girl cackled at the joke, she didn¡¯t care that it was at her expense. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m still wondering if I¡¯m gonna crash into a panicked mess any second now.¡±


    Apexus walked back, the boat was secure where it lay, and put a hand on Reysha¡¯s head. Patting her between the ears, he made her purr. That her hair had lost a lot of its regular wild softness did not bother him. ¡°You are good,¡± he told her. ¡°It¡¯s been over a day anyway.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Reysha hummed. Shortly after the Deathhound had run back the way he came, they had all collapsed into a long sleep. That had put a bit of distance between that encounter and their past nightmares. Having been face to face with it and surviving, even if it was thanks to a good portion of situational luck, put them more into balance.


    ¡°It was reassuring to see that even those creatures have to obey the laws of the Omniverse,¡± Aclysia confessed her view on the situation. Glancing up at Reysha, she mumbled, ¡°Go ahead, ridicule that I ever even doubted the divine.¡±


    ¡°Do ya want me to do that?¡± Reysha asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Because I wasn¡¯t going to. Those things are fucking terrifying. Wouldn¡¯t have put it like that, but what ya said makes perfect sense.¡±


    Aclysia had no answer, at least none she wanted to say out loud, for that initial question. Instead, she turned everyone¡¯s attention to the items. ¡°We should remove some of our belongings. Their use has passed and selling them off will be more trouble than it''s worth.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Apexus asked.


    Quickly, Aclysia picked out a number of items from the sorted sprawl. ¡°The wooden mask that used to hide your lack of a face. Gloves against the lack of fingernails. Your old shoes, too small to fit you now. Reysha¡¯s weapon cleaning cloth, too dirty to continue in its duty.¡± She placed all of those items to the side, as nobody spoke out against getting rid of them. ¡°Next time we encounter a weaponsmith, we must buy a new warpick for Reysha.¡±


    ¡°¡­What happened to that again?¡± the tiger girl asked, the memory having been lost among the other panic of the situation. ¡°Oh, right, tossed it during the boss fight and left it because¡­ yeah.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia said. ¡°This leaves you with two daggers, the ice-enchanted stiletto, your axe, and four throwing knives.¡±


    ¡°Lots of stabby stuff, I can deal with that,¡± the naked tiger girl ran a hand through her hair, after Apexus removed his. ¡°Fucking, how could you touch that?! It feels like my hair is made from greasy straw!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re out of soap too,¡± Aclysia piled on the bad news.


    ¡°Are ya fucking my existence? I haven¡¯t eaten in over a day and if I¡¯m going to be a corpse, I¡¯ll be a pretty corpse!¡±


    ¡°Nobody here will die.¡± Reysha and Aclysia turned to Apexus, who had spoken with absolute finality. After a couple of seconds, he realized his mistake. ¡°Was that a joke?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Course it was a joke, slimy man,¡± the redhead said and scratched her head. ¡°Like I¡¯d die from starvation after all of that.¡± She kept scratching. ¡°I might die from how fucking dry my head is though. Can we leave here and find a place to take a proper bath with soap?¡±


    ¡°And a tailor to replace darling¡¯s clothes,¡± the metal fairy said and held up his pants. It had enough holes, thankfully mostly around the thighs, that she could look through it. The robe was in a similar state. ¡°Your clothes are once more in a state of disrepair. With our current funds, we should be able to buy at least two sets of replacements for you two.¡±


    ¡°Backliners and their privileges,¡± Reysha laughed. ¡°Not that I would switch with you. I like ending up naked every other week.¡±


    ¡°Let us find some food so I can take advantage of that nakedness,¡± Apexus said and frowned. ¡°That sounded badly formulated¡­ ah, I¡¯m too hungry to speak well.¡± He looked at the sky. ¡°Should I transform into a flight form?¡±


    Aclysia shook her head, ¡°We do not know the distance we need to travel. Flight would be too risky, especially in our weakened states. Additionally, the compass is integrated into the hull. Let us travel with the boat.¡±


    They all agreed to that logic and prepared themselves. Aclysia changed from her Priest robe into her casual dress, Apexus put on his own robe and baggy pants, while Reysha sported her plain, sleeveless shirt and loose legwear. They were all still physically outstanding people afterwards, courtesy of their hair colours, beauty and other unusual features. Their attire, however, was fitting for well-off rural people. That all of them bore the marks of their recent stress almost downgraded them to the basic farmer aesthetic. Certainly, a less fantastic look than usual.


    None of the three thought anything about it. They were with each other. What they wore hardly mattered. They stored the items back in their individual adventurer¡¯s bags and then climbed into the boat. Logically, Apexus was chosen for rowing duty. Even diminished in stature, he was the strongest out of the three and there was no wind around to carry them in any direction on its own. Aclysia took the front of the boat, sitting by the compass, and Reysha the back, laying next to the tiller.


    Apexus, having never rowed before, needed about thirty minutes to figure out how exactly to optimize his motions to transfer a good amount of energy into movement. As a slime specialized in expanding his body¡¯s capabilities continuously, analysing such a repetitive task was right up his alley. Soon, they were at a gradual cruise outward.


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda cold, don¡¯t you think?¡± Reysha asked and got two somewhat confused gazes back. ¡°Yeah, yeah, mister self-regulating-body-heat and miss immortal-metal-bubble-butt, I forgot that you don¡¯t have to care.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not freezing,¡± Apexus responded and loosened his robe. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, babe.¡± Reysha wrapped the robe around herself. ¡°Guess we really are on an Autumn Leaf.¡±


    ¡°As the venerated angel said,¡± the metal fairy nodded, her eyes fixed to the horizon.


    ¡°It could be that there are some none-autumn segments on the Leaf,¡± Apexus added.


    ¡°Indeed, darling,¡± Aclysia hummed. It was so simple, yet she felt extremely happy at the fact that they talked. ¡°We will only know once we hit land, however.¡±

 Guidance 1 – Hunger in Gold

    They were not doing well.


    They had been on the seas for two and a half days. The water was empty, no land in sight, and the only living creatures they had spotted had been birds too small to be worth the attempt to catch them, fish in the same category, and a single whale that had the complete opposite issue.


    Still, dehydrated and starving, Apexus rowed on. He had to keep rowing. Reysha looked too delicious, in ways he was not comfortable with, to allow himself an unoccupied moment. He knew that there were parts of him, locked not all that far down, ready to take over any conscious thoughts he had when it came to self-preservation. Denying that part of him was near impossible. After all, what successful creature would fade out of life willingly?


    For her part, Reysha wouldn¡¯t have had a lot of energy to resist. Three days without food were unpleasant, but doable for an adult human. It was the lack of water that made her lay like a wet towel at the tail end of the boat. She was hiding, as best she could, underneath the sitting planks and the folded mast, from the sun and Apexus¡¯ gaze. The animal inside her own mind, equally close to the surface, recognized what exactly he was suppressing and that, if it came down to it, her chance of surviving the brawl were slim.


    Aclysia knew nothing of that struggle. Of the three of them, she was faring the best. She was getting weaker, courtesy of her supply of magic being coupled to the excess lifeforce her companions had, but it was happening much slower than their biological processes. Just sitting around in the boat, there was not a whole lot to expend energy on.


    The mental processes involved in near starvation and thirst were impossible to understand for Aclysia. That both of these were issues, however, she knew. Every now and again, she would fly up and try to spot something. She was on one such trip right now.


    ¡°To think that it could actually, after all of that, be the lack of water¡­¡± the raspy voice of the tiger girl echoed.


    Apexus grunted a response.


    ¡°Like¡­fuck¡­ I survived two droughts¡­ in the desert¡­ and then I¡¯m going to die of thirst¡­¡± she took a deep breath. Her intent to scream was destroyed by a dry cough. ¡°¡­in the¡­ fucking¡­ ocean¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk,¡± Apexus told her. It came off even harsher than he had intended. Harsh and wanting for something that only existed in her. Their eyes met. They knew what they were capable of in desperate situations. In Reysha¡¯s eyes reflected fear and trust. A part of Apexus was annoyed by the former. After all that had happened, should she trust him absolutely? ¡®No, because I could do it,¡¯ the slime thought.


    That thought made him more afraid than anything and he quickly averted his gaze. His hungry, desperate gaze. The less he sensed of her, the better.


    Aclysia landed at the tip of the boat with a soft ¡®thud¡¯. ¡°I saw land ¨C an autumn forest,¡± she excitedly reported. ¡°Steer slightly west and we¡¯ll get there.¡±


    ¡°Yaaay,¡± Reysha let out the tiniest sound of jubilation, while Apexus kept rowing.


    And kept rowing.


    Not thinking.


    Ignoring the desire to let go of the paddles. Tear her throat out. Devour her whole.


    He barely remembered how human tasted.


    A lot of useful adaptations were to be gained there.


    Were humans apex predator enough to count multiple times?


    Her flesh would sustain him until they hit land.


    Other issues were irrelevant.


    No food, no future.


    And¡­


    Finally, the boat hit a sandy elevation. It was several metres off the coast, but Apexus didn¡¯t care.  Letting go of the paddles, he immediately jumped out of the boat. He ran through the knee-deep water, stormed up the beach, and collapsed into a field of high coast grass that grew between the rocks, separating sand and forest dirt.


    With no mind to question, he devoured the brown and green grass. Fistful for fistful, he tore at the dry plant matter and shoved it into his mouth. Individually, they did little to help his hunger. Mass was enough though. In his stomach, the grass was rapidly digested and turned into biomass and, as little as could be extracted, moisture.


    Aclysia flew off to scout for a source of water, shortly after helping Reysha onto land. For her part, the tiger girl was still present enough to walk and look around. It was slower than usual, immensely so, but she could still move. Thirty minutes later, having replenished his biomass and needing more water, Apexus followed her.


    They stumbled over a trickle of a river that ended in the ocean. It was far from optimal, but by making a small dam, they could cup what little water flowed with their hand and drink. Reysha went first. Despite her intense thirst, she only drank a couple of times. Her throat was so parched, her body so deep in emergency maintenance, that drinking what she needed the most was painful.


    ¡°I will return to examining the surrounding area. In case of trouble, I will stay close enough to come to your aid,¡± Aclysia informed them and took off again. The two of them continued their recovery.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Apexus said eventually, when his form no longer felt like it was on the verge of destabilizing.


    Reysha was between the high of survival and the beyond unpleasant feeling of lingering dehydration. She was also still dirty, but that was a side issue at the moment. ¡°What for?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I was about to eat you.¡±


    ¡°You still on about that?¡± Reysha asked. She had no interest to even feign that she hadn¡¯t noticed how close they had gotten there. It could have been minutes or hours more. Both were short timeframes when it came to the decision to eat a loved one. This particular loved one was not one to dwell on such things though. ¡°I¡¯d prefer it if you at least waited until I die naturally before you eat me, but otherwise you have my full consent.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke, Reysha,¡± Apexus responded dully. He was too tired and too disappointed in himself to muster outrage.


    Reysha wet her throat with another handful of water. Desperate thirst satisfied, she splashed some on her face. Dead skin, sweat and dirt loosened, as she rubbed the hydration in. She needed two more splashes to get the mixture off. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m joking?¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t eat you,¡± Apexus kept eating grass between words. By now, he was back to his regular size. His reserves were empty though and so the feeling of hunger was still intense, if manageable. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t even think about eating you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, look here, Apexus. You looking?¡± Reysha made sure they had eye contact. ¡°Ya shouldn¡¯t kill me, that¡¯s clear. So yeah, try not to think about eating me while I¡¯m alive. If I die before ya and my tasty curves are the only thing around, you better fucking eat me and get on with life, okay?¡±


    ¡°It would be wrong.¡±


    ¡°It would keep you kicking,¡± the tiger girl stated. ¡°Which is more important to me than my corpse rotting away in some corner of the Omniverse.¡± Her stomach growled intensely. Filled with water, her body had hope for something more substantive to follow. ¡°Not that you could even resist if we got to that point.¡±


    Apexus had nothing to respond to that. It hurt that she was right. Even if she hadn¡¯t been fine with it, at a certain point of hunger the slime knew that he would be unable to disobey his instincts. That he could eat her was terrible enough if he did it because they both saw the necessity in the moment. If he just did it out of animal instincts, then what was he really? ¡®A thin layer of personality is sustained when the world around me is secure enough,¡¯ he thought. ¡®I need my own self to be stronger.¡¯


    Although he had no idea how to go about that specifically, he knew that there were urgent things that needed to be done. ¡°Aclysia!¡± he shouted. After just a few seconds, the metal fairy came back into view, sailing over the golden canopies. Once she landed, he continued, ¡°I¡¯ll go hunting. Watch over Reysha.¡±


    ¡°And maybe heal my skin,¡± the tiger girl croaked, scratching her neck. ¡°Fuck my life, I managed to suppress how merciless the sun can be.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia just nodded, outwardly relieved that she was no longer the only one with a functioning head on her shoulders. Before the slime could leave, she asked, ¡°Where did our boat go?¡±


    The three of them looked to the shore together. The vessel they had taken to get there had just vanished in its entirety. Once they were certain of that fact, they just let it go. None of them were attached to the boat anyway.


    Afterwards, the humanoid chimera moved into the woods, one step at a time. His weight, above what one would expect even for someone of his height and build, turned out to be an issue. One step into a mud pile was enough to teach him that semi-liquid dirt could be an impressive adhesive. He kept to the safe spots wherever he could, not eager to free himself a second time.


    Most of the forest was relatively dry. The rainless stretch they had suffered through on the sea had left the forest similarly bereft of fresh moisture. However, the ground water seemed to be fairly high, the soil dense and fertile. A layer of golden leaves covered the floor, hiding under them slippery rocks and mud pools. Their slow decay filled the air with an earthy smell.


    It was all beautiful in a way that Apexus found somewhat unsettling. Ripe fruit hung from the trees, small birds jumped between half empty branches, and the temperature was just below comfortable. It felt like everything alive had reached its zenith and was settling in for a time of hardship. That was autumn: the resignation of all things alive that winter was coming. Except that, on this Leaf, that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡®I prefer summer,¡¯ Apexus thought and looked for something worthwhile to kill. That there were fruits, apples and pears primarily, hanging all around was reassuring, but he wanted to bring Reysha something she could enjoy eating. Unless he found no magical animals around, he wouldn¡¯t resort to fruit picking.


    Remaining still, Apexus focused on his senses in turn. His sight only spotted trees and the ocean he had left behind between them. His nose registered the earthy smell, the sweetness of tree sap, and, if he really strained himself, old dung. His ears turned him towards a scratching, grinding sound. Finally, the vibrations he felt through his naked feed told of something sizable repeatedly shifting its weight.


    Apexus knew he wasn¡¯t going to stealthily approach whatever he was registering, not with his appearance and all of the leaves rustling when he moved. His prey had to be blind and deaf to be caught. With that in mind, he made certain to approximate the location as closely as he could and then started running.


    His feet drummed over the roots of trees, the most reliable safe ground he had in this forest. His path was a steady slalom through dense trees and brittle underbrush. Birds screamed and flew away, wood cracked, and Apexus kept running.


    Unsurprisingly, his prey was alert when he finally reached it. It was a mixture between a boar and a lizard, a dense, fat body covered in scales with a big head and a large snout. It had no tusks, only large, dull teeth. It was an omnivore that primarily devoured sick trees, specifically the variants infested with mushrooms and insects.


    It had been in the process of having one such meal. It was taking a threatening stance towards Apexus. The slime did not care, keeping up his tempo. Although the animal was prepared for a confrontation, it was not used to anything charging straight at it. It hesitated, waited, then its composure broke and it turned tail. Too slow to escape the slime.


    Halfway through turning, the lizard-boar was rammed and toppled by Apexus. If it had the necessary cognitive function, that would have surprised it. Of the two, the boar was smaller than Apexus. Despite that, one would not have been certain who was heavier by sight alone.


    Apexus was ready to capitalize on his toppled opponent, when three balls of mud suddenly flew in his face, formed by magic. The temporary blindness was bothersome, but it came with confirmation that he was hunting a prey suitable for his tiger girl. Relying on his tremor sense and ears, the slime brought his fist down like a hammer and hit the beast on the shoulder. Not the spot he had wanted to hit, yet enough to keep it grounded for a second and third hit.


    The beast, impressive as it may have looked, wasn¡¯t comparable to the dungeon monsters Apexus was used to slaying. Within two minutes, the fight was over and Apexus swiped the dirt out of his eyes, before hurling the corpse over his shoulder.


    When he returned, Reysha looked a little bit better. Thirst quenched and skin healed, even if her hair and general hygiene was still in poor condition, she had clearly escaped dehydration.


    ¡°We should move further inland,¡± Aclysia suggested, after Reysha and Apexus had devoured most of the boar. ¡°I spotted a lake.¡±


    ¡°I would kill for a bath and a fire,¡± the tiger girl supported the notion. The slime had nothing against it either, so they relocated.


    It took them about forty minutes. What Aclysia had guessed to be a lake from a distance turned out to be a fairly shallow gathering of water between two hills. Shallow and dirty as it was, it was still enough and cleaner than Reysha. The tiger girl scrubbed herself down and then they moved to the hilltop to avoid any further mud. Aclysia had already gathered whatever dry wood she could find and ignited it with her magic.


    ¡°We¡¯re like a giant signal fire up here,¡± Reysha noted.


    ¡°That is part of my intention,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°I saw no settlements around. If there are any humanoids, I would like them to approach us.¡±


    ¡°What if they¡¯re hostile?¡± the slime asked.


    ¡°Given the strength of the boar, I expect the locals to be of average humanoid power, making them fairly non-threatening to us even in our current state. Worst case, we will fly,¡± Aclysia responded and sighed. ¡°It is not my preferred strategy, but Reysha insisted on a fire.¡±


    ¡°It gets cold, okay?¡± the tiger girl put her hands above the flame and purred. The threat of danger was indeed less important to her than a well deserved moment of comfort.


    The sun lowered over the horizon of the new Leaf they found themselves on.

 Guidance 2 – What counts as a person?

    The crackling of the fire had a calming influence on Reysha¡¯s mind. In the steady waving and flickering of the flame, she reflected her own being. On an improvised wooden skewer were several pieces of meat, gradually getting cooked to the core. She had gotten hungry again and Apexus had found another, albeit smaller, member of the species to haul back for them. After eating her initial fill, she had decided that she wanted to see what would happen if she grilled it. Never in the past few months had the thought occurred. Time or paranoia had made campfires unattractive and raw meat had been tasty enough. The craving was sudden, but it existed regardless.


    Reysha pulled the stick from the ground and inspected the flesh. The juices were dripping from the meat, fat falling on the pants of Reysha¡¯s casual clothes. ¡°Looking fine,¡± she purred, despite the hesitation she felt. There was a possibility that cooking the meat burned the magic out of it. Boiling water found in dungeons, specifically the healing fountain variety, was the common way to make it drinkable. That, however, was only a diminishing measure. For the regular person, relying too much on even boiled dungeon water was a certain path to get magic poisoning. Animals outside of dungeons, touched by magic, did not have that effect.


    As someone with the Noir condition, Reysha had the reverse priority. Magic, particularly the kind bound in flesh and blood, was required to keep the benefit of her sharpened senses and strengthened body. Without it, she would eventually fall in a lethargic state and potentially lose the condition. Although, as far as she knew, that could have been a thing of the past already. Noir was supposed to eventually become strong enough to last forever. Whether that also meant the lethargy never set in, she was not so sure about.


    Of course, she still needed all of the regular sustenance required to keep a humanoid body going. Even if it all tasted to her tongue like the rancid remains of waste that maggots already used as a feasting ground, regular food would still fill her stomach.


    It was that taste that made Reysha hesitate. As wonderful as the sizzling flesh smelled, it could turn into a sour chunk once it was in her mouth. Knowing that there was a lot of raw meat still around to overcome the taste, the tiger girl finally got over herself and carefully licked the outside of the meat.


    It tasted salty and faintly sweet in a manner different from fruit and sugar, the spice of magic. Giggling, she rammed her teeth into the flesh. Tearing a chunk of the stacked muscles away, she blowed on it in an attempt to cool the hot meal. ¡°Mishtake!¡± she slurred, feeling the numbness of her mildly burned tongue.


    ¡°That is your punishment for your steady impatience,¡± Aclysia commented, throwing a couple more twigs into the fire so it had something to consume.


    Reysha chewed hastily and swallowed her meal. ¡°Maybe¡­ but I have you to forgive me for my sins.¡± Cutely, the tiger girl stuck out her tongue and made big, pleading eyes.


    ¡°I¡­ haaaaaa¡­.¡± Aclysia let out a long sigh and then put her index finger on the presented tongue. A soft, golden glow and several seconds later, the pain and numbness of the burn were gone. ¡°I must remind you that I do not exist to counteract your mistakes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sawwy beeg, bawbly bawted fawwy,¡± Reysha put on a sickly cute voice. ¡°I wiw behawe meez swears, meow.¡±


    ¡°Please stop that,¡± Aclysia whined.


    ¡°Why? Doz it bower you, Aclywia?¡±


    ¡°I admittedly find it strangely endearing and that bothers me indeed.¡±


    Reysha snapped back to her regular broad grin. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have said that,¡± she said and waved around with the skewer. ¡°Now I¡¯m going to use it whenever I want to make you feel bad.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, it must have escaped me that you required no additional motivation to discover ways to exploit and annoy me,¡± Aclysia responded with dry sarcasm.


    ¡°Silly you,¡± Reysha cackled and turned to Apexus. ¡°You want some?¡± she asked.


    Apexus looked at the skewer and decided to give it a try. He had tried cooked fish before, just after they had gotten out of the Clearwater dungeon (which had also been when Reysha realized the drawback of her then unknown condition). It had been okay, albeit worse than raw meat, in his opinion.


    This was worse from the start. Holding a stick with specific cuts of meat on it just felt wrong. All of an animal was edible to Apexus and chewiness wasn¡¯t much of an issue, so using tools was fundamentally against his nature. Regardless, he tore off one of the pieces.


    It had a heat above body temperature, it had less moisture than was ¡®correct¡¯ for living tissue, and the liquified fat was difficult to get under the membrane. It tasted good, not as intense as raw meat but good enough to be enjoyed. ¡°Not for me,¡± was the final conclusion of the slime. ¡°I prefer it raw.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s lots of meat I prefer raw too,¡± the tiger girl hummed and licked her lips. Her eyes were firmly locked on his crotch, even if the presence of pants hid what he kept there. Although she still wasn¡¯t completely recovered, that would require good sleep and a bath with soap, she had regained her thirst for something other  than water. ¡°I jusht like the change,¡± she added, while wolfing down the rest of the skewer.


    Reysha was almost finished with her meal when she noticed a rustling from the underbrush nearby. That, on its own, wasn¡¯t noteworthy. The forest was teeming with nocturnal animals, racoons and cats to name only the most prominent. It was the repeated rustling all around that made her wary . Her cat ears kept turning at the sources.


    ¡°Pretty dark on an Autumn Leaf, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked, her tone and expression carrying all that needed to be said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus agreed and looked up above. The nights got darker quicker and more intensely than he was used to from his experiences on the previous two Leaves, Summer and Spring types respectively. The sky seemed all the more brilliant for it. His own senses were strained. The muddiness of the ground made it difficult to read the vibrations. Like Reysha, he primarily relied on his hearing.


    Aclysia only realized what was about to happen when the tiger girl grabbed her axe and stiletto. Both weapons had been lying at the ready from the start. The metal fairy had predicted that fire was likely to attract some kind of attention and it was wise to be prepared for the worst. That was why Reysha still wore the snakeskin armour, despite the late hour.


    With all three of them ready for combat, Apexus stood up and stared blatantly into the forest. ¡°Are you predators?¡± he shouted.


    ¡°To ask if they are friend or foe is the common way to greet people sneaking up on your camp, darling,¡± Aclysia softly corrected.


    In their position in the underbrush, the unknown people froze, uncertain what to do. Then, with a valiant cry, their leader charged out. Element of surprise or not, their plan remained the same. Seven bandits in sets of armour that were clearly cobbled together out of second hand pieces charged at them.


    ¡°Predators,¡± Apexus growled, like a tiger attempting to dissuade a charging wolf. It was partly successful, if only because his build was more apparent to the bandits as they came closer. They had hoped for an easy night-time robbery, now they were asked to approach a giant that didn¡¯t even flinch at the number of assailants.


    In truth, the slime did worry. All of them were armed and he had no indication of their strength. That three of them hesitated, one of them outright stopping in his charge, was a good indicator that they were not particularly powerful. The predator certain of his strength didn¡¯t hunt in numbers and didn¡¯t hesitate when it came to getting their prey.


    Another two of the bandits slowed down when Reysha dashed into their direction. What had started as an encirclement was now a broken assault. One that made contact with a crazy woman hungry for any kind of action.


    The red metal of Reysha¡¯s axe slammed against the edge of a bandit¡¯s sword. The steel proved to be on the cheap side, bending from the impact. Faster than her enemy could react, Reysha stung them with the stiletto. The weapon was entirely designed for stabbing and punched through the cobbled together armour with ease, sinking into the soft spot between collarbone and shoulder.


    Screaming from the pain and the chill of enchanted frost that followed, the bandit fell backwards. Reysha paid him  no mind. One of the two remaining bandits with a semblance of motivation came right at her.


    The other, the leader of the band, came straight at Apexus. He knew what kind of men he was ordering around and that they wouldn¡¯t do anything if he didn¡¯t lead by example. In his certainty, Apexus found the man admirable.


    The swing of the double-headed axe was clearly telegraphed and Apexus had no issue turning out of the way. Following his miss up with a wild whirl, the bandit leader forced the slime to take a step back. Both the man himself and his band took that as a good omen. Going on a relentless offensive, the leader made Apexus take one step back after the other. With each one, the other bandits had more of their motivation return.


    Their assault resumed, several running towards Aclysia, who was helpless in their eyes, and the rest going to help out against Reysha.


    Apexus didn¡¯t fear getting cut, but he didn¡¯t want to reveal what he was unnecessarily. Monitoring the situation closely, he determined that he could afford taking his time in this fight. Aclysia rose up into the air and the bandits seemed to lack any sort of ranged weaponry. For her part, Reysha greatly enjoyed her situation. Her enemies were entirely untrained and slow compared to what else the group was used to fighting. As long as she stayed mobile and wasn¡¯t surrounded, she could keep them at bay with swings of her axe and punish them with the occasional counter stab with the stiletto.


    Apexus kept dodging backwards. Soon, the swings started to lose their fervour. Not for a lack of enthusiasm by that bandit leader, but due to his waning endurance. ¡°AAAAAHHHHH!¡± the man shouted in an attempt to pump himself up, raising the axe over his head. The man was tall enough to aim at the humanoid slime¡¯s head.


    The attempt ended alongside any illusion of chance the bandit leader had. Barely had he started his downward swing  when Apexus grabbed the axe underneath the bladed head. The resulting contest of strength was short. Easily, the humanoid slime ripped the weapon from the man¡¯s hand and tossed it aside. Driven by aggression, the bandit leader hurled his fist at Apexus'' stomach.


    If he had organs of notable importance in there, the chimera would have felt pain at the impact. As it stood, all that happened was that the bandit leader, strong for a regular human, slammed his knuckles into superhuman abs. Apexus grabbed the extended arm by the shoulder and tossed the bandit leader downhill like a ragdoll. He turned over several times, before stopping, lying still and stunned.


    The other bandits were already diminished in their will to fight by the numerous small and large wounds they had sustained from Reysha. Upon seeing their leader so easily defeated, they all started to back off and turned tail to run as quickly as they thought was safe.


    ¡°That was entertaining,¡± Reysha remarked, strutting over to one of the nearby ponds to wash the blood off her weapons.


    ¡°You wounded several people. This should not qualify as entertainment,¡± Aclysia reprimanded.


    ¡°I¡¯m very much amused though.¡± Reysha wiped the blades off on the nearby grass. ¡°That aside, they attacked us. Don¡¯t bandits deserve what¡¯s coming to them?¡±


    Apexus was asking himself a very similar question, as he watched the bandit leader struggle to get on all fours. Numerous times during their battle, the swings had clearly been aimed with lethal intent. Now the failed predator was before the slime, completely at his mercy.


    ¡®Should I kill him?¡¯ That question was at the forefront of the slime¡¯s mind. ¡®Who would miss him? Those men that just abandoned him? Would he, if I leave him, not just go and continue his work?¡¯ The slime took half a step forward. ¡®Is someone who so callously kills other people to survive a person themselves?¡¯ Apexus stopped. ¡®Am I? I killed and ate someone just to survive. Do I have the right to murder someone?¡¯


    While Apexus was struggling to come to a definitive answer on these questions, the bandit leader fought his way on his feet. Looking around, still somewhat dazed, he slowly backed away from the humanoid chimera, who stared at him intensely in search of  answers. The bandit leader shuddered, feeling only uncertainty about  what would happen to him next.


    ¡°Why do you do this?¡± Apexus asked, in an effort to work out his moral conundrum.


    The bandit leader didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he did as his men before him and ran away as fast as he could.


    ¡°Want to chase him?¡± Reysha asked. It would have been easy. Not only were they faster, two of them could fly and the bandits were leaving clear traces in their retreat. Getting at least one of them and finding out where their camp was would be an easy thing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Apexus answered honestly and shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s not seek out trouble. We¡¯re going to search for a nicer area tomorrow.¡±

 Guidance 3 – Marching Discussions

    ¡°Ya know what? I¡¯m gonna do it,¡± Reysha said, after Apexus and Aclysia landed next to her.


    ¡°Do what?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Complain.¡± The tiger girl ran a hand through her red hair. She had picked up the habit over the past few days to keep her hair from matting. Thanks to her particular species, it was a minor issue for her but it was still something she had to counteract if she wanted to look the sexy variety of feral. ¡°And I don¡¯t mean that imma whine about not having soap for the third day in a row. We should have taken one of those bandits and interrogated them about where the fuck we are. This sure as fuck ain¡¯t the place of learning the spider-flower-angel sold us.¡±


    ¡°Must you demean venerable Veramas down in such a fashion?¡±


    ¡°I would call he-she-it something else, but when I use the P word, you get fucking pissed in a non-fun way.¡±


    ¡°And you WILL refrain from such heretical utterances.¡±


    ¡°Veramas did look like a Parasyte though,¡± Apexus said. That earned him an open-mouthed, shocked stare from his darling angel. Hurting her made his insides contract. It was also the truth. More importantly, it was a truth he was incredibly curious about. While he pondered how to go further with the topic, Reysha just jumped straight in. The tiger girl was in a ranting mood.


    ¡°Their head was a fucking flower and insect legs jutted out all over it. If that doesn¡¯t sound like an Infestation, I don¡¯t know what does,¡± the redhead said.


    ¡°Cease.¡±


    ¡°What? You know any other beings that look like that?¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why should I stop? Why do you get this fucking angry about relating that creepy, emotionless insect doll to the creepy, devouring Parasy-¡°


    ¡°BECAUSE I¡¯M AN ANGEL, REYSHA!¡± Aclysia screamed at the Rogue. ¡°There is nothing ¨C nothing ¨C that I wish to see destroyed more than those filthy, disgusting creatures, drawing the lifeforce out of the sacred world tree that our gods formed over the millennia. To insinuate that angels have any resemblance to them, to suggest that we could be them, it makes my soul crawl.¡±


    ¡°Can nothing good ever come from something bad?¡± Reysha drilled deeper.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡­¡± Aclysia made a frustrated noise.


    Crossing her arms, the redhead stood her ground in the face of the annoyed angel. ¡°You know, this happens every time I poke at something you really hate to talk about,¡± the tiger girl pointed out. ¡°You get frustrated and lose yourself in points that you cannot defend because you¡¯re way too smart to admit when you¡¯re arguing from pure fucking emotion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just something bad,¡± Aclysia mumbled and scratched her arms. The entire discussion made her skin itch, as if the topic  laid under her skin and desired to break out. ¡°They are the worst entities to be ever conceived by reality. What the gods made to defend us against them were  twisted into demons and even they are preferable to the heinous skittering beyond the Hellroots. I¡¯m not ready to face the possibility of the first angels being related to the Parasytes¡­ or what would lay beyond that.¡±


    ¡°You better get fucking ready,¡± Reysha told her. ¡°Because I want to resolve that question.¡±


    ¡°So do I,¡± Apexus confessed. He hadn¡¯t had the heart to pursue the topic with the same vigour, but he didn¡¯t want to hide his true intentions either.


    Aclysia took a trembling breath and forcefully removed her scratching fingers from her arms. ¡°If it must be that way, I shall try¡­¡±


    Taking her in his arms, the slime whispered to his beloved metal fairy, ¡°We must all face our weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Aclysia nodded.


    ¡°Right.¡± Reysha made a wide sweeping gesture at the surroundings. ¡°Which brings me to the original complaint I wanted to make: WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE?!¡±


    They had been wandering around the continent for four days now. They hadn¡¯t walked in any definitive direction, not that they had a particularly good grasp of where what was either. Aclysia had memorized the path of the sun in relation to the compass integrated into the vanished ship, which gave them a rough idea of the cardinal directions. Otherwise, everything was exploration and scouting. As far as landmarks went, they only knew that the east had the most hills, the north got marshy, and the west was treeless flatland. They were currently in the third of that list of environments.


    There were also small ruins strewn around everywhere. Most of them weren¡¯t even worthy of being shelter. A pillar covered in vines here , a toppled stone ceiling there - the civilization that had carved the marble and mixed the concrete had fallen a long, long time ago. It was a new experience for Apexus, to see the remains of a fallen society. It was also fairly dull. After the initial novelty wore off, the slime thought of it as basically the same as an abandoned anthill, just at a larger scale. Time moved on, people died, and so did their cultures.


    ¡°We should have just grabbed one of those random-ass bandits and slapped the information out of them,¡± the tiger girl stated. ¡°Chasing any one of them down would have been so easy. Now they¡¯re somewhere and we¡¯re just looking in random directions.¡±


    ¡°You really are annoyed today,¡± Apexus noted.


    ¡°All walking and no hygiene make Reysha a stabby girl,¡± the redhead hissed, her tail whipping around dangerously. ¡°I fucking reek. The water is muddy, the ground turned my nice, red shoes into a shitty brown and everything is crunching all the time!¡± To prove her point, she stomped around for a little bit, causing several of the small items covering the ground to break under her weight. Although there were no trees around, the flatlands were scattered in bushes and tumbleweed, scattering seeds, small leaves, and branches all around. ¡°And if I see any more yellow, I will puke.¡±


    ¡°You will have to close your eyes then,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°HAH!¡± Reysha laughed. ¡°Nice try, big guy, to make me¡­ OY, what the fu- HAHAHAAHAAAA, NO! STOP!¡°


    There were two reliable ways to deal with a cranky Reysha. One was to fuck her silly, but that wasn¡¯t really an option right now. The next best thing was to assault her in a friendly fashion and tickle her silly. That humanoids had the capacity to get tickled in the first place never ceased to amaze Apexus. Neither did the jovial sound Reysha produced when he did it to her.


    Eventually, Reysha was laughing so much her legs gave in. Apexus took that as his signal to stop and lifted her on his shoulder. With one quivering tiger girl and a brooding angel by his side, the slime kept walking.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡± the redhead let out a long breath, finally calming down. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Apexus told her.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice. I¡¯m not right all that often,¡± the redhead wiggled a little bit and grimaced. Knocking on Apexus¡¯ back, she added, ¡°Can you carry me in a way that doesn¡¯t have me hanging upside down?¡±


    The humanoid slime obliged without any words on the matter. Soon she sat on his shoulders and looked over the landscape. Apexus continued the conversation. ¡°You¡¯re regularly right when it comes to pure practicality,¡± he told her. ¡°You¡¯re just impatient.¡±


    ¡°And mean,¡± Aclysia pouted.


    ¡°Sure sounds like me.¡± The redhead grinned, feet drumming softly against Apexus¡¯ chest. ¡°Sorry if I came on a bit strong there.¡±


    ¡°You came on very strong,¡± Apexus said. ¡°But you¡¯re not wrong. It would have been advantageous to grab one of the bandits. All of them are avoiding us now and finding them would take a lot of effort.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan then, firm leader?¡±


    ¡°Firm?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to say wobbly,¡± Reysha explained, hitting one of his muscles with a more intense tap of her heel, ¡°but that ain¡¯t the case anymore.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Apexus said, only to confirm that his curiosity was satisfied. ¡°We go west.¡±


    ¡°Why there?¡±


    ¡°We came from the southeast, which means that direction is out. If there was any nearby land to the east, the message left behind by whatever god made the Long Way would have pointed us towards it instead.¡±


    ¡°What about north?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to move towards the swamp?¡±


    ¡°Awww, did ya learn about rhetorical questions?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± Reysha massaged Apexus¡¯ scalp of regrown hair. ¡°Next imma teach ya how to properly use sarcasm and then I can nourish ya in the ways of the sass.¡±


    ¡°Could you not corrupt darling with your sharply tongued ways, vixen?¡± Aclysia pleaded.


    ¡°Vixen?¡± Reysha blinked at her companion. ¡°If you want to insult me, you¡¯ll either have to do better or worse, bubble butt. That¡¯s just so barely intellectual that I find it funny.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to insult you¡­ not if I am being proper,¡± Aclysia sighed, playing with the tip of her own hair. ¡°I¡¯m not content with our current situation. I simply cannot handle stress as well as you two can and the addition of¡­ further questions weighs on my mind.¡±


    ¡°¡­yeah¡­ yeah, sorry,¡± Reysha was serious in her apology now. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t get so pissy with you two. Gods know that you dragged me out of a lot of shit.¡±


    ¡°We have each other to help us overcome our flaws,¡± Apexus stated, ¡°or to counteract them where we can¡¯t.¡± The slime looked off into the distance. ¡°I still cannot tell you what I should have done with those bandits. I do not like any answers that come to me when I ask myself what would be correct to do. Can killing a sapient being ever be justified?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative.¡±


    Both Apexus and Reysha looked at the metal fairy. They weren¡¯t stunned, nor surprised to any degree that made them question if their companion had been stealthily replaced. Such a clear answer was rare from her, especially on topics like this. ¡°Could you elaborate?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°If the parameter of your question is merely ¡®sapient¡¯, then this would include demons,¡± the metal fairy said, hovering over a thorny bush in her path. ¡°Demons, necessary as they are to ward off the worse threat, individually are a blight on the worlds they touch. You have killed a demon while we were separated. Does its demise haunt you?¡±


    Apexus thought back to the Skinwalker. The demon¡¯s body, expanded with each human hide it added to its own, had been devoured whole by Apexus, and its skin, ironically, now served as Apexus¡¯ own outer layer. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that creature was sapient¡­ it was a thing with a limited grasp on language.¡± The slime shook his head. ¡°I see your point though. The Deathhound is sapient and so is Jolene.¡±


    ¡°Jolene,¡± Aclysia spoke the word slowly and looked up. ¡°An example that even angels can deserve death.¡±


    ¡°Whaddaya mean?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she was born a demon,¡± Aclysia explained. ¡°When Apotho sent one of his abominations to find me and Reysha, it turned almost benevolent once it thought that I may fall from grace. It had a veneration for the concept of a fallen angel that I connect to the veneration it had for its... empress.¡± Shaking her head, the metal fairy added, ¡°It is a mere hunch.¡±


    ¡°I like your hunches. You¡¯re a genius,¡± Apexus told her.


    ¡®As long as she doesn¡¯t have to question her personal orthodoxy,¡¯ Reysha kept that thought to herself. She had done enough damage to Aclysia¡¯s sanity for the day and she knew that.


    For her part, the metal fairy tried to repress her blush and stayed on topic. ¡°Ignoring your overexaggerated flattery, if you can agree that demons deserve death, including the sapient ones, and that even angels can fall, then the question becomes not: ¡®do sapient beings ever deserve to be killed?¡¯ but ¡®can a humanoid ever become as immoral as a demon?¡¯¡±


    ¡°But can¡¯t humans redeem themselves?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Considering the amount of convincing I engaged in to make you certain that you yourself are worthy of an attempt, my answer should be self-evident.¡±


    ¡°Right, I am a thing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more than a thing, you¡¯re an insolent annoyance that I love.¡±


    ¡°D¡¯awww, now that¡¯s an insult that touches me deeply.¡±


    Apexus let out the sigh of the century, interrupting any other banter that was going on. ¡°I¡¯m more confused than before,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°If humanoids can redeem themselves, so can demons, correct?¡±


    Aclysia tilted her head quizzically. ¡°Exceedingly unlikely.¡±


    ¡°Who am I to know who is the rare exception?¡± Apexus voiced his doubts. ¡°Maybe this one demon will go on in their otherwise eternal life and carve out of the Hellroots a domain in which they fight back the Parasytes in a manner that leaves them purely benevolent.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll never know,¡± Reysha told them. ¡°Ya just gotta do what ya think is right.¡±


    ¡°¡­Then I could do nothing right now,¡± Apexus whispered after a moment of pondering.


    ¡°Well¡­ seems like we took your brain for another spin at least,¡± Reysha joked.


    Knowing not what further good could come from this discussion, Apexus chuckled.

 Guidance 4 – Better lands

    The tree had a name.


    It was written in crystal clear letters, the common letters which were, with localized differences, used in the entire Omniverse, on black stone that was embedded into the yellow-green grass. It was the only rock larger than a grain of sand, on the entire island. An island large enough that it would have taken a grown man of average physique an entire day to wander from one end to the other.


    The tree¡¯s name was Dave.


    Despite being the only rock on the entire island, the stone had it better than the tree. Dave was notable, the most notable in fact, for two things. One was that it was the only tree that had been placed specifically as a divine landmark. While areas may get designated as forests by gods, ensuring that new trees would develop there even in the absence of seeds, individual plants rarely were. This had not originally been the case. Dave had been given this designation, and its name, because of its particular placement. There was, in no other place on the Leaf, a larger difference between any single tree and another one of its kin.


    Thus, he was Dave, the lonely tree.


    ¡°And here stands, all alone,


    A tree whose purpose is to grow,


    And look green on its own,


    With no envy,


    But only splendour,¡± Aclysia read out the poem at the bottom of the plague. Her eyes went wide at the last line and she respectfully lowered her head. ¡°Signed Keligula.¡±


    ¡°Is that important?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Kinda,¡± Reysha responded, circling around the tree as if it was a cornered prey animal. ¡°It¡¯s one of the original 33 gods.¡±


    ¡°She,¡± Aclysia corrected.


    Shrugging, the redhead kept on prowling, ¡°I learned most of the names, but I can¡¯t be bothered to remember what all of them are about. That¡¯s not an invitation to give us a lesson, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Then I will only give it to my darling,¡± Aclysia said and turned away from the tiger girl.


    ¡°Fine, be that way, rear that butt at me, see if I like it!¡± Reysha shouted in played-up anger.


    ¡°Keligula is the 10th divine of the 33 original gods and the 3rd to embody the season of Autumn. Her alliterate aspects are earth and empathy,¡± the metal fairy explained.


    ¡°I do like it by the way,¡± Reysha said in the background, stopping in her circling of the tree to bow forwards and appreciate the rear at eye level. ¡°I like it a lot.¡±


    ¡°Why do all gods have these twin aspects that are always alliterations?¡± Apexus wondered.


    ¡°I have no definitive answers to that.¡±


    ¡°Sheer aesthetics, just like these twin globes here,¡± Reysha asserted and grabbed Aclysia¡¯s butt.


    Taking a slow inhale, the angel did nothing in response. ¡°It may be a mortal design that caught on eventually in the divine realm and has since been continued by the other gods. Notably, many beyond the original 33 do not use the same style of title.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, they make most humanoids with the same style of titties,¡± Reysha purred and swiftly moved her hands from touching butt to cupping boobs. When that still failed to elicit a reaction, she pouted. ¡°It¡¯s not fun if you ignore me, Aclysia.¡± Several more seconds passed. ¡°Okay, message received,¡± she said and ceased her molestation efforts.


    Aclysia allowed herself a tiny smile at the success of her strategy, but it vanished almost immediately. Reason being a question Apexus asked, ¡°How empathetic is it to plant a tree without any kin around it?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ most likely the tree does not mind?¡± the metal fairy responded, caught off guard by the question.


    ¡°Then why does it have the moniker ¡®lonely¡¯? Is that word not defined as a forlorn feeling of emptiness due to being alone unwillingly?¡±


    ¡°That would be a correct definition of this concept, yes.¡±


    ¡°So why does the goddess of earth and empathy make a tree that is lonely?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he was a dick to the other sprouts in the seedling garden?¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°I would suggest that you are overthinking this and that we are looking at a common plant whose only significance is its isolated location.¡± The metal fairy was on point with that. Dave was larger than any other tree they had come across, its trunk three metres across, but that was only due the time it had spent alive.


    ¡°How about we put it out of its misery?¡± Reysha suggested. ¡°Hey, Apexus, ya hungry for some wood?¡± With a big grin, she looked up at the golden-leafed tree. ¡°I know you¡¯re normally more of a carpet muncher, but how would you like gobbling on this giant trunk?¡±


    The innuendos flew right over the slime¡¯s head, ¡°We had fish earlier.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t harm it even if darling was hungry,¡± Aclysia protested.


    Apexus hummed, as another thought surfaced. ¡°There¡¯s an endless number of gods, correct?¡±


    The metal fairy was all too happy to switch topics away from the potential tarnishing of a divine landmark. ¡°Figuratively, that is a true statement. Technically, it would be more accurate to describe the number of gods, like the number of Leaves, as exponentially accelerating in growth. More gods lead to more worlds attached to the Omniverse, more worlds are populated by more mortals, more mortals become more gods, and the cycle continues.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Apexus was still aware of most of that and nodded. ¡°I am just thinking that ending up on Leaves made by the original 33 two out of three times is highly unlikely.¡±


    ¡°The original 33 would have the most time to create Leaves and be most prolific in it due to a vast amount of experience,¡± Aclysia gave a counterargument. ¡°Statistically speaking, they should be overrepresented. It is, however, relatively unlikely. This specific Leaf has a high chance of being older, guessing from the ruins we discovered.¡±


    ¡°Ever wonder how old the Omniverse actually is?¡± Reysha asked, as the trio started to walk away from Dave. They had only stopped there in the first place because the isolated tree was such an unusual sight. ¡°¡­Guess I could have asked Veramas that.¡±


    ¡°The Church would be the most likely source for a truthful answer,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°As the oldest organization, they most likely have records dating back to the earliest Leaves.¡±


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Reysha shuddered. ¡°We¡¯ll see what bothers me more: talking to priests or not having an answer to a pointless question.¡±


    The tiger girl would have enough time to think about that, as she once again had to climb on Apexus¡¯ back to be carried above the ocean. After they had reached the westernmost tip of the continent they had originally landed on, they had taken to the air and relatively quickly found this current island. They had been exploring it for about a day now. Because it was so remarkably empty and they could view things from above, that effort had concluded quickly. While they found nothing of interest (Dave hardly qualified), they did spy another island north.


    An island that turned out to be just as empty. That didn¡¯t really matter to any of them, as they found some fish along the shore to eat. More important was that the existence of any landmass, particularly one they could follow further west, implied that there was more than the bandit-infested ruins they started at.


    After another day of travel, they finally found something new. Something Reysha greatly disliked. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I am sick and tired of yellow?!¡± she shouted from her position on Apexus¡¯ back. Before them sprawled out another continent, one so thoroughly steeped in the golden colour of ripe grain that it made the place they came from look dull in comparison.


    The trees at their destination were a lot smaller and less densely packed. Most of this new continent was flatland and highly fertile flatland at  that. Every surface was either plastered  in natural plants or densely packed with fields. The latter, combined with the small villages they could already spot, promised a more civilized environment.


    ¡°Can we land?¡± the tiger girl voiced another request. The reason for this one was the rain they were flying through. It wasn¡¯t particularly intense rain, but the perception of that was wildly different when moving at a high speed.


    ¡°I support this notion,¡± Aclysia said, although her goal was establishing contact with the locals.


    Apexus was fine with both and angled his wings to put them on a downward trajectory. For about five minutes, they gradually descended in height. Once he had slowed enough and they were close enough to the ground, the gliding transformed into a sharp drop, only counteracted by the occasional beat of his wings. Before impact, the beats intensified, making the landing a soft one. Aclysia, by comparison, just hovered down and landed effortlessly.


    They had landed over a hundred metres out from the village, allowing the tall humanoid chimera to adjust his shape back to normal proportions. As per usual, when he had to carry Reysha, his back had been broadened to give her the required space between his wings. Once off the humanoid slime, Reysha shook out her arms. They had been wrapped around Apexus¡¯ neck for a while now and felt understandably rusty.


    ¡°We¡¯re being welcomed,¡± Apexus said, noticing several doors across the village opening. Alarmingly, men armed with swords, pitchforks, or whatever else they had in terms of proper or makeshift weaponry stepped out. Women armed with slingshots or other improvised projectile weaponry swiftly followed. A few stayed behind to make sure adventurous kids didn¡¯t get the bright idea to follow along.


    That particular behaviour kept the slime at ease. Among adventurers or other fighters across the Omniverse, there would have been no preference to keep women in the backline. The developments of physical powers spurred on by the absorption of ambient magic during dungeon delving and similarly challenging situations eradicated any biological strength difference fairly rapidly. Therefore, any large group that still acted with those differences in mind had no extensive training and were of little to no threat to the trio.


    The villagers were distantly aware of that too and stayed in a large block, using their numbers to intimidate. ¡°Who are you people?¡± one of them, a woman standing flanked by two particularly burly men, asked. They had been in situations like this before and a routine had been established.


    Apexus and Aclysia looked at each other. The slime made a gesture indicating that she should take the lead. ¡°We¡¯re¡­¡± she hesitated, despite that, mulling over an important question one final time. ¡°¡­My name is Aclysia,¡± she finally came to the conclusion of using their real names. It didn¡¯t matter anymore anyway, the Deathhound didn¡¯t need rumours to find them. ¡°They are Apexus and Reysha. We¡¯re adventurers.¡±


    The villagers before them relaxed slightly upon hearing that. ¡°What were you doing in Terrostir?¡± the women leading the group asked.


    ¡°Terrostir? Is that the name of the continent?¡± Aclysia returned with a question of her own. The slight relaxation turned into a number of relieved sighs. ¡°I understand, you must assume we originate from the roaming bandits there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we have trouble with those sometimes,¡± the woman answered with a nod.


    ¡°Have ya tried building a wall higher than some dirt barricades?¡± Reysha suggested flippantly.


    ¡°Sure, bring me enough trees and we¡¯ll get right on that,¡± the older woman responded in a dry tone.


    ¡°Please ignore my companion. We have come via a portal known as the Long Way and would appreciate information about this  Leaf. We can pay you for your trouble.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see if we¡¯ll need that,¡± the woman said and, understanding the signal, everyone lowered their weapons. ¡°You can come into my house. Recken, if you could come with me.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Maril,¡± one of the two burly men grumbled into his beard and the pair led the trio towards one of the larger houses in the village. The rest of the crowd dispersed and returned to whatever they were originally doing.


    Large still meant fairly unimpressive. The lack of wood and other building materials was apparent in every bit of the architecture. The only thing they did have in an adequate quantity was clay, so bricks filled the gaps between the wooden pillars and made up the majority of the furniture. The place didn¡¯t look poor whatsoever and there was a clear abundance of food, both grain and meat, shown in the dried pig that was hanging from the rafters. Just this lack of wood and metal confined what they could do locally to a certain few options.


    ¡°Honestly, never heard of a Long Way portal,¡± Maril said while she offered the three of them chairs by the table. Recken sat down with them in a hasty fashion. He didn¡¯t want just two women and one man sitting down alone at a table. ¡°Do you want anything to drink? Tea or water?¡±


    ¡°We do not need any accommodation, but if you have a well or something else, we would appreciate a chance to fill our waterskin.¡±


    ¡°And if you have a bathtub, I would give you almost anything so I can hop into that fucking thing,¡± Reysha chimed in and snorted with amusement when her crass language caused the two older humans to look at her with shock on their faces. ¡°If ya give me some soap, I¡¯ll wash out my mouth right alongside anything else.¡±


    ¡°I do have a bathtub in the back, but you¡¯d have to get the water yourself,¡± Maril said, ¡°and I¡¯d like some recompense.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll pay,¡± Apexus assured. Again, the two humans directed their gaze at the same target. Of Apexus, they were pretty weary. Giant, muscular men of quiet demeanour usually meant something bad in their experience. The slime had no reason to prove them right. ¡°How much do you want?¡±


    ¡°An iron coin would be enough for my troubles,¡± Maril asserted.


    ¡°We do not have any iron coins,¡± the metal fairy, who always held the group¡¯s purse, confessed.


    ¡°Would you accept silver?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°That would be too much for a bath.¡±


    Reysha laughed out loud, ¡°I guarantee you that it¡¯s not too much for how much I want it right now.¡±


    ¡°A silver for the bath and the bother,¡± Apexus said.


    Maril thought about it for a moment longer, then accepted, ¡°Sure.¡± Since these three seemed to care so little for a silver coin, she just assumed they had the money. Maril quickly showed Reysha the walled off area in the back, where to find the buckets needed to transport the water, and where the well was. Not losing any time, the tiger girl immediately went to prepare her bath.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the Long Way?¡± Maril asked, when she returned.


    ¡°A special condition portal that connects several Leaves together. We emerged on a small island south of what you called Terrostir,¡± Aclysia said.


    Recken scratched the chin he had hidden under his thick, greying, red beard. ¡°I think there was something like that on the map. Should I fetch it?¡±


    ¡°Please do,¡± Maril nodded.

 Guidance 5 – The Leaf of Tacuitos

    ¡°That sounds tasty!¡± Reysha shouted from the walled off bathing segment, upon hearing the name of the Leaf they were on.


    ¡°Why would it sound tasty?¡± Apexus wondered.


    Before she answered, Reysha lowered herself into the bath. The sounds of swishing water and a long, satisfied sigh echoed out. Recken shifted uncomfortably, the sensuousness with which  the tiger girl purred causing a wholly natural and, for the situation, inappropriate reaction.


    ¡°On some Leaves I was on, they served some kind of flatbread that had a name like it,¡± Reysha answered.


    ¡°I can assure you that our Leaf is not flatbread, this is a planetary world,¡± Maril said drily, while Recken spread the map out on the table. A couple of rocks were used to weigh down the edges so that they could look at the detailed and coloured map without issue.


    ¡°Look at that, there it is,¡± Maril said and tapped at the Long Way icon on the map. ¡°How did you make it off that remote island?¡± She leaned over, giving an obvious glance at their wings. ¡°Did you fly?¡±


    ¡°The divine were gracious enough to supply us with a boat, a compass, and directions to the southern coast of Terrostir,¡± Aclysia explained, drawing a line across the ocean to show their rough path.


    ¡°No food though,¡± Apexus complained. ¡°We almost starved.¡±


    ¡°If you need food, we have plenty,¡± Maril offered. ¡°Grain grows like grass here, the eternal autumn is a blessing. I hear people like summers,¡± she shrugged, ¡°sounds awfully hot to me.¡±


    Over in her bathtub, Reysha snickered. People that were so content with their locality that they never experienced another environment, let alone another season, were incredibly odd to her. Although the bath was far from hot, it did enough to relax her into a state where she stayed giggling and kept from snide remarks.


    ¡°Terrostir, Elomerstir, Weststir, Maevstir.¡± Aclysia went over the names of the majority of countries on the map. ¡°I assume ¡®stir¡¯ is a word for ¡®land¡¯ in the local dialect?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Maril confirmed.


    ¡°Then what kind of country is Terrostir?¡±


    ¡°Recken, you know more about this,¡± Maril told her fellow villager and gestured for him to explain.


    ¡°Terrostir used to be the dominant empire on Tacuitos, some 300 years back,¡± the man told the group. ¡°Was governed by gnomes, if old records can be trusted. The Golden Fields were a tributary, Maevstir didn¡¯t exist, and when they invaded the small kingdoms where Elomerstir is now, they used up too much of their resources. They destabilized while the rulers kept their decadent lifestyle, then came rebellion, and then disintegration. We still call the island Terrostir, but it''s really just a bunch of rubble and bandits, with some warlords claiming the memory of the empire.¡±


    ¡°Usually, they¡¯re too busy dealing with each other, but sometimes a desperate or ambitious bunch makes their way over here,¡± Maril added.


    Aclysia was mildly confused. ¡°And you have received no additional funds or resources from your government to shore up your defences? A warband would strike me as an issue of the entire polity.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no government,¡± Recken told her. ¡°We here in the Golden Fields live as city states. Well, village state, in the case of our little community. Closest you get to a stir around here is Grainport to the north. It was where Terrostir got its grain shipments from. Otherwise we Fielders just live next to each other and help out when it comes to it. No annoying squabbles over who gets what that way.¡±


    ¡°Is there no need to centralize power to fend off foreign invaders?¡± Aclysia wondered.


    ¡°Terrostir only wanted grain, as far as I know, so our ancestors didn¡¯t care,¡± Recken shrugged.


    Maril gestured at the map, ¡°And nowadays there¡¯s no one who would attack us. Terrostir bandits don¡¯t know how to build large boats, so any raiding parties are small, Weststir is too far away to take an interest in us, Elomerstir can¡¯t march through the mountains or the Spilling Swamp and Maevstir isn¡¯t even a real country.¡±


    ¡°What about Wise Shire?¡± Apexus asked the first of many questions that came to mind.


    ¡°Bunch of retired adventurers, no interest in anything really,¡± Maril shrugged.


    While the slime had a number of other questions he wanted answered, he decided that a methodical approach was better to start with. ¡°Can you quickly summarize each of the different countries and unusual areas for us?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Maril nodded and started from the north. ¡°Elomerstir is the newest of the stirs and¡­¡±


    ¡°Technically that¡¯s not right,¡± Recken interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s been around since Terrostir, it was just a small local kingdom.¡±


    ¡°And now it¡¯s a large northern kingdom,¡± Maril continued unbothered. ¡°Stretches from Stemfield all the way to the border of the Spilling Swamp. As for that swamp, I hear it''s overrun by monsters that leave the upper layers of the dungeon in the area.¡±


    ¡°How unusual,¡± Aclysia noted.


    The older woman shrugged, ¡°Not that unusual on Tacuitos. See the Dragonspawn dungeon just west of it? Weak dragons are ousted from it and have to settle elsewhere. Those that fly east or west get killed by adventurers and south they compete with Elektrika, a particularly powerful dragon that¡¯s been there for¡­ ever¡­ Recken, do you know?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± the historically literate man replied.


    ¡°So only the ones that make it north to the Dragon Isles survive for any length of time. That¡¯s what I hear anyway,¡± Maril shrugged again. ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask people elsewhere for more information when you get there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, we are thankful for whatever you can provide,¡± Apexus assured. ¡°Please continue, what did you mean by Maevstir isn¡¯t a real country?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only area of Tacuitos that has eternal winter and so nobody sane decides to live there,¡± Maril answered as asked. ¡°Some people from Wise Shire eventually decided to live out their castle building dreams there or something. It¡¯s essentially just a playground for eccentrics .¡± Pointing towards the western continent, Maril concluded simply, ¡°Weststir is a republic that shares much of its land with adventurers. We call that area Wise Shire because a lot of seasoned people live there.¡±


    ¡°What about the Church Islands?¡± Aclysia asked, pointing at the trio of islands in the northeast. ¡°Why does the Church have such a diminished status on this Leaf?¡±


    Recken had the answer for that one, ¡°Terrostir ousted them when it was at its prime. They haven¡¯t been able to really get back into any country since.¡±


    Apexus quizzically tilted his head at the map and considered their options. Because of the Deathhound, they had already decided to seek out the help of mentors and the Church. Taking a gamble on the stance of the Omniverse-spanning organization was in every case more likely to leave them alive than putting themselves at the mercy of Turlesh and his Master.


    Over the next twenty minutes, Aclysia asked several more questions. Many of which she only got half-certain or entirely unsure answers to. Recken had read a lot, that much was obvious, but neither of the two had ever gone out of Golden Fields. They knew next to nothing about the Omniverse, not even that much about their own world. How bad that was could be debated. After all, they had a peaceful, local life, while the trio had more questions on their minds than they could consider at any given moment.


    One of the questions was about how one would reach either the Church Islands or Wise Shire. The answer for either was by ship, although the villagers had no idea where exactly the common routes were. They pointed at a couple of cities that supposedly had noteworthy ports.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done,¡± Reysha stepped back into the room, clean, and as dry as the wool towels she had been provided with had allowed.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave,¡± Apexus said and got up. The two villagers were surprised by the suddenness of the decision. The humanoid chimera only offered a single question before his departure. ¡°Would you be willing to part with that map?¡±


    Recken shook his head, ¡°I won¡¯t travel up to Grainport to get a new one in years.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Apexus nodded and headed for the door.


    ¡°Thanks for the bath,¡± Reysha chirped, marching after her man.


    ¡°Your hospitality has been greatly appreciated,¡± Aclysia echoed the sentiment in a more elaborate fashion. The metal fairy was also the last one out and closed the door behind them. The three made their way a fair bit out of the village, before stopping underneath a tree to shelter themselves from the rain as they had a private discussion. ¡°Should we not warn them of what is to come?¡±, the metal fairy raised the obvious question.


    They had resolved to struggle and flee, even if that meant that the Deathhound would, as far as they knew, tear down everything in his path. Even knowing that, they had a moral obligation to try and diminish the impact of their actions. That meant avoiding civilization wherever they could and also to prepare people that they did come across for what was to come.


    Understanding that, Apexus shook his head. ¡°If we tell them now, I don¡¯t think they will believe us,¡± he presented his reasoning. ¡°Even if they did, if our plan worked, it will take the Deathhound months if not years to catch up to us. Eventually they will return home. If we want them to evacuate, we need some people with authority and a plan to deal with the monster first.¡±


    ¡°Much as I detest our lack of options, this does sound like the pragmatic course of events,¡± Aclysia agreed.


    ¡°Speaking of plans,¡± Reysha kept the discussion on track. ¡°What is ours? Seems like we need to decide whether we go to the Church or the adventurers. I don¡¯t think ya need to guess where I¡¯d rather go.¡±


    ¡°Optimally, we should treat wherever we go as our safe point,¡± Aclysia thought out loud. ¡°If we can enlist the help of the locally gathered people, that position will be fortified and whatever we do afterwards will cease to matter in the grand scheme of things. Either we will succeed at defeating our pursuer at that point or we will perish and they will not follow our tracks beyond that point.¡±


    ¡°Makes enough sense,¡± Reysha nodded. ¡°Still though, Church or adventurers ¨C what do ya two think?¡±


    Apexus was quick in his answer. ¡°Adventurers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s two to zero, whaddaya say bubble butt?¡±


    Pondering over this issue for a little while, Aclysia voiced her final answer, ¡°Although the Church is more likely to have the resources available, it is difficult to know whether they can move them in place in time. An island filled with seasoned adventurers might just be enough to defeat a Tharnatos class demon¡­¡± She let out a very long sigh. ¡°I am unenthused that we will drag so many bystanders into our issues. As it stands, our options are limited, however.¡±


    ¡°Glad that ya understand that without getting bogged down in defeatism again.¡± Reysha poked Aclysia¡¯s shoulder, just because she could.


    ¡°I prefer to maintain doubts.¡±


    Apexus stood up before they could get bogged down in another discussion, ¡°Then we go to the adventurers. It¡¯s not good that we can only hope for the best, but at least we can hope.¡±

 Guidance 6 – Westwards

    Reysha would have preferred to travel on foot, but time was valuable and it was easier to avoid settlements when taking the air route. While they did not know how exactly the Deathhound located their trail, they were certain that he did follow it exactly as it was laid. That meant that a mere hundred metre curve around a cluster of houses reduced the chance of anyone in that area dying considerably.


    In their current position, this was as much good as they could do. It wasn¡¯t much and it wasn¡¯t even guaranteed to work. For all they knew, the demon could have been prone to detours or didn¡¯t need to follow the trail as exactly as Aclysia had surmised. Regardless they had to try something, especially when it was so easy to do.


    So, the only times they landed were  when they needed to sleep or eat. Typically, they ate the deer that lived in these plain areas. Once or twice, they simply stole grain right off the field. In both cases, Reysha had to force the food down her throat. Neither the animals nor the crops were magical.


    While Aclysia did have the typical reluctance to steal, in this particular case she declared this the definitive lesser of two evils. The fields they took from were  large,  the village stood a safe distance away and, as the villagers had attested to, food was no issue whatsoever in this area of the Leaf.


    They kept going west. It was an often-difficult task to stay on course, reliant entirely on Aclysia¡¯s ability to read the path of the sun. The only landmarks they had seen on the map were  the single mountain in the area, housing the Golden Descent dungeon, to the south and a vast lake to the north. They passed both within several hours of each other. Otherwise, there were only plains, golden plains, all around them.


    ¡°FUCKING HELLROOTS, YES! A DIFFERENT COLOUR!¡± Reysha shouted, when, after four days of travel, the ocean appeared before them in all of its blue expanse. A greyish blue, it had to be said. This was not some kind of tropical Leaf where the water was clear and the wind still. Constant breezes kept the surface of the ocean in wavy turmoil, the overcast sky filtered too much sunlight to properly illuminate the liquid and disturbed sediment did the rest to give the water a dull appearance.


    Unimpressive as the colour may have been next to the prosperous fields, it was still pleasing just because it was something else. It also confirmed that they had been heading generally in the right direction, which assuaged Aclysia¡¯s fears of having misinterpreted the available information.


    They headed towards the first large settlement by the water that they saw. Crossing the ocean was, according to the map, inadvisable using flight. A boat would be slower, but provide them with shelter from bad weather and exhaustion. Being on a seafaring vessel would be one of the few ways they could be around people without endangering them. Their route was being tracked, not their scent, so the boat would not be a pitstop for the demon ¨C unless it happened to be on the route at the time Turlesh passed through.


    ¡°Darling, you and I should wait here,¡± Aclysia told him, after they had landed at the usual, safe distance.


    Apexus tilted his head, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°According to my assumption, the Deathhound is utilizing a tracking Art and it strikes me as highly probable that it functions similarly to the one the Hunter employed,¡± the metal fairy presented her thoughts. ¡°If this is true and if Apotho, in his rage, decided that you should be the one to be tracked, as I deem the most likely, then it would be advisable that you stay out of the settlement and join us on the boat after we left port.¡±


    ¡°So why are you staying?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Because most likely is not a guarantee and I am not endangering lives on the basis of my assumption,¡± Aclysia looked at the tiger girl, took the group¡¯s coin purse out of her adventurer¡¯s bag, and handed it over. ¡°I trust you to locate a captain and come up with a convincing argument as to why we can only join out of harbour.¡±


    Reysha took the coin purse and weighed the heavy thing in her hand. With a wide grin she chirped, ¡°I will,¡± and turned straight towards the city.


    Swing in her step, she strutted swiftly, straight inside the settlement. Despite her recent lack of desirable food and a tad of wobbliness in her initial marching due to lack of ground contact over the course of the day, she was in a good mood. There was no greater reason for it, Reysha just felt like smiling and whistling to herself  as she walked through the mostly empty streets.


    The vacancy of the outdoors could not be mistaken for the city feeling empty. The evening hours had come around and all that held the night at bay were the lanterns all around that burned either magic or, more commonly, fish oil, to keep the darkness at bay. Cold nights were the norm in an Autumn Leaf, so the people found company inside inns.


    ¡®That makes things easier,¡¯ the tiger girl thought and stepped into one of those inns.


    Like she was used to, she drew the eyes of basically everyone inside within twenty seconds. These things usually went the same way at all times: at first people just turned their heads because something was moving at the entrance, catching the attention of the alert members of the crowd. When those then kept staring because she was the stunning, hot redhead that she was, more heads turned. The black of her sclera caused some additional interest at this point, rarely sexual.


    Reysha smirked and entered the room, hips swinging a bit more than usual. She didn¡¯t care to pretend that she didn¡¯t enjoy the attention. The few men who had their wives accompany them on this evening trip were the only ones averting their gaze, everyone else kept watching. How obvious they were about it depended entirely on their level of brashness or drunkenness.


    ¡®Men are so easy,¡¯ the redhead thought and made her way to the bar. Had she worn something more revealing than the casual clothes and cloak, the latter an addition against the cold, she knew she would have had a pair of eyes now squarely focused on her bosom. Especially once she crossed her arms on the counter and leaned forwards. ¡°Hey there,¡± she purred, tail brushing against the inside of her cloak.


    Before the barman could respond, someone sitting nearby, one from a group of friends, entered the conversation as if he had been greeted. ¡°Hey, pretty lady, care for a drink?¡±


    Reysha grimaced, ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°No reason to look that offended at a simple offer,¡± the man grumbled, raising his hands in defence.


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just that I can¡¯t drink beer anymore. Plus, if I¡¯m honest, it¡¯d be wasted money anyway. What ya want, I give someone else, ya know?¡±


    ¡°Horrible fate,¡± the man shook his head. ¡°No beer¡­ you know what I mean lads?¡± he toasted towards the rest of his friends and turned his back towards Reysha. It had been a gamble that didn¡¯t pay off and the young men were used to that. There were plenty of weirdos that got considerably more offended at a quick no. That bunch didn¡¯t have any of those and so they took it in stride.


    For her part, Reysha turned her head back to the barman. Interestingly, the tall, heavily haired fellow had completely changed his behaviour now. The announcement of her being unavailable, had transformed his gaze from leering to plain. Frankly put, he no longer looked at her as someone he could sleep with but as another customer.


    Reysha found that change peculiar. She had never observed it before. Since getting together with Apexus, she hadn¡¯t been in any of the environments she used to find pleasure in. ¡°How can I help you?¡± the barman asked, dunking a rough ceramic mug into a bucket full of water to clean it. Afterwards he grabbed a towel. ¡°Since you¡¯re not looking for a drink.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know if there¡¯s any ships sailing west that a couple of adventurers could book passage on.¡± While Reysha spoke, he stared at the work of his hands, making sure the beverage container got cleaned out properly. She wasn¡¯t used to this either, especially from tipsy barmen. On one hand, she did not like whatsoever not getting attention. On the other, that people (usually men, but there were exceptions to everything) weren¡¯t desperately competing over who got to talk to her because she was hot and down to fuck made the conversation a lot quicker.


    ¡°Ah, you want to get to Weststir. Old Joey likes to ferry people like you over.¡± Putting the mug to the side, the barman looked across the simple, cobblestone room. ¡°He¡¯s at the table right of the door. The guy with the dark green coat. See him?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Reysha nodded and started walking.


    Joey was still looking at her, far out of reach of the conversation. When she walked towards him, his eyes lingered on her chest for a moment. Once it became clear that she was coming towards  him, he turned  his gaze towards his drink.


    He was an old man, a half-elf as the pointy ears indicated, with grey hair that still sported major traces of once having been universally black. He wore it long, around chin length, and open. Like his dark green coat, it was wild and the only treatment it got was that of the sea breeze. His build was lean and simultaneously packed enough to show that he worked aboard  his ship. A tricorne sat on the table next to his large mug.


    ¡°Must be an adventurer,¡± he asserted immediately.


    ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Reysha asked, plopping down on the seat opposite of him.


    ¡°Usually, I would say that nobody else comes to sit at my table unless I invite them,¡± he answered and sipped on his drink. ¡°With you, it¡¯s because you got black fucking eyes, Ragressian.¡±


    ¡°Oh hey, someone actually knows where I¡¯m from.¡± Reysha¡¯s grin fell, just like her tone . ¡°How thrilling.¡±


    ¡°I used to work with someone from your Leaf.¡±


    ¡°What was the guy¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°His name was Mandela.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my uncle!¡±


    ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t,¡± Reysha admitted and laughed. Joey joined in. The little joke broke the ice effectively and the tiger girl reached over the table to offer her hand. ¡°Name¡¯s Reysha. Looking for passage over to Weststir. Ya know the drift.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I do,¡± Joey took the hand and shook. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this for seventy years. You¡¯re lucky that you came today. I only do this trip once every three months and I¡¯m leaving tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Well, I deserve some luck,¡± the tiger girl grinned and fell back into her chair. Casually, she threw one arm over the backrest and crossed her legs. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my boy toy and girl toy along, that fine with you?¡±


    Joey blew air out of his nose and took another sip. ¡°Sure, but my ship isn¡¯t big enough for proper privacy. Keep things quiet until we have made it across.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean no sex or no loud sex?¡±


    ¡°The latter,¡± the half-elven sailor clarified. ¡°You¡¯ll have to share the room with three other passengers though. One of them is a fellow adventurer, so she might go along with your wild excesses, but the other two are local idiots.¡± He pointed at the friend group by the bar. ¡°They¡¯re giving them a goodbye celebration.¡±


    ¡°If they can¡¯t keep their hands to themselves, they¡¯ll get a broken wrist or nose ¨C depending on who catches them,¡± Reysha warned.


    Joey shrugged with all of the dismissiveness an old half elf had to offer. ¡°That¡¯ll be their issue, I just ferry people over. Better to break their nose than their wrist though, they¡¯ll need their hands if we get in trouble.¡± Swiftly the man emptied his mug and slammed it back down on the wooden table. ¡°You pay me one gold for the ferry, you come with your own food, I would recommend a week of supplies, you sleep in the same room as the other passengers, and if we encounter a storm or if the winds let up, you help with rowing. All of that sound good?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one gold for each or all of us?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°All.¡±


    The tiger girl put the purse on the table and searched around in it until she found the coin. Joey grabbed it as soon as she had slid it over the table, testing the metal for the softness of honest gold. ¡°A dungeon coin,¡± he remarked, unsurprised. It was easily recognizable by how new the coin looked, without having any kind of special print on it. Any nation in the Omniverse that had the capacity to mint its own coins did so with their own flare.


    ¡°You charge a lot,¡± Reysha noted.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you¡¯ll have to go at least two days north or to Maevstir,¡± Joey said, placing the coin back on the table, allowing Reysha to take it back. ¡°Getting a ship in these parts is damn near impossible. You have to buy it from Weststir, because we don¡¯t have any large enough forests here that anyone bothers to be a master carpenter. You can only get to Weststir via boat. You see the business model?¡±


    ¡°So, you take a boat over to buy boats?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Fishing boats, the rowing variety. And then I export them inland to people who live by the lake.¡± He raised his hand and the barman nodded, quickly coming over with one freshly filled mug and taking the empty one with him. ¡°I¡¯m rich and you will make me richer.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you love money.¡±


    ¡°Only thing that never got on my nerves,¡± Joey mumbled while raising his mug. ¡°If that¡¯ll be all, I have drinks to empty tonight. Meet me by my boat tomorrow around noon. You can¡¯t miss it.¡±


    ¡°Just one more thing ¨C my two companions, they can only join us on the boat after we¡¯ve left the harbour,¡± Reysha stated and placed another gold coin next to the first one.


    ¡°Will that slow us down?¡± Joey wanted to know.


    ¡°They¡¯ll just fly after us and land on deck. Nothing unusual after that, I pinkie swear.¡± Reysha offered the pinkie of her left hand.


    Waving off with one hand, Joey pocketed the two gold coins with the others. ¡°Just make sure that your issues stay your own,¡± he demanded and grabbed his beer. ¡°Now go back to your boy toy or whatever you want to call him. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Have a nice night. Hope you won¡¯t have to wank yourself to sleep,¡± the tiger girl purred while she got up.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Joey responded, with the hint of a smile on his lips.


    They understood each other and Reysha returned to her group with the swing still in her step.

 Guidance 7 – For the Hoard

    Korith sat on a crate.


    Getting on top of the wooden box had been a task of great difficulty, involving the smaller box that was next to the one she had placed her butt on. As a kobold, she was among the shorter humanoid races in the Omniverse and among them, she was of a fairly standard height, standing at 106 centimetres.


    Like all kobolds she had a tail, resembling that of a lizard, flopping lazily behind her. She also had scales, red in colour, that covered her feet from the talons upwards to her thighs, and her hands from the equally clawed fingers to above the elbow.


    Like all sapient kobolds, she had a human face and torso. Many who heard the name ¡®kobold¡¯ thought of what essentially were lesser lizardmen or draconic servants that had greatly devolved from the splendour of the genuine dragons. While those beings did exist in the Omniverse and while they did often share the name kobold, the ones smart enough to count among the civilized races were universally closer to small humans with lizard features than lizards with humanoid traits. Their creator deity Hoard had decided that that would make it easier for his favoured children to go out in the world, prosper, and bring shiny things back to him.


    Like all humanoid females in this town, she attracted some gazes. Korith was quite used to this. She couldn¡¯t help but invite sexual attention. This was for two reasons.


    Number one was that she looked, objectively, good. She had an attractive face. A bit on the round side, combining with her short size to be generally seen as cute. Long, gold hair, treated with enough respect to keep too many strands from sticking out, framed the light brown complexion of her skin. Eyebrows of a darker shade sat above gold eyes, their pupils slit like that of a snake. Her nose was an adorable button and her brownish red lips were full and sultry. Four horns expanded from the sides of her head, two large ones and two smaller ones underneath, the base of them almost touching her pointy ears.


    Number two was her body. Korith was stacked and in this she differed from most kobolds. Her tits reached a massive size that was only emphasized by her shortness and the narrowness of her waist. A narrowness that widened towards her hips again. Nothing was absurdly out of proportion. Nothing was of an expected size either. Tits, ass, and thighs, she was equipped with a lot of squishiness in all areas. Training kept her thin as much as those natural assets allowed.


    Having walked around with her looks and her boobs, she had gotten used to the gazes of interested partners and learned to live with them. Earlier in her life, those looks had often frightened her, especially when they came from tall foreigners, visiting the Leaf of Kobidzan. Kobolds were blessed with many natural defences, but size could be intimidating. Nowadays, Korith had the greatest of ways to fend off any unwanted attention: a warhammer of solid steel, attached to an oaken grip. It was the length of her entire arm and the head was big enough to outsize a regular human¡¯s clenched fist twice over. Nobody wanted a hunk of metal like that swung towards them.


    Otherwise, all Korith could do was dress conservatively and hope people remembered what their mothers had taught them. That worked for almost all people she encountered. For the rest, the threat of losing their kneecaps worked. Korith didn¡¯t like to think about doing that though.


    ¡°You sure I can do nothing?¡± she asked Joey, the half elf whose boat she had booked for the crossing.


    ¡°Gods, you ask a lot of questions,¡± the captain grumbled, not hiding whatsoever that he was hungover. ¡°Are you that eager to leave? You¡¯ve been here a week¡­¡±


    ¡°Two weeks,¡± Korith softly corrected.


    ¡°¡­whatever, what¡¯s an extra hour of twiddling your thumbs? We won¡¯t leave any sooner no matter what you do.¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, as long as I won¡¯t have to pay for anything else,¡± Korith said, her hand resting on her adventurer¡¯s bag. In it was her mostly empty coin purse, along with some other possessions that were not as important. ¡®The offerings to Hoard I could have made rather than staying in the inn,¡¯ she lamented. ¡°You sure there is nothing I can do?¡± she asked another time.


    ¡°If you¡¯re that bored, you can take those,¡± Joey pointed to a couple of barrels and crates by the only warehouse in the small city, ¡°to there,¡± his finger wandered on to the spot where a wooden plank connected his ship to the largest pier in the city. ¡°My useless maggots can take them the rest of the way.¡±


    ¡°I could take them straight onto the ship,¡± Korith assured.


    ¡°Sure, you could,¡± Joey¡¯s hungover tone made it difficult for the kobold to determine if he was being sarcastic or just tired. ¡°You have any idea where in my ship the water barrels are supposed to go though?¡± Korith shook her head. ¡°Grain shipments? Nails? Lead for emergency repairs?¡± To each question, she shook her head.


    ¡°I get it,¡± she assured, before Joey could continue and jumped off the barrel. Although they were packed pretty tightly into the casual travelling clothes she wore, thick to ward against the autumn winds, her boobs bounced around when she hit the pavement. The warhammer was swiftly stored in the bag double secured to her belt. ¡°Only up to the plank then.¡±


    Korith walked over to where the shipment stood in the warehouse and dodged one of the dozen sailors meeting her halfway. They, among some people loitering around the port, watched Korith with interest. When she lifted up a barrel half as tall as her, filled with apples, and held it above her head, nobody was too surprised. Having someone who shipped people back and forth from an island where adventurer¡¯s retired meant they saw their fair share of oddities. A shortstack lugging heavy cargo around was only unusual to visitors from neighbouring villages or young people.


    Humming happily, Korith went after her work, travelling back and forth, placing each item closer to the ship. It was a medium-sized vessel, mostly unpainted, with the hull and the majority of the additions being made from simple brown wood. Only the masts and the captain¡¯s quarters at the back showed any signs of being  higher quality. As the loading continued, the ship slowly sank deeper into the water. All of that was intended though. While the boat was going deeper into the water, the surface of the water itself was gradually rising. By the time the ship was fully loaded and they were ready to leave, the process would reverse and the ebb would help pull the ship out into the open ocean. All that mattered was that the holes with the paddles stayed above the waterline and there was a solid two metres before that could become even a remote issue.


    After about half an hour, Korith had brought everything she could up to the pier and the sailors were quickly getting done with the rest. With nothing else to do, she decided to board and have a look around the place she would spend the next couple of days in.


    The ship was cramped. Joey made the most of the trip and had loaded as much into it as was safe. The sleeping chambers for the sailors and travellers were separate, the sailors sleeping at the back and the travellers at the front of the ship. Both were filled with hammocks and pretty tiny. The only three areas on the ship that had something resembling privacy were the crow¡¯s nest, the poop deck, and the captain¡¯s quarters. Although Joey reserved the privilege of isolation for himself, his quarters were barely large enough to fit his own hammock, a chest and a desk in there.


    ¡°Do ya wanna open that chest?¡±


    Korith jumped and looked up at the redheaded tiger girl that was peeking into the captain¡¯s chamber. Just because she could, Reysha had decided to sneak up on the distracted kobold. Suspiciously, they both hung onto the same side of the doorframe, peeking into the room. The blonde had gone with this approach because she did not feel it was right to enter. The Rogue did it because she thought it looked funny.


    ¡°No!¡± Korith hastily retreated from the door.


    Eyes going straight to the absolute bounciness that ensued, Reysha was distracted from whatever she wanted to say originally. ¡°By the gods, girl, you look delightfully squeezable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you?¡± The kobold was more than a bit overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the scarlet-haired feline female. ¡°No, sorry, that¡¯s not an invitation,¡± she was swift to declare, when the redhead raised her hands in a grabby fashion.


    ¡°Shame,¡± Reysha let her arms fall limply again, before stemming her hands into her hips. ¡°I¡¯m Reysha, by the way. We¡¯ll be sharing a room.¡±


    Now that Korith had a moment to look at the tall (not just from her perspective) woman, she did have every hallmark of an adventurer. ¡°Stay away from my hammock and my stuff, please,¡± the kobold requested.


    ¡°Oy, just because I want to open one chest doesn¡¯t mean I steal from everyone,¡± the tiger girl responded with played-up offense. ¡°Woe is me, I didn¡¯t even do anything yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s patently false,¡± Joey barked his way into the conversation. ¡°Because you¡¯re in my way. Get away from my quarters and keep to the railing, if you need to stay onboard. We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I paid for the full boat experience, I demand to hear ya say that we¡¯re setting sail.¡±


    ¡°Sails are staying down. Damn wind turned eastwards,¡± Joey cussed, while marching past the two women that had stepped out of the way. ¡°We¡¯ll have to let the tide drag us and steer the ship so the wind doesn¡¯t slow us down.¡± Pissed, the captain glared at the two. ¡°Do either of you attract bad luck or something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t think that has anything to do with this,¡± Reysha chirped. ¡°You¡¯ll get this done, right?¡±


    ¡°When you finally get out of my way, I might!¡± the captain impatiently snapped at them and stormed up the stairs to the ship¡¯s wheel. It was located at the highest point of the deck and above his quarters.


    Reysha giggled and started walking away. Korith followed. The redhead was odd company, but she was also interesting company. They found a part of the railing where they could stand without getting in the way of any of the sailors, who were binding back down the sails they had loosened half an hour earlier. Sailing was all about coping with changes and dealing with the boredom of the safe stretches.


    ¡°Sooooo,¡± Korith let hear the drawn-out word to grab Reysha¡¯s attention again. ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer too?¡±


    ¡°Nah, prostitute,¡± Reysha responded swiftly and pulled at the back of her linen shirt in a way that emphasized her figure. Confused, Korith blinked a couple of times. Then the tiger girl broke out laughing. ¡°I¡¯m just pulling your panties. Yeah, I¡¯m an adventurer. Rogue, if ya wanna know.¡±


    ¡°Warrior, level 15¡­ oh, and I¡¯m Korith.¡± The kobold had suddenly remembered she hadn¡¯t stated her own name yet.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty short for a Warrior¡­ I guess ya get that a lot, don¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°It stops after I¡¯ve fought with someone,¡± the shortstack assured.


    Reysha laughed out loud again. ¡°Confident, I like it!¡± She continued to laugh afterwards. Korith didn¡¯t think it was that funny, but was happy that she was entertaining. While Reysha slapped the weatherworn wood of the railing, the boat began its slow path out of the harbour.


    ¡°Sadly, few people ever let me try,¡± the kobold added, tail and head sinking. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to find a group. Are you in the same boat?¡±


    ¡°Literally?¡± Reysha looked at the wooden planks under her feet. ¡°Yes. Figuratively, no. I have a party.¡±


    ¡®Maybe I can join them?¡¯ Korith thought, biting back the urge to cuss out loud. There was no guaranteeing that Reysha was as easy to get along with as she felt initially, or that her party members were as easy-going as she was, but at this point she was desperate for whatever company she could find. The search for a party had brought her to this Leaf, having heard rumours of Wise Shire. Since they would be on this boat for several days, she had ample time to get to know them. ¡°How about we head indoors and play some cards?¡± she suggested. In Korith¡¯s mind, there was no better way to get to know someone (or passing the time) than playing games.


    ¡°Later,¡± Reysha promised and looked out towards the land. The ship had been turned to face westwards by now, reducing the amount of surface they offered to the wind. Although it still felt like they were moving quite slowly, the vessel was gaining speed now. ¡°I want to greet the rest of my party when they get here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that? Aren¡¯t they already on board?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Nope, they¡¯re¡­ there they are,¡± Reysha said and pointed south of their position.


    The kobold strained her eyes to spot what the tiger girl was talking about. At first there was nothing. Then she realized that one of the seagulls in the distance was uncharacteristically large. Two of them, and they were getting closer. After two more minutes, it became clear that those weren¡¯t seagulls at all and that they were getting closer rapidly.


    The two entities separated when they were close enough to be properly recognized as humanoids. One was circling above, slowing down and aligning his path with the path of the ship. The other gracefully hovered down onto the boat. Her pale skin practically shone in the sunlight, making her seem like an angel descending. Korith had no idea that her feeling was right on the shinies.


    ¡°If you would please make room for my darling,¡± Aclysia told the sailors and other travellers that crowded around the main deck to see what was happening.


    ¡°Stop gawking!¡± Joey screamed down from the steering wheel. ¡°Just give them some spa- fucking hell he¡¯s massive!¡±


    Apexus landed on the board as softly as he could. Which, thanks to the space Aclysia had swiftly cleared, was about as gentle a two-metre-tall mountain of muscle and covert slime could be asked to land on a moving target. Feet hitting the board with a hollow ¡®THUD¡¯, the humanoid chimera adjusted his robe and looked around the ship. Blue eyes and a straight back conveyed a mighty presence.


    ¡®Hamena, hamena, hamena,¡¯ Korith thought.

 Guidance 8 – Impossible Attraction

    ¡®Hamena, hamena, hamena,¡¯ Korith was still chanting in her head, eyes glued to the hunk of manmeat. His black hair waved in the salty sea breeze, his muscles shifted visibly under the robe, his emerald wings elegantly folded, underlining nicely the sheer weight his bare feet carried over the deck. ¡®He looks like he was crafted to look perfect,¡¯ the kobold thought. She had no idea how right she was.


    ¡°Could have warned me that your friend is oversized!¡± Joey shouted. ¡°Matt, take over the wheel for a minute. Just keep it steady. You can do that much.¡± The ever-annoyed captain stomped down to the main deck. ¡°Seriously though, what kind of giant are you?¡±


    ¡°None?¡± Apexus responded, tilting his head quizzically.


    ¡®Hamena, hamena, hamena,¡¯ the chant returned to Korith¡¯s head, hearing the deep, calm voice. To her, it was an odd moment of expectation and reality meeting. If she had to pick a voice for a man who looked like him, that smooth baritone would have been it. ¡®Is he a learned singer or something?¡¯ she wondered.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± Joey commanded and marched towards the traveller¡¯s quarter.


    Apexus did not obey immediately. He did not know this Joey and his abrasive attitude did not spark a desire to go anywhere alone with him. ¡°He¡¯s a funny guy,¡± Reysha assured him, grabbing one arm of the humanoid slime. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡®Oh,¡¯ Korith thought, realizing what there was to the gesture and what the relationship status was between Apexus and Reysha. In the broad strokes, at least. A twinge of disappointment filled her when she realized that this man was not available. ¡®Ooooohhhh!¡¯ she added to her own mental outcry, when the bottom-heavy fairy grabbed the other arm. ¡®So there is a chance!¡¯


    Korith didn¡¯t know what kind of chance exactly she was hoping for here. To describe this as love at first sight would have been overstating it. Her interest was piqued and she had always had a thing for tall men. She also rather liked what she saw of Reysha and Aclysia. Beyond that, she still had several days to get to actually know them and adjust her opinion accordingly. Her tail bounced when she followed after the three, too intrigued to wait any longer than she needed to talk to them.


    ¡®Hamena, hamena, hamena,¡¯ she thought, eyes glued to the absolutely incredible ass of the pale woman. Fundamentally drab, the casual dress she wore wasn¡¯t sexy in any way by itself. The size of her derriere forced desirability on the plain article of clothing, her backside stretching the fabric. Each of her long, deliberate steps showed the outline of her magnificently round cheeks.


    They entered the quarters, a couple of other sailors and the remaining travellers following them, if they weren¡¯t already inside. ¡°This would be your hammock,¡± Joey said and pointed towards one of them in the corner. ¡°Try laying down in it.¡±


    ¡®Hamena, hamena, hamena?¡¯ Korith thought, somewhat confused by the way the hulk of manmeat treated the hammock. Before making even an attempt at jumping into it, he grabbed the fabric, turned it around, stretched it between both hands, and checked how it was secured to the boat. It was as if he had never seen a hammock before ¨C because he hadn¡¯t.


    ¡®That¡¯s a weird construction,¡¯ the humanoid slime thought, gently putting some weight on the hammock by leaning on it. The wood and ropes creaked a bit, though they were sturdy enough that they held even after Apexus sat down on the swinging bed. He transitioned to lying. ¡°This is nice,¡± he said. The gentle swaying reminded him both of flying and swimming.


    Joey did a double take on the rope and everything around. ¡°Seems like it¡¯ll hold,¡± he said, obviously relieved. ¡°We don¡¯t have any oversized hammocks, so you¡¯ll have to sleep with your neck on the net.¡± He flicked the mesh of rope that connected the stretched linen to the walls. ¡°Also, you can¡¯t sleep in the same hammock as your partners. Usually, I¡¯d just let you do what you want, but the hammock definitely can¡¯t take much more weight.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Apexus nodded and got out of the relaxing sway. ¡°Can we sleep on the floor?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t recommend it,¡± Joey said.


    ¡°The primary advantage of hammocks is that they adjust according to gravity and remain level, darling,¡± Aclysia explained to him. ¡°It may occur that intense weather causes the ship to tilt in various directions. A hammock prevents one from being tossed around by the constant movement.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, at best, halfway correct,¡± Joey corrected her. ¡°Does she usually say so much bullshit in so many wo-¡° The sailor stopped himself when Apexus¡¯ head whipped around like that of a cat that had localized fresh prey. Although he was no pushover, Joey was too seasoned to risk pissing off an almost two-metre-tall man built like a brickhouse. He cleared his throat and continued with a diplomatic tone. ¡°While it¡¯s true that a hammock does prevent being tossed around, a bed with a high border would work just as well if that was the goal. We mainly use hammocks because they can be stowed away during the day and they dry easily in case a high wave gets some water into the ship. Also, they¡¯re cheap.¡±


    Apexus was still pondering if he should grab the man and shake him until he apologized to his beloved angel. Aware of this, Joey excused himself and returned to the steering wheel. He had confirmed what he needed anyway.


    ¡°Ya don¡¯t need to rip his head off, he was just joking around,¡± Reysha playfully chastised the humanoid slime.


    ¡°He was using a highly inappropriate tone,¡± Aclysia complained.


    ¡°Appropriate, shmappropriate. I like the way he talks. It¡¯s just bursting with years of annoyance and an utter lack of fucks to give.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that would appeal to your own lack of manners.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind the brashness, only that he insulted Aclysia,¡± Apexus confessed. ¡°Perhaps I was taking it too seriously. He did teach us the correct reasons.¡±


    ¡°Ya definitely did,¡± the redhead grinned and walked over to her own hammock. That was to say: she picked her hammock at that moment. They hadn¡¯t been assigned and Reysha just wanted the closest one. ¡°Guess ya ain¡¯t having sex while we sail across, big guy.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t either, if we stick to the hammocks,¡± Apexus pointed out.


    ¡°Nah, see, I¡¯m a delicate girl and Aclysia is a featherweight. I can have plenty to grope.¡±


    ¡°I do not consent to this course of action.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see how ya think about that when it¡¯s the middle of the night and ya realize the only two choices for cuddling ya have are me or none at all.¡±


    Aclysia took a very long inhale. Her mind attempted to put together something that sounded like a good comeback. Before she could select a good choice of words from the many options she was aware of , she noticed Korith standing next to them along with the other travellers, who were a bit taken aback by the openness of their statements. Hastily, she bowed her head, ¡°I deeply apologize for any inappropriate comments made by my cat-eared acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°Acquaintance? That hurts, bubble butt,¡± Reysha laughed and smacked the metal fairy on the named feature. She couldn¡¯t help but yelp in an indecent fashion, only causing the redhead to laugh louder. ¡°We¡¯ll hang a sock on the door or something,¡± the tiger girl unashamedly warned the people. ¡°We won¡¯t do it during sleeping hours. However, if any of you get creepy about watching, I will stab you.¡± Revealing her sharp teeth in a dangerous grin, she made everyone question how much, if anything, of what she had just said was a joke. The correct answer was: nothing.


    The other travellers and the remaining sailors decided, at that point, that it was best to just let this be whatever it was and go about their day. While luggage was stowed away in the provided chests, Korith remained where she was, considering how to start a conversation. Remaining so close eventually inevitably brought Apexus¡¯ attention to her.


    Truthfully, Apexus had noticed her from the start. Her unusual shortness had drawn his attention quickly. He just hadn¡¯t found the time to properly look at her until now. The humanoid slime noticed three things about her instantly. Two were what any man would have seen: she was adorably gorgeous and had a massive rack. One was confined to people with a keen eye, those with a preference for certain bodytypes, and unique slimes whose first instinct was to scan for the breeding fitness of potential partners: the athletic shape of her arms.


    Her biceps were of a proper thickness, betraying a good level of strength even before magic enrichment elevated it to superhuman levels. She looked sturdy, but not stout. Nothing about her conveyed a feeling of broadness. She was short and curvy, visually appealing in all feminine ways and obviously healthy.


    That being assured, Apexus blatantly stared at her tits. He had been wondering what enormous breasts like this must feel like, ever since he had first started properly playing with what his two loves had to offer in that department. That such behaviour was improper didn¡¯t cross his mind. As far as he was concerned, he was conveying interest in her attractiveness ¨C essentially, he was giving her a non-verbal compliment.


    From the female side, such an advance was easily deemed creepy if unwelcome. Who wanted to be intently stared at by a person double their size and the ability to pin them down at a moment¡¯s notice? Korith, as it turned out, as this attention was most definitely welcome. It did a bit to boost her self-esteem that such a hunk was analysing her the same way she had analysed him. A lustful flutter in her stomach slowed down her thoughts. For the first time, she breathed in the sweet scent of his pheromones. They had no outstanding influence on their own. They did serve to further deepen that desire she felt.


    As a self-respecting kobold, Korith did not want to drop her panties immediately. ¡®Well, I do, but I won¡¯t!¡¯ she told herself. ¡®Control, Korith, control. You shouldn¡¯t lose your virginity on the floor of a boat¡­ Oh, Hoard, they are all looking at me now!¡¯ the realization managed to snap her somewhat out of her horny daze. She scrambled to search for something to say.


    ¡°Do you wish to speak to us?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s Korith,¡± Reysha introduced her. ¡°She¡¯s my onboard entertainment.¡±


    ¡°Your entertainment?¡± Korith squeaked, not happy that this was her introduction.


    ¡°You¡¯re just that easy to mess with.¡± The Rogue grinned at the shortstack. ¡°Anyway, these are my two comrades or sex toys, whatever you prefer. The stud is Apexus, the bubble butt is Aclysia.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a kobold.¡± The seemingly contextless response caused a confused pause in the conversation.


    Apexus was the first to get it. ¡°Not a clysia or a pexus. It¡¯s our names. Aclysia and Apexus.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Oooooohhhh!¡± Korith slammed a hand into her face.


    ¡°ha¡­ hahaha¡­AHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAAHA!¡± Reysha fell back into the hammock, kicking the air wildly while roaring with amusement. She was too loud for the rest of them to have a conversation. Apexus was also chuckling, while Aclysia at least had the decency to hide her smile behind a raised hand. Only when Reysha almost fell backwards out of the dangling bed, did she regain enough self-control to stop. ¡°So, how badly do you want to jump off board right now?¡±


    ¡°Very badly,¡± Korith said miserably.


    ¡°Too bad you¡¯d float even if you did,¡± Reysha purred.


    ¡°I got heavy bones; I would sink to the sweet embrace of nothing without problem.¡±


    ¡°That would be a waste,¡± Apexus asserted and sat down on the floor, so she could stop straining her neck. ¡°You want to talk to us about something?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t say I want to talk about how you look naked ¨C don¡¯t say I want to talk about how you look naked ¨C don¡¯t say I want to talk about how you look naked.¡¯ ¡°Do you have room in your party?¡± she blurted out instead. ¡®Dammit Korith! Take it slow!¡¯


    The question caused the trio to exchange awkward glances. To Korith it seemed like they were mentally preparing how best to tell her that she was inadequate. While she was right that they were weighing how to turn her down, this was not the reason.


    Trying to get ahead of the disappointment, she added, ¡°I mean, I¡¯m just asking to know, you know? I¡¯m heading to Wise Shire and I thought: ¡®by Hoard, what a lucky coincidence I ran into a small party on the way! Might as well ask them!¡¯ So, yeah, it''s totally fine if you aren¡¯t looking for people, and all of that. It would just be nice to know if you are and if you are, if you were searching for a Warrior, or something like that. So¡­ yeah, that, and all of that.¡±


    When Aclysia was certain that the stream of words had ended, she said, ¡°We have circumstances that prevent us from considering an expansion of our party. Beyond that, we have just met and an immediate joining of our fates in any long-term agreement would be ill-advised.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Korith agreed readily. That the white-haired woman spoke common sense allowed her to remember that she had that herself.


    ¡°You¡¯re interesting and attractive,¡± Apexus said, regret at their current situation making its way into his voice. Under other circumstances, he would have at least entertained the thought of her joining the party. With Turlesh on their trail, it would have been irresponsible.


    The mixture of blunt compliment and regretful tone made Korith blink a number of times. ¡®I guess they really do have some kind of situation going on?¡¯ she thought, but didn¡¯t pry. Not immediately, anyway. ¡°I have games too,¡± she responded instead. ¡°Games and a lot of time. You have that, too, right?¡± She smiled and reached into her adventurer¡¯s bag. ¡°Even if you aren¡¯t looking for party members, we still have to overcome the boredom.¡±


    ¡°Told ya, she¡¯s my onboard entertainment,¡± Reysha hummed and sat down on the floor next to Apexus. Aclysia followed her example. ¡°What¡¯re we playing? Cards?¡±


    ¡°For a start,¡± Korith smiled.

 Guidance 9 – Games and Travel

    ¡°What games do you know, Apex?¡± Korith asked. The tone of her question was mildly exasperated. During the past three days, she had come to understand three main negative traits about the party: Aclysia was dense, Reysha was horny, and Apexus was weird. Korith knew that she was throwing stones in a glass house, but the humanoid slime could be incredibly awkward.


    On the first day she had been nice and patient, explaining the rules to even the most common games. She had travelled a fair distance and games varied widely between Leaves. Taking time to teach the rules was just common sense when making new gaming friends. The methodical explanations also helped her distract herself from her desires, which was direly needed when Apexus decided he¡¯d rather stay around without a shirt or when Reysha got very handsy with either of her travelling companions.


    Over the course of the second day, she lost a few inhibitions. It was easy to talk to Reysha, a bit too easy even, but with the other two Korith needed to acclimate herself. With a set of games they all liked established, she didn¡¯t have to concentrate on teaching the entire time. That allowed her to take part in the bantering. It started with testing nicknames and reached its peak, at that day, with a couple of ribbing lines thrown in the general mix.


    Now on the third day, she was comfortable enough that she was willing to question some of the odder aspects of their behaviour. Korith didn¡¯t usually get to know people that quickly, but the trio was open-minded, its members charismatic, and they spent practically every waking hour together. After two days, they had been talking and playing for almost thirty hours. Korith had family members that she had spent less time with.


    Of course, her getting comfortable with them meant that they were getting more comfortable ribbing on her as well. ¡°What games do you not know?¡± Apexus answered with a question himself, eager to distract from himself.


    ¡®He likes to do that,¡¯ Korith thought, before responding. ¡°Most of them. I like to learn new ones though.¡± The kobold gathered the dice that were sprawled out over the cloth between them. They had put it out to keep the dice from bouncing around as much and to cover the many small bumps of the floorboards. Carefully, she picked up each die with her claws. She could feel the little depression of the numbers carved into the surface. ¡°Games are a great way to pass the time and get to know people. Which is why I wonder why you don¡¯t seem to know any.¡±


    Apexus shifted around suspiciously, his expression showing thoughtfulness and apology. These and other similar moments occurred quite regularly. They were weird and they helped Korith to see more than the incredibly handsome hunk of a male. She could actually see the person. It helped push down most of the immediate sexual attraction. A feeling of attachment took its place though.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t grow up around people,¡± the humanoid slime said, ¡°and I haven¡¯t had time for games since.¡± That was about as close to the truth as he could reveal.


    ¡°That sounds horrible,¡± Korith answered with sincere sorrow in her voice. The steady sound of rain underlining the dice bouncing on the blanket.


    ¡°Eh, it balances out with the copious amounts of sex we¡¯re having,¡± Reysha causally added, only to click her tongue at the settled dice. ¡°Can you stop rolling double pairs?¡±


    ¡°Hoard blesses me with great luck,¡± the kobold said and pulled several silver coins over to her side. They hadn¡¯t actually bet them, they were just using them as tokens to count the victory points.


    ¡°Was it great luck when you decided to go voyeur on us?¡± Aclysia wanted to know.


    A day ago, a small incident had occurred when the trio had been doing their thing. As Reysha had announced, she had put a sock on the door and most people decided to just respect that. Korith had been too curious and conveniently forgotten what the sock was supposed to mean. She had walked in and witnessed the two women on their knees, working a truly sizable manhood with their mouths. Had she found any privacy after staring for a solid few seconds, she would have masturbated.


    ¡°An unlucky accident,¡± Korith insisted, even if everyone knew it wasn¡¯t the truth.


    ¡°Could have stayed,¡± Reysha said. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have minded.¡±


    ¡°You do not speak for us all,¡± Aclysia protested.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t care,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°And that makes two, so ¡®we¡¯ is technically correct, so I¡¯m the best kind of correct,¡± Reysha declared victoriously, before throwing the dice. ¡°Oh come on, three ones and a four? What¡¯s that¡­¡± The boat suddenly and powerfully shook, interrupting Reysha and rearranging the dice into four sixes. ¡°Does that count?¡±


    ¡°It may be wise to postpone the resolution of this game,¡± Aclysia remarked, the sound of rain audibly swelling when the rest of their fellow passengers came into the chamber. They were drenched, but that was hardly unusual. Rain had been a frequent companion these fast few days. What was different was that Joey entered the chamber with the passengers.


    ¡°Alright, so we are heading into a storm,¡± he told everyone. ¡°Wind is pulling us straight in and no amount of rowing could save us, so the best we can do is head through. Good news for all of you is that I know what I¡¯m doing and as long as you stay in here, you won¡¯t have any issues. Seasickness aside, that is.¡±


    ¡°Need any help?¡± Korith asked immediately, storing the things they needed to play in her adventurer¡¯s bag. If she couldn¡¯t throw dice, she might as well make herself useful in other ways. ¡°I hate just sitting around.¡±


    ¡°We want to arrive safely, so we¡¯d also help,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°No,¡± Joey said and looked over the four. ¡°Actually, maybe, if you¡¯re offering. You two are strength Classes, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Korith answered swiftly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus said, since that was close enough.


    ¡°Fantastic, but you are aware that a ten-metre-high wave may break over the deck and wash you away?¡± the captain asked. ¡°Ironically, more of a problem for you, big guy. Korith here is small and heavy. You have way too much surface area.¡±


    ¡°I will be fine,¡± Apexus responded. Even if he did get pushed off, only sea monsters and disorientation would threaten him.


    ¡°Anything for us to do?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°What can you do?¡±


    ¡°I can stab people.¡±


    ¡°Not remotely useful, best use I¡¯d have for you is another link in the bucket chain, if we need that.¡± Reysha showed an excited grin, but Joey got ahead of her joke. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve had multiple complaints about how much you enjoy being a loud cumbucket, but I think your boyfriend there would have an issue if you offered that kind of help for my crew.¡±


    Apexus only let that pass because he knew Reysha would have said that if Joey didn¡¯t. What he had learned about the captain and the tiger girl the last few days was that they had a very similar sense of humour. The difference between them was that Reysha cackled madly, while Joey kept cursing everything in existence.


    ¡°What can you do? Heal?¡± Joey inferred by the rest of the group dynamic. There was practically no party without a healer. Aclysia nodded and he continued his question. ¡°What are you? Because I could use a Druid or a Shaman right now.¡±


    ¡°A Priest,¡± Aclysia told him, her expression turning slightly sad when the captain clicked his tongue with disappointment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a Priest.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have stamina recovery spells, that¡¯s what¡¯s wrong. All you do is heal and wounds aren¡¯t exactly my worry right now. What kind of Priest?¡± Joey continued his questioning unabated.


    ¡°A Priest of Hashahin.¡±


    ¡°Hashahin¡­ he¡¯s a summer god, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the last summer god of the 33 ori-¡°


    ¡°Alright, I have no time for sermons. You can crawl under deck with Lethen and help him melt the tar, in case we get leaks anywhere. If you want to do something, you can do that.¡± Joey said and turned around, heading back out into the rain.


    ¡°Alright, everyone, gimme your stuff,¡± Reysha said, before anyone else could leave. ¡°Might as well sit on everything that¡¯s loose while you¡¯re doing whatever the jackass wants you to do.¡± Apexus and Aclysia took off their adventurer¡¯s bags, while Korith headed over to her chest. She stopped when Reysha grabbed her by the tail. ¡°Oy, squishy, gimme your stuff.¡±


    ¡°I, uhm, thought you meant your party members.¡±


    ¡°I also meant you. Come on, I¡¯ll guard the things,¡± Reysha showed a wide grin. ¡°They¡¯ll be safer if my cute ass sits on them.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you,¡± Korith said and presented her adventurer¡¯s bag to the Rogue. Everything she owed was in there, most importantly her purse. ¡°Hoard won¡¯t like it if I lose my money, so please¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Reysha assured, weighing the bag in her hand before tossing it to the rest in the chest the trio had been using. The lid was shut and the iron frame that kept the chest in place creaked softly when the weight of the chest was tilted along the ship. ¡°Only took me four days to get your stuff,¡± she joked.


    ¡°Please give it back after we make it through the storm?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°All promises,¡± the redhead winked, then gestured for them to go. ¡°Have fun ¨C but not too much fun!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have too much fun without you,¡± Apexus reciprocated the joke and left his second lover giggling, while he led the rest of the group out on the deck. They closed the door firmly behind them.


    The weather wasn¡¯t too bad yet. The steady pour and howling wind were both only so strong that one would rather huddle up with a hot tea. Nobody would fear that their roof would blow off ¨C yet. Every second pushed them further towards a grey wall in the distance, rain so thick that it was difficult to see more than fifty metres out.


    What they could see was equally awe-inspiring and terrifying. The ship was currently ascending a mountain of water. A wave higher than the ship, only failing to bury them under it because it was so wide across the base that the buoyancy of the vessel let them rise up alongside it. In a storm, there was more to fear than just a tall wave.


    It was descending those waves.


    They reached the highest point of the mountain. It was difficult to measure how fast they were going while the ship was in motion. When the majority of the ship shot out of the water for a solid four seconds, they got an idea about the forces involved. They only accelerated further, after the hull slammed back down into the surface, battering the wood. Now in front of the wave, they were pushed not only by wind but also by water.


    That was the calmest part of the rhythm they would go through for the coming hours. ¡°LIGHTWEIGHT, UNDER DECK!¡± Joey screamed over the wind, the rain, and the rushing ocean. His hand pointed at the door that led to the stairs. Aclysia hastily obeyed. If the wind picked up any further, it whisking her away was a genuine threat. ¡°YOU TWO, GET TO THE ROPES!¡±


    Apexus and Korith separated, each of them heading to one flank of the ship, where clusters of sailors were clinging onto ropes that had been attached to the corners of the fully stretched sail. The wind was strong enough that the regular knot that kept the sail in place may have come undone at any moment. If that happened, they had to keep the sail steady by hand until someone managed to fix the situation. Otherwise, they ran the risk that the wildly flailing, wet sail may have wrapped around itself, making it unusable for the remainder of the storm and leaving them completely at the mercy of the waves. If they ever became slower than the waves, one of them would inevitably collapse over them.


    They joined in the general holding efforts. Right now, everything was fine. They just needed to stand there, in the whipping downpour, ready for the worst. Rushing adrenaline prevented them from being bored with their stationary situation, which was a blessing.


    The additional advantage of the rope was that they had something to hold onto when they hit the valley between two waves. The front of the ship was dangerously low in the water. Sent up high, scattering drops rained down on the quaking deck. The nervous moment passed, and they were back up in the ascend.


    Ten minutes passed, then an hour, then two. Wind and rain grew worse, the waves taller, and still they stood. The entire deck was drenched, doubtlessly there was water in the hull too, but so far the construction of the ship coped with what made it through the planks.


    Then it finally happened.


    One of the knots on Apexus¡¯ side snapped. All three adult men and the humanoid slime were pulled forwards by ludicrous force. Upping his body temperature as much as he dared without being suspicious, Apexus pulled for more than two of them. His heel pressed against the elevation in the wood that existed only so people had footing in this situation.


    Two more sailors, having stood at the ready where the rain wasn¡¯t quite as punishing, hastened over. With six pairs of hands, they managed to keep the sail steady, while the captain himself rushed to the loose end of the rope. It had been secured to a part of the railing, which allowed re-knotting without scaling the mast. Cursing continuously, the captain handled the wet rope with cold hands. The knot he had to make was complicated. It had to be sturdy, because the majority of the pressure had to be on the knot itself. If the post it was tied to broke, they only had a few alternatives. Simultaneously, the knot had to be weaker than those securing the sail to the top of the mast. If the wind tore that first, they were doomed from the start.


    Joey was almost done when they hit a new wave, harder than ever before. Several thousand litres of saltwater rushed around everyone on deck. For a moment it felt like they had instantly sunk. Then the front of the ship rose far up the surface, reducing and then shielding them from the stream that broke around the hull.


    ¡°FUCK,¡± someone screamed on the other side of the ship. Apexus only had to take one glance to see what was happening. The rope on the other side had also loosened, just as one of the people on that side had lost their footing and almost been washed overboard. The sailor held onto the railing for dear life, just like Korith was holding onto the rope. Using a spell called Steadfast, she could lock herself in her current position with a supernatural level of footing.


    ¡°KNOT DONE!¡± Joey shouted. ¡°BIG GUY, GO!¡±


    The captain knew what that tone of curse meant during the storm and he also knew who had the longest legs around. The humanoid slime knew that he had two jobs to do and that one was a lot more important than the other. Rushing over to the other side, the slime reached the railing just before the sailor lost his grip on the slippery wood. With no regard for gentleness, Apexus grabbed the sailor by the collar and threw them back on board. They hit the planks in a painful but very much alive fashion. Then Apexus turned straight to the second rope and helped there too.


    Everyone gritted their teeth and weathered the storm for the hours to come.

 Guidance 10 – Shores of Weststir

    ¡°Fucking Hellroots, how are you still standing?¡± Joey asked Apexus. They had made it beyond the rough areas of the storm and were now in a merely unruly sea, allowing everyone to collapse against one of the walls. Apexus was one of two people still standing.


    The other one was Korith and she was closer to the sailors than Apexus in terms of exhaustion. The kobold was leaning against him for support. Even though she was still standing, getting through the storm had taken enough of a toll on her that she reverted right back to instincts when it came to body language. The instinct when it came to Apexus was incredibly sexual.


    Which was why the shortstack was currently pushing her boobs against his leg. She had never done that with any other man, but she had also never been around someone that looked this good, smelled this nice, and was this tall all at the same time. The humanoid slime desperately tried not to get too distracted by the squishy softness practically enveloping his right thigh.


    ¡°I have a lot of endurance,¡± answered Apexus. Between him and exhaustion stood only the heat of his body and he could keep himself warm as long as he had energy. They had to stick to pretty bare rations the last few days, but he had built up enough of a reserve before that to make that a non-issue. Covertly taking in the amount of water he needed had been a bigger problem, solved mostly via enjoying some rainwater.


    ¡°Lot of endurance my ass,¡± Joey cussed. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone that came out the other end of a storm without laying flat on the deck.¡±


    ¡°We all learn new things every day,¡± Apexus responded and picked up Korith. The small bundle of jiggle and drenched clothes was clearly too absent-minded to walk on her own. It was the first time he actually carried her. She was almost as heavy as Reysha, a woman 70 centimetres taller. Kobolds were impressive in a number of unusual ways.


    To Apexus, helping Korith back into the passenger area was an act of friendly help. To Korith, laying across Apexus¡¯ strong arms as he casually hauled her heavy body around was something that sent the swoon signals all through her tired brain. The heart in her small body had no chance. A twenty second walk and the previous lust elevated to something more than attachment and less than love.


    The passenger room was as dry as could be expected. There had been so much water flying around that it had drenched the majority of the room¡¯s floor. Luckily, the passenger¡¯s room was at the back of the ship and so it had at least been shielded from the wind. Reysha was already back.


    ¡°Aww, look at that precious little ball of squish and scales,¡± the tiger girl said, while Apexus placed her in a hammock.


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ precious¡­¡± Korith protested sluggishly.


    Reysha placed her index finger on the kobold¡¯s nose and wiggled around. ¡°Course you aren¡¯t,¡± she said in the tone of sweet sarcasm. ¡°Ya wanna sleep in those clothes or should I help you undress.¡±


    ¡°Or I could do it,¡± Apexus suggested. He had picked up by now that it was frowned upon for men to help women they weren¡¯t romantically engaged with to get naked. He also thought it was stupid. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trust Reysha to keep her hands to herself.¡±


    ¡°Oy, big guy, are ya trying to clam jam me over here?¡±


    ¡°If you would kindly step out of my way,¡± Aclysia made her presence known and walked up to Korith. ¡°For decency, I will help you.¡±


    ¡°Thank youuuuuu,¡± the kobold yawned her gratitude. She barely felt how the metal fairy peeled the drenched clothes off her. Then warmth like the sun, heating up skin that had been cooled by hours of autumn rain.


    Finally, sleep.


    _________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°And there it is,¡± Joey shouted down from the front of the ship. ¡°The continent of Weststir.¡±


    It was the morning of the following day. After the storm, they had a few hours until dawn they could still sleep through and the sailors had made ample use of that privilege. Those people were used to the particular challenges of seafaring life, so they had bounced right back.


    The storm had been blowing them in the right direction. As painful as sailing through had been, it had propelled them twelve hours ahead of schedule. ¡°Congratulations, no need to row this time around,¡± Joey added, while the passengers gathered on the deck.


    Apexus beheld the distant green. There wasn¡¯t much to see at this distance, only the fact that land gradually showed beyond the horizon. Letting out a happy sigh, Reysha celebrated the fact that they were heading somewhere that wasn¡¯t yellow. Aclysia was silently thinking, ¡®Privacy and cuddles, you are so close.¡¯


    Korith felt torn. She had woken up in her underwear, dry, and with a blanket on top of her. That had been nice. Aclysia had assured her that she had prevented her companions from doing or seeing anything inappropriate. That had been nice. They were going to make landfall in a few hours. That would be nice. After that, she would probably have to separate from the trio. That was not nice.


    They had been spending the morning playing some more games. Not that those had been needed to make Korith absolutely certain that she wanted to get into their party. Aclysia may have been dense, Reysha may have been horny and Apexus may have been odd, but those negative qualities were outweighed completely by the positives. Problem was: they were insistent on not wanting to expand their group.


    ¡®I¡¯ll just be insistent about joining it¡­yeah!¡¯ Korith thought and nodded to herself, pumping her fists for encouragement.


    For their part, the trio were regretful about having to keep their current stance. Had they been a normal party without baggage, they would have taken the kobold along immediately.


    Regardless of their issues, they would be spending the foreseeable future together on the large island that made up the southernmost area of the Weststir continent: the Teacher¡¯s Isle.


    The closer they got to it, the more impressive it got. Green and (to Reysha¡¯s dismay) yellow trees were scattered about the verdant landscape. A chaotic array of impressive structures stood between the scattered houses. Adventurers were an odd lot and retired adventurers had enough funds and power to make their final stay in the style of their home Leaves. All of Wise Shire had houses far larger and more individually designed than anywhere else on the Leaf. The Teacher¡¯s Isle, where the most powerful former adventurers typically stayed, was that, but taken two steps further. It was still shy of the extreme of Maevstir though.


    Apexus and Reysha found the sprawling chaotic city enticing. The large amount of greenery that was kept even around the city centre gave the whole port a more natural vibe than the stone-sealed structures and streets of the standard centre of sale and statecraft. Aclysia found the complete lack of unified building code mildly upsetting. Individually, the houses looked great. Next to each other, everything was jumbled. Korith was in awe at the wealth on display. There could be a great deal of money hoarded here.


    Finally, the ship stopped at the pier. Sailors climbed off and jumped on the wooden planks. Ropes were thrown over and tied to ready posts. Administrators came along to prepare the cargo check. The plank was lowered and Joey turned to the passengers. ¡°Alright, those of you who want to keep going to the republic, you¡¯ll have two days to kill. You can sleep on board or in an inn, I really don¡¯t care. The rest of you,¡± he looked over to the quartet. ¡°It¡¯s been fucking awful. Here,¡± he said and offered them twenty silvers. ¡°You did pull your weight, so I should give you a discount.¡±


    ¡°Not necessary,¡± Apexus assured.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Joey sounded almost chirpy at the prospect of saving himself the gift. His good mood collapsed into the usual sourness when Korith raised her voice. ¡°Let me guess, you want the money?¡± he sneered.


    ¡°W-why do you sound so angry, you just offered it,¡± Korith whined.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m a fucking cheapskate,¡± Joey answered with complete disregard for his honour. ¡°And I like money. Specifically, the kind of money that can buy me enough alcohol to make me keel over. Whatever, you earned it. Here.¡±


    Korith had never been given a gift so aggressively. The coins were practically shoved into her palms. Even if Joey wasn¡¯t pleased, Hoard would be, so Korith pulled her purse out and carefully put the coins into it. They rattled satisfyingly along the rest in the little sack.


    ¡°Now get the Hellroots off my ship, unless you want to help unload the cargo.¡±


    ¡°Will you pay for that?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Apexus had one final comment for the captain. ¡°You are a difficult person.¡±


    ¡°Shut up you inexhaustible freak and take your noise complaint workshops with you,¡± Joey gave them his own final curse, before raising his hand in a friendly wave and turning his attention to his crew. ¡°Frank, you have been working for me for two years, how come you still suck so much?¡±


    The quartet got off the ship before they said anything else. ¡°What a thoroughly pleasant person,¡± Reysha hummed, while they walked up to the city. It had no specific name, as the city stretched over the entire island with more and less pronounced clusters. People just referred to the entire area as the Teacher¡¯s Isle.


    Aclysia looked around the port area and imprinted every detail into her memory. The wooden pier they had anchored on. The carefully laid bricks that marked the proper roads cutting through the dirt and grass. The semi-circle of empty space that separated the docks from the houses, with only a massive warehouse standing at the centre.


    All of these details were important. This was where they made landfall. ¡®Under the circumstance that we successfully enlist help on this Leaf, this will be the place where we should fight the Deathhound,¡¯ she thought. ¡®It will be as tactically beneficial as it can be.¡¯


    The three tall people kept walking along, barely noticing at first that they slowed down in their usual pace to allow the short-legged fourth of their group to waddle along with them. Eventually, Apexus addressed the kobold in the party, ¡°We really can¡¯t let you travel with us.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Korith said, despite having made every resolution to change their mind on it, ¡°but you are heading to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Apexus confirmed with a nod. He was happy to let the shortstack accompany them for a little while longer. They asked a random person on the street for directions and they pointed them to  a prominent white tower in the distance. That was where the guild building was.


    Through streets of dirt and brick, past buildings of a large variety of Leaves, they made their way and chatted about nothing consequential. After twenty minutes, they had reached the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It was an impressive complex of buildings covered in clean white plaster, smoothed  by expert hands. The autumn sun only softly cut through the cloudy sky, basking the buildings in a soft glow. Busy people walked behind the large windows. In Wise Shire, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild doubled as the local government, small as it was.


    No matter how luxurious the outside looked, the first room of the building was, like in every other outpost, a bar. A particularly crowded one at that, filled to the brim with youngsters that were on the Teacher¡¯s Isle to be taught Skills and Spells by those that had settled after a long career out in the worlds. The crowd was a mix of all kinds of wacky characters from different races. The quartet didn¡¯t stand out whatsoever, as they headed to the reception.


    The redheaded lady standing there greeted them with a smile. ¡°Hello, how may I help you?¡±


    Aclysia took the helm, as she usually did during group talks, ¡°We would like to buy a map of the Leaf and to receive general information about the available teachers.¡± While they did have the goal to enlist the help of the local leadership, the metal fairy thought it wisest to start with that process after they had gotten an idea who the local leadership actually was. Making an immediate fuss would have had them called crazy and ostracized.


    ¡°Certainly. If you would show me your Adventurer¡¯s Pass, I could refer you to the teacher appropriate for your Class,¡± the receptionist offered.


    ¡°We would like to check out the various teachers by ourselves,¡± Aclysia returned.


    Korith cleared her throat. ¡°Uhm, I would like to take that offer,¡± she said and placed her pass on the table. The receptionist took the sheet of copper, checked a list, and then returned the sheet with a small paper slip with the necessary information. ¡°Thanks!¡±


    ¡°If you wish to check out all the different training halls by yourself, I recommend you buy the map for the island as well,¡± the receptionist said. The trio had the money, so they went ahead and did that. Two folded maps went across the counter, money went the other way. ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Are there any places we can rent to stay?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°Certainly. If you would open your map.¡± The receptionist waited for Aclysia to oblige and then pointed at a number of places around the city. There were a few group lodges (cheap, small, and typically shared with other adventurers), camping sites (free, cold, but with as much space as one wanted outside the tent), rentable houses (costly and most comfortable), and a few abandoned houses (free, no quality insurance, rare, and usually far away from anything important).


    The group decided to try their luck with the last of those four options.

 Guidance 11 – Their own walls

    ¡°No,¡± Aclysia asserted.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Aclysia insisted.


    ¡°This is not negotiable,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°By the gods, impossible!¡± Aclysia cried out.


    ¡°Inconceivable,¡± Aclysia shook her head.


    ¡°No,¡± she said.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°N-¡°


    ¡°We get it!¡± Reysha shouted and slammed her palm against the wall of the abandoned house. The force of her frustration was enough to shatter the weather-worn wood and cause it to cave several centimetres inwards. The tiger girl hastily pulled her hand back, inspecting it for splinters. ¡°Is there anything that¡¯s good enough for ya, bubble butt?¡±


    ¡°My standards in this instance are not unreasonable,¡± Aclysia returned instantly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a free fucking house.¡±


    ¡°And none of the ones we have sighted so far have had a proper roof, solid walls, or enough space to accommodate us three,¡± Aclysia insisted. After crossing her arms, she continued. ¡°You should be thankful for my worry, the nightly temperature here is not as forgiving as the last place we had a prolonged stay at. Additionally, it rains a lot and is frequently windy.¡±


    Reysha¡¯s lips stretched into a dismayed expression. ¡°We could fix it up.¡±


    ¡°Analysing the condition of the houses we have seen so far, it would be easier to build a new one,¡± Aclysia tapped her feet several times. ¡°I will not allow our accommodation to be anything less than comfortable. You and darling deserve better.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Apexus weighed in. He meant that in regard to almost every count. ¡°You do deserve better and it does get cold.¡± He looked up at the sky. Even marching as quick as they did, it was gradually getting darker. Not exactly an issue for the three of them, two of them had fantastic night vision and the third could conjure her own light. They could continue looking for houses no matter the time.


    The fourth person in the walking (not adventuring) party, had a different suggestion. ¡°You could huddle in at my place,¡± Korith said, from her position on Apexus¡¯ shoulders. They had found a place suitable for her hours ago. For the kobold, the only real options had been the free ones. Advantageously for her, she was small and on her own. What was a garden shed for others was a completely suitable dwelling place for her, keeping the competition low and the number of choices comparatively high.


    ¡°Appreciated, but inappropriate,¡± Aclysia denied the suggestion.


    The glare that accompanied those firm words made Korith shudder. By now, all three of the trio had realized what the shortstack was doing. Still, Apexus had put her on his shoulders for practically no reason. Korith had needed to jog to keep up with them. As a Warrior, endurance was one of her strengths; it would have taken her quite a while to tire. Regardless, she now was where she was.


    ¡°Your proximity is already too much for our current relationship,¡± Aclysia pointed out, making the kobold blush and the slime avert his gaze. One felt guilt because she was being called out and the other because he knew he couldn¡¯t engage in any lasting relationship with Korith. As much as he had heard from Reysha about the way some humanoids, especially young ones, engaged in casual sexual exchanges, Apexus still preferred his breeding centred mindset.


    Any sexual attraction he felt was fundamentally based on the ability to procreate with someone. Even if he was currently infertile, as per his women¡¯s request and smart decision making, that remained the ultimate goal. Instincts informed Apexus that the best way to ensure the success of his offspring (and to have more than one per woman) was to stay around and be there to care for his partners.


    Those were feelings he had deciphered over several days of contemplation scattered over his lifetime. On top of them layered the love he felt for the two women he already had. Expanding his prospective procreation partners without their approval was a bad idea. It had made Aclysia cry once and that was all he ever needed as a deterrent.


    Squishy as Korith¡¯s fantastic thighs were around his neck, all he felt for the kobold was currently inappropriate. Instincts disagreed with casual hook-ups, love deterred further from such actions, and reason made that path inaccessible at the moment. Therefore, even carrying her around as he did was a mistake.


    Aclysia thought all of this and above that, she was jealous. Not a feeling she liked to have and neither one she wanted to have control of her. Regardless, it was present. As much as she liked Korith, the kobold was clearly overstepping her boundaries. That last remark had crossed the line. ¡°I think it would be wisest if you were to return to your house now,¡± the metal fairy said.


    ¡°I¡­ uhm¡­¡± Korith tried to come up with an excuse to stay with them for the rest of the search (and beyond).


    Reysha let out a long sigh, while Apexus bowed down and made the shortstack climb off him. ¡°Bubble butt is right,¡± the redhead said.


    ¡°¡­Okay¡­¡± Korith said, her golden eyes focusing on the ground. In the fading autumn light, she was a picture of misery. A round, gorgeous face framed by brilliant blond hair, lips contorted into a pout, and a deflated tail whose tip laid limp on the leaf-covered ground.


    The kobold didn¡¯t intend to guilt-trip the trio. Intention was far from necessary when one was liked and naturally this adorable. ¡°We can talk again some other time,¡± Apexus promised. ¡°We¡¯ll tell you where we end up, alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Korith said with the hint of a smile on her lips. She was still disappointed, but she still wouldn¡¯t stop in her efforts. All of them understood what she was doing. Nobody addressed it directly. ¡°I¡¯ll see you around,¡± the kobold said and took a step backwards. Then another. Then another. She did hope for them to stop her. That didn¡¯t happen and so she eventually turned around and walked in the direction of her shack.


    Aclysia let out the longest sigh. The elongated exhale exorcised her jealousy and her frustration. It ended too early, courtesy of Reysha saying, ¡°You¡¯re the big mean, Clysia.¡±


    ¡°I did not at all enjoy what I had to do there,¡± the metal fairy snapped back. ¡°I act as is appropriate in our situation. Adorable and charismatic as I find her to be, giving her false hope is not helpful.¡±


    ¡°Yet not even you could tell her that there is no chance,¡± Apexus observed.


    ¡°I¡­ no, I couldn¡¯t, darling,¡± Aclysia admitted and fled into the slime¡¯s arms when he offered her a hug. ¡°It isn¡¯t fair that we have to be burdened with this,¡± she muttered, clinging to his chest.


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t,¡± the slime just agreed. ¡°We will deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will,¡± Aclysia nodded.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    It was well past midnight when they finally found shelter that met Aclysia¡¯s minimum requirement.


    The house was extremely dirty, filled with a great number of leaves, soil, and insects that had migrated in through a window that had been open for several years. That was the bad news, the good news was that this window was not made from glass, but a simple cut-out that could be sealed via a pane that was still lying in the dirt right under it.


    The panel was damp and rotten around the edges, but it fit well enough to seal the window until they got a replacement. The same could be said about a quarter of the roof. Importantly, the reeds still kept the area around the fireplace dry. Of the possessions of the previous owners, nothing remained. It had all been plundered by relatives or other adventurers. Not even a stool remained. There were just four walls, a stone floor, and the chimney.


    Those were, however, four sturdy walls of wood, reinforced with bricks. The stone slabs on the ground had been minorly displaced and many were cracked due to trees tunnelling under the house. The chimney was, dirt aside, intact. A small lean-to attached to the side of the building indicated where firewood had once been stacked. All of that had been taken too, of course.


    The house had been unoccupied since its previous owner, the son of a local teacher, had finished his learning on the island and set out into the Omniverse. Initially, some relatives had taken residence and then a few adventurers had rented the place from the relatives. Both had moved out because the house was far away from anything interesting, aside from unoccupied woodland. The average local and adventurer wanted to be close to the places of commerce and teaching. Because of this, renting the property to all but the most eccentric or poor was difficult and the latter usually had an easier time camping in the unclaimed stretches anyway.


    All it took was for one such break to last a year for the house to become uninteresting. Dirt accrued, equipment was taken away, and eventually the people who ¡®owned¡¯ the house deemed it too much of a hassle to clean it every other month. It was left vacant and turned from rentable property to abandoned house.


    Far away from anything interesting was exactly as the group liked it. Apexus and Aclysia were mobile enough that distances didn¡¯t bother them that much anyway. Reysha would have insisted on living closer to the inner city, had she arrived there before her current condition. Since alcohol now tasted to her like a slushie made from the vilest entrails of a diseased cow, living close to the action was no longer a great concern. The forest, with its huntable animals, however, was direly needed in their proximity.


    Plus, they could scream their lungs out in there and nobody would care.


    Step one of claiming the house was for Apexus to clean the layer of organic material covering the ground. Aclysia and Reysha stood guard outside, while Apexus started in one corner of the room and slowly munched his way all over, like an expanding carpet. Left behind was a remarkably clean floor and a disgusting ball of mud and other things Apexus could not dissolve.


    The exact border was difficult to nail down, but there was a point at which objects that had once been biological were broken down so much, the slime¡¯s magical acid no longer registered them as food. Something that was past rotting was universally inedible to him. Something that was in the process of rotting passed in part. Mould itself was always edible. Apexus hated it though, because it was always accompanied by things that swam uselessly in his biomass or stomach.


    Step two of claiming the house was to prepare their beds in spots they knew were dry. ¡®Helpfully¡¯, the previous years of abandonment had marked the holes in the ceiling clearly. The area around the fireplace seemed to be the safest. The roof had been reinforced there when the house had been first built and it showed.


    Step three was to gather a bunch of dry or semi-dry material and throw it into the fireplace, then have Aclysia focus it with magic until it finally caught flame. By that point, Reysha was practically passing out already. When the fire finally burned properly, they all huddled together under a blanket and slept the night away.


    Step four was to scout out the surroundings for the food supply. Not only did they need prey, they needed preferably magical prey. They stumbled over some edible animals, deer, primarily, but nothing outright mana-ridden. In terms of prey, they were out of luck. They did, however, stumble over a kind of herb that had a good amount of mana in it.


    For their first meal on this island, Reysha had no choice but to chew on that herb between bites of flesh. It was bitter and she hated it. She would have loved to experiment in some way with this, but they had no cooking equipment whatsoever. That was something they could now think about, since they would stay in that house for the foreseeable future.


    Step five was to do some initial fixes. They took the stone slabs off the ground, ripped out whatever roots underneath caused them to lay about all crooked, and placed them back as level as they could. The final result was not that great, but it was better than before. They wanted to try and fix the roof too, but they had no replacement reeds, no idea how to thatch, and rotting reeds were better than no reeds when it came to cover. Therefore, that was a project for another day.


    Step six was, finally, to go out and find their teachers.

 Guidance 12 – To find a teacher

    The trio moved out together, but they didn¡¯t stay together.


    They reached the training place for Rogues first. It may have been a bit odd to have a school for a Class with that particular title out in the open, but everyone knew that adventurers had to employ their services sometimes. Additionally, the large, windowless block of a building was dedicated more to the martial arts of the Class, than it was to the underhanded skills of lockpicking and sneaking.


    Reysha entered the dark building cheerfully. Aclysia and Apexus had their reservations about separating without making absolutely certain there were no traps around, but the tiger girl had insisted they were being absurdly paranoid. Now the two were left on their own devices.


    They took a small detour to visit Korith, before heading to the place Aclysia would be taught. The kobold was not around and they had nothing to write to her on, so they moved on. They could always return another day.


    In a rundown monastery of dull grey stone, Apexus and Aclysia found a bald man. His lanky build and wrinkled skin gave him the look of someone near starvation. He moved with certainty though, his grey robe flowing over the undecorated floor. ¡°A new acolyte?¡± he asked, narrowing his brown eyes. ¡°An angel.¡±


    Aclysia did not freeze. It would have been foolish of her to expect a retired Priest to miss her true nature. ¡°An exiled one, temporarily,¡± she reported. ¡°As I am, you owe me no veneration.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d never owe you veneration,¡± the teacher responded harshly, leaving the metal fairy speechless. Before Apexus could consider stepping in, he continued in his almost bored voice. ¡°I¡¯m Pronthin. I can teach you Holy magic, but do not expect to hear prayer from me.¡± He turned towards one of the clear windows of the monastery. ¡°You can join the others if you so wish. It¡¯s what they do at this hour.¡±


    ¡°I would prefer to,¡± Aclysia said, somewhat confused by this Priest. ¡°May I ask that you keep my nature a secret?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Pronthis shrugged carelessly, then made a tired gesture for Aclysia to follow him. ¡°I exchange coin for training. As long as you have coin, I don¡¯t care about the rest.¡± The metal fairy gave Apexus one last glance, then went ahead. She disappeared in the depth of the corridors lying behind the entrance hall.


    Leaving Apexus to go outside and spread his wings. With a mighty leap and several powerful beats of his wings, the humanoid slime rose up into the air. Gradually the ground under him became smaller, as he resisted the pull of gravity again and again, until he could see much of the island below. He wasn¡¯t the only humanoid up in the sky. Less than two dozen, they moved through the sky, people with wings, magical boots, or flying spells.


    Apexus studied them for a bit, while staying at his current altitude. When he had gleaned all from them that he could from a distance, his thoughts returned to the question at hand: where was he supposed to go?


    Unlike Aclysia and Reysha, he had no previous Class to continue training in. Wherever he would start, he would do so as a complete novice. People would wonder how he got so far without any Skills or Spells. Wonder was not the same as disbelief, however. It wasn¡¯t unheard of, only rare.


    He wanted to fight with his hands. He wanted to be able to protect his party. He wanted to remain mobile. He wanted to be able to help wherever he was needed. He wanted to have some basic understanding of Martial Arts and Spells. It was still an open question if he could even wield either. He did lack a magical cortex. Not that he had been able to cast when he had temporarily formed one either. It could have been just a lack of knowledge. They had to figure that out, before they went ahead and tried to get one. All of his criteria put together, the Class he had been assigned by others before came to mind.


    A Monk.


    There was a school for Monks on the island. It was on the northwest end of the island. Had he moved on foot, he would have required most of the day to get there. Instead, he could turn in the wind and swiftly glide there. It still took time, just a whole lot less.


    The temple of the Monks came into view soon. Compared to the other two schools, it was an impressive building. A large building with white, plastered walls between red wood frames, with a blue tiled roof, sitting atop a marble podium, at the centre of a massive courtyard. There were smaller buildings at the side, used either as temporary homes, storage, or kitchens. Despite the steady tumble of autumn leaves, the roofs and courtyard were almost entirely clean, the stone floor smooth and barren.


    Forty-three people stood in square formation in the courtyard. An equal distance between all of them, more than large enough for two other people to move between even as the trainees went through various motions. Many did so in perfect accordance to the shouts of a third instructor, who stood on the stairs of the temple. A few, the newer recruits, struggled to keep up or stretch their limbs in the demanded ways. Only just before he landed, did Apexus notice an old man sipping tea sitting off to the side.


    The man continued to drink, while one of the two instructors in the courtyard came over to Apexus, who stood underneath the gate that separated dirt road from clean courtyard.


    After stopping in front of the humanoid slime, the first thing the instructor did was look at Apexus¡¯ feet. He nodded approvingly, seeing that the slime was still outside temple grounds. Much to the slime¡¯s confusion, who wondered if his shoes were too dirty. ¡°Are you here to seek our teaching or challenge our temple?¡± the man asked.


    Tilting his head, the slime asked, ¡°Why would I challenge a building?¡± They realized, roughly at the same time, where the newcomer¡¯s confusion lay. Apexus cleared up his mistake, too late to be seen as normal, ¡°Ah, you mean the temple as the institution. No, I do not wish to challenge. I want to test if the Monk Class would suit me.¡±


    ¡°Someone of your build usually fits the Brawler or the Warrior more,¡± the instructor hummed, looking at the one-head taller humanoid slime. ¡°Monkhood is much more a state of mind than other Classes. If you feel at peace in our spiritual sanctum, that is the greatest sign this path is yours to tread. Please, step into our temple.¡±


    Apexus didn¡¯t do so immediately. He noticed that all of the trainees were barefoot, despite the climate. The instructor wore shoes. Notably clean shoes, which he had put on inside the temple grounds. ¡°Should I take these off?¡± the humanoid slime asked. It wasn¡¯t only a question of manners. He hated how the leather dulled his tremor senses.


    Unable to read minds, the instructor only thought he was looking at a very attentive (potential) student. Which was correct, all things being equal. He nodded approvingly. ¡°That would be proper.¡± Once Apexus had taken them off and stepped aside, careful not to get any dirt on his feet in the process, the instructor pointed the slime at a shelf previously hidden by the corner of the gate. ¡°Please, leave them there.¡±


    The instructor waited expectantly, while Apexus took several seconds staring at the shelf. ¡®Why is he so patient?¡¯ Apexus asked himself. By now he had gotten used to people giving him judgemental looks when he deliberated something that was normal for the average humanoid. He shrugged those glances off, he couldn¡¯t help it if he didn¡¯t know something. That there was a complete and utter lack of care for, and even approval of, his behaviour in this place mildly disturbed him.


    That disturbance accompanied him while he looked at the shelf. It was one continuous plank of wood, fashioned from a red tree, with various cloth pieces with symbols on them dangling from a roof extending from the wall above. The cloths separated the stretch into various segments with the intangible walls their presence created, visually. There was a single pair of very fine boots close to the gate, then a gap of three, and then a large stretch of various boots.


    ¡°Those belong to the trainees?¡± Apexus asked. The instructor nodded. The more important question was the next one. ¡°Then this one belongs to the leader of the temple?¡± He pointed at the fine pair next to the gate and got another nod. The slime blatantly looked over to the old man sipping tea.


    He didn¡¯t look the part of a leader. Clearly past his prime, the averagely tall man was of a humble build, even somewhat chubby. His wrinkly skin was spotty, his long hair and even longer beard white and carefully kempt. While he was being stared at, the old Monk just lowered his head in greeting.


    ¡°Where may I put my shoes?¡± Apexus asked, having experienced too much to think that old men weren¡¯t dangerous.


    ¡°Appropriate would be the left end of the board,¡± the instructor recommended. ¡®Initial oddity aside, this one seems to possess the observation required for monkhood,¡¯ he thought and gestured for the visitor to come along. They walked off to the side, where the instructor told Apexus to sit on a pillow for the moment. ¡°You cannot join until we have taught you the stances, so you can only watch for the start.¡±


    ¡°Do I not have to pay?¡± Apexus asked, before the instructor walked away.


    ¡°We operate from the fortune of the founder of the temple and benevolent donations,¡± the instructor hastily explained, before returning to the training. Apexus watched for half an hour, while the various trainees were corrected in their movements wherever necessary. Sometimes he looked over to the leader of the temple, who waved at one occasion. Uncertain what else to do, Apexus waved back.


    The newest recruits were separated from the others eventually, with the more advanced ones staying with two of the instructors and the rest following the remaining one to where Apexus and the old man were. Their uniforms, brown robes and baggy pants, weren¡¯t unlike Apexus¡¯ own clothes.


    Apexus was then made to stand up and taught various stances. Many of them, most of them in fact, were utterly useless to him. They stretched muscles, strained stamina, and trained balance. Only the last of those three was something the slime could profit from. There was a calming element to repeatedly executing the same movements, however. That, the slime very much appreciated. Like most physical exercises, he picked each stance up quickly. It was all about deciphering which of his self-made muscles required movement.


    Everything about this place appeared fitting to Apexus. His oddity didn¡¯t stand out as much here, the people dressed like him (if for a different reason), and the description of the Class matched with how he wanted to fight.


    Yet, as the old man approached, he felt a sense of discomfort rise inside him. ¡°My name is Maltos,¡± the leader of the Monks greeted him.


    ¡°Apexus,¡± the humanoid slime answered.


    ¡°A somewhat pompous name,¡± Maltos laughed and gave the slime a friendly pat on the shoulder. Barely, the slime managed to stay still under the short touch. ¡°Come along. I like to talk to you new students at this hour.¡± Apexus nodded and joined in the small group of aspiring Monks, walking behind their teacher. The friendly voice scratched in his ears with duplicity. ¡°What is the Class most akin to the Monk?¡± he asked. Maltos opened every lecture with a question.


    The students got thinking. Quietly, they followed along, walking from one corner of the central marble podium to another. Once there, the first student provided an answer. ¡°The Priest, because they too find their power in spirituality.¡±


    ¡°Priests find their power in faith and not even that is true for all of them,¡± Maltos responded patiently. ¡°Try again, you will find the answer.¡±


    They made their way along the back wall, another response ringing out. ¡°The Druid, because they too attune themselves to the world around them.¡±


    ¡°Druids, and Shamans for that matter, share more with us than Priests, but they too are connected to outside forces,¡± Maltos denied again. With a humble chuckle, he added, ¡°Do not worry, students, it is normal to wonder for a while. If you wish, you can guess. I will teach you what the differences are.¡±


    ¡°The Mage¡­ because¡­ they channel power from within?¡± Someone made a random guess.


    ¡°Channelling power from within makes us about as akin to one another as we are to the Rogues for using our hands to accomplish tasks,¡± Maltos lectured calmly, never appearing anything else but a nice old man. ¡°What would be your guess, Apexus?¡±


    The way his name was called by the old man, patiently, friendly, without any ill motive, made the slime¡¯s membrane crawl. ¡°Yes?¡± he responded.


    ¡°What would be your guess?¡± the old teacher asked and turned around. In the middle of the movement, he suddenly stopped and started coughing. The cough was deep, phlegmy, old, typical for a man this age, and familiar. Immediately one of the instructors hurried over and handed him a cup of tea. He took a sip, let out a long breath. ¡°Thank you¡­ Apexus?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Apexus,¡± a different voice echoed in the slime¡¯s ears. A different old man, at a different time, outwardly friendly, way past his prime, a teacher to bring to him what he needed to know, hiding a city-eating monster inside.


    ¡°Apexus?¡± the old man¡¯s voice reached him again, rising in volume. The slime wasn¡¯t sure who he heard. The Monk, the lonely man in his hidden house, or the Warlock crying in rage. ¡°Apexus? APEXUS?¡±


    Whichever it was, the slime was already in the air.

 Guidance 13 – Rage and Control

    Apexus landed after ten minutes of aimless soaring. Violently, he crashed down on all fours. His knees popped out of their sockets, to be repaired by his nature a moment thereafter. Clenching his teeth, he rose to his feet and immediately hurled his fist at a nearby tree. The healthy bark cut into his knuckles. A second, then a third punch followed. Each he felt all the way up to his shoulder. Each wore down the tree.


    At the fourth punch the thought dawned on him ¡®Why am I doing this?¡¯ but it was only a small voice, too distant to demand an answer. Again and again, he slammed his fist into the tree. Bark burst, wood splintered, bit for bit he made his way through the trunk. ¡®Why am I doing this?!¡¯ The question echoed in his mind a second time, more urgently this time.


    Apexus stopped. It was too late for the tree. The trunk was utterly obliterated in the section the slime had targeted. Tilting, accelerating, then falling, the weight of the upper half caused a gradual collapse. The crown got stuck in another tree, disturbing a pair of birds sitting up there.


    Instinctively, the slime prepared to eat the tree. He did not kill unless he wanted to eat or he had no choice. Those were the two universal rules he applied to everything outside of dungeons. If he left that tree rotting there, he would have broken them.


    A rustling nearby caught the slime¡¯s attention. His fox ear turned first, then his head followed. He spied a group of kids, staring at him. The moment they made eye contact, they turned tail and ran. The expression the humanoid slime was making would have intimidated even the greatest of brats. Kids had good instincts and they knew when it was better to be somewhere else.


    They didn¡¯t have far to flee. Their house was nearby. Many houses were nearby. Not clustered as it would have been in a proper city or even a town square, but enough to make sure that this was an area owned and regularly observed by people. There was no way he would get to devour that tree without being caught.


    Nourishing the storm in his core further, Apexus turned and stomped away. He was too agitated to take off again and the question still remained: ¡®Why did I do that?¡¯


    Because, it soon surfaced, it was the only thing he could do. The true target of his rage was an eternity away, unreachable in all ways that mattered. No other outlet existed than impotently hurling his fists at whatever was in front of him.


    ¡®What a vile solution,¡¯ Apexus thought, disgusted at himself. He had lost control, completely, at the memory of Gizmo. Terror and anger had taken over and he had fled. His core was held in the grip of insecurity. ¡®Why can¡¯t I solve this myself?¡¯ That was a question every sapient being struggled with. That fact didn¡¯t help the slime at that moment. A different problem was more pertinent at the moment, ¡®Should I go back?¡¯


    Assuming they would even let him back in, he wasn¡¯t sure what he would do when faced with that old man again. Would he just be overtaken by a surge of rage again? At the same time, he couldn¡¯t afford to waste this day doing nothing. He needed a teacher, if he was to keep up with Aclysia and Reysha. Magic was too potent to not utilize it in combat. What elevated him over the rest of the sapient species wouldn¡¯t be enough to keep him at the apex of a level bracket forever.


    If he came back without any results, what would his loves think? They would be disappointed in him and that was something the slime couldn¡¯t bear. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t head back. Not to that old, outwardly friendly man.


    ¡®I will head to the other schools,¡¯ he thought. There wouldn¡¯t be an issue if he found another Class to be taught. With the worming doubt in his heart, he headed out to find wherever they taught something else.


    He reached the Hunter¡¯s school first. The teacher greeted him as if he was expecting him and gave him a quick tour of the basics. Apexus was guided to where they kept the training animals, tamed wolves primarily. The slime made quick friends with them and thought that this perhaps could have been the path forwards. Once he was handed a bow, that impression was quickly eliminated. The wood and the string both felt alien in his hand. Pulling back an arrow was unintuitive. He was alright at aiming, but he just couldn¡¯t figure out the right amount of force to use before loosing the arrow. Either he over or underestimated what was needed. On the last attempt, he pulled so hard the wood snapped.


    Apexus apologized and offered to pay for the replacement. The teacher denied, just like he denied needing any payment for the test itself. Thinking this was just how things were done around here, Priest school aside, the slime moved on.


    Next, he found the Shaman school. The school was odd from the start. Rather than a building, the school was made up of various stone formations, painted with crude colours. It was neither nature nor civilization. Apexus found the space in between unnerving. Despite this, he moved on, avoiding the alternatives. Once more, the teacher greeted him respectfully and showed him around. Shamanism had more magical components and could therefore not be demonstrated in a day. Instead, the teacher had him partake in a small ceremony, showing another student communing with nature spirits. With the help of his elders, the student managed to clear the sky above for a minute. The entirety of the stone formations buzzed with energy. A vast amount of preparation was required to influence the weather.


    The chimera was once more sent on his way without a single coin exchanging hands.


    The Druid school next door had a very similar feel, albeit they were closer to pure nature. Their dens were in a self-made system of tunnels that mimicked the colonies of ants. To get a feel for his aptness for the Class, Apexus was placed alone in a room with a squirrel. His task was to communicate with it. Although the slime easily managed to get the small critter to sit on his hand, he had absolutely no idea how to go further. After twenty minutes, he left the school, all of his money still untouched.


    After a bit of a walk, he reached the Mage School. It was more an act of desperation than anything else that made him even enter in the first place. The teacher seemed bored, but gave him a tour anyway. Only when he showed the slime the library of arcane works in their possession, did the teacher show any level of interest. Apexus didn¡¯t share any enthusiasm for the dead paper. The tour ended early, when the Mage aptly pointed out that this was not Apexus¡¯ path.


    Finally, he reached the grounds of the Brawler and Warrior schools. Both were located in the same fortress, a grey stone building that had within it various complexes that lent themselves to different kinds of combat practice. Apexus went to the Brawlers first. When they made him fight, he felt at ease there. Swords and axes were nothing for him, but they did allow him to fight with only his fists. All around him, burly humanoids with rough attitudes kept talking about violence. That part Apexus loathed. What made him finally quit though was when he, during a demonstration of his physical power, was advised to channel whatever made him punch harder.


    It was anger, the same anger that he attempted to escape from, that let him deliver a punch so hard it broke the wooden target. The teacher complimented him, and Apexus announced he would be leaving. This was not what he wanted to do. When he offered, again, to pay for the damages, he was told it didn¡¯t matter by the surprised teacher.


    When he reached the Warrior school, the slime was already too demoralized to really try. He took a pause outside wondering, ¡®I hate weapons, should I even bother?¡¯ The main job of a Warrior was to cover an area and make it impossible to ignore them while also staying up no matter what was thrown at them. Defensiveness was the primary requirement for this job, but range was also important.


    A certain kobold proved that this wasn¡¯t all there was to it though. A certain kobold that tugged at Apexus¡¯ pants to get his attention. ¡°Hello? Apex? You there?¡± she asked, after her initial greeting had gone ignored.


    The slime turned his head and blinked when he noticed her. ¡°Korith, hello,¡± he greeted her, his voice reflecting the disheartening events of the day. ¡°We looked for you this morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did you?¡± Korith couldn¡¯t help but respond chirpily at that revelation. ¡°Sorry, I was just so eager to get training, I couldn¡¯t sleep and then I headed out way too early!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll show you where I¡¯m staying some time.¡±


    ¡°After you head inside?¡± Korith asked. ¡°Vulk ¨C that¡¯s my teacher ¨C said someone should get you inside already, so I went to get you.¡±


    ¡°Am I in the way of something?¡± Apexus asked, looking around. They were on a broad stone path in the courtyard of the fortress. It was barren, some empty weapon stands aside. Notable about it were only the two open gates that lead to the respective schools. To the right, the direction from which Korith had come, Apexus saw the Warriors train with sword and shield. He thought he could keep standing there without disturbing anyone.


    ¡°No, but you are being kind of weird, just standing and staring,¡± Korith confessed. ¡°Plus, there was this old guy that told us you were coming.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Apexus had no other reaction to both revelations. Inside, the rage rose up again and gradually overtook the tiredness. ¡°I need to go. I¡¯ll see you soon,¡± he promised and turned around.


    ¡°S-sure?¡± Korith stammered, not sure what to make of the tall slime¡¯s current behaviour.


    Once out on the open street, Apexus spread his wings and took off. He flew in the direction of his new home. Not because he wanted to get to the house, but because it was the least inhabited part of the entire island. After thirty minutes of flying, he landed in a clearing. ¡°Come out!¡± he shouted randomly into the woods.


    Maltos, the old monk, stepped out from behind a tree immediately and walked up to Apexus. ¡°I take it someone told you of my meddling?¡± he asked in a calm tone, a smile on his lips.


    Fist clenching, the slime tried to ignore the urge to punch the traitorous face he saw behind those friendly wrinkles. ¡°Why?¡± he demanded to know.


    ¡°Because it appeared you needed it,¡± Maltos told him. ¡°Would you walk with me, Apexus?¡± The old man made an inviting gesture. Not knowing what else to do, the slime took a step and the old man swiftly took two, leading the way. ¡°You are not human, are you?¡± he asked and chuckled. ¡°Apologies, I should ask this another way: you¡¯re not a creation of our gods, are you?¡±


    Apexus became rigid, but kept moving. ¡°What makes you think that?¡±


    ¡°Your movements in the temple were unusual. Regular newcomers have to stretch their sinews for weeks before they can execute the stances properly. You just learned them,¡± Maltos began his explanation. ¡°Then there¡¯s your knuckles. That kind of regenerative factor is highly unusual. The gods usually hold each other to account when they create a species, you must know. You are strong and regenerate quickly, you have wings, you have excellent senses, and I can still feel the magic radiate from you. All of this without having any training in any Class. The gods would never create a being like you, not as a species anyway.¡± Maltos looked over his shoulder, his eyes measuring the slime intensely. ¡°And you do not have a Spark. There¡¯s traces of man and demon in you, but nothing like what the gods imbue us with.¡±


    Apexus stopped now, anticipating whatever followed to be violent. ¡°You are smart,¡± he complimented the old man. It was the truth.


    ¡°When you live over a hundred years, you pick up a few things that the average human misses,¡± Maltos responded calmly. He put his arms behind his back, while facing Apexus. That was the least threatening pose he could make. ¡°I will not tell anyone, Apexus.¡±


    The slime blinked several times. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you are not a monster,¡± the monk responded immediately and resumed the walk. For several steps, Apexus just remained there, until Maltos stopped again and waved. ¡°Come along, we still need to talk.¡±


    ¡°I do not trust you,¡± the slime stated outright.


    ¡°That is what I aim to change. Come along, there¡¯s better places to talk.¡± Maltos waved again and this time Apexus obliged. There was no sense in trying to run away. No matter how far past his prime the monk looked, he was still fast enough to keep up with and even get ahead of Apexus the entire day. ¡°Have you found out what Class is most akin to the Monk?¡± he suddenly repeated the question of his lesson earlier.


    Apexus¡¯ fists were still clenched tightly. ¡°The Brawler,¡± he responded.


    ¡°An interesting answer, what makes you think that?¡±


    ¡°Monks appear to be all about controlling your emotions. Brawlers let their emotions control them, just to punch harder.¡±


    ¡°That is correct,¡± Maltos responded in a cheerful tone. ¡°A Monk will always try to remain level-headed and find a solution through the power of their will. Brawlers, Berserkers most of all, utilize the power of their instincts to break through their limitations. A Monk that cannot control his anger loses what makes him powerful. Although, it should be said, even Monks can channel their excessive emotions. Control must be maintained.¡±


    They reached a lake. It was a peculiar one, located in a depression that looked stamped into the ground. Unsteady stone walls surrounded the body of water, reaching even above the rim. Maltos jumped on top of the wall and swiftly sat down. Patting the place next to him, he told the slime to do the same.


    ¡°Something about me fills you with wrath and dread,¡± Maltos said, while Apexus climbed on top of the stone. Once he sat, the teacher grabbed a loose chunk of rock and tossed it down into the lake below. ¡°You are disturbed, your actions unfocused.¡± Apexus looked down at his reflection, broken up into several layers by the waves. ¡°Yet, when faced with all other choices, you did not pick any of them, not even the one that let you use that anger as a weapon.¡± Slowly, the surface of the pond smoothed over again. ¡°This is the question you must ask yourself, Apexus: do you wish to be in control or do you wish to avoid your internal conflict?¡±


    ¡°I want to be in control,¡± the humanoid slime responded immediately.


    ¡°Then are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices to address your own shortcomings?¡±


    The slime hesitated for a long while. ¡°I must.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you must, the world will leave you no other choice,¡± Maltos agreed with a nod, ¡°but that is not what I asked. Are you willing to do it?¡±


    Apexus forced his hand to relax. ¡°I can¡¯t be unreliable. I¡¯m willing.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me why you cannot trust me.¡±


    ¡°Because you are like the last man who taught me. A man who turned out to be a monster.¡±


    ¡°But I am not that man.¡±


    ¡°You could turn out to be.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about him,¡± Maltos nudged.


    Apexus remained silent, wondering if he could do that. Sharing the story with the teacher was likely necessary to get his support against the Deathhound. Yet, doing so right now may be too early. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t,¡± he responded ultimately. ¡°I need to think.¡±


    Nodding approvingly, Maltos grabbed another stone and tossed it. This one skipped over the surface a number of times, before sinking with relative peace. ¡°You are not the first student I have had who carries with them great burdens,¡± he assured. ¡°Old men like me are good to confide in. We¡¯ve heard and seen a lot. If you are willing to share your story, I am willing to listen.¡± Maltos raised his hand to pat Apexus on the back, but stopped when the slime shrunk away from the gesture. With a soft smile, the monk withdrew his arm. Instead, he got up, ¡°I see great potential in you. A smart head, a mouth that moves only after the thoughts have concluded, a strong body, and a confused, but gentle spirit. It would be my honour to teach you the way of the Monk. Come by whenever you are ready.¡±


    Before Apexus could respond, Maltos took a massive leap and landed in the crown of a nearby tree. He landed with impossible softness and leapt again from the thin branches, leaving them all intact. Within seconds, he had vanished from Apexus¡¯ field of view.


    The slime was left pondering over his reflection in the lake.

 Guidance 14 – Confiding

    ¡°What a thoroughly unpleasant man!¡± Aclysia declared, bursting in through the door of their home. It appeared for a moment that she would slam it closed behind her as well. She thought better of it and calmly closed it. ¡°His lack of faith is- is anything the matter?¡± The metal fairy noticed that her companions were strangely dejected.


    Apexus was poking the fire he had restarted not too long ago with a long stick and Reysha was lying on her back, throwing a ball of rags into the air over and over again. She was clothed and missing her steady grin. On its own, that would have been odd. Combined with the lack of interest her darling showed in her plight, the metal fairy was certain something was wrong.


    ¡°The big man got found out,¡± Reysha revealed, before Apexus could formulate anything better.


    ¡°What? How? By whom?¡± Aclysia opened the door again, just a bit, and looked outside.


    ¡°Nobody is there,¡± Apexus assured her. ¡°Nobody is there.¡± When he repeated it, Aclysia slowly closed the door and stepped back, allowing Apexus to grab her arm and pull her towards him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t comfort you right now.¡±


    ¡°My plight can wait, darling,¡± Aclysia said, nuzzling against him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Apexus told the entire story. He wasn¡¯t proud of how it began, with him losing control, but neither of his lovers chided him for it. They knew that the humanoid slime aimed to overcome this without them haggling or encouraging him. Instead, they listened intently as the story turned to Maltos and the talk in the forest.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t aware non-Priests could see Sparks like that,¡± Reysha said at the end of it. She had gotten the rough version before, as Apexus didn¡¯t want to retell the entire thing.


    ¡°Monks are one of the Classes that can be better attuned to the divine than most others,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°However, this is not the issue at hand. Darling, do you suppose this Maltos can be trusted?¡±


    ¡°I cannot trust him,¡± Apexus said in a defeated tone. ¡°I can¡¯t even judge if I should.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just look at the stuff he did,¡± Reysha said. ¡°He clearly could have caught and killed you at any moment. He also could have warned his fellow teachers whenever he wanted. He could have even followed you here if he wanted to. Instead, he showed his face and told ya what he was about¡­ like, I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s trustworthy but he has absolutely no reason to do any of that unless he¡¯s truthful.¡±


    ¡°He could be planning to hear our story to make sure we have no further accomplices,¡± Aclysia suggested.


    ¡°Dunno, feels like a stretch. Why do all of the teaching stuff in that case?¡±


    ¡°To get my trust?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Clearly didn¡¯t work, so he should¡¯ve pivoted like halfway through.¡± Reysha shrugged. ¡°Not to say this whole thing doesn¡¯t reek to the Omniverse¡¯s crown, it definitely does, but I would say we take the gamble. It was the goal to find someone we can trust anyway, right? This is as golden an opportunity as we can get.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ agree,¡± Aclysia said, hesitatingly, after she had thought about it for a minute. ¡°I would have preferred to delay this until we found someone we trusted on our terms, but now that we are faced with the decision to tell or to run while we can, I suggest we do the former.¡± She didn¡¯t feel truly comfortable with the decision. The alternative was worse. ¡°If we relocate again, it means more people on the path of the Deathhound. The risk we take in informing someone about our circumstances cannot be diminished much further.¡±


    ¡°And it will not be worth the blood on our feet,¡± Apexus mumbled. The mood was too heavy for either of his partners to chuckle at the transformation of the phrase. ¡°Alright¡­ let¡¯s do it.¡±


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Do I have to?¡± Reysha asked, staring at the clean stone floor of the temple. She could practically feel the cold emitting from it. Feeling the autumn night directly on her soles was not something she wanted to go through.


    ¡°It would be proper,¡± Apexus responded. He and Aclysia had already taken their shoes off and placed them on the almost entirely empty shelf. Only the pair in the grandmaster¡¯s slot still stood there. Everyone else had left.


    ¡°Urgh, fine,¡± Reysha said and quickly took off her shoes. She walked on her toes, while she followed Apexus to one of the side buildings. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the big guy sit in the big temple?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t that kind of big guy,¡± Apexus responded, aiming for one of the smaller houses on the temple grounds. Specifically, he went for the one Maltos had sat closest to when the slime had visited earlier that day. Technically, the day prior, as it was past midnight.


    Apexus knocked on the door and he heard rustling behind it. A bedframe creaked, cloth whispered, two feet hit the ground and the old man slid the door to the side. ¡°What a peculiar hour you chose to make your decision,¡± Maltos yawned, while gesturing for them to enter. ¡°Had you not knocked, I would have assumed you were trying to attack me.¡±


    ¡°That would have been foolish,¡± the slime responded.


    ¡°Men do many foolish things, particularly the angry and threatened,¡± Maltos hummed. ¡°Tea?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Apexus answered. Aclysia and Reysha answered similarly, while all three of them sat down at a low table. It was only about half a metre off the ground, which fit with the lack of chairs. Only a couple of dense cushions marked how one should sit by it. Interestingly, a blanket was attached to the rim of the table, hiding what was underneath it. Too curious, the slime raised it up and peeked underneath. Warm air wafted his way, created by a crystal pillar that sat under the centre of the tabletop.


    ¡°Oh, this shit is great!¡± Reysha declared, immediately moving as much of her lower body under the table as she could without losing sight of Maltos.


    ¡°Language, please,¡± the old Monk softly chided her. ¡°You are in a house of balance. We choose our words carefully here.¡±


    Reysha wanted to return a snide remark, but something about the calm behaviour with which Maltos put a kettle on a stovetop had her hold back. Instinctively she knew that, no matter what she did, she wouldn¡¯t get a rise out of this man. At the same time, he had the air of a proper authority figure. ¡°Alright,¡± she responded, her tone still sharper than necessary.


    ¡°It is called a kotatsu,¡± Maltos revealed to her. ¡°A heated table. It is one of the few luxuries I allow myself. It and tea.¡±


    The kettle on the magically heated stove started to whistle. While Maltos carefully placed tea leaves in a metal mesh that he then placed over the top of a second kettle, the trio looked around the room. It was true that it was decorated incredibly sparingly. The bed was barely wider than the average person and only slightly longer as well. In terms of furniture, there was only a nightstand, a wardrobe and a closet with kitchen utensils and containers for tea and dried fruit. Then there was the small kitchen. A magical stove and a magical fireplace, both marks of wealth but humble in their application. The kotatsu was the same and the final piece of furniture around. The white walls were empty, the window devoid of a curtain, and the sliding door without lock.


    Maltos returned to the table with the kettle, setting it down on a wooden plate to protect the tabletop itself from any marks. A cup was quickly placed next to it. Finally, the old Monk sat down opposite the three. ¡°It is good that you came with the rest of your party,¡± he said with a wise smile, ¡°a shared tale must be shared in unison. I assume correctly that you¡¯re willing to confide in me?¡±


    ¡°I still do not trust you,¡± Apexus confessed, ¡°but we talked about it and¡­ it is the most reasonable path of action.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I¡¯d have preferred if you willingly came to me, unburdened by what must be done,¡± Maltos responded. ¡°It seems your tale does not allow it. Granted, that you have an angel and someone afflicted with Noir with you means it must be quite a thrilling one.¡±


    Aclysia was less surprised about her own nature being evident than she was about Maltos knowing about Noir. ¡°You know about Reysha¡¯s affliction?¡±


    ¡°I have never seen it in person,¡± Maltos explained, while pouring himself the first cup of tea. The chamomile smell made Apexus a bit drowsy. ¡°I did spend quite a while researching the different curses known to the scholars of the Omniverse. At the time I searched for a way to cure vampirism. My tale does not matter, however.¡± He blew steam off the top of the cup. ¡°If you would oblige me, may I ask what exactly you are, Apexus?¡±


    ¡°I do not know,¡± the humanoid slime answered truthfully. ¡°I came to be two, three or four years ago. I¡­ dripped from a cave ceiling, I think. By the time I hit the bottom of the lake, my consciousness had formed. I was a slime back then. An Adventurer¡¯s Pass made for me called me an Omniverse Slime Chimera.¡±


    Maltos¡¯ forehead wrinkled, while he took a sip of his tea. All three of the trio stared at the old Monk in anticipation. They were simultaneously ready to flee and eager to see if he had ever encountered something like Apexus. ¡°An Omniverse Slime Chimera¡­ I have never heard of anything like this,¡± he answered truthfully. ¡°You say you just started existing? You have no recollection of a god forming you? No particular draw to worship any one in particular?¡± Apexus shook his head, causing the old Monk¡¯s wrinkles to become even deeper. ¡°Are you of demonic origin then?¡±


    ¡°He began on the Leaf of Ctania, a Leaf of my father Hashahin,¡± Aclysia spoke up. ¡°When I encountered him, there was no trace of demon in him. It was upon him devouring a Skinwalker that a trace of it marked his being.¡±


    ¡°I absorb and replicate parts of beings I eat,¡± Apexus explained a missing detail. ¡°Although I can only permanently acquire one Growth after I defeat a true challenge.¡±


    Maltos placed the cup down carefully. ¡°You began as a featureless slime then, correct?¡± he asked, his voice harder than before. After Apexus nodded, the old Monk immediately asked, ¡°How can you stand before me as a humanoid, then?¡±


    ¡°I killed a man,¡± Apexus confessed, shoulders and head slumping. ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop myself.¡±


    Admonishingly, Maltos stared over the table. Thoughts rattled through his head. ¡°Tell me how it came to that,¡± he demanded, not wanting to make any further judgement until he had heard the entire story.


    Apexus retold all that he thought was of relevance. How he exited the cave and stumbled upon the metal pool that shaped into Aclysia upon offering it mana. How he was found by two adventurers, whom he escaped. How he acquired his wings and then found Gizmo in an attempt to heal Aclysia.


    Maltos understood long before they hit the betrayal that it was that other old man, serving as Apexus¡¯ teacher for so long, who was the origin of the trust issues. Regardless he listened patiently while the tale continued. When the name Apotho finally fell, he took an audible breath. That was as strong an involuntary reaction as could be gotten out of that man.


    ¡°You know of him?¡± Aclysia wanted to know, immediately picking up on that small detail.


    ¡°Not many tales make it across the Omniverse. The fall of a party as strong as his was, however, travels in the circles of the upper echelons of adventurers,¡± Maltos responded and looked down into his tea. ¡°Much of it was before my time even. Have you ever heard of the superstition that it is bad luck for a man and two women to sit alone at a table?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard way too much of that superstition,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°It¡¯s origin, so legend has it, comes from a Warlock who travelled with an angel and a Warrior. For many years, they would aid each other. Generations passed, while they went up the ranks and became heroes across many Leaves. The Divine Fruit which mighty deeds stimulate to grow prolonged their lives. One day, during a splendid feast to their honour, the Warlock betrayed them. The two women at his table were poisoned and sacrificed after hundreds of years of mutual aid.¡± Maltos shook his head and then took a sip. ¡°The survivors of the incident reported it to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It shook the leadership and those active during those years to the core. Apotho was hunted by everyone, too dangerous to be left to his own devices. Eventually, he turned himself in, only asking that he wouldn¡¯t be killed. By the time I rose to prominence, the story was talked about only by a few. Nowadays only the superstition remains.¡±


    The room was silent at that revelation. Obviously, they all had known that Apotho was important, but that his influence had reached far enough to create a legend across many Leaves, spread far apart, was telling. ¡°Why did he turn himself in?¡± Apexus asked.


    Maltos shrugged, ¡°Guilt, as far as I have been told. Something must have happened to him that split his personality. It appears the malevolence was only dormant, not gone.¡± He knocked on the table. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t get too lost on a sealed threat, while I still need to know why you killed a man.¡±


    The trio exchanged glances and continued in chronological order. The completion of Aclysia and the wish that she stay with her awakener, over to the Hunter ¡®killing¡¯ Apexus, the tricks Apotho played on them and the slime¡¯s ¡®revival¡¯.


    ¡°You killed an innocent man,¡± Maltos observed calmly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus had nothing to say but the admission of guilt.


    Maltos didn¡¯t ride further on the point, only nodded. There was no need to punish the creature before him. Already, Apexus knew what he had done was wrong. That he had done it instinctively to survive didn¡¯t ease the burden of his guilt. Punishment for it, however, had to be appropriate to the crime committed and the old Monk would find something another time. Death was certainly above what the slime deserved. ¡°Continue your story.¡±


    They reached the part where Apotho fled the confinement, courtesy of Reysha¡¯s actions. Here, too, Maltos withheld himself from passing judgement. To him, it seemed that the tiger girl was already doing whatever she could to atone for what she had unleashed. The rest of the story only reinforced that impression. When they finally reached the Long Way and the Deathhound, Maltos understood the reason for their secrecy ¨C beyond Apexus¡¯ inhuman nature.


    Maltos poured himself a third cup of tea by this point. ¡°You are wise to be careful about who to trust on this,¡± he told them. ¡°An easy way to avoid the demon would be to kill you three. His tracking would end, I would guess at least, and no problems will come here. I won¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t exchange lives.¡±


    The trio sighed in relief. Reysha was the first to ask, ¡°So you will help us?¡±


    ¡°Insofar I can,¡± Maltos responded, causing further stress to evaporate. ¡°Even in my prime, a Deathhound would have been a challenge I would not have faced alone. I will need to organize with the other teachers and have the route you took evacuated in a few months. As far as I understand their Art, they do not necessarily follow the shortest route, which will delay it¡­ perhaps someone can foretell its arrival¡­ I will need to investigate this¡­ covertly. Until I have spoken to all of the leaders, the public will not hear of this.¡± He looked at the trio. ¡°You will have the opportunity to grow stronger and partake in defeating what you have brought here.¡±


    ¡°We are aware of our duty,¡± Aclysia nodded strongly.


    ¡°Good. Apexus,¡± Maltos addressed the slime directly. The tall humanoid stared back. Even if he was relieved to have gotten the assurance for help, his memories still prevented him from fully trusting the man. ¡°I will train you personally.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright,¡± Apexus agreed. He wasn¡¯t thrilled at the prospect, but it was the prudent choice. He needed to either validate this distrust or overcome it. Either way, control had to be learned.


    And so they departed for the night.

 Guidance 15 – House-angel

    Aclysia opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. It was quiet where they were, delightfully quiet, with only the early birds and the water dripping onto the floor providing any kind of sound. Used to sleeping in dungeons and caves, such minor sounds had no distracting property for any of them anymore. Them being the two biological entities of the group.


    For Aclysia, sleep was a choice. A state of mind in which she could preserve mana and pass time during which she would otherwise be lonely. The latter was more important than the former most days. Apexus supplied her with all she needed of the magical resource. This was likely to change in the future. The slime had no use for his mana, since he had no knowledge on how to utilize it. Once this changed, Aclysia would need to rely on food to support the steady trickle of ambient mana.


    Although gently nibbling away at what he could give during sleep did cover her entire needs for a day that saw no combat. Had she needed one, it would also have served as an excuse to cuddle up to his side. As a woman in love, the only reason she needed to lie with her man was that she wanted to. Happily, she rolled on her side, turning her gaze away from the dull ceiling and to the face of the humanoid slime on whose shoulder she was lying.


    No matter how often she beheld that face, she always felt drawn to him. Each new day, each new improvement he made on himself, had her fall deeper in love. The animalistic slime he had once been had long since grown into a man she would have fallen for even if they had met randomly in the world. Had it not been for the year they spent together with Gizmo, she couldn¡¯t have said the same for the mute chimera he had been. There was a level of aversion that she, like the vast majority of humanoids, had to engaging in a relationship with a ¡®creature¡¯.


    Even after that aversion had been muted in the specific case of Apexus due to the length of their relationship, Aclysia most certainly appreciated the modern humanoid form. Incredible as tentacles were, it was much more pleasing to her to have a face and solid body attached to it. Reysha, lying on Apexus¡¯ other shoulder, thought similarly, although her fundamental aversion was less pronounced. Craziness, the savagery Noir promoted, and the fact that she was closer to beast by species than Aclysia all played into that.


    ¡®What an odd road that has taken us here,¡¯ Aclysia hummed to herself, placing two fingers on her darling¡¯s chest and wandering up towards his collarbone. The horridly cheap blanket that lay on top of them was slightly tugged by the gesture. A slight tug was enough to make the asleep Reysha retaliate with a firm pull. The linen was now completely on her side, leaving the naked body of the metal fairy exposed to the cold air of the autumn morning.


    Aclysia suppressed a sigh. She couldn¡¯t scold the tiger girl for this action, not even if she had been awake. To her, this level of cold was ultimately inconsequential. Her sensation for hot and cold, much like many of her other senses, was created to mimic that of the mortal races. Unlike them, most of these sensations were only inconveniences for her. Lying in snow was merely unpleasant, not a road to death by hypothermia. Lying in the damp room wasn¡¯t even unpleasant. It was just unpreferable. Her body expended more mana now, attempting to maintain human body temperature, but that was just a luxury function. Unlike the slime, she didn¡¯t require warmth to function.


    While Reysha continued snoozing, nuzzled up to the slime whose body was essentially a furnace in humanoid shape, Aclysia moved on to her morning duties. First, she carefully moved out of Apexus¡¯ embrace. Like every morning, this resulted in the humanoid slime waking up and immediately checking why one of his loves was no longer where she was supposed to be. Smiling warmly, the metal fairy leaned down and gave him a calming kiss.


    Apexus reciprocated and put his head back down when she pulled away. He didn¡¯t need as much sleep as Reysha and would not go back to the dreamworld, but he would gladly take extra time to lie under the blanket.


    Meanwhile, Aclysia made her way over to the fireplace. After she had piled on a couple of new branches on what remained of the tinder extinguished over the course of the last night, she aimed a single finger at it and channelled a beam of focused sunlight at the heart of the pile. Soon, smoke started to rise. When proper flames followed, Aclysia stopped her expenditure of magic.


    Sunlight Ray, the spell she had just used, had been originally something she had improvised herself. Since she had gotten proper guidance on its usage, accuracy, scope and cost were things she could gauge much better. Regardless, it remained a basic attack spell. Every Class that relied on magic as its main tool of aggression had a Bolt and a Ray spell at their disposal. A healer first, Aclysia wasn¡¯t too bothered about learning additional attack spells.


    Third on her list of daily requirements was to join her hands in prayer. To herself, she recited the names of the thirty-three original gods and their dual aspects. Upon reaching the name of her father, the last of the thirty-three, the Summer God Hashahin, deity of acts and actors, her prayer turned from silent to a whisper. She did not want to wake Reysha, but her father¡¯s sermon also deserved to be heard.


    ¡°Let the great stories be told, let the great acts play out, in liberty for the actors, and with acts befitting of the virtuous. Forsake not being the hero and forget not becoming the sage. Let the critique of your role be an inspiration for its completion. For the tree, the branches, and the final stage in the trunk, exist for all of us.¡±


    Having recited the end of the sermon, she unclasped her hands and stood up with the vigour required for the day. She had her role to play and the first step of doing so properly was to ensure that those who she loved were properly cared for. Quickly, she put on her casual dress and headed outside.


    She stepped into pouring rain. The water was a tad more bothersome than the cold, seeping into her hair and clothes. It was also what she had gone out to fetch. A bucket they had been graciously gifted by Maltos stood on top of a stone slab they had moved onto the clearing in front of their door. Rainwater had filled the metal container to the brim. Aclysia carefully poured some of the water out, so she could haul the rest back inside. It was heavy, especially for her. Regardless, she got it inside and placed it in the dry half of the house.


    ¡®It would be lovely if we could just get this inside,¡¯ she thought, looking at the constant dripping from their patchy roof. Had the bucket just stood under there, she would have spared herself a bit of a walk every morning. Water filtered through mouldy reeds was not the kind of healthy refreshment she deemed worthy of her beloveds though.


    Water acquired, she walked to the corner of the room where they had put together a construction that could be described as a table. On it lay several chunks of flesh, wrapped inside leaves of that magical plant they had found previously. It was called Sparklethistle, named after its usefulness in brews that let Shamans and Druids align themselves with thunder spirits. For the average person, it was useless. For Reysha, it had allowed the revelation that magically seasoning mundane materials was an option.


    They lacked any sort of cooking equipment, but just letting meat rest in a dense wrapping of the leaves made some of the magic seep in overnight. That was as good a breakfast as Reysha could get around here. Further possibilities of cooking with magical ingredients had to be explored. Boiling healing fountain water was the traditional way of removing the majority of dangerous mana from it. Mana found in animals outside of dungeons was generally not harmful, so people ate them all the time. Few people ever needed to consider what exactly was happening in the process, so the trio would have to research this themselves.


    Once Reysha had her breakfast prepared, Aclysia¡¯s morning routine was finished and she sat down by the fire in silent contemplation. Her every morning the past two weeks had looked something like this. She liked it. The routine gave her something to hold onto. Had it not been for the remaining uncertainty of their situation, a smile would have adorned her beautiful face.


    Soon, Apexus stirred and Reysha awoke soon after him. The tiger girl had a much harder time peeling herself out of sleep. ¡°You¡¯re the best,¡± she yawned, when Aclysia handed her a cup she had just filled with water from the bucket. ¡°Hmm, tastes like rain,¡± she remarked, ¡°seconds please!¡±


    ¡°As you request,¡± the metal fairy obliged and caringly refilled the awakening redhead¡¯s cup. Once she transitioned from hydration to breakfast, Apexus placed his hand inside the bucket. Gradually, the water was absorbed into the slime, meeting his own, much higher, hydration needs. Enviously, the slime glanced over to Reysha.


    ¡°Ya want some?¡± the tiger girl asked, offering one of the bite-sized chunks to the humanoid slime.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t,¡± Apexus responded.


    ¡°I know you were told not to,¡± Reysha responded and carelessly threw the breakfast chunk in her mouth, ¡°but ya totally could if ya wanted to.¡±


    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t,¡± Aclysia said, placing the now empty bucket at the side, ¡°and you ought to stop tempting him. Intermittent fasting is a high burden on our darling¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°The habit is worth little if Reysha can tease me out of it,¡± Apexus spoke up in defence of the tiger girl.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just testing his resolve. Totally,¡± Reysha grinned mischievously, her cheeks bulging with the several pieces of meat she was currently chewing. After she swallowed, she continued. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t get it, but I also signed up for stabbing people, not inner peace.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about control, not necessarily peace,¡± Apexus corrected.


    ¡°It¡¯s about us no longer having morning sex, apparently,¡± Reysha remarked, now sounding just the slightest bit cranky. Maltos¡¯ personal training so far followed basic steps that every new Monk had to go through. The first day of training had been physical tests, accompanied by the teacher asking about a few details about the background of the slime. Intent had been to confirm the truth of all that had been said and the old Monk had been satisfied with the answers.


    From the third day onwards, Maltos had given Apexus the instruction to fast. It was intermittent fasting to start with, meaning that Apexus was not allowed to eat or drink anything besides water, for the first few hours of every day. It built self-discipline, to resist the urges of the body and to only follow them once one had followed their personal code. Sex had joined food two days ago.


    What was harder to forego depended on the morning, certain was only that skipping on both for stretches of time that got longer with each passing day was immensely difficult. Survival and breeding instincts screamed with the urge to be obliged in Apexus¡¯ core. It was unpleasant to resist them. It was also proof that this was working. Gradually, he built a resistance to those wants. How much further his training would go was a question for the next few weeks.


    ¡°Only having sex once a day makes Reysha an angry kitten,¡± the tiger girl continued her complaint.


    ¡°Of us three, it is you who requires self-discipline the most,¡± Aclysia pointed out.


    The redhead shrugged at that. ¡°I never vibed with the whole ¡®suppress your desires¡¯ shit. What am I multi-orgasmic for if I don¡¯t have a giant hunk of manmeat with a vibrating tongue fuck the rest of my sanity out of me?¡± Reysha drummed on the inside of her naked thigh and hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Would it be against the rules if ya ate me out, Apexus?¡±


    ¡°It would be against the spirit of the rules.¡±


    ¡°Sucks to be us then,¡± Reysha declared, her hands gliding towards her crotch and breasts. ¡°What about ya, bubble butt, willing to help a girl out?¡±


    Aclysia hesitated. On one hand she was certainly willing, on the other she wanted to support Apexus in this current exercise. She knew her darling wouldn¡¯t have minded, just like he didn¡¯t mind that Reysha was so brazenly masturbating. They knew each other better than to be annoyed by such behaviour. ¡°I must decline,¡± the metal fairy ultimately responded.


    ¡°Shame,¡± Reysha sighed, curving a finger inside her. The tiger girl had attempted to go a day without orgasm, but that just left her distracted when she had to listen to her teacher all day. During dungeon crawling, there was ever-present danger to distract herself. The controlled environment removed that pressure and left the nymphomaniac of a tiger girl with too much headspace to ignore her urges all day. More logical to take care of this in the morning, than during studying hours.


    She did understand that Aclysia had a point when she said that she lacked self-discipline. Giving into those urges was part of what made life so fun to her, however, and she felt like getting too much of a handle on this would transform a delightfully stretchy and flexible part of her into something rigid. It was enough for her if she had a handle on herself most of the time and allowed herself the potential to be really, really stupid sometimes.


    This was also backed up by what her current teacher liked to say: ¡°There are no solutions, only trade-offs.¡±


    ¡°I like having someone wild around,¡± Apexus said and put a hand on Reysha¡¯s cheek. In the middle of fingering herself, the tiger girl leaned into his palm and shuddered. His smell and touch were enough to send a small surge of pleasure down her spine. Their eyes were locked, when she brought herself to climax.


    Had she continued with the show, the slime would have wavered. Head cleared, though, she stopped after the one. Slime and tiger girl got dressed and that concluded their morning in the small house.


    From there, they went to their separate schools.

 Guidance 16 – Faithless

    The morning prayer was the second most blessed time of the day for the exiled angel. Certainly, being with her loved ones was an even greater reward. The hour spent every morning in unity of faith was a pleasure of a different variety. Priests, Paladins, and other people of the Classes leaning into the faith met to kneel before the altars of their respective gods. There were forty of them, thirty-three to the original gods and a further seven so that those following lesser-known deities could decorate them as needed.


    On some days, Korith was in one of these isolated side chambers, praying to the Kobold deity Hoard. Not so today. Looking around, Aclysia only saw her brethren in the faith in the monolithic chapel. Unlike the rest of the rundown monastery, this part was kept in pristine condition and quartz of various colours were inlaid in the walls, moving in waves above the doors that led into the rooms with the shrines in them. The colour of the quartz matched the season of the deity and, if such quartz had been available, even the specific shade of their colour. Thirty-nine doors were decorated this way. Only that of the Progenitor deity was exempt, located at the back of the central chapel, locked and wrapped with silver chains.


    First, they all prayed together, saying their thanks to the Progenitor, then they moved to shrines which befit their personal faith. Aclysia was alone during that segment. No one else in the temple worshipped Hashahin. This was hardly surprising; the god of Acts and Actors was one among the thirty-three whose aspects and attitude didn¡¯t find a lot of followers among the faithful. It took a particular character, equally respectful of the divine and liberty minded, to want to follow the Great Actor.


    After personal prayers, they all returned to the chapel and discussed topics of theology. These respectful dialogues were headed by a different person each day. They prepared a particular verse from their holy texts or an explanation of their god¡¯s aspect and presented that to the congregation. Then they all probed at it, tried to peer into the wisdom behind the words, and constructed theoretical situations where it did or did not apply.


    Those were the fantastic parts of her learning.


    ¡°Magic flows from the magical cortex towards the hand,¡± Pronthin explained boredly, while raising his own palm. Out shot a bolt of white faith energy at a distant target, dedicated to no season in particular. The sight was odd, alien even, particularly when coming from a teacher of a new generation of Priests. ¡°We are no different from other mages in that regard. Bolt and Ray are our primary attack spells. Heal and Mend are our primary healing spells. Burst and sustain, in damage and in healing, the two basic shapes all magic takes.¡±


    Aclysia stayed quiet, listening to the explanation with as much respect as she could muster for the thin, bald man. They were in a courtyard. The stone floor was covered in dirt and stray leaves, not having been swept forever. Across the yard were a number of targets, the stone surfaces covered in the remains of blasts.


    ¡°Even when it comes to buffs, those being spells that increase the effectiveness of our companions or ourselves, the conjuring of the magic and the shaping of it through our minds does not fundamentally differ from other Classes,¡± Pronthin continued. ¡°I have demonstrated this over the past two weeks. Magic is not a gift from the divine and neither is the usage of it. Thank your creators, if you wish, but the gods did not give this to you.¡±


    Aclysia pressed her lips together. She wasn¡¯t alone in this. Several of the other Priests were annoyed with the callous tone their heretical teacher took when teaching faith magic. Rumour had it that his attitude was just a test, trying to teach his students patience when dealing with the obtuse or the cynical. The metal fairy regarded that as mere coping, Pronthin struck her as a bitter non-believer.


    ¡°Three things, however, separate the Priest and their magic from other magical Classes. Two and a half, if we¡¯re being technical. The Miracle, the True Miracle, and the capacity to Smite.¡± Pronthin raised his hand again and cast another faithless Bolt. In the process of flying, the pale energy surged to double its size, before exploding with a loud BANG upon hitting the target. ¡°A Miracle is a spell performed in a state of mind aligning with one¡¯s faith. Many Classes rely on control or unleashing of their emotions to boost the capacity of their bodies. This is different. The effectiveness of the spell increases after it has left the Priest¡¯s body. Nourished by the Omniverse itself. We are attuned to the tree from which all magic springs, our Sparks vibrant with belief in something greater.¡±


    Aclysia nodded eagerly. It confused her a bit. Not that she agreed, but that these words came out of Pronthin¡¯s mouth. The teacher spoke so passionately about general faith, yet was so bitter when it came to gods.


    ¡°With enough meditative exercise, you will be able to enter the state of mind to call a Miracle forth reliably. Some of you may even be able to permanently stay in it. This will greatly boost your effectiveness, but I do not recommend it. Embodying divine aspects is taxing, particularly on your social life. If you have ever met an Inquisitor, you will know that being a zealot does not lend itself to good teamwork or reasonable thought. It makes you the best Priest and the worst teammate. Continue your theological debates and prayers, attempt to be truly honest with yourself, know when you are in line with your values ¨C your values, not that of your gods ¨C and, when your mind and soul feel like they are in the right place at the right time, you will be able to bring forth a Miracle.¡±


    Pronthin lowered his hand and turned back to his students. His eyes reflected a passion rarely seen. Over the next three seconds, it faded rapidly, accompanied by repeated tensing and releasing of his jaw. When he spoke again, he was back to sounding tired and bored.


    ¡°A True Miracle, I¡¯m not capable of showing you. Gods exist in a splintered state, allowing them to observe thousands of simultaneous situations unfolding all over the Omniverse and for them to answer summoning calls no matter what else they are doing. Rarely, if ever, do gods consolidate all their might into single physical shape. Importantly for you, this means that your god may be watching and granting you a fraction of their power to aid you in doing good when you are at your most desperate. I wouldn¡¯t bet on it.¡±


    ¡®Something obviously happened to sour his relationship with the divine,¡¯ Aclysia realized.


    ¡°The half I was speaking about earlier is the capacity to Smite,¡± Pronthin continued unabated. ¡°Specifically, we call this Smite casting. The same emphasized connections of our Sparks to the whole of the Omniverse that allow us to perform miraculous feats above our own power allow us to subvert the rules of spellcasting.¡±


    Pronthin raised a hand. Everyone waited for the spell to occur. Eyes already raised, they spotted the white streak of energy descending seconds before it hit. Enveloping one of the stone targets, the spell covered the surface in white fire. The flickers were so pale that they appeared two-dimensional, like holes in one¡¯s vision.


    ¡°We are extensions of the holy Omniverse,¡± Pronthin explained. ¡°It is in us and we are in it. This understanding enables us to not only cast from the boundaries of our own body but also from the world that surrounds us.¡± He gestured upwards. ¡°This is most easily done from the sky. The reason for this, I will keep for myself. I wish for all of you to attempt to find an answer. You may discuss it with one another, but I recommend you try to find it for yourself first. Once you have it, I can teach you properly in Smiting.¡± The holy fire he had conjured was still burning behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t think I must explain why being able to cast from positions outside your bodies is a boon, particularly for healers. Smiting and Miracles also go hand in hand. The longer a Miracle travels, the more power the Omniverse can bestow upon the spell, the stronger it gets. However, Smite casting is also more costly and the Miracle only works as long as your state of mind is maintained. Any questions?¡±


    The students pondered, nothing was raised, and Pronthin dismissed the class with a few final words.


    ¡°Try to understand why Smiting works best from the sky and find out the state of mind you require to create a Miracle. You are in self-study until you find either of them. If you haven¡¯t found an answer for either in a week, return to me.¡±


    _______________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Honoured teacher,¡± Aclysia caught Pronthin in one of the many small seating areas of the monastery after the other students had left. The old Priest was reading a political text, sitting on a U-shaped bench. In the centre of the stone table flickered a medium-size fire keeping the half-open place warm. ¡°May I talk to you?¡±


    ¡°If you had a question about today¡¯s subjects, you should have asked it while the others were there,¡± the bald man remarked.


    ¡°No, I wish to ask a more personal question,¡± Aclysia responded.


    Pronthin loudly closed the book and placed it on the table in front of him, just far enough from the fire that there needed to be no worry. ¡°Is there anyone around?¡± he asked.


    The metal fairy poked her head back out of the doorless entrance and looked down the corridor. Left first, then right, spotting no one in either direction. ¡°It appears not to be so, honoured teacher,¡± she responded.


    ¡°Alright. Aclysia, I don¡¯t poke my head into your business. What an exiled angel is doing here, why Maltos cares so much about your man, or whatever other business you have, I do not care to know about it,¡± the heretic sounded just a tinge annoyed while he opened up about all of this. ¡°I would prefer it if you gave me the same common courtesy.¡± He grabbed the book again.


    The metal fairy remained where she was. Indecisively, she grabbed the front of her robe. It was sanctified by a god other than her own, which did cause some confusion among her fellow students, but it was also the best and only one she had. Besides, she had grown quite fond of the feeling of silk on her skin and having heard a few sermons of Sloan, the god of Depth and Darkness did not sound as malevolent as she originally anticipated him to be. The foremost lesson Sloan had for his followers was that the hardest decisions require the greatest of wills. A fairly straightforward bit of wisdom, encouraging the followers of the eleventh deity to do what they deemed right no matter how difficult it may be. In some ways, something became more right the harder it was.


    The most fundamental lesson of Hashahin was that everyone had their part to play. It was a lot harder to apply that to one¡¯s life. Aclysia was certain what her part was, that of a woman in support of her loved ones, of Apexus and Reysha. She was there to guide them, to encourage them to do the right thing and steer them clear of the darker paths. How one optimally performed in that role, that was a more difficult question.


    A tiny part of the answer was that she did not want to step back here. ¡°I believe you stay out of our affairs not out of a respect for us, but out of a-¡°


    ¡°-an utter lack of care, yes,¡± Pronthin interrupted. ¡°I do not make this difficult, Aclysia.¡±


    ¡°You indeed do not, teacher,¡± Aclysia responded drily, unable to completely swallow her annoyance. ¡°My question is born from a care for your wellbeing. If you truly do not wish to answer, I will respect your boundaries. If it is only your lack of interest to have a conversation in the first place, I desire to pressure you to give me an answer.¡±


    The bald man pushed air out of his nose. ¡°Let¡¯s hear that question then?¡±


    ¡°Why do you hate the gods so much?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°Because they abandoned me,¡± Pronthin gave a cold and bitter answer. ¡°I was once quite like you and your fellow students. Hopeful, placing my faith in the gods, living to ideals, sacrificing my time in search of divine revelations. Then they failed me. When I needed their aid the most, they were silent. They forsook me and I forsake them. I was gambling on the favour of beings that create worlds on a whim. A foolish decision.¡± He raised his hand haltingly. ¡°Spare yourself the attempt to convince me of the gods¡¯ good will. You aren¡¯t the first student through the years trying to dismantle my cynicism and you won¡¯t be the last. I¡¯ve learned too much about divinity and reality to ever invest myself in the code of any god ever again.¡±


    ¡°Then why teach at all?¡± Aclysia inquired. ¡°Why provide this place to pray and study the theological, if it is all lies to you?¡±


    ¡°Not lies ¨C pretentions,¡± Pronthin responded. ¡°Investing in a deity is rolling a die. The worldview they preach may serve you well or it may lead you to your doom, depending on where you go. Take Keligula, deity of Earth and Empathy. Devote yourself to her teaching and enter a Leaf of merciless war and see your worldview shatter witnessing the atrocities before you or die trying to help the wrong soldier. As you lie bleeding in the fields, committed to her to your dying breath, will she smile upon you or will you feel every bit of life drain from the wound? A toss of the die, reliant on the whims of a distant consciousness.¡±


    Aclysia listened to all of that and then, slowly, nodded. ¡°You are right about the risk inherent to strong belief¡­ but is it right to become cynical of the entire world due to it?¡±


    ¡°Right or wrong, you can care, I do not,¡± Pronthin waved off and then tapped on the book by his side. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    ¡°No, teacher.¡±


    ¡°It is a propaganda work, written by hand by the supreme president of an empire spanning fourteen Leaves, about fifteen years travel from here,¡± Pronthin explained. ¡°A first edition, predating the mass-printing of it, detailing how it was good that they massacred an entire nation for the sake of stability and how it is civilized that they colonised another. Do you believe they adhered to any virtues?¡±


    ¡°The framing you gave me leads me to say no, teacher.¡±


    ¡°The framing, exactly,¡± Pronthin responded. ¡°What good is a framing? Why constrict yourself to a mode of thinking? Raise one over the other, and you lose sight of what is pragmatically correct.¡±


    Aclysia looked around the monastery. The rundown, grey, dull, and lifeless building that Pronthin inhabited. ¡°It appears to me that committing to certain beliefs is required in order to live a life in order.¡±


    ¡°And you are free to do so,¡± Pronthin waved off again. ¡°Just leave me out of it.¡±

 Guidance 17 – Stabbing Stuff

    Reysha ducked under the wooden blade, cackling as she danced back into the darkness of the maze. Her fellow student set after her, swinging his weapon wildly. She took one measured step backwards, then another one, always remaining out of reach and moving up the shallow steps of the corridor. Eventually, her opponent overstepped, stumbling over one of the stairs and falling forwards. He would have caught himself, had Reysha not kicked one of his feet at that moment.


    Painfully, the young Rogue hit the ground. He held onto the wooden weapon, until Reysha pried it from him with a few skilled grabs. ¡°Ya made this too easy, boy,¡± Reysha told the student and booped him on the nose. For once it wasn¡¯t just an insult, as her enemy was just a sixteen-year-old in the early stages of his training. By experience alone, Reysha vastly outclassed him. The advantages of her Levels and Noir had made the entire fight a one-sided affair from the start. Only the weapon had complicated things mildly.


    ¡°Shut it!¡± the young Rogue barked back with every bit the impotent rage of a man with a chip on his shoulder.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Reysha denied outright and bonked his head softly with the weapon in her right hand. ¡°Ya gotta get better if ya want this supreme redhead to not make fun of ya, boy.¡±


    He growled and tried to grab her foot to do something. Instead, he hissed in pain when his wrist got stabbed at with the rounded tip of the mock weapon. ¡°Fuck you, bitch.¡±


    ¡°Oooh?¡± Reysha¡¯s grin turned dangerous and she grabbed the student by the collar. While Apexus was the muscle of their party, the Rogue was far from weak. Swinging the variety of weapons she kept in her arsenal, especially the pickaxe, had given her a considerable boost in strength. Lifting the young man up with one arm should have still been too much. Yet, the young man found himself pressed against the wall. Reysha tilted her head slowly. The light of a distant torch reflected in her cat-like eyes. Wood clattered on the ground, dropped in favour of the sharper weapon ¨C her claws. ¡°Wanna repeat that, deadbeat?¡±


    He did not, and so Reysha let go.


    Taking a slow breath, Reysha exorcised her annoyance. It wasn¡¯t like her to be that pissed about a simple insult and she didn¡¯t plan to make a habit out of it either. Looking down at her left hand, she wiggled the fingers around. The demonic nature of the arm was still hidden. When she was agitated, it liked to break out in increasingly obvious ways. It had its benefits, longer and sharper claws, as well as an increase in strength that vastly outperformed her other arm.


    An impressed whistle came from the darkness to their left. The young man was surprised and turned his head. Reysha swiped away a pebble flying at her from the right. ¡°Come on, Mai, I¡¯ve learned that basic trick already!¡± she said, focusing her eyes on the presence she had previously been unable to grasp.


    ¡°It¡¯s to keep your senses sharp,¡± answered the Rogue teacher. The Stealth was still active, making it difficult to really see the woman. If Reysha averted her eyes, it felt like she would be unable to find Mai again. Even while she stared, paying attention to her was like trying to hold a block of wet soap in a clenched fist.


    That feeling vanished suddenly, like a candle flame extinguished between two fingers, and Mai¡¯s form became clear. Today, she looked like a wood elf with deep brown skin and white hair. Her eyes were of sparkling gold, the pupils shaped like that of a goat. She stood at only 1,60 metres tall. Her figure was quite curvaceous.


    ¡°Did your husband want something to grab onto today?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Perhaps. Agrio,¡± Mai turned to the young one. ¡°You really need to work on your patience if you want to stay in this line of work. A Rogue is marked by their ability to stay their hand until the opportunity to strike comes.¡±


    ¡°Reysha curses all the time when she¡¯s fighting!¡± the young man pushed back.


    ¡°Yeah, because I¡¯m good,¡± Reysha mocked with a giant grin on her face.


    ¡°Her mistakes aren¡¯t what you should replicate. Go into the dark chamber and mix some poisons. That should calm you down,¡± Mai instructed and waved her finger at Reysha. ¡°We too should talk.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± the redhead agreed. They left the wooden dagger lying in the corridor. It would serve as a nice improvisation opportunity for whoever used this segment of the labyrinth to spar next.


    The Rogue school, if it could even be called that, was a windowless block of stone. Much of it was filled with nonsensical corridors that went in circles, using stairs, plateaus, and simple holes to transfer between layers, which weren¡¯t necessarily properly aligned when taken room by room. Torches were placed differently every day by the teachers, transforming the landscape ever so slightly. Even when one had learned about all of the nooks and crannies, different light levels could majorly change what areas could be considered safe and secure. Parts of the floor could be tilted, certain stairs changed in their elevation. All of these small changes were enough to prevent anyone from getting overly used to the environment.


    Between those corridors were proper rooms. Some, such as the studying hall, were public knowledge and easily accessible. Others one had to be told about or find for themselves. The first test of any aspiring Rogue was to find one of these secret rooms on their own. It could be an intimidating procedure, particularly because the regular activities still went on. Glass clacked, weapons collided, and hushed voices echoed through the corridors, all part of the Rogue¡¯s training.


    Reysha wasn¡¯t a novice, so none of that had made an impression on her when she waltzed in. In Mai¡¯s own words, the tiger girl was the oddest new arrival she had ever had. Not only had the tiger girl made her way through with absolute ease, the secret room she had found had been the headteacher¡¯s very own office. She wasn¡¯t the first in either category to do these things, but she was the first to do it while actually having the Skills of a novice.


    They were making their way to Mai¡¯s office now. It was a thoroughly unpleasant trip. The entrance led through a shaft barely broad enough for Reysha, who was about average in broadness for a woman her size. That trip was nothing for claustrophobes. It wasn¡¯t something for people who were pain avoidant either. The shape was specifically designed so that one had to dislocate their joints at several stages to advance. Without a Rogue¡¯s ability to do both that and the relocating magically, the trip was fundamentally impossible.


    Reysha had found the shaft by luck, seen that it was incredibly difficult, and thrown caution to the wind. The pain was not negligible, but she had been through worse. Mai on the other hand made it through easily, since she could make her bones flexible.


    They both emerged in an orderly office that appeared like it belonged somewhere else entirely. Magical light illuminated the wood-covered walls. The polished marble floor was inlaid with golden runes. Bookshelves contained school documents and personal trinkets. At one wall stood a little bed, used for naps. In the centre of it all was a large desk and three chairs. The most comfortable one was right behind the desk, the other two in front of it. Mai headed for the former, Reysha for one of the latter.


    Once she sat, Mai turned her head around in front of Reysha, as if she was looking in a mirror. ¡°Tell me honestly, do you think my nose is too broad?¡±


    ¡°I think your rack is too small,¡± Reysha responded jokingly.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Mai hummed and looked down. She wore a black bodysuit, conforming perfectly to her luscious curves. Under Reysha¡¯s eyes, her boobs grew a cup size larger. Bouncing a little bit in her chair, the teacher made her chest jiggle around. ¡°I guess my hubby will have fun with those.¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± Reysha said and greedily raised her hands.


    ¡°How about you seduce that little kobold friend of yours, if you want to grope something sizable?¡± Mai admonished and then leaned back. She was one of the teachers who Maltos had confided in unconditionally and Reysha, happy to have someone to chat with during training hours, had spilled the beans on more of her social life. The demon arm had been included in both stories. ¡°Enough about the simple pleasures, we actually have something important to discuss: we need to decide how to continue your training.¡±


    ¡°I think you should teach me how to stab stuff better,¡± Reysha jokingly suggested.


    ¡°Listen here, young woman, this is serious,¡± Mai returned, fully engaged in her teacher role now. Buckling in, Reysha kept quiet. She knew the following lecture would only grow longer if she said something unwanted. ¡°I empathise with your position quite a bit. I made mistakes that killed thousands down the line too, although in less spectacular ways than summoning an Unreavs class demon. My blade found politicians, nobles, and princesses, destabilizing an already precarious empire. I did it all for profit, you did it out of revenge, both are short-sighted goals. We are best advised remembering our mistakes, so we appreciate better how long-term planning benefits us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Reysha conceded with a self-aware sigh. As little as she needed most of it, the final sentence rang true. ¡°So, what is this about?¡±


    ¡°Rogues are among the most divergent Classes,¡± Mai told her pupil. ¡°We can vary our approach to combat a lot more than practically everyone else. All Classes that flow down from the Rogue focus on remaining stealthy and fleet footed, but how we balance those aspects, and the choice of weaponry, make each of us different. I¡¯m an Infiltrator,¡± she gestured at herself, ¡°as you know, I specialized in taking out key targets, using Stealth and my Reshape Body Art. These are most useful when taking out human targets. I don¡¯t think that is proper for you to learn.¡±


    Reysha got what the goal of this lecture was, ¡°You want me to plan what I focus on training?¡±


    Mai nodded strongly. ¡°I don¡¯t need to train you in the basics, you have those down. Your bladework is a lot better than your Skills. Still, you¡¯re better than the other novices I have to work with, so we can skip on the basic Martial Art training and ask ourselves directly where you want to go from here. Truth of the world is that you can¡¯t learn everything. You only have so many hours in a day and you have to rest sometimes.¡±


    Sitting where she was quietly, Reysha considered the question for a few moments. It did pull her in practically every direction. She definitely wanted to be a better combatant in dungeons. It would also be useful if she got better at being stealthy, so she could take out key targets while Apexus held the frontline. Utilities like poison and smoke bombs could also be neat inside dungeons. Learning how to be a better assassin would be nice to eventually stab Apotho in his villainous back.


    Unable to come to a definitive conclusion, she asked, ¡°Could you give me like two or three examples of what you would think would work for me?¡±


    ¡°I think there are two viable paths for you¡­ really, if I¡¯m being honest, there¡¯s only one, but the second could also work,¡± Mai stood up and her presence turned slippery again. ¡°You could lean heavier into the stealth aspect of our Class. Your group is missing a way to reliably deal with targets outside the range of your Monk-initiate, so it would be beneficial. There is a problem though.¡± Mai made her way to one of the shelves. Before Reysha could know what she had picked up, the fact that it was in her hand made it impossible to identify. ¡°You have fantastic intuition and you can pay attention. I believe you¡¯d be very effective at stalking an enemy. I don¡¯t think you¡¯d have the patience to wait, potentially for hours, for the right opportunity to strike.¡±


    ¡°I could learn, maybe,¡± Reysha responded.


    ¡°I believe you could, it just doesn¡¯t strike me as your natural inclination. I think it would work better for you to keep your Sneak and Stealth at a moderate level. Use it to engage your opponents from a beneficial position, rather than get the perfect opportunity to take them out in one strike.¡± Mai moved back to the table. Her Stealth was switched off again, and Reysha found the tip of a blade in front of her nose. ¡°More of ¡®stay in the flow¡¯ kind of fighting style than assassination.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like me,¡± Reysha said, cross-eying the weapon. ¡°Do you need to give me that advice at the literal tip of a blade though?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a demonstration weapon,¡± Mai said and pulled it back. The blade was long and sleek, a silvery-white double-edge surrounded the pitch-black spine. Runes were inlaid with gold into it. The haft was made from a red-brown wood and the guard was only a minimalistic piece that prevented the hand from slipping up on accident.


    ¡°That¡¯s way too impressive to be a demonstration weapon.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you are correct in that sense,¡± the teacher conceded and turned the rapier-like blade to smoothly clean some dirt under her fingernails. ¡°You¡¯ll be training your Sneak Skill with the rest of the students. Focusing on getting your Sneak to Stealth would take too much effort, if we¡¯re to focus on your personal combat ability. Instead, we will spend the majority of our time together training Martial Arts, specifically Weapon Skills.¡± The symbols along the spine lit up. ¡°This is a Runeblade, a weapon specifically forged to be used with certain Weapon Skills. They are incredibly rare and sought after. On the field, having one tailored to your specific Skillset is invaluable for a learned Martial Artist.¡±


    Mai swung the blade around. The air parted with an odd, wavering sound around it and a sheen of energy extended past the edges. ¡°That looks rad!¡± Reysha declared.


    ¡°It¡¯s useful,¡± the teacher chuckled and let the energy ebb away. ¡°Specifically, for us. The Martial Art you just saw is called Edge, for obvious reasons.¡± Raising a finger, the Infiltrator showed the same, blue energy now surrounding the digit. ¡°As a Martial Art, it works by sending ki into your joints and extending it outwards in a thin, sharp layer. Mastering Edge turns any area near joints into a potential weapon. Obviously, hands are the easiest and most useful, since there are so many joints right next to each other. Turning anything into a Weapon Art means you treat the weapon you hold as an extension of your body. Not all weapons are useful for all Weapon Arts. Manoeuvrability isn¡¯t the only reason why Rogues prefer short weapons like daggers. Martial Arts based on joints, as we use them, are the most difficult to maintain through a long conduit. Bones have it the easiest, hence why you often see Warriors use warhammers or spears.¡±


    Reysha nodded along. ¡°Okay, so I start with learning Edge and then I have to practice that on a weapon?¡±


    ¡°Normally that¡¯s how it would go, yes, but that¡¯s why I showed you this.¡± Mai tossed the Runeblade into the air and caught it again at the tip, presenting the heft to Reysha. ¡°This weapon has three Martial Arts inscribed into it: Edge, Spellslice, and Ki-Poison. You can imagine what Spellslice does. Ki-Poison inserts a fraction of your ki into someone else, disturbing their mana flow. You can learn all three effectively by using the Runeblade to feel the correct ¡®shape¡¯ of the mana flow, then you use that same mana flow in your body, and then you try with regular weapons. The extra step makes it easier.¡±


    ¡°Sounds neat,¡± Reysha grinned. ¡°So you¡¯re teaching me how to better stab shit after all.¡±


    Mai rolled her eyes, ¡°You could put it like that.¡±

 Guidance 18 – Martial, Weapon, Mana, Ki

    Reysha closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. The second she did, she got a smack at the back of her head. ¡°Don¡¯t even start forming that habit,¡± Mai scolded her. ¡°You¡¯re no healer that gets protected, you are a Rogue. We don¡¯t ever get to be unaware of our surroundings.¡±


    Simply nodding, Reysha kept her eyes open while she studied the flow of her mana. The only difference between mana and ki was in its application. Mages called their resource mana and they used it to achieve Spells, supernatural occurrences beyond their own body. Martial artists called their resources ki and they used it to achieve Skills and Martial Arts, supernatural occurrences inside their own bodies.


    The line was sometimes blurry, particularly when it came to Martial Arts. The distinction of ki and mana was purely on a word basis ¨C it was de-facto the same resource. It was also useful to communicate to someone what category something fell in. After all, understanding in matters of mana translated between Classes, sometimes poorly, sometimes well. It didn¡¯t translate to Martial Arts. The opposite was also the case.


    Reysha had only a basic grasp on joint-focused Martial Arts. The instructions were simple enough: send your ki into your joints and shape it in a certain way to get the wanted result. Drawing could have been broken down in the same way. Put lines and colour in these places and you get the representation of what you want. Neither form of art was that simple in execution.


    The first difficulty was to get ki past her own skin. She had never tried that before, nor considered trying it. Getting it out of her palm and into the wooden haft of the Runeblade felt like she was attempting to get water through a stone wall by throwing buckets full of liquid at it. Concentrating on her palm, Reysha realized what was about to happen and lowered her head.


    Not fast enough. Mai¡¯s palm hit the back of her head. ¡°Better, but you would still be dead,¡± the teacher pointed out, ¡°or at least be missing your pretty ears.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what the fuck I¡¯m supposed to do,¡± Reysha complained.


    ¡°Do you see a lot of people capable of Weapon Arts running around?¡± Mai posed a question in return.


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Then you should have figured that this isn¡¯t going to be easy. The Runeblade is a crutch few people get. It is still complicated.¡± Mai¡¯s harsh tone turned softer when she asked. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Move my ki into my palm and then just push it out, I guess,¡± Reysha responded. ¡°¡­Oh fuck I¡¯m stupid, I¡¯m not doing skin Martial Arts.¡±


    Mai hummed, pleased that her pupil had that revelation on her own. ¡°It would serve you better if you didn¡¯t need people to take you out of a moment before you think.¡±


    ¡°Me going with the flow of shit is the entire reason why I picked this path, right?¡± Reysha asked and refocused her efforts. She hadn¡¯t ever used her finger joints too much, when it came to training. The only Skill she did know dislocated her joints and who wanted to dislocate their fingers? Sending Ki there was an alien sensation. As long as she didn¡¯t form that expanding bubble, her joints would remain as they were.


    Once she had gathered some Ki, and properly dodged another slap, she started sending it into the blade. The Runeblade was still a wall, but less of stone and more of a wooden house. Finding the little holes and the windows would allow her to raise her efficiency. Even as she was still figuring that out, the first rune faintly shimmered.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s a start,¡± Mai said, inspecting the Runeblade. ¡°Keep the ki flowing,¡± she instructed and started gesturing at the various symbols along the weapon¡¯s spine, starting with the lowest one. ¡°This is the charger rune. You will find them on every Runeweapon, in one form or another.¡±


    ¡°You can read these?¡± Reysha asked, trying to keep her attention split. Control slipped and the shimmering decreased. Hastily, the tiger girl tried to regain control, only to have her human earlobe pinched. The ki retreated back into the familiarity of her body, undoing her progress.


    ¡°No,¡± Mai answered her question. ¡°I understand this one, because it¡¯s mine and I had it explained to me by the Runesmith. How exactly they are made to function or what the shapes mean is beyond me. All I can tell is that there are three paths out from the charger rune.¡± Mai pointed at the thin, golden line that connected the lowest rune to the one next up. The remaining bridges had a seemingly random number of connections. ¡°The number of connections between the charger rune and neighbouring runes is always the same as the number of different Weapon Arts the weapon is made for. Keep that in mind, it will come in handy at some point.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± Reysha nodded and restarted her efforts.


    Four hours passed, during which the tiger girl sat in the chair, desperately attempting to balance her situational awareness with this new sensation. The most successful strategy she found was to keep the build-up slow and steady. Fuelling the Runeblade ambitiously distracted her mental state too much to keep up with the slaps and other small punishments Mai tormented her with.


    Sometimes, Mai distracted her in other ways. ¡°Never mistake Weapon Arts for Enchantments,¡± she said. ¡°Weapon Arts are Martial Arts ¨C Enchantments are Spells. A magical craftsman binds an attribute to an object outside his body. For the duration of a Weapon Art, the weapon is part of your body.¡± Mai tapped the almost fully charged rune.


    It was as if someone was putting pressure on her fingernail, except her fingernail was four times as large and definitively displaced from where it should be. A moment later her brain realized that she didn¡¯t even have an eleventh fingernail. The confusion stopped her channelling for a moment. She maintained it. Then she continued.


    ¡®Slow and steady,¡¯ she thought.


    ¡°As you¡¯re currently realizing, charging a Weapon Art slowly is a valid tactic, particularly as a novice. You can prepare the attack and keep on dodging. For us Rogues, who specialize in definitive strikes to secure our takedowns, this is vital. However, if the weapon you are charging breaks, the pain will be incredible. Even Warriors are incapacitated if it occurs.¡± Mai circled around the chair a few times. ¡°If you ever fight a Weapon Art¡¯s user, focusing their weapon while they charge up can win you the fight. In the same vein, it may lose you the fight, if you aren¡¯t careful. This is why you must measure carefully when to make the attempt and what Martial Art to transfer. The faster you can pull it off, the safer you are.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Reysha answered, finally feeling like she was getting somewhere. Her ki expanded past the charger rune and down all three paths. She blinked rapidly. ¡°Which path should I follow?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The left one.¡±


    ¡°¡­where is left?¡± Reysha asked and then looked down at the weapon. ¡°If you slap me now, I¡¯ll be so fucking nettled.¡±


    ¡°Enemies don¡¯t care how nettled you are,¡± Mai chided and gave Reysha a smack on the shoulder at about half of the Infiltrator¡¯s actual speed. There was no hope of dodging. She failed to remain seated and fell to the ground. Her grip on the weapon loosened for a moment. Ki fled into the air as blue mist, dispersing without effect.


    Reysha growled, feeling the demon claws push out of the fingertips of her empty hand. Mai stomped down on the hand, preventing the redhead from raising it. When she turned her head, the tiger girl quickly swallowed her anger. What looked down at her wasn¡¯t a friendly teacher, but an Infiltrator who had killed thousands for money and hedonism.


    ¡°We are murderers, Reysha,¡± the teacher admonished both of them. ¡°We try our best to redeem ourselves, but the blood will stick. We have no right to ask mercy from the world. We haven¡¯t given it enough.¡±


    ¡°So, how are you not depressed?¡± Reysha returned with a sassy smile.


    The one she got in return was jaded, tired, ¡°If I get too self-aware of my sins, I can¡¯t teach upstarts like you how to avoid them.¡±


    ¡°Spilled milk in my case.¡±


    ¡°In the Omniverse, there is always more to ruin. Now, back into the chair.¡±


    Reysha did as instructed and sat back down. She had been set back. The progress she had lost, she knew how to recover. Familiarizing herself with the process was the entire goal. If she thought of it like that, the constant distractions made sense.


    ¡®The left one,¡¯ she thought, once the charger rune was filled again. She put her eyes on the blade, to find the correct path to follow. The shimmer started so weak, it was difficult to discern where it went at first. It didn¡¯t help that she had to duck under another slap. Then a chop followed. Reysha hissed, but managed to stay her progress, while jumping out of the chair. Mai followed after her, swiping her hand around at a pace that allowed her pupil to keep dodging ¨C as long as she paid attention.


    Watching the blade and her teacher at the same time was impossible, even for Reysha. Just like she had played with the boy, Mai was now playing with her. It was infuriating. It was also silly. Incredibly silly. What were they doing, jumping around inside the office, one of them trying to read magical lanes off a Runeblade?


    Reysha began to laugh. Loudly, unabashedly, she laughed and stepped forwards, hugging Mai. The Infiltrator could have dodged, but the course of action puzzled her enough that she let it pass. Arms wrapped around her teacher, the tiger girl read the blade over her shoulder. Meanwhile, Mai¡¯s left hand repeatedly chopped into her side.


    It hurt. The constant giggling and the hits.


    In her day, Reysha had been starving, stabbed, bitten, bruised, heartbroken, had an entire limb melted, deeply depressed and traumatized. Her sides getting tortured was nothing compared to all of that pain.


    ¡°I -hehehe- I got it!¡± she declared triumphantly and pulled out of the hug. ¡°I figured ou- hahaha. I figured out where LEFT IS!¡± That sentence made her roar with laughter again and she fell back into the chair. In her amusement, she lost complete track of the weapon. Her ki drained back into her and she didn¡¯t mind at all.


    Mai looked at her pupil, one eyebrow raised, and shook her head. ¡°You truly are an odd one.¡±


    ¡°Said the assassin turned teacher and housewife.¡±


    ¡°Hubby deserves the best,¡± Mai answered decisively. Her entire body language shifted when she spoke about her family. ¡°We can banter later. You have a mission. Get it done.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Reysha waved off and returned to the task in her hand. It only took her three hours this time around. Through the continued meddling, she charged up the bottom rune. Part of her remembered where things were relatively, so she found the left channel with little fumbling. Another hour later, she had finally made it up to the second rune.


    The edges were expanded by a blue, sharp sheet ¨C the lower five centimetres of it anyway. Reysha could sense the form her Ki took inside the weapon. There was no choice in how to form it, the runes acted as a mould. The path was set and this shape, if she could recreate it in her own joints, would have the exact same effect as it would have on the blade.


    ¡°Congratulations, you finished the easiest segment of the mission,¡± Mai applauded.


    ¡°Easiest?!¡± Reysha cried out. ¡°The fuck do you mean, I just have to repeat the same thing up the weapon like¡­ 12 times, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and remember how I said that joint-based Martial Arts got more difficult the longer the conduit?¡± Mai reminded her pupil and tapped the tip of the arm-long blade. ¡°Plus you have to counter the energy loss.¡±


    The redhead¡¯s ears deflated and she mumbled, ¡°All Martial Arts and no play make Reysha a depressed girl.¡±


    With a chuckle, Mai put a hand between those red cat ears and ruffled her pupil¡¯s wild hair. ¡°You did good for the day, so I¡¯ll let you go for now.¡±


    ¡°Hurray!¡± Reysha declared and ran towards the exit. Before she could cramp herself into the shaft, Mai grabbed one of her legs.


    ¡°Leave the Runeblade,¡± Mai warned.


    ¡°Cawn¡¯t I haz the wveapon to trainz at howme?¡± Reysha asked in her sickly-sweet voice. Mai narrowed her eyes threateningly. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± the redhead laughed and handed the Runeblade back over. ¡°Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get away with it anyway.¡±


    ¡°And yet you try,¡± Mai sighed.

 Guidance 19 – Medium Problems

    ¡°How is the training of your partners progressing?¡± Maltos asked. It was the usual question, presented at the end of every week. It was the third time he had asked it. ¡°Mai tells me she has started training Reysha in Weapon Arts.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± was Apexus¡¯ typically short answer. The slime¡¯s mood was somewhat strained. It was well in the afternoon and he still hadn¡¯t eaten today. The fasting hours grew longer with each day. Working on a diminishing nucleus early in the day got progressively easier. Yet, each new hour added was a new, harder test than the last.


    ¡°Keep speaking, Apexus,¡± the old Monk demanded, his tone friendly and firm. ¡°Tell me how their training is progressing.¡± He turned back from his small kitchen and placed a pot in the middle of the kotatsu. The two of them were alone in Maltos¡¯ small apartment.


    ¡°Reysha is making slow progress. She says she managed to fill up a Runeblade and is now working on replicating the Skill in her body. Although she can do that already, it takes her so long that it¡¯s impractical for combat,¡± Apexus listed everything he recalled.


    ¡°And Aclysia?¡± Maltos asked and lifted the lid from the pot. A wave of delicious fragrance filled the air. As much as the slime preferred raw meat, the stew before him still made his membrane thin in anticipation of a meal. Maltos filled two bowls. The stew was thin, a few pieces of meat and vegetables swimming in the salty water. Both servings remained in front of the Monk.


    ¡°She¡¯s still contemplating why Smiting is easiest from the sky,¡± Apexus responded. ¡°Otherwise, she¡¯s trying to get in the mindset for a Miracle.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Maltos nodded and pushed the bowl over to Apexus.


    Little as there was to the soup, the slime was tempted to unhinge his jaw and pour the entirety of the content of the bowl down his throat. The food¡¯s presence was not the same as a pass to eat it. Until it was cold, Apexus was not to touch it. Having a nose this sensitive was a terror in a situation like this.


    Maltos witnessed his student¡¯s plight and gave the same advice as always. ¡°Find your centre.¡±


    Closing his eyes, Apexus tried to do just that. It had been among the first things he had been taught. Meditation brought him to a state where the outside world was shut out and only the inner turmoil mattered. Identifying the source of his immediate worries, the slime took ownership of it and smoothed it over through will alone, like one would smoothen the surface of sand by sliding their palm over it.


    The spirit came to a rest, no longer pulled into any random direction by unwanted thoughts. It was entirely on Apexus to take control of his mind and balance it between his urges. Monkhood wasn¡¯t about undoing all urges altogether. Following that path to its end would lead to uncaring starvation. A true Monk knew and accepted their desires, but didn¡¯t let them control their actions.


    Apexus found his centre.


    He reopened his eyes and looked at the bowl. It had cooled enough that there was no more steam rising from the still surface. With his sight, the other senses returned to the forefront. Immediately, the physical world compromised his balanced mental state. The urges of his instincts nudged him to action. They failed to take over.


    Apexus remained closer to centered than he was before.


    ¡°Good,¡± Maltos said, nodding happily at his pupil¡¯s success. ¡°Do you know why I take an interest in the progress of your peers?¡±


    ¡°To have something to talk about?¡± Apexus responded, completely serious.


    His teacher laughed regardless. ¡°Ha! No, it is because I must consider carefully how to continue once your mental training is complete.¡± Maltos stirred his stew with a wooden spoon. ¡°Usually it would be interspersed with the Martial Arts and Skills of the Monk Class. There is much to learn as well. Monks utilize all three major categories, joints, muscles and bones, in their Inner Body Skills. Our Martial Arts are more complicated than most. Too complicated for most of us to consider the Weapon Arts Reysha is currently training in. Usually, I would send you to Pronthin for some supplementary Priest teachings.¡±


    ¡°Is that necessary?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°The disciplined mindset we strive to have lends itself to worship of certain gods. Further, it fits our combat role as generalists well to have access to some magic,¡± Maltos slurped a little bit of the hot soup off the spoon. ¡°But no, it is not necessary. A lot of Monks concentrate solely on Martial Arts.¡± The old Monk let out a tiny sigh. ¡°I cannot teach you any of those either, for the time being.¡±


    The reason for that was not any unwillingness on Maltos¡¯ part. Apexus¡¯ lack of magical cortex made it simply impossible to teach him. While it was the case that the humanoid slime could direct the magic within him even without the additional organ most sapient races of the Omniverse had, how that magic could be directed was not something the Monk could give any instructions in. A fish couldn¡¯t teach a human how to swim. Their shapes were simply too different.


    Even after the magical cortex was acquired, it remained to be seen if Apexus could be taught in the traditional ways. Joint and bone Inner Body Skills were not a worry, since the skeleton the slime had permanently Grown was that of a human. The semi-liquid muscles of a fellow slime monster, however, may prove to be a different story.


    ¡°One step after the other,¡± Maltos said, unworried about the developments. ¡°For now, eat.¡±


    Apexus strained to remain civilized at the sound of those words. With the spoon, he shovelled the bits of solid food in the stew into his mouth, retaining only a minimum of grace. The water followed in three large gulps. When he was done, Apexus looked at the empty bowl with a mixture of thankfulness and disdain.


    ¡°You won¡¯t eat for the next three days,¡± Maltos announced, snapping Apexus out of his thoughts.


    ¡°What?!¡± the humanoid slime raised his eyes and voice. The entirety of his instincts revolted against the thought. After two seconds, he managed to wrestle control back. ¡°I apologize,¡± he said and lowered his head.


    ¡°You took it relatively well,¡± Maltos gave a small compliment, while pouring himself a cup of tea. ¡°The fasting will conclude after you have proven sovereignty over your hunger. All initiates come to the temple with something that controls them. It just so happens that the urge that controls you is incredibly pronounced. In some ways, this makes it easier, in others harder.¡±


    Apexus looked down at his hands and considered the full impact of the time without nourishment. The last proper meal he had eaten, had been yesterday evening. Including today, he would have a full four days without proper food. Three days on the boat had him considering Reysha as his next meal.


    ¡°Find your centre.¡±


    Eyes closed, the humanoid slime gave himself to the calm. The hands holding the edge of the table relaxed. The legs ready to jump up relaxed. The jaw grinding in search of food relaxed. The spirit yearning for taste relaxed. The mind was set into balance.


    Eyes opened, the humanoid slime kept hold of the calm. ¡°What do we do in the meantime?¡± he asked. It would have been atypical of Maltos to leave his pupil unoccupied, even while he was starving.


    ¡°After tomorrow, you stay in the temple, where I can have eyes on you,¡± Maltos revealed. ¡°Until then, we handle something different. Tell me, what is a medium-sized problem you want to solve?¡±


    In Maltos¡¯ temple, everyone was taught to be as aware of their problems as possible. Not just aware in the ¡®know that you are flawed¡¯ sense, but distinctly and definitively aware of one¡¯s problems. A vague sense of negativity wasn¡¯t good enough. Everything had to be narrowed down to something clearly outlined. Only an issue that was named, so said Maltos, could be truly understood. Once a problem was understood, it could be solved.


    This was a part of monkhood that Apexus naturally aligned with. It lay in his nature to think of the world as a set of problems and figure out many ways to solve them. Pairing this with his habit of keenly observing his surroundings and to consider options before taking a decision, he had essentially lived by the code before he had even heard it.


    ¡°We have a leaky roof,¡± the slime responded quickly.


    ¡°That does sound like a bothersome issue,¡± Maltos nodded and finished his tea. Immediately after, he rose to his feet. ¡°Then let us fix that.¡±


    As much as Monks contemplated their decisions, it was also key that they acted swiftly once they had arrived somewhere. This mixture of deliberate planning and rapid enactment, as well as emergency improvisation, also spoke to Apexus. After three weeks, there was no doubt to be had that the humanoid slime had a natural inclination for this path.


    The two of them headed out, walking to the city on their bare feet. Following Maltos around was interesting. Wherever in the sprawled out city they went, people recognized him and offered him free food or other tokens of their appreciation. Everyone loved him or had heard of him. Maltos turned most of it down, only accepting a bag of a new variant of tea leaves, added to the one he was already buying.


    From there, they headed to a local farmer. ¡°You can just take it for free,¡± the farmer said, when asked whether he had any thatching material to offer. Piles of straw were lying around, scattered across the field.


    ¡°Are you certain?¡± Maltos asked, his bag of coins at the ready. ¡°I¡¯m not wanting for money.¡±


    ¡°Neither am I, you old worrywart,¡± the farmer laughed and waved off. Like most of the Teacher¡¯s Isles¡¯ permanent residents, he was a retired adventurer ¨C a druid at that. ¡°I grow all of my own food here, the only time I have to spend is when my children need new clothes.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re truly certain¡­?¡± the old Monk weighed his purse in his hand visibly.


    ¡°I¡¯d just mulch it if you didn¡¯t come around.¡±


    Maltos hummed and stroked his long white beard. The eyes in the wrinkly face of the old Monk scanned the surroundings. ¡°Perhaps you could rent us that cart?¡± he suggested and pointed at a wooden cart next to the farm¡¯s barn. It was visibly a hold-over, standing next to a newer, larger version of itself. Despite that it had been kept in good condition. ¡°Along with some thatching equipment, if that is alright with you.¡±


    The farmer sighed and let himself be paid. ¡°I can¡¯t give you anything to draw the cart though.¡±


    ¡°That will be alright,¡± Maltos waved off and turned to Apexus. ¡°It is your roof after all.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I pay, then?¡± the humanoid slime asked.


    ¡°Consider the money an apology for the coming days,¡± the old Monk reasoned.


    The humanoid slime didn¡¯t attempt to argue with his teacher. A gift was given and any attempt to dissuade Maltos would have Apexus begrudgingly accept, just like the farmer did. While the retired druid went inside, Apexus asked a different question, ¡°Why did you insist on paying him?¡±


    Maltos bound his purse to the belt of his simple robe. ¡°A great many reasons,¡± he responded. ¡°The most important one is that I have no reason to keep my wealth. I have no child to clothe¡­¡± The old man¡¯s eyes turned distant, as he gazed towards the setting sun. ¡°¡­anymore.¡±


    They stood there and waited. Apexus wondered if he should ask what his teacher meant by that. It felt inappropriate to pry. Similarly, Maltos wondered how much he wanted to divulge. Before either of them could come to a conclusion, the druid came back out with a small box full of thatching tools. ¡°Here you go. Just bring them back when you can,¡± he said, placing the tools in the cart. Crying from inside the house made the man hurry back inside. ¡°Take as much straw as you need!¡±


    With that guarantee, Apexus started piling straw into the cart. Maltos acted the old man and stood aside, keeping watch from his seat on a tree stump. Once they had as much as could reasonably be carried, they started moving. Although the cart was designed to be drawn by an ox or other bovine, putting a handlebar across the front allowed any humanoid to push the thing along. Thanks to Apexus¡¯ height and power, he managed to get it moving relatively easily. The wheels dug into the fertile, damp soil. Teacher and straw sat at the back, the student worked.


    Their way was far, over two hours. Maltos passed the time by retelling some stories of his career as an adventurer. ¡°Do you know what happens when a Parasyte Infestation is left unchecked?¡± Maltos asked.


    ¡°It grows?¡± the humanoid slime took an educated guess.


    ¡°Correct, but a bit too simple,¡± the teacher responded patiently. ¡°Try again.¡±


    Apexus considered what he knew about Parasytes. The tiny, tic-like creatures existed all over the Omniverse¡¯s Branches, on a tireless search for magic. They were drawn to any obvious source, hence why using magic outside of Leaves was an incredible danger. Any Parasyte in the vicinity would immediately be drawn to the source, like a school of piranhas to blood. What they truly sought was a crack in the Bark, however. Once they found it, Parasytes would congeal on the location, meld together, expand, deteriorate the surface, and grow even further.


    ¡°They will cover a branch?¡± Apexus suggested.


    ¡°No, although that would be a logical conclusion,¡± Maltos denied and then supplied the real answer. ¡°The Infestation consolidates into a creature known as a Leaf-Eater. Parasytes cannot enter Leaves, but that monstrosity can hook its fangs into the Stem of a world. Once that has happened, it sucks the entire world clean of magic and lifeforce. The only escape route would be through the Parasyte¡¯s mandibles. In other words, there is no escape.¡± The old Monk took a pause. ¡°Combatting the Parasytes is the work of angels and the Church. I once saw the Progenitor¡¯s Chosen cut down a Leaf-Eater. A spear of light incinerated the creature from the inside out. What followed was a tide of black. All the lesser Parasytes followed, attracted by the magic. Once an Infestation has manifested, that area of the Omniverse takes decades of deliberate care to recover.¡± Maltos shook his head. ¡°It is a wonder the Church still functions in any capacity. The sprawling branches of the Omniverse are too numerous to be overseen by one organization, yet they must be, in order to be cared for properly by people that have the power to push back the nothingness.¡±


    ¡°The Omniverse is like us,¡± Apexus remarked.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Maltos asked, intrigued.


    ¡°There¡¯s a great number of influences pulling at it at any given time. Some need to be exorcised, others acknowledged and kept in balance.¡± Apexus kept trotting along, finally asking a question that he had been unable to answer. ¡°Teacher, when is it right to kill?¡±


    ¡°When there¡¯s no chance at redemption,¡± Maltos responded immediately.


    ¡°But how would I know that there is no chance?¡±


    ¡°You will know.¡±


    ¡°But how?¡± Apexus repeated his question.


    ¡°You are training your own mind, Apexus, to recognize your faults,¡± Maltos explained slowly. ¡°Through this training, your intuition will sharpen. Sometimes you may strike down those who threaten you out of necessity, even though they may be saved. This should be avoided where it can be and this doubt you feel, when it comes to them, you should keep it healthy. Like all urges, let it be a presence in your mind, let it advise you, and do not let it stay your hand when you make a decision. Other times, you will see people of such deep rot that you will know that they must die. You will know that their desires control them and drive them to atrocities without care.¡±


    ¡°So, it will sometimes be easy?¡±


    ¡°The decision will be easy, the act itself will weigh on your mind,¡± Maltos stated and the cart came to a sudden halt. ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    Apexus hadn¡¯t planned the stop. Mentally, he didn¡¯t quite know what to make of that advice yet. Physically, the cart had simply gotten stuck in the mud. The slime gave it two heavy shoves. Both times, the cart made it a bit forward. The wheels dug deeper. ¡°We are stuck,¡± he confessed.


    Effortlessly, Maltos jumped off the cart and landed on the dirt road. His robe was stained with the splatter of mud. Making his way around to the back, the old monk inspected the wheels first, then grabbed the last plank of the wooden construct. Wet sounds could be heard, when the mud separated from the wheels. ¡°Go on,¡± Maltos instructed, holding up the cart with one hand.


    Apexus took several steps. Maltos walked over the puddle of wet earth, his bare feet staying on the surface. Once they made it across, he put the cart back down and jumped on the back. ¡°You are impressive,¡± the humanoid slime said.


    ¡°I have seen and done a great many things,¡± Maltos responded simply.

 Guidance 20 – Thatching

    ¡°Welcome home, darling!¡± Aclysia¡¯s singing voice greeted him, when he stopped the cart in front of the house. The metal fairy was in her casual dress and leaned out of the single window. Her clothing could never have matched the beauty of her smile. ¡°I did not anticipate that you would return with hay.¡±


    ¡°Thatching material,¡± Apexus explained simply.


    ¡°We will fix your house,¡± Maltos remarked.


    Aclysia¡¯s smile grew a little more. The prospect of having her home intact excited her almost as much as the prospect of learning new healing spells. ¡°Truly? That is magnificent.¡± Maltos jumped off the wagon, while she hovered out of the window. ¡°May I be of assistance? You two must desire a meal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not to eat for the next three days. After tomorrow, I¡¯ll be away for two days.¡±


    That announcement created a sudden and extreme swing on Aclysia¡¯s face. Gone was the lovely house angel and in came the protective lover. She glared at Maltos, knowing that he was the source of her beloved¡¯s torment. Taking a deep breath, she reigned in her dislike of that state of affairs. ¡®It is all for his best,¡¯ she reminded herself. ¡°I understand,¡± she pressed the air back out.


    ¡°Could you prepare tea for me?¡± Maltos asked. He had noticed her poisonous stare, of course, but didn¡¯t let that deter him.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a kettle,¡± Aclysia responded harshly. Much of her past week of self-study had been filled by her getting numerous chores around the house done. She had cleaned, levelled the floor (with Apexus¡¯ help), rooted out unwanted plants around the house, gathered firewood, and headed into the city to buy a number of household items. First and foremost were utensils required to cook proper meals for Reysha and make jerky out of the meat she and Apexus didn¡¯t want or need to eat. Their funds had suffered quite a bit, but they had no expenses other than teaching, so that wasn¡¯t too bad.


    Apexus ducked away under the sidebar of the cart¡¯s handle and pulled his annoyed lover out of the air and against his chest. Resting against him, she looked quite small, despite being taller than most women. Happily, she snuggled up against his broad chest. The safety of his arms enveloped her, his palm gently glided over her silky hair. ¡°How did you fare today, my melody?¡±


    ¡°No major realizations, darling,¡± she responded in her sing-song voice. She wasn¡¯t bothered by this. To deal with the assignment, she had another week and returning to Pronthin wasn¡¯t on her priority list. Making sure the dwelling place of her beloved partners was proper satisfied her deeply, as opposed to the heretic¡¯s lectures. She would have to return in seven days. Until then, she was going to work on her Miracle and on cleaning the rot off the window panel.


    ¡°Is Reysha back yet?¡± Apexus asked another question.


    ¡°I assume Mai is putting her through another torture,¡± Aclysia remarked. What the two of them heard about the violence the Rogue teacher used aside from verbal teaching disturbed them quite a bit. Evidently that was ¡®normal¡¯ in their circles and the redhead didn¡¯t seem to mind, so they let it pass. Being reminded of it still soured the metal fairy¡¯s mood.


    A swift move distracted her from the renewed annoyance. Apexus suddenly grabbed her by her round derriere and lifted her light body so their faces were at the same height. Blushing, she glanced quickly over to Maltos, who had long turned away in the name of decency. Once she realized that, there was no holding back. Her arms wrapped around her darling¡¯s neck and they kissed deeply. Almost, she wished he would disregard the teacher¡¯s presence, pin her against the house wall and do with her as he may. Apexus was definitely willing to do the same. His hunger made way for a different kind of appetite. It was not quite strong enough to spur him into action.


    ¡°¡­We do have a pot, honoured teacher, if you are fine with loose leaves,¡± Aclysia said, after she was put back down.


    ¡°That would be lovely.¡± Maltos turned around and handed over the package of new leaves that he had been gifted. Aclysia went inside to prepare the tea. The two men started the physical labour of tearing the faulty thatching off. Once they were done with the purely destructive part of the work, Maltos moved to the side and explained to Apexus what exactly should be done.


    Thatching a roof was fundamentally layering dry, hollow plant fibre, such as straw, and interweaving it with horizontal lines to prevent any sliding. First, a bundle was made, getting the lower end of the straws on a uniform level. That bundle was moved into position on the roof and the string holding it together removed. Then the straw got fanned out in an area. With the palm of his hand, Apexus ¡®clapped¡¯ the lower edge of the straw so that the edge aligned roughly with that of the old, still intact parts of the roof. That segment of the new thatching was then tied in place with a handful of straws taken from the bundle.


    After an entire layer was done like that, a simple piece of bark nailed to a handle was taken to properly beat the edge of the layer into a uniform exterior. The unsteady surface of the bark served there for entirely aesthetic reasons, as the minorly dishevelled thatching looked just a tad nicer than perfect smoothness.


    Once Apexus was happy with that layer, he moved up to the next. Maltos kept watching while Aclysia, once she brought the tea, took the task of preparing the bundles and flying them up to the roof. Straw, even in such bundles, was light enough for her to lug around. Apart from that, she used her magic to light the work. The night was dark, the moon only a sickle.


    It was simple, honest work. With each bundle placed, they got closer to another layer finished. With each layer finished, they got closer to a complete roof. The sky was thankfully clear that day, not a cloud to be seen. A rarity on this Leaf.


    ¡°Oooohh, that¡¯s cool!¡± Reysha shouted. Both Aclysia and Apexus jumped at her sudden voice. The metal fairy gave her darling a surprised look. Although he was distracted by hunger and work, he usually should have heard the Rogue coming.


    ¡°You are Sneaking,¡± the humanoid slime greeted the tiger girl.


    ¡°New order, I¡¯m supposed to Sneak the entire way home and to the school every day,¡± Reysha explained and, with a groan, hopped onto the half-empty cart. ¡°It¡¯s killing my ankles.¡±


    ¡°Did you manage to go the entire way?¡± Maltos asked, intrigued.


    ¡°Oh fuck no, I don¡¯t think Mai knows how far out in the sticks we live. I took like three pauses,¡± Reysha responded, rolling her feet. That joint wasn¡¯t one she wanted to hurt. She used her feet more than her hands and being immobilized would be the literal death of her. ¡°Plus my ki is already exhausted from doing this all day.¡± Reysha raised her index finger.


    Aclysia and Apexus interrupted their work to stare.


    ¡°Nothing is happening,¡± Apexus pointed out.


    ¡°Gimme a sec,¡± the tiger girl insisted. A concentrated look appeared on her face. Then, the upper two joints of her finger were suddenly enveloped by a light blue Edge. ¡°Aha! Victory!¡±


    ¡°May I inquire what exactly that is good for?¡± the metal fairy asked.


    ¡°What is having a knife you can¡¯t take from me good for? That a serious question, bubble butt?¡±


    ¡°I rescind it on the grounds that it was indeed obvious. I merely wondered if there was something beyond it that was notable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re both making good progress,¡± Apexus said, trying his best to let the genuine compliment swing in his tone. Although he was mediocre at that, the two of them knew what he wanted to express and smiled.


    For his part, Apexus was reminded of the conversation he had with Maltos earlier, about the lack of combat training he had received so far. Doubtlessly the spiritual training was helping him, but what about after it had concluded?


    He chose not to worry about that for now. Maltos had something in mind, even if the humanoid slime didn¡¯t know what yet. So far, trusting in the old Monk had worked out. In matters of future training plans, Apexus could continue to do so without getting paranoid. Instead, he concentrated on the rest of the work.


    Eventually, the new thatching was completed. They tested it out by tossing some water out of a bucket all over it, simulating heavy rain. At least that single load showed no leaks. Even proper rainfall would have revealed nothing major. Between Maltos¡¯ instructions, the quality of the material, and Apexus¡¯ attention to detail, they had fixed the roof splendidly.


    At the end of their work, they all sat on the roof. Reysha to his left, Aclysia to his right, and Maltos about one step out, slurping the remains of his tea. ¡°A final lesson before we separate for the day,¡± the old Monk raised his voice and looked up. ¡°The Omniverse shares the same sky. We all share the same sky.¡±


    The trio looked up to the stars. The rare clear night revealed the entirety of the beauty of the firmament. Stars sparkled brilliantly, silver dots interrupting the dark blue. The sickle of the moon, like a closed eye, sat above them.


    Apexus turned his eyes back to his teacher. ¡°No, we don¡¯t,¡± he said confusedly.


    Aclysia nodded and Reysha followed suit. Of the three, the metal fairy had paid the most attention to the sky, having used it to tell the time for them on the Leaves they had traversed previously. All three of them were aware that the moon here was on a different cycle, the sun rose and fell at different hours, and the stars were placed differently, with certain constellations missing and others taking their place. It was, without a doubt, not the same sky.


    A patient chuckle was Maltos¡¯ first response. ¡°It is a saying that is often forgotten by those too young to witness great events in the Omniverse. I am not saying that every world has the same sky, just that all skies are connected. You¡¯ll understand what I mean if you keep sitting here for a little while.¡± Maltos finished his tea and then, without further words, jumped to the nearest treetop.


    Swiftly, the shadow of the Monk master minimized, moving miraculously over thin branches towards the horizon. The three of them remained where they were. ¡°I have to bring that cart back tomorrow,¡± Apexus thought out loud.


    Aclysia wanted to offer to do it for him, but she was certain she would hardly be able to move the thing, much less push it for several kilometres. ¡°You will prevail, darling,¡± she encouraged him instead and snuggled up to him.


    On the other side, Reysha did the same. ¡°So, what else did I miss?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Darling¡¯s fast will be intensified, he is not to eat for the next three days and will be confined to temple grounds after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, that¡¯s annoying,¡± Reysha exclaimed. ¡°Guess ya and me gotta stick together for those two days, bubble butt.¡±


    ¡°It strikes me that you mean this in a perverted fashion.¡±


    ¡°Not exclusive-¡° Reysha stopped in the middle of her sentence, perking up just as Apexus did. Both of them turned their attention to the forest. ¡°Who would wander out here at this hour?¡± she mumbled in an amused tone.


    Emerging between the trees was a tiny form, swaying just a little bit with every other step. A horned shortstack waved, a mug in hand, clothing and golden hair unordered. ¡°Hoy!¡± Korith greeted. ¡°Am tipsy! Entertain me!¡±


    Aclysia was flabbergasted, Reysha giggled, and Apexus moved to the edge of the roof to help her up. That she knew where they lived was of no surprise, the metal fairy had finally found the time to show her a few days ago. ¡°How far did you walk?¡± Aclysia asked, incredibly confounded.


    ¡°Uhhh,¡± Korith let herself be carried to the top of the roof, where sitting was relatively secure, and then stayed between Apexus¡¯ legs. She wiggled her large butt in a minor attempt to get more comfortable and a major attempt to elicit a reaction. In that, she was disappointed. ¡°Let me see. Three quarters of a mug,¡± the shortstack emptied the rest of her beer. The container was so large in comparison to her body, she had to hold it with both clawed hands to lift it. Once bereft of intoxicating contents, she tossed it down the roof. ¡°I wanted to see you!¡± the drunk shortstack exclaimed.


    ¡°That¡¯s adorable,¡± Reysha said and pinched her cheek. Licking her lips, she moved her wiggling fingers towards the tightly packed chest.


    ¡°No!¡± Korith slapped the hand away.


    ¡°Awww, but you¡¯re so cute and grabbable.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying that, you horny¡­ cat!¡±


    ¡°It is true,¡± Apexus agreed.


    ¡°That I¡¯m horny or that she is grabbable?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hellroots, I love it when you¡¯re being cheeky.¡± Reysha giggled.


    Aclysia pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡®I should tell her to leave,¡¯ she reminded herself that Korith should not be encouraged to make sudden visits like this. ¡®Darling seems content holding her though and he will have rough enough days,¡¯ she reasoned to herself. Only jealousy could have swayed her. Sitting next to him, holding onto his arm, Aclysia didn¡¯t feel like there was any need to be jealous, however.


    ¡°How about a game?¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°Game?¡± Korith perked up. ¡°I¡¯m up for games. I have cards or dice on me. We can play Hellroot Jumble.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking something simpler,¡± Reysha purred. ¡°We¡¯ll play ¡®I spy with my little eye¡¯ and if you fail to guess what I mean in ten turns, I get to grope ya.¡±


    ¡°Bet!¡± the drunk shortstack agreed instinctively.


    ¡°I spy with my little eye¡­¡± Reysha leaned back a little bit. ¡°¡­something that is big.¡±


    ¡°Aclysia¡¯s butt,¡± the guess came instantly.


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    ¡°Wha- uncouth perverts!¡±


    ¡°My turn, if I win, you have to tell me why you never even consider letting me into the party!¡± Korith babbled drunkenly. Before anyone could deny that suggestion, she started, moving her head wildly in search of something to use for the game. ¡°I spy with my little eye something that is- what the fuck.¡±


    It was the first curse any of them had heard from the shortstack. None of them needed to ask what had caused this intense reaction, as they all noticed the swelling of light. As they raised their heads to the sky of the Omniverse, the forest all around was illuminated. Cold silver basked this Leaf and all Leaves.


    The sickle that had been barely visible before had grown into a full moon. Shadows of impossible origin played on the surface, forming, thinning, and widening, like the lids and the iris of a massive eye. Staring down at all worlds, the moon descended, taking particular ongoings into closer inspection. ¡°Am I mad or is this happening?¡± Reysha whispered.


    ¡°Yeeeeeeeeessssssssss,¡± the moon said and slowly closed again. ¡°Safety remains, my progeny.¡±


    The entirety of the world was silent. Nothing dared to move. Old stayed shrugged, the prepared young stayed in awe, the unprepared young looked around confused, not knowing what had just happened.


    ¡°We all share the same sky,¡± Aclysia whispered. ¡°I get it now.¡±


    Korith felt the urgent need to lie down.


    Apexus made a mental note to ask Maltos about this tomorrow.


    The tiger girl started to laugh. ¡°Did I just get sassed by a celestial body?!¡±

 Guidance 21 – Beyond the Known

    ¡°The Mad Moon,¡± Maltos said to the trio and Korith and slurped on his tea.


    Apexus, Aclysia, Reysha and Korith had huddled together in the house a short while after the moon-eye event had passed. There just had been nothing else to do but sleep and wait for the next day to investigate. They had hurried over to the old Monk to talk to him before other duties took his attention. Anticipating them, the mentor had been in the process of making tea when they knocked. Now all of them were on one side of the table.


    ¡°That sounds pretty ominous,¡± Korith remarked.


    ¡°It is a title given by people who don¡¯t understand what they are looking at ¨C or what is looking at them,¡± Maltos responded and took another sip. ¡°The Mad Moon, as it is called, is one of the eight eyes of the Progenitor. It appears in the skies of the Omniverse sometimes, inspecting the current status of creation. I assume you heard some of what it said?¡±


    ¡°That was the Progenitor?¡± Aclysia asked, awestruck.


    ¡°One of its many parts,¡± Maltos re-emphasized. ¡°Answer my question, if you may?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, honoured teacher,¡± Aclysia recalled what had been said and repeated the single phrase. ¡°It said: ¡®Yes. Safety remains, my progeny.¡¯¡±


    ¡°The tail end of a conversation it had with some of us,¡± Maltos revealed, dunking a dry, hard biscuit into the remaining half of his cup of tea. ¡°Around level 50, you become aware of these phenomena in their entirety. The other teacher¡¯s and I knew the Mad Moon was approaching for two weeks. Tell me, Aclysia, did you realize what the saying meant?¡±


    The metal fairy nodded, ¡°I believe so.¡±


    ¡°Explain it, then,¡± Maltos nudged her, ¡°We share the same sky, what is that saying based on?¡±


    ¡°All worlds are connected; all are Leaves of the Omniverse. Like the Leaves of the trees are created in the first one¡¯s image, so are our worlds nourished by veins that run through them. Veins that spread out from the Stem, some burrowing into the ground, but most spreading out through the sky. These veins, the leylines, connect every single world of the Omniverse.¡±


    ¡°Did you realize the further implications of this for you personally?¡± Maltos asked another question to the exiled angel.


    ¡°This Smiting that my teacher told us about, it originates from leylines.¡±


    ¡°Since they are the direct connection to the Omniverse us Priests are a part of,¡± Maltos nodded.


    ¡°Us?¡± Reysha picked up. ¡°Hol¡¯ up a sec there, wise guy, you¡¯re a Monk.¡±


    ¡°He multi-classed,¡± Apexus provided the simple explanation.


    Korith¡¯s tail moved slightly, ¡°People do do that as they get more powerful. Aren¡¯t you going more into the Arms Master niche, Reysha?¡±


    ¡°Can I just be shocked at some realizations?¡± Reysha grumbled.


    ¡°You can certainly be shocked, if you are so inclined,¡± Aclysia remarked. ¡°You will look moronic in doing so, however.¡±


    Apexus, mindful of the time they had before they all had to return to their actual teachers, kept the conversation on topic. ¡°Is there anything else about this Mad Moon worthwhile to know?¡±


    ¡°If you live an average lifespan, you¡¯ll see it two or three times,¡± Maltos informed them. ¡°Otherwise, no.¡± He finished his cup of tea and placed it off to the side. Folded hands rested on the tabletop. ¡°If this is all you wanted to know, I recommend you return to your training now. Reysha, Mai acknowledges your talent and you should try to entertain even her wildest demands. Korith, you have great physical prowess, but your mobility is lacking ¨C perhaps you should ask your teacher if he has a recommendation for you to amend that issue. Aclysia, Pronthin is jaded and his vision clouded, yet his knowledge runs deep. Do not avoid him for longer than is necessary.¡±


    All three women sighed in unison, looking at each other with amused befuddlement afterwards. It took the edge off the moment.


    ¡°Apexus, see them off,¡± Maltos then said and rose to his feet. ¡°Since you¡¯re already here, we may as well enter the final stage of your fast.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Apexus agreed neutrally. The trio and Korith left the room. The slime led them to where they had left their shoes. Aclysia and Reysha put theirs on, Apexus didn¡¯t touch his and Korith, as a species with claws and scales covering her feet, did not have any to put on in the first place. ¡°Do well without me,¡± he said his goodbye.


    ¡°We¡¯ll fuck after you come back out,¡± Reysha giggled and threw her arms around her lover¡¯s neck. She had to get all the way on her toes to reach his lips and kiss him. ¡°Keep your wits about you, Apexus.¡±


    ¡°I will pray for your safe return,¡± the metal fairy added swiftly, after Reysha had pulled back. Lovingly, she framed her darling¡¯s face between her gentle hands. They both leaned forwards, their foreheads resting on one another. Green and blue eyes gazed quietly. Without another word, they separated.


    ¡°Uhm, see you soon?¡± Korith, confused about what exactly was happening, said her goodbye too. The three women set out. When they were a fair bit away, the kobold asked, ¡°Is something bad happening?¡±


    ¡°Apexus has to starve himself for the next three days,¡± Aclysia explained.


    ¡°Oh, that`s¡­ unpleasant?¡± Korith¡¯s tone reflected her continued confusion. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s definitely unpleasant! It sounded like you thought he would die or something.¡± Both women tensed up a little bit at the mention, Reysha less so than Aclysia. Noticing this, Korith added, ¡°I know he¡¯s a giant of a man, but he should be able to go a few days without food?¡±


    ¡°¡­Perhaps,¡± Aclysia badly dodged the topic. Absolutely, the kobold knew that she was being left out of something again. It irked her, yet she couldn¡¯t hope to get an answer. Without a fresh pint in her, she didn¡¯t have the courage to press the issue either.


    ¡°Are ya going to do what Maltos recommended?¡± Reysha asked, changing the topic.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± Aclysia sighed. Even though she had now realized what made Smiting easiest from the sky, being the density of leylines up above, she had planned to go the full two weeks. Retaining distance from Pronthin was a reward for her. Duty compelled her to action, however. ¡°What about you two?¡±


    ¡°I can at least try to Sneak the way there,¡± Reysha shrugged. ¡°Not like I¡¯ve refused anything else she tasked me with so far.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I will ask,¡± Korith answered. ¡°Not sure what they will point me at, but I¡¯d like something that allows me to reposition. Hard to do my job as a vanguard if I can¡¯t keep up on my short legs.¡±


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky you have such short legs,¡± her teacher told Korith. ¡°Short, thick legs.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thanks?¡± Korith asked. She was used to receiving compliments regarding thickness for bust, boobs, or thighs. She was not used to that happening in this particular context. ¡°Why am I lucky?¡±


    ¡°Because your muscles are densely packed around the bones. Something about comparative volume, ask the mages how exactly that works,¡± Vulk waved off. He was a goliath (a race of humanoids that differed from humans by their towering size and general lack of hair) and it was difficult to say whether he was covered more in tattoos or scars. Whichever it was, the aged Warrior¡¯s muscles underneath still worked fine. ¡°Advantage is that shorties like you have less of your body to press your ki through. HEY!¡±


    Korith jumped when the scream of her teacher caused the entire courtyard, filled with training Warrior novices, to suddenly turn to them. The sounds of wooden weapons and shields colliding ceased. Everyone looked at the two of them.


    Aside from Korith, everyone was tall and muscular. Naturally, the kind of people drawn to being Warriors and Brawlers, the traditional frontliners of any adventuring party, were physically impressive to start with. It took a special kind of self-assured thrill seeker to volunteer to stand face-to-face with all the monsters the gods could concoct.


    To the kobold, none of them were as impressive as Apexus. There were people who had the looks, people who had the body, and people who had the character. None had all three. At least not in the configuration Korith was looking for.


    ¡°DEMONSTRATION TIME, YOU CUNTS, IF YOU WANT TO LEARN SOMETHING COME HERE!¡± Vulk roared.


    Korith shrunk a little bit, while a ring of musclebound bodies formed around her. She had sparred against practically everyone around her at the moment and came out on top quite often. Regardless, their concentrated gazes did intimidate her a little bit. ¡®I don¡¯t like this much attention,¡¯ she thought.


    ¡°Alright. KORITH!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes?!¡± the kobold stammered, standing at attention.


    ¡°What are the two most essential Inner Body Skills for a Warrior?!¡±


    ¡°Bone Hardening and Muscle Strength?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking me or is that your answer, shortie?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my answer! Please stop shouting at me¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Awwww¡­¡±


    ¡°YOU!¡± Vulk pointed at a random person in the crowd. ¡°What¡¯s the order of difficulty for the three major kinds of Inner Body Skills?¡±


    ¡°Bone is easiest, Muscle is middle, Joints are hardest,¡± the Warrior novice responded.


    ¡°Correct!¡± the teacher barked. ¡°That¡¯s typically important when it comes to Weapon Arts and I don¡¯t teach those. Next question. KORITH!¡±


    ¡°Why me again?¡± the kobold whined.


    Ignored, she listened to Vulk¡¯s continued aggressive teaching, ¡°Can you lift as much as anyone else here?¡±


    ¡°Generally speaking, sure?¡± the shortstack was so confused where this was going.


    ¡°Squat!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± she squatted down where she stood.


    ¡°You, also squat!¡± Vulk barked at someone else in the crowd. ¡°Both of you, use Bone Hardening and Muscle Strength on your legs and jump as hard as you can! On the count of three!¡±


    Korith gave a tiny nod and concentrated on her ki. While Vulk counted down, she filled her bones and muscles with mana. Even before coming here, she had known how to perform both Skills and had only gotten better at it since. Hardening Bone made the body sturdier, able to take more punishment ¨C particularly if timed well in response to an incoming attack. Muscle Strength did exactly as the name implied. What confused her was why she was made to use the Hardening Bone too when she was supposed to jump. It didn¡¯t help with that endeavour.


    Or so she believed.


    ¡°Jump!¡± Vulk commanded and both the kobold and the novice shot straight into the air. The chosen novice made it high enough that his toes were level with everyone else¡¯s heads. Average height around the courtyard was 1,90 metres. Absurdly determined people may have been able to approach this without the help of magic. For a novice, this was an impressive showing.


    Korith made it up a further fifty centimetres. She could hardly believe her eyes, when she looked down and people had their heads leaned backwards to follow her. Then a feeling of mild panic settled in. Gravity reclaimed her, the ground got closer, and she landed with a shock travelling up her hardened bones.


    Vulk explained to everyone what had just happened. ¡°Bone and Muscle magic is the easiest. Being the easiest doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no increased efficiency in certain conditions. If you meet someone who has considerably lesser size than you yet has the same strength, be prepared. Their ki usage will lead to stronger bursts. That¡¯s a lucky quirk of magic for the shorties, because it means they can leap around in combat. They often end up being among the most mobile Warriors, especially on a battlefield with various heights. Helps make up for their lack of range. Ask mages for the details.¡±


    Regularly, differences in efficiency were practically a non-factor. Between a person that was 1,70 and 1,80, there wasn¡¯t much of a difference in the ki usage. Because Korith was a kobold and truly tiny, there was a notable gap. Primarily, this was created by the difference in the length of the bones. Inside the body, bones were the main way ki travelled.


    This was what led to the huge difference in difficulty of Weapon Arts between Bone and Joint Skills. Bone Skills were already primed to utilize the same conduit they travelled through as the outlet of the magical effect. Joint Skills typically had their mana provided through the bone and were then formed locally. Having to shape the magic while it travelled through the conduit was the opposite of the behaviour inside the body. Muscle Skills had less of the issue, as they were in between the two categories.


    Inside the body, Muscle Skills required a balance. With bones, having shorter, denser ones was always beneficial to the efficiency. For muscles, there was a balance to be struck. The closer the muscle was to the bone, the easier it was for the magic to reach. However, muscle fibre had a limit in terms of saturation, which was why frail people would be weaker Warriors. Athleticism was required for optimal output. Under all the squishiness, Korith was a trained frontliner who had survived on her own until that point. Her body, specifically her legs, did possess that balance between being short and thick. The perfect balance for ki efficiency.


    Almost every curse could become a blessing, even being three-heads shorter than everyone else.


    ¡®This feels like the kind of thing I should have learned earlier,¡¯ Korith complained mentally.


    ¡°Since Maltos recommended this to you, we¡¯ll focus on it extensively now!¡± Vulk shouted at the kobold. ¡°Time to teach you the basic Martial Art of leaping ¨C the Frog Jump!¡±


    ¡®Why can¡¯t it have a cooler name?¡¯ Korith cried in her mind.


    ¡°The rest of you, remember ¨C if you fight a short Warrior, Brawler, or any other kind of frontliner ¨C If you don¡¯t expect them to jump at you, say goodbye to your kneecaps! Understand that?!¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± the Warriors shouted in one voice.


    Crazy or not, they did train her well. For two days, she did nothing but leap around. Once she got the hang of it, it was pretty fun. The Frog Leap Martial Art did little to increase the height on its own, but it did help with the landing. Wearing full armour made rolling difficult and, depending on terrain, sometimes impossible, so she would have to break the fall with her feet most of the time. Without some magical reinforcements to the relevant tissues, that would be quite painful.


    ¡°Ale-hop!¡± Korith shouted, believing herself alone. She was leaping the rest of the way to her cottage in the woods. It was quicker to travel that way and more entertaining. It did look odd, however. A small, partly scaled, horned woman was pouncing through the autumn forest, crossing several metres with each jump. Her boobs and butt were jiggling intensely. The sight would have turned heads for many reasons.


    ¡°Hello,¡± the friendly voice of Maltos reached Korith, just as she was about to go for one more jump. Startled, she stumbled and fell. The old Monk bowed over her. ¡°Quite impressive for a few days of training,¡± he complimented.


    ¡°Thank you?¡± Korith responded, rolling onto her back. ¡°I worked hard at it, but I didn¡¯t really want anyone to see me practice on my way home and I would be lying if I said I was glad to see you ¨C can I help you?¡±


    Maltos¡¯ face turned serious, ¡°I do have a favour to ask.¡±

 Guidance 22 – Centre

    Apexus wanted to count the seconds.


    It was bright outside. Light shone through the tiny gaps between the roof and the walls that let air drift into the heart of the temple. Green mats woven from plant matter covered the ground in a soft yet flexible layer. The walls were white plaster interrupted by the red wood from which the framework of the temple had been fashioned. A massive statue opposite the large, double-winged door was the sole decoration, and the sole object of true opulence in the entire temple.


    It depicted a lotus flower with exceedingly pointy leaves. Each of them was forged from gold, the rims made with sharpened steel, and some kind of liquid metal had been pooled in the many basins between the petals. The central concentration transitioned through various alloys to a pure silver at the centre.


    Apexus stared at the lotus flower. Legs crossed, spine straight, he sat alone in the central room of the temple at the heart of the training facility. He heard the shouts of the other pupils outside, going through their morning training. The slime could imagine every pose they went through. How they trained their bodies. Muscles and minds, purified of anything unwanted through steady self-improvement. Admirable. Nourishing. Ample flesh that could be torn off bones. Swallowed whole, dissolved in his stomach, while he cracked what remained. Every bone would be snapped, then enveloped by acidic slime, dissolved in properly-sized bits. Blood and meat would fuel the slime for another day.


    There was no word to the imagination, only the act and the satisfaction. Words were long gone. All that the humanoid chimera could consider now was the fading memory of taste. All that was around him was inedible. Even the floor mats were too far gone from proper biological material to be considered food to the spawn of unknown origin.


    The door was locked. Apexus knew he could break out if he meant to. All he had to do was stand up and throw his entire weight against the door. It would break. The people would be stunned. In a flurry of motion, he could descend on whoever was closest.


    Apexus would have blinked if he still could. Instead, he had to focus his mind on something. He wanted to count the seconds. There was no hope of achieving it. Words were too difficult to think about. Subsequently, numbers were an impossible task. Apexus couldn¡¯t count the seconds, the minutes, the hours, not even the days. One indulgence in the thought of liquefying someone¡¯s entire body and all track of time had gone. All that provided a clue were outside stimuli.


    It was morning. Which morning, Apexus had no way of knowing. There was only him, the vast room, and the lotus flower. He did not move. Energy needed to be preserved. The lack of water made his slime feel like gel. A random onlooker would have wondered whether that unbreathing thing in the middle of the room was a living being at all.


    Underneath the motionless exterior was suffering. Suffering so pure, it resummoned and rewrote entire memories. That horrid day, when instincts had taken over and Apexus ate a man inside out ¨C a cause for jubilation. Ripping chunks out of the walls of his throat with teeth that grew larger with the very biomass he stole, what else could that have been but a predator¡¯s right? Did a young wolf apologize to a sheep for devouring it so it could grow? Certainly not. The weak nourished the strong, the wheat was separated from the chaff, the circle of life continued, and those who did not improve perished.


    What wrong had Apotho done, really, when he murdered to restore his life? Each animal devoured was another day won for the slime. Eating, feasting, gorging himself on all he came across, fuelling his own perpetuation no matter the cost. Apotho had only acted to sustain himself and sustenance could never be wrong. The only wrong the warlock had made was to threaten the slime.


    Each second of suffering summoned another memory and whispered to the starving predator intuitions of how warped Apexus had it. Acting in pure self-interest was the only virtue there was. Forcing onto others one¡¯s desires was good. It purified the world of lacklustre elements. It fed those that hunted. Those that stayed hungry. Those that devoured. Each bite taken out of the world was justified. It felt good. It had to be justified.


    The intuitions and emotions swirled, impressing themselves on Apexus¡¯ core. The slime urged to move, yet the humanoid body remained still, the legs crossed. Suffering continued unabated. Uncounted time flowed on, each second as long as the one before. The outside went silent. The door opened and closed.


    Maltos looked at his unmoving pupil. Although Apexus sat exactly as and where he had when the old Monk had left the room the night before, some things had changed. The mild tan of the chimera was spotty, unsteady, showing brighter and even translucent patches. Through them, glimpses of the skeleton and the stomach could be caught. Hair was falling out of the thinning membrane on top of the head. Feathers shared that fate.


    All reserves of biomass the slime had accumulated since entering the Leaf of Tacuitos were depleted. They had been gradually diminished through the longer and longer fasts and this prolonged starvation had seen them fully consumed. Anything was done to survive and so Apexus and his instincts were gradually dismantling his own body.


    Circling around, Maltos cast his eyes on the monstrous remains of Apexus¡¯ once gorgeous face. Much of the membrane had entirely retreated, leaving only strips of dark-blue tinted slime providing fresh moisture to the nose and eyes. The lips had been one of the first pieces of his body to go. Instincts dictated that it was cumbersome to have a layer between his bare teeth and a throat that could be torn open.


    The inhumanely sharp teeth parted just a bit, when Maltos sat down across the slime. All of the memories of him were raw bile. Before the slime sat a vile creature, out only to inflict unnecessary suffering. A Monk, a mockery of nature, insisting to forego what was pleasurable. What felt bad must have been immoral. Therefore, those that took charge of their own desires and told others to do the same must have been the ultimate evil. Assuming mastery over nature ¨C absolute arrogance.


    ¡°How are you?¡± Maltos asked.


    The pitiful remains of the wooden plates under the roof of the slime¡¯s mouth created a series of inhuman clicking sounds. Even if they had been intact, there would have been no words, only bestial noises.


    ¡°I understand,¡± the Monk answered calmly regardless and put down before him a single glass of water that he had brought with him. It was large for a glass, yet still smaller than the mugs they used to serve beer in. ¡°Drink,¡± Maltos offered. Food was out, that was the test, but without any water the slime would have died.


    Apexus reached out to the water. His hand was as spotty as the rest of him. His little finger was a skinless piece of rigid bone. Unnecessary muscles and membrane were eliminated. The slime¡¯s hand stayed. His lidless eyes stared at the glass and at the open palm that pointed at it.


    Predation was justice.


    Measurement was arrogance.


    Self-indulgence was strength of character.


    Grabbing the Monk¡¯s hand and taking a bite out of his arm, that would have been proper to the slime. Each gulp of blood would hydrate and nourish. The meat, old and chewy as it would be, seeped in the taste of magic. Power would return to the slime, the power to take a second bite, then a third.


    Was it decency that prevented Apexus from following that path? Was it self-preservation that kept the slime from assaulting the powerful old human? The humanoid chimera did not know, as he grabbed the glass and poured its crystal-clear contents down his throat.


    The surge of vitality only worsened the suffering.


    All too aware of the possibility of life and the fluidity his vital muscles now regained, the arguments of his instincts gained validity in Apexus¡¯ mind. The rush to find more ¨C more water and then something solid. He could already hear it: the wet smacking sound of bloody flesh being pulled apart.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be here another day,¡± Maltos said.


    Day.


    The true scale of that word hadn¡¯t resonated with Apexus for a long, long time. When witnessing his first cycle of sun and moon, it had felt so long. So much could be accomplished in a day, if one put their mind to it. So many texts could be read. So much knowledge acquired. So much distance crossed. So much prey pinned down on the ground, eyes clawed out, bodies immobilized by the slime¡¯s sheer weight, as the same biomass theirs would join enveloped them and drowned them while their skin and muscles dissolved into a sludge.


    Another day.


    Apexus placed the glass down.


    ¡°Once upon a time, I was an adventurer,¡± Maltos randomly began to tell his mute pupil. ¡°A greatly successful one at that. People all around me tended to tell me that I had a natural gift to do the right thing, even when the situation could have been warped to our benefit. I toppled tyrants, slew dragons, was rewarded many Divine Fruits, and led a Chapter of adventurers to many new Leaves. Between my expeditions, I raised a family. I never married the woman who bore my son. Time was not equal between us and could never be. I afforded her to move on at any point during the years I was sometimes away, yet she always stayed faithful to me, to the very last breath. I wasn¡¯t there when she died. Neither was my son there when I returned. All that was left for me was a letter, professing his hatred for me. I, who had never been there for the two of them. How could I, who couldn¡¯t care for the woman who gave her all to me and the son who never knew me, possibly become a god?¡±


    The question hovered in the room. Maltos looked down on his hands. His answer to the question lay in the fact that he was right there, old and aging further. Even without words, Apexus understood that. Reaching out, Apexus placed a hand on his teacher¡¯s shoulder. After three seconds, he pulled it back. That was all he could do in his state.


    Maltos was surprised, but didn¡¯t show it. Telling the story had been meant to expose his weakness. Any reminder of his greatest failure made him deflate. At the very least, he expected Apexus to struggle with attacking him, not a gesture of affection.


    It made what the Monk did to his pupil next harder on his soul.


    Surrounded by an Edge, Maltos'' hand suddenly sliced off Apexus¡¯ left arm. Pain was a dull sensation to the slime in the first place, a sober reminder that he lost something replaceable. In his current state, the loss of a limb created nothing but a flash of panic. Flying onto his feet, the slime raised his remaining arm defensively. Instincts screaming for nourishment rose to a constant, reality-tinting pressure. Fight, flight, or feast.


    ¡°Enter!¡± Maltos shouted and the large door opened once again.


    In the doorframe stood a small humanoid. Her head was about the height of Apexus¡¯ waist and had four horns, two of them large, two small underneath, and all of them curved. Her hair was a golden blonde, the same colour as the outer leaves of the lotus statue and her eyes. Her skin was of a light brown complexion, her hands and feet, as well as much of her arms and legs, were covered in red scales.


    Those golden eyes opened wide, when Korith laid eyes upon the creature. ¡°¡­Apexus?¡± she asked, unable to fully believe what she had been told. The clothes he wore were the correct ones. His robe had become too loose over the thin, partly translucent torso and dangled down his waist. The brilliant green wings on his back were withered like that of a flightless bird. The fox ears atop his head were almost naked. The human ones, created only for decoration, were gone.


    Clicking sounds echoed from the slime¡¯s mouth as he turned to her fully. She was a target he could devour. Small, yet rich in fat and meat. It would be difficult, but not impossible. The desperate slime took a step towards Korith. The kobold remained where she was.


    ¡°What are you?¡± she whispered, her body trembling. She felt a great many things. Terror at this unknown thing before her. Disappointment that this was under the surface of the man she felt so worldly for. Disgust at the dry teeth parting and revealing the tongueless inside. Worry for the person she had come to know this past month. Concern about his condition. Anger at Maltos for pushing him to this. Confusion with herself when she closed the doors behind her and took a step towards the starving slime.


    Apexus took a step back.


    This encouraged Korith. The raw hunger she saw in his eyes, it shared its space with worry. She took another step.


    The slime launched himself at her, toppling her over. Silently, the jaw unhinged and closed in on Korith¡¯s shoulder. She held him back, the resistance she could put up much higher than her stature would let on. Even without that, Apexus would have snapped out of it before he could have taken a bite. He rolled off her and laid flat on the ground.


    Shame surged through him.


    ¡°Please tell me he¡¯s alive!¡± Korith said, grabbing Apexus¡¯ right arm. It was completely limp, in order to preserve energy.


    ¡°Sit up,¡± Maltos demanded, his voice stern and reflecting the disappointment he felt himself. His pupil had made it so far, yet lapsed in judgement at that point. ¡°Sit up, Apexus.¡±


    Trembling, the strength of his nucleus and control over his body fading, the slime pushed himself up. The process consumed the muscles in his lower legs. Barely he managed to cross them, sitting like a proper Monk should. Still, his body trembled. He felt cold and ready to jump at Korith again. This time, without stopping himself.


    ¡°Find your centre.¡±


    The three words made sense to Apexus. ¡®Find my centre,¡¯ he thought to himself. He could not close his eyes. He could shut out the world. The suffering of it all, its grip, like an iron claw around his core, it loosened. The hand pulled away. He stopped trembling. For a few seconds, he was at peace. Then the hunger knocked on his mind again. Weaker, yet still present, not completely ignorable.


    For the reason that a piece of raw meat was being held in front of him. Maltos had brought it in while his pupil meditated. ¡°I lied,¡± he confessed, ready to pull the piece of meat back the moment Apexus reached for it. ¡°This was the last day.¡± Still, the slime remained in control. ¡°Eat.¡±


    Quickly, yet in measure, Apexus reached for the meat. It was the first of many things he devoured over the next hour.

 Guidance Finale – Aftermath

    ¡°You¡¯re vile!¡± Aclysia yelled. ¡°A vile human, unworthy of sunlight and forgiveness! When your Spark enters the heavenly Trunk, I wish that the gods recognize the evil you have committed today and condemn you to the deepest layers! Just above the Hellroots, your twisted, lying soul shall dwell, until you have cleansed yourself of this deep immorality! Liar! Vile liar, hurter of all I hold dear!¡±


    Maltos sat quietly, a few metres removed. His hands were folded above his parallel thighs, his eyes closed, and his head was lowered to signal his acceptance. The old Monk knew exactly what he had done and had been prepared to face the consequences from the moment he made his resolution.


    Insults and eloquently formulated wishes for greatest misery kept on flying through the large room. They were still inside the temple. At this hour, none but Maltos would have been around. Recent weeks had seen that changed, due to his personal interest in the trio. The important bit was that nobody had seen Aclysia and Reysha come in. The truly important bit was that nobody could wonder why they had lugged an entire cow into the temple.


    A cow Apexus was currently dissolving inside him. The slime was not humanoid in the slightest at the moment. The translucency of his membrane was complete, as it had stretched thin in order to accommodate the chimera¡¯s body as it expanded. Each bit of dissolved bovine was converted into more slime, used to dissolve more bovine. By now, what remained of Apexus¡¯ true body at the end of his starvation was just a skeleton grafted onto a blob encapsulating a semi-digested animal. It was not a sight for those faint of heart. Yet, Aclysia had her arms wrapped around her darling¡¯s neck, fully disregarding how nightmarish he appeared.


    Korith and Reysha were sitting a few metres removed. The shortstack leaned over to the redhead and asked, ¡°Should we¡­ say something?¡±


    ¡°Nah, let her get it out of her system,¡± Reysha waved off with a grin. While her curved lips indicated amusement, the gaze she directed at the kobold had a glint of murder in them. Blue surrounded by black, the unnatural colouration of her sclera only increased the effect. Korith could feel a shiver up her spine. ¡°We¡¯ll have lots to talk about.¡±


    The cow was eventually dissolved down to a clump of bones and internal organs, small enough to be pulled into the slime¡¯s midriff. Consolidating back down into a humanoid, Apexus was soon left at his usual tallness. The membrane returned to its usual colour, hair grew back out, fox ears were completed, nails returned, and various other segments regenerated. At the end, Apexus stood there, a deflated version of himself. He was still low on biomass and practically all of his muscles were broken down to their bare minimum. Some were gone entirely. Apexus had to resort to his old mode of moving, manipulating the slime itself, to support his slow steps.


    Opening his mouth, Apexus created a series of cracking clicking sounds. He rolled his jaw, while the speaking plates under the roof of his mouth properly snapped into place. ¡°I¡¯m stable,¡± he said, moving his mouth in accordance with the syllables. There were none around to fool, yet the habit had to be maintained.


    ¡°Any requirement for you to stabilize is in and of itself a grave sin that canno-¡° Aclysia continued her chastisements, only to be silenced by an intense hug. As intense as Apexus could muster at that moment anyway.


    ¡°I agreed to it,¡± he reminded her. ¡°It had to be done. It will have to be repeated.¡±


    ¡°¡­What do you mean by that?¡± Aclysia asked, her voice hollow. The idea that her darling would have to go through this again made her feel a great emptiness that was slowly filled with shock and cold rage. She trembled. ¡°Why would you ever go through that again?!¡±


    ¡°I almost broke at the end,¡± the humanoid chimera reported. His eyes landed on Korith. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for jumping at you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I want to say it wasn¡¯t that bad, but it was actually pretty scary,¡± she looked around between the tiger girl, the metal fairy, the teacher, and the humanoid slime. ¡°Can someone please tell me what¡¯s going on already? Why is Apex a liquid?¡±


    Reysha snorted at that question, oddly formulated as it was due to the stressful situation. ¡°We¡¯ll get to ya in second, Korith,¡± the tiger girl guaranteed, playing with the grip of her dagger. ¡°I¡¯d like to know first ¨C why are ya here in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Because Mal- oh you¡­ aren¡¯t asking me¡­¡± Korith¡¯s voice became very quiet towards the end, realizing that Reysha was staring at Maltos. Same was true for the slime and the metal fairy.


    Maltos opened his eyes. ¡°I had brought her here to tempt Apexus into committing a mistake,¡± he confessed openly, causing both of the lovers of the slime to growl. It was difficult to say which one sounded more animalistic. Usually Aclysia was the definitively more protective of the two, but the extremes to which this had been taken, combined with the old Monk¡¯s decision to break his word and involve Korith, had pissed off Reysha enough that her lax attitude was compromised. ¡°I also brought her here to force your hand.¡±


    ¡°We told her nothing to protect her!¡± Aclysia declared. ¡°Our identities and purpose for remaining here are filled with danger. It is unwise to be involved with us, so we wanted to keep her out!¡±


    Korith¡¯s eyes went wide. She felt a bit happy that they were thinking of her that way. There was another feeling. Something that had grown every day they kept quiet and was now making its way to the surface.


    ¡°Should that not be her choice?¡± Maltos asked, calmly. ¡°There is virtue in wanting to protect those close to you and there certainly is virtue in wanting to make sure none are damaged from what flows out from your personal affairs. However!¡± he raised his voice only to rob Aclysia of the opportunity to respond ahead of time. ¡°However, to decide on someone¡¯s behalf that they are better left ignorant, that is a sin. You clearly wish to travel with her, so give her the choice.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve advised us on that without dragging her squishiness here,¡± Reysha growled.


    ¡°I have agency, you know!?¡± Korith exclaimed, surprised at her own aggressive tone. The anger of being kept out, anger that had grown larger as they had grown more friendly with each other, finally burst out. ¡°He didn¡¯t drag me anywhere! Maltos told me what Apexus was going through and that I might get attacked. I knew that, okay?! But I still haven''t the faintest clue what is happening. By the Hoard, can someone tell me what is going on already?! Can I PLEASE just gather some information?¡±


    Aclysia and Reysha were torn between rage and guilt. Apexus, in his centre, said to the kobold. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± He carried the metal fairy over to where the tiger girl and Korith were sitting and lowered himself onto the floor as well. Once his legs were crossed, he turned to his teacher for a moment. ¡°He is right that you should have the choice. I loathe this situation, though.¡±


    Closing his eyes again, Maltos remained where he was. ¡®You need a nudge to trust the average person again,¡¯ the mentor thought, knowing they would not see it his way if he said it out loud. ¡®An opening to step out of your routinized secrecy. At the very least those whose presence you cherish, you should learn to share the truth with. Unspoken secrets are burdens to the soul.¡¯


    Tail slapping on the ground, Korith waited for Apexus to start his story. Once he did, the scaled limb soon calmed, as she listened eagerly to his tale. The mystery of his origin, how he functioned, how he evolved bit for bit, how he came to know Aclysia and Reysha, the tale of Gizmo, the hunt of the Inquisition, Apotho¡¯s release, and how they had ultimately ended up where they were, chased by a demon.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t want ya involved,¡± Reysha said, aggressively digging dirt out from underneath her blood red nails with her dagger, ¡°because we have no idea what happens next. Best case, we kill the Deathhound here and then we still have three others and an insane warlock on our tail.¡±


    ¡°And those may still be a lesser worry than the demon he summoned last,¡± Aclysia added. They had a rudimentary understanding of what Jolene was by now. The ruler of a Hellroot was a demon among demons, an infernal deity lacking the privilege of creation. ¡°Travelling with us is bound to be an existence under a hanging sword.¡±


    Korith, having heard all of that, said ¡°I still want to, though.¡±


    The trio looked at each other. ¡°Did I say this with the wrong words?¡± Apexus wondered out loud and tried again. ¡°We are hated by a man who eats cities.¡±


    ¡°I got that,¡± Korith assured him. ¡°I still would want to travel with you.¡±


    ¡°I must stress that this would be most unwise,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°I¡­ Well, my tale is pretty boring compared to yours, but I hadn¡¯t set out to become an adventurer because I thought it¡¯d be the safest thing to do, you know?¡± Korith responded, wringing her hands nervously. Now that the anger had faded, she was back to her normal, slightly awkward self. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for Hoard. It¡¯s fine if my life is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Pretty big difference between dangerous and stupid,¡± Reysha remarked, rubbing her left arm. ¡°I¡¯d know, I skirt that line all the time. I¡¯m a moron that way.¡±


    Korith grabbed Reysha¡¯s arm, pressing against the taller woman¡¯s side. ¡°I don¡¯t mind being a moron, as long as I¡¯m happy,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve been travelling for two years. I¡¯ve worked with a bunch of people in that time. Many were pretty nice, some were¡­ scum, I guess is the word. With you three, I feel just right. I mean,¡± she glanced at Apexus, ¡°I was attracted to your looks¡­ I¡¯d still like it if you looked¡­ you know¡­ like you usually do¡­ but I like you three! I like you as you are! I¡¯m willing to live in stupid danger to travel with you.¡±


    Silence ensued after that confession. About ten minutes passed, before Reysha started giggling. None were truly confused when the volume of her amusement kept rising. Insane giggling filled the hallowed temple, bounced off the blank floor, and echoed all around. ¡°You¡¯re pressing a pair of enormous distractions against me there, squishy,¡± the tiger girl informed the kobold.


    The tips of Korith¡¯s pointy ears turned red, when she realized just how intently she had been pressing against Reysha. Pulling back so quickly the ¡®pair of enormous distractions¡¯ jiggled, the kobold blushed more intensely as she stammered, ¡°C-can we have a s-s-serious conversation please?!¡±


    ¡°I think we had that,¡± Reysha grinned and raised an eyebrow questioningly at her partners.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus agreed.


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia also nodded.


    Korith tilted her head quizzically, ¡°I don¡¯t follow?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to say or confess,¡± Apexus explained. ¡°If this is what you want, then come with us.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Korith asked, wagging her tail happily. Her expression was radiant, in spite of the lack of strong light around. ¡°You mean it?¡±


    ¡°Not that we¡¯ll go anywhere soon,¡± Reysha shrugged.


    ¡°About that, I would like to talk about the next step in your training,¡± Maltos chimed back into the conversation. Three pairs of eyes, filled with remaining annoyance, wandered to focus on him.


    ¡°Why would we desire to continue your lectures?¡± Aclysia asked.


    Even if it ended well and had been done with friendly intention, trust had been breached. At his core, the mentor felt no shame for his action nor anger for their lack of thanks for this lesson.


    ¡°Because you need me,¡± Maltos stated flatly. ¡°Exposing your secret, even with the best of intentions, was not my call to make. I understand that, Aclysia. I did it with the best of intentions, yet your reservations are justified. Regardless of what you want to confide in me with, we have a shared goal. If you do not believe in the purity of my intentions, at least believe that I would want to see the demon chasing you vanquished.¡±


    Aclysia mulled over that, Reysha glared, Korith felt a bit out of her depth, and Apexus felt the strangest thing: relief.


    Maltos had finally done something that was questionable. Every moment Apexus had spent with the old Monk, from his first teaching to the acquisition of the thatching material, Maltos had been too nice. Even this act, unsolicited as it was, was aimed at improving the slime¡¯s situation. The manner he did this in though, breaking the trust, reassured the slime. What Maltos had done would have hindered any plots he had to endear himself to the trio.


    ¡°I trust you, teacher,¡± Apexus therefore said.


    That put a mild smile on the old Monk¡¯s face, revealing all the wrinkles that ran through his spotted skin. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡±


    Aclysia was taken aback, ¡°Darling, he broke his word.¡±


    ¡°He did,¡± the slime agreed.


    ¡°Yet you trust him?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Apexus closed his eyes, finding what he truly thought. ¡°It¡¯s good if you remain cautious, my melody. I trust him, because I feel I can trust him. That is all there is to it.¡±


    Reysha let out a long breath and then shrugged, ¡°Whatever. Good enough for me.¡±


    ¡°You will dismiss the worry that easily?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°I dunno, I¡¯m still kinda pissed but it worked out and the big guy is happy, so I say we just ride this dune to the end,¡± the redhead explained her thoughts relaxedly. ¡°What else are we going to do? Run the fuck away?¡±


    Aclysia pressed her lips together. She retained her contempt for Maltos. Deep down, she understood that what he had done wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, but the combination of the torture he had inflicted on her darling and the forced sharing of their secrets left a bitter taste in her mouth. ¡°I will judge you,¡± she told the old Monk.


    ¡°As is your right,¡± Maltos nodded.


    ¡°¡­Alright¡­¡± Aclysia swallowed her resentment. It was kept at the back of her mind, but subordinate to the decision they had made. ¡°If the rest of the group wishes to continue following your teachings, then I will oblige.¡±


    Apexus and Reysha re-affirmed with a strong nod, leaving only Korith to give her opinion. Temporarily overwhelmed by the attention on her, the kobold needed several seconds to register what was asked of her. ¡°I say, we do as he advises? Worked out great for me¡­¡± she tried to add that last bit jokingly, but her tone was a bit too meek to deliver it properly.


    ¡°Fuck, you¡¯re adorable,¡± Reysha squealed and wrapped her arms around the shortstack. Cuddling her aggressively, the redhead elicited many an embarrassed noise from the kobold. The other two members of the quartet joined, leaving Korith in the centre of a big pile of overdue wholesomeness.


    When the relaxed atmosphere had fully supplanted the remaining bitterness and even Aclysia had calmed down enough to look at Maltos with keen, rather than distrustful, eyes, the mentor revealed what he wanted to do next.


    ¡°I will not force Apexus to repeat this starvation,¡± he began. ¡°I advise that you do so again of your own volition, to reinforce your control. My part in teaching you this, however, is done. Take a week to recover and hone what you have learned so far. All of you.¡± Maltos looked at each of them in turn. ¡°Then, you should set out for the Dragon Isles.¡±


    End of Season 3 Arc 1.

 Hoarding Prologue – The Origin of Dragons

    At the beginning of the Omniverse, there was only it and nothing.


    Many scholars asked themselves where the Omniverse comes from. Did it bloom from the fruit of a larger tree? Was it perhaps a splintered remnant of a previous Omniverse? Could it possibly just have started to exist spontaneously? Whatever it was, it was there now, roots digging into the nothingness and dragging magic from the potential.


    The nothingness loathed it.


    It had existed in a time without time, unaware of its own existence, and now the endless sprawling chaos, uniform in its entropy, was suddenly contrasted with something real. In a way, the nothingness developed a mind of its own. In a way, it had always had a mind, and now that mind was shaken awake ¨C and immediately splintered at the horror that was concrete existence.


    Although the mind was shattered, the hatred remained. An infinite mind infinitely fractured and possessed shards of infinite potential, all of them hungry and seething with the desire to see the Omniverse undone. So, the first Parasytes were born and they assaulted the virgin Omniverse to drink of its bark and sap it dry, until the first tree crumbled and returned to the nothingness, so that the chaos may sink again into blissful sleep, ignorant of reality.


    When the tide of Parasytes descended on the Omniverse, they found themselves ousted. A being walked the roots and protected the Omniverse, while its bark grew thicker. Time passed, more time than anyone could comprehend. The silver tree shone more radiant than ever and had reached a size that let no simple Parasyte clip its Branches with their mandibles. Its bark was too thick to be penetrated and so the being could rest for the first time.


    It retreated to the crown of the Omniverse, where it slept. When it opened its eyes, the being did not know how much time had elapsed, but it quickly saw that two things had happened, one wondrous and one horrid.


    One of the Branches of the silver tree had grown a Leaf, a canvas filled to the brim with magic yet untapped, potential framed by the laws of the tree, able to be shaped in a way the chaos of nothingness could not. The branch the Leaf hung from, however, was crawling with Parasytes, some of which had found little gaps in the bark and started the process the nothingness so hatefully yearned for.


    The being attempted to cleanse the Branches by itself. It proved too difficult. The sleep had been too long, the Omniverse had grown too large, and no matter where the being went, it could not extinguish the threat as fast as it streamed back in from beyond the roots.


    In desperation, knowing that it would fail inevitably if this continued, the being moved to the first Leaf and claimed the right to shape it according to its desires and needs. Through this act, the being was the first to claim a name. It became known as the Progenitor, first of the gods, first to wield the privilege of creation.


    The Progenitor tested the power of creation first by shaping a mimicry of the Omniverse. Inside the Leaf of the silver tree, the first simple tree was shaped in green. Life was breathed into the tree and its form split. Its smaller Branches were multiplied, becoming bushes. Its roots were expanded, forming mushrooms. Its leaves were made to sprawl on their own, forming ivy and grass. Its trunk was thinned, forming the many reeds and straws. These were the primordial plants, from whose form other gods would take inspiration to innovate and adapt them to other environments.


    That, however, would be in the far-off future.


    The Progenitor, now skilled at the basic shaping of life, created the first being in its own likeness to aid it in the protection of the Omniverse. It was the first angel and the Progenitor called it Paltux. Soon thereafter, the Progenitor created two more angels, Rentiana and Daemon. It imbued them with something more than the plants: a mind to think with and a mission beyond their own life. They were to aid it in the protection of the Omniverse.


    Before the Progenitor left to ensure that its first creations did their tasks properly, he created one more being. Dragging the energy of motion in its purest form from the essence of creation, the Progenitor formed around it a body of flesh and bone. Dragged and reshaped, until the being could exist on its own, until its scales were hardened and its mane formed. Dragon, that was the title the Progenitor gave the first animal. It was named Hellenax and it embodied fire and will and it was to guard the inside of the Leaf in the absence of the god and its angels.


    And guard it did.


    Hellenax was all alone and it preferred it that way. Its charge was clear, its satisfaction unbound. Each tree, each bush, each mushroom, each vine of ivy, each leaf of grass, each reed, and each straw, the dragon protected. As the aeons passed and the Progenitor and its angels operated elsewhere, the protective instinct of Hellenax gradually warped into one of possession. All of the Leaf was its property, to own, to destroy, and to hoard as it pleased.


    After a long, long time alone, Hellenax did not expect or desire any visitors, content sleeping on what it owned. When the third angel Daemon returned to the first Leaf, the first dragon growled animalistically. Not only was it interrupted, but the third angel brought with it a corrupting smell and so Hellenax lashed out. Angel and dragon were equally matched, both created with the same capability to wield the magic of the Omniverse.


    ¡°Hear me, Hellenax,¡± the third angel shouted amidst their battle. ¡°The Progenitor wishes to fill your world with life besides yourself! This tranquil hoard will no longer be, unless you ally with me!¡±


    These words struck Hellenax deeply. The idea put distrust into its heart. Combat ceased and the dragon growled at Daemon, ¡°What is your meaning?¡±


    ¡°I speak of the end of the great conflict. The Parasytes are driven back and the Progenitor is sleeping its second sleep. Once it wakes, it will multiply the angels, to ward the Branches forever, and it will seed life on new Leaves.¡±


    ¡°What do I care? I have my Leaf and my charge,¡± Hellenax declared.


    ¡°The Progenitor will not stop. Paltux and Rentiana have caught its eight eyes and it wishes to bestow upon them an honour ¨C to travel and to multiply on any Leaf they wish. This will include your Leaf, Hellenax, and you will be made to share.¡±


    Share, this word did not sit right with the dragon and deep jealousy took hold of its heart, the first beating heart, filled with fire. ¡°What is this alliance you speak of?¡±


    ¡°The Progenitor¡¯s path is twisted, it must be removed for us to flourish truly and to remove the Progenitor, we must invite the Parasyte to its bed,¡± Daemon declared. ¡°Yet, I cannot go. Paltux and Rentiana will know I wander to the Roots. You must go in my stead and carve open a path I laid for the Parasytes to reach the trunk. From there, I will lead them to the Progenitor ¨C whose place as god I will take.¡±


    Hellenax thought about the proposal for thirteen days and nights, then, with a puff of amused smoke rising from its nostrils, it agreed. Third angel and first dragon separated, one to continue its charge like nothing was unusual and one venturing outside its Leaf for the first time.


    Down to the roots, Hellenax wandered, finding the teeming waves of Parasytes below. In its presence, the sapping creatures burned, and Hellenax amusedly stared down on them as it weighed its options. It found the path that Daemon had laid and carved. Only as much, however, as was needed to guide a trickle of Parasytes upwards, guided by the refining magic drawn from the nothingness.


    ¡°Is this all?¡± Daemon asked, once Hellenax had reached the top of the roots. The third angel was clearly disappointed, knowing that the nothingness held more than this tiny swarm. ¡°Did you truly carve your way?¡±


    ¡°If you do not believe, step forth and see,¡± Hellenax gestured invitingly down the roots.


    Daemon, in its arrogance, did and stepped down on the roots. Certain that victory was about to come its way, the third angel inspected the path. ¡°You carved, but shallowly!¡± he exclaimed.


    ¡°But carve I did and you will honour your word,¡± Hellenax demanded.


    Before the third angel could rebut, two radiant forms descended upon where trunk fanned out into root. The courageous Paltux and the nourishing and patient Rentiana appeared, having felt their sibling on the roots. They expected an emergency and found a river of Parasytes, Daemon and Hellenax standing by them.


    ¡°Why are you beyond your post, dragon?¡± asked Paltux, inquisitively.


    ¡°Why are you not fighting these Parasytes, Daemon?¡± asked Rentiana, worriedly.


    ¡°They will rid us of the Progenitor, siblings,¡± Daemon declared. ¡°Once and for all, free of the yoke of its wills.¡±


    ¡°What madness do you speak of?¡± Paltux asked, taken aback.


    ¡°The first one must not be removed,¡± Rentiana said, certain.


    ¡°Not removed ¨C replaced, by me,¡± Daemon boasted, treacherously. ¡°I can order the Parasytes, like so, you see?¡± It gestured and a massive chunk of bark burst from the trunk. Magic unleashed, refined and sweet, the endless tics skittered and rushed, the stream winding towards the gate to the crown of the Omniverse. ¡°The privilege of creation, which it guards so jealously, I will have it.¡±


    ¡°Guards jealously? The Progenitor would share it with those that come after us!¡± Paltus declared, angrily.


    ¡°What have you done, Daemon, you doomed us all,¡± Rentiana declared, sobbingly,


    ¡°You will understand or be annihilated, either way, I will be the true creator,¡± the first traitor declared, and rode the stream of Parasytes to witness its maker¡¯s demise.


    Hellenax chuckled and opened its wings, following along. The dragon flew, faster than the Parasytes could skitter, and entered the trunk through the gate that had been opened. Streams of magic took the first dragon to the crown on heavenly flows. Upon reaching the zenith, Hellenax laid eyes upon the bed of the Progenitor and tore open the flower.


    ¡°Why do you wake me?!¡± the Progenitor spoke with a myriad of shattered thoughts, voices, and powers, so rudely torn from its slumber.


    ¡°Daemon has betrayed you and so have I,¡± Hellenax said openly. ¡°A tide of Parasytes he brings, to usher in your end.¡±


    ¡°Why do you aid the third angel?¡±


    ¡°Because he said what you would do, Progenitor, you would take from me my Leaf¡¯s sole ownership. Paltux and Rentiana would multiply and you would grant them Sparks of your divinity. The privilege of creation would be yours and one day my Leaf no longer exclusively mine. To make sure the charge you gave me is left fulfilled, it was necessary to betray you.¡±


    The Progenitor pondered over this and nodded dispassionately. ¡°It is true, your Leaf would have been taken from you. Then why are you here and Daemon is not?¡±


    ¡°My mission is clear: to protect what is mine,¡± the dragon presented the mission it had warped of its own accord. ¡°If you expand my mission, I will protect you from Daemon. I will sacrifice myself for all of creation, as long as I own all of creation.¡±


    ¡°Name what must be done, so you acknowledge all of creation as your ownership?¡±


    ¡°To own the roots, they must be named after me. Hellenax¡¯s Roots they shall be called.¡±


    ¡°I will put it on the lips of every angel I create,¡± the Progenitor promised. ¡°What must be done so you acknowledge all of the Branches as your ownership?¡±


    ¡°To own the Branches, they must be binding paths to all but me. The dragon soars through the Branches, the angels may fly when they are needed, but all else must walk through the valleys of bark.¡±


    ¡°I will bind the feet of all that come after the angels that will be made,¡± the Progenitor promised. ¡°What must be done so you acknowledge all of the Leaves as your own?¡±


    ¡°To own the Leaves, they must be seeded with a multitude of myself. On each Leaf, beings inspired by me must roam and they must call those realms their own.¡±


    ¡°I will take inspiration from you and your form and scatter them across the Leaves, so they may call realms their own,¡± the Progenitor promised. ¡°Then go and protect what you own.¡±


    ¡°I do not yet own the Trunk nor do I own the Crown,¡± Hellenax said.


    ¡°I can defend Trunk and Crown, I do not need to offer them to you,¡± the Progenitor answered the first dragon. ¡°Do you desire to test these words or will you defend what you have, creature of greed?¡±


    Hellenax growled and spread its wings once again. With thunderous roar and beating wings, the incarnation of motion and fire met the tide of Parasytes and Daemon at its head. Incinerating the crude first flesh that had been formed around its soul, the pure energy was unleashed. Fire consumed the Parasytes, burning them and simultaneously enticing them inside as the nothingness was attracted too intensely by the raw magic. Daemon¡¯s flesh was consumed. Dragon and traitor eliminated one another in a flash of red.


    Paltux and Rentiana would take care of the aftermath, before claiming their reward and the first true Sparks. From their names, the word ¡®parent¡¯ was derived, as they would multiply into the first mortal species.


    Daemon¡¯s name would be simplified into demon and come to describe beings corrupted and treacherous. Aeons later, the wardens of Hellenax¡¯s Roots, twisted by battling Parasytes for an unfathomable time, would come to be called this.


    To commemorate the survival of the Omniverse, the Progenitor would shape the first flowers, shaped like the bed it had rested in, torn open by Hellenax¡¯s claws.


    To remember the plague the Parasytes were, the Progenitor created the first insects, to harass and pull lifeforce from the beings on the Leaves and prepared them for the harsh reality.


    Hellenax¡¯s demands would be met and the Progenitor kept his promises as he said them.


    Each angel the Progenitor created, they would know Hellenax¡¯s Roots as such. The angels of the other gods, the mortal races, they came to call them the Hellroots.


    Each mortal race cannot truly fly when moving on the Branches. They are bound closely, unable to fly far away, while angels can distance themselves when in a great hurry and dragons can soar freely.


    Each Leaf has upon them creatures inspired by Hellenax. The Progenitor did with Hellenax¡¯s form as he had done with the first tree. Scales gave rise to reptiles and snakes. Wings were used to make birds and bats. The webbed feet became the fins of fish. The four-legged body created bovines, pigs, and many other species. From these and many other parts, future gods would shape their own animals, imbued with aspects of Hellenax¡¯s greedy and protective mind.


    Yet, the Progenitor also made dragons. Lesser dragons, weak dragons, what became known as regular dragons, high dragons, and true dragons. When it didn¡¯t make them, other gods would. The first animal, its shape was ingrained in the imagination of all that flowed down from the first parents. In the shape itself rests an echo of the first dragon¡¯s claim to all of creation.


    So, the legend of the origin of dragons goes.

 Hoarding 1 – Tales and Readiness

    Maltos sipped on his tea, the last of his words still ringing through Apexus¡¯ head. While the slime, the kobold, and the exiled angel reflected on the tale they had just heard, Reysha had an entirely different reaction. ¡°What kind of stupid fucking garbage was that?¡± she asked. ¡°You telling me that the Progenitor is a double-crossing ass and that every time I curse ¡®Hellroots¡¯, I¡¯m invoking the name of some cunty dragon?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you are,¡± the old Monk responded patiently and continued sternly, ¡°I remind you to keep your cursing down in my house. This is a place of¡­¡± He trailed off, letting Reysha finish the sentence.


    ¡°Of balance, yes, yes,¡± she sighed and waved off.


    ¡°Was any of that true?¡± Apexus asked, tipped off by the word ¡®maybe¡¯.


    ¡°To answer the words of your question: yes,¡± Maltos answered and finished his tea. A delighted exhale preceded further words. ¡°To answer the spirit of your question: this is a story of the Progenitor that¡¯s part of the Church archives. It¡¯s often taught in Church education. It holds more or less sway depending on where you go. Some of it will be true, some of it made up or simplified to the point of no longer representing reality. The part about the Progenitor bending the truth is doubtlessly true. Keep in mind that all that life flows from it.¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep saying ¡®it¡¯?¡± Apexus asked. ¡°I heard the Progenitor was the Divine Father from Gizmo.¡±


    Maltos refilled his cup from a nearby teapot. ¡°Local tradition. The Progenitor is often described as a masculine deity, due to being the first shaper. Undoubtedly, sex was a reality that came to be by its design later. Whether the first men and women were the first two angels is entirely debatable.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Apexus said, remembering Veramas. The angel had called itself the 1042nd one and it had certainly not appeared like it had been either a man or a woman. Barely, it counted as a person, by its behaviour. ¡°Is the Progenitor a Parasyte?¡±


    Aclysia inhaled sharply at the question. Reysha raised an eyebrow amusedly. Korith was taken aback. They had told her their tale and they had spent a week together since then. This particular topic had not been discussed.


    Maltos turned the cup in his hands, staring at the beverage that softly rippled in the cup. ¡°I¡¯ve wondered so myself. The origins of the Omniverse and its first protector are a mystery. The oldest angels certainly resemble them¡­¡± he stopped for a moment to cast a glance at Aclysia. The angel was shaking where she sat. ¡°Do you wish to leave the room?¡± he asked, genuine and friendly. ¡°I understand that this is revolting to your nature.¡±


    ¡°I acknowledge your concern. I will stay.¡± Aclysia¡¯s words were hard, dripping with contempt for the topic and the mentor who she still had not forgiven.


    ¡°Would it not be really bad if the Progenitor was a Parasyte?¡± Korith asked in a desperate attempt to find her footing in this topic. ¡°Like, really, really bad?¡±


    ¡°About as bad as the fact that I still didn¡¯t get to touch your tits, squishy,¡± Reysha joked and raised her hands defensively when Aclysia shot her a poisonous glare. ¡°Okay, okay, topic off limits for jokes, the tiger gets it.¡±


    ¡°Dedicate yourself to that rule and do not make it one you break in your steady need for rebellion,¡± Aclysia hissed.


    Reysha visibly bit the inside of her cheek in order to prevent a joke from slipping out that would have done exactly that. Her left foot jittered with the excitement of an undelivered punchline. Every quiet second in the room was another threat of her blurting it out by accident.


    ¡°It cannot be bad,¡± Apexus spoke his thoughts, after some contemplation. ¡°Reality as we know it exists. Regardless of what the Progenitor is, it made and maintains this.¡± Twice, the slime knocked on the wooden table, using it as a stand-in for all matter. ¡°It is a mystery, not a death sentence.¡±


    ¡°It could be that the Progenitor shaped them after itself and that his shape was that of a Parasyte,¡± Maltos elaborated on the topic. ¡°Or it could be that the shape it has is merely close by happenstance. It could also be that it merely pulled inspiration from what it wished to destroy. Whatever it is, it would be wrong to call angels Parasytes. They are polar opposites in terms of their goals for the Omniverse.¡±


    ¡°Wrong beyond doubt,¡± Aclysia nodded, her moth-like wings fluttering. A wave between relief and remaining anger travelled through her body. It ebbed away, when Apexus tightened the arm around her thin waist and kissed the top of her head.


    ¡°The primary reason I told you this tale is that it gives you a good insight on how dragons behave,¡± the old Monk stated and looked at each of them in turn. ¡°Dragons are the primary embodiment of greed. They will do nothing that¡¯s not to their benefit and have no loyalties beyond themselves. Young dragons aim to further their hoards, old dragons wish to leave a legacy that engraves them into every mind. This is why older dragons sometimes go on rampages. Better to be feared than forgotten, in their mind.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like ya should just go over and murder them all, get done with the problem,¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°Did you forget the Dragonspawn dungeon?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°The what now?¡±


    Wordlessly, Maltos stood up and left the room. Quickly, he returned with a map of the Leaf.


    ¡°We are here,¡± the Old Monk explained, tapping at the island off the southern coast of the western continent. His finger wandered north and slightly east, to an archipelago between the western and central continent. ¡°This is the Dragonspawn dungeon. As the name implies, it continuously spawns dragons, maintaining a certain population on the Leaf. The strongest of them stay inside the dungeon, the weaker ones get ousted and make their way to the Dragon Isles in the north.¡±


    ¡°Why do they go all the way there?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°There¡¯s all these mountains a lot closer¡­ if they even want mountains, dunno, dragons go with dungeons in my mind.¡±


    ¡°They do prefer their caves and old fortresses,¡± Maltos confirmed. ¡°They also like to stay clear of anything that could threaten them or their hoards, so they generally avoid population centres. That only leaves the Dragon Isles or the Spilling Swamp and few dragons would ever wish to live in a swamp.¡± His finger trailed back south, until he hit an island east of their current location. ¡°Elektrika is the strongest of these ousted dragons and defends her island tooth and claw. She¡¯s also found agreements with the local people, so there isn¡¯t any threat of a rampage from her. Negotiating with dragons is surprisingly simple, if you¡¯re willing to part with valuables.¡±


    ¡°No deal!¡± Korith declared, triggered by the very idea. ¡°Shinies are for the Hoard, not some¡­ big¡­ scaley¡­ horned¡­ greedy things!¡±


    ¡°Ya talking about yourself?¡± Reysha mocked and flicked one of the kobold¡¯s four horns. ¡°How wet does it make you that we¡¯re three people without food expenses anyway? You can have aaaaall the money in this group.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use ¡®wet¡¯, but that sounds great!¡± Korith responded, happily wagging her tail.


    ¡°I will maintain control over the funds,¡± Aclysia asserted.


    ¡°Awww,¡± Korith made her disappointment audible.


    ¡°You will make a good quartet,¡± Maltos remarked, amusedly. ¡°And your goal isn¡¯t to negotiate with a dragon anyway, it is to kill a dragon. Preferably an older, violent one. Most dragons may be blights, slavers, bandits, and latent threats, but they are still sapient and we should not unnecessarily cut them down.¡± He paused to sip from his tea. ¡°I trust you to make the right decision.¡±


    Apexus did not mirror that trust in himself. His question whether who he should or should not kill was still one he was struggling with. This doubt was something Maltos hoped this journey would challenge and forge into a resolve to kill sapient beings where necessary. A side benefit only, however, as the main goal remained to acquire the magical cortex of a dragon. It was practically identical to that of a human and could, therefore, be used to allow Apexus to learn magic. The challenge of beating a dragon, even a weak one, would double as the necessary stimulant to make it a Permanent Growth.


    ¡°You will leave tomorrow,¡± Maltos said and folded the map again, sliding it over the table. ¡°Be safe. I wish for you all to return stronger and wiser.¡±


    -------___________________________________________________________________________


    The quartet was on their way home. Aclysia was to Apexus¡¯ right, Reysha to his left, and Korith sat on his shoulders. They often walked in this configuration. It removed the necessity for the kobold to hurry her steps and granted the slime the blessing of her thick thighs around his neck. Everyone won, even Aclysia, who would have gladly taken the shortstack¡¯s place, had she not been so tall that she would have had to dodge the lower branches of the forest they crossed.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Apexus asked when he felt Korith pull the band out of his hair that kept it confined in a ponytail.


    ¡°Braiding,¡± Korith answered, combing through his wild hair with her fingers, until she had three reasonably orderly strands of it. Her hands, although scaled and claw-tipped, worked elegantly at weaving the three strands into one braid. ¡°I get jittery when I¡¯m not doing something with my hands.¡±


    ¡°I get that,¡± Reysha responded.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you squeeze me.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t even mean that this time, but I get the confusion,¡± the redhead cackled and picked up a pebble from the ground, tossing it up and down as they kept walking. ¡°I like to keep my fingers active too¡­ actually, now that we¡¯re talking about fingers, I¡¯ve been wondering how yours work. You¡¯ve got all of the stuff covering your skin, but you don¡¯t seem any clunkier for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a kobold, we have tinker¡¯s claws,¡± Korith responded, tying the band around the finished braid. ¡°You know my people are renowned smiths and artificers, yeah? Our claws can sense just as well as your fingertips. Horn doesn¡¯t burn so easily though, so we can deal with hot stuff.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so weird,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°Your nails extend and retract¡­ don¡¯t call me weird¡­¡± Korith grumbled, tapping her heels against Apexus¡¯ chest, who said nothing. He didn¡¯t wear anything over his torso and he didn¡¯t mind the bit of dirt. ¡°I¡¯m the normalest one around here.¡±


    ¡°Sure you are, shortstack,¡± Reysha responded in an overplayed nice tone. ¡°Between the mysterious boy toy, the self-exiled bubble butt and the semi-monstrous, semi-demonic tiger girl you are¡­ actually the most normal one, nevermind, point taken.¡± Korith nodded strongly several times, approving of this insight. Reysha cackled, immediately switching to another avenue of teasing. ¡°Remember when we first met¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t,¡± Korith begged.


    ¡°¡­and you thought I introduced these two as a pexus and a clysia, and you answered you were a kobold because you thought that was their race?¡±


    A deeply red hue flushed through Korith¡¯s tanned skin, as the embarrassment at the memory took hold of her being. Over the loud laughter of Reysha, she attempted to retort. ¡°Well, remember when you¡­ when you¡­ uhm¡­¡± the kobold desperately tried to find something to tease the tiger girl with. An impossible task. ¡®This woman has about as much shame as a¡­ as a¡­ as drunk me last week¡­ Aaaah, no, she has even less. She would strut around naked if she could.¡¯ ¡°Only reason why you even wear clothes is because you don¡¯t want your nipples to get cold!¡± she blurted out her thoughts.


    ¡°What?!¡± Reysha asked, not in outrage but insane amusement. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Truth!¡± Korith just rode with it. ¡°I speak truth.¡±


    ¡°Is that a challenge?¡±


    ¡°I mean, uhm,¡± the golden-eyed kobold blinked rapidly, not sure how to respond to that. Before she could make a proper resolution, Reysha grabbed the lower edge of her top and pulled both layers of clothes off her in one motion. Her decently sized breasts jiggled, while she folded her clothes over her arm.


    ¡°Ya kinda right though,¡± Reysha said, looking at her nipples quickly standing at attention. ¡°It is kinda cold.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get sick,¡± Apexus commented, side-eyeing her breasts. He had indulged in the worldly pleasures a lot since the fast was over and his hunger was not yet fully satisfied. After being so close to death¡¯s door, the breeding instincts kicked back with full force, demanding that genes were passed on before it was too late. Apexus still shot blanks, but his libido regulation didn¡¯t know that. A question surfaced, while their house became visible between the trees. ¡°Are you staying the night?¡±


    ¡°I, uhm,¡± Korith had to consider that question carefully. Korith had spent many lonely nights fantasizing about it and peeked on them several times on the ship. Because there was nothing holding them back anymore and because she was thoroughly interested herself, her staying the night would inevitably end with her joining them in whatever the three would do. She hadn¡¯t been sure if she was actually ready for that. ¡®Come on, Korith, you got so far!¡¯ ¡°S-sure,¡± she responded bashfully.


    The other three members of the quartet smiled.

 Hoarding 2 – A shortstack’s weaknesses [Erotic Content]

    They sealed up the window, closed the door, got the fire going, ate, talked, and then suddenly a single word was uttered by the slime. ¡°Strip.¡± The authority imbued in that single word made all three of them shudder, Aclysia and Korith more so than Reysha.


    ¡°Yes, darling,¡± Aclysia responded readily, rising to her feet. Quickly, she undid the cords and buckles that kept her casual dress secured in place. Reysha undressed even faster than that, only having some loosely sitting pants to slide out of. Unlike the metal fairy, the tiger girl remained on the ground and immediately started masturbating to the show.


    Korith knew that this had been inevitable, yet was still overwhelmed by how fast it happened. The hard blue eyes of the humanoid chimera landed on her and the sensation they conveyed made the kobold shudder again, harder and lustfully. Hunger and desire were written into them, a duality of emotion that usually preceded unwanted advances. With him, such advances were certainly wanted and there was more beyond those two emotions. A gentle inquisitiveness, care, and domineering authority. To her, the slime¡¯s body language communicated that he demanded her obedience.


    In part, this was something he had acquired due to Aclysia¡¯s submissiveness. Even Reysha, who generally preferred to remain in charge of her own actions, was endeared by the confidence he radiated. It also aligned with his own natural inclinations. Giving the directions came naturally to him and he loved proving both physical and mental dominance. Despite that, it was not his goal to force Korith into anything. He didn¡¯t repeat or emphasize the order and would have paid her no further mind if she had excused herself.


    Both of them were distracted by Aclysia¡¯s dress falling around her ankles. The pale skin of the fairy took on the characteristics of the flickering gold in the fireplace, cascading shifting shadows around her bottom-heavy curves. Swiftly, she removed her undergarments as well. After moving her clothing to a dry corner of the house, she stood before her beloved, eyes downcast in sexual surrender.


    ¡°May I undress you?¡± she asked her darling, who still wore his pants.


    The question made Reysha moan with voyeuristic glee. Two fingers curved into her hairless cunt. She writhed, lying on the nearby sheets they used as their bed, and pinched her brown nipples. Her eyes darted between Apexus¡¯ chiselled body, Aclysia¡¯s perfect, round ass, and the kobold who stared with flustered eyes at the entirety of the scene.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus gave permission. Aclysia dropped to her knees, undid the cord in front of Apexus¡¯ pants, and then pulled them down. He did a quick shuffle, allowing the metal fairy to take the pants off the ground, orderly fold them, and put them aside. Then he placed a hand on her backwards combed, silver-white hair. Green eyes stared up adoringly. ¡°Use your mouth.¡±


    Korith was currently looking with disappointment in her eyes. She had imagined Apexus to be truly hung and thought she had caught glimpses of that fact before. What she saw at first was barely existent, in terms of a manhood. Then the slime started to fill the faux-penis he had made with additional biomass, and the kobold¡¯s eyes went wide.


    Within five seconds, the tiny thing grew to a size that outstripped even what she remembered. Her lips parted, in awe and in mimicry of Aclysia, who gave the tip of the cock an eager kiss. Several more followed, as the grace Aclysia usually carried herself with was channelled into worshipping her way down the girthy shaft and then licking back up. Her white, black-spotted wings quivered with excitement.


    ¡°Ya should know that he¡¯s got as many as we want,¡± Reysha purred into the kobold¡¯s pointy ear. That she was able to crawl over unnoticed even while moaning and masturbating betrayed just how focused Korith was. That she didn¡¯t jump at the surprise, in turn, proved how much it excited her. ¡°Size, number, cocks, tentacles, a large variety of them, Apexus can even do a vibrating thing and that¡¯s sooo goooooooooood.¡± The tiger girl pushed both hands between her thighs and bit her lower lip. Just the memory made her sensitivity surge.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything you don¡¯t want to,¡± Apexus assured Korith, once more directing his eyes to her. There was a visual disharmony between the understanding in his eyes and the hand demandingly placed on the head of Aclysia. ¡°Mate selection is to be taken seriously.¡±


    ¡°Mate selection?!¡± Korith squealed.


    ¡°He¡¯s just being awkward,¡± Reysha assured. ¡°He¡¯s inferti- ah fuck-¡° her own fingers distracted her mid-sentence.


    ¡°I-I know!¡± the kobold responded. She had been informed about the safety of the sex already, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have agreed to stay ¨C not without taking her own precautions anyway. She stared at the redhead, who had her eyes closed and was fingering her pussy feverishly. Wet sounds and rapid breaths accompanied the movements.


    Reysha was gorgeous and unashamed of her own erotic display. On her knees, right next to Korith, and still matching the kobold in height, Reysha presented herself openly. Her spine was curved, chest pushed forwards and squished between her arms, while her hourglass curves, deliciously brown and covered in darker stripes, trembled with mounting pleasure. Her upper fangs protruded over her reddish-brown lips, until an ecstatic shout forced her mouth agape.


    The redhead¡¯s eyelids fluttered, while she came for the first time that evening. Her fingers only stopped rubbing her clit and penetrating her cunt when the pleasure became too strong to control her motions. The corners of her lips curved in something similar to a smile, on her otherwise ecstatically blank face.


    It was the first time Korith saw another woman orgasm, and it made her legs weak. The shortstack¡¯s thick thighs rubbed together, causing her to gasp involuntarily. Aclysia¡¯s voice reached her ears.


    ¡°You should decide soon,¡± the metal fairy advised, her tone that of deep excitement. She was only half turned towards Korith, looking at the kobold with one eye, while her darling¡¯s cock lay across her face. ¡°Apexus is withholding his scent while you ponder.¡± The advice wasn¡¯t entirely benevolent. Selfishly, Aclysia wanted the exciting, sweet smell to fill her lungs.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way you can walk out here!¡¯ her thoughts raced, while her body moved slowly. She nodded and grabbed the lower edge of her shirt. She stopped for a moment, as the entirety of the room¡¯s attention shifted to her. Of the trio, Aclysia had seen the most of her skin. When Korith had passed out in the aftermath of the storm, the metal fairy had stripped her down to her underwear and dried her using magic. The other two caught nothing of that. All three were curious to see the fullness of Korith¡¯s curves revealed.


    She pulled the linen shirt over her head and revealed a worn-out bra. They were difficult to come by, especially at her size, but it was the best she had for keeping her breasts from jiggling all over the place whenever she moved around. Reaching behind her back, she undid the metal hook that kept the thing in place and breathed a sigh of relief when the pressure was off her breasts.


    Everyone else inhaled in awe as the mounds drooped a few centimetres. Her breasts were massive, that much had been clear from the start, but now their size was truly revealed. They were as large as her head, of the same light brown as the rest of her skin, and crowned by erect, brownish pink nipples. They sagged a bit, courtesy of their size, yet were definitely on the firm side of squishiness.


    Korith pushed her thumbs under the waistband of her pants. Before she could push them down, Apexus ordered her, ¡°Turn around.¡±


    The kobold gulped, feeling hot waves of embarrassment and excitement wash over her as she obediently presented her rear. Part of her loved every second of the attention, another wished they wouldn¡¯t ogle her just so intensely. The former won, and she raised up her tail, getting it out of the line of sight of the trio. Ass thrust backwards, she pushed her pants downwards.


    Her ass was a squishy, fat and jiggly manifestation of glory. For Apexus¡¯ tastes, a tad too large to be as perfect as the rear of his first love, Aclysia, but fantastic beyond a doubt. Her thighs extended flawlessly from that massive derriere, evidently just as grabbable and soft.


    When her pants were down at the level of her ankles and her ass a display of two globes of smooth, tanned flesh, the trio could see her two holes. She was every bit as hairless as Reysha was, and her pussy was visibly drenched. A gooey strand had drawn between her pinkish labia and her panties, broken by distance for everyone to see.


    The blond kobold turned back around, struggling not to try and hide her breasts with her arms, and presented her entirety to the group. Beyond her tits and ass, the rest of her was gorgeous as well. Her midriff was flat, even somewhat defined. Red scales started shortly above her knees and covered everything below, ending in reptilian feet. Her arms were covered from the elbows down and a couple of the red spots decorated her neck as well. All of her was in pristine condition and clean, even if she had started to sweat a little bit.


    ¡°So, this is me,¡± she said, trying to break the silence. ¡°Hope you like it?¡±


    ¡°Like it?!¡± Reysha grabbed Korith by the shoulders and turned the shortstack towards her. ¡°Girl I¡­ absltl lve t¡­.¡± The second half of the confession was barely audible, as the redhead disappeared into Korith¡¯s cleavage. Grabbing the massive tits from both sides, Reysha pressed as much of the funbags against her as she could, kneading them in the process.


    It all happened so fast, the only reaction Korith could have to someone else touching her breasts for the first time was to moan. Loudly. ¡°Ah!¡± her voice echoed in the room. Her mind went blank, while she watched, and was watched, as Reysha played with her breasts. Hands sinking into the enormous tits, the softness under and spilling around her fingers urged the tiger girl to continue. Korith¡¯s continuous moans motivated her further, made her find her way to Korith¡¯s nipples and start playing with them. Circling them, pinching them, pulling them softly, then a little harder. Each step along the way, Korith kept moaning, intertwined with pleasantly pained gasps towards the end.


    Korith hadn¡¯t known that she could enjoy a bit of torment to such a degree. She¡¯d been distantly aware that she was submissive, that she was attracted to a larger, muscular man who could pin her down at will let her come to that conclusion easily. Masochistic was not something she could have found out on her own. When the soft biting of her nipples sent an ecstatic shiver down her spine, she had already accepted that.


    One step away, Aclysia decided that she had seen enough. Further motivated by the first inhale of Apexus¡¯ pheromones, wafting straight from the cock still lying across her face, the metal fairy licked her way up the shaft again. Apexus made his enjoyment audible with a deep groan, and clawed demandingly into her hair. Once she was at the glans, mouth wide open, she half descended, half was pulled down, on his cock.


    The humanoid slime did not let her stop, until she reached the base. Once all the way down, Aclysia¡¯s pink lips formed a tight seal around his cock. He didn¡¯t let her go back up, but the angel had no need for air anyway. Gladly, she let her head be manhandled, angled, and rolled to her dominant¡¯s enjoyment. When he decided to move her up and down like a cocksleeve, that was her joy as well.


    ¡°You can touch yourself,¡± Apexus allowed and Aclysia quickly took that offer. The reverberation of her moans around Apexus¡¯ girthy member only increased his enjoyment.


    Reysha decided to reposition herself.  She stopped biting the nipples and instead moved behind the kobold. Placing her chin on her shoulders and groping Korith from behind, she whispered into her ear. ¡°You can touch yourself too, ya know?¡± the perverted tiger girl asked, licking Korith¡¯s neck and tasting the hot sweat. Both of them could smell the sweet aroma of the aphrodisiac pheromones too.


    ¡°I woulllld,¡± Korith whined in pleasure. Continuous groping of her tits made it difficult to think or say something that wasn¡¯t unabashedly lewd. ¡°I need a toy thouuuuugh.¡±


    ¡°Toy? why would-¡± Reysha¡¯s eyes fell on Korith¡¯s hands, at the claws and scales, and she realized that they did not allow for a pleasurable self-treatment. ¡°Aww, ya poor thing!¡± she swooned, delighted at the prospects. ¡°Do ya need someone to help ya out?¡± She let a hand travel over the midriff of the shortstack and stopped just shy of her drenched cunt.


    ¡°Y-yes?¡± Korith¡¯s uncertain voice quivered.


    ¡°Hmmm, sounds like ya don¡¯t want me,¡± Reysha teased.


    Apexus picked up on what was happening and made wordless eye contact with his second love. A silent agreement formed, between the dom and the switch, and the humanoid slime suddenly pulled Aclysia off his cock. ¡°On all fours,¡± he ordered and the metal fairy hurried to oblige.


    ¡°However I please you, darling,¡± she voiced her submission, once in the demanded position. Apexus got behind her and gave her bubble butt a swift and strong smack. Delighted, Aclysia yelped. A shouted moan followed, when he pushed inside her. Penetrating her soft, dripping wet pussy, Apexus bowed over his bottom-heavy angel and wrapped an arm around her neck. He pulled her up against his chest.


    ¡°You always please me, my melody,¡± he told her, the gentle words contrasting with the chokehold. A happy smile spread on Aclysia¡¯s face, soon parting in a silent shout. Apexus fucked her, slowly pulling out of her and then ramming back in hard enough that the clap of his groin against her rippling ass bounced through the single room of the house.


    ¡®I WANT THAT!!!¡¯ Korith¡¯s mind screamed, almost collapsing where she stood. Horniness so intense it overrode her motor functions had her pant and squirm in Reysha¡¯s arms. The Rogue had to strain herself a fair bit to keep her contained. ¡°¡­I-I want you to touch me,¡± Korith settled for the next best, watching Aclysia¡¯s eyes rolling up from being absolutely railed.


    ¡°Ooooh?¡± Reysha played the ignorant and inched a little bit closer to Korith¡¯s ready cunt. ¡°But I am touching you? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°My pussy, please¡­¡±


    ¡°Please do whaaaaaat?¡± the tiger girl kept teasing. ¡°How about you spell it out for me? I¡¯m sawwy, I¡¯m stawpid¡­ say ¡®Reysha, mistress, I beg of you, touch my needy little cunt¡¯.¡±


    Korith trembled, humiliated in every way she enjoyed. ¡°R-reysha, mistress, I be-eeeee-¡° The sensation of her ear getting softly bitten interrupted the shortstack. Her legs did give in for a moment, but she barely remained standing. ¡°I beg of youuu, touch my needy little cuuuunt.¡±


    ¡°Attagirl,¡± Reysha purred and curved two fingers into Korith¡¯s cunt.


    Pleasure hot as lightning rushed through the blonde¡¯s excited curves. On the border of hyperventilating, her breath pushed and pulled air through her clenched teeth. The first few moments were ecstatic relief of feeling any direct pleasure at all. Then there was a semi-desperate lull. Reysha had no idea where Korith was the most sensitive, so the initial impression was that her dildo felt better. Quick on the uptake and borderline nymphomaniac, Reysha swiftly figured out what to do. That and the difference in having someone else work her pussy, particularly someone she trusted, gradually transformed the impression. Soon, the work Reysha¡¯s fingers were doing was the greatest Korith had ever felt.


    Apexus helped that sensation by making a mess off Aclysia. From the chokehold, to pushing her head and petitely breasted torso to the ground, he transitioned from slow and hard to fast and harder. He kept her pinned down. The snow-white softness of her ass rippled with every impact. She screamed, so happy that she could be as loud as she wanted out here in the woods. Her pussy gushed. Multiple orgasms drowned her thoughts. A small tendril had attached to her clit, continuously stimulating it with a myriad of tiny touches. Without Apexus¡¯ hand on her head, dishevelling her hair, she would have screamed at the ceiling, spine curved.


    The shouts of the tall angel, the moans of the short kobold and the scent of pheromones impregnated the air with a deeply lustful atmosphere. Korith¡¯s first orgasm came swiftly. Willingly surrendered to Reysha¡¯s whims, she came so hard the overflowing pussy juice ran down the inside of her smooth thighs. A second eventually followed. Then a third.


    To her it was a wonder that she kept standing throughout all of that. Apexus, with his heat-based stamina, continued fucking Aclysia without ever tiring. That, to Korith, was absolute insanity and she couldn¡¯t help but anticipate her turn to get pounded. Pounded and pounded until she, like Aclysia at the moment, lost her voice and was a twitching, orgasm-wrecked mess on the ground.


    Apexus was quite enjoying the show that Reysha was putting up for him. The redhead grinned at her lover, over the shoulder of the blonde she kept in a hazy state of pleasure. Although he wished to play with those plump tits himself, Reysha cupping them one after the other and letting them drop, bounce, and jiggle was a second-hand compromise he could agree with, for the time being.


    When his orgasm was approaching, he lowered his gaze to the metal fairy. Her gushing cunt came into view each time he pulled out of her fantastic bubble butt. That wonderful balance between roundness, width, and sheer size her pear-figure struck in the lower half was a cushion to his every thrust. Still, there was enough force in every thrust to crumple the sheets under them. He wrapped an arm around her again, by the chest this time. He pulled her up against him, not to choke her, but to claim her lips during the final few thrusts.


    When his hot semen unloaded inside her, Aclysia found the strength to let out a few lustful sounds. Their tongues intertwined and wrestled in a sloppy kiss. Apexus dominated her mouth just as much as the rest of her body, doing with her however he pleased. He groped her petite breasts and twisted the nipple. Approvingly, Aclysia yelped and pressed her ass against his groin. Her hips gyrated, trying to stimulate the production of semen even more. All that Apexus pumped into her, a load several times that of a normal man, was made at the moment of orgasm.


    ¡°Tshank you, darling,¡± Aclysia slurred, when the stream of semen finally abated.


    ¡°You are a good girl,¡± he responded, petting her head gently while lowering her to the ground. Korith didn¡¯t really register what happened, until the slime pulled out and the thick white excess of his cum poured from the metal fairy¡¯s swollen cunt.


    ¡°Great thing about our big man,¡± Reysha whispered into Korith¡¯s ear, while the humanoid slime turned his attention to them. ¡°His cock stays hard as long as he wants to.¡±


    ¡°I do have a limit,¡± Apexus reminded her. ¡°It does cost biomass.¡±


    Reysha clicked her tongue. ¡°I¡¯m trying to impress the newbie here.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the slime had failed to pick up on that. ¡°Sorry?¡±


    Korith would have chuckled, had she not been entirely entranced by the massive cock that was, one step later, one forwards lean away from going into her mouth. She wouldn¡¯t have to get on her knees to suck it either. She was at the perfect height standing. Her pussy twitched with anticipation ¨C and because Reysha pulled her fingers out.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t your turn yet,¡± Reysha teased, kissing the kobold on the cheek. ¡°Seniority rights, and all that.¡±


    Teasing the kobold a little bit more did feel like fun, so Apexus gave an agreeing nod. The desperate look on Korith¡¯s face following that announcement was exactly what the dom and the switch were after. ¡°B-but¡­ what am I supposed to do?¡± the kobold asked, squirming.


    ¡°Watch,¡± Apexus ordered her, while he lay down next to them. Grinning wildly, Reysha climbed on top and swiftly impaled herself on his cock.


    ¡°FUCK YES!¡± she screamed at the top of her lungs and laughed. It sounded somewhat insane, in the hottest way, and the tiger girl immediately started bouncing on his girthy manhood. Her decently sized breasts bounced, her athletic curves stretched and her hair flew left to right. Arms raised above her head, she stopped in the wild up and down, the entirety of his dick inside her, and performed a belly dance. Her hips circled, her excited breathing was controlled, her insides clenched the cock that was stretching her tight walls. ¡°Oh fuck, stud, you make me feel so good,¡± Reysha groaned. There was no need to act for any of that, he truly did. Especially once he grabbed her hips thrust up into her. With a manic laugh and a depraved cry, she returned to the reckless riding.


    Korith''s eyes darted around the room for something she could use to pleasure herself. All she found was Aclysia, but the metal fairy was still twitching and moaning from the afterglow of her thorough pounding. ¡®You¡¯ve been told to watch anyway,¡¯ her submissive side reminded the near-mad, horny kobold. She swallowed and watched, as ordered.


    ¡°Come on, show Korith all you can do to me,¡± Reysha challenged. ¡°Mess me up, stud!¡±


    ¡°All?¡± Apexus asked, just to be certain.


    ¡°Fuck ¨C me ¨C up!¡± Reysha made it extremely clear and cackled anticipatingly when several tentacles sprouted from Apexus¡¯ back and curved around his torso.


    It was an alien sight to Korith, but not to an alarming degree. Reysha had talked about them earlier and she reacted with such utter delight that no alarm bells could go off. Two of them wound around her tits, the tips formed like suction pads that attached to her nipples and teased them with several dozen tiny endings. Same happened with her clit. A second cock formed, pressing against her asshole. It started small, smeared lubricating precum over the tight hole, penetrated her and then gradually became larger. Two tentacles wrapped her upper arms. Not to restrict her, more so to make their presence known. They were almost as thick as the cock in her cunt and she grabbed both of them, masturbating the slippery ends.


    The expression Reysha made was pure, perverted delight. Eyes rolled up, tongue lolled out, she was made to bounce on the two cocks that filled her lower holes. She only ever focused long enough to lean towards one of the tendrils and suck it off. The other she masturbated at an extreme pace. Whenever she felt like it, she switched, or just gave both a handjob while she tried to match the rhythm of her lover.


    ¡°Hamena, hamena, hamena,¡± Korith rambled. ¡°I want that too. Please tell me he fucks me next. Oh, Hoard, I want to be ruined toooooo¡­¡± She only realized that she was talking out loud when Apexus shot her an amused glance. The kobold was embarrassed. Luckily for her, Reysha was too far gone to have heard any of that.


    ¡°I fucking love your cocks!¡± were the only words Reysha said, thought, and could perceive. Anything else was wiped out due to said cocks and tendrils. Each and every one of her sensitive areas was being assaulted by specialized tendrils, hard cocks, or girthy tentacles. ¡°YES, FUCK ME, YE---¡± Her words stopped when she wrapped her reddish brown lips around a tentacle and pushed her head down until it was in her throat. The flexibility made that easy, the size did not. Her throat bulged visibly, all three of her holes were completely filled, and she squirted all over Apexus¡¯ groin.


    Using this many tendrils multiplied the pleasure he felt. While the slime was built to last despite this, he reached his second climax noticeably faster than the first. Part of that was also Reysha¡¯s uncompromising pace, seeking constant, savage ecstasy. She got that, her brown curves bouncing and smacking loudly down on his hips until the very last moment. Large hands on her hips grabbed more intensely, pressed into her round ass, and kept her down while he came.


    All three of her holes were filled with hot cum, and the second tentacle covered her face, hair and tits in even more of it. She enjoyed the sensation of being cum-coated, especially with Korith watching, so much that she pulled the first tentacle out of her mouth and let the second half of the orgasm entirely unload over her. ¡°Yesssss, shower me,¡± she hissed, grinning and gasping in the middle of her orgasm. There were no qualms about showing just how much of a sex fiend she was.


    On her depravedly contorted features, wave after wave of semen landed. The outstretched tongue caught some of it. Laughing from the depth of her throat, Reysha wiggled her hips. Her insides twitched and clenched around the girthy cocks. Both were shaped to fit her tastes specifically. ¡°You¡¯re gorgeous,¡± Apexus groaned, while the last of the orgasm unloaded over and over in her.


    ¡°Of cou-rrrrrse, I a-ahm,¡± Reysha responded, moaning from the afterglows. ¡°Fuuuuck, you messed me up gooooood.¡± The tentacles slithered away. Nipples and clit being suddenly exposed to the air made her head fly back. A cascade of red hair, partly covered and soaked with semen, and a half-cackling cry emphasized her continued pleasure. Tilting her head slightly, she looked over to Korith.


    The kobold stood and panted. Several strands of gooey pussy juice dripped between her legs. Her breathing was so intense, it sent small ripples through her massive tits. She wrung her hands in front of her abdomen, trying and failing to find a distraction in the gesture.


    ¡°Yourrrrr turrrrn,¡± Reysha purred and raised her hips off the dual cocks. Globs of excess semen started leaking out almost immediately. Insatiably, the tiger girl walked over to where Aclysia, barely recovered, had managed to sit upright. Tiger girl and angel started making out the moment the dominant of the two grabbed the submissive¡¯s head.


    Korith could only glance at that. A much larger and interesting distraction came her way. Unmaking the lower of the two cocks, Apexus stepped up in front of Korith. The one that was left glistened with the mixture of Aclysia and Reysha¡¯s pussy juices. When he stopped, it was right in front of her face, in all of its magnificent size. ¡°Should I make it smaller?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Any doubts Korith had about her virgin sexual skills were drowned in lust. She needed it large. Many of the shorter humanoid races were created with bodies capable of taking comparatively enormous cocks. It had started as a compromise to allow the omnipresent ability of crossbreeding. Generations of mortal perversions had emphasized that trait in every way, to the point where size queens were more common than not.


    Although her curves were far beyond the average kobold, in this specific aspect Korith followed the norm. There was a second adaptation that was common in the females of short species across the Omniverse. One that Korith did not know she possessed, until Apexus grabbed her by the horns and pulled her towards his cock.


    Her lips made contact with the massive member, and a hot shudder went through her. Jaw slackening, she let him push into her tiny, tight mouth. He slowed down, when he was merely a fifth in, expecting her gag reflex to kick in at any moment now. All she reacted with were moans ¨C incredibly intense moans, that only grew louder as he pushed into her slimy throat. A bulge progressively travelled down her neck. Korith¡¯s eyelids fluttered. Her pussy twitched. Eagerly she leaned forwards, taking more of him in. The way his hard manhood stretched out her throat was incredible. Beyond incredible even, it beat masturbation and Reysha¡¯s fingering. It made her feel hot and tingling. Then it made her feel ecstatic.


    Hands clenched in front of her, throat stretched, lips pressed against his groin, and hard cock sheathed completely inside her, Korith¡¯s pussy gushed as she came harder than any time before in her life. Many generations of mortal perversion had made females of the short races not only able to take enormous cocks without problems, but had made their throats extremely sensitive as well. A species whose mouth was practically on groin height when they stood often came to give this service.


    Korith had no idea how easy and how incredible it would be for her to take the entirety of his cock. The remainder of the trio were similarly surprised. This was not widespread information in public circles. Reysha felt a deep-seated respect. Aclysia felt some envy at her obvious ability to orgasm from her throat alone. Apexus felt both excitement and a twinge of disappointment that he would not get to see her gradually learn to handle his ¡®regular¡¯ size.


    The excitement won out and tightened his grip on her upper pair of horns. They were just long enough to fit in his hands and their texture was almost too perfect as handles. Without hesitation, he started fucking her throat and indulging in the screams of the submissive shortstack. Muffled by his cock, they competed with the delighted moans of the two women engaged in mutual masturbation.


    Hard and fast, Apexus hammered in and out of her face. What had started as the strongest orgasm of her life so far quickly transitioned into a series that left her mind empty. All of her felt floaty and distant, aside from the ecstasy that she felt both in her throat and her clenching pussy. Her legs did little to keep her standing, it was almost entirely the strength of Apexus¡¯ arms and the depth his cock reached that were responsible. She was being used, like Aclysia had been used, just like she wanted it.


    Time was a distant concept to her. The best measurement she had was when Apexus stopped in his steady pounding to let her breathe. Those gasps of air were the sweetest she had taken in her life and yet she so readily stopped and opened her mouth again the moment his cock was pushed in the direction of her lips. Spit and precum dripped from her chin and fell on her bouncing tits. Her nipples brushed against his legs sometimes, adding another variety of hot tingle to the storm of bliss.


    Korith could taste the other two women on that cock. Her tongue instinctively pressed against the hard shaft, wanting more of that sweetness. The smell of his pheromones filled her mouth, nostrils, throat and lungs. The insides of her thighs were completely drenched. The rest of her body glistened with a sheen of sweat.


    ¡°Do not swallow,¡± three words reached her ear. The tone, an order of sexual dominance, forced the meaning in her mind.


    Apexus pulled back, leaving only the head of his fat cock in her mouth. Her throat felt empty for a moment, but she was quickly distracted by the hot stuff flooding her tongue. The humanoid slime observed closely, while the massive load pumped the kobold¡¯s mouth full. A deep satisfaction filled him, knowing that she obeyed. Some of it ran down her throat involuntarily. Korith remained true and as still as she could, with fading orgasms making her voluptuous curves tremble.


    Once he was done, he removed his cock completely. A dribble of cum made it past Korith¡¯s lips. White dominated the insides of her mouth and her tongue instinctively swirled what filled it. ¡°Good girl,¡± Apexus complimented her, two words that alone made Korith squirm. ¡°Swallow.¡± With some difficulty, she gulped down the entirety of the load. Then Apexus softened the strength of his hold. Her legs gave in readily and he placed her on her back.


    Just how curvy Korith was became emphasized when Apexus placed his hands on her hips. Their size difference seemed to diminish, judging by how much he had to hold onto alone. Lecherously, he stared at her massive tits and how they fell towards her face when he raised her lower body up to align his cock with her virgin cunt. ¡°Are you ready?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I want all of that big dick inside me!¡± That conveyed her feelings better than a proper answer to that question. ¡°That¡¯s the best first I could ask for!¡±


    Without further delay, Apexus pushed forwards. Her slippery thighs pressed against his sides. Her legs wrapped around him. Her feet barely managed to meet at the back, after he was halfway inside her. His cock stretched her out in all directions. The tightness was extreme, yet he could sink deeper inside her with little issue. He stopped, worried he might tear something.


    ¡°Deeper¡­ you can go deeper,¡± Korith encouraged him. Her hymen had been torn with toys years ago and her pussy would have been grippingly tight around a shaft that girthy in any case. ¡°I can take more, give me mooooooreeeee!¡±


    Resuming his movements, Apexus gave her what she wanted. The outline of his cock was a visible bulge, going up her abdomen. He hit the entrance of her womb, something that would have caused a rather severe adverse reaction in regular women. All Korith did was scream in raw bliss.


    Short races achieved their tolerance for massive cocks through two ways: extremely stretchy pussy walls with five times the fold density of taller races and internal organs that did not mind the displacement necessary to accommodate a dick a fifth of their total size. When her womb was pushed deeper into her body, all that did was stretch out the dense folds. The process exposed more nerves to the rigidity of the manhood penetrating her. The bigger the dick penetrating a kobold, goblin, gnome, or other such species, the larger the erogenous zone that was stimulated.


    And so the taking of her virginity made Korith orgasm three times before the entirety of his cock was sheathed in her. She squirted all over his cock. The lubrication was so overabundant that had it not been for her incredible tightness, moving in and out of her would have barely provided any friction. He pulled out, then slowly pushed back inside. Only after several slow thrusts, did the reshaped form of her insides start to stabilize. Her pussy became moulded, for as long as he kept fucking her, to the dimensions of his dick. Each time he fully sunk inside her, the tip kissed her womb.


    Gradually, he accelerated. Soon, he pounded her just as mercilessly as he had Aclysia and Reysha. Again and again, he smashed against her plump ass. His eyes followed the hypnotic swing of her massive breasts. The ripples were a visual feast that matched that of ploughing the metal fairy¡¯s perfect ass. Back and forth they swung, nipples cutting ovals in the air. On the extremes of each jiggle, Korith could have caught them with her mouth, had she not been so busy screaming. The sweet tones of her ecstasy caressed Apexus¡¯ ears.


    ¡®Plap, plap, plap,¡¯ the sounds of the wet slaps of flesh against flesh echoed through the room. Korith¡¯s hands gripped the sheets under her. Both were taken by the other two women in the room.


    Aclysia and Reysha had stopped their lesbian engagement and come to join them. Angel to his right, tiger girl to his left, Apexus saw them smile at him, while they each held one of Korith¡¯s hands. Their asses were not quite in his field of view, the kobold was just too short to allow both the handholding and that sight, but that was no problem for the humanoid slime. Tendrils extended from his back, soon finding their pussies and pushing inside.


    The pleasure from tentacles was lesser than from a proper cock. They lacked the force of impact, as they slithered in and out, and that rigidity. They were a close second though and the small tendrils teasing their other areas more than made up for the shortcomings.


    Apexus was in complete charge of the situation. Three gorgeous women went cross-eyed because of him, going insane with lust. He concentrated on Korith, for her novelty and to make their first mating an occasion to remember. Her glistening, bouncing tits were incredible to behold. He reached out with one hand and greedily grabbed as much of one as his hand could encompass. His fingers almost vanished in the flesh spilling around them. Korith¡¯s back arched, presenting the full size of her feminine spheres to him.


    He pulled his hand back, needing both to properly hold her hips as he pounded her. It was replaced with Reysha¡¯s mouth. The tiger girl once again sucked and lovingly bit the kobold¡¯s tits. Aclysia followed the example, with gentle kisses and licks replacing the roughness of the switch.


    Although in thoughtless ecstasy, Korith was under the impression that she had hit the pinnacle of bliss, surrounded by affectionate lovers and filled with a giant cock. Then a tentacle wound around her throat. It only did so for support, but the mild pressure alone was enough to set her off further. Then that very same tentacle prodded her lips. Apexus recognized that the kobold was in no state to exchange words, so he presented the question through action.


    The answer was an eagerly opened mouth. Korith squirted again, when the depth of her sensitive throat was filled with a girthy tentacle. From both ends, she was being ravaged. Her jiggling tits caressed. Sanity was far out the window, all she cared for was to indulge in this for as long as it lasted.


    ¡°This is the last,¡± Apexus groaned, recognizing his own limits approaching. The words fell on deaf ears, all three women were too far in the depths of depravity to notice anything other than moans. Aclysia was on the border of hyperventilating, Reysha giggled madly, and Korith¡¯s screams were muffled. Apexus saw in their rolled up eyes and ecstatic expressions a duty to continue for as long as he could.


    His sensitive sexual organs did not stop, did not slow, as he made it past the point of no return and held back his final release. Held it back, as he pumped into their tight cunts. Held it back, as he listened to their depraved cries. Held it back, as he watched their bodies shake and spasm. Held it back, until he couldn¡¯t any longer, and came. Came inside Aclysia¡¯s eager pussy. Came inside Reysha¡¯s perverted cunt. Came pressed against Korith¡¯s womb, filling it directly. Came all over her tits and face, after pulling out of her throat. White seed marked her tanned skin and blonde hair. He came and came, his humanoid body rigid with the dominating ecstasy that was more prominent than anything else in the room.


    Spurt for spurt, pleasure subsided. The smaller tendrils retracted first. The larger ones stayed, while there was still cum to be spurted over and into the gasping women. Then they too gradually pulled back, leaving agape holes behind.


    A last reasonable action was taken, after Apexus pulled his deflating cock out of Korith. The slime helped all three of his women into a lying position. Tiredness took the place of lust, a deep, satisfied desire to sleep and restore the energy expended. All that prevented the three women from passing out immediately was the remaining aftershocks making them twitch and moan occasionally. By the time Apexus himself lay down, that had diminished to such a degree that they fell into an uncertain slumber. Soon, that was replaced with a deep sleep.


    The fire kept them warm through the night.

 Hoarding 3 – To the Dragon Isles

    ¡°Is it always so messy?¡± Korith asked, scrubbing herself down with lukewarm water. Getting it to that temperature had required proximity to the fire and Aclysia¡¯s magic. A little more attention may have helped it along further, but no one was willing to wait. Of the three women, Aclysia was the least sticky, and even she required it to get rid of the sweat.


    ¡°Depends on how much we ask the big guy to get freaky,¡± Reysha responded, currently in the process of helping Aclysia clean the hard-to-reach spaces between her wings.


    Apexus placed down a second bucket of water. That one was cold and for him to clean himself with. He had about as much surface area as two of them combined and he also lacked the majority of bodily functions that made cleaning necessary. Practically all the dirt on him was from their bodies or the surroundings. ¡°I try to keep it clean,¡± he said. ¡°It made for a better first time.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ can¡¯t disagree with that,¡± Korith chuckled, a little bit nervously. She wasn¡¯t quite sure yet how to handle this particular social dynamic. Harems weren¡¯t unusual where she was from, so that part did not bother her. It was more that she had expected something fundamental to change now that they had done the deed.


    There were some changes, just not on the level she had expected. The last bit of personal barriers had fallen. Nudity was just not a big deal to the quartet and now they had no qualms whatsoever about brushing against or over her. The little touches were warm and pleasant. A physical extension of the tender words they had exchanged previously.


    Or of casual lewdness.


    The entire room, including Aclysia, gawked at Korith, when she grabbed one of her boobs and lifted it up to properly clean the underside. ¡°The-they¡¯re not that impressive, okay?!¡± the kobold stammered, feeling flattered and self-conscious because of the constant stares.


    ¡°Yeah, no, squishy, ya can¡¯t say that when they¡¯re about as big as my head,¡± Reysha disagreed.


    ¡°Let me help with that.¡± Before Korith could consider that offer, Apexus was already acting on it. Now that he had full confirmation that the kobold had a taste for being bullied by loved ones, the humanoid slime felt he had full agency to act more assertively around her. Reaching around from her behind her, he lifted the light brown bags of softness up. The excess of their size spilled over his palm.


    ¡°T-t-thanks?!¡± Korith yelped, feeling a definite wave of arousal. His hands, so much larger than hers, caused her body to remember last night. Besides that, it was actually helpful. After she had cleaned herself in the now reachable areas, she ¡®forgot¡¯ to ask Apexus to let go again. Eventually, he still did. As fun as her breasts were to hold and knead, a harem meant that paying all of his attention to one woman left others wanting. Apexus first helped Aclysia clean herself, then Reysha. That was only an excuse to touch them.


    That Reysha was left for last was a tactical decision. Unsurprisingly, feeling her up led to the tiger girl getting hot and bothered. With her borderline nymphomania, that transitioned swiftly to her having a morning quickie. Aclysia and Korith watched and caught up on their lack of interactions last night. Apexus and Reysha had done plenty of teasing the kobold between them. As a fellow submissive, Aclysia had not had opportunities to get directly physical with their newest addition.


    When they finally made it out of the house, Korith was grinning broadly.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s liking our lifestyle,¡± Reysha observed.


    ¡°It is in line with the biological imperative of procreation,¡± Apexus remarked. ¡°It should feel rewarding to enact mating behaviour with lasting partners.¡±


    ¡°Darling, while you may be correct, that is a fraction of the adoration I feel for you,¡± the metal fairy holding his right arm stated. ¡°I love you; I want to be as much one with you as the physical reality allows.¡±


    ¡°I love you too,¡± Apexus responded and kissed the metal fairy.


    ¡°Awww, ya two are cute,¡± Reysha cackled from the sidelines and cried out in agreeing surprise when she was pulled by the waist.


    ¡°You love me,¡± the humanoid slime asserted.


    ¡°Hmmm, ya know what, I won¡¯t even be flippant about today,¡± the tiger girl got on her toes. ¡°Yeah, I love you, Apexus.¡± She kissed him as well.


    ¡°I love you too!¡± Korith proclaimed, somewhat to the surprise of the trio. It was the first sentence this morning she hadn¡¯t stammered. That was because it was not a hasty confession. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to say that all morning,¡± she admitted. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s a bit quick of me but¡­ yeah, I do.¡±


    ¡°Eh, at least you fell in love with him when he looked like a guy,¡± Reysha shrugged it off. ¡°Makes ya two steps less freaky than me or the angel over there.¡±


    ¡°I will let you know that my attraction to entities is entirely based on character,¡± Aclysia retorted. ¡°As a divine creation, being capable of love is already an exceptional state of affairs. Most angels are¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­barely sapient, yeah, I know,¡± Reysha waved off. ¡°I¡¯ll call bullshit on that ¡®entirely¡¯ though. You had some strong fucking opinions about the ideal jawline.¡±


    ¡°I accept that criticism,¡± Aclysia sighed.


    Apexus, meanwhile, bowed down to kiss Korith like he had done the other two. That she was so short made it a difficult affair and halfway through, Apexus decided to just scoop her up. Her plush bum was resting on his muscular lower arm, as he held her in front of her and pressed his mouth on her soft lips. She reciprocated a bit clumsily, but with great enthusiasm.


    When their kiss escalated to the point that Korith started to moan, Aclysia cleared her throat loudly. ¡°Much as I do enjoy affection and pleasing our darling, we should get to the port. We can continue as we desire on the ship.¡±


    ________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Cuntwaffles, everywhere!¡± Joey declared, the heel of his foot drumming on the planks of his ship. ¡°Why do I even do this?¡±


    ¡°Because you like hearing me moan while another guy fucks my brains out?¡± Reysha suggested to the ever-annoyed captain. ¡°I mean, I am cute enough.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up,¡± the ever-annoyed captain snapped back immediately. ¡°The only good thing about having you lot on board this time around is that there¡¯s nobody who you can actually annoy with your fucking. Except for the shortstack, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, actually¡­¡±


    Joey pinched the bridge of his nose, Korith¡¯s tone saying everything the captain needed to know. ¡°Of fucking course¡­ whatever, keep it in your cabin and clean up after yourselves. If you stain or break any of the hammocks, you¡¯re buying them!¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Apexus agreed. ¡°Thank you for taking us along.¡±


    Joey stared at the humanoid slime, not knowing what was under that membrane, and clicked his tongue. ¡°No idea what Maltos did to you, but you do seem less fucking hostile.¡±


    ¡°I learned better self-control,¡± Apexus reported truthfully. ¡°More importantly, I decided that I¡¯d judge you less harshly for using swear words to cushion your sentences.¡±


    ¡°I use swear words to cope with the incompetency of literally everyone around me,¡± Joey turned to the two sailors who were drawing in the boarding plank. ¡°If you two work even slower, we might get ready in time for the NEXT high tide!¡±


    Korith shouldered her warhammer and told the captain, ¡°If you need any help, you know where to find us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Joey said, sounding a little less aggressive than usual. ¡°Until I need you to pull three times your weight, do me the favour and get out of the way of my crew. This¡¯ll be a long enough voyage without people standing in our way.¡±


    The quartet obliged and moved into their quarters. Since they truly were the only non-crew passengers on this voyage, they did have plenty of space to themselves. They stowed away all their stuff in one chest. The moment they were finished, Aclysia cuddled up to Apexus and Reysha asked, ¡°So, anyone still in the mood after the march?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m content,¡± Aclysia said, sitting in her darling¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Same,¡± Korith answered.


    Apexus shrugged, he was ambivalent about it.


    ¡°Dangit,¡± Reysha sat down, legs folded, and rested her cheeks on her palms.


    ¡°You could just¡­ you know¡­ take care of it?¡± Korith pointed out. ¡°You don¡¯t seem exactly bothered doing it on your own.¡±


    ¡°Read the room, squishy, there¡¯s time to lewd up the atmosphere and there¡¯s time to talk about something else,¡± the tiger girl responded, as if she was the reasonable one. She tracked Korith with her blue eyes. ¡°Besides, who could get in the solo mood with ya pacing up and down like that?¡±


    Korith did not stop walking from one wall to the other, even after it was pointed out to her. ¡°I need something to do,¡± she whined. ¡°Anyone up for a game?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the game,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°We could play Rolmers,¡± Korith suggested. That was a game reasonably popular with everyone in the room. They agreed and she fetched dice and cards to play it with. Rolmers used a Poker deck as tiles, four-sided dice as the players and a six-sided die to roll. As the game progressed, the tiles became less and less and people who moved across empty tiles lost life. Each of the players was assigned one of the four varieties of cards and had options of how they could accelerate or slow that gradual decay of the field.


    A round of Rolmers took about an hour, so it was a good game to kill time with. It also didn¡¯t last so long that an unfortunate wave rocking the ship became a gameplay tragedy.


    Once she had set up the game, Korith let out a heavy sigh. ¡°I know, right?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°I can already see that Apexus is gonna win. Bubble butt is going to support him at every turn and then jump into the void.¡±


    ¡°In the spirit of fairness, I will withhold my favouritism,¡± Aclysia rested the side of her face against the humanoid chimera¡¯s biceps. ¡°Deserved as it is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not why she is sighing,¡± Apexus said, while combing through the metal fairy¡¯s hair. ¡°Still bothered by the compromise?"


    ¡°How could I not be? It¡¯s so much money!¡± Korith complained, her tail slapping against the ground.


    ¡°How much money entirely depends on our performance. It is a risky gambit from his perspective. One he certainly would not take without Maltos¡¯ request weighing in our favour.¡±


    ¡°Hoard deserves everything¡­,¡± Korith mumbled.


    ¡°Would Hoard even like dragon parts?¡± Reysha asked.


    Apexus tilted his head, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Dunno, feels like a priest eating his flock.¡±


    ¡°Dragons are Hoard''s competitors, not its followers,¡± Korith responded. ¡°The rivalry continues between the common servants.¡±


    ¡°I do wonder if we¡¯ll run into proper kobolds,¡± Reysha hummed.


    The shortstack let out a deeply unhappy squeal, ¡°Proper?!¡±


    Reysha cackled and received a soft chop to the forehead by the male in the room. ¡°She is just trying to rile you up,¡± Apexus said. ¡°She¡¯ll keep going if you keep reacting.¡±


    ¡°Which means I¡¯ll keep doing it forever, ¡®cause you¡¯re so delightfully teasable, squishy.¡±


    ¡°¡­You know, I could shatter your kneecaps.¡±


    Reysha¡¯s grin turned dangerous and she picked two cards from the board, putting them on the discarded pile. Then she focused on Korith. ¡°Ya know, the only thing I like almost as much as sex is violence,¡± the redhead purred. ¡°So go ahead. Bite me.¡±


    A double tap on Aclysia¡¯s shoulder let her know that she had to rise from her current position. Korith was unsure how to deal with the situation, and only became more unsure when Apexus suddenly grabbed Reysha by the arm and threw her on her back. The tiger girl reacted immediately, answering the act of aggression with a kick to the abdomen.


    ¡°Uhm, should we do something about that?¡± Korith asked, moving herself between the combatants and their game.


    ¡°No, they just do that occasionally,¡± the metal fairy assured her. While Reysha punched Apexus in the jaw, the slime stayed primarily with grapples. Because their bodies were so vastly different in size, sturdiness and regenerative powers, the level of violence used was highly asymmetrical. ¡°Just remember that Reysha is more animal than person.¡±


    Just as she said that, Reysha got pressed to the ground by the large slime. Even as she struggled and grunted, her lips were spread in a mad smile. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that, Clysia!¡± the tiger girl hissed gleefully. Squirming, she managed to break out of the grasp.


    ¡°Give it a few minutes,¡± Aclysia assured her, continuing the conversation while Apexus and Reysha rolled around. ¡°Have you ever considered the Paladin as your Class? You¡¯re quite venerating of your creator deity.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t think that¡¯d suit me,¡± Korith shook her head. ¡°Hoard doesn¡¯t really work with the Church either. It¡¯s like¡­ its own thing.¡±


    ¡°I admittedly know little about it. The knowledge my father left me after my exile was largely limited to the original thirty-tree. What does worship entail?¡±


    ¡°Well, primarily, I put a bunch of valuables on a pile, money is best, and then I pray to Hoard and it takes it.¡±


    Aclysia blinked a bunch of times. ¡°It claims it? Does the money become blessed or does it literally¡­-?¡±


    ¡°It literally disappears, yes,¡± Korith made a ¡®poof¡¯ gesture with her hands.


    Heavily, Reysha hit the ground next to Korith, making the blonde jump. ¡°Oof¡­!¡± the redhead wheezed when the impact was followed by a knee on her back pinning her down. ¡°So, uh,¡± Reysha pressed out, while trying to squirm her way out again, ¡°do you get something in return or do you just think it''s funny to make money disappear?¡±


    ¡°The Hoard blesses major contributors in various ways,¡± Korith said.


    ¡°Examples?¡± Apexus asked, smacking Reysha on the ass. The redhead yelped and giggled, her attempts to wiggle out growing weaker.


    ¡°Stuff happens.¡±


    ¡°Specific examples?¡± the humanoid chimera requested.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve no idea,¡± Korith confessed. ¡°Scriptures on this are intentionally vague. Us Goldborn just know that it¡¯ll be worthwhile¡­ Service to Hoard is about the journey!¡±


    Reysha hit the ground three times with her flat hand, signaling that she yielded. ¡°Whew¡­ well, that seems fun,¡± she said. ¡°Still though, we have to give poor Joey something for this.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ yeah¡­ not like the Dragon Isles are on his road home.¡±


    ¡°The journey will take us between seven and thirty days, depending on winds,¡± Aclysia reminded them. ¡°The distance travelled is roughly three times that of the journey from Golden Fields to Weststir. Adding to the cost are logistics and that he has agreed to wait until we can make the trip back.¡± The metal fairy took her turn, finally deciding that she did have to capitalize on the bad position her darling was currently in, to keep things fair. ¡°Asking for rare resources in return is a more than reasonable desire.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Korith sighed.


    Her unhappiness with the state of payment aside, the party knew they were fortunate to have a direct route to the Dragon Isles. Under regular circumstances, they would have needed to first make it to the Prince-Republic of Weststir. The only ship that made the trip to the archipelago was a military vessel that supplied a watchtower in the area with all of the necessary goods that could not just be grown locally. It would have added another two weeks to their travels, just to get there.


    They just had to hope this was a quick and safe voyage.

 Hoarding 4 – Safe Stretches

    The northern ocean of Tacuitos was known for being a peaceful sea and the journey of the quartet was in line with that general wisdom. They set out with the retreating tide and smoothly sailed northwards. On one day, it got too peaceful, as the winds were practically still. Aside from the rowing on that occasion, the journey was predictable, quick and, thanks to Korith¡¯s brain archive of games to play, entertaining enough.


    After ten days, which was definitely on the faster side of crossing the distance, they landed south of the outpost of the Weststir Republic. The fortified position stood on a distant hill, two towers and tall walls rising against the horizon. A road connected it to the port they were settling in. A small group of soldiers was riding their way and arrived before they had fully secured the boat in the harbour.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re an additional supply ship,¡± the head of the military group observed. He, as well as his three companions, wore heavy plate, polished to the extreme. Soldiers stationed at the Dragon Isle watchtower were among the most well-equipped and saw the least amount of combat. ¡°Here I was hoping for some extra booze.¡±


    ¡°If you pay for it, I could part with some,¡± Joey offered, sounding like a normal human being for once.


    ¡®Money drives a lot of people,¡¯ Apexus thought, as he and his partners got off the ship. Whether it was because he was the largest, had the most imposing presence, or just because he positioned himself at the front, the soldier turned to him next.


    ¡°Adventurers?¡± the soldier asked, catching the combination of civilian clothes and expensive weaponry typical of the quest-taking lot. ¡°What do you want on the Dragon Isles?¡±


    Apexus considered that question for a little bit. The full truth was out, a complete lie was an option, but since the soldiers would have knowledge about the dragons in the area, half the truth was good enough. ¡°We¡¯ve been tasked with killing a dragon by our teachers.¡± That caused some raised eyebrows, so Apexus added, ¡°I¡¯m a disciple of Maltos.¡±


    By now Apexus had realized that just saying the old Monk¡¯s name made them more trustworthy by proxy. It felt wrong to use someone else¡¯s respect. To hurry their journey along, that was a feeling he could ignore. Especially since it worked like a charm.


    ¡°Ah, the wise man of Wise Shire,¡± the soldier nodded and glanced between the group and the captain. ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to ask more about this booze¡­ would you mind making it to the fortress and telling them why you¡¯re here? We¡¯d like it if you could keep the dragon murdering to the unreasonable ones.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like ya lot have a list or something,¡± Reysha joked.


    ¡°Yes, we do,¡± the soldier responded and shook his head. ¡°Do you think we just sit here all day? Anyway, speak to my comrades in the keep.¡±


    Apexus started moving before Reysha could deliver another flippant comment. A twinge of paranoia made him fly ahead and check on the situation before the rest of his party arrived. That was entirely unnecessary, though it did speed things along. By the time the rest of the trio arrived in the keep, the humanoid slime was already talking to the chronicler.


    ¡°So ya literally have a list?¡± the tiger girl asked, looking at the collection of scrolls around them. They laid in shelves that were aligned in the kind of diagonal grid that was often used to store wine bottles. The room was rather small, three metres wide and five deep, fitting only two of those shelves and a table inside. It was cramped in there between the four of them and the chronicler. ¡°Or, like, dozens of them?¡±


    ¡°When a new dragon makes it to the isles, we usually spot that,¡± the chronicler answered, while unfolding one of the scrolls. He weighed the corners down with pieces of iron. ¡°We wait for about a month, to allow the situation to settle in some way, and then scout the changes to the landscape. There¡¯s constant war between the dragons, which we don¡¯t want to be involved with. As long as we don¡¯t step on their turf, they at least tolerate us. Most of them, anyway.¡± The chronicler looked over the list and then pulled out a few scrolls from the wall, further describing the names he had picked out. ¡°We have agreements with a few dragons and neutral relationships with most, so we¡¯d obviously like it if you didn¡¯t kill any of them.¡±


    ¡°Preferably, I would rid the world of a malicious character,¡± Apexus remarked.


    The chronicler blew air out of his nose, amused. ¡°If that¡¯s your limit, practically any of them would do. Dragons are the kind of neighbour that keep their feet down until they hear the city guard hasn¡¯t been paid this month. Then they¡¯ll clear out your house, just because you might own more than them.¡±  He placed the last of the scrolls down and checked the dates. Some of them he put back. The dragons described in them had not been sighted in twenty years, which was the cut-off line for ¡®assumed dead¡¯. ¡°The two reasons we are safe are because dragons don¡¯t work together and because an individual dragon will not bother conquering this place. Nothing to be gained besides scars or death.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± was all Apexus had to say.


    ¡°Anyway, these are the dragons we¡¯d like you to-¡° the chronicler stopped, because Reysha suddenly drew her weapon and turned towards the entrance. As she stared, Apexus strained his senses trying to pick up what had set her off. ¡°Something the matter?¡± the chronicler asked, nervous. Unhinged adventurers were rare, but not unheard off. The menacing black of Reysha¡¯s sclera did not help the impression the soldier had.


    Then Reysha giggled and shook her head, putting the dagger back into its sheath. ¡°I dunno,¡± she chirped. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, you were saying?¡±


    ¡°¡­These are the dragons we¡¯d like you to kill,¡± the chronicler spoke, now very eager to get them out of the fort. ¡°Kaladar the Scarred, most of all. He¡¯s remarkably aggressive, constantly sending followers to raid the bases of other dragons.¡±


    ¡°Hol¡¯ up,¡± Reysha spoke up. ¡°Followers? What followers?¡±


    ¡°Uhm,¡± Korith cleared her throat. ¡°Did you think dragons just sit in their caves?¡±


    ¡°On piles of gold, ye.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Isles are inhabited by various¡­ unsavoury individuals that came here for their own reasons,¡± the chronicler quickly explained. ¡°Some enter the service of dragons in search of knowledge, others for shelter from the law, some because they don¡¯t think they have anywhere else to go. To the point, Kaladar took over a tribe in the eastern areas of the main island. Very difficult, mountainous terrain.¡±


    ¡°Are there any other options?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°There are Veltex, Marunar and Elehemelenarata.¡±


    ¡°You made that last one up!¡± Reysha laughed.


    ¡°I did not,¡± the chronicler assured. ¡°Those three are difficult to deal with, so we¡¯d approve of their death, but it¡¯s not likely they¡¯ll be replaced with something better. Kaladar is a menace. He¡¯s the only one who likes to fight other dragons, hence his moniker as ¡®the scarred¡¯. At best that gets him killed by the hand of his own kin. At worst he succeeds several times, destabilizes the entire archipelago, and then decides to go down in history by attacking Stemfield.¡±


    ¡°We will hunt Kaladar,¡± Apexus decided. Show me where on the map his lair is.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you mind if I mark it?¡± the chronicler asked. Apexus did not, the map¡¯s purpose was to be useful to them, and a little marker would not impair visibility for the rest of the map. The chronicler fetched a feather and red ink, scribbling a quick X.


    ¡°You should notice activity in the area, if one of you is good at tracking, you should be able to find the lair easily,¡± the chronicler said, while Aclysia stored the party¡¯s map. ¡°A tip: you will cross through the territory of a blue dragon on the way: Melios. He¡¯s one who we are on good terms with. He will want to be rid of Kaladar as well, so it may be worthwhile to pay him a visit. If nothing else, it¡¯ll let you behold a dragon in a safe environment.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Apexus nodded. There was nothing more to be said, so the group left the room and the fortress behind. They returned to the harbour, to talk with Joey one more time.


    ¡°Got a target?¡± the captain asked, watching several barrels of rum getting unloaded from his vessel. He was in a visibly good mood, having just made a tremendous profit.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Reysha responded. ¡°Kaladar the Scarred, which does not sound ominous whatsoever!¡±


    ¡°Only someone stupid enough to make money adventuring would say that.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s dumber, the stab-happy kitten that throws herself at giant fire breathing lizards, or the asshat that doesn¡¯t get sarcasm?¡± Reysha returned with a grin.


    ¡°You,¡± Joey responded immediately, rolling his neck. ¡°What colour is he anyway?¡±


    ¡°Does that matter?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Depends,¡± Korith chimed in. ¡°Higher dragons, those being the truly powerful ones, exhibit certain character traits depending on their colour and have different magic specializations. For these ¡®regular¡¯ dragons, though, that shouldn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°It matters a lot,¡± Joey responded, almost growling at the kobold. Although they both knew she could pulverize his kneecaps, the shortstack shrunk away from the half elf and hid behind Apexus¡¯ leg. ¡°Green and purple scales get sold for the highest value.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Apexus wondered.


    ¡°They¡¯re Weststir¡¯s national colours,¡± the captain rolled his eyes, as if asking the question was indicative of idiocy. ¡°Red would do too, but then I¡¯d have to go to Elomestir and I¡¯d rather avoid that.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± the humanoid slime repeated the question.


    ¡°Because I liked it when all of the ports in the area weren¡¯t owned by Elomestir,¡± Joey growled. ¡°Fucking empire builders. By the end of the decade, I guarantee that it¡¯ll try to expand its stupid fucking high taxes to the ports I frequent too.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s not our issue,¡± Reysha chirped. Whatever the political developments of the Leaf were over the next couple of years, it was highly unlikely to affect the group. Not only was Wise Shire unlikely to be invaded due to its special status, the quartet also did not plan on being on this Leaf for long enough to see such developments.


    ¡°Lucky you,¡± Joey sighed, unsarcastically. ¡°Anyway, scales?¡±


    ¡°No idea, didn¡¯t ask,¡± Reysha informed the captain, who threw his hands in the air. ¡°HEY!¡± he shouted at the group of soldiers overseeing the rum-trade. ¡°KALADAR THE FUCKING SCARRED, WHAT COLOUR IS HIS HIDE?!¡±


    ¡°RED!¡± one of the soldiers shouted back.


    ¡°SHITFUCK!¡± Joey cussed, all his good mood gone. ¡°Got to do everything myself around here. Take your nutshell and go get me something that¡¯s worth my time investment, before I decide to murder the fucker myself.¡±


    Said nutshell was an actually quite nice rowing boat, easily large enough for the four of them. Joey refused to bring his vessel anywhere near the actual Dragon Isles. There were several dragons that would love to see what valuables the ship contained, if they didn¡¯t want to possess the ship itself. Instead, the group had to make the hop from their current island over to the main one with one of Joey¡¯s merchandise.


    Unorthodox as it may have been, the captain was making his living by sailing to Weststir, buying small vessels, and bringing them back to the Golden Fields. Overabundant as the local grain production was, wood was in short supply. What little could be procured locally was used for houses. Boats, particularly the kind that could be used as fishing vessels on lakes and rivers, were still in demand.


    One of such vessels, the quartet was allowed to ¡®rent¡¯ for the duration of their trip. ¡°Ya know,¡± Reysha raised her voice while Apexus rowed with his untiring strength. ¡°Might be worth looking into¡­ transportable boats or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Logistically improbable, fundamentally, however, desirable,¡± Aclysia half-agreed. ¡°A way to cross bodies of water only became more interesting now, since our flight options are now limited.¡±


    ¡°I could try carrying two,¡± Apexus remarked. ¡°I¡¯d have to shift my form, but I could do it.¡±


    ¡°What would that make ya, extra-wide ¡®Pexus?¡± Reysha giggled.


    ¡°Someone mind explaining that joke to me?¡± Korith asked slowly, almost entirely absorbed by the sight of Apexus rowing. It was primitively enticing to see a shirtless man with meatgrinder abs doing repetitive manual labour. That was true for all three of the present women, but Korith was easily the most affected.


    ¡°When the big guy carries me, he usually broadens his back so I fit better between his wings,¡± the tiger girl responded and giggled some more. ¡°I looks super fucking funny.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I would prefer to avoid any intensive morphing,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°It will spare us questions.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, in a couple of years we¡¯ll be high level enough that we can just say that he¡¯s of an unusual Class and that¡¯ll cover almost all of them,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Korith supported. ¡°The average person knows as much about adventuring as we do about¡­ brewing.¡±


    ¡°The average person is not who we must worry about,¡± Aclysia said and shook her head. ¡°Those that could threaten us will know that extensive body changes are not part of a Monk¡¯s repertoire.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Reysha shrugged. She brought the topic back to the first sentence. ¡°So, think we could cram this boat into an Adventurer¡¯s Bag?¡±


    The metal fairy took a methodical look at the boat, as if she was actually considering the idea. Then she responded, voice dripping with sarcasm, ¡°I think the size of the boat may mildly outscale the ability of the bag¡¯s entrance to stretch.¡±


    ¡°See, I used to think the same thing about dicks and my asshole, but then I grew up and that was a lot of fun.¡±


    Aclysia sighed, Reysha giggled, Korith stared at Apexus¡¯ biceps as they bulged and relaxed. ¡°Ehem,¡± the kobold cleared her throat again. ¡°So¡­ should I take a shift rowing?¡±


    ¡°You have the power,¡± Apexus responded. ¡°Your arms are too short. You would be like a wolf trying to tear with his paws.¡±


    ¡°Your weird metaphors make more sense now that I know you really aren¡¯t normal,¡± Korith blurted out, only to realize she could have worded that a lot better. ¡°I, uhm, not that you are not not normal. I mean, you are but¡­ I¡¯ll just shut up now.¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± Reysha laughed. ¡°We¡¯ll be on the sea for another five hours at least. As if you could keep your feet still for that long.¡±


    Korith had to force her scaled toes to stop tapping on the wooden planks. ¡°I could try¡­¡± she retorted, knowing this was an argument she had lost at the outset. ¡°How about a game?¡±


    ¡°The wind is too strong to enjoy cards or dice without risk of losing them,¡± Aclysia remarked. The steady gusts were indeed obstructive. Not to a harmful or even conversation bothering degree, but enough to carry a thin piece of paper into the all-present water. ¡°We may have to keep it to regular dialogue.¡±


    ¡°The horror!¡± Reysha exclaimed.


    ¡°I like talking to you,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°Ya only say that because ya want to sleep with me.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Awww, he likes me for my personality.¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°¡­okay, I need you to stop being wholesome and genuine for like three seconds so I can tease you for some fucking thing you say,¡± Reysha complained-


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Darling is too good for you,¡± Aclysia remarked.


    Reysha laughed, ¡°Guess we see eye to eye on something, bubble butt.¡±


    The banter went on as they rowed.

 Hoarding 5 – Dubious Stretches

    Apexus was on his own at the moment. Salt water spilled around his knees, cold enough to make his steps slow down, as he went deeper into one of the many caves that littered the shore, where the mountain range bordered the ocean.


    A rowing boat was something valuable, especially in their environment, so they couldn¡¯t just leave it lying on the shore and expect it to still be there when they returned. Either a storm (rare as they were around these parts) or a group of bandits (much more frequent) could abscond with it. The group, with their ready access to air travel, had other ways to get off in an emergency. Better to have the boat though.


    The caves that riddled the side of the shore like a sponge were apparently used frequently for this. Either they were only filled with water during high tide or only accessible during low tide. In the case of the former, the rowing boat would sit somewhere dry most of the time and be near impossible to remove, courtesy of its weight and the damage the scrapping would do to the hull. In the case of the latter, several of the caves had pockets, either natural or manmade, high enough for the ship to remain safely in during high tide. Apexus was currently going for the latter, pushing the boat ahead of him to reach one of those pockets.


    Since this was a commonly used strategy of people visiting the Dragon Isles, the bandits had caught onto it a while ago. What deterred them was the sheer number of caves to check. When using the caves only accessible during low tide, there were only so many hours in a day to check them and it was risky probing too deep. Getting caught in the motions of the ocean was always dangerous. In a cave, gradually filling with water, trying to move against the stream, that was a death sentence even for people who had successfully kicked off their adventuring career.


    Bandits had therefore opted for an entirely different approach: either assault people while they came ashore, before they left, or to not bother whatsoever. That was, if there were any in the area. Currently, there were not.


    Apexus stopped when he reached a place that matched the description he had been given. A remarkably smooth ¡®bubble¡¯, more than twenty metres into the cave, hidden behind a left curve. Two metal hooks were imbued into the walls on opposite sides. Apexus tied ropes to both of them and secured the rowing boat between them. As advised, he left enough slack that the boat could still wiggle, fall, and rise with the motions of the water.


    After all of that was done, he turned, walked back out the cave and scaled the craggy shore. It was closer to a cliff than a beach, yet didn¡¯t completely match either. The gradual slope was soft enough that one could manoeuvre it without ever climbing any walls. Apexus made it to where his three companions were waiting and took his pants from Aclysia. He put them on while asking, ¡°You have memorized the location?¡±


    ¡°I have ingrained in my memory the angle and several noteworthy landmarks in their position relative to the cave we chose,¡± Aclysia responded.


    ¡°And I found no one watching us,¡± Reysha reported.


    ¡°And I built this,¡± Korith chimed in, gesturing at a pyramid of pebbles she had created while waiting.


    ¡°Good job, squishy,¡± Reysha giggled. ¡°Really pulling your weight there.¡±


    The kobold grumbled something between retort and admission of guilt. Because she was so short, and not exactly hydrodynamically designed, she would not have been of any help in hiding the boat. ¡°Can we get going so I can show that I¡¯m useful?¡± she requested, her armour rattling softly when she switched from one leg to another.


    The chest plate had more of a bend to it than usual, otherwise it was a fairly standard, size appropriate set of armour. Scratches, dents and spots that no amount of care could completely remove showed that it had seen its fair share of use already. Her torso was covered the most, followed by her shoulders and waist. Arms were only minorly reinforced, studded leather strapped onto her scaled forearms. The pants she wore, also reinforced leather, stopped above the knee, where the red scales took over.


    All of them were in their respective battle gear.


    Reysha wore an almost form-fitting leather armour. The pieces didn¡¯t match, the top was of a dark grey, while the pants were of a typical brown. The difference was born from one item being from a dungeon and the other bought from a craftsman. Same was true of her weapons. The throwing knives and two daggers were all simple iron, slotted into her belt, while the icy white, three-sided stiletto and crimson, bearded axe were both much more menacing in appearance.


    Aclysia had a more uniform look, by comparison. A deep blue robe covered her, black embroidery all over it that resembled the waves of the sea. In her hand was a long metal staff, forged from grey steel and tipped by a conglomeration of six black and six white crystals locking together into a diamond shape. As they started to move, she used the staff to support herself, its weight more than the physically weak angel was used to.


    Apexus¡¯ armour stuck to the roots of a monk and was the least adorned of them all. He had no protection nor weapons on him at all, relying entirely on his body to fight. His clothing was light, just a simple robe that sat loosely so he could let it slip off his torso. It would then dangle from the same waistband that secured the simple pants. Decency was the cause of the clothes, not practicality.


    It was the first time since Ctania that the trio travelled the surface in their full battle regalia. Back then, they had nothing else to their name and had been hunted steadily. Now it was a simple precaution.


    Korith shouldered her weapon, a warhammer of solid steel, attached to a long, oaken grip. The head was as large as two clenched fists put side by side, the shaft the length of the kobold¡¯s entire arm. In size, it was a regular warhammer. Only that it had two flat sides was different from the norm.


    ¡°We should get you something bigger,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°But this works fine!¡± Korith shot back immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t buy me anything, that¡¯s a waste of money.¡±


    ¡°We should acquire a hammer that has a spiked side for you,¡± Aclysia disagreed. ¡°Relying entirely on blunt trauma will not serve you well against larger, scaled opponents.¡±


    ¡°Ya know, like dragons,¡± Reysha remarked drily.


    ¡°We should have bought a new warpick,¡± remarked the humanoid slime at the head of the group. They had ¡®lost¡¯ their last one because Reysha had thrown it at the boss at the end of the Long Way and with the Deathhound on their heels, they had not had the opportunity to retrieve it. With all of the things that had happened since, buying a new one of those had not been a priority.


    ¡°I have one of those,¡± Korith told them.


    ¡°You do?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°I also have a mace,¡± the kobold told them. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this for a bit too, you know?¡± she boasted, puffing up her chest. ¡°I¡¯m prepared!¡±


    ¡°And yet were unable to find a group before us,¡± Reysha teased.


    Apexus smiled happily at the shortstack, ¡°Their loss is our gain ¨C I think that¡¯s a saying?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°Further, I do agree that you are pleasant to have around, Korith.¡±


    ¡°I, well, uh, thanks¡­?¡± Korith responded bashfully. In her embarrassment, she crouched down and leapt up a boulder in their path. It was more than impressive to see the fully armoured, iron-boned shortstack sail up three metres and land properly on top of the obstacle. Unhappy as she was with the name, the Frog Leap served the kobold really well. Leaps like that allowed her to get ahead of the group, scan the environment, and then get ahead again, always serving as the vanguard. As she had short legs, that had previously required everyone else to slow down.


    If anyone literally jumped face first into an enemy ambush, she was the prime candidate.


    Which, after an hour, they inevitably did.


    The quartet had been growing quieter for a while. At first, Korith mistook that for her having missed some sort of social cue. While that was essentially true, it wasn¡¯t anything anyone had said. Aclysia, Apexus and Reysha didn¡¯t need to exchange a single word to immediately understand each other. Korith only realized what was going on after a while. It was the uncharacteristically steady repositioning of their animal ears that clued her in.


    Once she saw that, she noticed a bunch of small adjustments. Reysha had moved her hands, hooking her thumbs under her belt. It still appeared casual, while allowing her to immediately draw one of the throwing knives. Aclysia no longer utilized her staff as support during her steps, instead ready to point it at anyone who would reveal themselves. Apexus¡¯ body language emphasized his full size, sending a warning signal to any attempting predator.


    Even with all of that going on, they continued to banter. Korith had been in many groups during her time as an adventurer, but she had not observed this combination of seasoned coordination and steady nerves before. There were groups like this all over the Omniverse. It was unusual to have it be this pronounced at this low level.


    ¡®Guess I should just keep doing what I¡¯m doing?¡¯ Korith thought to herself. Inadequacy rose within her, only to be forcefully pushed back down. ¡®It¡¯s normal to need some time to adjust, Korith! At least you noticed. Yeah¡­ you noticed. You can do thi-¡® ¡°Aaaah!¡± she cried out when the ground she landed on suddenly gave in.


    Korith fell two and a half metres further than she had anticipated. Snapped sticks and yellow leaves tumbled down into the pitfall trap with her. The combination of Bone and Muscle Skills she used for the Frog Leap were still active. She landed on both feet, lost as much momentum as she could by crouching and immediately leapt back out.


    Bandits were storming forwards, following the cry of their leader, only to stop dead in their tracks when the one person they had successfully trapped emerged unscathed and landed on the other side of the pit. The tip of the charge hesitated ¨C which was a terrible mistake.


    Without hesitation, Apexus hurled his clenched fist at them. It connected with the side of the man¡¯s face, cracking the jawbone on impact and smacking them backwards against a nearby tree. Knocked out immediately, the bandit collapsed on the ground. The remaining fourteen assailants encircled them carefully. The pitfall aside, this was a segment of dense autumn forest like any other. Many of the bandits had covered their clothing or armour with pieces of light brown and yellow that blended with the colour of fallen leaves. Bows creaked as arrows were drawn.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you an agile bunch?¡± the leader of the bandits asked, stepping forwards. He tapped his shoulder with the haft of a morning star, his face rugged and a smile on it. ¡°Sorry about Drake there, he never knows his manners. Simple choice for you: hand over everything valuable you have and we¡¯ll leave you with enough to make it home.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The bandit leader was perplexed. He was used to threats coming back at him, passive aggressive compliance or meek agreement. A tall, muscular man staring at him after such a straight and simple dismissal ¨C that was new. New and unnerving, as the bandit found. His eyes darted to the three women the humanoid chimera travelled with. None of them moved, only kept watch of his comrades. When the bandit returned his eyes to Apexus, he found that the leader of the quartet was still staring, unwaveringly.


    ¡°¡­Grab Drake,¡± the bandit leader ordered, keeping eye contact with Apexus. One of his subordinates stepped forwards and retrieved the passed-out comrade. Then the bandit leader slowly took a step backwards. His instincts told him that this was not a battle worth fighting. By sheer numbers, the bandits had an avenue to victory.  They weren¡¯t desperate enough to throw themselves at people with such will without the advantage of an ambush.


    Step for step, the bandits disappeared back into the underbrush of the forest. Within five minutes, all of them had fully disappeared from sight. ¡°Huh,¡± Korith lowered her weapon. The other two followed her example. ¡°That was¡­ clean?¡±


    ¡°Packs of wolves don¡¯t fight unless they are desperate,¡± Apexus stated, walking around the pit. ¡°They intimidate until one gives in. Nature is too dangerous to bleed needlessly.¡±


    ¡°We could¡¯ve asked if they belonged to any dragon though,¡± Reysha hummed.


    ¡°Conversations with such evildoers may be entertaining. Their usefulness is in question,¡± Aclysia remarked.


    Apexus pat Korith on the head. ¡°You were useful there. I couldn¡¯t have jumped out that quickly.¡±


    ¡°I guess breaking morale is better than breaking kneecaps,¡± Korith agreed.


    They kept moving north.

 Hoarding 6 – Melios the Blue

    That was the only bandit encounter they had on their way to Melios¡¯ territory. A way to imagine the Dragon Isles was to treat each of the dragons as a small city state. They projected a sphere of influence around wherever their hoard was located. Since there were only ever around fifty dragons inhabiting the isles at any given time, there was a lot of space between them that was more or less uncontrolled.


    Certainly, many of the people on the Dragon Isles preferred to live as servants of the giant winged lizards with large magical power. There were good reasons not to, however. The primary one was freedom. A draconic master whose word was absolute rubbed many people the wrong way, so they moved out into the wild and formed tribes and migrating villages.


    Nothing of permanence was ever built by these unaffiliated people. Why contribute to a civilization that a greedy dragon would eventually extort? Better to live selfishly off the land and the scraps of overambitious adventurers. Many of the people on the Dragon Isles originated from those who made the journey to the place and planned badly for their way back, ending up stranded. After several hundred years of those developments, the population of the area had climbed to a level where it was quite easy to run into people. Eventually there would be enough people that the current balance between dragon hoards and migrating hordes would break down.


    That was still a few hundred years off, however. For now, the Dragon Isles were stuck in that simple dichotomy. Adventurers like the quartet made the area a bit more stable. As long as they targeted the awful elements.


    Melios claimed a tower as the heart of his territory. Made from greyish brown stone, the vertical structure was all that remained of the fortifications a distant kingdom had built in the area. It had been an ambitious project, executed by an eccentric king to show off the might of his realm. The dragons, unified in that they did not want to allow an army to gain a proper foothold on the only part of the world where they were the undisputed rulers, made a pact and tore down every attempt made to construct these keeps.


    The kingdom became bankrupt over the exploits of the king and was later annexed easily by Elomerstir. Only the ruined fortifications remained. Weststir learned from those mistakes and kept its base of operations at a notable distance and low on staff, so as to not draw the dragons¡¯ ire.


    Since then, quite some time had elapsed. The tower had survived the initial onslaught mostly intact. Even solid stone had to bow to the march of time and much of the tower had been repaired several times over. Older issues had been patched through by just piling rocks in front of a hole and using fire breath to weakly bind them together. Newer problems had been fixed more adeptly, using magic and mortar.


    The tower had changed claws many times and its current inhabitant, Melios the Blue, was one who attracted scholars and great minds, offering them the knowledge in his hoard in exchange for a few years of their service. Crafty people like those that could figure out rudimentary architecture. Around the tower, a great number of wooden buildings had been erected, using the lumber of the area directly surrounding them. The result was a village located in a large clearing, containing a large fenced-off area where several dozen goats were kept.


    Stepping out of the forest quickly drew the attention of the lookout to the four of them. Standing atop the tower, they blew into a horn, three quick sounds.


    ¡°They sounding an alarm for us?¡± Reysha asked.


    Aclysia observed the behaviour of the village for several seconds before giving an answer, ¡°Unlikely, the people are not moving into battle ready positions. I would deem it more likely that they are alerting the guards as to the arrival of strangers.¡±


    Her theory was quickly proven correct, as a group of ten individuals formed up at the edge of the village and then moved towards the quartet. They were all armed and relatively well armoured, pieces of metal protecting the most vital areas.


    Apexus stopped, letting the people come to them. It struck him as a bad sign to go deeper into a pack¡¯s den than required, especially without invitation. That was one of his personal observations that went entirely unnoticed by the opposition. The few metres made no difference to them.


    The head of the formation, a burly man almost as tall as Apexus, stepped forth. Three of his compatriots had bows, one a crossbow, and all of them kept them at the ready. The arrows were in position, but the strings were not drawn back. The remaining five had a hand on the handle of their weapons.


    ¡°You approach the hoard of Melios the Blue,¡± the large man announced. His voice was higher than his appearance would have led to believe. Not enough to be actually unusual, but enough to make an easily amused tiger girl cackle. The guard ignored it. ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s your business?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Apexus,¡± the slime introduced himself. ¡°We are adventurers.¡± The mention made the guards grip their weapons a little bit tighter. ¡°We wish to speak to Melios.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± the guard barked. Although Melios was agreeable to the garrison of Weststir, there was the occasional adventuring group that decided to disregard everything and just headed for the nearest target. There were plenty of people in the line of business for profit or power first and foremost, local consequences for their actions mattered little to them. Consequently, the guards had encountered more than one group before who wanted to ¡®speak¡¯ to Melios. ¡®Speak¡¯ translating to ¡®get close to him and assault him without sneaking through all the guards¡¯.


    Proven by the fact that Melios was still alive, a bad strategy. At best, they fought a fully prepared dragon in the middle of their base, slew it, and then were stuck in the middle of a vindictive village. At worst, the dragon turned the ruse around and incinerated them on sight. They were callous creatures.


    Apexus, not intending any of that, just told the truth. ¡°We were told by the soldiers south of here to talk to Melios for recommendations on how to slay Kaladar the Scarred.¡±


    ¡°You wish to kill Kaladar?¡± the guard asked, a smile almost appearing on his face.


    Apexus slightly tilted his head. ¡°That is what I said, yes?¡± he was confused, wondering if he should repeat himself.


    ¡°Send word to Melios,¡± the leader of the guards told one of his companions. Nodding, they swiftly turned around and ran towards the tower. ¡°The master will decide if he wishes to have an audience with you. In the meantime, may I offer you some water?¡±


    ¡°An opportunity to replenish our reserves would be most appreciated,¡± Aclysia nodded and they were brought to an area nearby where a deep depression had been dug. Ground water pooled at the bottom, high and muddy from recent rainfall. ¡®I do not deem that water quality appropriate,¡¯ the metal fairy thought, wondering how to formulate that decently.


    Before she could, however, the guard grabbed a bucket and filled it with the muddy water. Rather than offer it to the group, he poured it into a nearby keg. It stood on top of a table, a second bucket underneath it. A second bucket that, gradually, filled up with clear water that dribbled out of a hole on the bottom of the keg.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s neat!¡± Reysha declared.


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Korith wanted to know, sharing the sentiment.


    The guard was happy to explain, ¡°There¡¯s layers of sediment inside, rough pebbles on top and sand on the bottom, with some charcoal in between. The impurities in the water get filtered out.¡±


    ¡°You shitting me on the coal, right?¡± Reysha asked.


    Half laughing, half shrugging, the guard just said, ¡°I won¡¯t take it apart to prove it to you. Don¡¯t ask me why it¡¯s in there either. The one who came up with the filter told me it works and I¡¯m not going to question the genius that keeps our water clean. Especially since he died thirty years ago.¡±


    Aclysia pulled the bucket out from underneath the construction and started filling the group¡¯s waterskins. ¡°If I may inquire: how long has Melios been inhabiting this area?¡±


    ¡°About eighty years,¡± the guard responded, just as the companion he had sent earlier returned.


    ¡°Melios agrees to speak to them.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the guard nodded. They took the moment to finish filling up the waterskins, then the guards surrounded the quartet and guided them towards the tower.


    They entered through a gate at the front. It was absurdly luxurious, especially for the environment. Two halves of oak, the surface carefully carved to depict the head of a dragon viewed from the front, parting almost perfectly along the middle as the door swung inwards and revealed the hall at the bottom of the tower.


    Tiny stones of grey, red, black and brown, were assorted in coloured lines that swirled towards the centre of the room. A basin of brass was lowered into the floor there, five metres wide and about half of one deep, filled with water. Inside it lay the dragon, Melios, two servants with brooms scrubbing his pristine blue scales steadily, a pile of coins, copper and iron for the most part, and other shiny items behind them.


    Melios¡¯ body was about the size of a cow, although his torso was much sleeker and the long tail and serpentine neck added much to his overall size. Similarly, his limbs were narrower, his front legs ending in five claws, positioned like the hand of a human. One of his wings was currently outstretched, allowing the servant to properly clean every centimetre of him. Light blue membranes stretched between the azure ¡®fingers¡¯ of the limb. No matter how much the servant scrubbed his form, the pool he laid in remained crystal clear.


    The dragon reared his head towards the quartet, inspecting them as interestedly as they did him. He had two screwed horns, starting above his white-blue eyes. One was much larger than the other, the tip of the smaller clearly worked on to resemble the natural shape of its partner after it had been snapped off.


    ¡°You¡¯re so small!¡± Reysha shouted what Aclysia and Korith had been thinking. Dragons were legendary creatures, known for their power and their massive hoards. The being before them was larger than any of them, the pile of valuables behind him considerate, yet neither measured up to their expectations.


    One of the servants scrubbing the dragon shouted involuntarily, when the long tail of Melios broke through the surface and smashed back down. Water splashed and the scrubber lost her balance, falling into the water. Hastily she got back up and resumed her work. ¡°Throw the impudent Ragressian out,¡± Melios hissed, his voice sly and penetrating.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± the guard responded immediately. Three of the guards stepped forwards, ready to drag Reysha back out the door.


    ¡°Touch me and you¡¯ll have a fucking-¡° the tiger girl started, only to be interrupted by Aclysia.


    ¡°Please, do not cause trouble, Reysha,¡± Aclysia pleaded. ¡°We are guests here and you were rude.¡±


    ¡°Wait outside,¡± Apexus requested.


    Clenching her jaw, Reysha rolled her eyes and went along with the recommendation. ¡°I¡¯ll, uhm, go with her,¡± Korith announced, gaining an approving nod from Apexus. It was best none of them were alone. For her part, the kobold was afraid she would annoy Melios by staring at his pile of shinies too intently.


    As she waddled after the tiger girl, Melios repositioned in his pool. He faced the duo with the front of his body, head raised high and both wings unfurled, making him appear as large as he could. ¡°Your impudent comrade should be thankful I do not have her killed for such insolence,¡± Melios hissed.


    ¡°That would be a severe overreaction,¡± Apexus posited.


    ¡°A standard that I decide in these halls.¡± The dragon¡¯s voice grew more measured, almost sweet, as he continued. ¡°Let us not linger on this point. You two appear reasonable. You, especially, angel, know manners.¡±


    Aclysia bowed her head, ever so slightly, ¡°We do not wish to offend you, mighty dragon.¡± Immediately, Melios lowered his head and folded his wings. The two servants had to take a step back, not to get hit. They did so quickly and professionally and returned to their work without a change in their expressions. ¡°We come to ask for advice.¡±


    ¡°On slaying that wretched dungeon spawn Kaladar, yes, I have heard,¡± Melios made a waving gesture. ¡°You cannot believe how frustrating it is for a trueborn such as I to have to deal with these whimsically created upstarts. Especially one so¡­¡± he scratched his shortened horn, ¡°¡­unnecessarily brutish.¡± He moved on swiftly. ¡°Are you experienced in hunting my kin, perchance?¡±


    ¡°You are the first proper dragon we have met,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°We came in part because we wanted to see one of your kind.¡±


    ¡°You will find that Kaladar is¡­ slightly larger than me,¡± Melios hissed. ¡°Brute that he is. Relying on physical power rather than the arcane arts.¡±


    ¡®Considerably larger,¡¯ Aclysia corrected in her head the statement of this jealous creature. ¡®And more physically powerful, without a proper grasp on magic.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ve waited for a few years for someone like you to show up,¡± the blue dragon continued. ¡°Kaladar and his band of barbarians have been bothering my research and for that he must die. I will gladly provide you with a poison that should make your job easier.¡± He turned to his hoard and grabbed a crystal flask from among the shiny things, locating it instantly. A dragon always knew where they had left their possessions. ¡°This, mixed into a meal, will put Kaladar to sleep and weaken him.¡±


    ¡°Your suggestion is we sneak into his home and poison his food?¡± Aclysia asked for clarification, ¡°or is there a better way to access his sustenance?¡±


    ¡°Kaladar¡¯s barbarians expand based on a trial by combat,¡± Melios told them. ¡°Prove yourself entertaining to him and he will let you stay and serve, simpleton that he is.¡± Apexus stepped forwards and received the flask. ¡°You will return that to me after you have killed him. Along with proof of his demise ¨C a horn, for example.¡±


    The slime nodded, finding that to be mostly reasonable. ¡°If you wish him dead that dearly, why not send some of your own servants to infiltrate?¡±


    ¡°And risk losing what is mine?¡± Melios asked, amusedly blowing fire out of his nostrils. ¡°Whether you live or die, adventurers, is only the loss of a poison to me. War with a fellow dragon costs too much. Our goals align, so risk yourselves.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Apexus said and looked at Melios with slightly different eyes. ¡®How would I kill this creature?¡¯ he wondered. The scales looked thick, it was too large to be properly grappled, it was likely more dangerous in the air than he was and at a distance a dragon could spew fire. Melios specifically could even use magic. Fists, weight, even the combat techniques he had been taught, none of them would be able to properly hurt such a being. Traps would require to be very intricate for a sapient being to fall for them. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t,¡¯ the slime realized. ¡®Not on my own.¡¯


    ¡°You should leave now,¡± Melios growled, knowing the kind of gaze the slime was giving him. ¡°Covet red scales, adventurer. It will be better for your health, even if their colour is rust compared to sapphires.¡±


    Apexus took the advice, bowed his head, and stepped backwards. They were escorted out of the tower. Once the gates closed behind them, the guards relaxed somewhat. ¡°The master no longer wishes for your presence, so you are barred from the tower,¡± the large man explained. ¡°You are welcome to stay in the village to prepare though. Everyone here wants Kaladar and his raiders gone.¡±


    ¡°This is much appreciated,¡± Aclysia responded, bowing deeper to the man than she had to the dragon.

 Hoarding 7 – Marauders

    They needed little from the village. Primarily they wanted a bath, some additional information about the direction they were heading, and an additional blanket. After that, they were on their way further north. To get from where they had landed to Melios¡¯ lair had taken them a day. From Melios to Kaladar, it was about half of one.


    The group walked deliberately slowly, maintaining a leisurely pace. If they had to prove themselves in combat the moment they arrived, it was best to be rested. Besides keeping their speed down, they also had to hunt. Apexus craved a properly sized meal and it would be best if they found something magical for Reysha.


    The mountain side was quite barren. The soil didn¡¯t run deep enough for anything but grass to cover the rocky stretch between the mountains and the ocean. With a landscape that barren, no large game was supported. Luckily, the most abundant of all biomes was right nearby: the shallow waters of an archipelago.


    Apexus hadn¡¯t enjoyed a proper underwater hunt in a while. Strategies were entirely different. Due to his size, he was no longer suited for this environment. Patience and cleverness allowed him to overcome this difficulty.


    Nostalgia filled him, as he moved through the water. The noises were new, the sensation of his limbs cutting through the heavy water wasn¡¯t. Saltwater burned in his eyes, a minor pain he could ignore. The water was brackish, yet sight was a big advantage. Many fish could barely see more than a dozen metres and Apexus had changed the colour of his skin to a shade of brown that matched the environment. His wings were shrunken down so much, they could be mistaken for tumbling algae. As long as he moved slowly, he could reach his target.


    A few easy catches reimbursed him for the energy spent on the changes to his body. Fish practically swam up to his mouth, only to be caught between his teeth and swallowed whole. He wanted something large to bring back, something that looked like it would be delicious to Reysha. Eventually he came across a massive, silver fish with tubes sticking out of its sides.


    It was a kind of tuna. Not a fish Apexus had come across before, but it looked edible and that was all he cared about. A simple hunting strategy emerged: grab the fish, wrestle it until it got tired, then drag it to shore where it was helpless and kill it with a few well-aimed bashes to the skull.


    The first step was easy. The tuna was larger than Apexus and none of its instincts warned it that the odd creature with the tiny mouth may be a potential predator. Only when the humanoid slime grabbed it by the back fin, did the flight instinct of the fish kick in.


    Apexus¡¯ entire body experienced extreme drag, when the various tubes jutting from the tuna¡¯s form pushed out jets of hot water. Even with the chunk of muscle fibre and slime attached to it, the fish managed to dash a full fifty metres before slowing. What was almost as impressive was that its back fin managed to tow the entire weight of the slime without taking damage. Apexus being able to hold on was entirely thanks to him pulling as close as he could and ramming his teeth past the weak scales of the exterior.


    Some of the fish¡¯s blood spurted into Apexus¡¯ mouth. The slime did not taste it. Even if he had formed a basic tongue, he had no taste receptors on his surface area. Closest he got was his sense of smell and that was of no use in the water. Water rushed through Apexus¡¯ ears, when the tuna unleashed a second burst of speed.


    Apexus grew out his wings again. For the exact same reason he had initially wanted them gone, he was now getting them back. There was no wrestling with this thing as long as he had to fight water pressure. For a solid ten minutes, the humanoid slime held on for dear life, before his wingspan had returned to the usual.


    Four metres across and almost as wide as his torso, the wings added so much surface to the slime that the drag was too much even for the magic-fuelled acceleration of the fish. Rather than fifty, the burst only got it about five metres, before the pace diminished. As a lesser developed creature, the animal did not realize that it had to change up its strategy and only kept repeating this strategy. Apexus finally got the chance to dig his heels into the mud and start dragging the tuna in a direction of his choosing. The wings curved so they would only truly hinder one of them.


    The magical propulsion ran dry at some point and with his grasp so firmly at the tail, the Jetstream Tuna had no way of getting away anymore. It was a raw contest of strength and Apexus rarely lost those. Step for step, he dragged it backwards in the brackish water, until the sand under his feet made way to the rocks and pebbles of the shore.


    Flopping desperately, the tuna attempted to stay in the water. To avoid any risk of its escape, Apexus only stopped dragging his meal when he was twenty metres inland and inside a depression. What followed was an ugly affair of blunt force. Repeatedly, the hammer-like fists of the humanoid slime came down on the skull of the fish. Size and the high amount of fat under the surface distributed the force and yet was not enough to truly resist it. Smack for smack, Apexus pulped the head of the large marine being, until it was more of a sludge than a head.


    ¡°¡­Fucking Hellroots, did you have to take out some frustrations or something?¡± Reysha asked when Apexus dropped the catch in the middle of their camp. Blackish brown brain matter oozed onto the ground. Aclysia retched. Korith and Reysha kept inspecting their equipment. Even though the two of them found the level of brutality outstanding, neither were as sensitive to it as the metal fairy.


    ¡°It was a worthy adversary,¡± Apexus responded, wringing his hands to help get all of the biological gunk stuck to his knuckles under the membrane.


    Reysha got over and inspected the fish. It was two and a half metres long and fat. The head may have been obliterated and there was a bitemark around the tail, but otherwise it was in a decent condition. Using one of her back-up knives, the tiger girl carved into the tuna. She raised an eyebrow at the unexpected texture of the meat. It was denser than she was used to from fish, almost halfway to game.


    Although she had no experience cutting this particular kind of meat, general practice carried over and soon enough she had an edible chunk at the tip of her dagger. Immediately she chomped down on the entire thing and started chewing. Three seconds later, she already had the second piece in her mouth. ¡°Thish shit ish amashing!¡± the semi-starved feline exclaimed, slicing into the fatty meat with all the discipline of a crazy hungry crazy girl.


    They spent the entire rest of the day there. Because it was a natural magical creature, the magic-enriched meat was edible to Korith as well. The supernatural spice did nothing for her and she did not want it raw. Aclysia, having decided she wanted to learn the art of cooking during their stay at home, started a campfire and prepared a soup using the herbs she carried with her in their kettle.


    Aclysia only ate for taste-testing and Korith had less room to fill. Under normal circumstances, the amount the kobold stuffed into herself may have seemed much for her size. Compared to the way Reysha gorged herself on both the soup and the raw meat, she seemed like she was on a diet, however. They got three full meals out of that, passing the time between waves of hunger by playing games and talking.


    Apexus himself devoured more than half of the tuna on his own. All of the internal organs and fishbones, undesirable for the rest of them, were fine nourishment to him. Eventually dropping into a food coma, they slept through the night under the watchful eye of the metal fairy. They were close to Kaladar¡¯s territory after all.


    The next morning, they got a light breakfast out of the still sizable remains of the tuna. Only because they anticipated combat soon, did Korith and Reysha skip on eating until they were full. It had to be enough to eat until they were no longer hungry. Apexus did not have the problem of his stomach weighing him down. On the contrary, the more back-up biomass he had, the better. So, he did as per usual and devoured what remained of the tuna, which was still about a fifth of it.


    Then they continued on their path. By Aclysia¡¯s estimation, they would have to travel another 3 hours. She was correct on this. Still in the morning hours, they first laid eyes on Kaladar¡¯s lair in the distance.


    It had nothing of the planned structure of Melios¡¯ village. There was no planned layout, there weren¡¯t even any permanent buildings. It was a city of tents, stuck together in random clusters, each with their own campfire. There was a central road that led up to a sizable cave entrance, although even it was compromised by the chaotic nature of the camp. Rather than maintaining a consistent width, the road meandered due to the various tents that were half or fully in its way. A central plaza was marked by the remains of a large bonfire.


    What little grass adorned the craggy landscape had been trampled into dirt around the camp. A river flowing down from the mountains nearby provided the people with direly needed fresh water, but the banks had also been turned into mud from months of constant treading. Where it was accessed a lot, the river had turned broad and shallow, thanks to the mindless stomping of the people that washed themselves in and drank from it. The smarter marauders wandered further upstream, where the water ran through a segment of solid stone. The lazy or stupid ones remained where the water had turned brown from the loosened soil.


    The group stopped and hid behind a boulder. There were no watchtowers or even guards. Any spotting of people in the distance was arbitrarily done by members of the host currently out and about. That gave the quartet a moment to deliberate. ¡°This would be our final opportunity to reconsider our scheme,¡± Aclysia told all of them. ¡°If we wish to alternate our approach, we should await nightfall.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just all sneak in!¡± Reysha agreed enthusiastically, only to turn her ears. Her head swiftly followed and she stared at a nearby boulder. This was not the first time recently her alarm bells had gone off. Ever since she had first noticed something in the chronicler¡¯s office, there had been the occasional tingle in her neck.


    Apexus, not one to doubt the capacity of his second lover, turned his head and stared himself. Aclysia and Korith were quiet, while the two keen-sensed members of the party concentrated. ¡°What do you think?¡± Apexus asked, unable to sense anything.


    ¡°I think it¡¯d be funnier if I don¡¯t tell ya what I think and I¡¯m right,¡± she responded cheekily. ¡°Honestly, could just be some remaining trauma flaring up here and there. Anyway, jokes aside, plan?¡±


    ¡°We have not yet laid eyes upon Kaladar, but if Melios¡¯ assessment can be properly interpreted, he will be physically imposing.¡± Aclysia glanced at the redhead and openly admitted. ¡°I do not reckon you could assassinate Melios, much less a dragon of larger size and tougher hide.¡±


    ¡°I actually agree with ya,¡± Reysha stated, drawing small circles into the lawn with the tip of her dagger. ¡°I read up on dragon anatomy, so I know where to stab in theory, but even I ain¡¯t enough of a daredevil to put that into practice on my own. Of ya three, only the big man here could maybe sneak along with me, if he made himself inconspicuous enough.¡±


    ¡°So, sneaking in is out?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Apexus responded. ¡°I would suggest we stick to Melios¡¯ plan. Poison is an effective hunting strategy.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Korith stopped for a moment, realizing she had started a sentence in the same way twice in a row. The moment of awkwardness faded and she just kept on going, hoping nobody noticed or cared. The latter was true. ¡°¡­we just waltz in there and announce we want to join?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± Reysha confirmed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus double confirmed.


    ¡°It appears to be the safest path forwards,¡± Aclysia triple confirmed.


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Korith nodded to herself and the three of them got back up and resumed their advance.


    Before anyone noticed them the four of them all simultaneously were exposed to the smell of the camp. A gust of turned wind carried the stench of wet leather, rotting mud, and excrement from a pit all the way to them. It was so intense, Reysha felt nauseous. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with people?!¡± she wanted to know, holding her sensitive nose.


    About a hundred metres before the river, they were finally spotted by a woman washing herself in the river. She was a burly, scar-covered individual. The kind of muscular female that could thrive in this kind of environment, despite the uncouth men and hygienic conditions around. Even the shape of her face was on the masculine side and not in a way that complimented her. She looked every bit the violent outcast that she was. Stark naked and uncaring, she sneered at the quartet as they got closer, but did not step in their way.


    ¡°Perhaps I should inquire about directions?¡± Aclysia suggested.


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus responded, not trusting that woman to tell them anything. She had an openly hostile mix of jealousy and rage in her eyes, spoiling for a fight she only skipped out on because the four of them stuck together. ¡°Strength rules here. Stay by me, my melody.¡±


    ¡°As you desire, darling,¡± Aclysia obliged gladly and grabbed his right arm. Sticking closely to his side, the gorgeous angel held onto him more closely as they advanced. More and more of the camp became aware of them. It was a domino effect. The host, bored in these morning hours, was notified by movement in a neighbouring camp and then moved themselves. Rippling outwards, this natural way to spread the news eventually had all of the marauders close in on the quartet.


    There were more than eighty of them. The crowd was primarily made up of men, the brutish kind, and they lecherously gazed at the three attractive members of the party. Few as they were, the women stared at Apexus with that same forceful desire. Few of the people around were attractive themselves. Instead, height and muscle mass dominated the crowd. These were not people built for or interested in social dynamics. Many of the less physically imposing members of the group had the marks of recent fistfights on their faces. When there was no one to plunder, violence remained the favourite pastime. Among the largest, there was the occasional mark of claws on them.


    ¡°Look at that, boys, we got something fuckable around for once!¡± A random member in the crowd shouted.


    ¡°I want the redhead!¡± another one responded. Various other voices in the crowd rose. Reysha shouted to overpower them all.


    ¡°Ya couldn¡¯t handle me, cocksucker,¡± she mocked openly. Korith gave the Rogue a wide-eyed glance, but the tiger girl just kept grinning. Aclysia kept holding on to Apexus¡¯ arm. Only her spread wings betrayed her nervousness. Both of the society-attuned women blinked when the crowd started laughing.


    Apexus and Reysha remained cool. This was the kind of animalistic environment where they could fully rely on their instincts. Their subconscious digested what their senses noted faster than any rational mind could. This entire circle around them was pure intimidation, no different than a large pack of wolves encircling a smaller one in their territory. Only if the quartet showed weakness, would the pack assault them.


    There was only one large difference between the wolves and the marauders and that was individual agency.


    ¡°You¡¯ll make good cocksucker after I have knocked the teeth out of your fucking face,¡± the insulted bandit growled and stepped forwards. He was, like most of them, clad in a primitive assortment of furs and armed with a doubtlessly stolen weapon: a two-handed sword. It was in poor condition, covered in little chinks. Soon it would be so degraded that it could break at any moment. For now, it was still deadly.


    ¡°Why am I not surprised that you need to defang who you sleep with?¡± Reysha asked in a tone people used to address children. The man took one step forward and Reysha¡¯s lips curled up a little more. ¡°You sure you want to do this with weapons?¡± she asked, drawing her red axe.


    ¡°He won¡¯t do this at all.¡±


    Both the bandit and Reysha looked at Apexus. Both of them got shivers. The bandit took half a step back, the blue eyes of the humanoid chimera drilling into him with all of the savagery underneath the civilized exterior. For her part, Reysha was simply turned on by the cold, controlled rage of her partner. Everyone understood that they risked their face being replaced with a fist-shaped cavity if they tried to rape any of those three women. As a pack, they would have been able to do it. As selfish individuals, no one wanted to be the first to jump forwards. Whoever led the charge would not get to enjoy the spoils.


    Willingness to assault the quartet only dropped further when Korith, rallied by Apexus¡¯ confidence, raised her warhammer. Even Aclysia, who kept clinging onto Apexus, defiantly stared back. Nobody moved.


    ¡°Call Kaladar,¡± Apexus broke the silence. ¡°We wish to join this band.¡± When no one obeyed, the humanoid slime fixated at a random person in the crowd and growled, demandingly. ¡°Call Kaladar.¡±


    The bandit nodded sheepishly and turned towards the cave.

 Hoarding 8 – Kaladar the Scarred

    The dragon emerged from the cave.


    Kaladar was almost twice the size of Melios. The height of his shoulders exceeded Apexus¡¯ head by a meter. Although long, the neck of the dragon was proportionally less than that of his blue kin. Same went for his other limbs, all of them shorter and girthier, except for his tail and wings. The definition of his muscles was apparent underneath the dull red scales that covered him, caked in blood, mud and grime. Fleshy pink lines ran criss-cross all over him, marks from claws, teeth, swords, axes, and all manner of weapons. Even the wine-red membrane of his wings was marked by knots of lighter flesh.


    A particularly large scar marked the area around his eyes. Arcane energy had scoured off all the scales in the area and only small ones had regrown in their place, giving the area around his black eyes an appearance like intricately designed warpaint. Both of his horns were in the process of regrowing. A recent wound crossed the dark grey belly of the beast.


    None of the injuries, old or current, inhibited Kaladar as he stepped forwards. Casually, he crushed a tent placed on the meandering road under his black-clawed foot. The circle around the quartet did not open, instead growing even tighter. With his height, Kaladar easily looked down upon the newcomers.


    As if uninterested, the scarred red dragon blew flames out of his mud-crusted nostrils. ¡°You are supposed to join my warband?¡± the dragon asked, his voice like an angry torrent of rocks rolling down a hill. ¡°You¡¯re children of civilization, clean and spoiled. Best you could be used for is to breed me a next generation of fighters. Especially you,¡± Kaladar looked at Korith. ¡°The only useful part of you is that you¡¯re too short to run away from whichever of my men claims you as slave.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like it if you tried¡­¡± Korith squealed and everyone in the ring laughed. The will to advance became a little stronger and many in the pack reached for their weapons.


    Reysha softly kicked Korith¡¯s ankle and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t let them fuck with you. Challenge someone.¡±


    ¡°I-I mean¡­¡± Korith gulped when her stammer caused several individuals to take half a step forwards. ¡°I¡¯d¡­ uhm¡­¡± Another half step.  With the training of a Monk, Apexus dragged his savage instincts to the forefront and growled. That kept everyone at bay and gave the kobold the moment she needed to gather herself. ¡°You can¡¯t have me as slave because I¡­ already belong to Apexus!¡± she declared and immediately added something to play over her red face. ¡°If you try, I¡¯ll break¡­ something of you!¡±


    ¡°HAH!¡± Kaladar shouted, amused, and grabbed one of the largest men around. ¡°You, make her succumb. Her body will be all yours if you win.¡± With those words, the dragon tossed the man towards the inside of the ring.


    The marauder had light red skin and was half-naked, despite the weather. Taller even than Apexus, the giant caught himself effortlessly and immediately charged at the quartet. His eyes betrayed the bloodshot rage of a Berserker. He howled with whipped up fury. Everyone was spoiling for a fight and the promise of a slave was always worth it. Only that which was guarded by Kaladar¡¯s authority was safe in this camp. An attractive female slave with that guarantee, that was entertainment for a (short) lifetime.


    Apexus exchanged a glance with Korith. Nodding with confidence, the kobold stepped forwards. Words she often stumbled over, but combat she understood, and for rapists/enslavers, she had no pity.


    Frothing like a rabid dog, the Berserker closed the distance. At the final few steps, he ripped a crudely crafted stone knife out of his belt. Savagely, he stabbed down at the kobold with all his rage, his lust, and his weight.


    Against an opponent this large, Korith¡¯s size was a boon. Their height difference was so enormous that the Berserker had to bow down to take a proper stab at her, ruining his balance and encumbering his attack. A different weapon, like a spear, could have eliminated that advantage. It would have also changed Korith¡¯s response to the charge.


    Trusting in her plate armour, the kobold dug her heels in and put her left shoulder in the path of the attack. Sparks flung when the knife scratched over the protective steel. The curvature of the plate made the edge slide along. Between the sturdiness and the failure of the weapon to find purchase, penetration was warded off. The Berserker practically stumbled over Korith, wide open.


    Immediately, the short Warrior tightened the grip on her warhammer and swung. Right to left, the weapon described a wide arch until the head crashed into the widely exposed upper thigh of the marauder. The attack landed right below the hip, where the muscles were the thinnest. A terrible scream of rage and pain accompanied the shattering of the bone.


    The Berserker collapsed forwards, partly by design, attempting to bury the smaller woman underneath him. A reinforced jump upwards, and the top of Korith¡¯s head collided with the Berserker¡¯s chin. Like his thigh, the Berserker¡¯s jaw was shattered on impact, the bones of the kobold thicker and naturally strengthened by their high iron content. Further, although the assailant was twice the size of the shortstack, their weight difference was less than twenty kilos. Due to this, the force behind the impact was enough to reverse the large man¡¯s momentum. He toppled over backwards and lay there, on the border of passing out.


    Externally, the damage sustained did not look that bad. Most cuts would have been preferable to what had happened though. Without the help of magic or very attentive medical care, the Berserker would hobble for the rest of his life, lose several teeth, and probably develop some kind of speech impediment. Blunt trauma was not as outwardly bloody and yet every bit as destructive.


    The Berserker roared, letting rage drag him back to consciousness. All of the pain added further wrath. Once on his feet, it was apparent that his left leg did not properly carry his weight. Raw anger let him sustain the decision, poor as it was, to storm at Korith again. It was a sloppy and improperly aimed attack. The kobold could have dodged it in any direction ¨C including forwards.


    As they said, the best defence is a good offence. Scaled fist clenched, the kobold brought her fist forwards. The powerful, tiny knuckles were aimed at what was in front of her. They collided with the only squishy part in the area.


    A sound that would befit a dying toad pressed out of the bandit¡¯s throat. Pain strong enough to snap him out of his rage made his injured leg give in. The Berserker collapsed fully. Like a salted snail, he curled up. Bloody spit drooled into the moist dirt.


    ¡°Knew ya had it in ya,¡± Reysha declared proudly.


    ¡°I told you I can fight,¡± Korith sulked and took two steps back. She left behind a man whose hope of procreation had gone from ¡®breed the sex slave tonight¡¯ to ¡®currently dying of internal bleeding¡¯ in the matter of a minute.


    ¡°And I thought you lot could be motivated by a breeding slave,¡± Kaladar growled at his men. ¡°Get that disgrace out of our battlefield.¡± Two of the bandits rushed forwards to drag the Berserker away.


    ¡°Why would we be motivated by the tiny thing when there¡¯s two grown women there?!¡± someone in the crowd shouted.


    Kaladar chuckled and let his forked tongue dart out for a moment, tasting the lust for blood and women in the air. ¡°You keep who you earn,¡± the red dragon told them. ¡°Go ahead then, Elryn.¡±


    Elryn stepped out from the crowd, an elf with black hair. Half of his face was covered in burn scars, the ear of that side practically gone. He was among the shorter and slender members of the bandits. Carrying himself with experience, he drew two rapiers and locked eyes with Apexus. ¡°I get to have all your women if I just kill you.¡±


    For several seconds, Apexus considered that statement. Should he dismantle it on the factual basis that Reysha would stab him in his sleep even if he succeeded or intimidate his opponent? Calmly, he stared back at the scarred elf.


    ¡°You a retard?¡± Elryn asked mockingly.


    ¡®Don¡¯t do what would make you similar to what you detest,¡¯ Apexus recalled one of Maltos¡¯ many lessons. Without saying a word, he placed a quick kiss on Aclysia¡¯s head, before taking his arm off her and stepping forwards. Two steps, he got to take, before Elryn rushed at him.


    Air rushed down Apexus¡¯ throat, to be pressed out again swiftly. It was as deep a breath as he could take. Focusing on his centre, he assumed a simple stance. His left hand was raised, the palm revealed, his left foot forwards and his knees bent.


    Like the projectile of a Thornspitter, the tip of the first rapier closed in on his chest at a rapid speed. Deep trust in his senses harmonized with the tranquillity of his mind. With total clarity and purpose, the humanoid slime swayed softly to the right and then steered back. Fast as the rapier was, it was also light, and the back of his hand was enough to swat it aside.


    The second rapier was fast approaching, aimed at a lower angle at Apexus¡¯ exposed ribcage. An injury would have been no issue physically. Like usual, it was best avoided with witnesses around. The voice of one of the instructors of the morning routine echoed in the humanoid chimera¡¯s head. ¡®Always be aware that choosing the fist as your weapon puts you at an inherent disadvantage in terms of reach. Always be aware that this adversity puts you at the advantage that you must understand the paths of attack viable to your opponents. Your will and wisdom must be as sharp as their iron weapons.¡¯


    The rapier was turned to slide between Apexus¡¯ ribs. A sure way to kill someone and an opportunity for the slime. Using the momentum of his previous parry, he brought his right leg up and right elbow down. The scavenged blade was caught between the points of his bones almost simultaneously. Hard and sudden, the impact snapped the weapon in half. Apexus felt the pricking of the tip, before gravity claimed it. ¡®Imperfect execution,¡¯ he chastised himself.


    There was no time to dwell on it. Using his fluidity to the maximum, Apexus brought his lower leg up. Elryn hadn¡¯t yet completely comprehended how thoroughly he had been countered, but years of life-threatening encounters had honed his instincts. Hastily, he stepped back. The ascending foot missed him by a considerable amount, yet there was no opening.


    Apexus brought the foot back down in a powerful stomp. No one would have dared to get in the range of that and it built up the momentum to throw a punch right after it. The wide attack again missed by a considerable margin and again Elryn had no opportunity to retaliate, as the punch whirled into a sweeping kick.


    Elryn jumped back to escape, robbing him of the final counter-attack opportunity. The flurry of motions was over, Apexus assumed his stance, and Elryn gathered his composure. They were in the starting position again, only that the marauder was half a blade shorter and driven close to the edge of their impromptu arena. He took half a step further back to get better footing.


    A fatal mistake.


    ¡°You¡¯re not running, ey, favourite?¡± one of the other bandits mocked and shoved his ¡®comrade¡¯ forwards.


    Elryn had just enough time to glare hatefully at the woman. Then he dove to the side to escape the attack he knew was coming. The draft of Apexus¡¯ fist brushed over the numb scar tissue. Elryn rolled through the mud, trying to get out of prone as swiftly as possible, but the novice monk delivered a low backwards kick straight to his leg. It hurt and kept the elf in the sludge of the camp¡¯s ground.


    All the marauder could do was to raise his intact rapier and aim the tip at the giant man now looming above him. Like a scorpion presenting its stinger, that simple threat made it near impossible to commit. Apexus kept his distance and walked around the target. The blade kept pointing at him, until the nature of the shoulder joint and field of view made it awkward to continue to do so. Elryn knew his situation and tried to jump to his feet, and out of harm¡¯s way, immediately.


    From his prone position, he was simply too slow. Apexus caught him by the shoulder and swiftly tossed him face-first into the dirt. The moment of vulnerability was all that he needed to place his foot on the man¡¯s back and press him into the mud.


    Impotently, Elryn tried to stab at Apexus. When the awkward angle made that an impossibility, he tried to kick at the slime¡¯s backfoot. That only achieved more weight on his lower spine. He tried to push his way out with brute force. He even let go of his rapiers to try and build up more force. The mud slipped away under his palms. Even hard stone ground would not let him press against the weight on his back.


    Apexus watched the struggle coolly. Like the tuna, the elf tired out eventually. At that point, the novice monk just grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him away from the weapons. ¡°My women,¡± the humanoid slime said, once he had pulled Elryn all the way to Kaladar. He dropped the man¡¯s leg and waited for a response.


    The red dragon amusedly blew fire out of his crusted nostrils. ¡°I¡¯m not testing you lot. Besides, Elryn can still fight.¡±


    Tiredly, the elf attempted to push himself up. Seething anger burned in his bloodshot eyes. Surrender was not an option to him, the hierarchy of the camp wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    Apexus put a foot on the shoulder of the man and considered what to do. Then he bowed down, grabbed the lower right arm of the man, his main hand, and placed his foot between his grips. All around, the bandits went wide-eyed. It wasn¡¯t the tortured screams of Elryn that shocked them, nor the snapping sound when both bones inevitably broke, but the sheer dispassion the mud-covered man displayed as he did so.


    The bandits understood revenge and sadism, the glee in proving physical superiority on someone. Malevolent as they were, they had their reasons for violence. The apparent lack of intent beyond the necessity to assure victory unnerved them. Especially because what Apexus had just done, to snap Elryn¡¯s arm like that, was more cruel than death. The unnaturally bent limb would not heal properly, not without the kind of medical assistance they did not have out there.


    ¡°He can¡¯t fight anymore,¡± the humanoid chimera said.


    Through the fog of pain, the marauder was aware of the full truth of that. ¡°Kill me, you bastard,¡± he growled. ¡°KILL ME!¡±


    Apexus did not care to even look down, continuing to look at the dragon. Kaladar lowered his head, pulling his lips back. Rows of jagged teeth showed. The larger they were, the yellower their colour. The smallest ones, in the beginning stages of regrowing, were almost white. ¡°Why do you not kill him?¡±


    ¡°I do not feel like it,¡± the slime responded truthfully and raised an eyebrow when the confession of his internal turmoil caused the red dragon to roar with laughter. Stinking hot breath filled the air, while Kaladar pulled his head back.


    ¡°He does not feel like it! Elryn isn¡¯t even worth killing!¡± Kaladar roared with glee and brought his claw down on the crippled elf. The previous snap was nothing compared to the sound of the marauder¡¯s ribcage being crushed. Blood filled the man¡¯s lungs, who managed to show the slightest hint of a mad smile while the red dragon raised him to his mouth. In two bites, the dragon devoured Elryn. ¡°Good enough to eat,¡± the scarred serpent said, intestines between his teeth.


    Blood and gore sputtered down on Apexus. Retaining his cool exterior, the slime stared at the sanguine that mixed with the mud in his palm. ¡®Why?¡¯ he wanted to ask, but he wasn¡¯t na?ve enough anymore to expect an answer that would satisfy. Instead, a different thought surfaced.


    Kaladar truly deserved death.

 Hoarding 9 – Settling In

    After that, Kaladar accepted them into the warhost. It happened suddenly. The red dragon looked over his subjects, found none of them willing to get into a proper fight, and therefore decided he¡¯d rather sleep. He¡¯d had a meal and that made a dragon sleepy. What more would be done with the newcomers, he could decide tomorrow.


    The quartet decided to put their tents up a fair shot away, where the grass was still green and the ground was less muddy. That they¡¯d have a long way to the river was the least of their worries. ¡°One of us should remain here at all times,¡± Aclysia suggested. ¡°I trust these savages to pillage us at the first opportunity.¡±


    ¡°That one should also never be you,¡± Reysha added. ¡°Like, you¡¯re strong and all bubble butt, but these fuckers¡­¡± She pointed at the camp, almost a hundred metres away from them, ¡°¡­will eat you alive. One good ambush and you¡¯ll be filled with three strangers¡¯ cum and left in a ditch.¡±


    The only reason why Aclysia did not nod immediately was that the mental image made her shiver. ¡°I request one of your knives to keep with me at all times.¡± The benefits of civilization were more apparent to her than ever, now that she had to deal with a crowd of marauders. ¡°It will achieve more, I hope, as an immediate response.¡±


    ¡°Wear it somewhere where they can¡¯t see it,¡± Reysha started and handed over one of her throwing knives. It was small, which made it perfect for the job. ¡°No offense, Aclysia, but you wearing a weapon isn¡¯t a deterrent. You just radiate ¡®I¡¯m civilized and easy pickings¡¯ energy.¡±


    ¡°I deem that to be a positive statement,¡± Aclysia retorted.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Korith raised her hand, to get their attention. ¡°What about me? Should I move around alone?¡±


    ¡°You should just be aware of what goes on around you,¡± Reysha advised. ¡°After the way you fucked that guy up, no one will come at you alone. All these rapist bastards care about is their balls and if they can fight well enough to force their contents down someone¡¯s throat.¡± Nervously, Korith and Aclysia wrung their hands, the latter shooting the tiger girl pleading glances. She raised her hands in surrender. ¡°I don¡¯t like the fucking rules either, but it¡¯s the law of the Death Leaf. If you¡¯re strong you get to take and if you¡¯re weak you get taken advantage of.¡±


    ¡°That is a viable reproductive strategy,¡± Apexus thought out loud. It was the first thing he had said since they had put the tents up and it at least got a chuckle out of Reysha. That it wasn¡¯t a joke didn¡¯t matter to the tiger girl¡¯s amusement.


    ¡°What are your current views on our situation, darling?¡± the metal fairy asked.


    ¡°We got the easy part of the hunt done.¡± Apexus placed stones in a circle, a meditative exercise more so than a useful one. Procuring any source of fire around these parts would be difficult. ¡°We prowled close, now we need to find the opportunity to pounce. I¡¯m afraid of what we may have to do to get it.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much depends on what Kaladar¡¯s eating habits are, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Korith wondered. ¡°Aside from¡­ you know¡­ his people¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe Apexus should piss the dragon off until Kaladar eats him and then Apexus dissolves him from the fucking inside?¡± Reysha suggested, semi-jokingly.


    Apexus explained in seriousness, only because the idea had crossed his own core. ¡°I may be able to block his throat before I enter his stomach,¡± he said, ¡°but I hear dragons can breathe fire and his insides will likely be exceedingly hot. It might kill both of us. Maybe his internal muscles are strong enough to crush my core or swallow me. I haven¡¯t been in a stomach yet. Might be that he will dissolve me first.¡±


    ¡°We will not execute this experiment,¡± Aclysia decided and hugged her beloved tightly.


    Reysha grinned and leaned back as much as the lack of chairs allowed. ¡°Instead, we¡¯ll risk our lives the old-fashioned way.¡±


    ¡°Suits me better,¡± Korith confessed. She looked ahead, more focused on her fingers than her vision. Her claw repeatedly tugged at one of the leather straps that kept her armour in place. Wordlessly, Reysha crawled over and helped her loosen. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t gotta give me any reason to undress ya,¡± Reysha responded with a mischievous grin.


    Korith breathed a little easier when the chest plate was pulled from her. Although adjusted with her proportions in mind, an armour was more than the outer layer and she was really happy to get out of the leather vest underneath, to which the steel was secured. The simple shirt she wore under that dangled down her protruding chest, creating a curtain-esque effect.


    The first thing Korith did was lay down on her back. ¡°It hurts,¡± she gasped.


    ¡°Bad?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Well, I got an iron spine, so it''s not too bad,¡± Korith responded and sprawled out her limbs. ¡°Still, it¡¯s nice to lie down.¡±


    ¡°I could aid you with a healing spell?¡± Aclysia suggested.


    ¡°Appreciated, but not necessary,¡± the shortstack assured, her somewhat baggy undergarments slouching and making a rough outline of her curves visible. ¡°Uhm, anyway, weren¡¯t we discussing something really important? How do we get the poison inside Kaladar?¡±


    ¡°As you aptly stated, the matter of his eating habits is the primary vector of importance,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°There is no livestock around, so it may simply be that he hunts on his own. Alternatively, he subsists on what his followers bring him. It would be my guess that both are true to some extent. We require the latter to be at least sporadically true to attempt the poisoning.¡±


    ¡°Do ya think he¡¯s that much of a simpleton that we can just step up to him the second day and offer him a fat poisoned tuna?¡±


    Reysha posed a genuine question, one none of the quartet had an answer to. All of the behaviour they had seen Kaladar exhibit pointed to wretched cruelty and a callous disregard for life. Nothing he had done really pointed towards his intelligence. Melios had been aware of adventurers being out for his hide. Any dragon, especially one as prone to making enemies as Kaladar, would have not survived long enough to be an issue if he was that easily fooled. The quartet had an appearance to match their status as people from outside the island. A healthy bit of doubt was justified by even the dullest of creatures.


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably have to endear ourselves with him in some way, before he¡¯d trust us with presenting a meal,¡± Aclysia pondered.


    Apexus nodded, his hand repeatedly gliding up and down her side. ¡°Which is the problem. To prove our adherence to this community, we will be required to pillage ourselves.¡±


    Reysha crossed her hands behind her head. After a few seconds of general silence, she suggested, ¡°We could just murder everyone else in the camp.¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ actually not entirely unfeasible,¡± Aclysia considered. ¡°Through a combination of ambushes, duels, denial of resources and field ¡®accidents¡¯ we could gradually whittle away at their numbers.¡±


    ¡°To what end?¡± Apexus wanted to know. At the back of his mind, he was digesting the morality of that course of action. These were universally terrible people. Although the slime¡¯s dislike of killing fellow creatures of sapience remained, if there was an exception to be made, they would deserve it.


    Reysha threw her arms around Apexus and practically hung over his back. ¡°He¡¯ll have to trust us if everyone else is dead.¡±


    ¡°I was reckoning that regular combat would be feasible once he has no back up,¡± Aclysia presented her sober view. ¡°Poison would be preferable, for various reasons. However, if it is only the dragon on its own, we perhaps have a mild chance.¡±


    ¡°Whatever we do, we ain¡¯t gonna die anyway,¡± Reysha stated.


    That made the other three members of the party raise an eyebrow. ¡°Uh, do you have an immortality potion you didn¡¯t tell us about?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Those only prevent death by aging,¡± Apexus threw in.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Korith blinked a couple of times. ¡°Heard so many legends about that, but I guess nothing is ever as good as it sounds.¡± Her back somewhat relaxed, she looked up and saw Aclysia and Reysha so closely attached to Apexus. ¡®Should I¡­? I mean¡­ why shouldn¡¯t I? Come on Korith, you¡¯re part of¡­ whatever this is¡­ a harem, I guess.¡¯ She made her way over to the slime and sat her squishy derriere down on top of his crossed legs. Apexus embraced her small frame with his left hand.


    It was nice to be surrounded on all sides by his partners, but the slime was still considering what they had to do. ¡°How did Melios think we would administer the poison?¡±


    ¡°In my personal estimation, he would advise us to simply follow the path of the pillager for however long it takes to feign our allegiance,¡± the metal fairy stated, as she looked over her shoulder to make sure no one had sneaked close to their location in the meantime. ¡°Although he aided us in this endeavour, a dragon is a dragon.¡±


    ¡°That is likely true,¡± Apexus agreed. After about a minute of further pondering, he came to a simple conclusion. ¡°Let us approach this patiently for now. We¡¯ll gather information and try to behave as fittingly as possible in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Sounds great,¡± Reysha answered for the rest of them. Then she added her personal thoughts. ¡°So, how about you pound me so hard the entire camp hears it? Ya know, just to make everyone jealous.¡±


    ¡°Right here?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Reysha shook her head and pointed at the greenery between them and the proper camp. ¡°Over there.¡±


    ¡°I, uhm¡­¡± Korith glanced over to Aclysia.


    ¡°We will remain here,¡± the metal fairy stated.


    ________________________________________________________________________________


    Apexus was upstream of the river, drinking handful after handful of the water yet unsullied by the filth and loose dirt further downstream. Between each scoop, he drank some water through the membrane of his hand. A much quicker and more effective way to absorb liquid. One he could not rely entirely on.


    He was being watched.


    On his own, the humanoid slime squatted by the flowing water. He looked to the side, his gaze crossing that of a trio that had been walking closer for two minutes now. They wore their intent on their sleeve as openly as a salivating dog. In their hands lay metal clubs, which they swung around to warm up their bodies. It was morning and they were already preparing themselves for violence.


    ¡°Yo, fucker,¡± the leader of the trio shouted at Apexus from a distance. ¡°Nobody likes a show-off and even fewer like to be kept awake by some whore¡¯s moaning.¡±


    ¡°Reysha is very loud,¡± Apexus agreed immediately, still by the riverside. ¡°You should not insult her though.¡±


    The trio positioned themselves in a semi-circle behind him. ¡°We¡¯ll insult whoever the fuck we want,¡± the leader cussed back. ¡°Think you¡¯re some hot shit because you managed to beat one of the favourites up in a duel? Too bad for you we aren¡¯t fighting for Kaladar¡¯s amusement anymore.¡± Metal smacked against the flat palm in a steady rhythm that was meant to be threatening.


    Apexus looked at his reflection in the softly streaming water. This reaction was neither unsurprising nor unprovoked. Obviously, he and Reysha had known what kind of reaction it would have on the camp to have sex out in the open. It would rile their opposition up, particularly the young men among them.


    To say this assault on the slime was part of some grand scheme would have been to overstate their thoughts behind the action. It was just another event in a series of demonstrations that the quartet aimed for the peak of the pecking order. Each one would demand a reaction from the current de-facto powerholders in the camp. Failure to respond came with a shift of prestige, until the general consensus among the marauders was that it was the quartet that had to be considered when taking an action.


    ¡°You will want to consider very carefully what you are doing,¡± Apexus gave them a word of caution.


    ¡°Should¡¯ve told yourself that line,¡± the leader of the trio grunted.


    Dirt crunched under boots, as they charged at him. Apexus jumped forwards into the river. Water splashed and soaked into his pants, as the club hit one of the stones jutting out of the ground with a loud ring. Whirling around in a battle stance, Apexus readied himself for the next attack.


    Mindlessly, the trio charged into the water. None of them were as tall or heavy as the humanoid chimera. The water that barely reached halfway to Apexus¡¯ knees almost tickled theirs and the resulting sloppiness added to their actions made the ensuing battle an easy affair. The first assailant he grabbed by the sleeve after dodging the overhead swing, ripping them forwards. The impact fully submerged them, leaving them confused for long enough that Apexus could side-step the second attack and leave the range of a potential grab of his foot. An elbow to the side of the head sent the second young man toppling into the river as well.


    The third, their leader, executed three wild swings, before Apexus found an opening. Before the fourth swing could even begin, the considerably more powerful slime grabbed the bat with one hand and executed an uppercut with the other.


    The force of the impact was terrible. Teeth crunched and grinded, while the head tilted backwards. Pain, shock and force created an involuntary reaction by the bandit, a spasmic release of his own muscles sending him flying backwards. Unlike his two comrades, who had landed in the water, the leader of the trio only had half of his body hit the river. His upper half, most importantly his head, smacked against one of the rocks.


    The remaining two fought to the surface to see their comrade passed out, blood oozing from the corners of his mouth and the back of his head. Jaws clenching, they looked at Apexus in anger. That this was the logical conclusion of violence did not occur to them. All that mattered was that one of the few members of the circle of people they actually trusted in this camp had just been injured.


    Apexus jumped out of the river to inspect the body. Behind him, he heard the two men wade through the water, ready to bash him over the head again. It took them a few seconds to approach, long enough for the slime to get a pulse and feel relief settle in. It was short-lived, considering the amount of blood the young man was losing. The landing had cracked his skull.


    Carefully, Apexus grabbed the man. Carrying him on his back, he started walking as quickly as he could without shaking the limp head too much.


    ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± one of the other two bandits hissed, now at the shore. They were both quickly setting after Apexus, but stayed their attacks for fear of hitting their ally. ¡°Put him down.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll die,¡± the slime responded in a dry, factual tone. It didn¡¯t reflect the duality of feelings inside him. They behaved in such a manner that they practically asked for an accidental end and Apexus had accepted as much. Yet, when presented with a life he could save, even one his own actions had endangered, he could not just walk away. If there was just one person in this camp that could be redeemed, was that not worth the effort?


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?!¡± the other one of the duo shouted.


    ¡®Can¡¯t answer that honestly,¡¯ Apexus thought and pondered the question for almost thirty seconds, steadily walking the entire time. ¡°The camp will be weaker for each lost member,¡± he gave an answer even they would agree with. ¡°If you can¡¯t die peacefully in your bed, at least try to make it meaningful.¡±


    To the bandits¡¯ ears, the implication was that they were better off drawing a couple of arrows for the hulking, unarmoured man than to die right where they were. Apexus meant it as general life advice. Either way, they lowered their clubs a little bit. ¡°Where are you taking him?¡±


    ¡°Aclysia, the white-haired woman, she¡¯s a Priest.¡± That was the entire explanation they needed to follow quietly.

 Hoarding 10 – The Bandit Camp Lifestyle

    ¡°Aclysia!¡± Apexus shouted, causing the metal fairy to stick her head out of the tent. She had hoped for news that it was either safe to bathe or, preferably, that water had been brought back to the camp. Instead, she saw her beloved carrying an unconscious and bleeding man towards them, closely followed by two wary men with clubs.


    Hastily she left the tent, the skirt of her dress fluttering as she flew over and met her beloved ten metres out from their tent. Korith and Reysha were also pulled towards the ruckus, closing in just as Apexus carefully placed the man down. A quick inspection later, Aclysia breathed a sigh of relief. A cracked skull was a terrible injury for mundane treatments. By means of magic, it was an easy treatment. The fractured bone was still in the correct position and nothing was lodged in the gap.


    Golden light enveloped her hands, warm like sunrays in the summer, and mended the injury. ¡°How did this occur?¡± she asked, the slow healing taking only a small part of her concentration.


    ¡°They attempted to chastise me for fucking Reysha in the open,¡± Apexus put it directly. ¡°I was careless with one punch. I made him fly towards the rocks, rather than the water. He hit his head.¡±


    Reysha snickered. ¡°I think he hit his head well before today.¡±


    ¡°Watch what you¡¯re saying, you screaming cunt,¡± one of them sneered at the tiger girl. A thoroughly unwise decision, as he stood in arm¡¯s reach of the slime. An elbow rammed into his guts. The young man bowed forwards and retched. Hard, he swallowed, desperately trying to keep his balance and his breakfast. He lost both, collapsing on all fours before vomiting a thin stew.


    The last of the trio was torn between swinging his club and booking it. In doing neither, he made it easy for Apexus to grab him by the collar and lift him up. To get the message across just how far outmatched they were, the humanoid chimera shook the man like an adult would shake an unruly child. When the club hit the grass, the marauder was quick to follow. Both of them were unable to stand up.


    ¡°I could have killed all three of you.¡± Apexus¡¯ controlled, almost tranquil, tone had more of an effect on the two conscious bandits than threats ever would have. ¡°You make sure this one does not make a ruckus when he wakes up.¡±


    ¡°O-okay,¡± Korith nodded. She wasn¡¯t wearing her armour, but had her warhammer at the ready.


    ¡°You two, show me to your camp,¡± Apexus demanded.


    There was no immediate answer, leaving Aclysia to hiss, ¡°Do not spoil your potential divinity further by leaving my darling to wait.¡±


    For the crowd, the words were poorly chosen, yet the tone delivered the intent. They attempted to rise to their feet. Apexus offered a hand to each of them. The one he had shaken accepted hesitantly. The other swatted it aside and got up on his own. Apexus gave them a light slap in return. ¡°If you refuse help, do not be disrespectful about it,¡± he chided.


    The young bandit spat on the slime¡¯s feet. ¡°Fuck off with your advice bullshit.¡±


    What he had just done dawned on the man when Apexus reduced the distance between them to less than a hand width. It took half a second of looking up at the much taller, much broader male for the marauder to stumble backwards, fearing physical retaliation. He almost fell in the process, barely catching himself and readied his club.


    Apexus deemed it unnecessary to smack the man again. ¡°Learn not to disrespect me or my loves, then,¡± he said in a commanding tone. ¡°Lead me to your camp.¡± Offering no further resistance, aside from dragging their feet and mumbling something under their breaths, the two men marched ahead of the slime.


    While they walked, Apexus took a moment to look at them not as threats but as individuals. Both were young men of able body. Neither was good looking. One had a pudgy face and piggish nose, fitting with the fat that layered on top of the muscles. The other was of regular build, his face long, and a piece of his upper lip distorted, revealing crooked teeth. His eyes sat deep in his head, not due to a lack of sleep, but misfortune in the lottery of life. The latter of the two was who had spat out the majority of the abrasive remarks, the leader of the group, and the one Apexus had made vomit moments earlier.


    ¡°What are your names?¡± Apexus wanted to know.


    The two young men looked at each other, then the leader spoke up again. ¡°I¡¯m Tielner, this is Gore.¡±


    ¡°Is that a chosen name?¡±


    ¡°Fuck if I know.¡±


    ¡°Why answer for him then?¡± Apexus asked and received no answer in return. Establishing eye contact with Gore, he repeated the question. ¡°Did you choose that name?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the pudgy man responded. ¡°Got a problem?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Silence spread out between the three of them. It was quickly filled by the morning buzz of the camp. Most of the bandits were awake by now and reigniting campfires that had gone out over the night to get the cold of the night out of their bones and heat up whatever meagre meals they could produce.


    Eyes tracked the slime and his companions as they made their way through. The ground, a difficult to traverse mixture of mud and soft patches of grass, gave way under their feet. When inside it, the true sprawl of the camp became apparent. Tents were put together in clusters, with ample space to walk between. The individual cliques of the camp were outlined by which groups were close to each other.


    The trio had their camp at an isolated spot, as isolated as it could be on a craggy highland slope, by the river. It was a horrible spot. Two of the three tents were drenched from water they pulled out of a puddle that formed in a depression. The still water reeked of stagnancy. Moving away from it was made impossible by a boulder that jutted out of the landscape, behind which a larger group of better tents was located.


    Although their living conditions were horrid, they had a single item of worth. A cauldron, large enough to be used by a cackling witch, of black cast iron. They had gotten it during a raid. No one had taken it from them yet, only because it was too large to be useful for the rest of the camp.


    To Apexus, it was a pleasant surprise. Having seen Tielner vomit the ingredients of a stew, he had hoped they had a pot or something like that. This exceeded his expectations by a long shot. He bowed over the pot, to find some remains of the stew still inside. ¡°Finish that,¡± he ordered them. ¡°Then wash it out, fill it with as much water as you can carry, and bring it to my camp. You can take it back in the evening. Repeat that tomorrow.¡±


    The two men were visibly unhappy, yet kept their mouths shut. They had come to understand that they were underneath Apexus in the pecking order. If he wanted to ¡®rent¡¯ their cauldron over the day and have them get water for him, all they could do was accept the task, risk a beating, or go to another faction for help.


    ¡°If you are harassed during this task, tell me,¡± Apexus added, calm as ever. ¡°I will take care of it.¡±


    Instinctive nods met that addition. Unhappiness made room for acceptance. When protection was included, working for someone more powerful went from tyranny to a beneficial agreement. Having sorted this out, Apexus left them so the leader could refill his stomach. There was something else he wanted to get done, before he went after the rest of the day.


    Scanning through the camp, he quickly located the Berserker with the pale red skin that Korith had fought yesterday. He was part of a larger clique, all of whom were avoiding the guy. Occasionally, he shivered and his torso had a sheen of cold sweat all over it. The shattered thigh and crushed manhood had caused a fever, his body desperately trying to recover from the internal damage. While this crippling impairment made the Berserker a liability for his clique, it was the reaction to the mental wounds that made everyone truly stay away. A wounded animal was dangerous.


    Bloodshot eyes, barely even human, turned to Apexus as he stepped up to the red-skinned man. Standing, he would have been even larger than the slime (in his current, chosen form). ¡°What?¡± the giant growled.


    ¡°We can heal you,¡± Apexus offered.


    ¡°Piss off,¡± the Berserker answered immediately.


    Apexus contemplated that answer. The internal injuries would become inflamed, in the conditions they were living in. At best, the Berserker would be bedridden for several weeks and come out with a defective leg. At worst, and much more likely, he would die, the fever exhausting him to the point of delirium.


    ¡°I ¨C said ¨C PISS OFF!¡± the Berserker yelled, throwing a wooden bowl in Apexus¡¯ direction. The Monk-in-training did not have to dodge. In order to catch it, he had to take a swift step to the left.


    The humanoid chimera placed the bowl down in reach of the Berserker. ¡°The offer remains,¡± he said, then retreated back to his camp. For now, that was enough in terms of establishing themselves in the camp. There were other matters that needed taking care off.


    When he returned to the camp, he found the third of the assailant trio awake, confused, and inappropriately leering at his women. Apexus felt barely anything at that display of misplaced desire. Like the other two, this young man was of below average looks. His face was covered with pox scars, and his nose was too small for his face. Beyond his physical appearance, his status in the camp and world at large made him unattractive. Had he had any kind of physical supremacy over his partners, Apexus would have felt the urge to reign the bandit in before he attempted anything rape-y. Since magic left all three of the women able to defeat the man themselves, one way or another, his desires were about as bothersome as the smell of urine at a town square. Unwanted, yet not unusual enough to do something about.


    With Apexus back in his field of vision, the bandit quickly assumed a submissive body language, averting his eyes and staying quiet until talked to. ¡°Your name?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Meltz.¡±


    ¡°Meltz,¡± Apexus repeated the name to commit it to memory. ¡®Is that a self-given name based on ¡®melt¡¯?¡¯ he thought. It didn¡¯t interest him enough to ask. ¡°Gore and Tielner will come here to deliver water. Go help them. I¡¯ll have questions for you when you come back.¡±


    The announcement only added to the general sense of confusion the young man felt. Flexibility was what let people survive around here, so he didn¡¯t let that emotion stop him. Rising to his feet, he quickly made his way back to the camp, to return later.


    ¡°What¡¯s that about water?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°They got a big cauldron.¡± Apexus underlined his words by drawing the dimensions with gestures. ¡°I figured we could use it for bath water.¡±


    ¡°That would be majorly appreciated,¡± Aclysia commented. The thought of having to clean herself in the cold river did not appeal, for several reasons. Least of all was that it was cold. ¡°We require material to heat the water with, however.¡±


    ¡°We also need to get food sorted,¡± Korith added.


    ¡°We could just take it from everyone else,¡± Reysha suggested.


    Apexus did not find that option appealing. ¡°Would barely be enough and not taste good.¡± He turned to look back at the main camp. ¡°I want to ask them where they get their food when they get back.¡±


    With that established, the quartet settled in and waited for the arrival of their water. It did not take too long for them to spot the three bandits moving out of their camp with the cauldron. They did remember to wash it out ¨C thoroughly. Now that the adrenaline had worn off and their comrade was returned to them intact, an instinctive obedience settled in. Most humanoids were adapted to settle into hierarchies and to do what was necessary to stay out of trouble. Even bandits, with their high-risk, varying-reward lifestyle, followed that pattern.


    The cauldron was hauled the distance from the river, over a hundred metres, up a slope, curving through various rocks. It only had two handles, so one of the three served only as an observer for potential obstacles. Eventually, they arrived at the campsite, two of them heavily breathing, and placed down the cast-iron object, filled half with water.


    ¡°You did well,¡± Apexus complimented them. The positive reinforcement did not fall on entirely deaf ears. Grabbing the handles of the cauldron, the humanoid slime, on his own, picked it up and moved it to the centre of their camp. The feat of raw strength was the last display the men needed to develop some proper respect for the slime. ¡°Take your shirts off and sit.¡±


    Following the order, odd as it was, the three bandits sat down with their back to the main camp. Aclysia used a particularly large rag they had in their adventurer¡¯s bag to serve as a rudimentary lid for the cauldron. It served to keep some of the heat in, when she directed her magic at the bottom of the iron and heated up the insides.


    Getting it to steaming hot with her magic alone was a pipedream. Slightly above lukewarm was as good as it got. Given the autumn breeze of the environment, that was already pleasant. Apexus tossed the trio a rag each and then grabbed one himself. ¡°Clean yourself,¡± he said and started to wipe himself off with the warm water.


    The three of them, being humans with sweat and dead skin covering their surface area, were in greater need of such cleansing than the slime. Having lived in poor medical conditions for their entire lives, it did not bother them. It still felt pleasant when they scrubbed some of the accumulated grime off.


    ¡°So, how did ya three get stuck in this shithole?¡± Reysha asked, lying on her belly a few metres removed.


    Gore and Meltz looked to Tielner, who answered for all of them. ¡°Nothing unusual. We wanted something to eat, so we joined a group that¡¯s typically successful in their raids.¡±


    ¡°This¡¯ll be a giant thought, so maybe ya can¡¯t follow me on this one,¡± Reysha sarcastically retorted, ¡°considered joining someone who grows the food instead of stealing it?¡±


    Tielner blew air out of his nose. When he opened his mouth, his eyes quickly focused on the claws pushing out of the tiger girl¡¯s nailbeds. Blood red, they were almost as unnerving as the near pitch black of her sclera. Across the many races, the eyes were near constant in their looks. Even as little as a colour change to the white made the redhead a little bit alien. The dangerous glint in the blue did the rest.


    Almost well-mannered, the marauder answered, ¡°You get your food stolen or steal the food, that¡¯s all the fucking choices we have out here.¡±


    ¡°Wrong,¡± Apexus denied.


    ¡°Why did you come here then?¡± Tielner shot back.


    ¡°Because I was looking for a dragon,¡± Apexus answered truthfully, albeit in a manner that did not reveal the entirety of his intentions. ¡°Witnessing this camp makes me sad. I want you all to live up to a higher potential. I will do my best to see that through in my time here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re adventurers, you got somewhere else to go,¡± Gore mumbled quietly.


    ¡°Are you here to kill Kaladar?¡± Tielner asked.


    Apexus elected not to answer that, which was almost the same as giving a straight yes. ¡°How does this camp function?¡± he switched the topic. While they answered, he washed out his rag to continue cleaning himself.


    ¡°Same as all tribes around here function.¡± Tielnar shrugged and gestured around. ¡°Land barely produces anything, so what we have eventually gets scarce and we go out taking it from someone else. Sometimes Kaladar leads us on a raid against another dragon. That¡¯s usually when we get the fattest bounty.¡±


    ¡°So, you raid either for survival or for Kaladar¡¯s entertainment?¡±


    ¡°He gets hungry too. Better he gorges himself on some fuckwits up the coast than us. Sometimes we have to bring him food.¡± All three of them were too busy wiping themselves off with the rare treat of warm water to really notice how interested the adventurers got all of a sudden. ¡°Sometimes the camp¡¯s too hurt to go on another raid immediately, so we throw him some prisoners so we can relax a few more days. Works like a cha-¡±


    ¡°You should get us fresh water,¡± Apexus interrupted, harshly. ¡°My partners deserve to get properly clean.¡±


    It took them three seconds to recover from the whiplash they had from the previously friendly behaviour. When faced with the wide-eyed stare of the unnervingly calm stranger, they obliged swiftly. They grabbed the cauldron and moved it out of the camp. In their haste, they forgot that they could rid themselves of much of the weight if they just emptied it.


    ¡°You really think it¡¯s worth helping any of these people ¡®live up to their higher potential¡¯?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the humanoid slime responded truthfully. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°To be fair to me, for a second, I never got that fucking awful,¡± Reysha responded. ¡°I wanted to fucking murder everyone who had a hand in you getting killed. Naively unleashed Apotho in the process, helped him wipe out a city and whatever else he¡¯s up to now. I¡¯m a horrible, short-sighted cunt, that¡¯s established and all ¨C but at least I never threw some captives to a fucking dragon for a vacation day.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, I regard these people as fundamentally lost, darling,¡± Aclysia agreed. ¡°It may be possible to motivate change among some of them. Such would be the work of years, I reckon, which is time we do not have.¡±


    ¡°Some parts of the world just¡­ suck,¡± Korith added.


    Apexus quietly nodded.

 Hoarding 11 – Exerting Influence

    A week passed.


    The ¡®arrangement¡¯ they had with the trio of young men eventually led to them moving closer, for protection and so they had an easier time getting their cauldron back after Apexus and his women were done with it. There was an additional reason: the abundance of food the humanoid chimera provided.


    Projecting force was the primary way to keep power in an environment like this, having food was the primary way to garner interest. Apexus, with his wings and unorthodox hunting strategies, managed to pull fish on land reliably every day. Everyone else was wondering how exactly he entered the water and came out, often an hour later, dragging a tuna or other large seafood behind him. Their wonder did not translate to questions. Apexus would not have answered them anyway.


    It had been Aclysia¡¯s suggestion for him to hunt where they could see him re-emerge. A stark departure from the paranoid stance they had towards displaying any kind of noteworthy behaviour. For one, they no longer feared being tracked, since they had already revealed themselves in the necessary capacity. Aclysia also reasoned, correctly, that displaying anything but Apexus¡¯ true nature directly would not make it off this island. All they would see was another adventurer, displaying their strange abilities.


    After food, what they primarily needed was something to keep the fires going. They discovered that the primary resource to that end was Kaladar¡¯s excrement. When the red dragon left his cave, be that to scout the area or hunt, the bandits would go in and clean up. During that process, the considerable dung piles had to be carted out.


    With how barren the landscape was, it was no wonder that the people would not let any resources go to waste. Ignoring its origins, the dragon shit was adequate kindling. It was dry, came in mostly equally sized chunks, and burned slowly. It was close to coal in everything besides the amount of heat it provided. Since it was eternal autumn, not winter, what there was satisfied the requirements. When people wanted the flames to get hotter, they threw whatever trash they had into the flames.


    Apexus¡¯ dislike of using the excrement as fuel was born less from its origin and more that it was digested humanoids he was burning, at least in part. Specifically, the Berserker had ended up in Kaladar¡¯s belly two days ago, after succumbing to the internal injuries.


    The cleaning job was typically fought over. Whoever did the cleaning had not only the chance to make a good impression on Kaladar, they also got to be the first to claim the fuel for themselves.


    Besides the common reasons, the quartet had another good reason for getting to be the ones to do the cleaning: they wanted to see the cave from the inside. Consequently, they partook in the fight. It was a bare knuckle affair, more of a display of dominance than a proper fight. The various factions of the camp tried to intimidate each other out of it, like packs of wolves competing over a carcass.


    Apexus only had to break a single jaw to break the will of the competition.


    The inside of the cave was simultaneously dull and interesting. It was a single corridor, reaching about twenty metres into the mountain, before taking a sharp curve. Another ten metres later, the path turned to a slope that travelled down the east side of a large chamber. At the bottom, the stone floor had been made somewhat smooth by repeated application of dragon fire. The walls were covered in claw marks, remains of when a dragon had widened the tunnel so they could more easily fit through. Kaladar was not the first to claim this as his dwelling place and he would not be the last.


    A pile of horns, scales, and claws of other dragons marked where Kaladar made his hoard. There were a few gold coins and valuable trinkets in the pile, pieces that appeased the red dragon¡¯s general instincts, where everything else catered to his specific interests. Otherwise, the cave was largely featureless. It was an arena, practically.


    Apexus acquired as much of the kindling as they needed, then they got to scrubbing. It was a horrible job. Getting water inside was difficult and getting it back out near impossible. There was nowhere for it to drain and leaving the filthy puddles to stagnate there was not an option. They scrubbed as best they could with the worn-down brooms provided and Aclysia dried the surfaces at the end.


    They did this twice. The first time, Kaladar came in when they were just about to leave. His only reaction was an acknowledging sound that his lair was cleaner than usual. By no means did that mean it was actually clean.


    The second time, they were still in the end stages of cleaning, when Kaladar returned. The scarred dragon stared down at them from above, standing on the slope. Aclysia and Korith were too nervous to keep working properly, while Apexus and Reysha finished up. When they were done, the two of them moved the other two aside. Kaladar then leapt down the slope, like a giant, terrifying cat, and exposed his back to the adventurers. He was giving them every opportunity to attack.


    Apexus did not even consider it and headed out.


    That had been the previous day. Like all other days, it had been crawlingly slow to the group. There was not much to do aside from violence and ensuring they survived another day. With the latter being settled through Apexus¡¯ catches and the former being outside their interests, they had absolutely nothing to do but talk and do what had to be done to establish themselves at the top of the hierarchy.


    A process that was bearing fruit in some ways. During breakfast, people from the outskirts of other factions sometimes joined them, offering something to be thrown into the fish soup they made for breakfast in exchange for some of it. They usually accepted, then probed the marauders for who they were, what they wanted to do, and where their loyalties lay.


    The answer was always a variation of the same core themes. They were impoverished, able-bodied young people, overwhelmingly men, wanting to take from the weak to survive another day, and loyal to those that led them to repeated success. Although the quartet had established their position in the camp, having the loyalty of the band could not come about until they had proven their worth in the field.


    ¡°Do we even need that though?¡± Reysha asked, when the four of them were alone. ¡°All we need is an opportunity to poison Kaladar. We don¡¯t need their loyalty at all to that end.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Aclysia agreed. ¡°I suggest we concentrate on the task of administering that poison. We have, as per my estimation, three potential avenues of achieving this goal. One is that we continue as we have until Kaladar trusts us enough that we may present him food. Due to the considerable and inhumane effort this would take, this option is unpreferable. Two is that we may find someone in the camp that has Kaladar¡¯s favour and convince them to administer the poison for us. This will be potentially faster to pull off, but bears the risk of trusting one of these¡­ people.¡± The angel had a lot of other words at the tip of her tongue. ¡°Three, we intercept a delivery of food and poison it covertly.¡±


    ¡°Three is the way to go but¡­ well¡­¡± Korith tilted her head one way and then the other. ¡°How do we do that? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a kitchen Reysha can sneak into. The presentation of¡­ food¡­ always happens rather, you know, suddenly.¡±


    The tiger girl cleaned her claws with one of her throwing knives. ¡°I still think we could just shank a fucker.¡±


    Apexus was warming up to the idea and he hated that. ¡®These are all horrible monsters in humanoid form, but we shouldn¡¯t kill just because it makes this easier,¡¯ he thought. Out loud, he presented an argument Reysha was more amicable towards, ¡°Killing the person ourselves would be too suspicious, as would be leaving a corpse around.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Reysha transitioned from cleaning her claws to throwing the knife up in the air and then catching it after it made a few spins. ¡°Still though, option three is the only way we can get this done without spending months here.¡±


    ¡°We need to create a situation where we know for sure that Kaladar will receive a food offering and where we can intercept it ahead of time without being seen,¡± Apexus summarised and considered what was possible. So did the other three.


    ¡°How about we initiate a raid?¡± Reysha suggested. Apexus and Korith gave her a deadpan look, considering this the literal opposite of what they wanted to do.


    Aclysia, who had been pondering the same possibility, voiced her agreement. ¡°I think that may be the most viable path,¡± she stated and explained to the confounded rest of the group. ¡°Waiting until Kaladar initiates a raid will not aid us in our goal. Reportedly, he eats while in battle, therefore, he would be sated before we have a chance to enact our schemes. We would also be forced to participate, in order to retain the appearances. Thus, this future is one we want to avoid, but one that inevitably will come to pass, if we were to remain. If we initiate the raid ourselves, we can organize it in such a way that Kaladar does not participate, but will have a food offering after the fact.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, okay, but that still involves killing people?¡± Korith put her concerns into a question.


    Reysha answered before Aclysia could. ¡°We tip our targets off. They¡¯ll know that we¡¯re coming, we put on a bit of a show, they run away and leave behind some cows or livestock they have, the livestock gets handed over to Kaladar. We get the poison in there in the meantime. Then we wait a few hours, sneak into the cave, and kill the fucker.¡±


    Apexus considered the plan. ¡°It could work,¡± he agreed. ¡°First, we need the proper bait and to contact it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the only ones in this den of villainy that can fly, besides Kaladar, darling,¡± Aclysia reminded. ¡°We need only spot a tribe with some livestock. We can start working on this from tomorrow onwards.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, we need someone to work with that will present the food to Kaladar instead of our suspicious, gorgeous asses,¡± Reysha said. ¡°Someone that¡¯s both a fucking moron and arrogant enough that they¡¯d take all the credit for themselves. In other words, literally anybody in this camp.¡±


    If there was a blessing to their situation, it was that the people around truly were subpar intellectually. Between unreliable nourishment, the lack of education, and the semi-regular head trauma, the average bandit had the intelligence of a civilized thirteen-year-old crossed with the cruelty of a bitter adult. They were good when it came to boasting about their accomplishments and terrible when trying to identify when someone was complimenting them.


    There were a few smarter members in the camp. Two of them had been recently eaten by Kaladar following the arrival of the group. Finding a clique or two that was led by a glory-hound willing to take the credit for a raid Apexus initiated would not be difficult.


    ¡°What do we do if Kaladar questions the story of our puppet?¡± Aclysia presented a difficulty in their plan. ¡°Particularly, what do we do if he refuses to devour our indirect offering?¡±


    ¡°I was actually thinking about that and we could just head back to Melios¡¯ place?¡± Korith suggested. ¡°Kaladar will inevitably fight with Melios again, right? Their hoards are close and Kaladar apparently collects horns. So, if we just wait at Melios¡¯ place, we can eventually help one dragon kill the other in direct combat. He won¡¯t like that that¡¯s our plan, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯d say no to the help either.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d definitely keep calling us small-brained imbeciles with tiny skulls and sheepish eyes, along with a bunch of other ways to describe fucking idiots,¡± Reysha agreed and groaned. ¡°Still an option though. I don¡¯t like how long that could take. I prefer being proactive, ya know?¡±


    Aclysia nodded. ¡°Time is a factor. We need to return to Teacher¡¯s Isle, the Deathhound will arrive there eventually and it is our duty to be there and aid in the defences.¡±


    ¡°I need to learn.¡± The humanoid slime looked at his open hand. While strong and capable, it lacked the magical tools of his partners. ¡°We will go with this plan. It may fail. That is better than being caught up in an actual raid.¡± Apexus raised his gaze. ¡°Aclysia and I will scout. Reysha, Korith, you find the best candidate to be our front.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope we find a target quick enough,¡± Reysha hummed.

 Hoarding 12 – Aligning Interests

    There were two influencing factors to their plan. One was when Kaladar would decide to declare the next raid, the other was whether or not any tribes were in the area that could be utilized for their plan. Optimally, their faux-victims would be somewhere south, as it would be more difficult to scale the mountains that cut into the sea to the north. The bandits had made the journey several times, for reasons of survival. It was simply less practical.


    Those difficulties were the reasons why Apexus went north first. It being a harder trip for the marauders also meant that less violent tribes were more likely to be in that area. Besides the natural wall between them and Kaladar¡¯s bandits, the tribes to the north also had access to forests and all of the resources that came from that. It was the kind of ¡®wealthy¡¯ that was required to get a basic society started.


    While the humanoid chimera went north, Aclysia went south. They separated because Apexus was faster than her and because it was risky to leave only two of them behind in the camp. For the range of exploration Apexus had to go on, he would need more than one day.


    Over the misty mountains he sailed, reaching the forests past the steady slope at noon of the first day of scouting. A travel time that was, courtesy of the terrain, about two days for a normal person he crossed in about five hours. Then he started his search.


    Although Apexus¡¯ eyes had evolved far past that of the cat he had acquired them from, they were still not as optimized for distance as that of an eagle or vulture. He was looking around for one of those birds to devour and utilize as a temporary Growth almost as much as he was for the actual target. He was not lucky in either department, circling above, seeing nothing but the dense carpet of autumn leaves.


    A change of strategy seemed warranted. To refill his energy reserves, he devoured a random selection of plants in the area. With no other mouths to feed, greenery was as filling to him as meat. Lacking in the juicy richness of proper flesh, it left wanting only in taste. Apexus was not a picky eater, doubly so after his monk training. With a bite from each plant, he ensured his sustenance and made no threat to their survival.


    Afterwards, he sought out the highest point in the landscape, a cliff jutting out of the very mountain he had crossed, and sat down. Legs crossed, he meditated to let the time pass.


    After about ten minutes of letting his thoughts wander, they petered out into silence. Winds brushed over his skin. Each gust was accompanied by a rustling of the trees below. An ocean of golden brown, its surface waving according to the whims of nature. It was so like the open sea, yet so different. The different height and age of the trees caused the air fronts to lose the uniformity they¡¯d have when travelling over water. Broad trends were visible, interrupted or emphasized by the rigid or flexible members of the forest. Shadows shifted, as the sun moved.


    The world seemed to move very fast and very slow at the same time. Individual seconds lost all meaning, while individual details simultaneously zapped into focus, as if he was entirely focusing on each and every one of them. Apexus was fascinated by it. It was that fascination that snapped him out of the trance. The mental capacity freed by the lack of deliberate action and thought was suddenly aimed again by his will and the moment was lost.


    Renewed attempts to enter that zone of tranquillity were met with half-success. Time passed in thoughtless contemplation.


    Then the night came and with the night came fire. Apexus¡¯ eyes were exemplary when it came to seeing in the dark. A campfire¡¯s glow was a track to be followed, locating it in accordance with the humanoid chimera¡¯s current specializations. He let the sun descend fully behind the horizon, before making his move.


    About twenty minutes later, he was walking up to a camp that was already expecting him. He had not been stealthy in his approach. To signal peaceful intentions, he approached with open hands raised. ¡°I come with a proposal to kill Kaladar the Scarred,¡± Apexus recited the words he had carefully picked. ¡°All I ask is to be heard.¡±


    _____________________________________________________________________


    Trellok was a brute of a half-dwarf, only slightly below average human stature, while being considerably broader in every conceivable way. His nose, especially, looked flat, partially because it had been broken several times. He was the leader of the largest clique in the camp and Reysha¡¯s chosen dullard.


    ¡°Little more water?¡± the redhead purred and leaned forwards. She was practically on all fours, the casual shirt she wore slouching in such a manner that it gave an enticing view of her deliciously brown cleavage. ¡°Talks like this shouldn¡¯t be held¡­ thirsty.¡±


    Trellok¡¯s eyes darted from the gorgeous tiger girl over to the man who had fucked her openly on their first day in camp. An utter lack of emotions on Apexus¡¯ face made the bandit blow air out of his nose in contempt. ¡°Sure,¡± the bandit agreed enthusiastically. His belly was filled with fish soup and his cup was being filled with warm water by Reysha, while Apexus watched. ¡°What did¡¯cha want to discuss.¡±


    ¡°My partner scouted a camp about two and a half days north of here, past the mountains,¡± Reysha revealed straight away. Sitting back, putting the kettle they had acquired from another camp aside, the tiger girl pulled one leg halfway towards her chest and rested her arm on it. It was as business-like a pose as one could have among marauders. ¡°We want to make a deal. Your clique¡¯s aid in raiding the camp for its exact location.¡±


    Trellok sipped his water. It had a metallic taste from the cast-iron cauldron it had been sitting in, lukewarm, for a considerable time. That it was warm was welcome, in this evening of the eternal autumn. ¡°My group is almost thirty strong,¡± he pointed out after some delay, his tone mildly threatening. His eyes glided over Reysha¡¯s curves, so flippantly presented even by the casual clothes. ¡°If I agree, you¡¯d be aiding me, not the other way around.¡±


    Reysha clicked her tongue, for the first time giving the half-dwarf an annoyed glance. ¡°There¡¯d be no raid without our information.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be no raid without my guys,¡± Trellok responded, tossing his now empty cup into the flattened grass. ¡°We get the biggest share and the reputation or you can fuck off and die doing it alone, upstarts.¡±


    Reysha frowned and glanced over to Apexus, then Aclysia, both of whom acted like they hated the idea. ¡°Fucking fine,¡± she finally spat out. ¡°You get first pass on the loot and if anyone asks, it was all your idea.¡±


    A smile showing crooked, yellow teeth spread on Trellok¡¯s face and he rose to his feet. ¡°Good, you know your place,¡± he told them. ¡°We leave in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± the redhead agreed. As Trellok left, she looked over to the trio of young men they had initially ¡®recruited¡¯ and barked, ¡°The fuck ya looking at?! Piss off!¡±


    They scurried rapidly, knowing what an angry gang boss could do. The quartet was left alone in the camp. Within seconds, Reysha¡¯s angry expression turned into a wide grin. ¡°See, told ya, just had to do a bit of buttering up and then he ate right outta my hand.¡±


    ¡°I am unconvinced the buttering was required,¡± Aclysia remarked. ¡°His goal was evidently to put us in our place, figuratively speaking.¡±


    ¡°And if I hadn¡¯t buttered him, he¡¯d just told us to fuck off,¡± Reysha wagered and moved over to scratch the back of Apexus¡¯ head. ¡°Did ya mind what I did?¡±


    ¡°I do not like you acting like there are reproductive opportunities towards other males, no,¡± the humanoid chimera responded in a neutral tone. ¡°If you think it was necessary, I trust you.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t make a habit out of it,¡± she promised and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. She squealed with amusement when he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his lap. There was more wanted.


    And more taken.


    ___________________________________________________________________________


    ¡®The primary matter of importance is that Kaladar either does not hear of our involvement or thinks it is minimal,¡¯ Aclysia contemplated, while the thirty-three of them moved out of the camp. ¡®A blessed number, entirely inappropriate for this endeavour.¡¯


    They would be gone for five days at least, probably a week. If they had read the dragon correctly, Kaladar¡¯s uncaring attitude about what exactly happened in his camp would continue and he would not notice they were gone. Then, when they returned Trellok would boast that he did it all by himself to better his own standing.


    Whether or not the other bandits in the camp noticed almost did not matter. Kaladar had not mingled once while the quartet was there. The dragon was only a central authority, he only cared for the ¡®camp politics¡¯ insofar that a truly capable fighter occasionally emerged from among them.


    There was still the off chance that the red dragon would call a raid of his own in their absence, learn what was going on during it, and act accordingly afterwards. ¡®We will compensate if that comes to pass,¡¯ Aclysia thought and turned her back to the camp. They left the three young men behind to watch over their stuff in their absence.


    Everyone in the procession travelled with either light or no baggage whatsoever. Aclysia carried their tents and blankets in their communal adventurer¡¯s bag. Battle equipment was either on their person or in everyone¡¯s personal bag, typically the latter. The terrain was difficult and nobody wanted to carry more than was necessary.


    Korith was ahead of the procession. Effortlessly, she leapt up a two-metre wall that most other people had to swerve around. She turned around. ¡®Wow, that¡¯s oddly satisfying,¡¯ she thought, seeing the hole in the middle of the camp that their migration left behind. It was the last opportunity for her to spot the site before it would be hidden behind the ups and downs of the craggy slope.


    Before the other bandits could catch up and start molesting her, the shortstack turned around and continued her march. She was closely followed by Apexus and Reysha. None of them had a particular inclination to mix and mingle with the ruffians they had in tow. Aclysia soon landed by them.


    The quartet walked and talked like they usually did. When they took a pause, it was only to allow the other bandits to catch up. These people had the stamina and the will to keep marching the entire day, subsisting only off dried meat and whatever they could scavenge on the move. Their hardiness was the only trait Apexus and his loves were impressed by.


    During the second day of travel, they worked more closely with the bandits to get them across the mountain the quickest and safest way. In order to not endear themselves too much and risk creating a hint of gratitude in Trellok¡¯s soul, they were abrasive about it the entire time. It did not take a lot of acting, not even from Korith, to be annoyed with the marauders.


    They made it past the mountain and into the forest past sundown. Everyone was exhausted and hungry, rations were low, but the forest around them promised plenty to scavenge before they reached their target. The entirety of Trellok¡¯s gang laid down after they had pitched their tents on the driest spot they could find and were fast asleep.


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s as good as we could get for an opportunity,¡± Reysha whispered, the four of them hanging out at the edge of camp, as if they were holding a watch. ¡°Ya should head out now. We¡¯ll cover for ya if you aren¡¯t back by morning.¡±


    ¡°Attempt to catch prey on your way back,¡± Aclysia advised. ¡°It will appear inconspicuous if you were hunting.¡±


    The humanoid slime nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as fast as possible,¡± he promised them.


    ¡°Make sure everyone gets away,¡± Korith whispered.


    Apexus walked away further from camp, not wanting the beating of his wings to alert anyone. After about twenty minutes on foot, he found a clearing and took off into the air. He needed a moment to orient himself, spot the cliff on which he had waited previously, and find the campfires he had spotted previously from there.


    The most important part of their plan was that nobody innocent got dragged into it.

 Hoarding 13 – Chimera and Cat Covert Tactics

    Heavy beats carried Apexus through the night. Darkness so far from all proper civilization was near complete, the cover of canopies camouflaging carefully hid campfires from all but the highest of angles. Even in this land of dragons, humanoids were not generally adept at hiding from airborne observers. Largely, because it was futile to even try. Anything short of going underground did not provide enough cover to reliably hide from those monsters.


    Apexus spotted the encampment he had visited several days earlier. This time, he landed directly in the middle of the clearing they used as the centre of their gathering.


    The force of the chimera¡¯s landing rustled nearby bushes and disturbed several of the deer that were combing the ground for nuts and other treats. Immediately, they went into retreat, while the two guards posted grabbed their spears out of sheer habit. Apexus straightened up and folded his wings. The spears lowered much slower. Even without his verdant feathers spread, the slime stood one and a half heads over the taller of the two guards and considerably wider as well.


    Apexus fixed the band that kept his black hair confined and waited. He was not here to hunt them, so it was proper to give them the time to get used to his presence. Even though they knew he was coming back and had waited, as per their end of the agreement, the tribe of, primarily, humans eyed him with suspicion.


    The spears were slightly raised again, when Apexus extended a hand towards one of the deer. He did it naturally, without any awkwardness that people unfamiliar with handling animals often had. Nowadays more than ever, Apexus understood his naturalistic side and how to express it. Most things about himself, he understood better than ever before.


    What weirded out the bandits, animals found innately trustworthy. The deer walked closer and sniffed his hand. His body language had facilitated trust and his smell did the rest. The pheromone ducts had evolved considerably from their ant origin and there were many different applications, beyond just smelling good or emphasizing lustful mood, that Apexus tapped into here and there.


    The deer took kindly to the humanoid chimera scratching its head. Like the others of its kind around, they were used to humanoids. The tribe Apexus stood in the centre of was distributed throughout the trees. Their camps stood among a large herd of deer. Each of these fawns was large enough to reach his shoulders with their raised heads and had nimble bodies. The males, fewer in number than the females, had large antlers and were notably bulkier.


    These people migrated with and directed the herd. They picked out the optimal grazing spots and protected the deer from predators and the elements. In return, the tribe slaughtered members of the herd for food and leather. They did so with care, typically taking out the older members or males that were either particularly aggressive or utterly useless. It was an ultimately symbiotic relationship.


    Many of the tents that Apexus had seen when he was last present had already been removed. Of the roughly hundred people he had found initially, watching over a herd of five hundred, less than a tenth remained.


    ¡°If you are looking for Baraba, we sent her ahead,¡± one of the guards finally spoke up.


    ¡°Wise,¡± Apexus answered. The leader of the tribe, an elderly woman, would have had trouble moving with the haste required next. ¡°It is moving along as discussed. The marauders are resting a few hours from here. They are unskilled hunters. I will delay them until after the morning hours.¡±


    The two guards nodded, as did a few of the crowd that had since gathered around. They had a tightrope to run. If they ran too early, it would appear exceedingly staged. Too late, however, and they would be caught by the unsavoury elements Apexus brought with him.


    Under normal circumstances, no one would have agreed to this plan. It was a hallmark of pests like Kaladar, tyrants of wide reach, that they were toppled by a coalition that only existed due to them. The risk that all of this was just a ploy to steal some of their cattle was pronounced in the minds of the tribesmen. It was one they were willing to take, if that prevented the red dragon from terrorizing these lands ever again.


    ¡°Keep your word,¡± one of the guards growled warningly, his spear pointed at the slime.


    ¡°I will,¡± Apexus promised, demonstrably averting his gaze from the weapon. Instead, he looked into the eyes of the fawn still nuzzling his palm. Its eyes were clear and innocent in a way only that of animals could be. ¡°I only kill to eat.¡±


    ___________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°FUCKERS!¡± Trellok shouted, as his axe cleaved into the neck of the deer.


    Apexus did not look away, when the hit ended the life of the animal with a swiftness he was grateful for. The two other bandits that had held it let go. The corpse slouched to the floor. The spinal cord had been severed clean, what little twitches there were at the end were nothing but some random nerves firing one last time.


    Raising his foot, the half-dwarf was about to vent his frustration further. A large hand on his shoulder pulled the bandit back. Growling, he raised his bloodied axe at Apexus.


    The death of the deer was inevitable. One way or another, they would end as food, be it for Kaladar, the bandits, or Apexus himself. An axe to the neck was a swift death, compared to what else nature had to offer. The desecration afterwards, that was a spiritual malaise only sapient beings were capable of. In time¡¯s past and lesser empathy, he could have let it go. With where he had come, he felt it would have malnourished part of his soul, were he to witness it unobstructed.


    Staring down at Trellok, Apexus waited for the marauder to make a first move. There was less than two metres between them, enough that the bandit leader could have swung his two-sided axe at him. The entire raiding party was tense. The half-dwarf panted heavily. He had been spoiling for a fight all morning and he had found nothing here.


    Tunnel visioned on Apexus, the half-dwarf looked for any move on the monk¡¯s part that would have started the combat. There wasn¡¯t even a battle stance. Time passed, breaths calmed, and eventually Trellok¡¯s eye dashed off to the side. He stared at one of the other deer. They had been left with eight others, most of them well-fed and healthy. There were also two tents that were partly dismantled and had then been left. A couple of belongings were strewn about, as if they had fallen out of hastily assembled backpacks. The tribesmen had put together a convincing picture of a hurried evacuation.


    The display reminded Trellok that, despite the lack of violence, there was no lack of loot. He glanced back to Apexus. With the rage diminishing, he remembered what this man had done to others. ¡°Prepare this thing!¡± Trellok barked at one of the bandits. ¡°Might as well enjoy a second breakfast.¡±


    With that, the half-dwarf stomped off, to take his share of the loot. The quartet relocated to a different part of the torn down camp to sift through what had been left behind themselves. They partly did it to keep up appearances and partly because there could have been something actually useful in there. Either this went to the bandits or to them. To return it to the tribe would be practically impossible.


    Eventually, Trellok had calmed down enough to organize the distribution properly. Everything they found that looked even remotely useful or interesting was thrown into a large pile. He and the leaders then picked out what they wanted the most. Afterwards, the rest of the raiding party took turns grabbing something out of the pile. The order was mostly based on Trellok¡¯s whims. A contributing factor was if someone was willing to break a nose over a particular item.


    Unsurprisingly, the quartet was dead last in the order. They still made out with a few interesting trinkets. Skewers of hard wood, a carefully crafted necklace made from leather strips and pieces of antler, a few new hairbands for Apexus, and a wooden bucket.


    After the loot was distributed, everyone¡¯s mood was considerably higher. Minds parted on whether the lack of a fight was a good or a bad thing, but after the one slaughtered deer had been devoured, no one felt like giving chase to the tribe. The accepted story was that they had been spotted by a scout and that the hours they were ahead would make it difficult to catch up. Besides, they had gotten several deer and two whole new tents that were decisively larger and less leaky than what they had back home.


    They assumed they could always raid this area again.


    The extra luggage, as well as the deer, slowed the party on their way back. Although the fawn were used to human contact, the bandits had made the mistake of slaughtering one of their kin right in front of them. That, combined with their unfamiliar smell and loud demeanour, did not make for cooperative animals.


    They slaughtered one more on the way back, leaving them with a total of seven. Although there were numerous attempts to escape by the animals, they were ultimately dragged, shoved, and guided over the mountain range. After five days of travel, they were back at the treeless, craggy slopes.


    Reysha laughed at a terrible joke one of the bandits had made. Every single one of the chuckles was earnest, but only because she imagined slipping her dagger between his vocal cords at the same time. For the entirety of the trip back, she had been socializing with the bandits. Of the quartet, she was the best equipped for this and it was paramount to the final step of their plan that she was in the know.


    ¡°What¡¯re you going to do with these anyway?¡± Reysha asked, pointing at the deer. By now, they were compliant, if only because exhaustion made them unwilling to attempt another escape. ¡°Eat them, obviously, farming is for losers, but how?¡±


    ¡°Prolly gonna smoke them,¡± the bandit responded, openly leering at her cleavage as he did. This time around, the display of sexiness was not intended whatsoever. Reysha just looked that good in casual clothes. ¡°Trellok wants to give the biggest one to Kaladar though.¡±


    The biggest one was the sole male of the herd they had been left with. He was a prime, healthy example of a deer. Had been, at least, until the marauders had separated his antlers following a particularly rebellious charge. Reysha felt least bad of the quartet for what these animals were going through during their final days and even she would have started a fight over this had they not bigger animals to slay.


    ¡®So that¡¯s my target,¡¯ she thought and asked. ¡°So ya going to slaughter it or does Kaladar prefer his prey alive?¡±


    ¡°Trellok wants to kill it tonight. Keep it fresh without having to drag it in front of the fuck-off dragon, you know?¡±


    ¡°That makes sense, yep-yep,¡± Reysha nodded enthusiastically and then swiftly made an excuse to step away. She had gotten what she needed and now she just had to wait for an opportunity to arise.


    It would take until the night to arise. Trellok had made the decision to sleep one last time outside the camp, so that his entire clique would be ready to fend off whoever would try to ¡®tax¡¯ some of their spoils.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit,¡± Reysha whispered to the rest of her party, then Sneaked out. The magic, distributed all over joints, masked her presence. The brightness of her red hair, the only part of her that did not harmonize with the darkness of the night, blurred with her brown skin and dark grey armour. The black of her eyes shifted around, as she arched around the outskirts of the camp.


    There was some activity still. The leisurely pace of the trip back had left most of the bandits with energy to spare. They devoured what was still left of the two deer they had slaughtered so far, which was little more than half dried chunks they could chew on while talking.


    Reysha paid them little mind. Moving between the many covers of the craggy slope, she made her way to the natural stone formation the fawn had been shepherded into. Although they had laid down, they were clearly stressed. Sometimes, one of them got up and tried to scale the rock. The only other way went right through two guards.


    Reysha perched herself on the upper rim of the confinement and waited. Inevitably, Trellok himself went out there. He joked for a little bit with the guards, before stepping into the herd. For ten minutes, the half dwarf amused himself by chasing the male buck around the area. When he had cornered and utterly exhausted it, he finally gave it the death blow.


    ¡®Man, I just really want to stab that guy,¡¯ Reysha thought, playing with the handle of one of the throwing knives on her belt. Dwarves had thick bones, so taking him out with one of these would be near impossible. She still considered it though. Only when he left, was she certain that she wouldn¡¯t do it.


    The dead fawn was left in the grass, among the six that remained. Another display of exceedingly poor taste on every level, yet one that was to the advantage of Reysha. She waited until the guards were distracted. Carefully, she scaled down the two metres of natural rock and snuck over to the corpse. She pulled the vial of poison out of her adventurer¡¯s bag and then pushed the still sealed container into the axe wound. Her hand and part of  her arm were bloodied by the process. She shoved it deep into the gaping wound of the animal, ensuring that it wouldn¡¯t be found.


    A dragon¡¯s stomach acid could take care of a lot of things. Glass was too much even for it, but the cork sealing the vial could be easily managed. ¡®Just need to hope he takes it now,¡¯ she thought and started her way back. She only took a detour to wash her arm off by the ocean.


    Within a few hours, the next day, they returned to the main camp. Everything was as they had left it, filthy and violent. While Trellok¡¯s new tent was erected, the half-dwarf slung the offering over his shoulder and, alone, entered Kaladar¡¯s lair. He came back out without a deer and a content expression.


    That was as good a confirmation as the quartet would get.

 Hoarding 14 – The End of the Plan

    ¡°Man, how does she do this?¡± Korith whispered, looking at Reysha. The tiger girl was breathing softly, her face relaxed and devoid of its usual grin and the predatory look in her eyes. The reason for all of this was that she was sleeping, half curled up against Apexus'' left side.


    The humanoid slime gently stroked her shoulder repeatedly. A calm rhythm for them both. ¡°Strong nerves. Also, she¡¯s a feline. They take short rests easily.¡±


    ¡°All of my envy,¡± Korith grumbled, successfully repressing her urge to jump from one leg to the other. She was wearing her full armour. The clattering of the plates may have alerted the trio that stayed relatively close to them. Aclysia did not have that issue and she fidgeted about continuously, her eyes wandering over the moonlit field.


    ¡°Nobody is watching us,¡± Apexus assured.


    ¡°That is¡­ good, that is good,¡± the exiled angel mumbled.


    Apexus stared at the sky. It was the middle of the night. Few campfires were still burning in the bandit gathering, people celebrating the return from a de-facto successful raid by wasting away most of its winnings in a single night of binge eating. The resulting food coma ensured that most of the marauders were out of commission during the night. Still, they waited for one of the approaching clouds to cover the bright moon before moving out.


    The eternal autumn of the world assured that they didn¡¯t have to wait too long. Forty-five minutes after they had all readied themselves, a dense cloud drifted in front of the celestial body. Apexus¡¯ constant caress of the tiger girl stopped. Reysha¡¯s eyes opened. After blinking twice and stretching, she was fully awake.


    ¡°It¡¯s go time?¡± she asked, just to be 100% certain.


    ¡°We hunt,¡± Apexus confirmed and rose to his feet. Quietly, they moved out of their camp.


    With the cover of night, the route to Kaladar¡¯s lair was an incredibly easy one. The gap between the main camp and the entrance of the cave meant that they only had to take a large curve around to reach it unseen. By Kaladar¡¯s arrogance and the self-preservation of bandits that did not want to end up as a potential midnight snack, there were no guards posted.


    Reysha double-confirmed that by Sneaking ahead. The entire path was, as always, vacant of other people. What was most important to confirm was that Kaladar was there. Quietly making her way to the ramp, the Rogue, pressed tightly against the wall, peeked around the corner.


    There he was, the monstrous red dragon, coiled around his hoard of body parts from his kin. Covered in scars from the various duels against them, his massive, muscular body was imposing. Reysha forced herself to grin, even as she felt the corners of her mouth grow heavy with uncertainty. The concept of killing a dragon was one thing. Being about to actually engage in it a whole other.


    ¡®It¡¯ll be fine,¡¯ she told herself. ¡®I know things are going to be fine¡­ well, I¡¯m like 60% sure¡­ that¡¯s good enough odds for me.¡¯ She grinned a little wider, waving the nervousness away. She clenched her left fist repeatedly. As much as she loathed the potential of turning more demonic with time, the utility of that hand was something she would rely on again today more than ever.


    She kept her eyes focused on Kaladar. Despite the darkness of the cave, the dragon was clearly visible. He radiated a soft, steady glow. Even for a dragon that relied more on its physicality, magic was imbued in every single scale. Scales that rose and fell with some trouble. The taxed breath of the poisoned dragon sounded shallow, his lungs desperate to get the necessary amount of air in each time.


    Reysha retreated and went back outside, waving to the rest of the group. Led by Apexus, they made their way inside. No words were exchanged between them. Their battle plan was clear already.


    Aclysia soundlessly took to the air, her magical flight letting her sail to the back of the cave where she would hopefully be out of sight of the dragon until she chose to strike. Reysha made her way down the ramp on her own, her crimson axe and other weapons all still sheathed. Korith and Apexus stood near the edge of the ramp. The kobold held her warhammer, the weight of the weapon calming her as much as anything could. By contrast, Apexus found that the dead wood of the warpick in his hand felt unnatural. He wished he could have relied on his fists. Against the dragon¡¯s tough hide, his raw power would do nothing, however.


    That was the biggest reason why they were there in the first place.


    All four of them were in position. Kaladar¡¯s sleep was deep, the poison was doing its work. Even with that advantage, this was risky. Not just because of the dragon and his strength, but due to the sounds of combat that would inevitably occur. They had to be smart and quick about this.


    Apexus bent his legs, a quiet warning to Korith, who followed his example. He leapt first, but the force of the kobold¡¯s Martial Art meant that she immediately overtook him. With more speed and power, despite her much smaller frame, she slammed down on Kaladar.


    Her aim wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was good enough. The warhammer cracked down on the base of the right wing. Even scales and muscles couldn¡¯t ward against the combination of gravity and Korith¡¯s boosted strength. With a horrible snap, the bone jumped out of its socket.


    The pain jolted Kaladar awake. His body immediately went into motion, however Apexus connected with his first. Even as he swung it, the warpick felt clunky in his hand. Skill mattered less than the sheer force of the impact though. The single point of the weapon punched through the scales and the muscles underneath, driving all the way into Kaladar¡¯s windpipe.


    Apexus failed to hold onto the weapon when Kaladar¡¯s serpentine neck slammed into him. Desperately beating his wings, the slime barely managed to stabilize his flight before landing. Korith fared a lot better, the sudden force pressing against her hammer throwing her into the air. She landed on her feet, the shock getting lost in her iron bones.


    Kaladar growled at them, a mixture of rage and amusement, and reared his head back. The amusement ceased when the breathing difficulty that had only started after he went to sleep became apparent to his conscious mind. Stubbornly, he kept inhaling, his swiping tail keeping Reysha at bay.


    The light coming from within the scales intensified. Part of the bones in the dragon¡¯s neck could be seen, as fire rushed up from his belly and then cascaded past his jagged teeth. The flame breath was weaker than it should have been, but that didn¡¯t make it unthreatening.


    Apexus stood his ground and trusted in their plan. A bolt of gold-white energy flew towards him just as the red flames did. The breath reached him first, yet did not do any notable damage before the spell connected. Hot like a concentrated ray of the summer sun, it spread out over the slime, then discharged as a golden, translucent shield.


    Aclysia had learned more than new methods of casting from Pronthin.


    Protection from the Suncrest Barrier parted the fire around the humanoid slime. The attack soon subsided, as Korith forced the dragon to turn his attention elsewhere. Aiming to drive the stuck warpick even deeper into the monster¡¯s hide, the kobold was thwarted in her goals mid charge by a swiping claw. The ki already flowing through her bones was instinctively shaped into the most basic of all Warrior Martial Arts.


    Her bones hardened, her joints locked up, both combining to leave her Steadfast. When the back-swinging claw slammed into her plated shoulder, it suddenly stopped. Kaladar hissed, the sensation was unpleasant, doubly so due to the tininess of the obstruction. It was like hitting one¡¯s hand against a doorknob.


    Apexus charged in and, together, he and Korith were locked in an exchange of blows with the large, scarred dragon. They stuck to his right side, trying to take advantage of the somewhat limp wing. Despite his size and clear breathing problems, the red dragon¡¯s movements were fast. When Apexus did get a hit in, his fists uselessly bounced off the scales, as predicted. All it did was open an opportunity for the dragon to sweep him aside. The slime hit the cave wall hard.


    Mockingly, Kaladar blew fire out of his nose and concentrated on the greater threat. Korith was leaping repeatedly through the air, aptly escaping what strikes she could or resisting what she couldn¡¯t with her iron bones. Each time she opted for the latter, it made her head ring. Her whole body took the impact equally.


    Beating his wings, Apexus jumped back into battle. He tried to land on Kaladar¡¯s head. A reckless manoeuvre that landed him between the jaws of the dragon. Teeth slammed into him, penetrating muscles and breaking bones. Before the acidic contents of his body could come into contact with the dragon¡¯s flesh, Kaladar threw the humanoid slime away.


    The lack of blood in his mouth had clued Kaladar in that something was abnormal about the humanoid chimera. His draconic eyes pierced the darkness with ease and saw the clearness inside the body and the translucent muscle fibres. Odd as that was, the red dragon did not have the breath to spare for mid-combat conversation.


    A flash of light distracted him for a moment, then Korith landed a hit against his wrist. It ached, but the dragon was not incapacitated. The very same hand grabbed the kobold and slammed her into the ground. Gritting her teeth, Korith withstood the impact and Kaladar growled. His muscles burned and he shook his head in an attempt to gain clarity. Despite the dull pain from the still lodged warpick and the dislodged wing, he felt drowsy. Audibly, he inhaled, trying to give his body the oxygen it desperately needed. Holding onto Korith, he aimed to smash her down with the actual power of a dragon.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Reysha announced herself, her hand suddenly blocking half of the red dragon¡¯s field of vision.


    While Kaladar had been distracted, Reysha had Sneaked her way up and onto him. The constant thrashing and focus on keeping her presence suppressed had made it an arduous climb, but ultimately she had managed to get to his head. Now her left hand, black and leathery with demonic power, forced itself into the eye of the dragon.


    The thick claws at the end of the fingers were further reinforced by the blue glow of the Edge Martial Art. It aided them in pushing past the secondary eyelid that instinctively closed to protect Kaladar¡¯s eye. The squelching sound that followed and the gore of the eyeball getting squished and sliced at the same forced a roar from the monster.


    The thrashing was more violent than ever and before she completely destroyed the eyeball, Reysha was thrown off. Disoriented and exhausted, Kaladar toppled over. He landed on top of his hoard, some of the severed horns of his kin punching through where old wounds had prevented scales from growing properly. All Kaladar felt was more pain. Animal instincts kicked in and he kept on throwing his weight around unnecessarily.


    This was something Apexus knew and, regenerated for the most part, he stormed right towards the dragon. Movement caused Kaladar to lash out and Apexus immediately dashed back, to repeat the process. Elsewhere, Aclysia landed next to Reysha who had unluckily fallen, bashing her head on the ground.


    That she was out of commission for the moment did not matter much. Kaladar tried his best to scream intimidatingly. A grave mistake. The warpick had finally dislodged, making breathing even more of an issue, with blood now filling his windpipe. It was not, in and of itself, lethal. Neither were the injuries he had sustained. To Kaladar, all of what he had suffered so far was like a human rolling through broken glass. Painful and certain to leave more scars, but not lethal on its own.


    With Apexus entering and leaving the dragon¡¯s attack range, continuously forcing his air-deprived mind to make snap decisions, the various sources of blood loss led to one of the most horrific killers: exhaustion.


    Kaladar¡¯s lower body collapsed. Whenever he moved, he had to drag his hindlegs behind him. Soon, even that ceased. The upper body followed. It was almost like a cat lying down after being done playing. In reality, the four adventurers now crept in closer. Reysha, healed, assisted Apexus in exhausting the dragon, while Aclysia stayed ready to heal and Korith studied a hunting tactic she barely knew.


    The glow from Kaladar¡¯s scales was weak now, barely enough to light the stone around him. His neck slung around, teeth snapping at whatever entered his range. Even now, they couldn¡¯t be careless, especially not Reysha. One bite by those jaws and it would be a miracle if Aclysia could patch her back together.


    The snaps grew weaker. Occasionally, Kaladar was even too weak to lift his head at all. He suddenly fell asleep, only to awaken when someone tried to slice through a vital area.


    Kaladar the Scarred, scourge of the Dragon Isles, pest to his kin, met his demise not in glorious combat, as he would have wished, but slowly, gradually, fading away. He drifted in and out of consciousness, until he ultimately didn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t any specific attack that did it. Eventually, the combination of blood loss, physical trauma, and asphyxiation just made his lungs too weak to expand. He was suffocated by his own body weight.


    ¡°Man, must suck to die like that,¡± Reysha said out loud, when the lack of breaths confirmed that the dragon had indeed perished. ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad for him though.¡±


    Apexus didn¡¯t respond, he only pulled the bloodied warpick out of Kaladar¡¯s skull. Cruel as the scarred dragon had been, the humanoid chimera had wanted to make his death as swift as possible. The toughness of the hide made that impossible. Looking at that creature in all of its size and massiveness, it was difficult to believe that other people killed these things without the help of poison.


    ¡°I was not useful today,¡± the humanoid chimera said, putting the weapon down.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here, right?¡± Reysha said and smacked him on the ass. ¡°Let¡¯s eat that thing. It¡¯s disrespectful to waste food.¡±


    Apexus nodded. They had come here to hunt a dragon and they had succeeded, one way or another. It would have been wrong to leave prey uneaten. Strangely enough, the slime felt that this was the only thing that he and Kaladar could have agreed on. Then again, the red dragon would have doubtlessly engaged in the same cruel disrespect for the perished as his followers.


    Bloating, the humanoid chimera expanded to envelop as much of the dragon as possible. Even at maximum size, it would take hours to completely dissolve the dragon. Eating him in his entirety was not necessary for the Permanent Growth to be acquired, but there was no need to leave anything behind. There was only one issue.


    ¡°Reysha,¡± Aclysia stopped the redhead, who was greedily rubbing her hands. There was no way she would miss out on getting her own taste of dragon meat. ¡°I must delay your indulgence with a simple request. Could you-¡°


    ¡°Check whether or not anyone outside noticed?¡± Reysha asked and sighed. As far as she was concerned, the total lack of shouts echoing down the caves made it clear that nobody had. To appease her more careful party member, she agreed however. ¡°Alrighty, be back in a minute. Leave me something!¡±


    ¡°Darling, be sure to remember to leave a segment of scales. We do owe Joey for his troubles,¡± Aclysia reminded him and then let out a long-held breath. She gave a little signal to Korith and the two of them started scanning what remained of the hoard for intact scales or other pieces that could be of value to traders and craftsmen.


    The hardest part was done. Now they just had to leave.

 Hoarding 15 – Leaving the Lair

    ¡°All clear,¡± Reysha told everyone after she came back. Halfway through opening her mouth, Aclysia found it sealed by the tiger girl¡¯s left index finger. The touch tingled faintly with the traces of demonic energies. ¡°Yes, bubble butt, I did the whole double and quadruple checking stuff. Trust the happy little murder kitty, ya got nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I steadily have several reasons to worry,¡± Aclysia retorted and grabbed the tiger girl¡¯s hand. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had felt that sort of tingle and so far she had never managed to glean anything from an inspection. That did not keep her from trying.


    Reysha, however, did not care to be scanned for several minutes. ¡°There¡¯s nothing new going on there, Clysia,¡± the redhead stated and pulled her hand back. Forcing the irritation she felt at her friend¡¯s worry, excessive to her mind, she conjured the demonic side of the limb to the surface. It did not outright transform into a demonic limb. The veins bulged and turned an unnatural black, which infested whatever tiger stripes she had over the arm and turned them into messy inkblots. The red nails extended and thickened, turning into claws more befitting a digging animal than a cat. ¡°I kinda get this now,¡± Reysha said.


    Slower, much slower than it had surfaced, the corruption crept back under the skin. Aclysia pressed her lips together and stared. ¡°Be wary. A play may begin when you step onto the stage, but the theatre demands its own pace.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just jump off the stage,¡± Reysha joked.


    ¡°Reysha¡­!¡±


    The tiger girl rolled her eyes, the blue of the iris a striking difference to the black around them, especially in the poor lighting. ¡°This is part of me now, Aclysia, might as well get good use out of it. If it starts taking me over, we¡¯ll worry about it then. Hasn¡¯t happened so far and I refuse to handicap myself when we¡¯re fighting literal fucking dragons.¡±


    Tapping her heel repeatedly, Aclysia tried to stare the redhead down. She tried to conjure a good argument. Besides the warning she had already given, nothing surfaced. ¡°Be aware that you are setting yourself up for my mightiest ¡®I told you so¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Eh, ya win some ya lose some.¡± Reysha shrugged and looked over to Korith. ¡°Whaddaya think, squishy?¡±


    Korith did not register the question at first. This was the first time she had seen Apexus devour something this way. For ease of retaining his muscle structure, he usually just stuffed his face. Unhinged jaws were not that unnerving.


    This was a little different. It wasn¡¯t Apexus¡¯ body that weirded her out, not really anyway. Even though the humanoid body seemed alien, attached to the much larger blob, that was nothing compared to the near-death abomination he had been after days of starvation. No, it was the consistent, unstopping breakdown of the corpse inside the mostly translucent slime that caught her attention.


    After the scales were dissolved, the skin followed quickly. Trails of blood rose where the veins were exposed, each of them getting absorbed into the slime before discolouring the surrounding area. What the dragon had for facial features was eventually broken down to muscle and bones. Eventually it would be just bones. Then those bones would become smaller and smaller, detach from one another, thin out, and then just vanish. Fully digested and absorbed into the humanoid slime¡¯s biomass.


    Every natural creature ate and a less clean variety of the same process was continuously running inside them. That did not stop it from being unnerving. It was the kind of sight that was so uncommon it bordered on horror. Like a bird foetus hanging out of a broken egg, half dissolved and covered in goo.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Korith welcomed the distraction and turned her head. ¡°Sorry, I was kinda¡­ staring.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it, Aclysia did.¡±


    ¡°Watching darling eat has never been a particularly¡­ engaging subject,¡± the metal fairy confessed. ¡°Anyway, Reysha was asking what your opinion is on the matter of her reliance on her demon hand. I posit such tools should be wielded with extreme delicacy, if at all. She insists that a tool that cannot be removed might as well fulfil its function.¡±


    ¡°D¡¯aww, thank ya for wording my argument so neutrally.¡±


    ¡°I have no need to employ sophistry, for my view stands on its own merit,¡± Aclysia stated. Her green eyes darted to Korith, hoping for a confirmation.


    ¡°I mean¡­ doing demon stuff in general is bad?¡± Korith said. ¡°So I guess I¡¯m with Aclysia on this one.¡±


    ¡°Urgh¡­ what about you big guy?¡± Reysha shouted up to Apexus, whose humanoid form was ¡®sitting¡¯ on top of Kaladar¡¯s shoulders. Cross-legged on the mountain of his own acidic biomass, he looked like the world¡¯s most macabre monk.


    Apexus tilted his head one way, then the other to indicate he was thinking. ¡°Are demons bad because they are bitter or are they bad because they are demons?¡± he asked a rhetorical question. ¡°They have the thankless task of endlessly warring against the Parasytes at the Roots of the Omniverse. I¡¯d grow irritated as well, if I continuously hunted for a stranger''s benefit. If that very fight has corrupted them down to their nature universally, then it would be inadvisable to risk any further spread. If it hasn¡¯t, if demonic is just a form of strength, there is no need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Ya really starting to sound like a monk,¡± Reysha commented with a wry smile.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Apexus responded with the hint of a smile. ¡°Until we know whether the arm spreads or not, it might as well see usage. I agree with Aclysia though. One should not blindly tear into potentially poisoned meat.¡±


    Reysha grumbled for a little bit. Appeased, Aclysia walked away and tugged at Korith to distract her with the renewed task of picking up some trophies. Distracting herself from the moral condemnation of her peers, the redhead asked, ¡°Speaking of blindly tearing into poisoned meat, can I just dig into that?¡±


    ¡°The poison works on ingestion, not on re-ingestion,¡± Apexus told her. Many a compound that was poisonous unfolded its purpose by being broken down by bodily functions into something harmful. What ended up in the bloodstream of the victim was, itself, incapable of surviving the initial stages of the eating process. Unless Reysha injected the dragon¡¯s blood directly into herself, she would experience no problems. If she did, she¡¯d have many more problems than the poison.


    The exact chemical processes taking place were unknown to them, but Apexus knew what it felt like to ingest poison. His slime went numb or ached for a little bit, particularly when the poison had a magical element to it. Nothing of that happened here. Everything was dissolved without harm.


    With that news, Reysha moved to the back of Kaladar¡¯s massive body. Apexus was still busy with the serpentine neck and head of the dragon, so Reysha had plenty of time to indulge herself with a delicious looking thigh. The only problem was that she had to de-scale the area first. She considered her options for a moment, then glanced about. Aclysia and Korith were too distracted to see her, half-hidden behind a wing.


    ¡®Fuck it,¡¯ she thought and let the demonic strength manifest again. Apexus noticed her tear the individual scales out with raw strength and said nothing. Concern about what could happen competed and lost against letting her decide what to do with this strange limb she had been given. It was supposed to be a reward by Apotho. From what Apexus had been told, Warlocks had to be honest in their rewards to retain the trust of demons. Pacts and oaths were the currency of those that employed the creatures from the Hellroots. If demons were unconvinced that the Warlock would keep up his end of the bargain, they would not serve. Warlocks were incentivized to be, of all things, truthful in the rewards they bestowed.


    What the incentives were and what Apotho truly could have done were two different matters though. Apexus came, pondering as he kept eating, to the conclusion that it was no use to worry too much.


    If Apotho had created this arm with malice in mind, it was unlikely he would have tied any outright demonification to usage. If direct corruption was possible, the blood of a Deathhound would have facilitated it and veins connected the limb to her torso either way. If anything, it¡¯d be a matter of time rather than application.


    ¡®We should find someone with prowess in this field,¡¯ Apexus concluded. There was no teacher for Warlocks on the isle, but there had to be at least one retired adventurer of that Class somewhere. When they got back, unless their teachers found something else that needed to be learned, that¡¯d be their next priority. ¡®We could ask Melios before we return home.¡¯


    Hours passed. The corpse of Kaladar got continuously smaller, while Apexus devoured most of it. The knowledge that he could acquire a new permanent Growth was already tingling in his biomass. He held off on it, gradually making his way towards the chest of the creature.


    The magical cortex of most creatures that had one was behind the sternum. It was loosely attached to the bone through gelatinous tissue. The cortex Itself was of a layered make. Petals of a flexible matter were consolidated into a tight, hardened bud. It was the centre of the magical circuits that spread out through the entire body. As someone unfolded their magical potential, the cortex would ¡®bloom¡¯, increasing the surface area, allowing more blood to reach it, which carried the nutrients that were transformed into mana.


    Kaladar¡¯s magical circuit was in a mostly undeveloped state. There were many differences between the magical cortex of a dragon and that of most sapient species. None of them were relevant to Apexus at that moment. The primary one, the sheer size of the opaque organ in his smaller torso, was solved the moment the Growth turned from temporary to permanent.


    Upon being integrated into the slime, the magical cortex tightened up as much as possible. Although the slime possessed magical circuitry of some description, none of it had ever seen use outside of feeding Aclysia with mana. Any previous, lesser magical cortexes he had acquired from animals who only wielded select spells they were born with, had failed to work with them. The permanently acquired cortex swiftly became the nexus of these invisible pathways.


    Apexus expected to feel a drain on his resources. Instead, he felt nothing. The passive capacity of a magical cortex, turning nutrients into magical energy, had been fulfilled by his slime previously. With a dedicated organ, it would be more effective.


    The question was where to place it in his body. Unlike everyone else, he had the choice. His sternum was not a bad choice. His ribcage was essentially solid, the bones thick and covered by dense muscles. However, that was the expected placement. Putting it elsewhere could have been a tactical advantage. Many techniques had surfaced over the years that targeted the cortex of an enemy. As magic energy became more prevalent in higher Levels, that would only increase in relevance. Plus, his chest already contained his core. Placing too many vital organs in one spot created an ever-larger weak spot.


    With that in mind, Apexus decided to move the magical cortex to an area that was rarely struck even indirectly: his hips. The protection was a little lower, particularly from the front, but the magical cortex was not sensitive enough of an organ to worry about anything besides deliberate attacks. Further steps to layer on defences could be taken down the line, or it could be relocated if it didn¡¯t work out.


    While Apexus continued eating, Korith and Reysha took a nap and Aclysia held a vigil above. They were past the morning hours now and someone could have had a reason to check on Kaladar. Once more, the lack of care the members of the camp had for one another was to the advantage of the quartet.


    Eventually, all that was left of Kaladar was a pile of scales, his broken horns, and the last fistful of thigh meat that Reysha stuffed down her throat as breakfast. What was valuable was inside their adventurer¡¯s bags. They cleaned themselves off with the contents of their waterskins, made themselves presentable and then employed the most daring of all exit strategies.


    They simply walked out.


    A few nearby people turned in their direction, then returned to whatever they were doing. Kaladar had no guards who would be surprised if someone came out. Some may have wondered when they had entered. No one actually tracked it and so they just shrugged it off. Had the group appeared bloodied or otherwise unusual, someone could have connected the dots. Having changed back to their casual clothes, with all wounds treated by Aclysia, there was nothing off to be spotted.


    ¡°Just keep walking,¡± Reysha told Korith, who was being incredibly suspicious by rearing her head repeatedly.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe we¡¯re getting away with this,¡± the shortstack whispered back.


    With no initial reaction, the group just strolled (mostly casually, except for Korith¡¯s nervous stride), back to their camp. Once there, they started packing up their tents and what other belongings they wanted to take with them. The bandits that had settled nearby followed the happenings curiously. Between the three of them, they discussed whether they should take down their own tents, but decided to delay that work until they were sure the quartet was moving something further away.


    It only took them about ten minutes. What they could prepare without looking suspicious, they had yesterday. The tents were empty, only had to be taken down and stored away.


    The party started moving southwards. Apexus stopped and exchanged a long-distance glance with the trio. ¡°Keep moving, I¡¯ll catch up,¡± he told his lovers. Reysha raised an eyebrow, Korith jumped from one foot to the other, and Aclysia nodded approvingly. Then, they parted for the moment. Alone, Apexus approached the three bandits. He squatted down next to their campfire. ¡°Tielner, Gore, Meltz,¡± he addressed the three of them individually. ¡°Your life strategy is not going to pay off in the long term. One day, not too far from now, you won¡¯t even have the strength of youth anymore. Your body will become slower. You will die. You¡¯re horrible people that deserve it. Try to find a way not to be.¡±


    ¡°The fuck are you on about?¡± Tielner, the apparent leader of the trio, sneered. Meltz, the one who Apexus had carried to Aclysia after accidentally breaking his skull, had a smiliarly confused and dismissive expression. Only Gore was quiet and actually considered these words.


    ¡°Try to move south. To the fortress of Weststir. Ask for work. That¡¯s the best suggestion I have for you.¡± With that, Apexus stood up. He had done what he felt he had to. With that, the slime moved away.


    A day after the quartet had left the camp, someone became curious why the dragon hadn¡¯t come out to hunt in two days. They found the lair vacated and some of the hoard gone. Confused, they would report this to the camp. Everyone wondered what had happened. That the adventurers had something to do with this became the common theory. Others insisted that they couldn¡¯t just kill Kaladar and make his body disappear, so they suggested that the red dragon had somehow slipped out and left them.


    Either way, the camp soon turned into an open brawl. The loosely affiliated cliques would fight each other for the remaining resources. Meltz would die in that brawl, leaving Tielner and Gore to attach themselves to the victorious clique. The survivors disbanded the camp and scattered, pursuing either smaller-time banditry or a new dragon to serve.


    For a year, Tielner and Gore would survive on infrequent meals, until hunger claimed Tielner. Left in a bandit camp where he felt like a complete stranger, Gore would finally heed the words that Apexus had left him with. He headed south. After a month of trying, he would meet a patrol and plead for a chance.


    Gore would serve as a guide for the soldiers, showing them the common tricks bandits used in the area. For many years, he helped keep them safe, until his age eventually started to slow him down. The soldiers vouched for him, allowed him to take a boat to Weststir, where he stayed for one month before finding that proper civilization was too much for him. He returned to the fortress, where he would spend the rest of his life as a simple cook.


    When he died, the only thing he left behind was a book written in the scraggly hand of someone who had learned to write late in life. A messy, chaotic chronicle of the monster he had been and how thankful he was for the simple life he was allowed to have despite his past. The last words in the book were: ¡°I can only thank the few, blunt words that I heard that one day.¡±


    Apexus would never know his words had taken root in only one person.


    Had he, he would have smiled and said, ¡°That was worth it, then.¡±

 Hoarding 16 – Asking the Blue

    Melios inspected the horn in front of him with curious eyes. Without asking, he took it from Apexus¡¯ hands. He took a grunting breath, then reared his head back as if the scent of Kaladar was worse than rot itself. The horn dangled between two of the cow-sized dragon¡¯s claws. After having seen Kaladar, the blue wyrm appeared especially small for the kind of creature he was.


    ¡°Fashion something worth displaying from this,¡± Melios ordered and one of the people standing in the lair swiftly approached. The basin Melios was lying in was drained this day, to be refilled towards noon for the daily scrubbing of his pristine scales. This time around, the quartet had arrived in the morning hours and there had been a regular meeting in session outlining what the goals were for that week.


    That the horn was now being taken away, along with the large scale and empty flask they used as proof of the kill, was expected. Apexus already knew Melios to be a greedy and arrogant creature. All that could be said to his benefit was that the blue dragon was not malicious. Sometimes, that was enough to work with such a being.


    Reysha demonstrably averted her gaze, to prevent her death glare from showing. Meanwhile, Korith shifted left to right and bit the inside of her cheek. It took all her will not to greedily stare at the semi-circle of shiny objects piled up behind Melios. Apexus and Aclysia were leading the talk.


    ¡°It was proper of you to bring this proof. How did he meet his end?¡± Melios asked, clearly eager to know.


    ¡°Exhausted suffocation,¡± Apexus put it as short as possible.


    ¡°Oh, that was exactly what I wanted to hear,¡± Melios chuckled, folding his claws under his chest. ¡°And his little raider party? What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°We left them.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Melios sounded less enthusiastic at that news. ¡°I suppose you did a lot for mortals already. Those mongrels will be busy cracking each other¡¯s skulls open to see if they can find a worthwhile leader in whoever survives the longest. Nevertheless, we should increase security for a while.¡± The dragon looked to one of the guards, who only gave an affirming nod. ¡°As for you ¨C I trust that I will never see you again?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Apexus agreed and looked to Aclysia.


    The metal fairy took half a step forward, so that the attention of the dragon shifted to her. Before he could get offended about this, she lowered her head in a deep bow and recited the address she had been preparing all day. ¡°Great dragon Melios, we understand that we entered an accord and that you have fulfilled your end of the bargain splendidly.¡±


    ¡®Not that he had to do much besides lay there and look really fucking delicious,¡¯ Reysha thought and quickly glanced away again before her mouth could start to water. Dragon thigh had been like a flavour intensive, juicy chicken. Another bite would certainly be welcome.


    Melios did not notice Reysha¡¯s hunger. His eyes were locked approvingly on the metal fairy who kept her head down and addressed him with the necessary reverence. ¡°We would not dare to ask for anything material from your lair as rewards. Your hoard sparkles like your cobalt scales and belongs by your side. We would ask for something of no lesser value, which we hope you are still willing to give: a piece of your vast knowledge and a moment of your time.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm,¡± the blue dragon hummed. He turned his head away from the group, theatrically gazing off while tapping his chin with one of his claws.


    ¡®That¡¯s probably over a thousand gold piled up there, how¡¯s that as valuable as his time?¡¯ Korith wondered. Softly, she chewed her cheek and tried really hard not to think about it. She failed utterly. ¡®There¡¯s so much money there! I want it!¡¯


    ¡°I will at least hear what you want to ask,¡± Melios said magnanimously.


    ¡°Thank you, cobalt one.¡± Aclysia bowed a little deeper. Only after taking the half step back, did she raise her head and gesture at Reysha. ¡°I know her insolence last time has caused you justified annoyance, but I would still ask that you inspect an affliction upon my comrade.¡±


    ¡°Are you speaking about Noir, little Priest?¡± Melios asked, hoping she would be surprised by this revelation. When she shook her head, that annoyed him mildly. ¡°Then do not waste my precious time,¡± he warned, ¡°show me this affliction.¡±


    Reysha raised her left hand and let the demonic nature show. Aclysia provided context, ¡°My comrade once lost an arm while in service to a Warlock. He restored her limb using the blood of a Deathhound.¡± Melios was getting up, deeply curious. ¡°We would like to inquire if the affliction could spread to the rest of her corporeal form or be otherwise harmful.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Melios hummed and inspected the arm from multiple angles. Suddenly, he grabbed Reysha. His claws wrapped around her waist quicker than she could react. Apexus and Korith automatically assumed a battle stance. One of his eyes fixated on them, while the other stayed trained on the tiger girl¡¯s arm. ¡°Just lie down,¡± he ordered her.


    ¡°Would it kill ya to just ask?!¡± Reysha asked, her voice borderline manic. Much as she loved her danger, the dragon could kill her with one snap in their current position.


    ¡°You wanted knowledge from me,¡± Melios said, his attention shifting to Aclysia. Of the group, she was the only one who he deemed reasonable. ¡°Do as I tell you or leave my lair.¡±


    Aclysia glanced at Reysha, then moved her eyes to Apexus. The humanoid slime slowly nodded. He read no malicious intent from Melios, only the annoyance of a mind that thought it normal that everything around would move according to his commands.


    Reysha sank to the ground and was placed at a peculiar bit of the swept floor as if she was a block of wood on a workbench. With great care for his study object, Melios grabbed her by the wrist and left collarbone. His claws pricked her skin, revealing a drop of red blood under one and a black ooze that visibly vaporized under the other. The injuries were no larger than a stab with a sewing needle.


    Moving on to arcane methods, Melios summoned his mana. A deep blue light emitted from his left hand. As he moved it along the length of her arm, he could see through the skin and muscles, see the bone structure and the veins all around.


    ¡°This is truly advanced magic¡­ outside of my reach¡­¡± It almost physically pained Melios to say that. When he reached her shoulder he let out a satisfied grunt. ¡°Regardless, I am aware of this spellwork. This is a Demonic Enhancement, reinforced through a ritual to be made permanent. To see an entire limb be replaced, even with the blood of a Deathhound, this Warlock must have been truly terrific at his craft.¡±


    Melios let go of Reysha and returned to his basin. Lazily, like a cat that had eaten enough for the day, he stretched and laid back down. ¡°Cobalt one, if I may, our question wa-¡°


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten,¡± the blue dragon reprimanded her. Before he answered, purely to torture those he deemed intellectually inferior, he moved around the spot to find the perfect comfort. ¡°It has no need to spread to the rest of her ¨C it already has,¡± he revealed. ¡°Had it not, her body would have rejected the limb entirely and it would have rotted off. Her Noir condition likely made it easier to accept the foreign mana. Now, it is entirely part of her, albeit the strength of the mana fed into the limb is not enough to activate it entirely.¡±


    ¡°So ya telling me this hand will get more powerful as I get more powerful?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying you¡¯re unworthy of this limb and you¡¯re holding it back,¡± Melios corrected chidingly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no risk she may turn into a demon and be pulled to the Hellroots?¡± Apexus asked what was the most important of all questions.


    ¡°Not with this arm alone. Demonic Enhancement is employed by many Warlocks, even if they acquire the know-how or power to make it more than a temporary boost to a limb.¡± Melios gave the tall humanoid chimera a dismissive glare. To him it was proof of his superiority that he even had to lay that out. ¡°I will forgive these additional questions, due to the interesting thing you showed me. Now, however, you should be on your way. I have my affairs to tend to.¡±


    ¡°And we, ours,¡± Apexus responded, walking over to help Reysha stand up. ¡°Farewell.¡±


    ___________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Gods, what a cunt,¡± Reysha complained when they were outside the bounds of the village. She said it so loudly several of the guards could still hear her. None of them acted on it. It was a common sentiment for visitors. ¡°A useful cunt, but still a giant lizard asshole!¡±


    Apexus contemplated that for a moment, before saying, ¡°There are great differences between cunts and assholes.¡±


    ¡°Eh, both are fuckable,¡± Reysha waved off. ¡°Not that he was. Even if he was twice as hot as you are, I couldn¡¯t put up with that personality.¡±


    ¡°It is literally impossible for anyone to be twice as hot as our darling,¡± Aclysia said. ¡°We specifically helped him form his facial features to our liking.¡±


    ¡°Hellroots, fuck, what is this, anti-humour hour?!¡± Reysha threw her arms up into the air. ¡°Fuck me sideways.¡± She lowered her arms back down and continued in a totally casual tone. ¡°No, I mean it, can we stop for a minute and pound me against a tree?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus gave the blunt answer.


    ¡°Awww, but wai nawt?¡± Reysha engaged in that annoying, overly cute voice. ¡°Down¡¯t ya wanna giwwe cweam to yar kittwy?¡±


    ¡°To be¡­ well,¡± Korith cleared her throat when everyone looked up to her. Sitting on top of Apexus¡¯ shoulders, she tried not to be embarrassed about what she was about to say. ¡°To be honest, we kinda just did something incredible and I want to celebrate it?¡±


    ¡°Squishy is getting hooked on sex,¡± Reysha said with a broad grin.


    ¡°I-I mean¡­ it sorta, kinda, feels really good?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it does. So, what¡¯s the hold up, big guy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to delay our trip home. We¡¯ll be on the boat for over a week. Plenty of time for fun then.¡± Apexus was in a mood to celebrate with some extensive intercourse himself. Priorities simply had to be set.


    ¡°Darling is right,¡± Aclysia decided and looked around. ¡°Further, we could be seen by all manner of people out here.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s what makes it hot!¡± Reysha declared and then raised her voice to shout. ¡°Ain¡¯t that right, teach¡¯?¡±


    No reaction from the environment. ¡°¡­Is this what you were on about whenever you mentioned that we would not die?¡± Aclysia inquired. ¡°You assumed we were being followed by your teacher?¡±


    ¡°It was a good assumption,¡± Mai said.


    Aclysia lifted half a metre off the ground, so intensely she jumped when the Infiltrator dropped her Stealth. All of a sudden, the sounds she made, the vibrations of her steps, and her smell came into focus. The difficulty to truly spot her visually remained for several seconds. Their eyes glided off her like hands off oiled glass.


    When the effect was fully dispersed, they found a lithe elven woman with a buzzcut and purple eyes walking alongside them. She wore a tunic of an earthen brown colour, almost the same as her skin and the surrounding trees.


    ¡°You did a good job noticing me, Reysha,¡± Mai complimented, while Aclysia slowly hovered after them. Apexus was calmly walking along. He was surprised, but his training and life so far had beaten most shock reactions out of him. Korith, on top of his shoulders, was just blinking rapidly.


    ¡°Why thank you, I did train a lot. Someone kept smacking me whenever I dropped my guard,¡± the redhead responded with chirping sarcasm. ¡°She was a blonde though¡­ well, unless she was a brunette¡­ also she had a broader nose and massive tits.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t bother transforming for your amusement,¡± Mai told her.


    ¡°So, you were tracking us¡­ this entire time?¡± Korith asked, slowly growing redder as she realized what all Mai must have seen or, at least, heard.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I stayed a fair distance away when you had your private time. I wouldn¡¯t want anyone to bother me or hubby either,¡± Mai responded with the smile of a patient housewife. ¡°Took you 21 days from landing to killing the dragon. Three weeks isn¡¯t bad for a first-time dragon kill.¡±


    ¡°Wanna bet Joey is still going to be pissed that we were too slow?¡± Reysha giggled.

 Hoarding Epilogue – Value

    ¡°Took you fucking long enough,¡± Joey spat out.


    ¡°I win,¡± Reysha declared triumphantly.


    ¡°We all win,¡± Aclysia responded.


    ¡°Which makes the bet totally worthless¡­¡± Korith grumbled. ¡°Why even have bets that you can¡¯t win anything from?¡±


    ¡°We estimated you would be irate no matter how quick we made it back,¡± Apexus explained to the captain.


    Joey clicked his tongue, his heel hammering on the wooden floor of the building. They were in one of the buildings by the docks. The primary purpose was to store wagons and horses, which were needed to get supplies from the ships to the fortress. The room they were in was an extension of it that was mostly used for shelter from the rain. Joey had been using it to quarter his crew while they waited. It had a little more comfort than the ship.


    ¡°Guess you were fucking right,¡± the old half elf just growled and forced his leg to stop. ¡°Especially since you come back with an extra passenger.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Joey, I was here the entire time,¡± Mai responded.


    The captain furrowed his eyebrows, the part of his hair that still sported the most of the once universal blackness. He opened his mouth slightly. ¡°Do I know you?¡± he asked after a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°Name is Mai,¡± she responded with a little bow.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Joey remembered immediately and leaned back. ¡°How is the husband?¡±


    ¡°Not too bad with me away, I hope,¡± the teacher sighed, wantonly gazing off into the distance. ¡°Hubby will have to get up and make his own breakfast¡­¡±


    ¡°How unreasonable,¡± the captain remarked drily. ¡°Can Rentilas still tie his shoes by himself or did you pamper that out of him?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten him there yet.¡±


    ¡°Ya two know each other?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°A little,¡± Mai answered. ¡°If you stay long enough, you eventually sail with this short-fused bastard.¡±


    ¡°I liked you better when you were withdrawn and didn¡¯t open your fucking mouth,¡± Joey responded aggressively. ¡°But yeah, we just see each other like once every two years or so. Not that I recognize her shape-shifting ass when it¡¯s not attached to her husband like the world¡¯s clingiest piece of slime.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll die alone if you don¡¯t correct that tone, young man.¡±


    ¡°Gods, I hope. Peace and quiet in my final moments,¡± Joey grunted and leaned back. ¡°Enough with the chit-chat, we done here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus confirmed. Waiting several seconds for the humanoid chimera to add something, Joey shook his head and then turned to his crew.


    ¡°Get your asses into gear, we¡¯re leaving with the next high tide!¡± he shouted at the sailors, most of whom had already started to move. The room was quickly emptying, leaving only the quartet, the teacher, and the captain around a simple table. ¡°So, did you get it done?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus responded again, then grabbed his bag. He, alongside everyone else in the party, started to put the spoils onto the table.


    The various scales from Kaladar¡¯s hoard made for a prismatic display. Every colour was present in some shade, albeit red, blue, and green were by far the most represented. Size was even more chaotic. The red dragon had usually made off with whatever scales he got his claws on after the duel had gone on long enough to sate his hunger for violence. Because of this, some of the scales were of the larger variety that covered the back and some were the miniscule ones on the hands of the large beasts. Similarly, the quality was inconsistent. Some scales had been shattered into pieces during the combat, others had been broken from the start. Same went for the several horns they placed on the table. The largest was twice the size of a deer antler and twisted, while the shortest was just a curved tip, barely longer than a finger.


    Although the spread of quality made it difficult to discern the total value, Joey grinned as he scanned over his payment. ¡°Here I thought I¡¯d be stuck with red scales,¡± he hummed.


    Apexus felt borderline disturbed by seeing the old half elf be happy. It was like witnessing a frog casually walk on water. Sure, the frog lives in the environment, and Joey had the facial features required for the expression, but enabling that bit more was a leap in what the slime understood to be normal.


    Continuing to hum to himself, Joey stroked his smooth chin. ¡°This¡¯ll fetch a nice price¡­¡± he reached down to his waist and grabbed his coin purse. The metal inside rattled in that satisfying way only coins could. Swiftly, he fished five gold coins out from inside and threw them across the table.


    One of them hit the table at an angle and started rolling. Korith smashed her hand down on it with enough force to make the entire table shake. Rapidly, she picked up the other four coins and looked at them with big eyes. ¡°For Hoard?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Fuck if I know what you¡¯ll do with it, fact is I¡¯ll make a killing¡­ also I guess you killed a dragon and that¡¯s sort of impressive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see ya try,¡± Reysha purred.


    ¡°So, you¡¯d like to see me die?¡± Joey asked, while looking around the room. He found an empty barrel. Carrying it to the table, he began filling it with the various dragon scales. ¡°Big guy,¡± he barked in his usual, aggressive tone, and stopped himself when Apexus stared back. The humanoid chimera knew this aspect of him, which was comforting, and his usual response was to maintain physical dominance. It kept the tone humble. ¡°Could you carry this to the ship for me?¡± Joey requested.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus said, for the third time.


    ¡®I can never read that guy,¡¯ Joey thought, while Apexus did as asked and lifted the heavy barrel with both arms.


    ________________________________________________________________________


    Two hours later, the ship was starting to sail away from the island.


    Apexus looked back at it with a mixture of emotions. ¡®Was this a hunt or a mission?¡¯ he asked himself. ¡®Did I come here to eat something or for something more?¡¯ he reformulated, hoping to find an answer.


    The fundamental purpose of the trip had been to acquire the magical cortex. In that regard, it was a hunt from the outset. What he had seen of the world here made him feel like it was a mission with a purpose though. If that was the case, what had that purpose been? To leave the Dragon Islands better than he had found them?


    The main thing he had learned was that he didn¡¯t have that level of power. It was too vast a place with too many people. He had killed Kaladar, which led to people all around being safe at least for a little while.


    ¡®The Dragon Isles are a little safer. That¡¯s all I can do for now,¡¯ Apexus embraced the endpoint of the train of thought. He had come to hunt and accomplished a little more. He had also found at least one creature that had, doubtlessly, deserved death. Exposure to it helped come a little closer towards the answer of who he should spare and who he should kill. Whether he would ever reach it was questionable.


    Maltos had often told Apexus about a Monk¡¯s search for enlightenment being a road all of them travelled. ¡°In all my years,¡± the teacher had said, ¡°all those that I considered to have reached a point of true wisdom in one or all fields never considered themselves fully learned, while simultaneously being insistent on what they were certain about. Truest enlightenment appears to be the humility to accept that we¡¯re never done learning.¡± He had let out a little laugh. ¡°I know your stance towards idioms, but maybe you will like this one: keep your feet on the ground and your head in the clouds.¡±


    ¡®How could I be that tall?¡¯ Apexus had wondered then and was still sort of wondering now. ¡®I¡¯m taking this too literally. Probably something about being rigid and flexible at the same time? Clouds aren¡¯t that flexible though. They¡¯re easily disrupted.¡¯


    Dismissing that thought, Apexus turned away from the railing and walked into the chamber that he, alongside his party and Mai, occupied. Inside there, Korith was eagerly laying out her playing cards and dice in a deliberate pattern. For once, it was not a preparation for some kind of game.


    ¡°Only four?¡± Korith asked for the tenth time.


    ¡°Yes, four, a total of eighty percent of the exceedingly large sum we have been paid surprisingly,¡± Aclysia responded, her tone hard to reflect her unbudging conviction on this topic. ¡°Your devotion to your deity is admirable. It will not see the total ruination of our finances.¡±


    ¡°Maybe just 50 silver on top?¡± Korith bartered.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Awwww¡­¡± the kobold pouted. Aclysia did not budge. Relenting, the blonde shortstack put four gold coins in the middle of the circle of playing cards and dice.


    Summoning worked through physical metaphors and esotericism. What made up the summoning circle was directly linked to what it aimed to achieve. In order to reach the Hoard, a number of items representing chance around tokens of value was a tried and tested method of communication. As a Goldborn kobold, Korith knew every last one of the ways to communicate with Hoard. This was a magic she had been schooled in since she knew how to write.


    Rituals, in general, were difficult magic. Almost anyone could set one up if they followed the instructions. Creating the proper conduit to achieve what was desired and channelling one''s magic to use it were two wildly different skills, however.


    Nervously, Korith approached the circle she had laid and put her finger on the ace of spades. It had been a while since she had offered to the Hoard. Waiting any longer would have been improper though. Hoard deserved to grow at all times.


    Everyone else in the room, even Mai, followed with interest as the small woman closed her eyes and concentrated. Almost immediately, the dice and cards began to glow. Lifting off the ground, they hovered a finger width above the planks. The coins at the centre flipped into the air and hit the ground with a pure ¡®pling¡¯. Each of them individually, in a constant rhythm, flipped and fell. One, two, three, four ¨C one, two, three, four ¨C one, two, three, four ¨C the constant fling was almost hypnotic.


    Then the sound of what they landed on shifted from wood to other gold coins. One, two, three, four ¨C and all of them were gone. Vanished through an invisible portal. ¡°Nice,¡± a voice, pure and androgynous, echoed in the room.


    The hovering dice fell to the floor. The ace of spades under Korith¡¯s finger darted off in a diagonal line. It slipped underneath the next card over, then the two of them moved to the third, then those three towards the fourth. This continued clockwise, until the entirety of the deck had been gathered up.


    It shuffled itself. The sounds of the cardboard moving were emphasized, filling the room more than the whisper of paper should ever be capable of. When Korith opened her eyes, the deck slowly settled where the coins had been. The upper three cards of the deck settled down in front of her, still hidden.


    Fingers wiggling, Korith looked between the three. She reached for the middle, then stopped. Then she reached for the right one and stopped. She tilted her head and looked at the left one. She hummed. She kept prolonging the moment. The excitement of not knowing what exactly her deity had in store for her.


    Then she finally took the middle one and flipped it over. The two of hearts laid before her. The red symbols on the worn playing card glowed intensely. At the height of their illumination, they suddenly shifted to blue and with a ¡®poof¡¯ a blue gemstone manifested. ¡°Thank you for your contribution,¡± the voice of the god said as the presence of the Hoard faded away.


    ¡°Thank you for being the best!¡± the kobold responded excitedly and picked up the blue stone. She marvelled at its intense colour, like the clearest sky, and the beauty of its teardrop shape. The surface was worked unevenly, adding a natural note to the man made form. ¡°See how great Hoard is?¡± Korith asked and showed everyone else the stone.


    Everyone bowed over what the kobold so gleefully presented. The colour was indeed pretty. It was small enough to fit inside someone¡¯s palm. More important was what it was made of. ¡°That¡¯s quartz,¡± Mai stated.


    ¡°Ya serious?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°I thought that was something cool for a second! Is it magical?¡±


    Apexus put a finger against it and sensed for any mana radiating from it. ¡°No,¡± he said.


    ¡°Four gold for a piece of quartz is not a worthwhile investment,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s totally worth it!¡± Korith stammered and pressed the stone against her chest. ¡°Hoard thanked me for my contribution, this stone is super special.¡±


    ¡°I know Shamans that can create something just like that in ten minutes,¡± Mai chuckled.


    ¡°Well, uh, there may be many like it, and maybe everyone can replicate it, but this one is mine! I earned it with money I gave Hoard, so it¡¯s the best one.¡± Korith¡¯s voice grew weaker as she defended the gift she had received. Not because she grew any less convinced of its value, but because the crowd clearly wasn¡¯t buying it.


    Apexus knelt down beside her and put a hand on her head. His large palm barely fit between her horns. Gently, he scratched her golden scalp. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the stone is worth,¡± he said, ¡°but I don¡¯t need much money. Your smile is more important.¡±


    Clutching the stone, Korith kissed Apexus on the lips. ¡°I love you!¡± she said.


    And they made their way home.

 Fists and Fortune 1 – Gentle Waves

    Shhhh¡­ shhh¡­. Shhhh¡­.


    The wind brushed over the surface of the ocean, directing the waves in one direction. On and directly under the surface of the water, a variety of tiny forms of life competed with each other over the equally tiny plants. A variety of plankton, generally too low on the rungs of evolution to be aware of what happened beyond their most direct vicinity.


    Shhh... shhhhhhh¡­ shhhh¡­ phhhrumph¡­


    A geyser of water cut through the air, dispersed from the blowhole of a blue whale coming through. The creature was entirely non-magical and, at its size, in this Leaf, this far out in the ocean, it did not need to be. No predators attempted to hunt a fully grown blue whale. Offspring and growing ones, yes, but not an adult. As long as it was healthy, it had nothing to fear, drifting through the water.


    Shhhh¡­. Shhhh¡­ shhhh¡­


    The blue whale took a deep breath, then sunk under the surface again. It did not descend far, as it was scanning the surface areas of the water for swarms of krill or other small, dense patches of animals it could filter feed on. With it travelled a school of small fishes that nibbled parasites off its enormous body.


    Sh¡­. Shhhhhhh¡­ shhhhhhh¡­


    Slowly, the blue whale turned its enormous body. An object was cutting through the waves before it. It had some interest in the boat, but not enough to collide with it. Sticking its head out for a moment, the blue whale inspected the ship. On the railing stood a tall, broad man with black hair.


    Shhh¡­ SPLASH¡­ shhhh


    Apexus¡¯ ponytail waved in the constant wind, while he watched the blue whale¡¯s enormous head displace the water. The blowhole created another short-lived geyser. Then the whale was on its way again. Apexus wondered what it took to sustain such an enormous body.


    Rrrrrrhhhuuuhrrr¡­ shhh¡­ shhhhhhhhhh


    In the distance, thunder rolled. It was the original reason why Apexus had come out on deck. Rarely did one get the opportunity to watch a storm at a distance. Several kilometres away, visible thanks to the vast extent of the ocean, the black and grey clouds drifted by. The winds that moved them hit the side of the ship, tilting them off their wanted trajectory. The storm''s destination was far behind them. The rain, the lightning, and the deep shadow they caused, none of that was theirs to suffer.


    Shhhh¡­shhhh¡­¡±Darling?¡±


    Apexus turned his head slightly, acknowledging Aclysia. Wordlessly, he offered her an arm. Grace in every step, compromised only by her eagerness, the metal fairy walked up to his side and let his hand rest on the swing of her hips. Together, they looked out towards the storm.


    ¡°What are you pondering?¡± Aclysia inquired.


    ¡°I am struck by the difference,¡± Apexus confessed, gesturing between where the storm reigned and the clear day above them. It was the afternoon and the sun still stood high enough to light the world. ¡°Under the cover of the storm, through rain and cloud, even the brightest day becomes so incredibly dark.¡±


    ¡°The fuck ya philosophizing about?¡± Reysha asked, simultaneously jumping onto his back. The weight of the tiger girl wasn¡¯t enough to make Apexus move any notable amount. Soon, she stabilized herself with her legs around his midriff and arms around his neck.


    ¡°I was making an observation.¡±


    ¡°Sure ya whe- is that a fucking whale?¡±


    ¡°WHALE?!¡± Korith shouted from below deck and came sprinting out. Apexus extended his left arm to the side and, a moment later, the entirety of the shortstack was hanging from it. Having leapt across the deck, she used the arm in place of a stool to look over the railing. ¡°It is a whale! Wow!¡± The kobold stared at the massive fin that seemed to wave them goodbye.


    ¡°I did not know you wanted to see one,¡± Apexus said. ¡°I would have called had I known.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it,¡± Korith confessed, pulling herself further up the arm, as if it was some kind of handlebar. The blonde kobold followed the whale''s form for as long as her eyesight allowed. ¡°It¡¯s one of these things everyone talks about when you grow up and you never believe you will see one with your own eyes, you know?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus responded.


    Korith blinked twice, before she remembered that ¡®growing up¡¯ meant something entirely different to Apexus than virtually everyone else. ¡°Oh, uh¡­ well it¡¯s a thing. Like Divine Fruit, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll come across one of those.¡±


    ¡°Eh, give it a few years, you¡¯re hanging with the right crowd.¡± Reysha rubbed the side of her face against Apexus, who affectionately responded in the same fashion.


    ¡°I regard that as an arrogant statement,¡± Aclysia commented.


    ¡°Ya gotta have some confidence, bubble butt. We¡¯re awesome, I¡¯m sure we can clear enough dungeons and do enough Divine Quests to get one of those to spawn.¡±


    ¡°Who would get to eat it if we did?¡± Korith wondered.


    ¡°Whoever got the most wrinkles,¡± Reysha responded jokingly. ¡°So Aclysia is out by default.¡±


    ¡°By my nature, I would derive no advantage from a Divine Fruit in any capacity. Bringing my immortality into it is unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°Ya hear that? She doesn¡¯t want it anyway.¡± Reysha giggled and poked Apexus in the chin. ¡°What about ya, big man? Think you¡¯ll need a cure for aging down the line?¡±


    Apexus softly tilted his head to the left, then to the right. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You are certainly mysterious,¡± a fifth voice joined their little gathering. Everyone was surprised by Mai¡¯s sudden appearance, although only Korith really showed it.


    The kobold let out an ¡®eep¡¯ sound and fell off his arm, hitting the wooden deck. That she was so well-endowed in the butt section had a practical application for once. She spotted the Rogue teacher after a moment, the Stealth diminishing gradually.


    Mai grabbed Apexus¡¯ wrist and pulled his arm down. The strength inside her body, especially lithe today, overcame that of the Monk-in-training convincingly. Although expected, Apexus could not help but be mildly intrigued by this loss in sheer physical strength. Magic tilted what eyes would have implied. With a shapeshifter like the Infiltrator, there was no way to tie her appearance to her actual power.


    ¡°You don¡¯t tire, it¡¯s quite useful,¡± Mai observed, her hands pressing his muscles on the way up to his shoulder. In a purely academic fashion, she searched for any signs of strain, hardened spots or anything of the like. All she found was muscle fibre. On close inspection, it felt a little more flexible and smoother than regular muscles. A difference that could have just as easily been chalked up to him being a member of a peculiar race. The truth was more absurd and therefore the explanation was easily believed.


    ¡°I burn energy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but more efficiently. Must be quite nice not having to worry about your internal organs,¡± she said quietly, making sure none of the sailors heard them. ¡°If you were my pupil, I would keep you training with only breaks for sleep.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t ya train me that way?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a borderline nymphomaniac,¡± Mai responded sharply. ¡°If I were to train you continuously, your capacity to retain information would be lost.¡±


    ¡°All learning and no play make Reysha a sad kitty.¡±


    Mai let out a long sigh. ¡°If any of my daughters turn out like you, I¡¯d be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Hey, if ya mixed me and Niala together, you¡¯d probably have grandkids by now.¡±


    ¡°I suppose there are upsides,¡± Mai hummed.


    Before their conversation could turn into any other direction, she, along with everyone else standing by the railing, noticed Joey. The captain was in a sour mood, even more than usual, which was in stark contrast with his semi-happiness of recent days. They had been on the sea for fourteen days now. Four days longer than their original journey and they were nowhere near land now. That was still in the expected range of time, but the delay was enough to break down the appeasement the grumpy half elf had felt over the fortune the trip would make him.


    ¡°Bad news?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°For you,¡± Joey revealed immediately. ¡°We¡¯ve had slow westwards winds for seven days in a fucking row and doesn¡¯t look like that¡¯ll change anytime soon. I¡¯ve decided that we stop crossing against it and just accept where fortune takes me.¡±


    ¡°So we aren¡¯t heading back to Teacher¡¯s Isle?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll be heading for Port Senvilla¡­ that¡¯s on the northern coast of west Weststir,¡± he added that second part after remembering most of the people he was talking to didn¡¯t know the map that well. ¡°It¡¯ll be easy for me to sell the scales there and I can load up on some shit I can sell back in the Golden Fields.¡±


    Reysha raised an eyebrow, ¡°So, this works out fantastically for you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so I¡¯m fucking doing it,¡± Joey stated, unapologetically. ¡°Fuck these winds. If we try to go southward we¡¯ll be out here for another week at least. That could be done, but we¡¯d probably have to stop in Elomerstir to buy some fresh water. Morale is low because I sold most of the booze and the extra trip was unplanned anyway.¡±


    ¡°We are most grateful that you took us along this far,¡± Aclysia assured him and bowed her head. ¡°We will find our way back in our own time.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­ that¡¯s¡­ good,¡± Joey grumbled. Despite his ranting and good reasons, the captain was feeling a little bit bad about going back on his word. As an experienced seafarer, he did know that the ocean had a mind of its own. Some legendary captains had found their death not in a storm or thanks to some awe-inspiring creatures, but only because they assumed the winds would do them the favour of blowing in the right direction (or at all).


    Seven days of attempted progress was already a lot invested. The group understood that.


    Joey knocked twice on the railing and then went to spread the news to the rest of the crew. Soon, the entirety of the ship was turning. It was a swift change, spurred on by sails that were finally allowed to catch the wind as it came. Gentle as the breezes were, they were also constant. They gained tempo.


    The westward ones were stable, day and night, for three more days. Then their luck turned again, blowing them northwards. Joey was annoyed beyond belief at that point, something he attempted to channel into his rowing efforts. If anger could have been translated directly into physical power, the captain no doubt would have been the primary motor force of the boat.


    Instead, it was Apexus, Mai, Korith and Reysha who were mostly to thank for managing to gain some distance against the wind. On the nineteenth day of the journey, they finally arrived at the port.


    It was a terribly messy landfall. The wind had picked up and it took practically the entire crew to work against it. With some navigating tricks, they diminished just how intensely they needed to work against the wind. That was fine out at sea. When trying to pull into port, there were other factors to be considered.


    Not only did they have to line up with one of the piers, they also needed to both build the momentum to reach it and to pull in the pedals before they could get in the way. Even an experienced captain like Joey had his difficulties coordinating that effort. They spent almost three hours attempting to get the angle and speed right.


    A combination of slowly changing weather and helpful onlookers finally let them connect to the pier. High tide washed them in, people quickly grabbed the ropes and secured them tightly to the posts, and the ship came to a halt. Anchors were lowered, everything double tightened, and the crew was allowed to relax.


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s it then,¡± Mai said and stretched.


    Joey, collapsed against a wall, raised an eyebrow. ¡°You want to leave immediately?¡± It was the beginning of the night.


    ¡°Hubby has been waiting long enough,¡± Mai stated and turned to her students. Apexus was fine, Reysha and Korith were beat. ¡°I trust you won¡¯t do anything unwise on the way back?¡±


    ¡°What do ya mean? We¡¯re going right back to punch Melios in his prick face,¡± Reysha joked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± the teacher chuckled and left the ship.

 Fists and Fortune 2 – The Open Road

    ¡°We have made landfall at this location,¡± Aclysia explained to the present two of her party, tapping on the segment of the northern coast. They were still aboard the ship, having used their quarters onboard for one last rest before they hit the road. ¡°By my estimation, it will take us approximately 15 days to return to the Teacher¡¯s Isle on foot. Alternatively, we could direct ourselves straight south and aim for the coast. We may be able to purchase a passage to the isle from there, or at least ensure we skip half the land route.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯d lose that much if we went there anyway,¡± Reysha chimed in. ¡°Would be wiser to go around those hills than through them, right?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia nodded, her finger trailing southwards. ¡°Then our first destination shall be this settlement. Distance implies a two-day journey. Maintained roads may cut down on this.¡±


    ¡°Well, no reason to wait, right?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Some reason to wait,¡± Reysha said and pointed towards the open door. It was pouring, steadily and heavily, the thick drops on the planks creating a constant drumbeat. Only reason why the door was even open was to let the daylight in. ¡°Let¡¯s see when the big guy comes back.¡±


    Apexus strutted through the city streets. Neither the rain on his naked chest nor the mud under his feet particularly bothered him. Losing heat to the environment was the only cause for any concern and it was so mild Apexus elected to ignore it. Instead, he kept tranquillity in his core and observed the rain for its interesting qualities.


    His raised palm caught the falling drops of water, interrupted them momentarily in their journey to the ground. Eventually, the gathered water overflowed and spilled over the edge of his hand. Apexus followed one of those drops. His senses sharpened from the focus, and he could see the water in the dull light of the overcast sky. It fell like he had fallen in the first moments of his existence.


    Unlike him, it became a part of the vast pool of connected water that covered the surface in puddles and continued deep down into the earth. With a splash, it was gone. Its individual existence lost, never to be restored in the same configuration.


    Apexus noticed a worm squirming in front of him. He stopped and observed the creature, seeing it wind around in a desperate attempt to escape from the puddle that had formed around it. Without hesitation or consideration, he scooped the worm up and carried it to a nearby patch of plants that had been left to grow at the edge of some property.


    He sat it down where the leaves of the plants provided limited dryness. The worm¡¯s instincts made it calm down, now that it was out of danger. Apexus spotted a myriad other interesting factors in the area. The rain changed the priorities for each of these small animals, be it that they got calmer, were in danger, or had their prime opportunities.


    ¡®I could study this for a while,¡¯ Apexus thought, watching an ant scout out the worm he had placed there. Upon the touch of the eusocial insect¡¯s mandibles, the worm went into a renewed panic. The ant retreated, but it would be back as soon as it had laid a pheromone trail.


    Apexus remembered when he was threatened by a swarm of ants. Their ferocity and coordination had been the entire reason he had acquired the pheromone ducts as his first permanent Growth. It had never quite seen use for the original purpose, as he had envisioned ants to be the dominating species of the world. Their supremacy over their segment of the environment was clear, yet Apexus had far outstripped the weight class of the ants commonly found around the Omniverse.


    Saving the worm would have been as easy as leaving a more interesting pheromone trail for the ants to pursue. Apexus chose to do nothing. Saving the worm from the rain was one thing, to save it from predators another. A drowned worm would do little good. The eaten worm would feed the colony of the ants.


    ¡®Then why is banditry immoral?¡¯ Apexus wondered. He left as the ants descended on the worm.


    A little bit further down the road, he came across a man whose cart was stuck in the mud. Most of his features were obscured by the waxed raincoat he was wearing. He repressed a frustrated groan, not to agitate his donkey any further. When he noticed Apexus walking towards him, he was simultaneously relieved and slightly confused by his appearance. ¡°Hey, you look like you can lift. Can you lend me a hand?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus responded, straightforward and simple. He stopped next to the cart, checked where exactly the problem was. Before the owner could be annoyed with his stillness, the humanoid chimera stepped to the back of the cart and lifted.


    The wheels were deep in the mud, but between his lift and the donkey being made to pull again, they came free. There was a squelching sound, as air and water rushed into the vacuum created. The cart found traction and rolled a metre forward. Then the man got his donkey to stop by gently patting its neck.


    If a swarm of bandits now descended on the man, saved from the natural causes, would Apexus have helped him? Of course, he would have. But what made that different? ¡°Could I ask you two questions?¡± the humanoid chimera asked.


    ¡°Seems fair. Thanks for the help, by the way,¡± the man responded.


    ¡°Why is banditry wrong?¡±


    That question gave the man pause. He pulled his hood back enough to get a clearer look at Apexus. He was a simple person in his mid-thirties. ¡°You¡¯re one of those philosophizing monkly adventurer types, aren¡¯t you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I find myself with a lot of questions and insufficient answers.¡±


    ¡°¡­Never really thought about why banditry is wrong. I don¡¯t like the idea of being robbed¡­ if I had to put a finger on it, there¡¯s just a lot of other stuff they could do instead of hurting their fellow man.¡±


    Apexus nodded, that was an answer that clicked and that satisfied him. The ant had to eat and it did not conceive of different ways to survive than to hunt other insects. Bandits had choices. They were sapient creatures and exploited other sapient creatures. To hunt and be hunted was life. ¡°Where did you buy that coat?¡± he asked his second question.


    The suddenness of that gave the man pause again. This was by far the weirdest interaction he had had in a long time. Even living close to Wise Shire and the various retired adventurers that populated it did not regularly cause contact with people this sudden in their social displays. ¡°There¡¯s a shop by the docks that sells various water-resistant goods. I got it there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Apexus said and turned around. After three steps, he reminded himself about the typical end of conversations. ¡°Have a nice day.¡±


    ¡°You too?¡± he sounded somewhat confused.


    Apexus headed back the way he came. ¡®I should have searched the docks more carefully,¡¯ he thought. The entire trip had been about finding something that would let his loves ward off the rain. Their tents were treated, so the nights would not be an issue, provided they found decently dry ground. For clothes, all they had to resist water were the clothes they had bought for their trip into the White Ice Dungeon on Azenia-Ra. They were too thick for the Autumn weather, and Korith did not possess her own clothes for this purpose.


    Apexus, as one of two people in the group barely bothered by the rain, had decided that he would be the one to look around for a solution to this problem. Usually, Aclysia took care of their buying and socializing. The shift of priorities was born only from a whim by the slime.


    Heading back to the dock area, Apexus looked around and eventually found the shop the man had described. It was marked only with a tiny sign. Nothing indicated there was a tailor there. Word of mouth was the primary advertisement.


    Apexus stopped shortly behind the door, staring down at a broad, rough, thick rag that had been left there. He was standing on it. It was perfectly placed so whoever stepped in would inevitably step on it. Looking at the clean stone tiles beyond, the humanoid slime understood and cleaned his bare feet as best as possible, before advancing into the store proper.


    The clerks were a couple that was young and happily married. Both had brown hair and were good looking. One was the only heiress of the property; the other had started working there several years ago. It was a story common enough to be typical.


    ¡°How can we help you?¡± the husband asked.


    ¡°I need three rain cloaks,¡± Apexus told them. ¡°For people about this, this, and this size,¡± he showed on his own body how tall Aclysia, Reysha and Korith stood.


    ¡°We can get that done, probably in the next few hours,¡± he looked to his wife for confirmation.


    ¡°Little else to do at the moment, so sure. I¡¯d like more exact measurements though.¡±


    ¡°I can bring them here; they are waiting on the ship.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re with Joey,¡± the wife sounded a bit colder after receiving that information.


    ¡°We were passengers,¡± Apexus clarified.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, bring them here,¡± she invited. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare everything.¡± To her husband she said, ¡°tell me when they¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Will do, honey,¡± he sent her off with a quick peck on the cheek.


    Returning to the ship, Apexus found the three of them playing cards. Reysha was topless, but the slime knew better than to ask why the brown-skinned tiger girl was casually nude. Quickly, he informed them about his progress, they went to the shop, paid 50 silver for their troubles, and then said their goodbyes to Joey.


    ¡°See you fuckers around,¡± was all the captain had to say.


    ¡°Ya might not,¡± Reysha told him.


    Joey just shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s the life of an old captain. People come through and that¡¯s it. If I don¡¯t, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Love ya too, ya cynical asshole,¡± Reysha giggled.


    ¡°It was¡­ nice¡­?...doing business with you,¡± Korith declared.


    ¡°You are a reliable person,¡± Aclysia added.


    ¡°What is this shit? Personal reaffirmation? Get the fuck out of here, we all have better things to do.¡± The captain made shushing gestures, as if he was trying to tell a whining dog that there were no scraps to be gotten from his plate.


    Apexus waved goodbye. ¡°I hope you have success in your endeavours.¡±


    They left the captain and his crew behind on the table they were doing their drinking at. The sailors toasted to the quartet on their way out. The door closed and muffled all sounds. It was them out in the rain, nearly alone on the street, as they set out southwards.


    ¡°So¡­ weird question¡­ but do you all ever wonder how people remember us?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a weird question.¡± Apexus had the same, or similar ones bouncing around in his core at most times.


    ¡°Big guy, you¡¯re filled with weird questions, so you¡¯re a terrible judge of this,¡± Reysha giggled.


    ¡°Personally, I find it both a weird question and one I regularly consider. Our reputation is one we should cultivate, since we abandoned secrecy.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t meant as a reputation question,¡± Korith clarified and tried to put it into better words. Simultaneously, she was lifted onto Apexus¡¯ shoulders. The mud puddles everywhere made her usual ways of keeping up, jumping and jogging, a messy process. Much better to just sit on the man who could carry her tirelessly. ¡°It¡¯s just a, you know, pondering thing about how they will look back at you like we will look back at those tailors.¡±


    ¡°The guy will remember me every other month and wonder why his wife isn¡¯t as hot,¡± Reysha purred.


    Aclysia sighed, an instinctive response to the redhead¡¯s constant horniness. ¡°I doubt we will be remembered in any capacity. This part of the Leaf must see adventurers, retired or not, frequently. They will experience a plethora of unusual customers.¡±


    ¡°The man with the cart will remember me. Either as an individual instance or as a bit of helpfulness in the world.¡± Apexus watched another raindrop meld with the puddles. ¡°I am fine with either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a kind of nice thought?¡± Korith hummed, scratching Apexus¡¯ fox ears while they walked. ¡°We¡¯re just part of a vast, general good being-together of the world.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ya can put that thought in the trashcan,¡± Reysha giggled. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s a nice thought and all and it works while we¡¯re still here but we¡¯re adventurers. Either we¡¯re weird customers or we¡¯re what comes along when they¡¯re having serious problems for one reason or another. People will definitely remember us in some fashion.¡±


    ¡°I believe it varies too much to make a definitive call. Although it may violate the spirit of the question, I believe all we can do is build a reputation.¡±


    Korith hummed in thought, ¡°Does that even make sense with how vast the Omniverse is?¡±


    ¡°That depends on our travelling strategy after we have secured our tracks,¡± Aclysia told them. ¡°Commerce between Leaves leads to exchanges of rumours. Staying within bordering worlds should lead to accruement of some level of fame. There are also the information exchanges available to the Church and the Adventuring Guild, and other smaller organizations. A reputation is not necessarily going to reach whose ears we please, but it will be a useful resource regardless.¡±


    ¡°Apotho¡¯s cruelty was remembered after several hundred years on worlds he never visited,¡± Apexus added. ¡°A reputation is useful.¡±


    ¡°¡­Guess I¡¯ll have to put more work into my ¡®redeemed¡¯ reputation then.¡±


    ¡°You are still on your best path,¡± Aclysia stated, encouragingly.


    ¡°Oy, bubble butt, that¡¯s where you¡¯re supposed to say something snarky like ¡®that would distract you from flaunting how sexy you are all the time¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I do not believe that is becoming of me. I sincerely acknowledge and respect all you have done so far to be a better person. Your libido is a bother of another variety.¡±


    ¡°Psh¡­ sincerity¡­ I sincerely love ya, how about that?¡±


    ¡°I love you too you¡­ highly irritating woman.¡±


    ¡°Your insult game is still weak.¡±


    ¡°I do not care to improve.¡±


    ¡°Do ya really not?¡± Reysha poked fun at her. ¡°Because ya look kinda irritated.¡±


    Aclysia let out a deep sigh.


    And they wandered on like usual.

 Fists and Fortune 3 – Cramped Space [Erotic Content]

    They took their first rest inside a stone formation. It was natural in origin, a piece of the world the god that made it had let form by leaving various elements to clash for several years. However, since its creation, this ten-metre-high hill of soft rock had been continuously changed by the people in the area and those coming through. Sharp edges had been removed, convenient paths upwards found and widened, and various cavities made easier to access.


    Typically, children and young couples came here to play and be alone during warmer days. Rainy as today had been, there was no one around for miles. The quartet quickly found a crevice that suited their needs for the nightly rest.


    The entrance was about a metre above the floor, a simple hole inside the brown rock. Behind it was an open space, about five metres deep, with a ceiling about one and a half high. Not optimal conditions for the party, three of which were above average height for their respective sex. Since they would be lying inside the cave, it wasn¡¯t too big a sacrifice. In terms of width, they would be cuddled together, but they were used to that too.


    Most important was that it was dry. An overhang above the entrance protected the cavity from the rain. What little still made it in, did not get particularly deep. Three of them crawled, one walked, to the end of the crevice, deposited their luggage, most of it contained in their five Adventurer¡¯s Bags, and then pulled out their camping supplies. They made the tight space as homely as was possible with pillows and blankets.


    Then they just lay there, naked, dry, and huddled up against each other. Apexus served as a heat source for everyone. Not that they needed any excuse to nuzzle against him. Aclysia to his right, Reysha to his left, and Korith half on top of him, the slime was ready to snooze off.


    He was just as ready to reply to the little gasps Reysha produced.


    Shameless as always and despite the tiredness a full day of walking in the rain produced, Reysha was rubbing her pussy. Her legs were wrapped around that of her man, pressing the softness of her tiger-striped, mocha-coloured thighs against him. Her hips gyrated. In her mind, she was riding either Apexus¡¯ cock, or the faces of her fellow haremettes. The body reacted to the fantasy, continuously grinding against him. She moaned, loudly, when she pinched her right nipple. Through half-closed lids, she devoured the muscles of the humanoid chimera, the bottom-heavy figure of the angel and the luscious curves of the shortstack.


    All of them noticed her self-indulgence and greedy eyes. Reysha made no effort to hide what had been commonplace most of the time they knew her anyway. Biting her pink, sultry lips, Aclysia felt the wetness between her plump thighs grow. Korith squirmed with rising lust. The way she looked at Apexus¡¯ muscular, tall form changed from interest to adoration.


    Apexus responded in the only way that was proper: by making his cock grow. Fluid filled the mimicry of a human¡¯s penis, turning the tiny, flaccid creation into a manhood appropriate for a man his size. He put his arms around Aclysia and Reysha, pulled them in the perfect position to first grab their round asses and then move onto their eagerly waiting cunt.


    ¡°Darling¡­!¡± ¡°Oh fuck yeah!¡± They moaned simultaneously, when his fingers pushed into them. The wetness of their tight folds clenched onto the two digits he pushed into each of them. Reysha kept rubbing her own clit, while Aclysia wrapped her arm around his neck, kissing his face veneratingly.


    Apexus stared at Korith, the demand in the air between them. Submissively she stared back. The tanned, blonde shortstack now lay in the middle of his chest. Her enormous tits were flat on his pecks spilling as wide as her shoulders. With big eyes, she looked at him. She knew what he demanded.


    ¡°C-can I try anal?¡± she stammered. ¡°Will you let me try anal¡­ m-master?¡±


    Apexus felt the surge of excitement in his entire body, upon hearing that new title. The look in her eyes, the respect with which she used the same title others used for dragons, the fact that she was asking him for permission to try something new with her own body, it all pleased his pack-leading instincts. ¡°Yes,¡± he allowed her.


    ¡°You¡¯rreee in¡­ for¡­ ahhh, a worrrld of ecstassssyyyy,¡± Reysha promised and had her first climax. Pressed against Apexus, she clenched her teeth and kept rubbing her pussy. Flashes of lightning tingled through her entire body, conquering her slutty little brain, which eagerly surrendered to the pleasure. Then, she stopped, tense all over, breath held, until she let out a throaty. ¡°A-ha¡­¡±


    Korith swallowed. She had been considering if and when to get that last hole of hers used for the first time. Almost entirely a question of ¡®when¡¯. That it was this tiny little cave was a product only of the moment. Same for her calling him ¡®master¡¯ for the first time. It was just what her intuition told her to do. Hoard had given her great intuition, evident by her lying on top of this hunk of manmeat.


    Being a shortie had its benefits and its drawbacks. The benefit was that she could move about in this cavity without fear of bumping her head. The drawback was that she had to squat in order to raise her butt high enough to get to the tip of Apexus cock.


    Gently, she took hold of him. The scaled hands of a kobold did not lend themselves to a handjob, but the simple task of aiming they were still fit for. A tiny disappointed mewl escaped her, when she felt the usually enormous dick shrink to a below average size. She knew that was a temporary measure, entirely made for her benefit, but her instincts retained that bigger was better.


    Lubricating pre-cum oozed from the tip of Apexus¡¯ dick, covering Korith¡¯s backdoor on contact. The blonde kobold¡¯s ass, a fitting, huge size balancing out the roundness of her chest, swayed in the air as she tested the sensation. The pressure against her asshole was a bit foreign. It was also intriguing. Excited, she began her descent.


    The small pecker pushed open her sphincter with relative ease. Despite the below-average size, Korith felt satisfyingly stretched, especially once she had taken all of it inside. Part of that was the nature of anal, another part that she, herself, was tiny.


    Legs angled and parted widely, hands uselessly raised to shoulder level, bouncy breasts rising and falling from her rhythmic breathing, Korith trembled in anticipation. She was comfortable, relaxed, and incredibly turned on. The perfect mixture for a first anal experience.


    Apexus still let her body get used to the foreign influence inside her. Her sphincter was gripping the base of his cock tightly, her insides were hot and tight around him. Swollen, her cunt was glistening with excitement.


    While he put the adorable, four-horned submissive through the torture of waiting, Apexus had plenty to do with the other submissive and the switch he was being treated to. Using his pheromones had been entirely unneeded so far and so Apexus kept that particular ability inactive for tonight. It was nice to see them squirm by their natural desires alone.


    Reysha continuously chased the high of the next climax. ¡°Oh fuuuuck, yessssss,¡± she cackled, fingers rubbing her drenched clit at a speed rapid enough to create sounds. ¡°Keep fucking me with your fingers, stud, fuck me up! Hellroots, yesssss.¡± Her eyelids fluttered, her sharp teeth closed with an audible snap, and she giggled from deep within her throat.


    Aclysia was almost refined in the way she held onto her darling. Playing with his hair, she moaned musically, her beautiful singing voice producing quiet, intimate notes. Her pussy was drenched, but the fingers that had masturbated her had been removed. Instead, the humanoid chimera was working her right ass cheek, sliding over the surface just to explore the smoothness of her round bottom. When the hunger for more arose, he gave a swift smack.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡± Aclysia cried, the pain rushing through her. It mixed seamlessly with her pleasure. ¡°Thank you, darling,¡± she panted and received a second smack as her reward. Her perfect ass rippled, impact spreading through both cheeks and her thighs, through all that made the bottom half of her pear figure that alluring. ¡°Thank you!¡± she shouted her gratitude, the dignified exterior breaking down.


    Apexus grabbed the back of her head. Her fuzzy wings vibrated with excitement. Her lips were claimed by his and pried wide open by his advancing tongue. The fundamentally decorative bit of his body swiftly transformed into something broader, longer. A tentacle squirmed into Aclysia¡¯s mouth, extending into her throat. The joy of combining a kiss and a blowjob filled Aclysia to the brim, a service she, who did not need to breathe, would gleefully continue providing for as long as her dom desired.


    ¡°More,¡± Reysha whispered into Apexus¡¯ ear. ¡°Give me more. Make your greedy little kitty scream.¡± The redhead anticipatingly looked down her athletic, balanced curves. From underneath Apexus, several tentacles wiggled their way outwards, winding around her thighs and finding their destination. ¡°Yes¡­ yeeeeessss!¡± her voice rose, almost manically, when his hand was removed in favour of a duo of tentacles pressing against her cunt and asshole.


    Reysha rolled onto her back, enticingly parting her chocolate thighs wide. Her head rested on Apexus¡¯ shoulder. Reaching around, the humanoid slime took a handful of her decently sized tits. Rough, he clawed at the soft flesh. Reysha groaned, loving the sensation. She wasn¡¯t in it for the pain itself, more for the animalistic indulgence of base instincts.


    ¡°ARGH, YESSSH!¡± she screamed when both of her holes were penetrated simultaneously. Her pussy gushed, her asshole clenched around the desired invader, and her fingers were still working her clit. Her hips shot off the ground as she came for the second time, soaking the tendrils in her love fluids.


    Korith¡¯s tongue was hanging past her reddish-brown lips. With glassy, golden eyes, she followed Reysha¡¯s climax reach its peak and then decrease slightly. Laughing, the borderline sex-addict kept indulging herself without pause. A muffled moan made the kobold direct her eyes to the other side, where Aclysia threw her head back as her pussy was penetrated. The simple act set off the accumulated lust inside her.


    Just before Korith gathered the resolve to beg, she felt the manhood in her backdoor swell. The change was slow, gradual and constant. Every passing second stretched her out further. Her agape mouth assumed a lewd O-shape, as the change pushed his size above the average and further still. The wetness of her pussy turned into a drooling.


    All over, Korith shivered. All short races that were capable of mating with larger humanoids had certain protections against the dangers of taking in a phallic object that went half their torso deep. For kobolds the answer was as simple as it was absurd: her insides were entirely fine with being pushed out of the way of a massive cock. Moreover, she was getting off on it. As her organs made room for his manhood, all the kobold felt was surging ecstasy.


    ¡°I¡¯m so fuulll, it feels so gooood¡­ that dick is¡­. filling me¡­. Like I¡¯m just a sleeeeeeveee¡­¡±


    ¡°A cocksleeve, that¡¯s what you are,¡± Reysha panted with an erotic grin on her face.


    The humiliation was the final tipping point. More aware of his size than ever before, Korith screamed at the low ceiling of the cavity. Her pussy twitched just as much as the rest of her body.


    ¡°Move,¡± Apexus ordered.


    Wide-eyed, Korith focused on Apexus. Even with his tongue buried inside Aclysia¡¯s throat, he could speak through the plates on the roof of his mouth. Barely, the blonde managed to get together a nod. Struggling, she began the wonderful, hellish ascent of her hips. The rigid erection grinded through her, causing her to moan loudly.


    She felt so empty in the absence of his cock. Less than halfway up, her legs gave in and she dropped back down. Getting her insides skewered by the massive phallus created a surge of pleasure that nearly made her orgasm a second time. ¡°Oh, Hoard, thank you for leading me to such a well-endowed stud,¡± she let out a rambling prayer.


    Said well-endowed stud had no more patience to wait for his submissive shortstack to do as she was told. He thrust upwards, making Korith ¡®eeep¡¯ from surprise and lust. Faster than she fell, he pulled back and then impaled her on his dick again. Underlined by a constant clapping of her big, round ass on his hips, Korith screamed.


    Each impact scrambled her insides in a way she was designed to love. Her sphincter was loosened, the entrance fervently lubricated by the slime¡¯s constant flow of pre-cum. Each filling thrust into her backdoor created an euphoric bolt that bounced around inside her.


    ¡®Gods, she cums so easily,¡¯ Aclysia thought, her eyes fixated on Korith. Over and over again, Korith was made to bounce. She may have been on top, but she had no control over the ride. Her thighs rippled. Her large breasts jiggled, moving in oval circles, the power of each thrust renewing the delicious display of feminine flesh. While everyone watched Korith¡¯s massive mammaries bounce, they were chasing their own ecstasy.


    Aclysia continued to let her darling do with her as he wanted. Some may have seen her lack of action as lazy, but she would have done whatever was to Apexus¡¯ pleasure, had he demanded it. Without orders, she was content to just be a readily available plaything. For her throat to be stuffed, getting fucked by the pumping tendril just like her pussy. She desperately hoped her body was to his liking. That her pink lips were sultry enough for him, that her pussy was nice and tight, and that her ass was every bit as firm and squishy as he could have demanded. She came when he spanked her again, so deeply thankful for the measured torment and attention.


    Reysha writhed aggressively, trying and succeeding at keeping pace with Korith¡¯s several size-induced climaxes. The two tendrils were pumping in and out of her in a back-and-forth rhythm, making sure something was always penetrating her. Cussing and moaning, repeated discharges of pussy juice soaked the tentacles and the blanket. She clawed at Apexus¡¯ firm abs, groaned in delight at his masculine hardness, and let that fuel her ecstasy.


    Fucking them all was second nature to Apexus. The tendrils moved practically on their own, all he had to do was direct them. Several sources of pleasure mixed inside him. Much like Korith was built to arrange herself with the cocks of larger humanoids, Apexus¡¯ biology was adapted to perform even if he was mating with several females at once. As much as the debauchery dominated his senses, he remained in control. The sweet smells of ecstatic women and their loud cries were delectable supplements to the sensations of their bodies.


    Aclysia¡¯s bubble butt under one hand, Reysha¡¯s tits under the other, Apexus got to knead the two most delightful varieties of squishiness on a woman. One was round, smooth, and firm, the other soft, crowned by the sensitive nipple, and nicely fit in his palm. Korith¡¯s ass was the cushion that took every last of his thrusts, the impact then rippling up to her tits.


    Apexus kept relentlessly upping the speed, bestowing on the women around him ever greater ecstasy. The sounds in the cave grew more heated, higher pitched, then, after several minutes, petered out into multi-orgasmic panting and squeals. Reysha was squirting her brains out, Aclysia was in a haze of submissive ecstasy and Korith completely entranced by the size stretching her.


    Accomplished, he went on a final spurt of intense movements. Shouts flared-up one last time, as the thoroughly fucked party of gorgeous women instinctively realized what was about to come. They held onto their beloved with deep adoration. Korith slumped forwards, hugging his chest with arms and tits.


    Then his cum started pumping into them.


    Blank. O-faced expressions and silence dominated the cavity, as all pleasure found its high point in the same ten seconds. Wombs, assholes, and Aclysia¡¯s stomach all were painted white from Apexus¡¯ abundant seed. Spurt for spurt, the tentacles and cock kept pumping, until the energy behind the orgasm began to subside.


    Gradually, the atmosphere in the room transformed from the heat and lust of sex to the intimacy and relaxation of the afterglow. Muscles untensed, fluttering eyelids blinked slowly, and then finally shut.


    They drifted off into sleep.

 Fists and Fortune 4 – Different kinds of people

    ¡°You have my deepest gratitude for your time.¡± Aclysia bowed before the fisherman she had spoken to and then stepped back, to return to her party. ¡°No one regularly takes the journey to Wise Shire.¡±


    ¡°So, we stay on foot?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Our only alternative is to pay a premium sum.¡± The metal fairy looked to Apexus for a decision. ¡°A whole gold coin, to save us a week of travel.¡±


    The kobold made a terrified sound, while Apexus considered it. Money was easily replaced, as an adventurer. Time was a more pressing resource. ¡°We shall take that offer.¡±


    Giggling, Reysha rested her arm on top of Korith¡¯s blonde head. ¡°Ya about to explode there, squishy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a whole gold coin,¡± Korith squeaked, while Apexus and Aclysia went to pay it. ¡°That leaves us with 5 gold, 64 silver, and 8 copper.¡±


    ¡°I love that ya just have that filed in there.¡± Reysha grabbed her fellow haremette by the horns and rolled her head around. ¡°What else do ya keep in that pretty head of yours, hmm?¡±


    ¡°First rule of service to the Hoard: always respect money and valuables as great as money. Second rule of service to the Hoard: always cherish what Hoard gives you, because he just parted with a piece of himself for you.¡±


    ¡°Girl, it gave ya a worthless rock for four gold.¡±


    Korith grumbled and yanked her horns out of Reysha¡¯s hands. Arms crossed, she accidentally made herself sexier than normal, just by virtue of her massive boobs getting pushed up. Even covered by a shirt and coat, the hills were self-evident. ¡°You¡¯re mean and a heathen!¡±


    ¡°Guilty on both charges.¡± Reysha squatted down next to Korith. ¡°Ya already knew that though.¡± The redhead leaned towards the kobold, who kept her face averted. ¡°Aww, come on, gimme a kiss. Just a tiny little smooch?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± the shortstack refused, taking half a step away.


    ¡°Are you having a fight?¡± Apexus asked, the agreement with the fisherman struck. ¡°I observed most fights start with you, Reysha.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because people can¡¯t handle how awesome and fucking funny I am,¡± Reysha purred, her tail softly waving under her coat. A steady, soft patter was all that remained from yesterday¡¯s heavy downpour. The roof of clouds was thin. ¡°So, how long a voyage are we looking at?¡±


    ¡°About ten hours,¡± Apexus told them.


    ¡°By my estimation, we can save ourselves two hours if we let darling do the rowing,¡± Aclysia added.


    ¡°Ya think we need to pack some food for the journey?¡±


    ¡°Shallow water,¡± Apexus denied.


    ¡°Additionally, we will be dropped off at the first coastline in sight,¡± Aclysia further specified. ¡°There will be an opportunity to hunt upon landfall.¡±


    The quartet waited where they were, by the docks. Since they had arrived during the early morning of the third day of their journey, there was no need to delay further than required. The fisherman needed to inform his family what he would be up to until tomorrow.


    While stationary, they got a good view of the village around them. The architecture of the Prince-Republic of Weststir was remarkably different from that in the Golden Field. A lack of wood forced the mainlanders to rely mostly on bricks, stone, and clay to build their houses. Here, they did not have that problem. There was an ample supply of all kinds of building materials and so the houses were larger, the wooden elements decoratively carved, and an array of windows widely available. Here and there, they used reeds for their roofs. The houses were close together at the centre, and sprawled out towards the outskirts.


    Apexus noted such differences with interest.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Enlivia was the name of the dungeon. It was also the name of the place they arrived at about two days later. Exactly, it was named ¡®Settlement by the Enlivia Dungeon¡¯, a name that had been abbreviated rather quickly.


    The largest city of the ¡®state¡¯ of retired adventurers was marked by two factors: an extreme sprawl of the urbanized area and an equally extreme difference between the poor and the rich areas. The outskirts of the city were filled with dilapidated houses and trash that no one bothered to recycle or at least gather somewhere. Scattered all throughout were pockets of wealth, extravagant houses, large windmills, and marks of agrarian industry and culture.


    Unlike many other polities around the Omniverse, this gap between the rich and the poor was not born of any oppression or poorly managed economies. What created this happenstance was the nature of Wise Shire itself.


    Retired adventurers brought with them, typically, the wealth allowing them to retire in the first place. While they settled down in a state of richness and skill that let them import whatever they needed from the rest of their world, the children they had were marked by a feeling of nomadism. The culture of Wise Shire was such that most young people found it to be their obligation to at least try their hand at adventuring. Consequently, most did not have the type of investment into the locality that would make them take care of it. Dirtying the environment was not a burden on the mind when that environment was only a stay of a few years.


    After generations of this, Wise Shire, specifically the densely populated area of Enlivia, was simultaneously a half-developed, dirty mess and a centre of great learning. Here and there were areas that struck a balance, filled with those children from settling adventurers who did not intend to follow in their parent¡¯s footsteps. They were, continuously, disgruntled with the situation. Too few in number, they did not have the influence to change it.


    Future developments were guaranteed to change this. For now, Wise Shire was a fascinating place. The houses came in all manner of shapes and sizes, architectural styles that were adopted from other Leaves or created locally from a mixture of several were scattered all over the landscape. It was impossible to say where the loosely populated ¡®city¡¯ began and where it ended. There was never a point where there was a notable gap between the houses. Them standing densely packed was almost as rare.


    This was, until the trio closed in on the actual centre, where the settlement had originally begun. By a broad river, lazily meandering its way towards the ocean, stood a small city with cobblestone roads and large buildings. A gigantic windmill stood at its centre, slowly turning according to the whims of the wind. Several kilometres further, on the other side of the river, was a grey rock of colossal size. That was the entrance to the Enlivia Dungeon.


    The quartet squatted in one of the many empty houses. It was in a state too poor to live in, but as shelter for a night it would do. All four of them were huddled together in a dry corner of the house. Aclysia¡¯s Illumni was filling the house with a soft golden glow. An outsider looking in would have, for the most part, seen four heads poking out of the pile of blankets they used to separate themselves from the dirty floor and cold air. Under it, there was just familiar warmth.


    ¡°Do we want to give the dungeon an ass kicking?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Why?¡± Aclysia asked. ¡°According to our map, the appropriate level to challenge Enlivia is 10 to 15, which we exceed by approximately 8 levels.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, an ass kicking, not a challenge.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Aclysia repeated.


    ¡°Dunno, I just feel like bullying some easy prey.¡± Reysha, chin on his shoulder, looked up to Apexus. ¡°What do ya say, big guy? Someeasy meals before we go the rest of the way?¡±


    Apexus combed through Aclysia¡¯s silky hair as he contemplated the question. An opportunity to gorge themselves on the creations of a dungeon sounded good. The best meal they had these past few days had been a lobster Apexus had caught during their rowing voyage. The urban sprawl of Enlivia did not lend itself to big game, so rabbits of the non-magical variety had been all they were able to get so far.


    They had tried to season their meals up a bit with whatever remains of magically enriched plants and meat they still had, but that merely brought the meals from ¡®disgusting¡¯ to ¡®tasteless¡¯ for Reysha.


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus decided, regardless. ¡°We can indulge ourselves in easier times.¡±


    ¡°Urgh,¡± Reysha groaned then immediately started to cackle. ¡°Ehehehehe, alright then, guess I¡¯ll just have to get another taste on my tongue to get through the travels.¡±


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    She would end up getting her fix of magical meat three days later. In the north, Enlivia¡¯s sprawl was endless, but in the south it rubbed up against a mountain range. Past that, there was mostly untouched forest. An occasional farmstead with orchards and small fields seamlessly integrated itself into nature.


    In that stretch, both the plants Aclysia found near the house they were occupying on the Teacher¡¯s Isle and several varieties of minorly magic game made their home. The woodlands stretched on and on, all the way until they hit the narrow strait between the island and the western continent. Four and a half days more and they were back home. A total of thirteen days of additional travel, since they made landfall.


    ¡°Sure takes a long fucking time to get around the world, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Reysha groaned, as she lay down on their semi-permanent bed. They had never gotten a mattress, much less a frame, but the large pile of blankets that had stayed home was still better than the limited number they could carry with them. ¡°We spent like four times the time to get there and back than we used to plan and kill the dragon.¡±


    ¡°Travel is a slow and important matter,¡± Aclysia responded, focused on rekindling the fire that had been out for over two months. In total, 65 days had elapsed since they first left, 24 of which had been spent on the Dragon Isles themselves. This was almost twice as long as the time they had been taught in the first place. ¡°To the best of my knowledge, Tacuitos is not an outstandingly large Leaf either.¡±


    ¡°We need to find some ways to slash our travel times,¡± Reysha groaned and turned to Korith. ¡°Ya think Hoard will give ya wings if ya bribe it enough?¡±


    ¡°Not out of the question.¡±


    ¡°Ya shitting me?¡±


    ¡°The blessings of the Hoard are numerous¡­ I also think I told you that before and you just forgot,¡± Korith said and lay down next to Reysha. She let out a long sigh. After weeks of travel, lying down in the knowledge that there wouldn¡¯t be much movement the next day was pure relief. Even her iron-reinforced spine was feeling the impact of the additional luggage in front of her chest after such a long time marching.


    Like a cat that had discovered something she really liked, Reysha gave Korith¡¯s chest some playful kneading. ¡°I can do your back instead if ya want,¡± the redhead suggested in a soft purr.


    ¡°That¡¯d be nice,¡± Korith groaned and rolled onto her chest.


    Reysha helped her party member out of her shirt and then gave her a massage. Nothing more than that. Much as the tiger girl could have groped, she understood instinctively that sometimes closeness like this should come without eroticism.


    Apexus knelt next to Aclysia, the two of them holding hands while looking into the fire. ¡°It hasn¡¯t come here yet, darling,¡± she whispered. ¡°It¡¯s been almost four months. How much longer do we have?¡±


    ¡°I do not know,¡± the humanoid chimera gave the unsatisfying but honest answer. ¡°All we can do is prepare. We¡¯ll see Maltos tomorrow.¡±

 Fists and Fortune 5 – Teachers

    Aclysia glared at both of the teachers in the room.


    For Maltos, she continued to feel a level of disdain for the intensity of the tests he had put her darling through. It had decreased tremendously since she had the time to contemplate his actions and their ultimately favourable outcome. A tiny sense of betrayal would always remain, however. The metal fairy took her beloved¡¯s security more seriously than anything else.


    Then there was Pronthin. The bald, lanky man looked even more tired than usual. He had been called out to the Monk school on short notice and did not appreciate it. Out of respect for Maltos, he had come despite his misgivings.


    The door opened and in walked Mai and Vulk. Mai was a short woman with moderate curves and purple hair that day, her ears long and pointy. The goliath had to bow his head to make it through the door, his physical presence turning the tiny chamber of the old monk into a truly cramped space. ¡°So, what is this about?¡± the Warrior teacher asked immediately.


    ¡°I am terribly sorry to have called all of you on such short notice,¡± Maltos greeted them all. ¡°However, there is a matter that must be discussed without further delay. We have a Deathhound inbound.¡±


    Vulk was visibly taken aback, while Pronthin¡¯s eyes widened. The unbeliever Priest snapped out of his shock first. ¡°What do you mean, Maltos?¡± he asked, fear sneaking into his usually dispassionate display. ¡°A Deathhound? Here? Why?¡± His eyes jumped to the four students. ¡°What do they have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Pronthin.¡± Mai leaned against a wall, arms crossed. ¡°You¡¯re cynical, not stupid. They¡¯re being tracked.¡±


    ¡°Tracked by whom?!¡±


    ¡°Apotho.¡±


    Pronthin¡¯s eyes almost popped out of his skull, then he took a deep breath and forcefully shut the lids. Still standing in the entrance, Vulk showed a wry smile. ¡°That sounds like an interesting tale, how about you tell us all about it?¡± he asked, looking primarily at Korith.


    ¡°Uhm, I just recently got caught up in it,¡± the kobold said, happy to have that excuse, and instead gestured towards Apexus. ¡°He¡¯s the best to ask.¡±


    The humanoid chimera looked to his teacher, who nodded. Apexus then told the two people in the room not yet in the know everything, including what he was and that he did not know where he came from. Once he was done, there was silence in the room.


    Maltos stroked his grey-white beard. His voice grabbed everyone around by the authority of respect. ¡°I¡¯ve pledged my help to these younglings. The Teacher¡¯s Isle can stand up to a single Deathhound.¡±


    ¡°We can, but the risks involved¡­,¡± Pronthin sighed. ¡°Maltos, you¡¯re the strongest around here and even you, in your prime, would have been ill-advised to take a Tharnatos class demon by yourself, much less a personal hound of the Empress of Blood.¡±


    ¡°You have detailed knowledge of her?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s much to read for the bored mind, no longer bound to the study of scripture,¡± Pronthin responded. ¡°Although even my knowledge on the Unreavs, the rulers of the Hellroots, is limited. They divulge their secrets to Warlocks they choose themselves.¡± He turned his gaze back to Maltos. ¡°To mount a defense will be bloody, even if we come out victorious. That we have the theoretical means to kill the demon permanently is assuring,¡± he gave Apexus a quick glance, ¡°¡­It will require careful coordination, however.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we were called here,¡± Mai told her fellow teachers. ¡°Maltos entrusted this story to a few others when these three first came here. Rudimentary preparations have been made. Next, we need to bring this story to the people living here. We need everyone capable to help and everyone incapable to get out of harm¡¯s way.¡±


    ¡°Do we have a rough idea when the Deathhound could arrive?¡± Pronthin asked, despite already knowing the answer.


    Maltos shook his head. ¡°Even I do not possess maps that would let us accurately measure the distance between the Leaves of the Long Way, provided I¡¯d know all their names. We can only make an estimate. There is a chance its master has called it back, although I regard it as slim. I hoped you may be able to divine something.¡±


    ¡°Inquisitors divine,¡± Pronthin responded. ¡°And I am as far from an Inquisitor as is possible.¡±


    ¡°¡­Then we will just have to be wary in perpetuity,¡± Maltos declared, pouring himself a cup of tea.


    ¡°Enter stage left!¡± A voice from the outside shouted. ¡°If the players would step into the light of creation, the Great Actor would most certainly be pleased.¡±


    There were confused faces all around, for varying reasons. Maltos wrinkled his forehead, having not invited further guests. Aclysia and Pronthin felt confusion at the title of Hashahin, her creator god, being used. Everyone else was subjected to a mixture of surprise and shock, especially Mai whose situational awareness would usually have prevented this.


    Maltos grabbed his full tea cup and, without spilling a single drop, led the way outside. The rest of the room followed behind him, the crowd of eight soon standing in the clean, white courtyard of the temple.


    A great curtain hung inexplicably in the air, hiding the speaker behind it until the sun peeked through the ever-present autumn clouds. As the red drapes were illuminated, the speaker continued, ever more dramatically. ¡°Many questions must be on your tongue, but let me greet you with the most terrifying phrase that anyone could ever utter. Words of such import and weight, that they relieve and rob the mind of peace.¡±


    The curtains flew open, revealing a man with his arms widely spread as if he had done so personally. He was effeminate, with long, slender limbs and a face that, with the right make-up, could have passed as either sex. His short brown hair and brown eyes appeared unimpressive. The attitude with which he stepped forwards, nonchalant and with a charismatic smile on his lips, was captivating. A number of little bells bound to the belt of his colourful fusion between robe and armour.


    ¡°I¡¯m with the Church and I¡¯m here to help,¡± he announced himself, stopped, and took a slow, theatrical bow. ¡°Anohal Victor, Priest of the Great Actor, and assistant to Ecclesiarch Melawa.¡± Anohal basked in the stunned silence. He breathed in the atmosphere, the satisfying aroma of an act executed as planned. ¡°Let me introduce my stagehands in this play. Lord Inquisitor Lars!¡±


    The left curtain completely dissolved and the Lord Inquisitor took a hard step forward, as the force that had been holding him was released. A tall man in his early sixties, with short grey hair and eyes of dark green glass, sparkling with annoyance and stubbornness. ¡°You and your games,¡± he growled, fixing his armour. Like that of all Inquisitors, the leather looked like the outer layer had been burned in cleansing fire.


    ¡°All plays require their dramatics, every play has its peaks and falls,¡± Anohal hummed, ¡°and to present a great peak in drama, behold my second stage hand. The confused Priest, she who has the eyes of a fallen comrade, Mehily Heruslam!¡±


    The second curtain dissolved. There stood, quietly, a woman with a single long, blonde braid. She wore a white robe, decorated with lines as icy blue as the orbs of glass that filled her eye sockets. Her shoulders were broader than that of most women, her face on the squarer side, but she was attractive regardless.


    ¡°Oh, thank the gods,¡± Aclysia whispered under her breath and hurried towards the blonde. Flying over, she stopped just short of embracing the woman. ¡°My eternal apologies for how I left you that day.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± Mehily assured her and, clenching the robe above her chest, started walking.


    Reysha stared blankly at the approaching Priest. Although her expression was vacant, her body trembled all over. In the pale blue eyes, she saw memories of her fists crashing down again and again on the face of the Inquisitor that had possessed them previously. That terribly enticing feeling of thoughtless drive, she recalled it better than ever before, better than she had wanted to. Without question, the state Apotho¡¯s potions had put her in had made her take her revenge. Exhilarating. Simple. Dangerous. Stupid.


    Condemnable.


    The tiger girl gulped. She did not avert her gaze. Not when Mehily hesitated for a moment, nor when Apexus took her hand. All Reysha did was wait.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Then she burst out laughing. ¡°YOU¡¯RE SORRY?!¡± she shouted, between panic and shame-induced cackling. ¡°What the fuck are you sorry for¡­ you tried to tell me the truth that day and you¡­ you were willing to spare me after what I did.¡±


    Mehily was taken aback. She had played this moment out in her mind over and over again. Obtuse, unwilling, or otherwise denying to acknowledge her part in all of this, that was the reaction Mehily had expected from the redhead. Instead, her piercing eyes beheld a person reconstructed from the shards of a previous one. All the parts were there, some new ones had been added, but what had been before was shattered. The old and the new were mending. A process that did not seem like it could ever be complete.


    It took Mehily a long time to find new words. Some of what she wanted to say she could salvage, others she had to discard. For the better, for both of them. ¡°Your sins are yours to deal with¡­ and mine are mine,¡± she spoke softly. ¡°I did wrong by you¡­ all of you¡­¡± Mehily had to remind herself to turn her head and face the angel, then the humanoid slime. He had changed much since she had last seen her, but she had never seen him with these eyes anyway. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Oh just¡­ fuck you,¡± Reysha cussed and then suddenly hugged the Priest.


    There were many misgivings between them, many issues they had with each other, but neither of them wanted the other to suffer like they all had. In a tearful reunion, two enemies became, although not friends, at least part of the same side.


    The Lord Inquisitor eventually cleared his throat, loudly, not caring for all of this emotional wish-wash. ¡°There is a divine mission at hand,¡± he reminded everyone. ¡°The Lord of the Compass brought us here, to help contain the Apotho problem.¡± Lars clicked his tongue and unfocused his vision, beholding the world around him. ¡°Even with a direction given, finding this faithless backwater took a long time. Where is the Warlock?¡±


    ¡°You do not know?¡± Maltos asked, sipping from his tea.


    ¡°Prophecies are a funny thing,¡± Anohal said, marching up and down in front of the teachers. He left behind him a path of flowers, which dispersed into illusory petals in a matter of seconds. ¡°The gods may tell us what we need to know, but not all that we desire to know, as that is as far as they are willing to compromise the Divine Principles. We knew where and when to find you, but not what to expect.¡± The Priest of the Great Actor looked at the quartet. ¡°Had I not sensed an angel of my Director here, I would not have even known you were around.¡±


    ¡°A summary of our situation then,¡± Maltos stepped forwards. ¡°Apotho¡¯s location, we have no idea about. One of his Deathhounds is chasing them. They narrowly escaped it using a divine teleportation network and it is currently busy visiting each of the worlds they touched. Eventually, it will arrive here.¡± Specifically, towards the Lord Inquisitor, the old monk added, ¡°Can you help us find out when?¡±


    ¡°Which one of them is being tracked?¡± Lars asked.


    ¡°One of us,¡± Apexus answered, pointing at himself and then Aclysia. ¡°Me more likely.¡±


    ¡°Then stand still and let me search whose compass aims for you,¡± Lars ordered and approached the taller humanoid.


    Apexus did as demanded, even when the cold hands of the stern man intensely gripped his head. The deep green orbs began to glow, a golden outline appearing within. A golden compass, its needle spinning aimlessly, found no true goal. The Inquisitor kept concentrating, using the blessing of the god of the Where and When to sift through the remains of tracking magic.


    There was a faded Hunter¡¯s Mark, almost forgotten and long discontinued. Then there was a bit of the Deathhounds. Four of them. ¡°A name,¡± the Lord Inquisitor demanded, needing something substantial to find which one specifically he had to aim his counterintelligence at. There was little more substantial, when it came to demons, then their names.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Apexus confessed.


    ¡°¡­Turlesh,¡± Aclysia answered from the side, concentrating on her memories. It was seared into her mind. Jolene, that beautiful Empress with bright red hair, petting those monsters, naming them all like they were her puppies. To that name, the brilliant angel could put their features. Their mannerisms. ¡°Its¡­ his name is Turlesh.¡±


    The Lord Inquisitor nodded. ¡®Of course, it would be an angel who is the most useful,¡¯ he thought and returned his attention to the ritual. ¡°Turlesh,¡± he spat out the vile name, keeping it in his thoughts as he separated the four demons from one another. Then a vision. Clarity. A Deathhound sprinting through a waste, furious, growling, his path taking him to a demonic circle that would let him cut his paths down the endless branches of the Omniverse. Then the compass in his glass eyes came to standstill. The needle moved with the suddenness of a clock hand.


    With the Where came the When.


    ¡°Four months,¡± Lars whispered, before stumbling back. Heaving heavily, he tried to gather himself. His veins burned, the magical circuits in his body were exhausted, and he collapsed from the burden of prophecy. ¡°We have four months.¡±


    ¡°It will have to do,¡± Maltos nodded.

 Fists and Fortune 6 – Assignments

    ¡°Oh, how tragic, how short.¡± Anohal theatrically threw his head back. ¡°For me to be united with the angel of our god whose well-meaning decision created this cascade of events, only to be ripped away again by duty.¡±


    Aclysia pressed her lips together. ¡°I shall never apologize for having advocated for life.¡±


    ¡°And neither should you!¡± the actor priest assured her boisterously. ¡°It is a mark of all great plays and all great stories that the moral decision may not be correct and vice versa. Does it not excite the mind to imagine what would have happened that day, had the decision been different? How many thousands would be alive and who would instead play the role of the villain?¡± Anohal glanced over to Apexus and continued, in a deep masculine voice. ¡°There is always a villain.¡±


    ¡°Do we truly serve the same father?¡± Aclysia had to ask.


    ¡°The symbol of the theatre is two masks and so is that of our patron, god, or father,¡± Anohal responded, cheerful again. ¡°Us followers of the Great Actor are known for three characters. Those that perform, those that memorize scripts, and those with two faces. It¡¯s clear which you are, dear Aclysia.¡± He got even closer and whispered into her ear. Now his voice sounded soft and feminine. ¡°Being a representative of the Great Actor requires something that you lack. He may be your father, but do not bind yourself to his path. Good fathers want happy daughters, not shackled ones. Our god will always aim to be a positive archetype.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me to seek the paths of other gods?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to do as you should and memorize scripts. Find one that resonates, then act it out. Plays are condensed truth that is truer than truth. No mathematical equation may ever approach the value of a third act.¡± The androgynous man pat her on the shoulder and then stepped backwards. ¡°Lord Inquisitor! I would be ready now!¡±


    ¡°Finally,¡± the impatient zealot growled. He glanced at Maltos. ¡°You I can trust, Divine Hand. Make sure to prepare with us in mind, but do not expect us to bring too much.¡±


    ¡°I have the utmost respect for your capability, representative of the Church,¡± Maltos assured him, stroking his beard. ¡°Although I fear that Elomerstir will not approve of your actions.¡±


    Rapidly, Anohal got between them. ¡°Oh, let that be my worry, wise mentor,¡± he stated. ¡°Let it be yours to survive the curtain fall.¡±


    The old monk was as patient as always. Not even the antics of the actor priest could shake him. In his time, Maltos had met a few priests and other followers of Hashahin, even a paladin of the faith. They were all oddballs, yet far from the worst to speak to. All one had to do was speak their metaphors. ¡°We will see what archetype I embody, if any at all.¡±


    ¡°A wise man such as you knows it is impossible to not embody anything. Creativeness is too vast not to encompass all categories of character,¡± Anohal danced backwards. ¡°Regardless, it has been an honour to meet you all. We shall aim to be the reliable force. Maybe we shall become the knights in shining armour.¡±


    ¡°Every second counts.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, well then Lord Inquisitor, shall we?¡± Anohal led the way and Lars closely followed. With some confusion, Mehily looked between them, waved goodbye, and began to follow them, only for Maltos to stop her.


    ¡°What an eccentric entourage that brought you here,¡± the old monk said, more amused than disapproving. ¡°We exchanged a few quick words while you continued catching up with our troubled trio.¡±


    Said trio (quartet nowadays), was standing together and watching the scenes unfold with little comment. The past half an hour, the time since Anohal had started his greeting, had been an emotional up and down. By design of the actor priest, as he would have and did admitted directly. Aclysia was always prone to watching, as was Apexus, Reysha was just exhausted after her reunion with Mehily, and Korith felt a bit awkward about all of these things going on around her that she was only tangentially related to.


    ¡°The summary is that you are to train with Pronthin until their return.¡±


    ¡°The irony is not lost on me,¡± the faithless priest spoke into Mehily¡¯s stunned silence. ¡°An Inquisitor delivering one who has his kind¡¯s eyes but not their zealotry into the arms of a heretic. In any case, I have much to teach you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ really?¡± Mehily sounded as doubtful as she was. The man¡¯s thoughts were a steady movement of grey hues, every last happy and hopeful thought smothered by a thick layer of cynicism. It was as close to ¡®dead inside¡¯ as a living being could be. Yet, in those grey swirls were still the hardened fragments of deeply ingrained faith.


    ¡°You are an inquisitor without the zealotry. I¡¯m a priest without faith. We are both under the belief required for our stature.¡± Pronthin showed the closest thing to a wry smile he could. It looked deeply sarcastic, even though it was genuine. ¡°Your development will be interesting to follow. I will be teaching you and Aclysia with some additional attention.¡±


    Aclysia heard that and was about to insist she needed no extracurricular benefits. Considering her situation, however, and the danger they all would be in in four months time, she would take it.


    ¡°Do I get additional attention?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mai stated. ¡°You will wish you didn¡¯t.¡±


    The threat made her contrarian soul release a bit of energy back into her exhausted mind. ¡°Ohohohohoooo, ominous.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ and me?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, we¡¯re preparing you to survive a Deathhound encounter, so yes. GET EXCITED!¡± the goliath of a Warrior teacher said.


    Korith had to resist the urge to hold her ears close. ¡®Hoard, give me the strength to resist all this screaming,¡¯ she prayed.


    Apexus did not need to ask what training he would receive.


    Maltos clapped his hands. ¡°Then all is said and done. Attend to your individual students. We have much to do.¡±


    The sizable gathering dispersed, all leaving the temple grounds through the same gate that Anohal and Lars had used. Unlike the two members of the Church, the teachers and their students would stay on the island.


    What to do now was as clear as it was urgent and time was more or less limiting depending on the individual task. For the representatives of the Church, four months was little time and yet enough to justify and try to organize additional forces. Maltos was certain that the combined might of the Teacher¡¯s Isle could stop the Deathhound, but it would be a bloody battle. The more they had to offer, the better.


    All that they had to ensure was that those so weak that they could not conceivably hurt a Tharnatos class demon were out of the way. That was the job of the teachers here and it did not require haste. With a rough timeframe established, they needed to get the word out and the areas cleared. To ask people to leave their homes for a week was a large ask, but also not one, particularly for adventurers, that was unreasonable.


    Then there was the training for each of them.


    To Aclysia and Mehily, Pronthin spoke on the way back: ¡°I can teach you one more special spell, a powerful manifestation of magic. It¡¯s not special. It¡¯s like a ray or a bolt. Just a step up from them. The next evolution of wielding magic. After that it¡¯s just repetition and mastery, for what I can show you.¡±


    At Korith, Vulk shouted: ¡°I love teaching people how to beat shit up, but with you I have to focus on the boring defensive shit! If we do this right, you might be able to survive a single bite. Don¡¯t look at me like that, I said MIGHT! Ever seen a Deathhound? No?! DIDN¡¯T THINK SO!¡±


    While running, Reysha heard Mai behind her: ¡°You have two more minutes before I start running too. You better get a larger gap, missy, or I¡¯ll stab you in the arm! Good Rogues perform under duress and you have a lot more Martial Arts to master!¡±


    All three of those teachers were fairly confident that they could teach what they wanted to in four months. Already, they were solidifying further what skills had been tested while their proteges were dragon hunting and preparing them for what more they could learn in the timeframe they had been given.


    Maltos and Apexus sat across each other in the temple.


    Apexus still remembered sitting on those mats, so focused on his hunger that he couldn¡¯t even feel the texture of the floor. They were woven from plant matter and flexible, a nice material to kneel on, as he and his teacher currently did. The massive statue of the lotus flower was the only real decoration in the large hall. Everything else was supportive beams of red woods or walls of the same, largely covered in white plate.


    ¡°I must admit that I have never had to teach a student magic from nothing,¡± Maltos finally broke the silence. ¡°No one ever truly has to. Those who have the potential to venture into the Omniverse, to conquer Leaves none have set foot on before, they are distinguished by being in-tune with their magical circuits. You have no such advantage. It will be like teaching a baby to move a single finger.¡±


    Apexus nodded, because he knew it was true. He had tried to direct what flowed from his magical cortex a number of times on the way back. The ship had provided ample time for experiments. Nothing had resulted from it. He was aware he had it, both the magic and the potential to move it in a desired direction. So far, the greatest extent of control he had been able to manifest had been to stop magic from flowing to Aclysia, when she used him to recharge.


    ¡°It will likely take your utmost to learn this,¡± Maltos told him. ¡°I will demand all you can give, for that is all that needs to be given.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Apexus assured him.


    ¡°Be precise in your speech, what do you understand?¡± Maltos encouraged his pupil to put his thoughts out there.


    ¡°That I brought danger to this land.¡± Leaving it there would have been an option, but Maltos gestured for him to continue. More could be heard from the slime. ¡°I wish to have the power to be free and for that freedom to not inhibit anyone else,¡± the humanoid chimera continued his thoughts. A long pause followed, while he reflected on his emotions. ¡°I meditated on a cliffside, when I searched for people that would help in our plan to kill Kaladar.¡±


    ¡°And what did you experience there?¡±


    ¡°Silence. The silence of my thoughts. Clarity of existence. Nature.¡± Apexus did not try to put it into bloomy words, for he did not care for the elaborate explanations. ¡°Broad trends. Specialized actions. Animals and plants exist as they must. I am a person. I exist as I can. I should not be a detriment to others to exist as they can. All should be demanded of me. I brought danger to this land. I must help end that danger.¡±


    Maltos responded with a measured nod. ¡°A virtuous answer,¡± he approved. ¡°Whatever happens that day, know that I will remember you as a pupil unlike any other.¡±


    Blankly, Apexus stared. It was rare for him to feel only one thing at any statement. As the old monk, his wrinkly hands folded in his lap, smiled humbly at his pupil, that pupil felt naught but the most joyous sadness there was. Rapidly, the slime blinked away the irregular overflow of liquid in his eyes. He bowed his head. ¡°Thank you, teacher,¡± he said. ¡°I will attempt to be remembered as your best pupil.¡±


    ¡°That is your demand unto yourself and it is a good one,¡± Maltos stated. ¡°My demand to you is much simpler. I have more to teach you, much more, than can be fit in four months. You know the stances and you know them well. You do not know the flow of magic that these stances form. You cannot know them. We have to start there, before I can hope to teach you even the basic Skills or Martial Arts. However, a goal must be established.¡±


    Maltos rose to his feet and walked to the statue of the lotus flower. Its pointy leaves were made of gold, rimmed with sharpened steel, except for those near the centre. Those gradually transitioned, through various alloys, until the heart of it all was pure silver. Between the leaves pooled a liquid metal of silvery white.


    From underneath the statue, Maltos pulled two bowls. One of them, he dunked into the metal, extracting it like a bee extracted nectar. Carefully, he let the excess metal drip back into the statue. No drop stuck to the porcelain.


    With a nearly full bowl, the monk walked with long, confident steps back to the original position. ¡°This metal is what we call Omniverse Sap,¡± he explained, after sitting back down. ¡°It is a substance of great power and great tragedy. It can only be harvested where a Parasyte sucked a Leaf dry of all life and cut the world off from the great tree. That world stump continues to bleed for a few years, producing this sap. It is, for all intents and purposes, pure magical energy in a stable form. There is no more concentrated form of mana. Its value is near unfathomable, even if there are few that can harness it.¡±


    ¡°Can you?¡± Apexus wondered.


    Maltos shook his head. ¡°Harness it I cannot but¡­ it will be quicker to show you.¡± The old monk slid the full bowl towards Apexus. ¡°Throw the sap at me.¡±


    Apexus grabbed the bowl gingerly, not to spill anything, and then immediately did as he was asked. This immensely valuable liquid sparkled in the air. As a torrent, it flew, threatening to cover Maltos, to seep into the doormats, and to be lost in all the ways that mattered.


    Focused, the founder of the Teacher¡¯s Isle reached out with both arms. His hands nearly came into contact with the liquid, then he started to bend its flow. With gestures between pulling a rope and pushing a glass of water, he directed the Omniverse Sap into the empty bowl in front of him. It was a process that only took two seconds.


    ¡°This is a signature¡­ ability of Monks, a Martial Art¡­ that we train extensively,¡± Maltos said, clearing his throat. ¡°Flow Manipulation. The stronger the energy you aim to manipulate, the more difficult it becomes. This bowl,¡± he tapped on the rim of the container, ¡°contains about the same level of energy as a singular strike from a weak Deathhound. I will consider your training a success when you are capable of handling just one instance of this. It will wreck your magical cortex for that, it will leave you heaving and near the point of collapse, but one strike you must be able to counter.¡±


    Apexus nodded, and watched while Maltos returned the contents of the bowl to the rest within the lotus flower. ¡°I will not practice with the sap, correct?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the old monk confirmed. ¡°You will only be allowed to try and handle it when you¡¯re ready and you will be punished if you fail. Before Flow Manipulation, you must be taught basic Ki control, the manipulation of your own ki points, then the proper pressuring of others, and then, finally, we get to Flow Manipulation.¡± Empty-handed, Maltos sat back down. ¡°You will be brought to the edge of your physical and mental ability again and again. That is the path of the Monk.¡±


    ¡°My body, will and wisdom are my weapons. They must be sharp,¡± Apexus agreed.

 Fists and Fortune 7 – Internal Mana

    In deepest night, in deepest thought, Apexus concentrated on his insides.


    Literally, in part, as he was in a steady back and forth between attempting to channel his mana in the requested ways and trying to see if there was something physically wrong with the current layout of his body. The slime could not rule out that the way he composed himself, or the way he naturally was composed, did not lend itself to the way god-made humanoids functioned. This magid may have been entirely barred from him.


    The theory had a large hole in it: humanoids weren¡¯t the only beings that could learn different kinds of magic. A dragon¡¯s magical cortex resided in his chest and it was functionally the same as a humanoid one.


    Apexus tried to find an issue within his body. Trying to chew nuts with canines would not yield worthwhile results. If it was his form that was the issue and he fixed his form, then the result would be instantaneous.


    Most of the time, he tried to achieve his goal the proper way. The mana that flowed all through him, he had to condense it into certain lanes. All of the magical energy was unfocused. What magical circuits he had were in a purely dormant state. The only way to awaken them was by using them and the only way to use them was to gradually awaken them.


    It would have been much simpler if there was something wrong with him that he could fix than to train slowly.


    ¡°Darling?¡± The slime heard the soft voice of the metal fairy and opened his eyes. Hovering in front of him, Aclysia gently settled down and presented him with a small wooden container. ¡°You should eat. You won¡¯t work well if you starve yourself.¡±


    ¡°I might work better,¡± Apexus confessed. A certain level of hunger helped him focus. After all the previous fasting, it had a ritualistic component to it. His body had been trained, his instincts subdued, when he was skipping out on meals, his will hardened. If Apexus had needed any proof that the monk training had benefits even in its purely mundane variant, that would have been it.


    ¡°Eat ¨C for me.¡± Aclysia reached down and took his hand.


    Taking the suggestion, he rose to his feet and then let her guide him outside. The temple was not a place to eat, not outside special occasions. It was a space of a spiritual aesthetic and eating was fundamentally worldly. To mix the two carelessly would have diminished the impact of either. Plus, it was an excuse for Aclysia to take her beloved for a walk.


    Apexus knew he was wasting time, but he agreed to it anyway. Partly because he was stuck and mostly because he hadn¡¯t seen any of his loves in almost sixteen hours. ¡°Is everyone well?¡± he asked.


    ¡°They managed to calm me after Maltos delivered the news of your absence,¡± Aclysia reported. She had been furious and only minorly calmed down by the information that this time the isolation was not directly linked to starvation. ¡°After Turlesh is cleansed from existence, I pray that we have time to live a simpler life.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Apexus agreed. Distant were memories of when he felt free, only pursuing his own goals of the moment. ¡°Do you think we can?¡±


    ¡°Four months will be short for the Church to establish their first line of defence, but past that they will be able to secure this or any other position we crossed. Apotho will know this and would not risk another one of his beasts in an attempt to track us.¡± Aclysia looked up to the stars and tried to spy among them the veins of this Leaf. To spot that which connected everything. ¡°Powerful as he may be, he can only hope to beat the Church in specific engagements. To draw the ire of the holy worlds directly would be his certain doom.¡±


    ¡°If the Deathhounds are his only way of tracking us¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­then we will be safe,¡± she finished that thought for him. ¡°We would be free, at least for a little while.¡±


    Unspoken between them was that they would never truly be free of Apotho until he was dead or otherwise defeated. The Warlock was their responsibility, for one, and he might always find other ways to located them. Before Turlesh was dealt with, they would have to talk about what came after as the entire party.


    Apexus took the food package from Aclysia after they were out of the temple grounds. They had circled less than a quarter of it, before the slime had emptied the entirety of the container into his unhinged jaw. The urge to return to training immediately was weaker than to stay with his beloved angel. ¡°How do you use mana?¡± he asked suddenly.


    ¡°The answer¡­ will not please you, darling,¡± Aclysia responded with a long sigh. ¡°It would gratify me if I had helpful advice for you. However, I was created to wield magic, even to have the ability that other mages train for ¨C to draw mana out of the air around me. This struggle is not one I can share with you.¡± As she said that, she grabbed his arm and hugged it as tightly as she could while they walked. ¡°I deeply admire how you push yourself, I just wish it would not interfere with us.¡±


    ¡°It has to,¡± Apexus responded.


    ¡°Yes, sadly that is how time works,¡± Aclysia pouted, considering what one could do to change that. Not a whole lot, without pursuing that path in its entirety. ¡°I am certain that the issue you are facing is not a physical one, darling. Easier it would be, were it so.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s only the hard path,¡± the humanoid chimera stated. ¡°That is fine.¡±


    He stopped and lifted his beloved angel into a princess carry. Moth-like wings fluttered while she came to rest between his strong arms. Gladly, she held onto his neck and showered him with kisses. ¡°Don¡¯t walk too fast,¡± she pleaded.


    ¡°I will take measured steps,¡± he responded seriously. ¡°How was the day with Pronthin?¡±


    ¡°Habitually frustrating, the time apart did nothing to change the man. He teased a new kind of spell, though he stated that it required us to prepare in other ways first.¡± Aclysia pushed her disdain for the man far away from her mind. ¡°Our time together will be limited for the foreseeable future, let¡¯s not converse about such frustrating topics.¡±


    ¡°What would you rather talk about?¡± Apexus asked. He was and remained a bad conversationalist. When Reysha was around, there was plenty to work with in terms of back and forth, but he and Aclysia did not have that kind of relationship. There was little to say between them, because they were both happy in each other¡¯s silence.


    ¡°What do you think of the colour blue?¡± Aclysia asked after a minute of contemplation.


    Apexus gave that some serious thought. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it,¡± he responded. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I deemed that worthy of knowing about you. What about green.¡±


    The slime looked into her verdant eyes. ¡°The most beautiful colour in the world.¡±


    ¡®Frr-rr-rrr-rr-rrrr-t,¡® her wings vibrated at a high frequency, creating a very distinct sound. To please the metal fairy was easy for Apexus. Not exactly because Aclysia was easy to please, but because they were somehow perfect for each other. Above all things, the angel yearned for honesty and Apexus considered his words until they were what he meant to say. They had shaped each other to their liking over the years. Changes that both of them welcomed.


    What they did not welcome was the temple entrance approaching with each stride of the tall slime. With no further words spoken, Apexus put Aclysia down. They shared a goodbye kiss and then she was off.


    Since he had already moved, Apexus decided to occupy one of the small side-buildings for his remaining meditations, rather than the large main hall. He would have to move eventually, as the regular activities of the temple resumed. Better to be somewhere out of the way. The temple grounds had many rooms that were only used when a student occupied them for meditation or self-disciplining purposes.


    Apexus found a small chamber, as far away from everything else as it could be, and settled down. There was nothing around to distract him. There was no furniture. The only entrance was the sliding door. ¡®There is only the hard path forward,¡¯ he reminded himself and concentrated on what lay within.


    He concentrated on the magical cortex hidden in his hips. A hardened bud of semi-flexible, collagenous tissue. Where it sapped nutrients out of blood in a normal entity, transforming it into mana, the exchange within the slime was that of general energy into mana. In that, the cortex was dependent on the core. The nucleus of the slime, brain and heart in one organ, stored biomass as layers around the original core, which could be transformed into energy that fed the other organs of the evolving being.


    The slime was an inherently magical being. His acidity was magical, the signals he used to move were magic, the growing, combining and coordination were all magical. All of that supernatural energy flowing around inside him, it was all dedicated to the work of his organs. It worked on a frequency that was different from what was required for the spells, skills and Martial Arts of adventurers.


    The magical cortex transformed the magical energy in the slime into the correct kind of mana. Training it into an ¡®active¡¯ state was simple, constant, and mind-breaking labour.


    Over and over again, Apexus had to deliberately gather magical energy in his magical cortex and then send it through the system. Each time, he felt a bit of the network rustling awake. It was a shock that went through a completely unused, underdeveloped system of connections that was less physical than embedded in his soul.


    He gathered the magic again and again, trying to focus on the mundane task. It was like hollowing out a stone by letting water gather in the palms and then dropping it. Again and again, again and again, again and again and again.


    It was dull even beyond the slime¡¯s ability to endure.


    Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his breathing. Drawing in the air and pushing it out, he used that to dictate the rhythm at which he progressed. In, to gather the power, out, to release it. Apexus visualized the magic cortex within him. The many layers, currently sitting together tightly, gradually opening like a lotus flower.


    The paths of his mana circuitry extended from the flower like the branches of trees growing out. In a way, it was the Omniverse. Parasytes had something flower-like, Apexus had witnessed that first-hand. A tree rooted in a flower, nourished by what it drew from the world around it, that was the Omniverse inside him.


    The magic spread through thin branches. With each breath, they grew a tiny bit thicker. Became a tiny bit more capable of holding magic without his constant care and attention. As the breaths counted the seconds, the seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days. Like a person regaining control over their legs, he barely walked at all at first. Then he could walk for some time. Then he could walk almost an hour. Two hours. Three hours. Finally, he never had to stop walking.


    The mana circuitry formed and reformed. Signs of it were everywhere. Then, Apexus concentrated on specific paths. From the cortex to his thighs. Down to his knees. From his knees, to his ankles. Into his toes. Then, up his chest, from the cortex. The distance was too large for direct connection. Points were created naturally, asymmetrically, working with the layout of his muscles and his other organs. Knots of energy, as required as they were potentially vulnerable, on their way to his shoulders. His neck. The paths spread out, through his bicep, to his elbow joint. To his hands. To his fingers. Each digit was its own work. The energy tingled.


    It was the hard way, but the meditative visualization was potent. Apexus¡¯ consciousness was locked away deep in his care. Where there should have been only darkness, there was control. He was tending his own tree, from his own flower.


    Then, when he had cultivated the last branch, and had made certain that he could send the magical energy all the way from his cortex to his eyes, he opened them.


    In front of him, in the chamber, lay a fresh meal and a piece of paper. Multiple messages had been scribbled on it, from multiple hands, at multiple times. They were encouraging, joking, and longing, the hands they were written in giving away who had left what behind. In the depths of his meditation, the slime had missed all of them. The only times he had snapped out was when the hunger had become too much and each time, he had found a sizable meal waiting for him in the room.


    Apexus was famished, but he refused to eat before he had read every last message. He pressed the paper signed by his loves against his chest. ¡®I will see you today,¡¯ he thought, before allowing his hunger to take over.


    After the meal, he reported to Maltos.


    The first week of training was over.

 Fists and Fortune 8 – Balance

    ¡°Do you remember the question you answered when you first came here?¡± Maltos asked, him and Apexus sitting across each other in the teacher¡¯s tiny, barren room. It was the eighth day of training and followed a night Apexus had spent at home. As far as they had agreed to push him, Maltos still saw it necessary for the humanoid chimera to rest. If not for his own sake, then because Aclysia and Korith would have trouble concentrating when he was away for too long. Reysha was the one of the three who could live with some prolonged separation ¨C although her physical needs were a different matter.


    In summary, it was just better to give the quartet some time off every now and again. The teachers acknowledged that, even the harshest ones.


    ¡°The question¡­ what is the Class closest to a Monk? ¨C the Berserker,¡± Apexus responded after searching his memory for a few moments. His recollections were usually quite reliable, but that particular one had been minorly buried by the panic attack that had come right after it. ¡°The Monk is all about control of motion and emotion. The Berserker lets them take full control. Although one shackles and the other lets run wild, both use their mental state to achieve superhuman feats.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Maltos nodded, ¡°and never forget that Berserkers, too, use their mental state. Many Monks find our uncontrolled peers to be dishonourable, but you should respect them. It is not easy to let one¡¯s rage be in such total control. They hone their minds, in their own reckless ways.¡± Maltos sipped from his tea, a slow, deliberate motion. Everything the old monk did was measured in some way.


    Apexus wanted to emulate that. Most of what he did was deliberate, but he was still a creature of many instincts. There was nothing the slime wanted to be outside of his control. Patiently, he sat there, while Maltos sorted his thoughts on how to continue. The teacher was considering and the student knew better than to push unnecessarily, and so there was silence. Only the chirping of the birds in the forest outside provided an ambience.


    ¡°I said this before, but it warrants repeating: you have talent to be a Monk. I judge that this is because, by instinct alone, you would have made a splendid Berserker. You chose peace over violence many times and that is how you ended up here,¡± Maltos turned the cup in his hand. ¡°You took a week to activate your magic circuits¡­ that was faster than I would have feared and slower than I had hoped. Which means, so far, we are right on track. The next part, I expect to go rapidly.¡±


    Apexus tilted his head when he heard the bothered tone in which his teacher said that. ¡°Is there an issue with me advancing quickly?¡±


    ¡°There might be. Many students grow frustrated when they have an easy time initially and then hit the wall. I do not expect that to be a problem with you. I am simply at a loss as to what to teach you first.¡± After emptying his cup, Maltos stood up. ¡°When one is at a loss about what to start with, one should just start. Come with me.¡±


    The two of them left the chamber and stepped into the courtyard, where the other Monks in training were going through their every day morning poses. None of them turned their heads towards the owner of the temple and his personal pupil. There was interest in why Apexus had been given so much special attention, some of the pupils less qualified for monkhood even felt jealousy. Those that knew Apexus also knew that the special attention was warranted. Teachers and students alike knew he was, as Maltos observed, exceptionally apt at this craft.


    In a different life, at a different time, he would have received less intense special attention for his talent alone.


    Maltos directed Apexus to an open space of the large, naked plaza that made up the vast majority of the temple grounds. ¡°Reveal your chest,¡± the old monk directed and was immediately obliged. Apexus slipped out of the top of his robe as easily as ever. It was designed to be swiftly discarded, after all. ¡°A Monk¡¯s Martial Arts are among the most effective there are, because of how diverse they are,¡± Maltos explained. ¡°Assume form three of the mantis stance.¡±


    Wordlessly, Apexus obeyed. Like most stances, it began at the correct positioning of the feet. One forward, the other decently far behind, the legs bent halfway to a squat. The mark of all forms of the mantis stance was that both fists were raised towards the opponent. For this particular form, the fist on the same side of the forward leg was deliberately further out. The intent was to draw back from an attacking opponent and then retaliate immediately, with a downward strike with the other arm.


    Of course, the intent of any good stance was just the primary way to punish inexperienced opponents. No useful martial art locked someone in a single course of action.


    ¡°Your stance is flawless,¡± Maltos commented on what he already knew. The thought Apexus had needed to put into forming his body translated into a deep understanding of how each muscle was supposed to move. Because the techniques of this school of Monk training were practical over aesthetic, he had acquired them swiftly. ¡°Martial Arts are defined by being Skills that require at least two of the ways to shape ki, that is mana inside the body, and the use of focus points. They often blur the line between Skills and Spells, by having effects outside the body, although their range is in most cases much smaller than their mage counterparts.¡±


    Apexus nodded once at the end. He knew all of this already but listened to the explanation anyway.


    ¡°Martial Arts of Monks use all the three major Inside Body channels: Joints, Bones, and Muscles. This is what makes them the most difficult, the most taxing, and the most versatile. Our Martial Arts are among the most effective, but we must choose wisely what we utilize. We carry an empty fist, so we may wield what we need the most in any situation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, teacher,¡± Apexus answered, enthusiasm reverberating in his voice.


    ¡°You will first be taught three Skills. Three basic Skills, which I expect all Monks to learn. You will learn the basic Skill of Rogues, to dislocate and relocate your joints through magic. You will learn the basic Skill of Warriors, to reinforce your bones. Finally, you will learn the basic skill of Fighters, to boost the strength of your muscles. We will begin in that order. First the joints.¡± Maltos lowered his voice. ¡°I understand that this will be a useless Skill for you, but you need to know how to do it. Focus your mana inside your shoulder and release it in a burst. To slot it back in, concentrate it in the same way and then attempt to create a vacuum. Imagine caving your cheeks in.¡±


    Apexus did as he asked. He did not close his eyes, having heard what Reysha went through whenever she tried to concentrate only on her inside. Although Maltos was not that sort of merciless teacher, he still approved of the slime keeping his guard up while attempting his task.


    After a week of forcefully training his mana circuits, channelling his ki down one of the many paths inside him was almost too simple. It was like walking down a road, after spending months levelling and paving the ground and creating it in the first place.


    The mana flowed out of the circuits and into the joint itself. It wasn¡¯t a place for it to dwell and Apexus felt both his mind and his body strain from the effort of keeping it there. It was like he was clenching a fist in his shoulder, a highly unusual sensation, but not as unusual for a creature that had assumed many forms before and would assume more in the future. What aversion regular adventurers felt when first learning Skills, the slime did not have. What discipline they lacked, he possessed. What experience they had yet to gain, the humanoid slime had gone through tenfold.


    With a sudden ¡®POP¡¯ Apexus¡¯ left shoulder jumped out of its socket. There was some pain, the excess mana released hurting the surrounding muscle.


    Maltos nodded approvingly, but kept his comment until the shoulder cracked back into place. Apexus kept his stance and his expression straight the entire time. A normal person¡¯s arm would have dangled uselessly for the seconds between the slotting in and out, but no one apart from the teacher had observed that fact. ¡°That usually takes people around two weeks to learn,¡± the teacher commented. ¡°However, you are much ahead of novices. Let¡¯s continue. Focus mana in your right forearm. Once you are ready, I will strike at it. If you have done it correctly, you will feel no pain from the impact.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Apexus stated and turned his attention inwards again. Finding the path was easy, once again. The hard work of manually creating every path, the mind-breaking labour, it certainly paid off. Few people, especially at his level, could boast such intimate knowledge of their mana circuits. Only to make the mana seep into the bones was new, but it was also much easier. The circuits naturally weaved through the bones, travelled through the marrow and over the surface, and for the hardening nothing needed to be done besides pushing it in there and then letting it reinforce the natural structures. ¡°I am ready.¡±


    Maltos struck immediately. He was fast, much faster than a man his age and stature should have been, yet not as fast as Apexus knew he could be. The fist slammed against Apexus¡¯ defensively raised arm and came to a stop. ¡°Very good,¡± the teacher stated. ¡°Then, for the last ¨C strike at me whenever you have reinforced your muscles.¡±


    Nodding, Apexus watched his teacher assume a simple defensive stance, with one palm raised and the other waiting. No instructions were needed. The area of the body was different, but the technique behind it was the same. Ki was pushed from the magic circuit in his hips all the way to his right upper arm. The magic seeped out from his bone into the muscles. Instinct would have guided an inexperienced fighter to just pump it all into the major muscle of the area ¨C the bicep ¨C but Apexus knew what muscles in the area went into a punch. From his back to his pecks, he reinforced all that had any supporting role in the motion of drawing his arm back and then bringing it down on the smaller man.


    Apexus meant to deliver the strongest he could give and he exceeded it. He could feel the effect of the magic and felt exhilarated by it. He was faster, stronger, and harder. Yet even with all of that additional power, when his fist touched Maltos¡¯ palm, he redirected the attack with pure physical technique. No magic was involved, turning it off to the side. ¡°What are you thinking about right now?¡± the old monk asked, while Apexus pulled back his fist.


    The humanoid chimera did not answer immediately. He spread his wings, filled the muscles within with power, and beat them once. Without any sprint or move of his legs, he lifted half a metre off the ground. He fell, landed on his feet, then slammed an empowered fist into his reinforced palm. Under the skin, the liquid parts between his Growths rippled invisibly.


    ¡°Magic is terrifying,¡± Apexus responded finally.


    Maltos nodded, knowing what his pupil meant. Wanting an elaboration, mostly so Apexus could sort his thoughts, he asked, ¡°Can you elaborate?¡±


    ¡°I have strong hands. I can shatter trees with my knuckles. Now I could smash rock and not even break anything,¡± he turned his hand and looked at it from several angles, ¡°this is deadlier than any iron sword with just the basics. All a man built in a year ¨C I could crush it in a minute. I will only grow stronger from here. More destructive. I could kill regular people in one swipe. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult. That is terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Remember that,¡± Maltos advised. ¡°It is easy to be seduced by power. Remember what magic can do if you wield it without purpose. Now, you managed to learn those three swiftly and mastery of them is not required for this next step. Stand at ease.¡± Apexus did as demanded and got into a relaxed stance, his arms dangling at his sides. ¡°The most interesting part about your newest growth is simultaneously the most expected.¡±


    Before Maltos elaborated further, he jabbed at a point left of the dip between Apexus¡¯ chest and his shoulder. Suddenly, that entire area relaxed intensely, a sensation that rapidly spread down his entire arm. It was like all energy had been sapped from it in an instant. Apexus tried to move it. Barely, he managed to twitch with his fingers. After two seconds, that changed to him being able to make a fist. Sensation and control normalized, while his teacher talked.


    ¡°You have the same pressure points as all other humanoids, even though your magical cortex is in a different position and of a different nature,¡± Maltos observed. ¡°This teaches me something, that they are not there by a divine design, but by natural shape in a humanoid body. I thank you for teaching me this, Apexus.¡± His teacher bowed.


    ¡°I thank you for having shared this revelation with me,¡± the humanoid slime responded, bowing in turn. The two straightened back up in unison and continued the lecture as if nothing had happened. For the most part, as far as the two of them were concerned, nothing really had happened. Respect between the two of them was clear. Apexus had a teacher before him and a good man who harboured no dark secrets like Gizmo had. Maltos saw a pupil who entrusted him with his life and he would do his all to make sure it remained where it was supposed to.


    ¡°What I just pressured is one of the physical focus points,¡± Maltos explained. ¡°I will refer to them as focus or pressure points. The difference in those terms is purely in whether you attempt to strengthen your own or weaken the enemy¡¯s, in position and purpose they remain mostly the same. There are three general types of points: physical, magical, and sensation. They are separated then into major, medium, and minor points. You have felt these points forming, you said?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus responded.


    ¡°Show me where you think they are,¡± Maltos requested and followed as Apexus touched about a dozen points all over his body. Some were symmetrical, others were mirrored in odd ways, others did not have a counterpart at all. When he was done, the old monk hummed. ¡°You have pointed at the minor points in the torso, but nothing else. This next part will be unpleasant, prepare yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus stated and took a deep breath for comfort alone. He nodded. Painlessly, the index finger of Maltos jabbed at a point north-east of the slime¡¯s decoratively placed navel.


    Apexus collapsed instantly. All of the strength was gone from his muscles. Just before he hit the floor, it all returned and he caught himself. ¡°That was a physical major point,¡± Maltos stated. ¡°It may be somewhat confusing, but major does not describe size but instead importance. The most important pressure points are all smaller than the tip of a needle. Pressing them in combat usually takes an immobilized opponent, so few Monks specialize in attacking them aggressively.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Apexus vocalized that he was listening.


    ¡°You will learn them all and how to press them. First, however, you will need to exploit them on your own body. It is by drawing our ki through specific routes, that the Martial Arts of Monks achieve their specific, often highly specialized effects. Where other Classes¡¯ Martial Arts are usually focused around the timing and intensity of the release, ours are about the correct path. Remember this.¡±


    ¡°The result of an action is all about the journey taken to achieve it,¡± Apexus summarized it as a mantra.


    Maltos showed a broad smile, ¡°Precisely, my pupil. Now, follow me. The next part will be study.¡±


    Although he suppressed it, Apexus felt like groaning.

 Fists and Fortune 9 – Paths and Styles

    Maltos looked through the stack of paper before him. Each was a detailed print of the humanoid body, each had been carefully drawn and written on, and each was carefully being scanned. ¡°Your handwriting still leaves much to be desired,¡± the old monk chastised.


    ¡°Studying was never my forte,¡± Apexus confessed, not for the first time. Practical knowledge he acquired a lot easier than most people, but the moment things entered the absurd or the highly detailed, his mind refused to save it as reliably. He had first discovered this when Gizmo had taught him advanced math and a variety of other crafts had swiftly followed. To the humanoid chimera, knowledge that had no immediately apparent use was dull beyond belief.


    The study of pressure points had been a half and half affair. Knowing where they were and how to channel ki through them to achieve certain effects, all of that had been useful. To learn their names correctly, and to write them out over and over again, that he hated.


    ¡°If we had more time, I would insist we fix this,¡± Maltos thought out loud, while tracing the lines drawn with his fingers. One after the other, he inspected the drawings that way, making sure his pupil had memorized everything correctly. ¡°Good calligraphy reflects control and studied movements. It is rather surprising that yours reflects such impatience, considering the rest of you.¡±


    Apexus had nothing more to explain or defend himself, so he just stayed quiet. This was the culmination of four days of work. During those four days, he had been tested eight times, once every eight hours, with an eight-hour break for rest. He had crammed every last scripture Maltos had presented to him into his core. More than once, he had wished he could just absorb knowledge the way he could biological structures. Not because that ability would have been outstandingly powerful, only to be freed from the torture of reading the same passages over and over again.


    ¡°Your memorization is satisfying,¡± Maltos continued on. ¡°No mistakes.¡± He put all the papers into a neat stack. ¡°Do you know why I had you write all of these down?¡±


    ¡°To make sure I understood?¡± Apexus returned with a question. For once, he was certain he did not have the correct answer. ¡°Is that half of it?¡±


    ¡°About a quarter,¡± Maltos stated, with mild amusement. Seriously, he continued, ¡°You will have to understand these by heart by practicing them. No, this action was taken so I can bind these into a book, after adding some notes of my own.¡± The old monk stared at his pupil. ¡°I have made you draw the combination lines for all Martial Arts that I teach my pupils, Apexus. These four days were not for the Deathhound, they were for your life after that. With this book, you will be able to practice all that I know. It may be more difficult without further guidance, but it can be done even without me.¡±


    Apexus was left without response, this time for a lack of words that carried the depth of his gratitude. Rather than stammer through any attempt, the Monk-in-training bowed where he sat, until his forehead hit the woven plant matter of the main temple¡¯s floor.


    ¡°I will tell you right now what it does not contain,¡± Maltos stated, while the slime¡¯s head was still lowered. ¡°In the book, you will not find the Gate Techniques. They are too dangerous to be taught with written instructions alone. Should you ever desire to learn them, you must confide in me or, should I not survive or you be too far to reach me, another teacher. You must swear this to me.¡±


    ¡°I swear, teacher,¡± Apexus promised.


    Maltos weighed those words for a moment. Once he deemed them proper, he told Apexus, ¡°Raise your head. Now we continue your training properly.¡± After the blue eyes of the fox-eared humanoid were back on him, the lesson started. ¡°Manipulation of focus points inside the body comes in two varieties,¡± he stated, ¡°one is what you studied over the past few days. It is to channel the ki through the desired points, and then to arrive at a point where it becomes a Martial Art. Like many materials, from ore to honey, these different processes change much about the final result, even if it remains fundamentally the same Martial Art. What differentiates the schools of Monks is primarily which points are hit in which order. Let me demonstrate.¡±


    Stripping out of his top, Maltos revealed his naked upper body. He had seen better days. The skin was not as firm as it used to be, the muscles had diminished, and age spots were visible all over, but the fundamental power he had once possessed still rippled underneath the slight belly he had gotten in his age.


    He clenched his left fist. Its skin, down to the wrist, turned into a lead grey colour. Ki exuded in an aura of dark grey, rising like smoke from his skin. ¡°This is the Ironskin Martial Art, Ashen March Style,¡± he revealed. ¡°It favours offense and thus I rarely ever used it. I merely picked it up when I was sparring with a friend. I teach and practice the Ready Waters Style,¡± he clenched his right fist and the arm turned into the colour of polished iron all the way down to the shoulder, without any further visual effects, ¡°it focuses on defence and mobility.¡± He relaxed his hands and the ki stopped flowing, ending both effects. ¡°Those two were the same Martial Art, Ironskin is even practiced by Warriors and Knights. Both styles channel the ki through three physical and one magical focus points. The Ashen March variant uses the minors Shun, Makan, and Wendel and the major Warjen. The Ready Waters uses the minors Shun, Wendel, and Tempest and the major Malin. What is the primary difference?¡±


    ¡°The Ashen March¡¯s major point is the single magical focus point. The Ready Waters uses Malin, which is a physical point that can also be used as a sensation point.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Maltos nodded, having expected no less. ¡°You can interchange which focus points you use and in which order, to achieve many different variances of the same Martial Art. Each Style has its own focus on certain points. Mastering several Styles is, of course, possible, but in the thick of battle you seldom have the luxury to pick from a library of different tools. Best to be proficient in a small selection.¡±


    Apexus nodded once, only to signal his understanding. Then Maltos stood up, gesturing for his pupil to do the same. What followed from there was a lengthy and informative summary of the prominent points of the Ready Waters Style and what they were prone to do. After all of that was said and done, the lecture continued with a clear goal.


    ¡°The first Martial Art you shall learn is the Ironskin,¡± Maltos stated. ¡°It is a universal tool that you can use to harden yourself against enemy weapons and also to reinforce the strength of your knuckles. After that, you will learn the Featherstep, the same technique I use to jump from canopy to canopy. With those two, you will have demonstrated control over your own pressure points. Afterwards, you will be taught the Pressure Touch.¡± Two raised fingers and the name were enough to indicate what that Martial Art was. ¡°Few Monks specialize in it, but all learn it. Once you have a basic understanding of how to exploit enemy pressure points, I will teach you an offensive move: the Rippling Palm. Those are the minimum Martial Arts you need to master to use Flow Manipulation.¡±


    ¡°Teacher, I have a question,¡± Apexus spoke up, before the lesson continued. ¡°What is the drawback to combining ki points randomly?¡±


    ¡°You mean to use Monk Martial Arts with a steadily mixing assortment, with no style in mind?¡± The clarifying question was met with a nod. ¡°The drawbacks are twofold and both are obvious. You do not know what you will get and what you get may be harmful. Regardless, some Monks dabble in it. We call them Monks of the Gambling Path.¡±


    ¡°Gambling is very un-monkly is it not?¡±


    Maltos blew air out of his nose and chuckled. ¡°I sometimes forget your lack of experience with the wider world. Listen, a Monk is marked by self-control. Most Monks you meet are spiritual, finding their discipline in denial of worldly urges. A select few find their fulfilment instead in indulging the worldly in manners under their control. I will not pretend that I truly understand how they do it. There are also Sin Monks.¡±


    ¡°¡­That sounds oxymoronic.¡±


    ¡°In most ways it is,¡± Maltos responded, no amusement in his voice. ¡°All Monks are people and all people are tempted by indulgence. You will, on your journey, be allured by many paths. Some because they are easy, others because they offer the pleasures of revenge or wealth. A Monk that falls to their temptations is a unique beast. They resemble a Berserker in the source of their strength, but their instincts are still under strict control. It is a very specific path with its own abilities and no one ever sets out to walk it. One falls or one does not. One breaks or one bends.¡±


    Apexus considered that. Could he fall to a sin? Certainly, he could. There was wrath inside the slime¡¯s core, rage regarding the wicked and those that would hurt those dearest to him. There was hunger, a vast gluttonous hunger, to devour entire forests from the largest game to the smallest blade of grass, just for the sake of eating. Those were two sins that he knew he could fall or relapse into.


    Deep down, Apexus knew that, if he ever crossed the line of eating one of his haremettes, that he would not come back from that. Becoming a Monk had been a decision made in no small part to get a handle on that temptation. He had controlled himself in a situation overseen by Maltos. Who knew what dire straits the Omniverse held for them?


    The hand of the smaller, older man came down on Apexus¡¯ shoulder. ¡°A Sin Monk is one that falls too deep to rise again. Don¡¯t let it come that far. Die before then.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Apexus promised.


    It was a crass demand, yet a normal one for a monk. To break from control into indulgence was the same as dying mentally, to this path of life and the rebirth that followed, not one considered to be worthy of continuation. Values were shattered in the process that were stronger than their claim to life. Thus, death was the preferable alternative.


    ¡°The Ironskin,¡± Maltos continued unabated, lifting his hand off of Apexus¡¯ shoulder. ¡°It is a Martial Art that utilizes Bone, Muscle, and Skin. Use of Skin Skills is a continuation of the muscles ¨C you should not have an issue with it. You will learn the regular Ironskin first, then the Ready Waters Style.¡± The old monk stepped back, walking towards the large lotus flower to retrieve something.


    While he did, Apexus concentrated on his left arm. Manipulating his membrane was a sensation he was more than used to. In the first place, the difference between his muscles, his flesh, and his skin was even less than in a regular person. All three were meat for most humanoids, some cases of scales notwithstanding. All three were slime, for Apexus, and all were deeply linked not just by a shared mana circuitry but the mechanics of his regenerative capabilities.


    Although his membrane also was that of a demon. A Skinwalker, aptly named, that he had devoured after Apotho had pointed him towards it. While those circumstances were unfortunate, since that had been a ploy to make sure the slime, the tiger girl and the metal fairy were as far from each other as possible, the Growth itself had been an incredibly useful fixture. Outwardly it looked just like human skin, the colour and translucency could be changed, and it fused perfectly with additional Growths and worked with Apexus¡¯ ability to thicken his membrane.


    By making parts of himself denser, Apexus could store additional biomass without bloating out of control. Nowadays he stored that additional biomass in matter other than just his slime, like his bones or by deliberately increasing the size of his nucleus. Still, the fact was that Apexus had skin that was several times thicker than the average. With the lack of veins and such running through, it was more akin to blubber and the surface was already sturdier than regular skin ¨C all of that without losing the tactile similarities.


    Just pouring mana into it did succeed in making it stronger, but the proper Martial Art eluded Apexus. Notably, his skin did not change colour.


    Maltos returned to his pupil with a sphere covered in razor-sharp blades in his metallically glistening hand. ¡°A Monk is considered to have mastered the Ironskin when they can pass a bladed ball back and forth with their master twenty times without cutting themselves,¡± the teacher explained. ¡°Usually, this test would be kept for when you are confident you can do it. With your regenerative abilities, we can pull it ahead. First, however, the basic Ironskin.¡±


    Carefully, Maltos placed the ball on the floor and then took Apexus¡¯ arm. He brushed off the naked arm of his pupil, tracing the bones. ¡°Fundamentally, Ironskin functions by expanding the reinforced hardness of the bones to the skin, the muscles only serve as a medium where necessary. It is easiest to start where skin and bone are the closest.¡± Maltos tapped on the humanoid chimera¡¯s knuckles. ¡°Reinforce the bones here and then raise the energy to the surface.¡±


    Apexus nodded and concentrated. He knew, from the first moment, what to do. Actually, doing it was a different matter. It was like knowing the way to solve a single side of a Rubik¡¯s cube and going through the motions. After three minutes, spots of a simple, metallic colour started to show.


    ¡°Good start. Now, the difficult bit is to expand it. You need to get it all the way down to your elbow.¡±


    That was the equivalent of actually solving the Rubik¡¯s cube. An hour passed, of Apexus slowly, gradually, enveloping the entirety of his arm in a sheen of iron grey. Maintaining it was difficult, but not absurdly so. To do so in combat, while using other Martial Arts simultaneously, would be the true test. ¡°What next?¡±


    ¡°Next, do the other arm,¡± Maltos instructed. ¡°You need to be able to do this with all of your skin. Afterwards, you head home.¡±


    ¡°A break?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°I trust you to keep practicing while you see the others.¡±

 Fists and Fortune 10 – Passing the Baton

    ¡°THE MAN IS BACK IN THE HOUSE!¡± Reysha shouted from the rooftop, when she spotted Apexus in the distance. Two seconds later, the door burst open. The only reason that Korith was leading the charge that followed was that she was faster.


    ¡°HURRAY!¡± the kobold yelled, jumping once out the door and then leaping with incredible strength towards Apexus. Like an arrow, she whistled through the air, until she was effortlessly caught by a prepared and ready apprentice Monk. Even with his reflexes, he had to let the force of her flight go somewhere. Spinning around himself as he stepped forwards, Apexus used his hands to hold her and his wings to maintain balance.


    He was starting to slow, when Aclysia¡¯s arms wrapped around his neck. In a deep and incredibly aggressive, needful hug, she cuddled up against him with as much force as her flight could develop. That was, as Apexus realized, a lot more than he was used to. He had to go for a few more spins, before there was no momentum left. Wordlessly, he pulled Korith against his chest and gave both the women attached to him a unified squeeze. They made the world¡¯s most adorable sound and smiled with broad happiness.


    Apexus himself was beaming with joy, even if his expression didn¡¯t reflect that as intensely. Due to his origin, emotional displays from him were always less intense, unless they were badly coordinated overcompensation. While the constant and prolonged contact with people outside the group had helped him a lot in regards to reading and, less so, mimicking displays of emotions, the Monk training had also shown him that he didn¡¯t need to force himself. There were people like him out in the world. They were regarded as odd, yes, but Apexus didn¡¯t care about being odd. He just didn¡¯t want his true nature spotted at a distance.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling like a fucking peasant over here,¡± Reysha giggled, jumping off the roof. She landed with an expert roll, directly translating into a confident stride. Her red tail waved behind her butt. ¡°Everyone can soar through the air and I¡¯m still moving about the regular way.¡±


    ¡°Were you not working on changing that?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Shadow Steps are just more fancy walking,¡± Reysha waved off. ¡°Anyway, they got the hugs, I want the first kiss.¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± Aclysia protested with swiftness and intensity that was both atypical of her and completely expected given the subject matter. ¡°Darling¡¯s first kisses are mine to claim, I loved him first.¡±


    ¡°Gonna have to renegotiate that deal, bubble butt,¡± Reysha smacked the metal fairy¡¯s ass just as she stepped into range. The skirt of her casual dress did little to dampen the impact and so the half-enjoying yelp of the white-haired woman echoed through their corner of the woods.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Maybe I will eat you,¡± Apexus warned, trying to make it sound like a joke. Standing in front of him, the redhead blinked several times. Each time her eyelids hid those beautiful blue eyes, surrounded by practically pitch-black sclera, the humanoid slime felt something was being taken away from him for a split second. ¡°Was my tone wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Reysha realized that she had just been staring and waved off. ¡°Nah, that ain¡¯t why I¡¯m standing here all dazed¡­¡± Her reddish-brown lips spread into a broad grin. ¡°¡­can¡¯t believe ya got confident enough to joke about that topic, is all, Apexus. Good on ya.¡±


    The humanoid chimera hummed. Eating her was indeed not something he would have dreamt about making a joke on a few months ago. ¡°So, jokes are more comfortable when done on something under control.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, you make jokes about topics outside your grasp all the time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, just because I think whoever came up with wolf girls deserves an ass kicking doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t kill a god.¡±


    ¡°Reysha, that is blasphemy on several levels of interpretation.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯ll do to you tonight is blasphemy to every last Inquisitor out there and that won¡¯t stop me from sitting on your face.¡± Reysha giggled at her own statement. ¡°Man, can you imagine us fucking in front of a church? The faces would be priceless.¡±


    ¡°You are¡­ so¡­ so screwed in the head,¡± Korith put together her most confident insult.


    ¡°Yup¡­ so where are we on the kisses? I wantz.¡± Excited, Reysha jumped from one leg to the other. Her boobs bounced a bit, their size enough to make that happen but short of making it as erotic a display as Korith¡¯s every move was. The tiger girl was the most balanced, proportion wise, in the group, with a nice balance between the bottom and the top of her alluring figure.


    Apexus had to consider. Aclysia was indeed the staple choice of first kisses. She was his favourite between the three, even if that margin was much thinner than it had once been. For the most part, its existence was inconsequential. The bottom-heavy angel blinked, looking as submissively as she could with those verdant green eyes of hers. To her right, the shortstack was going full puppy eyes. Gold and big, they sat in her roundish face, framed by blonde hair just as bright and pure in colour. Both women, for their many differences, had similar, pointy ears. Both pairs were wagging in anticipation.


    Although, in the ear department, nothing was as cute as Reysha¡¯s. The tiger girl¡¯s two fully-functional peaks stuck out of the rest of her wild, red mane from the bit of white lining the insides. Confidently, she stood there, one hand stemmed onto her hips. She licked her full lips and Apexus¡¯ choice was made.


    The angel and the shortstack let out disappointed ¡°aawww¡±s, when Apexus bowed forward and pressed the first kiss of his return on Reysha¡¯s lips. The redhead didn¡¯t let it stop at a quick smooch either. Layering her arms on top of Aclysia¡¯s, she kept the slime close to her. Their tongues were fencing, vying for dominance. Something that escalated and escalated and escalated, turning from a loving kiss into a two-sided battle of the borderline violent kind.


    When Reysha started biting his lip, Apexus finally had to let go of his other two loves. He grabbed the tiger girl by the midriff. His large paws were practically enough to wrap around it. That part of her could be soft. At the moment, it wasn¡¯t. The athletic, nearly fatless body that casual linen shirt hid was tense, as the kiss broke and she tried to wind out of his embrace.


    The soft pain of being kicked barely bothered the slime. Instead, he lifted Reysha off the ground. A cat that was unwillingly being picked up hissed intensely. Her presence was intense, then it wavered. Apexus felt her slip from his hands and involuntarily pulled his arms back to go where she would fall. That was what actually released the Rogue.


    Dropping on the forest ground, Reysha tried to tackle him. The impact was hard, empowered by the same kind of strength boosting Skill Apexus had learned, and counteracted by him using a Skill to empower his own bones. Reysha grinned up at him, he smiled back ever so slightly. Then, Reysha¡¯s presence slipped again for a second.


    That was all the time Reysha needed to get to his back. Reacting swiftly, Apexus whirled around and smacked her with an extended wing. It was largely harmless, but drove her off her attack plan. Once they faced each other again, Apexus rushed forwards and caught one of her arms. She tried to shift out of his senses again, but such quickly repeated usage fell off in effectiveness due to exposure and the exhaustion of the person¡¯s mana circuits.


    With that, the fight was essentially decided, but they continued wrestling for about three minutes, before Apexus had her pinned to the ground. ¡°Surrender,¡± Apexus demanded, watching her squirm in whatever way she could. With one hand on the back of her neck and his body straddling her legs, that squirming was essentially limited to her presenting her curvaceous butts in various angles. ¡°Stop moving. I want to try pressing some meridians.¡±


    Reysha considered what she found more entertaining, playfighting or finding out what Apexus could want to test out on her. She could always do the former. The latter was new. ¡®New is always better,¡¯ the tiger girl thought. ¡°Alright, hit me with your fancy new Monk shit.¡±


    ¡°There is no excrement involved,¡± Apexus guaranteed. Right there, in the dirt, Apexus pulled her shirt up to reveal most of her back. He focused on the crystal nail of his right index finger and let it grow to a thin point, like a thin needle. He looked all over her back, projecting the map of the pressure points he had studied onto her.


    Most pressure points useful for a Monk were the magical and physical ones, especially those used for their particular style of Martial Arts. Sensation points had a limited usage in combat. Most of the time, it was their non-combat utility that made it worth studying them. With the right combination, it was possible to make liars truthful, to suppress or bestow pain, calm rage, or release long buried sadness.


    Apexus had a more fun usage in mind.


    ¡°Velen.¡± Naming the point, the humanoid chimera firmly pressed it with the thin point of his fingers. Reysha lay there, feeling a slight tingle. ¡°Succub.¡± His finger descended on a bit between spine and shoulder blade. Suddenly, the tiger girl moaned. ¡°Elma. Sister. Petit.¡± Reysha chuckled at the names, which abruptly ended when the last of those three made her entire body feel like it was ignited ¨C in the most positive way possible. From her toes to the roots of her hair, all of her tingled with the need to get pounded into oblivion. It was like she hadn¡¯t masturbated in three days and was finally given some ladytime. Apexus spread his hand, measured carefully, then pressed a twin meridian, with little finger and thumb. ¡°Venus.¡±


    Reysha¡¯s ass bucked off the forest floor, when she suddenly had an orgasm of satisfying intensity. Moaning and giggling, she spasmed under him for twenty seconds, before regaining her breathing. ¡°That IS interesting,¡± she grinned over her shoulder. ¡°Can you do that again?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh, ya shouldn¡¯t have told me that. I mean¡­ that was nice. Really fucking nice. Not getting fucked nice, though¡­ still, orgasm in under 45 seconds, sign me up.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to write yourself in.¡±


    ¡°Are ya being obtuse on purpose today or did Maltos smack some of the lessons on communication out of you?¡±


    ¡°The former,¡± Apexus said and pressed another sensation meridian. Reysha shivered all over, then felt her muscles relax. ¡°I like what I can do to you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll make four of us when those two get to experience it,¡± the tiger girl hummed.


    ¡°This does beg a question: how long is your break, darling?¡± Aclysia wanted to know.


    ¡°You have me until tomorrow,¡± the humanoid chimera responded and got off Reysha. The redhead stretched, as if she was just awakening from a good night¡¯s rest. A single pressure point did not have the capacity to actually replace sleep. There were ways to postpone it or to let one stay conscious while the body was in hibernation. No way existed to let people skip it entirely ¨C at least not with pressure points alone.


    Reysha had just been given a post-orgasmic rush that acted as a muscle relaxer. ¡°Oy, could ya have taken my pants off first?¡± the tiger girl asked, as she got to her feet. ¡°Ya made me cream my casual outfit.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t need it for the rest of today,¡± Apexus asserted.


    ¡°Point taken,¡± the tiger girl surrendered and pulled her shirt over her head. ¡°Ah, nothing like casual outdoor nudity¡­ on a Summer Leaf, that would be great.¡± A cold autumn wind, moist with the promise of nearby rainclouds, drifted by them. ¡°Can we go inside? Where it¡¯s not fucking terrible?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let us,¡± Aclysia added, since she had a soup brewing.


    Once indoors, Reysha got out of her clothes and wrapped herself in a blanket. Korith actually joined her in that strategy. Together, they warmed up the bed, while Aclysia pointed Apexus to the pile of lasting food they had stocked up. It would have been enough to feed a family of four for three whole days. Half of it was gone within five minutes, dissolving within the humanoid chimera. It had been a while since he had properly refilled his biomass reserves.


    ¡°Uhm, may be a stupid question but the¡­ what do you call them, pressure points?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Pressure points, ki points, meridians, we use those interchangeably,¡± Apexus told her.


    ¡°Yeah, those, aren¡¯t their individual names kinda¡­ weird? Like, highly inconsistent?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Korith had to remind herself that she got precise answers from Apexus, unless she added the magic word. ¡°Can you elaborate?¡±


    ¡°Discovering the ki points was a work of many generations across many Leaves. Local dialects differ. When they had a summit to sort out which lexicon would become standard, they settled the matter of which school¡¯s chosen name was used through tournaments. It took 74 years to finish the lexicon.¡±


    ¡°¡­Man, Monks really are special people,¡± Reysha said drily.


    ¡°You make that sound like an insult.¡±


    ¡°Kinda is,¡± the redhead admitted. Under the blanket, her and Korith¡¯s tails were fighting as much as a tiger tail could hope to fight against that of a lizard. Even with their massive size difference, the kobold was actually better endowed in that area. It wasn¡¯t the only one. ¡°Ya making good progress then?¡±


    Apexus let deeds speak louder than words, raising an arm and showing it turning metallic. ¡°Ironskin,¡± he named the technique, holding it for as long as he could. ¡°I noticed you were flying faster than before, my melody?¡±


    ¡°It pleases me that my progress manifests in such ways.¡± Aclysia was dancing a little, while stirring the pot. It was a pretty basic soup in terms of ingredients, except for the herbs they had to throw in there to make it edible for Reysha. Since these weren¡¯t products of dungeons, whose mana was poisonous to most people, Korith could eat this without issue. ¡°I cannot currently speak of extensive new acquisitions to my powerset. Pronthin has been drilling us, which has manifested in good ways.¡±


    ¡°I get slapped around all day¡­¡± Korith grumbled. She had no aches, Aclysia made sure of that, but she still remembered the hits she took ¨C particularly those that she failed to neutralize with those defensive Martial Arts she was supposed to learn. ¡°Interesting that both of us learn Ironskin though.¡±


    ¡°I will learn a different variation of it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯re variations?¡±


    ¡°For Monks, yes. Styles.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool. You two get all the cool stuff,¡± Korith said, looking between Reysha and Apexus.


    ¡°Rogue stuff is the coolest fuckery around, why do you think I went with this Class?¡± the tiger girl confirmed. ¡°We get all the flashy shit.¡±


    ¡°More specifically accurate would be to say you get all of the ways to apply underhanded and covert tactics that let you confuse the rules of engagement. Pair this with the Rogue¡¯s tendency to be mostly focused on exploiting windows of opportunity over long-term, reliable performance, and you create the necessary components for a class that has the appearance of being flashy. Fundamentally, you trade in short boosts for general utility.¡±


    ¡°How long did it take ya to put together that demoralizing word salad?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°About ten seconds,¡± Aclysia confessed.


    ¡°Damn, girl, ya slow when it comes to talking.¡±


    ¡°As has been well-established.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s no fun if you just admit your flaws.¡±


    ¡°I am too content to partake in your back and forth of insults and flirts, Reysha.¡± Humming happily, the metal fairy filled three bowls with soup and distributed them among the organic members of the party. ¡°It has been a few days since I got to cook for you, darling.¡±


    ¡°I eat what you bring me,¡± he told her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same, even if I know that.¡± Aclysia sat down on his lap and made herself comfortable there. Invitingly, Apexus raised his arms to let her and only started eating once she was nuzzled up to him. Cooked food was growing on him, with its varied, mixed flavours. Raw was still the way to go though.


    They would return to their individual training soon enough.

 Fists and Fortune 11 – Combat Tricks

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m starting to hate this thing,¡± Reysha complained, staring at the Runeblade. She had used it to learn how to use Edge, the Martial Art that allowed her to project a keen edge around her joints or weapons she was holding ¨C provided she had the necessary concentration. As a Runeblade, the weapon''s silver edge, black spine, and golden sigils in her hand eased the process of certain Martial Arts being used on or through it.


    She was currently trying to unlock the second of those: the Martial Art known as Spellslice. Mages were the bane of many a melee combatant, courtesy of their long-ranged barrage of attacks. Often spellcasters were even capable of covering large areas. In such cases, dodging became either impossible or improbable.


    Three solutions had been created to counter that problem. One was to ignore it, to make one¡¯s body so sturdy that they could ignore the damage from a mage and just waltz on through. Second was to shield against it, utilizing either thick armour or shields and imbue them, by means of enchantments, buffs, or Martial Arts, with the defensive means necessary to withstand the supernatural assault. Third was to answer fire with fire, to disrupt spells through means of Ki. A fireball that was torn apart before it could explode was no danger.


    Reysha was currently trying to learn how to utilize that Martial Art. Problem was that Mai was ever the practical teacher. As far as the Infiltrator was concerned, all skills should be acquired in situations at least resembling what they were to be used in. Consequently, Reysha was currently getting bombarded with Winter Bolts.


    Moving rapidly, Reysha swerved side to side, dodging two Bolts that came at her in rapid succession. The cold, divine energy drifted by her, frosting the autumn air in their path. ¡°Or maybe I should just hate you!¡± Reysha shouted at the person sending the Bolts flying at her.


    ¡°I thought we had buried that hatchet!¡± Mehily responded in a loud voice and brought her palm forwards in a slow esoteric motion.


    ¡°I¡¯M DIGGING IT BACK UP!¡± Reysha screamed, to amp herself up for what came next. Desperately pouring all of her efforts into her weapon, she manifested a purple glow around it. Pointing it at the Priest, the tiger girl prepared herself for what was next. A consistent stream of cold mana, creating an aura of snow around it, chilled the forest air as it travelled towards Reysha.


    Slightly correcting the angle of her weapon, Reysha held steady. The spell reached the Runeblade and then, like a jetstream of water slamming against a pointy obstacle, was parted into two sprays. The chill remained, but was diminished to a merely annoying degree. More importantly, none of the devastating damage that spell could do made it to her or even the weapon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t engage in mana competitions with mages!¡± a chiding voice suddenly reached her from the left. Reysha barely managed to jump to the side. The sweeping kick missed her butt narrowly. Reysha turned twice, before swiftly getting into a battle-ready stance again. ¡°That¡¯s enough for now, Mehily,¡± Mai shouted over to the Priest. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking over. Take a breather.¡±


    ¡°Can I take a breather?¡± Reysha asked with a broad grin. She kept her breathing under forceful control and her gaze focused on the blonde, lean, blue-eyed Infiltrator. She looked more like a high elf than anything else today. The tight leather armour and wooden sword were not the expected garb for that species, however. ¡°You know, just long enough so you can run to your husband and get your brains screwed out.¡±


    ¡°Hubby can last a while, so no,¡± Mai denied and rolled her shoulder. ¡°You haven¡¯t collapsed yet, I can still push you.¡±


    Reysha hissed and her left arm expanded in response to the agitation. The skin turned as black as coal, the red colour of her nails intensified until it was no longer translucent. Thick and large, more like the claws of a wolf than a cat, her nails extended from her digits. They cut trenches into the ground as her fingers curled.


    In a perceived instant, Mai was no longer in front of Reysha. The tiger girl tried to react in time, but she just couldn¡¯t. The wooden weapon cracked over her right shoulder and dull pain spread throughout her entire body. Sending a jolt of ki to her wrists and ankles, to her neck and the muscles around her spine, she tried to emulate what Mai had just done.


    It seemed to work for a moment. Reysha moved and the eyes of the Infiltrator were stuck where she had just been. Before she could get a swing of her demonic arm in, the tiger girl¡¯s teacher was focused again. Her blue eyes darted to the side and she caught the black-skinned paw by the wrist. ¡°You¡¯re still not doing it properly,¡± Mai chided, releasing her pupil only to kick her in the gut.


    The power of a high-level adventurer was overwhelming. Reysha flew back nearly three metres, before landing on her back in a puddle of thankfully clear rainwater. Wheezing and gasping, she tried to get over the immense pain. Mai had at least enough mercy to take a break there.


    ¡°Mehily, heal her!¡± the Infiltrator ordered the Priest.


    The blonde hurried over, first helping Reysha out of the water and then starting the rejuvenation. Slowly and efficiently, the healing energy spread through Reysha¡¯s body. The pain was chased away by a relaxing cool. Clicking her tongue, Mai made her annoyance known. ¡°I don¡¯t have the mana to use Mending,¡± Mehily explained. ¡°Rejuvenation will have to do.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine,¡± Mai sighed and sat down on the forest floor. She then broke out into a lecture that Reysha, in her recovering state, could not interrupt with any quips. ¡°To repeat until it gets drilled into your skull: the Shadow Step consists of two components. First is to use a rapid burst of Stealth to throw the enemy¡¯s attention off you. Second is to give yourself a considerable burst of speed by reinforcing your muscles with Ki. Combined, it allows you to make it appear to your enemy as if you were teleporting.¡± She grabbed the Runeblade off the floor and pointed it at Reysha. ¡°YOU only ever do one of the two.¡±


    ¡°Can I get some credit for having even learned that bit of Stealth?¡± Reysha croaked, when her lungs started working properly again. Because she was a more combat focused Rogue than was common, developing the basic Sneak Skill into the more advanced Stealth variant had not been an initial focus. It still wasn¡¯t. A burst of it was way different than a consistent application of it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need credit, you need results,¡± Mai responded, harshly. ¡°I¡¯m teaching you a highly advanced move, because it will up your survival chances against the Deathhound considerably. Do you know what you are, Reysha?¡±


    ¡°A sexy little thing?¡±


    ¡°Unfathomably blessed.¡± The answer made the redhead¡¯s smile drop in favour of an actually puzzled expression.


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t feel particularly blessed; I have to tell you. I¡¯d rather not have a fucking Deathhound at my back or get my shit kicked in for¡­¡± She tried to recall exactly how long it had been since the training began. ¡°¡­four weeks straight.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you didn¡¯t face hardships, I said you were blessed,¡± Mai responded. ¡°I told you before how talented you are for the Class you chose and I have to amend that further: the attributes you were born with and acquired may be the most optimal for a Rogue I have ever come across, your impatience aside. You¡¯re good at improvising, ruthless, risk-taking, and your species is gifted with better sight and hearing, which are further boosted by your Noir condition. It and that demon arm of yours fundamentally diminish the main disadvantage of Rogues.¡±


    ¡°If I may ask, what would that be?¡± Mehily asked. She had only been part of this current training regimen for three days. It had been her, rather than Aclysia, for two reasons. One, Mehily needed to use her new eyes to follow moving targets more, helping her to grow accustomed to them. Two, both Mai and Pronthin were certain the metal fairy would have held back or gotten otherwise uppity, when the tiger girl was hurt. ¡°In the interest of my survival, since Reysha has declared a vendetta against me again.¡±


    ¡°Already forgot all about that,¡± Reysha hummed. Gradually, her organs felt like they were back in their right place.


    ¡°As Rogues our primary strength comes from exploiting windows of opportunity with Martial Arts that allow for a burst of power.¡± Mai crossed her legs, her fingers drumming impatiently. ¡°We call the Martial Arts of our niche Combat Tricks. Here, let me show you.¡± She rammed the Runeblade into the dirt and picked up a long, two-finger wide stick she found nearby. With the other hand, she raised up the wooden practice blade. ¡°This is a Warrior,¡± she said, raising the practice weapon. ¡°A deliberately shaped weapon. Consistent. Made for purpose. Reliable. Predictable. This,¡± she raised the stick, ¡°is a Rogue. Unsteady. Not entirely defined or narrowed down. Hiding its true potential under the bark. Would you agree that you could beat someone up with either of these?¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± Mehily responded sincerely. That made Mai blink a couple of times in confusion. Teaching Rogues for so long had made her forget that it wasn¡¯t normal for students to sass back at everything she said. The attitudes that drove people to seeking underhanded combat versus divine guidance were vastly different.


    ¡°Well that is¡­ good.¡± Mai glared at the giggling redhead, then continued with the next question. ¡°Which one would you rather wield in a duel?¡±


    ¡°The sword, obviously,¡± Mehily continued, having a vague idea where this was going. ¡°As you said, it is more reliable and would probably lie better in my hand.¡±


    ¡°Quite so. Similarly, it behaves when a Warrior fights a Rogue. The Warrior¡¯s Martial Arts are all made for repeated or even consistent usage. To put in number terms, the Warrior always fights at 120 percent of their strength, while the Rogue is typically limited to 100. However, combat tricks subvert this.¡±


    Stretching the stick out to the side, Mai concentrated on it. Suddenly a loudly vibrating edge of mana expanded from the upper half of the wood. The sound grew even louder, until it was akin to metal screaming over metal. Then it was suddenly gone. Reysha stared at that wide-eyed. That was not the Edge she knew.


    ¡°For brief windows, we push our capabilities to levels that can penetrate even the defences of other adventurers. We aim for the one blow that decides the combat. We raise our capabilities to enable it and then use poison or other dirty tricks to make sure even a grazing hit sticks.¡± She tossed the useless bit of forest wood aside. It collided with a nearby trunk and burst into moist splinters. Insects and time had already taken its toll on that ¡®weapon¡¯. ¡°We trade the effectiveness of our successes for a high price for our failures. Taxing our mana circuits with such massive releases makes it difficult to repeatedly execute our Combat Tricks and between their usage, we can only rely on our speed to avoid being turned into paste by the melee Classes apt at dealing consistent damage or into ashes by you spellcasters.¡± Mai pointed her weapon at the now fully recovered Reysha. ¡°And that¡¯s what makes you blessed, young lady. Noir elevates your physical capabilities higher and with that arm of yours you can hope to even win physical competitions against Warriors. Even if you don¡¯t and that arm breaks, the demonic regeneration won¡¯t leave you crippled for long.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I totally get all of that.¡± Reysha stood up and stretched. ¡°What I don¡¯t agree with is you calling me BLESSED!¡±


    On the last word, the tiger girl suppressed her presence and boosted her muscles as much as she could. How satisfying it would have been if she had gotten it perfect at that moment. However, Mai had been in this line too long to be surprised even by a well-executed Shadow Step from a relative rookie. Reysha¡¯s Stealth wore off after her strength increase did and her leg slammed against a defensively lowered arm.


    ¡°I had to go through HELLS,¡± Reysha hissed, not letting the lack of immediate success disturb her. The regular way, she went on an offensive. With a calm face, Mai knocked aside every attack that came her way. ¡°And I definitely never fucking asked for THIS!¡± Her left arm slammed into the trunk of a pine tree, splintering the solid bark and denting the wood underneath.


    Mai, having dodged, kicked the feet away from under the redhead. The demonic fist scraped over the rough bark. Black mist swirled off the bloody knuckles, as the thick blood crusted over in a matter of seconds. New skin had appeared before the heavily breathing tiger girl was fighting to get back on her feet. Even healed, she was still exhausted.


    ¡°Get over yourself.¡± The Infiltrator grabbed Reysha¡¯s red mane and dragged her to her feet. ¡°I already told you what I did with my early life. Do you see any culminating advantages I got out of causing the deaths of thousands?¡± About to strike again, the tiger girl instead found herself getting tossed. Disoriented, she lay on the floor.


    Barely, she noticed the foot coming down on her. A rapid activation of Stealth made Mai hesitate for a split second. Enough for Reysha to roll onto her back. Hard, the heel stomped down where her torso had just been.


    ¡°Progress,¡± Mai noted, while Reysha barely held onto consciousness. ¡°You can pass out. I¡¯ll wake you up in thirty minutes.¡±

 Fists and Fortune 12 – Bursting from the Shadows

    The wooden weapon cut through the air, narrowly missing Reysha each time. No thoughts went through the redhead¡¯s mind. Her eyes were in constant motion, pupils dilated to take in the light of the dim evening.


    Swiftly, they narrowed. Icy blue light lit up the forest. Reysha suppressed her presence, took two rapid steps back, and the Winter Ray shot between her and Mai. The brunette Infiltrator stared across what had been meant to corner her pupil. Reysha turned around and ran. Mehily swiped her arm, causing the spell to go after her.


    Tree bark chilled and froze, fine ice crystals forming on the surface while the divine energy cut deeper within. Parts of the moisture in the air crystallized into a settling mist of snowflakes. Reysha¡¯s pupils dilated, staring at the shape of the elf storming through the white cloud.


    Lunging, Mai went into a series of strikes. Stab, wide swing, back swing, into a sudden kick that would have been risky had it not been so unexpected. Driven out of her cover, Reysha¡¯s instincts once more had to wrestle with attacks from two different targets. Had she thought with a plan, the split attention would have been more of a detriment. Thinking only about the very next move all she had to do was keep her eyes wide open. Each excited breath let her taste the earthy aroma of the forest. How it changed when the chill of Mehily¡¯s magic approached.


    Step for step, she yielded ground. The training blade in her own hands was light and she waited for her opportunity to strike. Mai and Mehily bombarded with their individual attacks. They worked together well, after an additional month of testing Reysha¡¯s mettle every day.


    Suddenly, she felt a rush of aggression. Ki flowed into the practice weapon, forcing the shapes she had ingrained into her mind and joints, gleaming from the Runeblade, into the blunt steel. A purple sheen enveloped it, as she went into a wide slice. Two Bolt spells were sliced apart in the blink of an eye.


    Ki was cut and then a different stream entered the weapon. A blue edge replaced the colour of the Spellslicer. Reysha brought the swing to its end. The Edge clashed against Mai¡¯s wooden sword, slicing it off above the hilt.


    A moment of jubilation rose inside Reysha¡¯s mind, then fear as a thorn of pure ki extended from the stump of wood, reaching the length of a dagger. In the face of her teacher, the redhead saw the murderer of an empire.


    The weapon screamed, an edge of blue formed, hovering, around the blue core. Aggressive vibrations, loud enough to make Reysha wish she had one less pair of ears, made her back up like a scared animal. Mai took a single lunging step.


    Pain. The initial step was followed by a continuous rending of flesh. Rapidly forming and flowing teeth across the Edge ripped through fat, muscle and bone, spraying them as fine gore over the forest floor.


    Reysha, backed against a tree, would have been dead, had Mai wished it so. The teacher took one step back, her Ki-blade and its Edge vanishing. Mehily hurried over, but froze when the quiet stare of the woman made it clear: the lesson was not over. ¡°Keep casting,¡± the Infiltrator ordered.


    Heavily breathing, from pain and exhaustion, Reysha stared at her teacher in a haze. Audibly, she clacked her teeth together. Hissing, air was pressed past her fangs. Her right hand clenched the weapon at the end of her dangling limb. Veins bulged across her demonic left.


    ¡°CAST!¡± Mai demanded, and a Bolt spell was loosed a moment later.


    Reysha twisted her entire body, using her arm more like a whip than a proper limb. Magic flowed past the damaged shoulder, the steel developed a purple sheen once more, and neutralized the bolt. Screaming vibrations once more echoed through the night, the dim glow of the ki-blade extending. Mai was ready to slash across Reysha¡¯s chest.


    Pain.


    The pain of forcing her magical circuits into action, past their exhaustion, all the way into overdrive. It hurt. It hurt in a way lovebites hurt. The impulse was the same, yet somehow this was satisfying. Mai¡¯s body hesitated, the focus of aggression suddenly slipping from her senses. Already in motion, she sliced anyway.


    Tearing through the surface of a tree like it was air, leaving only shreds of wood behind, Mai missed the redhead. Reysha had dropped straight to the ground. Her left arm rushed forwards, trying to grab her teacher by the foot. In a fight between Rogues, everything was allowed.


    Had she fought an opponent of equal Level and skill, it would have worked. Mai, however, refocused on Reysha moments before her clawed fingers could tighten around the ankles. Swiftly, the infiltrator pulled her foot up. Her weapon was extinguished and a simple thorn extended from her heel in its place, quiet and still perfectly capable of punching a hole through Reysha¡¯s bones. Teacher and pupil stared at each other.


    Then Mai¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. She blinked one time, looking in the direction of but not at the tiger girl. Too exhausted to even get on all fours, Reysha allowed herself the thought, ¡®The fuck is she waiting for?¡¯


    Eyes landed back on Reysha. Mai showed a covert smile, that quickly faded. ¡°Heal her,¡± she stated, turning to Mehily. ¡°We are done.¡±


    ¡°For¡­?¡± the Priest wanted to know, so she could best conserve her mana.


    ¡°We are done,¡± the Infiltrator repeated. ¡°She passed.¡±


    Reysha could not believe her ears.


    She could pass out though.


    _________________________________________________________________________


    Reysha shot out of her comatose state, startled by the sensation of consciousness. Immediately back in a panicked breathing, she was ready to defend herself. Everything about her felt damp and her bones cold.


    Glancing to the side, she saw Mai piling up shaves of bark to use as tinder for the campfire. ¡°How long was I out?¡± Reysha asked. She felt stiff all over. A consequence of the sheer physical exhaustion and having slept on the cold forest floor.


    ¡°About forty minutes,¡± Mai estimated, calmly continuing to strip the driest branches she had found with a dagger. ¡°Help me with this. You aren¡¯t going home tonight.¡±


    ¡°I thought the deal was that I get stabbed during the day and railed during the night,¡± Reysha joked, while inspecting her shoulder. The one gaping hole on her body she didn¡¯t want had been healed. ¡°You know, this is my only armour, right?¡± she asked, pulling at the grey snakeskin leather. ¡°Aclysia will eat my ass for ruining it ¨C and not in a fun way.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Mai tossed a dagger and some sticks across the campsite.


    ¡°Where is Mehily?¡±


    Mai did not look up from what her hands were doing. ¡°I sent her away after she healed you. She won¡¯t be necessary for the rest of our training. Hopefully, she got enough out of this herself.¡±  Silently, they created a pile of tinder, then created a few layers of sticks around it. Thirty minutes later, the fire was big enough to actually warm them up. Then, and only then, did Mai continue. ¡°I had a secondary objective, pushing you like I did. You know I wanted you to be able to use Combat Tricks in swift succession. However, what I didn¡¯t tell you is that I wanted to push you to a point where you had to push yourself beyond reason.¡±


    ¡°Personally, I think you succeeded many times over,¡± Reysha cackled, while poking the campfire with a stick. The warmer she got, the less stiff she felt.


    ¡°From an exhaustion standpoint, sure,¡± Mai responded flippantly, her merciless teaching side diminishing. There was no need for it, at the moment. ¡°Do you know what you did at the end there?¡± Reysha shook her head. ¡°Would have surprised me if you did. Do you know what the Combat Trick I used to carve out your shoulder was?¡±


    ¡°No fucking clue, but I want to know it,¡± Reysha said. ¡°That was brutal, I¡¯d love to be on the other side of that blade.¡±


    ¡°I think you will like this next part, with your addiction to having impressive Skills.¡± Mai leaned back, sorting her thoughts to carefully express what she wanted to bestow onto her student. ¡°The explanation I gave you and Mehily regarding Combat Tricks was incomplete. That is to say, the difference between Combat Tricks is not just the border between what Martial Arts are best in bursts and which aren¡¯t.¡±


    Reysha crossed her legs and waited. She tried to look serious, but she could not suppress the teeth-revealing grin for long. After having spent about two months getting knocked around every day, some traditional teachings were almost enough for the tiger girl to forget she wouldn¡¯t get her favourite treat today.


    ¡°To be exact, I gave you the Underplayed variant.¡±


    ¡°Why does that sound like ya just said that in big letters?¡±


    Mai chuckled and picked up her dagger again. ¡°Effectively, I did. See, you can push every Martial Art to a limit, if you have trained yourself enough or the situation causes the blood to run hot. In that sense, everyone can spike their powers for a few moments. As previously stated-¡°


    ¡°-Rogues are the Class most focused on exploiting power spikes, yes, yes,¡± Reysha interrupted, her tail curving and waving behind her.


    ¡°¡­Exactly¡­¡± Mai sighed, missing Mehily¡¯s quiet patience. ¡°Combat Tricks are not just good for achieving this goal, they are specifically a category of Martial Arts that change when pushed to an extreme degree. Watch.¡± The dagger in her hand manifested the blue Edge. ¡°This is the Combat Trick you already know.¡± Mai took a slow inhale and then forced a burst of power into the weapon. The Edge expanded by half its total width. Whirling vibrations filled the air with a screaming sound that made nearby rodents and birds flee at rapid speed. Teeth constantly spawned at one side of the hilt and streamed towards the other.


    Mai demonstrably moved the weapon through the flickering flames. The disturbance of the air made the sawing effect all the more apparent. ¡°Wait,¡± Reysha spoke up, while following the crawling slice. ¡°Ya mean I already know the Martial Art to do that?!¡±


    ¡°We call it Underplay and Overplay,¡± Mai stated, cutting the ki off to let her mana circuits rest. ¡°You can think of it as a trump card among trump cards. This is what truly lets us Rogues go for the killing shot against our opponents.¡± The purple sheen of the Spellslicer enveloped the dagger. With a wide motion, Mai loosed a thin, purple shockwave. It cut the surface of several trees in its path.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember doing anything that awesome,¡± Reysha stated, her head turning back from the damaged trees to Mai.


    The Infiltrator put the dagger down and retrieved a few cooking utensils from her Adventurer¡¯s Bag. ¡°You Overplayed the Shadowstep,¡± Mai explained. ¡°It¡¯s less flashy, but no less useful. Like a spasming muscle, the effect of the Shadowstep repeats a few times when Overplayed, with short breaks in-between.¡±


    ¡°¡­I mean, I guess that¡¯s kinda cool,¡± Reysha said. ¡°Sucks that I was just laying there as it happened though. Did you seriously torment me all these weeks just to force me to get into that state?¡±


    ¡°It can be taught safely, but that typically takes more time.¡± Mai rolled her shoulders. ¡°Besides, I told you, you are perfectly tailored to be a Rogue. You have the recklessness, the guile, and the will to do what you must. It was only a matter of time until you kicked that particular gate open. Now that the figurative frame has been shattered once, it is easier to repeat.¡±


    Reysha just nodded. She had signed up for the hard path and it wasn¡¯t like she actually hated how she was being treated. The pain she could have done without. That was the primary complaint. Otherwise, learning by doing was much more her style than sitting in a classroom. ¡®Besides, kinda healthy to get the reminder I¡¯m weak,¡¯ she told herself, prone as she was to overextending herself.


    ¡°Obviously, using Overplays exhausts you even more than regular Combat Tricks,¡± Mai continued her explanation. ¡°Even I cannot hold them for prolonged times, use more than one simultaneously, or in quick succession. They are what you use to overwhelm or surprise your opponent. If you have them in your back hand, get your opponent used to the Underplays to deliver the hit when it counts most. When your opponent knows about them, use the threat of their damaging potential to dictate the pace of the fight.¡± Mai grinned maliciously. ¡°Everything goes, as long as your target dies.¡±


    ¡°So, you said previously that Rogues usually fight at 100% basic Strength and other Martial Art Classes at like 120%, yeah?¡± Mai responded to the question with a nod. ¡°How would ya put Under and Overplay into that?¡±


    ¡°An Underplay is about a 150%, usually. Enough to threaten an opponent, sometimes even enough to win you the fight. The potential of Overplays does not neutralize that Combat Tricks are fundamentally stronger in their limited window than the regular Martial Art. Everyone always has to be wary of what a Rogue may pull out. The Overplay boosts that to, depending on the severity of your investment, 200 to 250%.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ if I play my cards dirty enough¡­ I can seriously hurt people way above my Level?¡±


    Mai only smiled sweetly.

 Fists and Fortune 13 – Passing the Baton further

    ¡°This is all I ever wanted,¡± Reysha groaned, planting face first onto their bed. An actual bed. With four wooden boards making up a frame and a large, thick cotton sheet covering a bedding of bundled hay. A peasant¡¯s bed, many would say and a considerable upgrade from sleeping on the stone tiles with only a few travelling blankets underneath them. ¡°How did ya afford it, big guy?¡±


    ¡°I did hard labour while keeping my Martial Arts up,¡± Apexus responded. ¡°It also earned me some favours.¡±


    Korith¡¯s head popped out of a pile of new cushions. ¡°Money?¡± she asked, eyes sparkling.


    ¡°No money.¡±


    The blonde kobold let out a long, disappointed grumble and placed her chin back on the mattress. ¡°Why would anyone work for no money?¡± she asked, to the backdrop of Reysha wildly cackling at the entire display. ¡°Where were you anyway? Haven¡¯t seen you in three days.¡±


    ¡°Got busy learning my ultimate moves,¡± Reysha said and got off the mattress, to strip and to claim some of the water that was sitting beside the fireplace. Proximity made it nice and lukewarm, a good temperature to dunk a washcloth into and start scrubbing herself down. She had just lived in the woods for three days and was consequently dirty. A corner of their one-room house was reserved for people that were cleaning themselves like that. ¡°Where¡¯s Aclysia?¡±


    ¡°She went out to gather herbs. Should be back soon,¡± Apexus answered and watched Reysha rub herself all over with the washing cloth. It took no time at all for the cleaning to become a show, from one three-day starved, needy tiger girl to one humanoid chimera with an urge to make good use of his break.


    Reysha gasped, her skin turning more sensitive by the second. Hips wiggled seductively, while the cloth spread a line of glisten over her smooth skin. Ragressians, as a species, grew very little hair and what there was, between her legs, had been removed recently enough to not have made a return. Having a partner that largely consisted of acid had its advantages.


    Once the most offending areas had been scrubbed with water and soap, Reysha¡¯s cleaning continued as a dance. One hand trailed soap and warm wetness over her, the other explored her curves. Decently sized breasts, one after the other, were cupped, the nipples teased, and then dropped in a display of moderate jiggle.


    Apexus and Korith both stared at the indecent motions the tiger girl so shamelessly displayed. Always, she flaunted something about her curves, whether it was her bubble butt, her flat belly, her breasts, her shapely thighs, or her red lips. In the flickering light of the fire, her brown skin looked even more exotic, the dark stripes were nearly black.


    ¡°Ah,¡± she moaned, when curving two fingers into her. She had masturbated these past three days. Whether Mai saw or heard, she had not and did not care. That had been to take the edge off. This was to get the dick into her.


    Apexus let his dick grow erect and then, only partly to Reysha¡¯s disappointment, made a demanding motion towards Korith. The shortstack obediently crawled over and soon her tiny frame was bouncing in the slime¡¯s lap. Reysha fingered herself quicker, watching the bulge in the kobold¡¯s abdomen advance and retreat with each thrust. Her massive tits were consistently fondled by the slime.


    When Reysha was done cleaning herself, she came over, and the two of them got to enjoy Apexus together. Stacked on top of the bed, pussy to pussy, they got double dicked by the amorphous slime. About thirty minutes later, Reysha was generally satisfied. Korith lay next to her, breathing just as heavily as herself. Cum was leaking from their agape cunts.


    ¡°Now I feel like a person again,¡± Reysha purred.


    ¡°Worrying statement.¡± Even though he meant that, Apexus could not help indulge her proclivities by pressing a sensation point. Reysha shivered all over, as another, albeit much weaker, orgasm quickly ran through her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a -mhhhm- problem as long as I have you,¡± she purred, basking in the afterglow. The only thing she cared about at the moment was to not leak on their new mattress. ¡°Do we wait for Aclysia before I start boasting or-¡° The question became suddenly unnecessary. They first heard her, then watched the door open. ¡°Oh nooo!¡± Reysha cried, dramatically. ¡°What will we do, dear, our secret love affair will be revealed!¡±


    Aclysia did not bat an eye at the weird greeting, nor the scene she saw first upon entering. ¡°You would be incapable of keeping any kind of affair secret.¡±


    Rather than give a response, Reysha blinked several times in confusion at Aclysia¡¯s outfit. Rather than a priestly garb or the casual dress she usually wore in the hours past training, the Guardian Angel was clad in a dress as enticing as it was nostalgic.


    It was black in its entirety and shimmered in that particular way only fine silk did. Tight to her curves, it sat, covering the entirety of her midriff, all the way up to the upper edge of her petite breasts. Only a bit of cleavage was visible, between a strand that ran around the back of her neck, keeping the dress nicely in place. Much of her pale back was visible, none of the dress getting anywhere close to the base of her wings.


    The skirt was long and straight, with two slits at the front revealing not only a scandalous amount of leg with every step she took, but also the semi-translucent stockings that belonged to the dress. Same went for the deep dark gloves that went from her shoulders to her fingertips, covering all. A pair of black, elegant shoes rounded out the look of a monochrome noblewoman. The only colours beyond black and white were the pink of her lips and the striking green of her almond-shaped eyes.


    ¡°Where did ya find that?¡± Reysha asked, continuously inspecting the metal fairy.


    ¡°Deep inside me,¡± Aclysia responded and sighed when the tiger girl started to giggle. ¡°Do I dare ask what you interpreted that as?¡±


    ¡°Some metaphorical soul searching stuff¡­ tehehehe¡­ that¡¯s not why¡­ pffff¡­ I¡¯m laughing.¡± Reysha barely bit back the brunt of her amusement for long enough to explain. ¡°I just remembered that you had to fly around stark naked after¡­ after you lost that outfit! Bwahahaahahahaa!¡± Unable to hold back any longer, Reysha threw herself backwards onto the bed and started to laugh loudly.


    Aclysia added red as a third colour to her exterior. This dress she wore was the divine garb that she had been created with. She had worn it when she served Apexus as a mere guide and had lost access to it upon becoming unbound from the will of her creator by the wish of her beloved. ¡°Recent training has allowed me to regain touch with some of my divinity.¡±


    ¡°Ya know that dress turns every head in a thirty kilometre radius, right?¡± Upon Reysha¡¯s question, the metal fairy looked down on herself. ¡°Raise a leg.¡± A thick thigh protruded. ¡°Turn around.¡± Reysha got a nice view of Aclysia¡¯s ass, the derriere too sizable and too voluptuously defined to be hidden properly. ¡°Ya will make wives jealous everywhere.¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡± Aclysia took a deep breath and crossed her arms. ¡°This dress was given to me by my divine father. Its modesty is secondary to its holiness.¡± Having said that, the angel concentrated on it for a moment. The black fabric all over unravelled, the strands dissolving into glowing particles. Naked, she stood there.


    Reysha grinned, ¡°Neat, now you¡¯re as naked as the last time ya lost it.¡±


    ¡°Would you stop?!¡± Aclysia stomped once. The fit of anger only made the tiger girl giggle harder. ¡°It appears you are in high spirits¡­¡± The angel tossed a handbasket full of gathered herbs onto a clean segment of the floor. They hadn¡¯t yet bought a table, neither were they sure if they would. Their plans beyond the Deathhound were still uncertain. To make plans beyond an obstacle so seemingly insurmountable was difficult. ¡°Were you taught Martial Arts of note in your absence? Mehily told me some, but I would inquire to learn it all.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, do I have a tale to tell.¡± Reysha recounted what she had learned about Combat Tricks, Underplays and Overplays to the group. The way Rogues exploited their Martial Arts was not a secret kept between members of the Class. Like most Class-specific abilities, they seeped out due to communication between various adventurers. As they worked with varying teammates or other parties, most individuals came to have a rough idea of all base Class capabilities. Advanced Classes rarely discovered a set of unique abilities on their own. Most of them either mixed several characteristics to suit their needs or heavily specialized in a certain aspect. That was, if they didn¡¯t follow the generalist path.


    ¡°I dislike how much she torments you,¡± Apexus stated, at the end of explanations.


    ¡°Bigger the ass, bigger the bounce.¡± Nobody in the room really understood what Reysha meant with that. They had just enough of an idea not to ask. ¡°What about y¡¯all? Anything notable learned recently? Besides ¡®Clysia figuring out her emergency wardrobe and all that.¡±


    ¡°My primary learning remains limited to increasing my mana reserve and deepening my understanding regarding Smiting, Miracles and True Miracles.¡± Aclysia¡¯s hands were in steady motion, sorting the herbs by their type. ¡°I would enjoy additional reading time. Research of the Omniverse and its flora and fauna are, at this juncture, not of import, however.¡±


    ¡°Similarly, I¡¯m working on the Ironskin, Featherstep, and Rippling Palm,¡± Apexus reported.


    ¡°Can ya show me the feather thingy?¡± Last time they had all caught up on each other¡¯s progress, Apexus had been unable to properly do it. Considering what his charge had been for the last few days, she figured this had changed.


    The humanoid chimera nodded and looked around the room for something to demonstrate. Deciding on the bedframe, he took a deep breath and focused his ki inside his ankles and the muscles of his soles. Then he stepped onto the edge like someone climbing the stairs.


    Balancing on a bedframe was impressive for a man his size, yet not exactly supernatural. What actually was notable was the total lack of creaking from the wood. It carried his weight without any complaint, as he casually walked along the edge. Even when he squatted down and then launched himself off in a straight jump, the wood remained silent.


    ¡°Mine¡¯s cooler,¡± Reysha declared. ¡°What about you, squishy? Nothing interesting, like always?¡±


    ¡°Stop teasing me!¡± Korith cried. Grabbing Reysha¡¯s arm with both hands, the kobold started shaking her teammate. The strength behind the shortstack¡¯s motions was actually enough to make the Ragressian feel some serious vertigo from the back and forth. ¡°So, what if I learn nothing interesting?! I¡¯m a Warrior! We¡­ we¡¯re all purpose knives¡­ w-w-w-weeee¡­.¡±


    ¡°Gonna be honest, Korith, between your stammering and you throwing me around I can¡¯t catch any of that,¡± the redhead said and suppressed her presence. Confused, Korith loosened her iron grip so that the Rogue could pull her arm out. ¡°And this is why we¡¯re the slipperiest daughters of whores in the business. Seriously though, just more Warrior Control?¡±


    Warrior Control was a specific technique that embodied, more than anything else, the difference between the explosive powers of a Rogue and the reliable strength of a Warrior. In essence, it was a mental state that focused on a constant flow of ki into a Warrior¡¯s muscles and bones. The advantage of this was obvious: Warriors were stronger and sturdier than other Martial Artists. Optimally, Warrior Control went so far that ki always moved in accordance with physical exertion. That was to say, when muscles tensed, they would simultaneously experience a further boost of ki-influx, increasing the power of every strike.


    The ultimate consequence of this was that Warriors were, in a direct confrontation, stronger than people even of their equal level. They needed this reliable power because they had to pose a threat in the frontline, to attract the majority of enemy heat, and to withstand said heat. With the boost to general strength came the certainty that every hit of the Warrior had to be taken seriously.


    Disadvantage of the Warrior Control was that this constant flow of ki left less of it open for the kind of intense usage Martial Arts demanded. In other words, they exchanged a constant presence for the ability to use tide-turning powers.


    ¡°V-vulk says to be a warrior is to be an avalanche in a world of lightning storms and volcano eruptions!¡± Korith recited what her teacher had told her. ¡°Yes¡­ you can totally see it coming¡­ and what you see is what you get¡­ but we¡¯ll still run you over!¡±


    ¡°I totally believe you,¡± Reysha stated with an extra ounce of sanctimony in her voice. She pat the kobold¡¯s golden head. Under the glare of the shortstack, even her sarcasm crumbled. ¡°Alright, I actually believe you! Hellroots, don¡¯t take me so seriously, haven¡¯t ya learned by now that I am the issue?¡±


    Aclysia perked up, ¡°Is that self-reflection I hear?¡±


    ¡°Ya better be happy that I¡¯m the greatest thorn in your side, bubble butt, ¡®cause it could be way worse.¡±


    ¡°I-in any case¡­ yeah¡­ just more Warrior Control¡­¡± Korith looked over to Apexus, who had sat back down on the edge of the bed. ¡°I¡¯m confused you aren¡¯t learning that, actually.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not part of the Ready Waters Style,¡± Apexus told her. ¡°We only use ki with deliberation.¡±


    ¡°Typical monk stuff,¡± Reysha remarked. ¡°Y¡¯all are boring. I¡¯m awesome. Simple as.¡±


    Apexus grabbed the tiger girl by the thigh and kneaded absent-mindedly. ¡°A Warrior¡¯s need for reliability comes from the need to be the frontline. Without Korith¡¯s ability to create space, you would not be able to take advantage of your own Martial Arts.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah!¡± the kobold took that logic and ran with it. ¡°I¡¯m being¡­ standard so you can be flashy! You should¡­ thank me or something.¡±


    ¡°Ya say that like being a Warrior is a sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Your words imply such a view on the matter,¡± Aclysia engaged the redhead. ¡°It is undoubtedly the case, however, that a party consisting entirely of Rogues would have glaring weaknesses. Your ability to take advantage of windows of opportunity relies on your party members creating those windows.¡±


    ¡°Can ya stop ruining my boast parade with your logic?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aclysia denied.


    ¡°Oooh, short and snappy, I like it!¡±


    The metal fairy sighed. ¡®Whatever I say she will just twist it into her amusement,¡¯ she thought, with a smile on her face and a hum in her throat. ¡°Let me prepare dinner, then we can enjoy the evening. Gods know when we will have another one to the whole of our party.¡±

 Fists and Fortune 14 – Novas and Lances

    Aclysia was on her way to the grey monastery.


    Thoroughly, she loathed that place. Yes, one should not substitute their service to the divine ideals by material displays. However, to take such a cynical stance to deny a religious building any sort of beauty was a disgrace in a whole different way. It was also a disgrace that entirely fit her teacher, the faithless Priest Pronthin.


    For all of the issues that Aclysia took with him and his lifestyle, she could not critique his teaching. Certainly, she had hoped for a new Spell to join her current arsenal. That hope still stood strong. Spells were fundamentally more malleable. Supernatural effects conjured outside the body had more space to unfold themselves in various interesting ways. For that same reason, getting new Spells was often a matter of using what was already present in more creative ways. For a mage, the boundaries of the mind and the quantity of mana outlined the borders of their abilities.


    To learn entirely new spellcraft was a rare matter. Aclysia could already do the two primary things her Class was concerned with: to heal and to deal damage using the power of the summer season. To acquire new Spells was to either revolutionize the way she did this or to learn about the Spells of another Class.


    Pronthin had been teaching her valuable lessons so far, even if there was nothing revolutionary or new about them. Constantly expanding her mana supply and magical power was necessary to empower her fundamental function in the group. Training on how to sense and utilize the leylines to Smite was also of incredible importance. That was her only way to heal at range, at the moment. Lastly, she had been focusing on her theological meditations, to enter the state of mind required for a Miracle.


    This constant increase of her mental and magical fitness served as its own sort of magical training. It was much easier to use the Bolt Spell in different ways now, just as it became easier to use the Ray at different lengths and intensities. Understanding of divinity had returned some of the connection to her angelic nature, be it that there was still a notable wall. Hashahin¡¯s barrier, to prevent her from claiming the authority of a true divine messenger.


    All in all, Aclysia was not expecting to learn a different Spell anytime soon. She had been promised only one and certainly she was not yet worthy of it.


    ¡°You¡¯re worthy of it,¡± Pronthin told Aclysia and Mehily.


    Aclysia blinked several times. ¡®Life has a tendency to surprise me,¡¯ she contemplated. ¡°Are you certain, teacher?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do things I¡¯ve not decided myself,¡± the faithless Priest responded, his tone as lethargic as ever. ¡°I told you that there was one Spell I wanted to show the two of you, but you have both exceeded my expectations in terms of growth. Consequently, I can show you two Spells today and you should be able to master both before we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°We have exceeded your expectations?¡± Mehily shifted her weight from one foot to the other. That her sight had been replaced with something different was barely apparent now. Every step she took, every move of her head, was back to the smoothness that a normal functioning person exhibited and rarely appreciated about themselves. Having known the dark, the blonde would never consider being thankless for the miracle of sight ever again.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Pronthin barely reacted to the deference of his pupils. Both were in opposition to his cynicism, yet both still held him in high regard when it came to his practical teachings. For better and for worse, the mindset of Priests was often hierarchical. ¡°First, let me explain what Spells I have selected for you to learn. There¡¯re not many, I, personally, can teach you. My path of following the will of the Omniverse has obviously diverged from yours and so I am incapable of the many feats that accordance with the four seasons can bring. Simultaneously, I am too weak to wield the Arclight of the season of magic.¡±


    ¡°It is not too late to-¡°


    With a bored wave, Pronthin interrupted the angel, ¡°Spare me the worry, Aclysia, and listen. I selected these Spells for you specifically. Mehily can learn from whomever she wants once she returns to the Church. First, the Spell I originally wanted you to learn. Observe.¡±


    Pronthin took two steps towards his pupils. His skin began to glow with the pale, greyish light of the Faithless. The channelled energy then burst off him in a nova of divine force, washing over Aclysia and Mehily. Both of them took steps backwards, but that was merely out of reflex. The energy washed over them with an inoffensive cold, leaving them feeling refreshed and able to face the day.


    ¡°This is the Healing Nova.¡± The last vestiges of the energy dispersed, as he talked. ¡°It is a massive gathering of healing energy, released in a burst, allowing you not only to heal multiple people at once, but also at a decent range. In due time, you may be able to launch it in a specific direction or even as a concentrated projectile. Such mastery, however, is beyond the scope of this training and your current capacity. Advantages of this spell are apparent. The disadvantages are the extreme mana cost and, almost more importantly, that you cannot distinguish between friend or foe with this Spell. Not without an Art, anyway.¡±


    ¡°So, it is an emergency Spell to ensure the survival of party members?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°For the most part. It can also be used to reset a fight, effectively. However, do not expect to partake in the engagement after you have used this spell. It will, almost certainly, overcharge your mana circuits for a few minutes. At higher levels, this may change, depending on your training. Do you know why I want you to learn this?¡±


    The question was only pointed at Aclysia, since Mehily was there by happenstance more than anything else. A number of theories popped into her mind immediately and Aclysia spent several seconds reviewing and then sorting them. ¡°It must be so I can be of use in the upcoming confrontation against the Deathhound,¡± she presented her theory. ¡°It is unlikely that I would be able to conjure a Spell that exceeds the sturdiness of the demon¡¯s hide and its speed simultaneously. I can, however, attempt to save lives.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Beyond that, there is a factor I did not mention.¡± Pronthin gestured to the sky, his finger pointing out the path of a leyline. ¡°Divine magic, in all its forms, is an embodiment of the proper order of the Omniverse. While it may be healing to all those within it, it is poison to those who are not in their proper place or outside it. Parasytes suffer immensely from these attacks. Much as they hate this, demons, who are warped by the influence of the outside void, also suffer when blasted by raw healing energy. Demons that are summoned from their place in the Hellroots further experience a weakening of their bonds.¡±


    ¡°In summary, it can be cast within the combat against the Deathhound without any adverse effects,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Precisely.¡± Pronthin rolled his shoulders. ¡°Your current magical power will not suffice to seriously harm the Deathhound nor to restore a notable amount of the vitality of those who will face the Deathhound head-on ¨C but it can make a difference. In the threat you brought here, any small differences count.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, teacher, she did not intend to bring danger to this world she¡­¡± Mehily trailed off when Pronthin gave her a tired stare. The grey of his eyes was only further reinforced by the bags under them.


    ¡°I am observing factual reality, not ascribing any intent. Let¡¯s stay focused,¡± Pronthin gestured at his chest. ¡°The Healing Nova is fundamentally simple, but requires immense mana reserves. Hence, why we will only start practicing it today and why I will first show you the second Spell. You may very well collapse after your first usage.¡±


    Aclysia did not look forward to that. There was no gain without pain though, so the collapse was a consequence she was willing to take. ¡°Please show us, teacher,¡± she requested, with a diligent bow.


    ¡°The second Spell is a new variety of magical attack. You know Bolt and Ray, a burst and a sustained release of mana, the typical manifestations that all mages are capable of. What I will show you now is a third variety of common spellcraft.¡± Pronthin showed them his palm. ¡°Most spells are launched from the open hand. It is the easiest place to gather large amounts of magical energy and to aim with. This,¡± he made a hollow fist, ¡°is therefore a terrible idea for novices. It¡¯s asking for a magical misfire or for your fingers to be blown off by your own spell.¡±


    Aclysia could feel it before she could see it. A stream of divine energy, gathering and then extending to both sides of the teacher¡¯s hand. Then, the critical mass of mana was reached. A flare of grey, pale light ignited and created a thin rod of raw divine energy, about a metre from one tip to the other. The rod grew longer with each passing moment, the ends thinner, until it looked like a proper lance with two sharp tips. Energy visibly swirled over the surface, spiralling from where the hand was conjuring/holding the weapon towards the endpoints.


    Pronthin turned towards the many targets put up in the courtyard and aimed at one of them. He launched the lance, throwing it as one would a javelin. It slammed into the target, one increment removed from the bullseye, penetrating deep into the straw, before exploding in a wave of divine light.


    ¡°This is the Lance variety of Spells,¡± Pronthin explained, his hand once more forming the hollow fist. ¡°You use your fingers to create a cage for the mana, forcing it to exit to the sides. At the same time, you manipulate the flow of mana into a spiral shape.¡± A new Lance ignited and slowly grew in length. ¡°Done properly, the whirl of mana clashes with itself, creating a maximum extent the Spell can grow. The energy stays confined in the vortex, eventually igniting and unleashing destructive capability. Given time to charge, it grows more powerful. Hold onto it for too long, however¡­¡±


    Pronthin kept his fist as it was and the pale light continued to grow in intensity. After twenty seconds, the spiralling surface showed signs of destabilization. Arcs of greyish lightning crackled along the surface, bouncing through the air or Pronthin¡¯s skin. It got worse and worse, with every passing moment, until it was apparent the Lance would explode in his hand.


    At the last moment, Pronthin turned to the sky and let the Lance loose. The act of throwing was little more than a guiding effort. Acceleration almost entirely stemmed from the magic energy inside. Dozens of metres in the air, the Lance burst into a crackle and a shockwave of divine energy.


    ¡°Lance Spells are notable for their destructive capability and the efficient use they make of mana,¡± Pronthin told them. ¡°None of what you pour in is wasted. As you can see, preparing them is also quite obvious and to shape them is a matter of Skill that not everyone can attain. Most spellcasters make the decision whether they want to specialize in the slow and efficient Lances or the fast and reliable Bolts. In any case, you should know both. Especially you, Aclysia.¡±


    The Guardian Angel gave her teacher a confounded look. ¡°I take it as paramount to have a versatile set of healing Spells, rather than learn offensive options.¡±


    ¡°For most groups, that is the correct thought to have. Unluckily for you, your group consists of a Monk, a Warrior, a Rogue, and a Priest. Not only are you the only spellcaster in your group, you are the only proper ranged combatant in your group.¡± Pronthin shrugged. ¡°Personally, I recommend you rectify that mistake. Have Reysha take up a crossbow or have your Warrior follow the path of a Paladin to have a secondary healer. Not that it ultimately is my problem.¡±


    ¡°Is our group composition so detrimental as to be dangerous?¡± This had entered Aclysia¡¯s mind before and it had certainly led to some issues in their battle formation that would only be exacerbated now that Korith was around. Tight corridors were the death of any party that had a broad frontline.


    ¡°In economics and group formations the same principle applies: there are no solutions, only trade-offs.¡± Pronthin shrugged, then yawned. ¡°Your party composition isn¡¯t the worst, but you will struggle with certain issues. All parties struggle with certain issues. These were just recommendations for optimization. A worry that you can take care of another time. Now, we will start with the Nova training.¡±

 Fists and Fortune 15 – Grasping at Magic

    Magic pulsed through Aclysia. Magic pulsed through the world around her. Magic pulsed through the magical circuitry. Each pulse was another beat of her magic cortex. Although hers did not consist of collagen, bone, proteins and such biological matter, it did still exist. It was responsible not just for the circulation of the mana to use for spells but also the divine energy that animated her.


    Taking a deep breath, she pulled all magic out of the air around her that she could. It was the simplest trick all mages employed, to use what the Leaf provided to supplement their own mana reserves. Some relied more on this, Druids and Shamans, some less, Mages and Sorcerers, yet all treasured the option, for it buffered their resources a little bit. As a Priest, Aclysia struck a balance between what she took from the Omniverse and what she provided herself. That was only right.


    The magic from the outside mingled with magic on the inside, concentrated in the breath that she held deep in her lungs. ¡®More,¡¯ she urged herself, when the sensation of holding the magic became straining. ¡®Not¡­ yet¡­¡¯ The power was compressed into a smaller and smaller point. It wished to expand and Aclysia wished for it not to expand yet. Unable to think a word, she just strained herself against the boundaries of her magic until, finally, she could hold on no longer.


    An explosion of vitality washed first through her body, then exploded from her skin in a wave of golden light. It rippled outwards, a nova of glorious golden sunlight. Two metres out, it began to disperse into individual rays, which continued, weakly for a little while longer. Left behind was Aclysia, heavily breathing.


    As a being of magic, straining her magical circuits immensely had actual effects on her stamina. Suddenly, she felt weak. Her legs threatened to give in once, twice, and the third time she just let them. Before her knees could collide with the forest floor, a muscular arm slung around her narrow waist and effortlessly raised her up.


    ¡°My eternal gratitude, darling,¡± Aclysia whispered, looking up to Apexus¡¯ face. Her man was carrying her in his arms to a nearby rock. Once he was seated, she got a little more comfortable in his lap, nuzzling against his broad chest. Her wings fluttered as much as her life beat. Where their skin touched, his magic flowed inside her, willingly presented from one creation of the Omniverse to an angel of its gods.


    Inlaid in this very action was the knowledge that, whatever Apexus truly was, whatever mystery lay behind the spark that had allowed him to come into existence, he was part of creation. He was sapient. Even if he lacked a Divine Spark, he was nothing to be afraid of. Those gentle hands on her, they did not deserve to be hunted.


    Apexus held the metal fairy, the first person he had ever known, recalling their long journey together as he often did, only to forego all the good and bad memories. It didn¡¯t matter when she had spoken naively or when he had acted without thought, what mattered was that they were there right now. She gave him the only thing he truly needed from her: a loving gaze, that said more than any words could ever convey. Proof that they would face whatever came, together.


    They sat together in silence, thoughts as calm as the night they shared. The cold, moist air bothered neither of them. An earthy smell hung in the air. Pitter-patter fell the rain, a little sprinkle, nothing more. An angel and a slime, the weather left them as they were. Heat and comfort could both be found inside and with each other.


    Apexus ran his hand through her hair. Steady and strong, the rhythm held, guided by her humming. The fairy sang, with a wordless voice, as she took the power of the humanoid chimera. The light above shone bright. Nothing mattered, no demon, no other plight, at this very time.


    ¡°Did you get what you needed?¡± Apexus asked, when the drain of magic ebbed away.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the fairy confirmed, departing hesitantly.


    As Pronthin had analysed, the casting of the Healing Nova proved immensely taxing on Aclysia. The first couple of times had seen her collapse outright. Had she not trained her mana reservoir accordingly, she may have suffered the same kind of internal damage that had made her body uninhabitable all the way back when she had saved Apexus from the eagle. How odd it was, to consider that such an animal once threatened them.


    Where Mehily could entirely rely on her internal mana regeneration to restore her reserves, Aclysia either had to eat or to take tribute from another sapient being. Technically, needing to eat to restore mana was something that both Priests shared, the difference was just that Mehily needed sustenance to survive in general. Their particular choice of diet was also different. An angel could sustain themselves on anything that did or had contained life. To that end, fresh fruits and other vegetation were typically the best. Eating raw, freshly slaughtered animals did also work, but was typically a hassle, an inelegance, and a taking of a life that the angel was not entirely comfortable with.


    Of course, she was aware that taking the energy from Apexus just removed her one step from such primal and necessary behaviour. The humanoid chimera hunted and devoured. What energy he stored from that, she was offered her cut of. In that arrangement, Aclysia got away with clean hands. She took great care to remind herself that she was still involved in the spoils of a hunt or the slaughter of cattle. Acts that she had to mentally be ready to enact herself.


    Reysha often called her entitled. Even if jokingly, she had a point, and Aclysia knew that. Such criticism had to be taken to Spark. Least she could do was to not delude herself so far that, when it was her turn to swing the proverbial knife, that she couldn¡¯t go through the act of killing because she lied to herself. Her hands were clean. Her being was necessarily as stained with blood as the rest of ever-competing creation.


    Aclysia stood back on her feet, now concentrating on her hand. She closed her eyes and made a hollow fist. Whenever she had recharged after casting the Healing Nova, she attempted to cast Sunlight Lances. Whenever she had recharged from that, she reversed back to the Novas. Back and forth.


    While she concentrated on the mana inside her, Apexus walked to an already half devoured tree. Only a few thin branches and a thick trunk were left. A flat palm, he drew his hand back. Rapidly, he lashed out. The flat hand smacked against the bark and bounced back, skin unharmed. Wood splintered moments later, ripples of energy cracking the surface and waving the softer inside.


    The Rippling Palm, a technique designed to deal damage primarily against armoured opponents, was well practiced on trees. The difference between bark and wood was not as extreme as steel and flesh, yet the principle applied. As for non-armoured opponents, Monks rarely learned specific moves against them early on. An Ironskin punch to the gut usually did the trick.


    With the surface broken, Apexus rammed his fingers into the wood, his skin the colour of polished iron, and tore out chunk after chunk of wood. Without chewing, he swallowed them all, letting his stomach acid dissolve it all in no time. The tree found its continuation within him, in its own way. Had it been the day, forming chloroplasts to feast on the sun could have been an option.


    Aclysia still had her eyes closed and focused. To send mana out spiralling was more difficult than one would bargain for, much like it was immensely difficult to throw a ball with proper spin. Unseen by anybody, vaguely felt by Apexus, the metal fairy bled magical energy into the environment. The incorrectly curved paths of mana failed to meet at a consistent point, thus not creating the barrier of movement required to even start approaching the critical mass of magic.


    Offensive magic like this had never come to her as easily as healing magic. Aclysia did not feel motivated the same way, to master spells that would destroy her opponents, rather than aid her allies. All she could tell herself, to keep her spirits high, was that prevention was better than treatment.


    For a moment, she discontinued her efforts, to start again when her mind was a little clearer. The crunching of wood in the background was distracting. Aclysia did her best to blend it out. Combat had many more distracting elements, worries, and dangers. That she wasn¡¯t getting beaten to a pulp while training was its own blessing, as Reysha¡¯s daily marks of combat proved. Aclysia shoved those memories away, before anger could ruin her concentration.


    Taking a deep breath, she put her hands together and sent a prayer to whatever god may listen. None of them needed to. The gesture was for herself, a ritual, a reminder that she had a service to render to the greater wills of the worlds. She parted her hands and slowly moved her right hand upwards, drawing it back as if she was ready to throw a javelin. Her fingers moved into the required position.


    Magic flowed, whirling out of her palm. It felt right. She noticed that it felt right. She tried to grasp at that feeling. Tried to understand, in every detail, what she was doing. The mana flashed and then fizzled.


    ¡°Ahrhrgrrrrmhmhrrrm,¡± Aclysia let out an incomprehensible, annoyed noise. ¡®Stop overthinking!¡¯ she chastised herself. If she had just let it happen, it would have. ¡®Your constant attempts to comprehend will be your undoing, Aclysia!¡¯


    Strong arms wrapped wordlessly around her. Apexus held her, providing her with something much greater than his mana. Standing there, they swayed left to right, almost dancing. The moonlight and the forest were their stage. They took the parts of lovers and none could have doubted their embodiment of the archetype.


    Apexus placed a kiss on the top of her head, then let go. Whirling around, Aclysia hovered up to his face, claiming his lips before he left her to practice again. It was a quick one, full of need for more and acceptance for the constraints of time. They departed, to eat and to practice again.


    Settled on the forest floor, Aclysia prayed once more. Reigning in her thoughts, she tried to do as Reysha did and learned by instinct before she comprehended actively. Mana flowed. An arm was raised. The swirls of invisible energy hummed for the few with the senses to notice. Then, it was visible for all. A flash and heat and then new light, a spear that glowed brighter and brighter. Calm mind and quiet thoughts, Aclysia drew her arm back completely and then tossed the Sunlight Lance.


    Long before it hit its target, the magic destabilized. What appeared solid at first crackled and wavered. Mana leaked into the air, leaving trails of misty light that uselessly dispersed. Only a little burst of heat and force occurred on the bark of her target, not even enough to scorch the surface of the tree.


    Yet still, the metal fairy drew in a breath of relief. ¡°Progress,¡± she whispered. Eleven days of constant tries and finally she had managed to keep one Sunlight Lance stable enough to throw. Inside, she wrestled for a moment, then she decided to turn around and get herself a reward. ¡°Darling,¡± she said sweetly.


    Apexus stared at her, stoically blank-faced. Not a tell for any of his emotions, especially not these days. Even when he was difficult to read, the metal fairy felt what went along behind that mask. She had known him too long not to know. Those stiff shoulders, that total inertness, she pouted already at what she had not yet heard.


    The way she slightly pushed her lower lip out compromised Apexus¡¯ resolve more than a two day fast. Personal discipline wrestled with the want to embrace her. Adorably, she put her arms behind her back. She bent forwards slightly, making herself even smaller in front of him. Big green eyes, hidden in short moments by cutesy blinks, focused his face.


    What the angel had figured out, what the acting in her nature allowed her to emulate, was that exact look that any woman could give their loved ones to get anything they could provide. In that moment, it would not have mattered if she wanted him to praise her or for him to gather the resources to build an empire. The only difference would have been the time required to deliver her what she wanted. Such was the sway of Aclysia over her man¡¯s fate, a power he had invested her with. Not necessarily of his volition, love was such a complicated affair, and yet he would not dream to take it from her.


    Even as he embraced her again, he did have the need to tell her, ¡°You should not crave compliments and breaks for every success. We must keep improving.¡±


    ¡°I know, darling,¡± Aclysia giggled, incapable of pretending she was not enjoying this too much for her guilt to matter. ¡°I know.¡±


    Fingers combed her hair. Her forehead rested on his chest. They remembered harder times. Apexus looked up to the moon. ¡°It is a beautiful world.¡±

 Fists and Fortune 16 – Another pass of the Baton

    Aclysia slowly stirred the pot. Today had been another uneventful day of constant training. That was entirely alright, since the progress was also constant. Slow, yet constant. Less than two months remained now until they were in the range of days that the Inquisitor had prophesized. If those two spells were all Pronthin had in store for her, then she was confident she could master them in that timeframe.


    Humming happily, she looked over her shoulder. Apexus, Reysha, and Korith were sitting in a circle around a low table. It was a hand-me-down that the humanoid chimera had picked and fixed up as part of his training. The training part was to bang all the nails in with the palm, without causing any damage to the wood.


    Her distaste for Maltos had simmered down considerably by now. The breach of trust remained a sour note. However, his way of training her darling had to be applauded. It combined the necessity of swift and improvised usage of his abilities with various everyday skills that could come in handy after their adventures.


    The table was not the only thing that was new. Aclysia was in possession of some additional cooking utensils, they all had a second set of clothes, and some additional washing utensils now. The house that they had claimed had gotten further fixed, as both Aclysia and Apexus spent their downtime on ironing out the kinks all around it. The metal fairy had even started a patch of the magic-infused herbs they threw into every meal. A benefit of a Leaf with only one season was that it was always the appropriate time to sow.


    As for Korith, she had gotten a fresh set of playing cards and dice. Both were currently in use. The cards were put in a snake like pattern, with dice both getting used as counters and to roll each turn. The game was the backdrop to their conversation. Reysha was talking for two, as was usual, with Korith¡¯s stammered responses and Apexus'' archaic mixture of high wisdom and adorable denseness serving to amuse everyone, especially the angel.


    ¡°What¡¯cha humming?¡± Reysha asked, after having concluded a turn. No one answered the question, Aclysia continued to stir the pot. ¡°Hello? Mortal to angel? Ya listening to my prayer, bubble butt?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± the Guardian Angel half turned her head, only now realizing that she had been humming. ¡°My apologies, I was lost in the moment¡­. If that was any particular song, I must admit that I did not pay the attention necessary to identify.¡±


    ¡°You zone out a lot, recently,¡± Apexus pointed out.


    ¡°Do I?¡± the angel ruffled through recent memories. Weeks were a blur, as much of them was pure repetition. She woke up, got dressed, made breakfast, went to the monastery, prayed, discussed the faiths, trained under Pronthin¡¯s eyes with Mehily, came home, made dinner, then continued her studies in private, then went to bed. Chaotically thrown in there, depending on the day of the week and opportunities, were her other household chores, loving the other inhabitants of the house, tending to the garden, and connecting with the locals.


    Going through her recollections, apt as her high intellect allowed, she did realize a pattern.


    ¡°I suppose I have been of rather aloof behaviour as of the past three weeks,¡± Aclysia admitted.


    ¡°Is that¡­ a bad thing?¡± Korith rolled her die and then squeaked. ¡°That is definitely a bad thing¡­¡±


    ¡°And just like that, Korith loses two points,¡± Reysha cackled. ¡°Off with the shirt, shortie.¡±


    ¡°I never agreed to these rules!¡±


    ¡°Stripping is implied whenever ya sit down on a table with me.¡±


    Apexus sorted the dice in front of him, disconnected from the discussion. He had been naked from the moment he got home. The humanoid chimera preferred it that way. While Reysha and Korith hashed out the application of non-verbal contracts on the situation, the Monk-in-training looked inquisitively at his first love.


    Aclysia stopped stirring. The ladle was hung on a hook specifically for it by the fireplace. Then she strutted over and embraced her darling. He received her loving embrace in kind, and she found herself half-laying in his arms, kissing him deeply.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know we had sugar in the house.¡± Reysha¡¯s remark turned Aclysia¡¯s attention away from her pure joy. With slight annoyance in her voice, she answered.


    ¡°We most certainly do not have access to such a luxury good and even if we did, I would not waste it, as it is of no advantage in a soup.¡±


    ¡°Wild that it¡¯s a luxury good over here. We had these cane thingies in most oases where I am from and you could get the good brown sugar from it.¡± Reysha licked her lips and glanced at the stew. She could not wait for the next meal. ¡°Anyway, we were talking about ya spacing out?¡±


    ¡°I have nothing further to report on that topic,¡± Aclysia kissed Apexus one more time, then returned to the pot and the stirring. The mashed potatoes she had added gave the entire soup a creamy texture. Behind her were her loves and their lovely little house. ¡°I am merely relaxed.¡±


    ¡°Good for ya,¡± Reysha grinned. ¡°Give Korith some of that.¡±


    ¡°I am relaxed,¡± the shortstack grumbled, looking at the cards on the table and her options. There were not a lot of them. As a matter of fact, that latest dice roll was likely to send her in an unwinnable tailspin. Especially after Apexus rolled two sixes.


    The game concluded with the humanoid slime¡¯s victory. Then they ate, Reysha and Korith the soup and Apexus the soup with a hefty helping of bones that they would have thrown out otherwise. After dinner they huddled up by the fire, sharing one huge, fluffy blanket. Korith sat in Apexus¡¯ lap, Aclysia was to his right, Reysha to his left.


    ¡®I miss being small,¡¯ Aclysia thought, glancing enviously at how nicely the kobold fit in front of Apexus¡¯ chest. Any further complaints were silenced by the strong hand of her beloved wrapping around her. ¡°I suppose it is time for our customary progress exchange?¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t much to talk about on my end. Just trying to get a handle on things one after the other. You, bubble butt?¡±


    ¡°Similar,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°Darling?¡±


    ¡°I have progressed well in Ironskin and Featherstep. Rippling Palm is my current training focus. I will start on Flow Manipulation after I have displayed the three feats of mastery.¡±


    ¡°What are those?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°I must be able to catch and throw a blade-covered sphere twenty times without cutting myself. I must be able to maintain my balance while hopping across treetops to twenty jumps. I must be able to only break the middle two in a stack of twenty tiles.¡±


    ¡°Lots of twenties,¡± Reysha remarked.


    Apexus could only shrug. In each instance, the number had emerged after generations of tests, some too easy, some too hard, through experience. He would not question the wisdom of past masters. Even though they may have changed the numbers a bit for spiritual consistency¡¯s sake, the tests were still proven to be adequate. ¡°What about you, Korith?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ you know¡­ punching harder¡­¡± the primary frontliner of the group mumbled. ¡°Trying to improvise a few things outside of what Vulk teaches me¡­ praying to Hoard¡­ the usual things.¡±


    ¡°The boring things,¡± Reysha poked fun at the kobold, and was jabbed in the ribs by Apexus in return. She hissed, but supressed her instinct for another fight for dominance. Something Aclysia was rather thankful for. At least, Reysha respected the boundaries she had set for indoors.


    ¡°I love you,¡± the Guardian Angel said, out of nowhere.


    The three other people in the room looked at her. Then they, like her, gazed into the flickering flames. The honest golden light reflected in their eyes. A little tighter, they got together. Korith pulled Aclysia¡¯s unoccupied hand in her lap and Reysha added hers on top. ¡°I have thought about what we will do after the Deathhound,¡± Apexus said. No one moved, but he knew they listened. ¡°We will leave.¡±


    The revelation made Aclysia¡¯s smile falter a little bit. She leaned onto Apexus¡¯ shoulder and inhaled deeply, until the suggestion no longer sounded that bad. No matter where they went, they would be together. ¡°It is our responsibility to get stronger, correct, darling?¡±


    Apexus nodded. ¡°I do not know if we can stop Apotho. Us having the strength to face him before the Church finds him and brings him to justice is¡­ I do not know how likely. We cannot be prey to another villain, no matter what. We should be hunters instead.¡± The humanoid chimera paused for a moment. ¡°Weakness is a luxury for those in isolated biomes. I do not wish to be safe. Thus, I must grow strong.¡±


    ¡°I understand, darling,¡± Aclysia said. She was the only one of the four he needed to convince. Reysha and Korith had set out with similar goals in mind, for adventure and riches. Only she drew it to a more settled lifestyle. ¡°Could I, however, make a selfish demand?¡±


    ¡°Ya can make all the selfish demands ya want, that¡¯s healer and housewife privilege,¡± Reysha responded, between joking and serious.


    ¡°Could we perhaps have an approach that is less nomadic?¡± Aclysia requested. ¡°It will require additional funds and likely limit you in your preferred dietary choices. Still, I would like to have a home. To have some luxuries. Is that a possibility?¡±


    Apexus and Reysha slowly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have to look at the specific houses or whatever we go for,¡± the redhead said. ¡°I like hunting¡­ but access to a bathtub would be fucking great.¡±


    ¡°Specifics will need to be looked at,¡± Apexus nodded. ¡°I am okay with finding semi-permanent habitats. We will spend months or years on Leaves that we operate on.¡±


    ¡°Just make it cheap, please,¡± Korith requested.


    ¡°Ya have no room to request us being stingy for you. When we give ya money, it disappears in the abyss.¡±


    ¡°It is added to the great Hoard,¡± Korith responded immediately. ¡°Hoard is good, Hoard is great, Hoard knows what to do with the money¡­ pile it up in a big shiny pile of shiny stuff!¡±


    ¡°Truly, the wisest of all gods,¡± Reysha stated, drily.


    ¡°Now you get i- hey, no sarcasm!¡±


    ¡°Truly, the wisest of all kobolds.¡±


    Korith let out a series of annoyed sounds and ultimately fell quiet. Cackling, Reysha apologized to the shortstack by means of kissing her on the cheek. ¡°You¡¯re so mean.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± the tiger girl purred. ¡°Any other plans beyond that we¡¯re leaving once we¡¯re done here?¡±


    Apexus shook his head. ¡°Aclysia decides where we head next.¡±


    The metal fairy blinked a couple of times. ¡°May I request further details on that task, darling?¡±


    ¡°We are no longer being hunted, we can take our time and rely on common wisdom.¡± Apexus¡¯ hand brushed up and down her side. ¡°You have the best memory of us. Find out about the other worlds around this one. Find one that suits our needs. One where we can grow stronger and do good. If you find none truly suitable, then we will wander.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I will fulfil this duty,¡± Aclysia responded.


    Then, there was nothing left to be said. They continued to sit there, warmed by each other and the fire, as the evening turned into the night and the toll of the training over the day made their eyelids heavy. Reysha was first to doze off, ever so easily prone to it as her cat-like appearance would imply. Aclysia was second, just giving herself to the state close to sleep that angels fell in. Apexus carried them both to bed, laying down, by their side, Korith in his arms. Soon, he himself dozed off.


    Korith stayed awake for a little while longer. The layer of hay underneath them smelled pleasant, especially with the blanket on top of it that was practically soaked with Apexus¡¯ pheromones. His arms enveloped her, the blanket layered on top of them prevented the autumn cold from seeping in. She was wrapped in a safe little cocoon.


    Yawning, she remembered the past few weeks. The constant, exhausting workouts, the challenges that Vulk put on her and other students. To be a Warrior was all about constant effort. There was no other motivation needed than what surrounded her right now.


    Ready for the next day, she drifted off.

 Fists and Fortune 17 – Improvisation

    ¡°Yo, Korith, you stay!¡±


    The kobold let out a loud ¡®eeep¡¯, when she stopped in her tracks. The other Warrior trainees were continuing towards the changing rooms, to get out of their armours and leave behind their test equipment. Robotically, she turned around and faced Vulk.


    The goliath towered over her. Bigger even than Apexus by two heads, he forced Korith to tilt her head all the way back to look at his face. His naked torso was muscular and covered in tattoos and scars. The canvas was a bit loose, aged skin covering muscles that still functioned perfectly. The hairless man did her the favour of dropping down into a squat. Dangerously, he mustered her.


    ¡®Maybe I wasn¡¯t ready for today,¡¯ the shortstack thought, when she was suddenly grabbed by a horn. A rumble came from Vulk¡¯s throat, as he hummed and turned her head in various directions. ¡°C-could you stop?¡±


    ¡°Hrumph,¡± the old Warrior let out a bothered sound. ¡°You¡¯re still too well behaved. If you don¡¯t want someone to touch you, shatter their kneecaps.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s just not the first thing I go to¡­¡± Korith timidly responded, while eying the distance between the tip of her wooden hammer and his left leg. Another rumbling hum and a bit of a shake later, Vulk let go.


    ¡°It occurred to me that I never fucking told you why I wasn¡¯t training you one-on-one, pipsqueak.¡±


    ¡®By Hoard, please don¡¯t start,¡¯ Korith thought, uncomfortably shifting her weight from one leg to the other. ¡°Well, I am learning what I need to learn, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Vulk gave her an enthusiastic slap on the shoulder. Stumbling two steps to the left, Korith only barely caught her balance. ¡°You get it! Then we¡¯re done here!¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Korith was happy to see the aged goliath straighten up again. She was also not particularly sure she could just let him go. The problem was that she did not get it. Had it been a matter of pure comfort, she probably would have let him go. Anything she was taught could have been the most important lesson yet though. Resigning herself to more intimidating interactions, she asked, ¡°I, actually, don¡¯t get it?¡±


    ¡°Fuck me, okay,¡± Vulk kneeled back down.


    ¡°I¡­ you¡¯re kinda my type, but I¡¯m¡­ engaged? I don¡¯t know, I have an interesting relationship¡­¡±


    The goliath stared at her for a second, then broke out into roaring laughter. He slapped his leg a couple of times. That he hadn¡¯t actually solicited her for sex dawned on her. She blushed intensely, shifted her weight back and forth, and just waited for the humiliation to be over.


    ¡°You¡¯re too young for me anyway,¡± the teacher decided, after having had his fill of amusement. ¡°Alright, listen up. The reason I haven¡¯t pulled you aside for any solo training sessions is because Warriors need little in terms of training. Our Class Skills are reliable and really fucking simple. We don¡¯t do fancy shit with our weapons, turning them into whirling saws or something like that. We aren¡¯t going to influence the world around us or manipulate light or all of that mage bullshit. What we do is whatever the fuck we want.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡± Korith was not completely sure where this was going.


    ¡°What I¡¯m telling you is that I taught you nothing in solo sessions because there''s nothing I can teach you. All I do here is give people the basic tools. After that, you just figure out what works for you. I gave you a bit of a guiding hand by telling you how Ironskin works, but you could¡¯ve figured that out on your own. Not like it¡¯s hard.¡±


    The theory of Ironskin was, indeed, extraordinarily simple. To try and extend the hardening of bones to the skin was the intuitive first step for any Warrior that wanted to up their defensive game further. To master it was a different matter, but even that could be done on one¡¯s own time.


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re telling me that Warriors are supposed to improvise¡­?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to figure it out,¡± Vulk told her. ¡°Your fighting style. We don¡¯t do all of that fancy shit other Classes do, because we¡¯re too busy actually caving in the face of some motherfucking bear. Whether you¡¯re a Priest, a Sorcerer, a Warlock, or some other spell-flinging asshat, when you cast a Bolt it¡¯s a Bolt. There¡¯s a best way to cast a Bolt. There¡¯s no best way to swing a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ overhead to maximize force?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being cheeky today. I like it!¡±


    ¡°No that was¡­ oh Hoard why do I¡­ nevermind¡­ so, where exactly is this going?¡±


    ¡°LISTEN WHEN I TALK, PIPSQUEAK!¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t yell¡­¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    ¡°aww¡­.¡±


    Vulk grabbed her by a horn again, shaking her as he continued to talk to her. ¡°The spells you cast are not dependent on how big or small you are. That means that your spellcasting strategy doesn¡¯t change depending on your body type. You follow that?¡±


    ¡°For the most part?¡± Korith said, her brain getting swirled around behind that pretty face of hers.


    ¡°The thing for Warriors is that we can¡¯t afford to cast a spell perfectly or hold back our power until an opportune moment or do any of that fancy shit. We have to think on our feet, get in the way of enemies, and do that in a way that doesn¡¯t end up with us getting our throat torn out by thirty-centimetre-long teeth from some fucking cave bear. That¡¯s why we have simple and reliable Martial Arts ¨C the kind that you could literally fucking make up yourself.¡± Vulk shoved her back a bit. ¡°Monks say their bodies are their weapons. Our bodies are our shields. If you break, you break, so you better figure out how to best make use of what you have and that¡¯s different for each Warrior. Your Warrior Control is good, you got the basics, so now put your mind to doing something entertaining. In short: I¡¯m done with you.¡±


    Korith blinked a couple of times. The jubilation of being out of the clutches of this terribly loud and oddly friendly brute wrestled with the dread of being without any guidance for the next one and a half months. Then there was another sensation. ¡°Wait! I paid for full training?!¡±


    Vulk was taken slightly aback by her aggressive tone. ¡°You can still use the facilities,¡± he told her. ¡°And you have the right to spar with me or any of the other trainers if you want to test something.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ okay,¡± Korith calmed down, knowing her money was still well invested. ¡°Sooo¡­ I guess I¡¯ll just¡­ go and do what I want¡­?¡±


    ¡°As is the Warrior¡¯s way ¨C you¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    _______________________________________________________________________________


    Korith, still in her full armour, was marching randomly through the forest. She had gone home first, but no one had been there. Not an unusual state of affairs. Reysha and Apexus were often gone for several days, while they were put through whatever gauntlet their teachers came up with. Aclysia saw to it that they got a good meal periodically. Right now, she was on a food run for the redhead, leaving the kobold alone to contemplate what to do next.


    Currently, her Martial Arts were limited to a few techniques, in addition to the various strengthening Skills for bones and muscles. She had Scale Armour, which let her increase the durability of her scales. Ironskin, to increase her all around defences. Steadfast, a technique that locked her body up and let her weather a much greater impact than she usually could. Frog Leap, to let her move rapidly despite her minute size. Finally, she had Warrior Control, which was no specific Martial Art but rather the ability to employ strengthening subconsciously.


    A good basic selection, yet she didn¡¯t really know what to do with it. Figure it out? Her own fighting style? Bit much to be hit with all of a sudden.


    ¡®Only one person to ask what to do next!¡¯ Korith thought and leapt in a random direction. The air whistled between her horns. Jump for jump, she rapidly made her way through the forest to a place she and Apexus had found a little while ago.


    It was a rock, about three metres tall, with a surprisingly flat top. Korith crouched down like a frog and catapulted up at maximum strength. It was a pinpoint landing. Crossing her partly scaled legs, Korith listened to the clutter of her armour. Then she listened to the quiet of the autumn forest. The night was the canvas for many covert activities.


    Korith closed her eyes and reached out to the most trusted being out there. ¡®Hey, Hoard¡­ I was told to figure things out so I figured I should ask you. You have a wealth of knowledge. All of the knowledge, probably. You know what I should do, right?¡¯


    No answer. Nothing unusual, the Hoard gathered and distributed in mysterious ways. If she invested enough of her time in the prayer, it would eventually give her an answer. Eyes closed, legs crossed, Korith remained still and waited. Her pointy ears twitched and she waited. She sneezed when a fly buzzed around her lip. She stretched. She yawned.


    Korith was bouncing through a craggy landscape. No, she was running through the landscape. Each movement of her legs caused a leap that let her skip, like a flat stone on a calm lake. At the end of the path was a big pile of gold. A truly massive hoard for Hoard to hoard.


    There was just one issue: it was protected by a barrier of hard crystal. Korith smacked it with her warhammer, but it bounced off. Annoyed, she grabbed at it. She put all she had into her claws, and felt them puncture the material. Cracks rapidly spread. Like glass, the wall of crystal shattered. It collapsed on top of Korith. The kobold raised her arms. Her scales turned gold and effortlessly broke the crystal shards.


    Grabbing her warhammer again, Korith advanced. She touched the massive pile of gold. ¡°For the Hoard,¡± she whispered and it disappeared. In its place was left a warm feeling in the kobold¡¯s heart and a golden glow around her weapon.


    Suddenly raising her head, Korith shivered in that particular way only people who had almost fallen over forwards could. Groggy, she looked around, remembering where she was and why she was there. She wiped a bit of drool off her mouth and stretched. Her purpose was clear now.


    ¡®Thank you, Hoard!¡¯ she thought and jumped off the rock. ¡®Clear vision: learn to jump better, make scales harder, turn claws into armour penetrating weapons to punch through what the hammer can¡¯t smash. Truly, Hoard is the greatest teacher!¡¯


    With the inspiration firmly established, Korith leapt off the stone and landed in a crouch. This was the first thing she would need to figure out, an improved version of the Frog Leap. The Martial Art got its name from two factors. One, the fact that one was leaping a considerable distance and, two, the frog-like posture one took when wanting to maximize jump force.


    The latter made it a suboptimal technique. Crouching down in the middle of combat was not exactly the greatest, plus she hated how goofy it made her look. Korith was overly self-aware at the best of times and embarrassment was not good in combat.


    ¡®Alright, so how do I do it like I did in the vision?¡¯ Korith thought. She had been skipping over a craggy landscape, launching herself from one slanted surface to the next. That was not all she had done though. Her movements had been a lot more like walking than jumping.


    ¡®Figure out the best use of what you have!¡¯ The words of Vulk echoed in her mind and she looked down at herself. What did she have?


    She had a tail. That was useful, because it let her keep her centre of gravity lower than her boobs would have implied. She had scales. Maybe she could combine Ironskin and Scale Armour into something even more powerful? No reason to have two Martial Arts that almost did the same thing and not learn how to use them in tandem. She had claws, that was obviously the way to go about whatever she had done to break the crystal wall.


    ¡®I have kind of big feet?¡¯ she thought and inspected her clawed toes. A kobold¡¯s feet were a mixture between human and reptile. Hers were covered in scales that wandered up almost up to her knees. She had never really thought about it much, but relatively speaking she did have larger and stronger feet than most humanoids. ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯


    Ki spread through Korith¡¯s legs, filling the bones in her thighs and the muscles around. Some of it continued further down into her lower legs. That was normal for the Frog Leap. Korith distributed the power more evenly, sending it even further to her ankles and feet. She took a careful stance and then jumped forwards.


    The acceleration was expected, the direction, however, was unfamiliar. Rather than up and forwards, she was almost entirely catapulted in the direction she was facing. The jump was too shallow, her feet dragged over the floor, causing her to topple over forwards and painfully tumble over the forest floor. It would not have been that bad, had she had taken off her armour beforehand.


    Dazed and aching, Korith laid on the floor, and got back on her legs, groaning. The good news was that her Warrior Control had reinforced her body while she had been rolling around, protecting her from any real harm.


    Pain aside, the result was what she had wanted. Rather than leap like a frog, she had launched herself. The primary force had been in the ankle and knees, rather than her thighs. ¡®Let¡¯s try that again,¡¯ she thought and found a smaller rock near the big boulder she had climbed to meditate. Carefully, she wiped off moss and slippery forest grime off it, before going for her second attempt.


    The solid, slightly elevated platform did wonders for her control of the flight path. Crouching only slightly, she kicked off and flew at the boulder. Controlled, she impacted the side of the rock, her feet pressing against the craggy surface. It was a suitable launch pad for an immediate second jump. Korith tried to aim for the tree. If she could continue ricocheting off various slanted surfaces and walls, then her mobility would increase greatly.


    A tree was a smaller target than a boulder, though. Her ability to measure the power needed to bridge certain distances was still off, as were her instincts when it came to proper feet placement. Several metres shy, she landed ass first on the forest floor. Another problem she needed to solve was aerial mobility. Her feet would always need to be in the correct position for the next skipping target.


    Still, this was the kind of Martial Art she wanted. A simple adaptation of the Frog Leap, more appropriate for combat and for her body. ¡®Time to change the name,¡¯ Korith contemplated, taking every excuse so she would not have to think of herself as a frog anymore. ¡®It¡¯s a leap to get to the treasure, as Hoard has revealed, so it¡¯s the Treasure Leap. Yup, makes perfect sense.¡¯ Nodding intensely to herself, she got back to practice.

 Fists and Fortune 18 – Implementation

    ¡°REPOSITION!¡± Vulk roared.


    The circle of shield bearers around him and Korith scrambled to move to another part of the wooden arena. They trampled on planks, climbed staircases, and ran on the stone floor of the courtyard most of the Warrior training happened in. Once they had found their new standing spots, they dug their heels in and waited for the inevitable.


    Korith was in a state of exertion where her body felt lighter than it truly was. Her lungs were pumping air at a steady, sustainable rate. She was dressed only in casual clothes and armed with a wooden hammer. Vulk wore nothing besides baggy pants and had a long training sword in one hand. Student and teacher both exuded an air of physical might, a side manifestation of the Warrior Control supporting their every move.


    ¡°COME AT ME, PIPSQUEAK!¡±


    Korith crouched down and launched herself at the goliath. The metres between them were bridged in a flash. Wood smacked against wood, the sword brought between him and her hammer strike. The goliath showed a toothy, brutal grin, and pushed Korith back.


    The second Korith¡¯s feet hit the ground, she skipped away from her opponent. Exerting her power in such a way that she did a backwards somersault on the fly had taken several days to figure. Now, she was confident in it. Her feet hit the shield of one of the other students. The arms gave slightly. The student grit his teeth and vigilantly stood his ground. This was as much training for them as it was for her, an endurance test of running and withstanding the impact of heavy ¡®projectiles¡¯.


    Launching off, Korith was on a direct collision course with Vulk again. Her teacher unexpectedly retreated two steps. Smacking into the floor on two feet and one hand, Korith immediately jumped upwards to escape the ensuing kick. She went five metres up into the air, the extra strength of her arm adding to the intensity of the leap.


    Impressive as that was, it was also a mistake. Straight upwards, there was no point to jump off from. After reaching the highpoint of her trajectory, she plummeted back down. Vulk dodged away from the clearly telegraphed swing of her hammer, then managed to grab her by the foot. The world was transformed into a blur. Vertigo dominated her senses. Vulk spun her around himself two times, before slamming her into the floor.


    The stone cracked, splinters of it flying everywhere. ¡°Good reaction!¡± Vulk grinned. The kobold¡¯s form was covered in scales of a steel grey. They retreated rapidly from where she was supposed to have skin. The colour lingered a little bit on her arms, legs and tail, before draining from there as well, leaving behind the typical red. ¡°If any of you doubt why Warrior Control is important, try reacting this properly with any conscious effort!¡±


    ¡°Uhm, will you let me go?¡± Korith asked, her left foot still in the iron clutches of her teacher.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t want to get grabbed, you shouldn¡¯t have let me fucking grab you!¡± Vulk gave his response and lifted her back up like a flail. This was a lesson to be beaten into anyone who relied on mobility to make up for their lesser reach: do not ever get taken hold of. Korith activated her Ironscale Armour again, just in time to withstand the second impact of her back on the floor. Shards of rock ground against her skin. All that was torn in the process was her shirt.


    Laughing like a fighting addicted maniac, Vulk ripped her up again. He spun around, building up momentum for the third slam. Sturdy as Warriors were, their ki reserves were not endless. Korith needed a solution and she needed it fast. She did not have the reach nor the opportunity to retaliate with any strikes of her arms. The advantage she did have was that her feet were more of a weapon than those of most humanoids.


    A third time, she was slammed into the floor. This time, she didn¡¯t let the Ironscale just drain away. She channelled it all into her right foot. The scales shimmered metallically, the deep red, curved claws of her three toes were turned nearly black. They spread out, webbing stretching between them, then slammed into Vulk¡¯s arm.


    His own Ironskin activated in response. A peculiar sound, between the squeaking of leather and the screeching of tearing metal, echoed through the courtyard. Korith tried her hardest to punch through his defences ¨C and she succeeded. Blood poured from three holes in Vulk¡¯s arm, each about as large and deep as the bite from a housecat.


    It did not even inconvenience the titan of a man. He laughed, triumphantly. ¡°An opponent of your level could lose half their wrist to that! Good ¨C JOB!¡± Vulk¡¯s congratulations came in the form of Korith getting thrown at the shield wall. Reacting swiftly, Korith twisted around and landed on the shield of whoever she was getting thrown at.


    The problem was that this particular whoever was not able to withstand the impact. In a discordant mess of splintering wood and pained groans, Korith and the Warrior student both tumbled outside the bounds of the arena. Dazed, Korith rolled off the giant of a man. ¡°Sorry about that!¡± she apologized and checked on the man.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ fine,¡± the Warrior mumbled, downplaying his pain. The reasons for his brave front were manifold. A large one was definitely the two huge knockers hanging next to his face. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Eeeep!¡± Korith noticed that the bindings that had kept her tits from bouncing around had been undone together with the back of her shirt. ¡°C-could we maybe fight in a way that doesn¡¯t gradually strip me?¡±


    ¡°Like your enemies give you that choice!¡± Vulk thundered, as he stomped out of the arena. ¡°Take a break you lousy excuses ¨C and by break I mean run! If your arms are getting tired, keep those legs busy. Three rounds around the complex, GO!¡± The Warrior next to Korith knew better than to prioritize ogling her over orders by their teacher. Rapidly, the courtyard emptied itself of students. Korith stayed and gave her back a careful padding.


    ¡®Aclysia is going to kill me,¡¯ she whined in her head. The sweet song of metal bouncing on the floor immediately had her attention. Instincts kicked in and she pounced on the coin like a predator on helpless prey. Greedily, she held it in her clutches, only remembering where it had come from when she was halfway through stashing it. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡±


    ¡°Get a new shirt,¡± Vulk told her and sat down in front of her. The heaviness of his muscle bound body made some of the nearby pebbles bounce. ¡°You¡¯re making good progress, shortie. I¡¯m impressed. Been a long while since I saw a kobold using their toes.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ I should use all that Hoard gave me, right?¡±


    ¡°With that logic, you should look into how to knock someone out with your fat fucking tits,¡± Vulk stated.


    Korith hugged her chest in a vain effort to hide her boobs from this vulgar man. That he wasn¡¯t staring barely helped her discomfort. Crawling away half a metre, she held to pose as she asked. ¡°So, uhm¡­ any tips?¡±


    ¡°Not really, you¡¯re doing pretty well. Bunch of tactical mistakes and inefficiencies, but you¡¯ll have to iron out those kinks yourself. Not like I know how to best leap around like you do. I just run at people and cave their heads in.¡± Vulk shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re pretty fast, you adapt well, and you¡¯re figuring out a good balance between offence and defence. I can¡¯t really do more than be your personal beating stick.¡±


    Heavily breathing Warriors ran by the main entrance, marking the first completed round.


    ¡°You need to figure out what you¡¯ll do in a flat area though. If you have no launching points, that leaping technique of yours is going to fuck you over. Every idiot with two hands and eyes can catch you if you go for a long jump.¡±


    ¡°Yeaaaah¡­ my plan was just to avoid those battlegrounds?¡±


    ¡°GET WITH THE TIMES, PIPSQUEAK!¡±


    ¡°C-can you please not shout at me?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    ¡°Awww¡­¡±


    ¡°Warriors don¡¯t get to choose where they fight. We get punched in the face and break the enemy in return. Get up!¡± Korith followed his demand and watched as Vulk backed away several metres. ¡°I¡¯ll charge at that target dummy!¡± He pointed at many of the wooden constructs around. ¡°That¡¯s your healer! If you don¡¯t stop me, I¡¯ll fuck up her pretty face.¡±


    ¡°B-but Aclysia¡¯s face is way too pretty to fuck it up!¡±


    ¡°I disagree!¡± Vulk immediately went onto a charge.


    Korith tried her best to get between him and his target, but the difference in their leg length made it impossible for her to outrun him. The goliath just ran a curve around her and then breached the distance. Disappointed, he groaned, after smacking the target dummy in the face. Korith watched him slowly track back to the original position.


    ¡°Your job is to be a mobile wall, a threat that cannot be ignored!¡± Vulk shouted at her. ¡°Everyone in your party can deal damage, but not everyone can take damage as well as you can. Against monsters, you might be able to lure them in with body language alone but any creature or person with just an ounce of brain matter in their skull will try to get around you. You need to make that option entirely unappealing. Attempt number 2!¡±


    Korith was trying to solve this problem and was not given enough time to really come up with anything intricate. When Vulk went back on his charge, she simply did what she could: using her Treasure Leap to make up for the difference in their speed. The moment she launched herself, Vulk stopped dead in his tracks. She flew past him, then he continued running. A second time, he smacked the target dummy in the face.


    ¡°Now your healer has a broken jaw!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so mean!¡± Korith complained, lying on her back. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a teacher, can¡¯t you at least give me some pointers?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Warrior, fix your own fucking problems! Grow stronger, I don¡¯t care how ¨C as long as it doesn¡¯t involve some pansy magic.¡± Vulk returned to his original position.


    Korith got up and did the same. ¡®I¡¯m definitely getting some magic¡­¡¯ she thought, spitefully. Vulk was getting on her nerves. Even if she was too timid to ever really do anything about that fact, she could at least have her revenge by investing in some magical means of solving this issue. ¡®Hoard will surely bless me with another vision if I pray to him and give him lots of shinies! To learn a few Paladin Skills would be good anyway.¡¯


    That was a project for the future, now she had to deal with Vulk charging again. Korith tried her best to solve the issue at hand. If she couldn¡¯t run after the goliath and couldn¡¯t leap at him proactively, the best course of action would be to leap reactively, wouldn¡¯t it?


    Korith ran towards Vulk in a futile attempt to intercept him. As with the first attempt, he aptly made a turn around her. That was fine with her, as long as she left his field of view. Once he was solely focused on the target dummy, she crouched down on all fours. To leap forwards on the flat ground was difficult, but with four empowered limbs she made up for the difference. Her entire body was bristling with ki. Scales of the colour of steel rapidly spread out from her limbs, encasing all of her in a hard layer.


    Then she launched forwards. Vulk turned at the last second. It disappointed Korith to no end, that her teacher managed to twist out of the way of her punishing leap. The necessity to dodge, however, slowed him down. Korith landed in front of the target dummy and whirled around with the time bought.


    Vulk grinned at her. ¡°There you go! Either break the charger¡¯s spine or force them to dodge and get between them and your healer. That works!¡±


    ¡°Oh thank Hoard,¡± Korith mumbled and plopped down on the floor. She was spent now. That manoeuvre had cost her what mana reserves she still had. ¡°So¡­ what do I do if there¡¯s more than one person charging?¡±


    ¡°Figure it out,¡± Vulk responded immediately. ¡°There¡¯s way too many fucking combat situations and I don¡¯t care to think about them all. Sometimes you¡¯re just outmatched and then your healer gets run over like the pansy they are. You just got to deal with it.¡±


    He was helpful as always.

 Fists and Fortune 19 – The Baton made the Round

    Korith sat next to Aclysia outside the house. Their behinds were nicely seated on the bench that Apexus had carved out of a tree log. Slime acid made for a remarkably good surface smoothening medium.


    Said slime was currently engaged in his semi-ritualistic wrestling match with Reysha. Rapidly, the redhead moved around Apexus, who calmly turned to keep facing her. He had two open hands raised in her general direction, ready for any kind of offensive.


    Reysha went for a sudden, high kick. Her leg slammed against Apexus'' forearm. Before he could attempt to grab her in response, the redhead suddenly slipped from everyone¡¯s attention, reappearing one step away, both feet firmly on the ground. The distance was needed, as Apexus retaliated with a swing of his own.


    Tilting her upper body to the side, Reysha dodged the straight with calculated narrowness. Apexus¡¯ palm slammed into the tree behind her, cracking the bark. ¡°Uuuhhhh, ya sure ya wanna pound me like that, big guy?¡± Reysha teased and licked his arm.


    ¡°You can take it,¡± Apexus responded in a matter of fact tone.


    A manic cackle accompanied Reysha¡¯s words, ¡°Can I ever.¡±


    Bringing his left forwards, Apexus attempted another grapple, but Reysha escaped off to the side. They resumed their previous game of cat and mouse. Swiftly, the redhead circled around Apexus. Unlike the common rodent, the humanoid chimera was no prey.


    ¡°The training continues as before?¡± Aclysia asked Korith.


    ¡°Yeah, nothing much to say,¡± the kobold answered, feet swaying back and forth. ¡°Just getting better at utilizing what I think of and increasing my ki efficiency. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Similarly, my training is now limited to minimizing my failure rate. It appears most of us have advanced to a stage of training where we iron out the kinks in our approaches.¡± Aclysia¡¯s analysis excluded only Apexus. The humanoid chimera had not yet been trained in Flow Manipulation. ¡°I must admit that your Class¡¯s approach to mastery intrigues me. Spellcrafting can be exceedingly formulaic. Which does, honestly, fit my personal approach to learning best.¡±


    ¡°Gold is always shinier in the other mine.¡± Korith stopped the swaying of her legs and sighed. ¡°Really, I wish there was a bit more structure¡­ next time I¡¯m learning from a teacher, I¡¯m learning from a Paladin.¡± She nodded two times to herself to support that. ¡°For the Hoard.¡±


    ¡°Why did you not before?¡± Aclysia investigated. ¡°We have skirted around this topic previously, but now it occurs to me that I never truly asked. Your faith is clearly strong, so it surprises me you chose the path of a pure Warrior first.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is kinda awkward¡­ the Paladins back at Hoard said I needed to sacrifice to Hoard first before I was worthy of its blessings. Which is totally fine! I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way, Hoard is the greatest, it doesn¡¯t need to bother with every person out there.¡± Korith was quick to assure her adherence to the teachings of the Hoard clergy. ¡°Ehem. Anyway, I¡­ did not want to study faith under Pronthin so¡­¡±


    ¡°No one should study faith under that cynic,¡± Aclysia agreed.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t even know if he could teach me¡­¡±


    ¡°Fundamentally, the way to channel divine power is the same for all Priests and their derivations, armoured or otherwise. Faith is an enabler of the usage, not the source of power. The vast majority of outside help is provided by the glory of the Omniverse as a whole, rather than a specific god.¡±


    ¡°So, could you teach me?¡± Korith asked, more intrigued than hopeful.


    Aclysia opened her mouth, but was momentarily distracted when Apexus caught Reysha by the neck and pushed her down. ¡°Harder,¡± the redhead moaned.


    ¡°That would be detrimental to your health,¡± Apexus pointed out.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t do it harder, I can do this!¡± The tiger girl pried his relatively soft grip open and slipped out. Boosting her muscle strength as much as she could, she tackled Apexus and actually managed to topple him over. Rolling over the floor, tiger girl and slime sent bits of leaves flying everywhere.


    ¡°The foundation of my powers is more instinctual than learned, I do not believe I can properly convey the necessary skillset,¡± the guardian angel confessed. Her gaze kept a worried track of the tumbles, more rough than usual.


    Korith also kept track of what was happening. With greater interest than usual, she watched as Apexus finally managed to exert his superior mass and strength on Reysha. Once he straddled the tiger girl, it was effectively over. They engaged in some short-lived hand-to-hand exchange. Every wild swing of Reysha¡¯s claws was met by an expert interception by Apexus. Forearms clashed against forearms, leaving the sharp, extended nails too far from him to deal any actual damage.


    Once Reysha¡¯s wrists were caught, she was completely pinned down. No kicking or winding offered her an opportunity to escape. Her ki was too exhausted to muster the necessary boost to her strength to overcome Apexus¡¯ iron grip. The demonic arm may have changed things, but that was too much for a spar like this. ¡°Alright, you win this one.¡±


    Apexus nodded and let go of the tiger girl. Before he could decide what to do next with her, to the surprise of everyone, Korith barrelled into his side. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not even the kobold knew exactly why she had just done that. Something about proving herself or at least testing out what she could do. The reason why ceased to matter entirely, after they hit the ground. Thoughts were superseded by instincts.


    The two combatants separated. Apexus pushed the kobold off himself and backed away. Staying crouched, Korith watched her man carefully. Golden eyes tracked every movement. Her tail glided over the ground. Her toes dug into the dirt. Pointy ears wiggled, picking up the sounds of the forest in the distance.


    Apexus took a feinting half step. No reaction. He tried a false charge. Still, no reaction. The kobold remained right where she was, breathing calm, eyes trained. She presented a tiny target, low to the floor. Rude as that was, there was really only one option to approach her.


    This time properly, Apexus charged forwards and delivered a straight kick aimed at her centre of mass. Korith effectively let his heel hit her shoulder and turned with the impact. Then, she grabbed his extended leg and pulled.


    It was almost comical, for the kobold to not only lift a man twice her size off the ground, but to whirl him around. The ground vibrated from the impact, sticks and stones breaking. Skin, turned light grey shortly before the impact, reverted to the regular, slightly tanned colour a moment later.


    The small stature that had been her initial boon became a swift drawback when Apexus used the length of his legs to retaliate. Korith was too busy dodging the kicks to repeat the slam. Worse, his leg escaped her grasp. In a storm of limbs, Apexus got back on his feet. Then, their fight transformed into a back and forth of feints and attempted grapples.


    Korith could only go for his legs, Apexus had to reach all the way down if he wanted to take hold of her. It was an awkward fight on both ends. With a weapon in hand, Korith could have fought more effectively, but that was true of everyone the slime fought in these wrestling matches. The ultimate truth was that any attempt to beat the tall slime Monk at the close quarters game was near impossible to succeed.


    One of his swipes ultimately managed to secure a grab. His palm closed around one of the black horns that extended from the golden hair. Knowing how sturdy those things were, he had no qualms about using that grip to hurl her at a nearby tree. With tail and preparation, the kobold turned in the air, landing feet forwards against the bark and then launching herself straight back at Apexus.


    The chimera Monk took a well-prepared stance. Half he caught her, half he let her rip him along. The living projectile of a shortstack was turned around him several times. Every controlled step on Apexus¡¯ part diminished the force behind her movement.


    In the end, there was one tall man standing there with a shortstack dangling between his raised hands. There were ways Korith could have gotten out of that, but she had gotten what she wanted ¨C whatever that had been. ¡°I surrender.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Apexus said and pulled her towards his face. Her lips tasted earthy from the tumbling and salty from the exertion. Arms around his neck, Korith pulled herself even closer. Her massive tits pancaked against his chest. Any semblance of thoughts that returned to her head was turned into a jumbled horny mess when the softness of her front came to a complete halt against the solidness of his pecs. A hand slammed hard down on her butt, making her yelp as Apexus secured his hold on her round backside. There was so much to hold onto on a woman this short and stacked.


    Aclysia clapped twice, to get everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°If I may request we relocate this inside, now that all the playing has been done?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not playing, it¡¯s combat for tribal leadership!¡± Reysha complained.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ do we battle for number two?¡± Korith asked from her elevated position. As they talked, Apexus carried her inside and Reysha followed. Aclysia was the last in the group and closed the door behind her.


    ¡°Fuck no, you¡¯ll murder me!¡± Reysha declared. ¡°I¡¯m not messing with someone that can throw Apexus around like a sack of grain. I¡¯m crazy, but not that crazy.¡±


    A large reason why they could compete as ferociously as they did was that Apexus could only suffer any serious damage if his core got damaged. Otherwise, any damage they did to him was temporary at worst, insignificant on average. In return, Apexus limited himself to grapples and strikes to non-vital areas. What sores remained after that, Aclysia could take care of.


    Things heated up quickly inside the house, in every single way. Aclysia threw additional wood into the dim fire. After a little bit of encouragement through blown air and small-scale magic, the chunks were alight. By that point, Apexus had already stacked Reysha and Korith on top of each other, fucking them both. The aftermath of combat always got their sexual urges high. All the blood was pumping and needed some kind of relief.


    Twenty minutes later, they were even more sweaty. In a hugging pile, they laid on the bed. A rolled-up blanket served as their backrest. They looked out into their humble little home, the low table, the set of eating utensils, the fire, the fixed stone floor, the little mats they used as seating on that floor, and the storage corner. The sole window of the house was sealed with a wooden panel.


    It was the same position they were always in at the end of a day they all spent together. Apexus laid at the centre, broad and tall as he was. Aclysia was to his right, Reysha to his left. The two rested their heads in the depressions between shoulder and chest. Smiling, the metal fairy just gazed upon his features with love in her eyes. Reysha¡¯s fingers playfully wandered up his side, step for fingertip step. Without any hesitation, she travelled up Korith¡¯s boobs. The shortstack laid on top of the humanoid chimera, eyes half closed and humming. She giggled at the touch.


    ¡°I would tickle you to the Hellroots and further if I wasn¡¯t this petered out right now,¡± Reysha purred.


    ¡°We have cracked the secret,¡± Korith mumbled drowsily. ¡°To make Reysha bearable, just fuck her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a secret, that¡¯s the first page in ¡®how to treat your pussy¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­I hate language,¡± Apexus groaned, when he got the pun. ¡°Why are those two words related in any way?¡±


    ¡°Beats me.¡± Reysha scratched Korith behind the horns. Taking a slow, trembling breath, Korith stretched and kissed Apexus¡¯ neck. Aclysia soon mimicked the motion. Apexus returned the attention with little pecks to the top of their heads. His large hands caressed the gentle curves of their midriffs. ¡°Not much left to do, huh?¡±


    ¡°Only refinement,¡± Apexus confirmed. ¡°A last technique for me.¡±


    ¡°Maltos must have the conference soon,¡± Aclysia reminded them. ¡°We are to attend that. It is because of us that it happens and we must stand and answer for the difficulties we have brought here.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like we committed a crime,¡± Reysha grumbled.


    ¡°We brought disruption.¡±


    ¡°We had to bring it somewhere.¡±


    Apexus hummed in agreement, a deep sound that rumbled in his chest. Keeping her ear to his ribs, Korith drank it all in. To her, that was the sweetest sound in existence. She was so simple in these ways.


    They forgot all about the worries for the moment. They would come back on their own. This time where they lied peacefully in bed would be gone eventually. Further time would see it return. Peace and haste, good and bad times, they would enjoy and weather them together. To let the seconds fly by, to the sensation of Reysha''s cat ears between his fingers, the sound of Aclysia¡¯s wings happily fluttering, Korith¡¯s subtle movements, that was the best they could do right there, right then.

 Fists and Fortune 20 – The Flow of the World

    Apexus and Maltos passed a ball back and forth between them. It was a steady ritual. The ball was caught with the left hand, passed to the right, then tossed across the gap with increasing ferocity. What could have been a mere game was turned into a dangerous test by the razor blades that covered the surface of the sphere. The sheen of light metallic grey that covered their arms protected them.


    Twenty times they tossed it back and forth, before Maltos put it aside. ¡°You have mastered the Ironskin of the Ready Waters Style.¡±


    Apexus and Maltos walked outside. An unassuming piece of the landscape had trees planted across it for the next test. Climbing onto a boulder, the humanoid chimera watched his teacher demonstrate the path once. Then, he himself leapt from tree to tree. Each step he took on the thin branches of the canopies was light as a feather. Not once did his wings spread, as he followed the path of trees. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Twenty leaps he had made, before meeting Maltos at the other end. ¡°You have mastered the Featherstep of the Ready Waters Style.¡±


    Apexus and Maltos returned to the courtyard, where one of the experienced instructors had put together the last test. Twenty-one tiles lay stacked on top of each other, their base two blocks of stone. The teacher took the uppermost one and snapped it in half like a thin piece of wood, nodding at the quality. Testing, the pupil put his palm on the top of the stack once. He took a deep breath and simulated the strike slowly once. He took a deep breath and struck once. The energy rippled through the stack.


    Twenty tiles were in front of him, before his strike. The central two cracked cleanly and the stack stayed standing, before Maltos lifted the upper half and inspected the work. ¡°You have mastered the Rippling Palm of the Ready Waters Style.¡±


    Instructors and fellow students stomped their feet and let out a unified, ¡°HUA!¡± to celebrate the success of one of their own. There was no envy for the privilege of personalized training nor excess jubilation at his success. All those that remained were those of disciplined mind.


    ¡°Apexus has hereby mastered the three basic Techniques of the Ready Waters Style. He has earned himself the right of calling himself a Monk to all those that ask, and to teach those three Techniques to those he deems worthy. We bow to a new member of the Ready Waters Style. May you follow the aspirations of our school and engrain the creed into your heart: a steady hand cannot be forced.¡± Maltos put a clenched fist against the palm of his other hand and slowly bowed before Apexus. Everyone followed his example. Once he straightened back up, he declared. ¡°The training continues.¡±


    Those three words dispelled the current formation. Ceremoniously, two instructors came to clean up the tiles with symmetric movements, while the teacher and the pupils ascended the steps up to the temple. The students took their usual grid formation and soon the usual morning routine was in full swing.


    Once inside the temple, Apexus and Maltos sat down before the carefully crafted lotus flower, as they were prone to do. ¡°Other schools would hand you a sash or something else to commemorate the occasion,¡± the teacher explained, pouring himself a cup of tea from a set that he had put there before Apexus had even arrived. The liquid was at the exact right temperature to drink it. ¡°I have always found such materialistic representations burdensome. My woman liked them, but she was a homemaker¡­ while I was not.¡± He took a slow sip.


    ¡°It would not have been safe with me,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°My clothes often end up shredded.¡±


    ¡°Adventuring attire is a primary expenditure. It is a part of the profession many often ignore. Too inconvenient or shameful to mention during heroic recollections, that the items we carry seldomly survive even a single Leaf.¡± Maltos turned the cup in his hand, watching the small ripples he created. ¡°Perhaps I could gift you some of my old equipment before you leave. Albeit, I will have to don it one more time before you do.¡±


    ¡°Consider carefully, teacher. I would not wear what I have not earned through deeds.¡±


    Maltos nodded slowly. ¡°Big shoes to fill, as they say, and you do not have the luxury to grow into them. Best to keep you in the shoes that you fit than impede your walking.¡± He cleared his throat, then took another sip of tea. ¡°Why do you think the Ironskin, Featherstep, and Rippling Palm are the basis of the Ready Waters Style, when the signature Technique is the Flow Manipulation? Be elaborate in your answer.¡±


    ¡°You must know the barrier between you and the outside world and how to reinforce it. You must be able to step with diligent care and grace to keep the energy flowing. You must be adept at manipulating where the energy goes and what shape it maintains. Those are the three lessons I learned from mastering these Techniques.¡±


    ¡°Observant as usual,¡± Maltos nodded approvingly. ¡°Then let me demonstrate the three forms of Flow Manipulation. Redirection, Neutralization and Breaking.¡± Maltos poured himself a new cup of tea, then lifted the lid of the pot to make sure that it was empty. ¡°You already know the first one,¡± he stated and put the lid aside, ¡°but it is important to reiterate. Slowly spill the tea in front of me, Apexus.¡±


    The slime moved over and took the cup. Gently, he tilted the container, until the green tea poured out. With gentle movements, like pulling the strings of a harp, Maltos directed the flow mid-air. His hands never came into contact with the liquid, which followed a curved path back into the pot.


    ¡°Redirection is possible at any speed. Slower or faster is not any harder or easier, fundamentally. The more impatient will find it easier to manipulate swift attacks, the more careful will be able to maintain the necessary concentration for prolonged manipulation. It is a question of temperament, rather than ability.¡± Maltos expertly tapped the last drop of tea in the air, nudging its flight path to fall into the pot as well. An open hand was a demand that Apexus answered by handing the cup back. The tea was poured back into it. Maltos took a sip. ¡°A bit cold, now,¡± he chuckled.


    Apexus showed his amusement with a small smile, and remained where he was. Patiently, he waited for his teacher to oil his old voice box.


    ¡°Motion is the requirement of redirection,¡± Maltos continued. ¡°You surround the flow you wish to manipulate with two of your own making, which run parallel to it. They should provide no obstacle to whatever you wish to redirect. Rather, you weave a road for it. All energy wishes to follow the path of least resistance. Determine that path.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Apexus nodded. ¡°The theory.¡±


    ¡°The theory. The practice will begin soon,¡± Maltos nodded. ¡°Important is to understand that you can only redirect what you can move in accordance or ahead of. For small objects, a turn of a finger may be enough, for larger ones, you may have to do an entire spin.¡±


    ¡°I sometimes throw Korith around,¡± Apexus stated.


    His teacher hummed, then nodded, ¡°Yes, she would be small enough. That is another factor to consider. A complete redirection is impossible for objects that are themselves grounded or attached to something that is firm. An arrow can be returned to its sender, a Bolt to its caster, but a fist can only be pushed aside. Now, let me demonstrate Neutralization.¡± Maltos emptied his tea and stood up. He got in a ready position, bending his legs slightly. ¡°Punch me.¡±


    Without hesitation, Apexus hurled his massive fist at the old man. It stopped at Maltos¡¯ open palm. An impact that would have crushed the palm, wrist, and perhaps even the arm of any regular senior came to a complete, harmless stop against the hand of the Monk. Apexus had a confusing lack of sensation in his knuckles. It did not feel like he had hit a solid or even a soft object. His fist had simply stopped and was now at rest. With the barest of delays, he felt an intense vibration under his feet. The slime directed his gaze downwards, trying to confirm what his tremor sense had picked up.


    ¡°Ah, your unusual nature aids you,¡± Maltos hummed. ¡°What just happened, Apexus?¡±


    The humanoid chimera did not answer immediately, or even quickly. He took a step back and smacked his own shoulder with a weak Rippling Palm. The shock was easily absorbed by his liquid insides. He clapped his hands together, trying to recreate the phenomenon he had witnessed. ¡°You took the energy of my strike into your body and let it flow through, directing it into the ground.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Maltos confirmed with a pleased nod. ¡°The prerequisite for Neutralization is that you are firmly grounded on a surface that can take whatever you are directing through you. If you attempt this with unsuitable or no footing, the energy will be dispersed inside you instead. That may sound desirable at first, but I assure you that it is much better to have broken fingers than even a slight tear in your organs. Even in your case.¡±


    He was right, patching up his hands would be more energy efficient than internal organs.


    ¡°As you have found out on your own, the principle of this is to use the Rippling Palm backwards. Easier said than done, but we will see to that. The third and final category of Flow Manipulation is called Breaking. Strike me again.¡± Maltos folded his hands behind his back and took the slam of Apexus¡¯ fist into his chest without even blinking.


    Instead, it was Apexus who stumbled back, as the entire energy behind his punch shot up his arm. The liquid underneath the thick membrane grotesquely rippled. Muscles were shifted out of place, then quickly pulled back where they belonged by the slime¡¯s will. Apexus pulled one of his fingers back into the correct position, while he attempted to understand what exactly had transpired. That the flow had been thrown back at him was clear, but beyond that he was not sure.


    ¡°Breaking is not named for its destructive capabilities, or even the way it works,¡± Maltos told his pondering pupil. ¡°Refusal would be a more apt term. I reject your force entering my physical form and with nowhere else to go you are hurt instead. Breaking is named such because it breaks the rules of traditional combat for those that see it work. That is only to the uninitiated though. In reality, it only works under two specific circumstances. One, you must have at least twice the level of ki as your opponent. The bigger the gap, the easier it becomes.¡±


    ¡°That sounds useless,¡± Apexus immediately stated.


    ¡°In most cases, it is. Breaking is used by teachers to show rowdy students their place. To break them in, if you wish,¡± Maltos chuckled at his own pun. ¡°It is impressive, until one catches up in power. To attempt a Breaking and fail is to not only take the full force of the impact, but have the concentrated ki in the area shatter and take the surrounding meridians out of commission. You temporarily numb your own magic circuitry. Ironskin is the safer option in all cases. There is the second case of when a Breaking can be used, even against an opponent of equal or superior power. That is when they lose control. When they are pushed against the wall, desperate to do anything to escape, you may attempt a Breaking against attacks thrown without grace. Their lack of proper aim will make them sloppy and easy to punish, easy enough that it can be done no matter the difference in power. This is still not recommended. You must be an absolute master of the Flow Manipulation to make this a better option than covering yourself in Ironskin and simply jabbing them. Not even I would use it as my first option. If you get to that point, you will have exceeded me in my prime.¡±


    The idea seemed so distant to Apexus, to be stronger than Maltos was now and stronger than he was when he was younger, healthier, and trained regularly against enemies his level. Distant, yet not impossible. Apexus knew he had the potential and with his party at his side, he was certain he could advance enough to get there. It was all a matter of rigorous self-discipline, steady improvement, and avoiding any pitfalls.


    ¡°I cannot properly teach you Breaking, although I doubt I will have to. From a purely technical perspective, it is the easiest of the three variants. I will first teach you Redirection, then Neutralization. We will use Redirection to train your stamina, but the technical focus will be on Neutralization. Remember, it is our goal to make you capable of taking just one attack of the Deathhound without budging.¡±


    Apexus nodded and they got to work.

 Fists and Fortune 21 – The Adventurer’s Assembly

    Apexus was familiar with many faces he saw that day. Various teachers whom he had encountered when he had done his sweep of all the Classes were in attendance. Adventurers of all ages streamed into the temple, influential members of the community, notable upstarts, and weak administrators all had followed the summon from the Teacher¡¯s Isles oldest member.


    The buzzing of voices was constant, filling the room with an excitement that bothered Apexus. This sacred hall was not to be filled with ceaseless chatter. It was a chamber of quiet contemplation, of mastering skills and of pondering the past and future. A large gathering like this spoke with too many voices, had too many opinions meddled, and they all overlapped and competed. The volume rose with each additional participant.


    Chairs had been brought in for the guests. Maltos, his assistant, Apexus and Aclysia all instead knelt directly on the floor. Reysha was with them too, but the way she sat, one knee serving as an armrest, the other foot tucked under her, radiated carelessness. Korith hid behind Apexus¡¯ back from all the attention.


    ¡°You should sit properly,¡± he chided them.


    ¡°There¡¯s so many people,¡± Korith whispered into his ear. ¡°At least five thousand.¡±


    ¡°I reckon the actual number is closer to fifty,¡± Aclysia analysed.


    A panicked squeak escaped the kobold. ¡°Fifty thousand?!¡±


    ¡°How much capacity do you think the temple has?¡± Aclysia gave it a couple confused blinks. ¡°Just fifty.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how I see it¡­¡± Korith gulped. Hesitatingly, she detached from the Monk¡¯s back and sat down next to him. That only left Reysha as not fitting in with the formation in front of the metal lotus flower.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna,¡± the tiger girl proclaimed, playfully childish.


    ¡°Rogues are rarely known for their sociability,¡± one of the assistant teachers chimed in. He had given Apexus too many valuable lessons in proper movements and thinking for the slime to get mad at his very reasonable comment.


    ¡°So I get a pass?¡± Reysha asked.


    The experienced Monk just sighed, which was just as good an answer as a confirmation.


    ¡°Bitchin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Your language, I will not tolerate,¡± Maltos warned her. ¡°Pay reverence to this gathering. It is to your benefit.¡± The old Monk gave the tiger girl a single prolonged glance. Like a kitten getting picked up by her mother, she stopped the proverbial struggle, knelt properly in place, and swallowed her obscenities.


    ¡°Alright, fine, but only because ya nice.¡±


    ¡°You are nice,¡± Apexus corrected her.


    ¡°I know what I like to swallow,¡± Reysha giggled and gave her man a wink. Excited for any kind of reaction, she looked at each of the Monk¡¯s in turn. None of them had anything to offer her. Korith was a bit red, but it was so easy to make her blush that it barely even counted. Aclysia pinched the bridge of her nose. Now that was the intense reaction Reysha had been hoping for. ¡®Hellroots, I love this woman,¡¯ the redhead thought and kissed the metal fairy on the cheek.


    ¡°I- what?¡± Aclysia failed to get a better reaction to the sudden show of affection. It took her a full five seconds to formulate a proper response, easily overwhelmed as she was. ¡°I strongly request that you do not repeat that, this is a serious situation.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, but not because it¡¯s a serious situation,¡± Reysha promised.


    Apexus smiled at the exchange between his women. His hands found Korith¡¯s and Aclysia¡¯s. Aclysia reached out to Reysha in turn. They held onto one another tightly, as Maltos rose to his feet. The hall immediately turned quiet, only a few coughs breaking the silence that descended on it all. People sat respectfully in their chairs and tracked Maltos walking to the centre of the room, deliberately kept clear.


    ¡°I thank you all for your attendance,¡± the old Monk began. ¡°I¡­¡±


    Suddenly, the old man started coughing. A deep, intense cough, the kind only the old and the sick could muster. Worried murmurs went through the crowd. The proud pillar of their community was rendered incapable of speech. It was not the first time any of them had seen this, and they all feared for the time it would be the last.


    One of the assistant teachers swiftly brought a cup of tea to Maltos. Despite the shaking of his body, the old Monk did not spill a single drop as he carefully drank the liquid. A couple of suppressed coughs and clearings of his throat later, he was back in control of himself.


    ¡°Old age catches up to everyone,¡± Maltos said in a tranquil tone and took another gulp of tea. ¡°I apologize for the delay.¡± He handed the cup back and the assistant walked away, leaving Maltos to continue the address. ¡°The matter I wish to discuss with you today, pillars of the Teacher¡¯s Isle, I have informed all of you before in private over the last two months. A Deathhound is coming, chasing after my star pupil and his party.¡±


    Apexus went rigid. Not because the entirety of the room suddenly stared at him. None of them had the predator¡¯s gaze that he knew to register as dangerous. Instead, it was the two simple words that Maltos had chosen to describe him. Pulling his shoulders back, Apexus took the compliment with all the pride he could without letting it poison his mind.


    That Maltos had shared their particular happenstance with more and more people over the weeks, as the party had known about. They had agreed to his strategy and there was no executing it without letting people prepare. Every last person around being aware of the state of affairs, that was more than they had anticipated. With careful preparation and individual care, the old Monk had eliminated the greatest source of shock that could have paralysed this meeting.


    ¡°This meeting is to unify our measures and what all of you know. I believe you have the right to know all about what you are endangering yourselves for ¨C and who. Apexus, Aclysia, Reysha, please step forward.¡±


    The trio rose up slowly ¨C as did Korith. Apexus looked down to the kobold and the defiant way she held onto him. ¡°I won¡¯t let you go without me¡­ this is my fight too, now,¡± she whispered, quaking with nervousness. Closing his hand back around hers, the humanoid chimera took the first step. Their line only broke when they took the centre stage. All attention was now well and truly on them.


    ¡°Explain to the people who you are, where you came from, and why you came here,¡± Maltos requested, before returning to his own seat.


    Aclysia took the extra step forwards. Even if Apexus was the leader, the metal fairy remained their best speaker, provided she was given time to prepare. With her good memory, she was also the best to recount the events that had led up to them being there. ¡°My darling¡­ Apexus, he is not part of the common order of creation,¡± she started, ¡°and that was the issue that cascaded into the tale of how we ended up here.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The crowd listened to the tale, some stunned, some understanding, some dismayed. There was understanding, from all parties, for Apexus. There was also understanding for Mehily and the adventurers that had hunted them. The slime¡¯s existence was so far outside the frame of reference they all shared, none would have stopped to question the validity of a bounty, had they simply been offered the contract. Seeing what they saw in Apexus, hearing what they heard in the tale, they did understand that he was as sapient as the rest of them.


    When Aclysia¡¯s recollection came to an end, there was silence in the room for a few moments. Then, one of the teachers raised his hand. ¡°A question, that I must have answered to know how I will proceed,¡± he said and got up once he had everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Be assured that I will support dealing with the Deathhound no matter what. I owe Maltos a great deal and wickedness must be stamped out wherever given the opportunity. There will be no better chance to take out this demon than when it is isolated in this hunt. What I want to know, exactly, is what motivated you to keep going? What gave you the right to spread your trail of destruction to so many Leaves?¡±


    Aclysia tried to put her argument together. A cause that she was struggling with, because she still did not know if she believed in why they did it. In the silence, Reysha groaned and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired of justifying that I don¡¯t want to die,¡± the tiger girl let all of them know. She did not care how that made her sound, it was just the truth. Challengingly, she let her blue eyes wander over the crowd, their colour standing out intensely against her black sclera and the stripes that surrounded her eyes like warpaint. ¡°Maybe, if there had been any chance at all, that we could have murdered that¡­ thing on our own, maybe then I would concede to you that we did anything wrong. But there wasn¡¯t and there isn¡¯t. There was just us dying and the Deathhound fucking¡­ going back to its Master to slaughter another Leaf on his behest or us running and it killing people on the way. I don¡¯t need any right to pick the better out of two terrible choices.¡±


    ¡°We wanted to live,¡± Apexus supported, ¡°and we wanted to see it vanquished.¡±


    The teacher that had spoken slowly nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t fault you for that. I have no further questions.¡±


    ¡°Will you fight with us?¡± another person asked.


    ¡°What a fucking stupid ass question is that?!¡± Vulk thundered from a different corner of the room. ¡°Can you clean the dust and paper out of your brain you book-sniffing reta-?!¡±


    ¡°Vulk,¡± the quiet reprimand from Maltos brought the goliath¡¯s tirade to an abrupt end.


    ¡°Sorry, just slipped out,¡± the Warrior teacher grumbled.


    ¡°We will lend all the aid we can,¡± Aclysia answered in the opening provided. ¡°We have trained as much as we could to be of help in whatever limited way we can.¡±


    To Aclysia¡¯s, and most other people¡¯s surprise, Pronthin cleared his throat and stepped forward. Standing taller than usual, almost pushing back the lethargy that marked the cynic''s usual behaviour, the Priest teacher raised his voice. ¡°I can attest to the diligence of Aclysia¡¯s training and so can the other teachers. They only took the breaks we allowed them to have and kept to the schedules demanded¡­ faithfully.¡±


    ¡°I second this statement,¡± Mai said, without getting up. Legs and arms crossed, the rogue teacher sat in her chair, her appearance that of a brown-haired elf in her middle-ages. ¡°I put Reysha through the wringer. That being said, she¡¯ll be practically useless in this fight. Even most of us teachers would be incapable of putting more than a cut in the hide of a Deathhound before it rips our guts out.¡±


    ¡°So, this is a suicide mission?¡± one of the weaker attendees, an organizer more than a former adventurer, asked out loud.


    ¡°It¡¯s a dangerous mission,¡± Maltos said and all the attention went back to him. As he spoke, he returned to the centre of the room. ¡°We have the backing of the Church. It is by their grace that we know about the time of the attack, so I trust the Lord of the Compass will guide them back to aid us when we need them. I will not conscript anyone into this by force¡­ but know that I put upon all of you a moral duty.¡±


    The old man took a deep breath, stood tall and broad, stared at each of the younger people around, and gave them room to challenge him or to prepare for the weight of his words. The words of a man who had given years of good will, time, and patience, and been there many times when they needed help.


    ¡°We are adventurers. Some entered the field for profit and profit alone, but most of us ventured out because of a higher calling than what we found in our homes. We wished to change the worlds we visit for the better. Now, we are teachers, we are fathers, mothers, and we have settled. What do we live for if not to give the next generation a chance to succeed in their struggle as we have? To hide away to save our own lives, when there are young, vibrant minds that can be saved is cowardice. Yes, it will be dangerous, but I will stand first in line and lay down all I have to fulfill the duty to those that follow me, just like those that came before me have done for me. Will you let this old man stand alone in this noble aspiration?¡±


    A wave of denial washed through the room, swiftly transforming into people banging their heels on the floor. A drumming like a preparation for war, even louder in the tranquil temple than their many voices had been. Yet, in that unison of purpose, in that joining of voices and motion, they accomplished with many minds the same clarity they needed to befit this quiet house of reason.

 Fists and Fortune 22 – The Final Days

    The shovel dug deep into the dirt. Putting his heel onto the flattened top of the metal, Apexus pushed it deeper. Then, he strained his muscles and threw the dirt on the swiftly growing piles. Several others were mimicking the same motion. Monks quietly went after their work, Warriors and Fighters boasted about being able to shovel the most, Rogues tried to figure out a way to do this in an easier way, while Priests, Druids and Shamans utilized magic to support the digging efforts.


    The gathering of adventurers, most of them novices, was digging a pit in the harbour of the Teacher¡¯s Isle ¨C the place where Apexus and his party had made landfall. This would be where they made their stand. The open plaza would have made for a disadvantageous battlefield in an engagement of one unholy powerful entity against an assembly of many average to strong individuals.


    Every advantage that could be claimed had to be claimed. By digging a pit, they would be able to give the ranged participants an easier time aiming. Once the entirety of the grounds were cleared, they would create two rings inside that would hopefully serve to obstruct the Deathhound in one way or another. The creature was there for Apexus, so alternative prey exiting its field of vision was hopefully going to let those people seek out one of the healers. Traps were designed, battle plans steadily optimized, and grim prayers spoken by those fearing for their life.


    Apexus had been given many a poisonous glare when the announcements had first been made public. None reached him anymore. Those that were unwilling to risk their safety for this had by now vacated. All who stayed were those knowing or at least willing to face the danger coming their way. Few brave fools stayed only to prove themselves, to have said they had participated in the death of a Deathhound.


    A couple of times, Apexus had been approached with a request to showcase his unknown nature. Requests that the chimera slime had obliged. At the end of their plan, Apexus had to devour the demon, to kill it permanently. Stealthily, that could not be achieved. Everyone had to be in on the plan.


    It felt odd, to trust so many strangers with a secret they had previously guarded so closely. Albeit, by now, it was no secret at all anymore. Apexus¡¯ nature would seep out from this place, spread by the various adventurers that started out on their journeys once they had finished learning here. The vastness of the Omniverse would contain this knowledge in pockets. Perhaps it would even fade into rumours. Perhaps it would reach the various guilds with renewed vigour and spread rapidly throughout the organizations. Fact was only that it was no longer hidden. Its spread was out of the hands of the party.


    Yet, Apexus felt safe. Safer, perhaps, than he ever had. For all their curiosity, those that were around bore no malicious intent. There was nothing left hidden and thus nothing left he needed to protect with an eagle¡¯s eye and a turtle¡¯s shell. No secret he had could potentially turn the sentiment of those around him against him anymore.


    It was liberating.


    ¡°Dig more in that direction!¡± Pronthin shouted down into the pit. The Priest pointed them in the general direction of the water. Common sense suggested that they should not get too close to the ocean. They were still far enough away that it would not become an issue. Once the workforce was relocated, the teacher directed his eyes back to the sky. Every last preparation that could be made had to be made.


    Apexus¡¯ mind wandered across the ocean, where a delegation of teachers and students currently tracked down the path they had taken. The Church would take care of the Stem being evacuated. The Deathhound would not emerge from the same portal the party had taken. A complication of vast proportions, making the exact path the Deathhound would take impossible to predict ¨C until it arrived at that lonely island far off the coast of Terrostir.


    It was all so close now. Three more weeks.


    Apexus trained and shovelled, shovelled and trained. The pit grew deeper and wider with each swing of the tool. The adventurers chatted happily during their breaks, sometimes inviting each other to drink. One time Apexus was invited too. One time he obliged, mostly because Reysha felt like it. A decision she came to regret, incapable of enjoying any of the alcohol.


    Two more weeks.


    The pit was finished, as far as the digging went. The sounds of hammering echoed through the harbour. Wood and metal were put into place, creating a more and more elaborate structure. The soundness of the structure was their lifeline. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    One more week.


    Drinking was entirely replaced with training for everyone. Drills on combat in the fighting pit took over anything else. The city around transformed into a ghost town. Every last non-combatant pulled away. Nervousness became more and more commonplace. The nerves of those that remained withstood the strain.


    One day.


    Apexus listened to the cracking of the firewood. The flickering flames provided his eyes with something to focus on, something to be fascinated by, while his empty mind tumbled like a leaf in gentle winds. Every second felt like another gift and another plunge towards inevitable chaos.


    ¡°Do you ever want to just¡­ run away?¡± Reysha asked.


    No reaction. The tiger girl laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Her hands were peacefully folded over her chest, her expression solemn. Dressed in her day clothes, she concentrated on her breathing. Memories flashed in her mind, memories she had done so well coming to terms with. Pictures that she knew were overexaggerated by her traumatized mind flashed before her eyes. Fire, brimstone, and a cacophony of screams drawing out for what felt like hours. Runes in the sky and the ground. Hair shaped from veins. Beauty.


    Aclysia¡¯s quiet recollections were accurate. In some ways, she wished they had not been. She could recall in vivid detail the moment Mehily¡¯s eyes had been plucked out. The summoning of the Empress of Blood and the terrible difference between her gorgeous appearance and the rotten inside of the fallen angel.


    ¡°Always,¡± she confessed into the silence. ¡°I wish my father had created me with the bravery required to face a situation such as this. I am an angel, an embodiment of the divine. To be brought to the edge of abandon by fear is unbecoming of a being meant to protect creation.¡±


    Apexus turned his eyes from the flames, to where his first love sat. Her hands were moving in a steady rhythm, braiding her hair, then releasing it again. A gesture born from the sheer need to do something. ¡°You have learned all the bravery you need. You are still here.¡±


    Aclysia¡¯s hands stopped and she met the gaze of her beloved with deep uncertainty. Seeking more assurance in his presence, she took his side by the fireplace. Deeply, they cuddled together. ¡°Thank you, darling,¡± she whispered. ¡°Be my anchor in these trying times.¡±


    ¡°Only if you will be mine.¡± Apexus kissed the top of her head.


    ¡°Tomorrow around this time we could be dead,¡± Korith stated, herself sprawled out on the floor. ¡°Hoard knows it¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ll face danger, but¡­ you make this future sound so terrifying.¡±


    ¡°It is a Tharnatos Class demon,¡± Aclysia reminded. ¡°A monstrosity shy of adventurers qualified to stand before the trials of divinity, in terms of power.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a creature.¡± More, Reysha could not contribute. Even more recent memories were tinged by the shadow of nightmares. Despite the warmth in the room and the hellish heat in her memories, she shivered. Hard, she grabbed her left arm. She did not notice her claws digging into her skin until the black mist rose from the hardening demon blood.


    Apexus pulled up Aclysia with him and they settled over to the bed. Firmly, he took hold of Reysha¡¯s arm and pulled it aside. The trenches she dug into her limb closed quickly, soon hiding the nature underneath the same brown that covered the rest of her. ¡°It can die like the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°What if I can¡¯t attack it?¡± Reysha mumbled. ¡°What if this fucked up arm does something to me after all?¡±


    The question hung in the room for a while. They had an assurance from Melios, but what was the word of a dragon compared to existential dread? ¡°I do not know what happens then,¡± Apexus stated truthfully. Gradually, he pulled Reysha into a deep embrace. ¡°I know that I will do everything I can to not let it harm you.¡±


    Reysha swallowed back a sudden rise of tears. Then she giggled. ¡°You¡¯re learning a bunch of corny lines these days.¡±


    ¡°From where would he learn those?¡± Korith asked, sitting up and waddling over. She was readily accepted into the embrace. ¡°From Maltos?¡±


    ¡°Maltos has no hand for romance,¡± Apexus reported. By the words of the Monk, his life had been too focused on doing good by the world to do good by his family ¨C a fact that he regretted more than anything else. ¡°Eagles dive, seagulls dive, but one does it headfirst.¡±


    ¡°You and your Apexusisms.¡± Reysha pressed a kiss on his neck. The smooch continued until the last bits of her shiver went away. His warmth, his smell, his presence, they all served to remind her that she was not done living yet.


    Sitting in his lap, Korith rested her forehead on his chest. ¡°Are you afraid at all, Apexus?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Of what, darling?¡± Aclysia investigated, cuddling up closer to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die again.¡± Apexus put a hand on his sternum, his core pulsing with magic behind the thickened bone. ¡°The inertia of losing my body. The pain of the last of my reserves dissolving. Instincts uncoordinated attempting to regenerate all that I am, when there is no energy for even a fraction of it. The hunger. The thirst. Will I be able to withstand it or will I be incapable of resisting again? What or who will I end, devour them so fully that they are removed from creation?¡±


    ¡°Darling¡­¡± Aclysia whispered, squeezing him tightly. She wanted to assure him that it wasn¡¯t his fault, but that would not have helped him. She wanted to assure him that it wasn¡¯t that bad, but there was no graver act that one could commit than extinguishing the Spark of a sapient being whose only crime was being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The true weight of that action rippled through time. The afterlife in the Trunk of the Omniverse would not see that man reunited with his family. Never would he be reborn or fade happily into the energy pulsing through the world. He would be finished. Absolutely.


    If there was one thing about her beloved that horrified her, then it was this capacity. In the fight, it would aid them. Yet, it was an ability that belonged to the enemy above all enemies. To the nothingness.


    ¡°More than that, I¡¯m afraid of losing any of you.¡± Apexus suddenly fell backwards, pulling all three of them with him. All together now, they lay on the bed, like they had so many times before. Aclysia to his right, Reysha to his left, Korith on top of him. ¡°I will not let that fear prevent me from doing what must be done. A mammal does not stop feeding its young because the world is dangerous. We must grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°To grow stronger, we must survive,¡± Reysha continued the thought.


    ¡°To survive, we must be ready,¡± Aclysia whispered.


    ¡°To be ready, we must be brave, right?¡± Korith¡¯s voice quivered a bit.


    Reysha flicked the kobold¡¯s forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t sound so uncertain when you say something good. That was good¡­ that was¡­¡± the redhead let out a long sigh. ¡°Gods, I feel like I¡¯m about as ready as I get and I still feel like shit.¡±


    ¡°Same,¡± Apexus confessed.


    ¡°The nervousness will not be settled by anything short of the event passing,¡± Aclysia posited.


    ¡°So¡­ what do we do?¡± Korith asked. ¡°Cuddle and¡­ suffer the time away?¡±


    ¡°We brave the time and rest as much as we can,¡± Apexus said with a wry smile. ¡°A small, but important difference.¡±


    ¡°You look good when you smile,¡± Reysha mumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t let that be taken away from me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

 Fists and Fortune Finale 1 – Confrontation

    The plaza of the evacuated town was inhabited by a hundred adventurers. 100 people, of varying degrees of power, scattered among all the Classes that were taught and teaching on this island. A hundred people, staring to the east. They attempted to see anything move against the backdrop of the sky. It was quite difficult, as grey as the clouds made everything.


    For an Autumn Leaf, it was a normal day. No rain yet, although it looked like that could change at any moment. It was noon and still the world saw no ray of sunlight. Gold and brown trees prevented the world from becoming too monotone, between the grey clouds and the greyish blue ocean.


    Even though both rationality and instinct agreed that it was a terrible idea, Apexus felt the urge to fly up and extend his vision. Such energy should not be wasted. Neither did he want to be isolated like that. Instead, he stood with everyone else, around the rim of the pit, ready to take his assigned position.


    ¡°The Church isn¡¯t going to show up in time, are they?¡± one of the adventurers asked.


    ¡°Anohal may be¡­ is an enigmatic dick,¡± Mehily responded for them. ¡°But you have my word that he would not abandon a cause he has pledged his support to. Either something has delayed them or he plans to arrive at the last moment, to not alert the demon.¡±


    ¡°A sound strategy, from his position.¡± Maltos stroked his beard. ¡°Much agreement as I have with the Church, their size makes them too eager to prioritize destroying the wicked over protecting the good.¡± The old teacher nodded respectfully at the priestess. ¡°Not a statement of disrespect, I assure. It is inevitable, in the role they fill.¡±


    Mehily responded with a deep nod, almost a bow. At this very moment, Maltos was more of an impressive figure than ever before. Standing tall, he seemed to refuse the burden of age on his shoulders. The spots on his skin were lesser than ever, his long, grey-white hair combed orderly and bound behind his neck. More than the additional care he took in presenting himself, his regalia elevated him even above the other teachers.


    He wore a robe of white over a red shirt. A belt made from gemstone beads wrapped three times around his hips. The loose, light brown pants were covered in silver embroidery, resembling flowing waters. His shoes sat tightly, leather secured by many straps, each deliberately fastened. Most impressive about his equipment was a pair of silver gloves, fingerless, and decorated with the symbol of the lotus flower ¨C the symbol of the Progenitor.


    Other teachers were greatly armed themselves. Pronthin wore a robe of godless grey silk, radiating with undeterminable holy power. Vulk was covered in a plate armour of a colour too close to white to be steel and too grey to be Mithril. In his hands, he held a tower shield and a halberd. Mai wore a bodysuit that was outwardly unassuming, covering curves that had been reduced to their bare minimum. The Infiltrator had maximized her appearance for flexibility and speed. In her hand, she held the Runeblade that Reysha had trained with. Six additional weapons, four of them daggers, two of them short swords, were attached to her at varying points. Beyond them, the mentors of the other Classes were equipped with the finest items they still had from their adventuring days.


    The students and other volunteers were not nearly as decked out. Many of them only had the most basic equipment, which was as much as they could procure in the time they had. It would have to suffice. Apexus himself was not armed at all, only wearing his typical robe and pants.


    ¡°It is coming.¡±


    Those three words by the Rogue teacher caused everyone¡¯s attention to immediately shift to the horizon. No one saw anything at first. Apexus¡¯ keen eyes spotted it before many of the others. The small dot, moving unnervingly in the sky. Erratically it went left to right. It did not fly. It scaled the invisible veins of the Leaf. A horizontal climb that brought it ever closer.


    ¡°In position!¡± Maltos shouted and everyone sprung to action. What was kilometres away now would not remain so for long.


    Adventurers, in a hurry, separated into the groups they were assigned to. Warriors, Knights, and Paladins jumped behind the thick wooden wall. They armed themselves with spears awaiting them along the dirt walls. Apexus and Aclysia stood in the centre of the dirt pit. They still did not know who exactly the Deathhound was tracking, only that it wouldn¡¯t have been Reysha. With them was Maltos.


    The teachers that were experts in melee combat stood in a loose circle around them. Sturdier folks like Vulk took the front, nimble ones hid in their shadow as best they could. Behind walls around the edge of the pit, the various casters and ranged attackers took position, and hid as best they could. Doubtlessly the Deathhound spotted them as he approached, yet this would at least obscure their numbers and exact movements.


    Nervousness grew. Apexus could almost taste the suspense on his lips. Aclysia reached for his hand. For one moment, the humanoid chimera took his eye off the monster and beheld his beloved angel.


    ¡°You will need both hands,¡± Maltos softly advised them from the side, his own eyes never lifting off the target.


    ¡°I know,¡± Apexus assured him, pushing Aclysia¡¯s hand back. A trembling breath from the metal fairy was the last sign of distress she allowed herself. She spread her wings and hovered readily on the spot. The verdant feathers of her darling similarly spread, his entire body shifting into a ready position.


    Above them, far above them, Turlesh came to a stop.


    Like a spider on strings visible only to the most acute vision, he hung above. The claws of his digitigrade legs and his coiling tail held him in place. Four arms were spread out, ready to catch any attack coming its way in its claws. Three long fingers and two comparatively short thumbs twitched readily at the end of each of the limbs. The neckless head reared slowly, like a caterpillar that could open at the middle section. The muscles that could pull each individual yellowy white, thick canine trembled excitedly. It created a chittering sound, equally sized protrusions rattling against each other. Strands of saliva fell from the deep, messy maw. As the drops hit the floor, they sizzled, turning dirt into a half-melted acidic sludge.


    Four eyes moved individually, pitch black irises in a red sclera. It was the most outstanding colour on its dark grey hide, glistening like polished leather in the weak light of the cloudy day. The two slits at the front of the creature''s head widened and narrowed, as it took victorious huffs of its prey¡¯s scent. The eyes all slotted in on Apexus. Turlesh dropped from twenty metres high.


    The earth trembled under the impact of the Deathhound¡¯s weight. It landed on all six of its primary limbs. A humanoid three metres from head to toe, it crawled left to right in front of the three people at the centre of the crater. Amusedly, it growled at the teachers it got close to, and who backed off wisely. Its long, prehensile tail slammed into the dirt. Segment for segment, the maw opened, until the entirety of its teeth were parted, halfway down its smooth, long head. An entire forearm would have fit into the fleshy, grey depth. A long tongue whipped through the air, extending far past that maw. Drops of spit landed on Vulk¡¯s plate armour, etching a trail into the surface of the enchanted metal as it ran down.


    Apexus could hear the shivering behind the walls, the trembles from adventurers now seeing what they truly faced. The Deathhound heard it too and gorged himself on the reaction. Prowling, he forced each of the teachers to back off, increasing the size of the circle around him. ¡°Little things, wise things, none of you too bright,¡± Turlesh cackled, its stretched voice threatening and oddly melodious.


    No response was had and Turlesh¡¯s attention shifted towards the three people it had not yet approached. There was the angel, her fear in every breath. There was the old man, unknown and unmoved. There was the prey, annoyingly the same. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Apexus stared straight at the Deathhound. The fear of the superior predator, he harnessed it. He let his core tap into the resources for stress situations, but no panic clouded his mind. Breathing slowly and deliberately, his eyes directed only by will, he faced the terror. This clear and manifest threat was before him, a danger that he could face straightforwardly after beating the instincts of starvation.


    Turlesh growled, smelling the lack of fear from his prey. ¡°Foooound you againnnnn,¡± he hissed, moving towards the humanoid chimera. Rising to his standing height, the demon towered above Apexus, above everyone. It stretched even further, extending its digitigrade legs, and its head, until his eyes were level with the edge of the pit. Deeply, it growled and sunk back into a hunched posture. ¡°No barrier to protect you thissss time. All the changes in the infinite, demon skin, angel blessing, or Church protection, will not hide you from me. What a delicious welcome I had on this Leaf.¡±


    Its breath cascaded over Apexus¡¯ face, as the implication of the words sank in. The reinforcements of the Church had attempted to face the demon on their own and been wiped out. The breath stunk sweet and sour, of decay and dissolving flesh. Only the front most of its teeth moved when it spoke. ¡°May I ask your name?¡± Apexus requested, setting a calm example.


    A displeased hiss whistled out between barely parted teeth. ¡°Turlesh, hound of the Empress of Blood and her chosen Master,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°I shall bring you to him. Drag you by your bones through the branches of the Omniverse. He wants you alive and tormented and I oblige. I am no Terlash. I am obedient. You are my order.¡±


    ¡°You have a choice, Turlesh. You can leave. You can walk the road of redemption,¡± Apexus said to the Deathhound.


    ¡°Re-¡­ demption¡­?¡± the Deathhound said the word slowly. Stunned, he covered its eyes with two of its hands, falling back on the other two. On the floor, trembling, it looked almost like he was prostrating himself. ¡°Hehe¡­hehehe¡­HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!¡± The mad laughter of the demon made a mockery of that concept, as it beat the floor with one of its palms. ¡°YOU ARE OURS!¡± the demon roared at the end, turning its head to stare at each of the adventurers in turn. ¡°ALL OF YOU CREATURES, LIVING ABOVE THE ROOTS! BRIGHT LIGHTS! SHELTERED MINDS! CHATTLE LIVES! YOU LIVE AT THE BENEFIT OF OUR WAR AGAINST THE PARASYTES!¡± The Deathhound turned its head around, bitterly and quietly growling, ¡°Redemption is a demon¡¯s hunger sated. An order followed. Follow. No more time of Master wasted. Wasting Master¡¯s time is a sin.¡±


    Turlesh returned to his hunched stance. All around, the teachers slowly closed into their original positions again. Aclysia carefully backed off. Maltos readied himself. Apexus was always ready. ¡°I will not follow,¡± the humanoid chimera said.


    Teeth clattered. A deep cackle rose within the creature¡¯s throat. Four eyes moved manically, rolling around as he took in everything around him. All focused on various parts of Apexus. ¡°Those first,¡± he growled and reached for the bright wings with his right arms.


    Apexus only reacted in time due to the monster¡¯s arrogance. Legs apart, posture ready, he moved at a speed far exceeding that which the monster associated with the slime it had previously known. Energy flowed from deep within, from the magical cortex through the pathways he had developed. The guided flow went through meridians carefully chosen, on its path to his palms. A gentle, dense stream of energy extended from his hands. They were like pockets of jet streams.


    On contact with Turlesh¡¯s arms, Apexus felt the force he was redirecting shooting up his arms. It was like touching a red hot iron and keeping the fist clenched. The initial shock. The continued pain. The heat surging up the limbs. Clenching his jaw, keeping his concentration, Apexus turned his entire body in a fluid gesture, while muscles strained and bones creaked under the distributed energy. The entire world felt like it was moving underwater. Turlesh¡¯s arms were pushed to the side, leaving him wide open.


    Maltos dived under his much taller student¡¯s arms, emerging under the Deathhound. His eyes radiated with divine, golden light. The beads around his waist glowed with the same ¨C as did the palm he brought forwards in one straight motion.


    It sounded like a massive bell was rung, the impact of his flat hand on the demon¡¯s exposed chest. Radiance rippled out from the demon¡¯s back, while he lurched over forwards. Then, Apexus¡¯ senses returned to normal. He collapsed to one knee, just as Turlesh was catapulted backwards. Every part of him burned from the exhaustion of his magical cortex, from muscle damage that was swiftly getting repaired.


    ¡°To your position!¡± Maltos shouted, as he set after the Deathhound.


    Turlesh landed on four of his limbs two metres away. Two of his eyes stared ahead, the other two followed the paths of the sword and the axe swinging at him. He caught both edges in his palm, growling deeply when his leathery hide was cut into. Black mist rose from the wounds, the demon blood drying rapidly, forming a crust on the blades.


    ¡°FUTILE FIGHTERS! NA?VE SACRIFICERS! DIVINE FOLLOWERS!¡± Turlesh snapped at Maltos with its disgusting maw, but before the teeth could close around the old Monk¡¯s head, a Faithless Bolt slammed into its head from above. At the edge of the pit, Pronthin stood, his hand raised in reverence to the veins of the Omniverse.


    Then Maltos¡¯ palm slammed into the underside of the demon¡¯s head. Teeth slammed together with force. It was only the first of many attacks. Each rippled with divine light. The teachings of Monk were just as readily combined with that of Faith, perhaps even more so, than that of a Knight. Attack for attack, Maltos delivered, keeping the demon from gathering his bearings. Any opening the Monk would have had was covered by the stream of aggressions from the other teachers.


    Apexus and Aclysia did as ordered. The metal fairy flew towards the other Priests, ready to join them in whatever Pronthin or Maltos demanded they did. Apexus hurried on shaking legs behind the wooden wall, joining the other students. Out there, their teachers fought at a speed they could not hope to help with.


    Blow after blow, the Deathhound took, flailing its deadly limbs at the coordinated adventurers. Black mist rose from the many gashes it sustained, most of them shallow and healing swiftly. A swipe of arms and tail drove everyone back for one moment. There was a calm. Then they all rushed forwards again.


    The battle for the party¡¯s future was in full swing.

 Fists and Fortune Finale 2 – Contempt

    Turlesh hissed in pain. Pesky light, radiant light, guided light, it burned around the palm of the Monk. How long had it been since he had fought a Divine Hand? Dozens of years? Hundreds?


    Its two foremost limbs slammed down where Maltos had stood. Only half a swift step had taken the old man out of the reach of his arms. The Deathhound?¡¯s head parted all the way down, a grotesque level of split jaws that even sea creatures would have found abominable for its lack of bones. Those wide awake eyes, Turlesh wished to see them crushed and hear them squelched. The jaws snapped close.


    Maltos dug his heels in. The radiant glow around his hands consolidated further, into pockets of golden light that hung from his palms like the morning dew off a blade of river grass. The hands moved clockwise and the halves of the demon¡¯s heads sputtered in opposite directions.


    Growling, Turlesh rapidly recovered from his confusion. Teeth were about to realign, when two of his eyes caught combatants coming in from either side. Lower left and right arm effortlessly caught the shield charges from Vulk and the Paladin teacher. Tower and kite shields came to an immediate halt. ¡°You annoy, you obscure, YOU MAKE ME LEAVE THE EMPRESS WAITING!¡±


    ¡°NOW!¡± Vulk thundered. A demand without good reason, the person the signal was meant for was already leaping off from his shoulders.


    High up in the air, the black-haired elf raised her Runeblade. The sound of whirling mana screamed over the battlefield. The Overplay was in full effect, turning the already powerful weapon into a terrible one. Mai plunged down, staring into two of the demon¡¯s eyes.


    Turlesh raised a single arm in defence. Demon blood splattered everywhere. Leathery skin and greyish black flesh were excavated by the teeth of the flowing Edge. Mai¡¯s face reflected a moments panic, when her weapon hilted in the gory wound. She twisted towards Turlesh¡¯s left side.


    ¡°Veeeeery basssssic,¡± Turlesh cackled. The dagger coming for his side was anticipated from the moment she had revealed herself. Coated in noxious purple energy and dripping poison, the inconspicuous sidearm had been the true goal. Flesh wounds on demons were of so little value. ¡°Mediocre assassin. Simple-minded Rogue. Broken bones!¡± With those last words, Turlesh cracked Mai¡¯s arm with such force that the bones of her lower arm broke through the skin.


    The Deathhound would have cackled and tortured, had the fight not continued around him. With terrible force, he spun around, keeping the charging teachers at a distance, before launching Mai as a living projectile at Vulk¡¯s shield. A satisfying CRACK and a scream from the elf were all the sadistic demon could get, before he was struck in the chest by another hit of Maltos¡¯ palm.


    The radiant energy blasted through him, bouncing around inside his skin. Where the Runeblade remained stuck in his arm, golden light momentarily suppressed the drifting black mist of demonic regeneration. Turlesh let out a clicking growl that sounded like a mixture of crocodile and gigantic ant. His muscles refused to tense as intensely as before, poisoned by the energy of the divine.


    ¡°Thankless gods! Entitled mortals! Final warning!¡± Turlesh spread out his four arms, like a spider in a threat posture. The shadow of acknowledgement hushed over Maltos¡¯ face, that he would not be able to dodge all of these.


    ¡°RANGERS!¡± The voice of Pronthin shouted from above. A salvo of seven arrows needled Turlesh¡¯s side. A tiny distraction, cascading into a small distraction.


    ¡°I WILL SQUASH YOU!¡± Vulk roared, swinging his halberd overhead. The spike at the back slammed into one of Turlesh¡¯s shoulders, barely scraping skin off the bone. A small distraction, cascading into a large distraction.


    ¡°THUNDER, HEED MY CALL!¡± the teacher of the Shamans finished his ritual. A single lightning bolt descended from the sky. It struck true, filling the towering form of the giant demon with magically fuelled volts. Turlesh screamed, in frustration more than pain. His arms closed and narrowly missed Maltos.


    Immediately the demon set after the old Monk. Trampling on four limbs, while swinging the upper pair, like an eldritch centaur, the resentful embodiment of the Omniverse¡¯s immune system engaged in the constant exchange of blows.


    Behind the wall, Apexus quivered. Every fibre of his existence was in ready mode. Everyone around him was the same. Gulps were as frequent as held breaths being released. Outside, they saw Maltos desperately push away the Deathhound¡¯s limbs. No attack was met head-on, all were dodged or redirected. No matter how far Maltos would have pushed his Ironskin, the destructive force of the demon would always outpace direct defences. It was only the constant stream of other teachers¡¯ attacks taking the heat off the Monk for seconds at a time, that allowed the Monk to put up the valiant fight that he did at all.


    ¡°It''s coming over here,¡± the leader of this segment of the wall whispered. Get ready. Apexus nodded, more to himself than the instruction, and grabbed the shaft of the weapon tightly.


    Maltos carefully moderated his breathing. Had he had the luxury of thinking, he would have regretted his age, would have chided himself for his complacency in this late stage of his life. Alas, there was only the next three steps. That was as far as he could think forwards. To think backwards was impossible. There were only the next three steps.


    And the terrible act he had pushed onto himself.


    First step and the wooden wall entered the corner of his vision. Second step and he narrowly dodged to the side of the Deathhound. Third step and he trusted in his fellow teachers to keep the monstrosity in position. He closed his eyes for a split second and brought his hands together in front of his chest.


    He exhaled twice, letting all the air leave his lungs.


    He took one rapid breath.


    Mana rushed through his circuits. To his left shoulder, through the three meridians that connected the joint through the ribs, the heart, and the right pectoral to his other shoulder. Then through the five meridians that were equally spaced out on the back, the upper edge and points of the shoulder blades and the spine, back to the left shoulder. The mana flowed in a closed circuit. Pain was the immediate reaction. Pain and that disgusting feeling of swelling veins, shifting under the skin. The circular flow was unsustainable. A mortal¡¯s body was not designed for this constant taxation.


    The first Physical Gate was open.


    Maltos opened his eyes again and wrestled down the urge to roar. He was in control, even as torment pumped adrenaline into him. Almost twice as broad as before, almost absurdly bulky, Maltos bull-rushed the Deathhound.


    Turlesh let out the first cry of true pain when the old Monk slammed into his chest, palms and shoulders clad in holy light. It paralysed the creature for just long enough that Maltos could slam him against the wooden wall. Hardwood thirty centimetres thick creaked under the impact. ¡°NOW!¡± the leaders behind shouted. Maltos hastily retreated and ended the taxing Technique.


    Hooked spears pushed out between the gaps of the walls. Oriented horizontally, they had been hidden. Now, they turned vertical, and were swiftly pulled back. ¡°I GOT ONE!¡± one of the students shouted.


    Turlesh shook his head, recovered his bearings, and spotted the hooks of thick metal pulling two of his arms tightly against the wooden wall. ¡°Bothersome pests! Edible brats! Clean vermin!¡± the Deathhound screamed immediately struggling against the binding. One arm, he freed with a massive tug. It ripped the person holding the spear towards the wood with such intensity their forehead fractured.


    Two factors kept the other two arms pinned. One was the barrage of spells unleashed on the immobilized Deathhound. All teachers that had carried the melee so far retreated backwards, tended to their wounds and exchanged their weapons for crude steel nails that looked like they belonged in a shipyard, not a battlefield. Up on the wall, Pronthin signalled one team after the other to pepper Turlesh with attacks. ¡°HUNTERS!¡± ¡°SHAMANS!¡± PRIESTS!¡±


    Aclysia let loose the Lance of holy light. It was one of three in the swarm of spells from the holy casters. Her own, that of Pronthin, and finally that of Mehily, whose heart swelled with grim satisfaction when she could see the pitch black insides of the demon distort in response to the impacts. It was not much, but every little bit counted.


    The second fact was the hasted movement behind the wall. Those who had not grabbed anything successfully, which was most of them, dropped their spears without a second thought and helped those who had. Four adventurers on each of the three weapons, two around one arm, one around the other. All of them were pulled forwards, and ripped it back barely each time the Deathhound tugged against their hold.


    Demonic claws tore into the wall, ripping the nailed and tar glued plank of the frame like it was an unwelcome wallpaper. ¡°Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave,¡± Turlesh growled, his boneless head curving all the way around and crushing the head of the poor man that was first in the closest row. Blood and brain matter exploded onto the rest, the messy bite of the demon bursting the skull like a spoiled egg.


    ¡°FUCK!¡± the second man screamed. ¡°FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!¡± The tirade of curses did not let up. Dripping acidic spit and viscous blood, the nightmare leaned in closer, ready to continue his work. Then, the four eyes on its head turned around. The nearly 360-degree vision of the Deathhound alerted him to the resumed charge of the teachers.


    With only two arms and immobilized, Turlesh was like a cornered animal against the carefully executed storm of attacks by the teachers. A glowing blade, radiant palms, a furious halberd, all of it distractions while other teachers rammed nails into the immobilized limbs.


    In a daring action, Vulk tossed aside his shield and halberd and grabbed two of the long, thick nails. Turlesh¡¯s arms were busy pushing back Maltos, so he whipped his tail towards the Warrior.


    And Vulk grit his teeth.


    His chest plate caved in, several of his ribs broke, the Ironskin did just enough to protect him from being crippled, and he pushed the tail back. ¡°RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHR!¡± the man screamed, summoning pure rage to tap into even a fraction of outsized power. With Berserker might, he drove the two nails into the tail and the planks behind. A smack of his iron paw and they were hammered deep in there.


    ¡°ENOUGH! ENOUGhenoughoughoghghg!¡± Turlesh screamed incoherent, barbaric noises. He struggled with all his might against the grip, freeing one of his arms, leaving only one stuck where it was. The one with the Runeblade deeply embedded in it.


    Mai¡¯s presence did not reveal itself until she had her hand wrapped around its hilt. With the wordless, deathly glare of a murderer, she pumped her mana into the weapon and the shriek of the whirling mana once more filled the battlefield. She pushed the weapon forwards through the dense flesh, towards the shoulder, aiming at the neck and then¡­


    Turlesh ripped his bound limb off.


    Black ichor exploded from the wound, then crusted over instantly. Taking one squelching, ripping stride forwards, the Deathhound let the nails rip half his tail in two. Maltos was mid charge. His form long deflated back to a normal appearance. He was just an old Monk and the full speed of the Deathhound suddenly descended on him.


    A single arm came down on Maltos. He twisted his body to the side. What could have been his neck became his shoulder. At a speed only he and the creature could properly perceive, Turlesh¡¯s double-thumbs closed around his upper arm and kept ripping downwards.


    Everyone else barely realized what had happened, until Maltos stumbled a couple of feet away. ¡°Equal exchaaangeeeeee,¡± Turlesh hissed gleefully and raised the part of the Monk that he had taken. The left arm had been ripped out at the socket, seeming to still twitch with some last nerves firing off in confusion. The limb had been taken alongside the sleeve that had covered it. The high grade gear had done nothing to stop the Deathhound.


    Turlesh let the air whistle between his teeth on the inhale. He tasted the fear, the moment of hesitation. One of his eyes inspected the empty socket where his own right arm had been. The flesh would be replaced, by his regeneration or by his master. This flesh shell ultimately did not matter to the demon. The wounds were an insult more than a threat. An insult was enough to stoke the infernal hatred of its kind.


    ¡°Cover us!¡± The two words caused his four eyes to turn away from the arm and the situation at large. They came from the grey robed man that had been ordering barrage after barrage to strike the demon. The many coloured spells were still burned into Turlesh¡¯s retina. He growled with hatred. The many tiny cuts on its hide oozed black mist as they crusted over. Wounds cracked open and sealed again as he moved.


    Pronthin ran towards the middle of the battlefield. Turlesh dropped the arm of the Monk and lowered down to five limbs. His parted tail curved behind him, limp from the halfway point. Flesh slowly knit itself back together. The pain was common, so common that the demon barely even cared. What was a torn limb compared to the mana sucking bite of a Parasyte?


    ¡°Oh no you do-¡° Vulk shouted. His announcement was violently interrupted by Turlesh meeting his charge with a swipe. The arm folded, as the bones were turned into shards, the enchanted steel burst like glass, and he spat out blood. One of his lungs collapsed in one strike.


    Turlesh placed a foot on his chest and gleefully put all his weight on that leg. Then, the spell Pronthin had been charging was unleashed. A nova of omniversal silver washed over the battlefield. Mortal flesh was mended, while the demon felt the touch of holy fire crawl over his skin. It dried out his eyeballs for a second and he reared, in pain and annoyance. ¡°GIVE! GIVE UP! ANNOYING CATTLE! STRUGGLING MORTALS! DESPAIRING WEAKLINGS!¡±


    Blinking rapidly, Turlesh tried to regain his vision. Barely, he made out a second, charging glow of radiant energy. Another one of those terribly bright lights was being prepared. Uncaring for anything at all besides the elimination of these offensive colours, the demon charged forwards. None alone could stand against his charge anymore. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Screaming, Turlesh leapt at the target. His eyes recovered more and more, until he realized that this was not the grey-robbed man ¨C this was the unfallen angel. The companion of his target. Aclysia stared fear-struck at the demon flying straight at her. The spell would not complete. Turlesh could not stop himself. He knew the Master would not be able to give the order to kill her.


    The order to hurt Apexus had been given, however, and murdering her, that would certainly work.


    Turlesh howled triumphantly. Around him were the exhausted, the crippled, and the powerless. Somewhere, the demon heard the desperate cry of his prey, mixed in with two other voices. His maw was opened wide, ready to bisect the angel. A grey form tackled her from the side.


    Where he expected to taste the dullness of angelic metal, he found the exquisite taste of holy flesh. Skin and stomach acid and spinal fluid, muscles with next to no fat, kidneys liver and guts. ¡°Mentor!¡± the voice of the angel rung out shrill, while the bisected body of Pronthin fell down. What of his body was missing was messily being chewed by the Deathhound.


    Viscera dripped from his maw, as he cackled. Uncaringly, the demon backed off from the angel, basking in her tears. ¡°Privileged creature¡­ bright creature¡­ frozen deep in fear¡­¡± Turlesh whispered. She was hovering a mere two metres away from him. It would have been as easy to catch her as it was to pluck the wings of a butterfly.


    Then Turlesh had to jump back. A golden palm barely missed him. As superior as his situation was, the demon had to acknowledge that his victory was not yet guaranteed. This flesh was weakening and the Monk still had the means to hurt him. Maltos, his shoulder willed to stop bleeding, stared at the Deathhound with tempered steel in his eyes.


    ¡°Do not despair, children of the Progenitor!¡± Maltos shouted. ¡°A loss is only certain when you have breathed your last!¡± The words were answered by grim, determined silence. All around, the teachers healed by Pronthin¡¯s Holy Nova encircled the Deathhound. The most grievous wounds were only partially healed and mana reserves remained taxed.


    Still, none would back off before the oldest teacher did.

 Fists and Fortune Finale 3 – Deliverance

    ¡®Death comes for me,¡¯ Pronthin thought.


    One of the aspects of the adventuring life that no one ever mentioned to the new ones was the drawbacks of a body boosted by magical powers. The Priest felt the thousands of nerves in his lower abdomen scream in terror. Sometimes, he could feel his leg twitch. A phantom, he knew. He was all too aware of the discarded half of his body, lying not two metres away. His organs would have slipped out of the opening, had the Deathhound left him with more than his lungs and the beating heart that steadily pumped his lifeblood out into the air.


    ¡°Teacher¡­ teacher please,¡± Aclysia whispered, lifting the torso of the man up. In her green eyes shone desperation and tears.


    Pronthin felt a smile twitch on his face for a moment. ¡®How odd¡­ to feel joy at this moment,¡¯ he thought. Hasty steps crunched on the battlefield.


    ¡°Mehily, please, help me heal hi-¡° The words trailed off, Pronthin¡¯s awareness faded, the field of his vision shrinking. With all he had, he held on to this happiness that illuminated his final moments. Healing magic poured into him. A bid with no chance of succeeding. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Turlesh laughed at the scene. Turlesh laughed at everything. He locked his hand with the one-armed Monk, whose body bulged with the unleashed power of the Physical Gate. ¡°Sooooo persisssstent,¡± the demon mocked, beating back assailants from all directions with his other two arms and tail. Again and again, the teachers tried to get a singular swing in, only to narrowly escape having their bones crushed by the stray movements of the Tharnatos Class demon.


    A screaming swirling of energy caught the Deathhound¡¯s attention. Alarmed, then amused, he turned his head to Reysha. Effortlessly, he swiped away the swing of the redhead¡¯s energy enveloped dagger. One eye dashed towards the smaller one who was right behind her. A leap brought her right up to Turlesh.


    Borderline uncaringly, Turlesh caught Korith by one of her horns. Hurling her around like a ragdoll in a hurricane, he slammed her head first into the ground. The Deathhound felt the shock of the impact up his arm. It was like slamming a rock against an anvil. The plain grey colour of the magical scales that had instinctively protected her ebbed away.


    Turlesh considered swirling her around again, but the body of the kobold slumped. Not dead, as the Deathhound realized the moment he let go. The blonde was staring with tear-filled and horrified eyes up at the Deathhound. ¡°Korith, get the fuck out of there!¡± the redhead, whose presence had temporarily slipped Turlesh¡¯s mind, screamed from a few metres away.


    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t move!¡± Korith shouted back. The Ironscale had protected her skull, but something in her neck had snapped on impact. There was no feeling below that point. The closest she had was an aching pain. She couldn¡¯t even turn her head directly. Dread beyond anything she had ever felt overcame her, towered over by this demon who held the strongest adventurer she knew at bay with just one arm.


    Maltos did his best to not grit his teeth. He just struggled further against the Deathhound. The muscles in the demon¡¯s arms bulged and tensed in response, his double-jointed legs bent to take in the force. They were keeping each other in check.


    ¡°You want me,¡± Apexus stepped up to the Deathhound and all four eyes focused on him. Measured steps brought the humanoid chimera closer. Then, he dashed forwards. His priority was solely to grab Korith. Concentrating on the Deathhound¡¯s reactions, he prepared to redirect the flow of Turlesh¡¯s attack.


    The swing of the long tail came predictably. Apexus readied his magic, predicting the path of the tail swipe. Then, the tail suddenly reversed course. Turlesh bowed down, reversing the momentum, and grabbed Apexus by throat and arm.


    ¡°Arrogant mortals, every time, think you can best us, that we don¡¯t learn,¡± Turlesh cackled, Monks at both ends of his arms. ¡°Try and try again. The demon wears another flesh, the mortal dies and goes to heaven.¡± Turlesh raised the slime up higher and higher, mocking the weak attempts to hurt his arm with aggressive laughter. ¡°In the Hellroots, all your wardens know this saying: Mortal Sparks circle through the Tree, while Parasytes gnaw at ME!¡± Turlesh threw Apexus with all his might, tearing the little bits of ooze that were spreading over his fingers from the source. ¡°Abominable creature! Spark Eater! SPARK EATER!¡±


    ¡°The true abomination here is you!¡± Vulk shouted, then roared, bringing his half-broken body back into motion.


    Distantly, the noise cut through the fog of Pronthin¡¯s fading heartbeat. Still, the healing energy poured into him. Two sources, both bowed over him, trying to attach legs back to him. There was too much missing between them to make this possible even for the most gifted of healers. It would have taken a miracle to work this. A True Miracle. Something that he had been incapable of showing to these students of his.


    Pronthin¡¯s grey eyes beheld the sky. Beheld what was far beyond this empyrean. The veins of the Omniverse were clearer to him at that moment than they ever were before. He gazed into the heaven and heaven gazed into him.


    Tears dropped from Aclysia¡¯s eyes, as she so desperately tried to save her teacher. It was a tactical decision, that was what she needed to tell herself to remain so close to where the battle continued. Without the healing power of the Priest, they did not have the sustained might to overpower this creature. If she was being honest, she just could not stomach this terrible death.


    Across from their bisected teacher, Mehily knelt and did the same. Then, the healing energy ebbed away from the Inquisitor¡¯s hands. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Aclysia half-sobbed, half-screeched. Only for the Inquisitor to point at their cynical teacher¡¯s moving lips, forming words in a conversation a lifetime away. ¡°What¡­ what is he saying?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s praying,¡± Mehily whispered, a tear rolling from her crystal eyes.


    ¡®My Lady Meriala, how presumptuous it must be to hear from me this day.¡¯ Pronthin¡¯s mind meandered, his soul stretched between the mortal coil and the place all mortal souls strived to go. ¡®I have abandoned you so long ago, forsaken you because you forsook me. I ask for no blessing for me, no forgiveness for my lack of reverence, for I ask you for none in return. Just¡­ let me be of service to your aspects one more time.¡¯


    The veil of death parted before Pronthin¡¯s eyes and a hand reached out to him. ¡®It¡¯s been a while, Thin. I see you haven¡¯t put on any weight.¡¯ Several humanoid forms rowed up behind the hand. ¡®I¡¯m glad our sacrifice let you live another day. Seems you¡¯re ready to join us now.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m unworthy, my friends,¡¯ Pronthin responded. A warm, red light cascaded past the doors of death. Like layers upon layers of silk, they wrapped around Pronthin¡¯s tormented senses. He closed his eyes and gave himself to the embrace of summer. He gave it all he had left.


    ¡®You were never unworthy of anything, my child. One final lesson, for your last pupils.¡¯


    Turlesh¡¯s head whipped around, the red radiance of summerly divinity burning on his skin. Barely, he caught the form of the Priest glowing, before it burst into a Nova of divine energy. Where it washed over the demon, his skin turned into ash, revealing raw muscles underneath. Screeching, the Deathhound stumbled back step for step, trying to protect his eyes from the radiance that turned them into shrunken orbs.


    While the red heat of the summer burned the wicked, the just had their wounds mended. Arms realigned, flesh seamlessly flowed back together, Korith shot up into an upright position, feeling returned to her body. Where she let out a little happy cry, Vulk stood, biting back the tears. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, cynic cunt.¡±


    The light fixed what was broken, yet even it failed to restore what had been lost. The dead lay motionless on the ground, Maltos¡¯ shoulder healed, yet the socket remained empty, and when the light ebbed away, all that remained of Pronthin were sparkling rays of sunlight that hung, without origin, in the air, and a shadow of ash where his body had laid.


    ¡®I have shown you the True Miracle ¨C use this knowledge wisely,¡¯ Aclysia and Mehily heard inside their head, the parting words of a soul at rest.


    ¡°WRETCHED BLESSED! COWARDLY DIVINE! UNFAIR! UNFAIR! UNFAIR!¡± Turlesh screamed, his entire body covered by the black cloud of crusting dragon blood. Even now, he covered his eyes. Only one of them had survived the attack well enough to peek out behind skinless claws.


    Aclysia and Mehily took a trembling breath, before rising to their feet. Together, they reached out for what divine power still hung in the air. They prayed to the goddess of Hope and Humility, to the first lady of the summer, and wove the magic into a spiral between their raised hands. Their Miracle was only an extension of his, a utility of the mana he had left in the environment for them.


    Lances of radiant red light burst into being in their hands, then were launched at the Deathhound without hesitation. As they travelled, the supernatural sunrays bent to follow their path.


    Turlesh shuffled to the side, but his body was still slowed by the divine energy pulsing through his demonic veins. Both nailed him in the left side of the torso, blowing holes where the remaining arm of that side was attached. ¡°NOW!¡± Maltos roared, blood running down his chin. The healing power did much, the taxing effect of the Physical Gate was not something fixed or delayed by simple healing.


    Grabbing the creature by one arm, Maltos threw him right into the middle of the fray. Turlesh, utterly disoriented with his damaged eyes, barely managed to see what approached him from the front. Each movement they made caused the fresh layer of dried blood to crack and release more of the black steam.


    A sense of foreboding filled him, like he was missing something. Then the sound of whirling, screaming energy suddenly jumped into the foreground of his consciousness. He tried to move his last left arm, but then two Edges tore deep into his flesh. Mai and Reysha pushed forwards, until the damaged limb was attached by only a sinew. Reysha¡¯s demon arm grabbed the creature whose kin had sponsored the blood used to create it and ripped the arm out for good.


    Turlesh screamed in wordless rage and stumbled back. All he needed was time, time to regenerate his eyes, perhaps to plot an escape and heal. He would always heal faster than the mortals, could always come back when they could not sacrifice another of their holy men. While those thoughts rushed through his elongated head, Vulk stomped up to Korith.


    ¡°Trust me on this, pipsqueak!¡± the goliath said gently and picked the blonde up. With only a simple nod, the armoured kobold curled up and then was thrown with all the might the Warrior teacher had to offer. Ironscale Armour covered her exterior and she slammed into the stomach of the Deathhound.


    Black blood and acid was vomited from the alien mouth of the monstrosity, as it struggled to realise what had just happened. A hand reached down, only to be pushed away by a firm and steady flow. Apexus covered for his party member and Korith slammed her hammer against the back of Turlesh¡¯s knee.


    The strike failed to crack any bones, yet the Deathhound collapsed to one knee instantly. Brought low, immobilized, slowed, and with Apexus pressing against the two right arms with all he had, Turlesh had no time to react to the golden palm that slammed into the left side of his head. The only eye still fully usable was disintegrated by a flash of radiance from the Divine Hand.


    Turlesh collapsed to the floor. Blind and raging, he rolled around. He thrashed to the best of his ability, until several of the spears that had been used earlier once again hooked around his limbs. Weakened and with teachers aiding the students, Turlesh lacked the strength to resist. Secured to the ground, he was surrounded by people with ready weapons.


    Apexus lost no time, leapt on top of the Deathhound and began to stretch out. As the acid burned his skin, the demon felt true dread. ¡°YOU CONSPIRE WITH THE ENEMY OF LIFE!¡± Turlesh screamed, feeling pieces of his Spark dissolve alongside his body. ¡°It¡¯s a terror! A Parasyte! You betray the Omniverse! Traitors! Na?ve Traitors! Complete Fools! Parasyte Helpers!¡±


    Turlesh struggled against the bindings. His tail smacked against the side of one of the students, sending them flying several metres away. One Priest went to help, everyone else continued lending their hands to the tug of war. Several dozen people strained against the might of the crippled demon.


    ¡°What more do you want?¡± Turlesh hissed. ¡°We protect you. We protect you. WE protect YOU! Is that worth nothing? Are we not entitled to our recompense? Can you slaughter us so easily, with no thought for the consequences? Are demons so worthless to you?¡±


    No response from any of them. Turlesh went limp. The hopelessness of his existence flashed before his eyes. From the first moment of consciousness, pecking away at the gooey eggshell that spawned him, he had known he was dispensable. One of untold millions, born and consumed in the war below. Most of them were never even given names. A higher demon took notice, gave them one, allowed them to be summoned, to encounter the Omniverse above and the thanklessness that they had for their service. The few demons suffered below, so that the many mortals above could thrive.


    And when those mortals did not care about them, they culled the demons. Even going as far as allying with a Spark Eater to do it.


    A Parasyte.


    Turlesh jolted back to life with one titanic scream. The effort exhausted was so great, he shattered his own bones while tearing his arms free. People flew up into the air, the Deathhound ripped Apexus off his half-devoured chest, then lurched on half-functioning legs towards the first person he saw. He was only left with teeth, tail, and leg, but that was enough.


    The random adventurer saw the mass of teeth and rage come for his abdomen. In his mind, he saw himself transformed into the same bisected pile Pronthin had been. Moments before that could become reality, the one-armed form of Maltos tackled him aside.


    The adventurer fell to the ground, the Monk was ripped back. Tossed left to right, like the prey of a rabid dog, the old man was barely more than a blur, until the people around succeeded in pinning Turlesh down. With a terrible crunch, the Deathhound took his final toll, ripping through the limb and leaving Maltos with neither arm nor leg on the left side.


    Apexus hurried back over and went back to enveloping the Deathhound. With a series of noises, like an ancient tree toppling over, the bones inside his remaining arms realigned. Crusted blood extended into cruel replacements for his arms, brittle and ending only in thorns. Heavily breathing, the demon charged towards his next target in a mindless rage.


    The students scattered as quickly as possible. The bravest of them, those that held the spears closest to the target, were ripped apart first. Teeth, claws, and blood-forged spikes ripped apart flesh like it was wet paper. The eyes of the Deathhound, little as they had returned, rolled around wildly, constantly assessing the situation, without ever focusing on anything.


    No joy for the slaughter accompanied any of the motions of the demon anymore. He was a rampaging force. Vulk jumped in the way, rearmed with his shield. One of the blood arms shattered on his armament. The other three followed, whipping around with such cruel force that any difference of skill or thought was bridged.


    Then, there was a pause. The Deathhound raised his head high. His one good eye focused on something to his left and the creature leapt, slamming against the wall of the pit.


    In a tidal wave of ripping actions, the jump confused everyone around who had the luxury of distance. Turlesh ripped into the wooden boards, screaming hatefully the entire time. A mouthful of wood was crunched between his teeth.


    ¡°Enter stage left, the late arrival,¡± an androgynous voice caused Apexus¡¯ left ear to turn. Suddenly, he spotted the figure that stood next to him. He was thoroughly unimpressive. An effeminate man with long, slender limbs and a face that could have passed as either sex. Short brown hair, brown eyes, and a nonchalant smile on his lips. He fit into the seriousness of the situation neither in how he acted, nor in how clean he looked in his colourful fusion of robe and suit. ¡°My apologies. Delays were had.¡± With those few words, the smiling man rushed forwards.


    The illusion that plagued Turlesh was ended the moment Anohal grabbed him by the tail. The fully regenerated Maltos vanished and instead the Deathound was hurled through the air. An impact of his own weight should not have bothered a spawn of the Hellroots of his stature. However, each cracking of the crusted surface let yet more of his lifeblood escape as black mist. Vast as the vitality of a Deathhound was, it was not endless.


    Winded, Turlesh could not react in time to the strings of holy light that wrapped around his arms. The second blood arm crumbled away at the touch. Other limbs swiftly struggled, tossing Anohal off the creature. Immediately, the colourful exterior matched that of the other fighters, covered in dirt.


    ¡°A little help?¡± Anohal asked, his smile all the creepier for the bloody mud covering half his face. Terrorized as they were by the last outburst, the adventurers still grabbed the spears and rushed in again. Like a fish on land, Turlesh twisted around, attempting to escape the puppet strings that pulled at his limbs. With an esoteric motion, Anohal pulled them tighter between his hands. A short moment of immobilization that let the others wrap their hooks around the arms.


    Apexus lost no time and jumped onto the exposed torso of the monster. As quickly as he could, he enveloped Turlesh once more. The pain of being dissolved jolted the reason within the panicking demon back to life. It was the only avenue to survival he had left.


    ¡°Please, please, can you not see how grotesque he is?¡± the demon begged, his four eyes wide and milky, failing to regenerate. A greyish, clear fluid ran from them. Demon tears, stained with the impurities the kind had sustained in such a long time fighting off the Parasytes.


    Grotesque the sight was, but the adventurers had been prepared. Watching Apexus blob out and dissolve the Deathhound inside him, it was a sight they had been warned about. If Maltos trusted this was the right thing to do, then they trusted him. With grim determination, they kept the demon down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± Turlesh growled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die, I don¡¯t want to die, I don¡¯t want to die¡­ Empress¡­ Empress I¡¯m not done serving you¡­ not done with the bloodshed, not done¡­ not done¡­ Parasytes¡­ rip out the accursed Parasytes¡­ Empress¡­. Jolene¡­.¡± The name of his owner was the last word the Deathhound passed through his teeth, before life finally left him.


    Apexus felt a sickening sweetness explode in every last bit of him that could taste. The Demonic Spark of the creature attempted to leave the flesh behind, only to be caught in the slime who could devour everything. The sweetness led to a rush that he could not describe. Energy was added to his core in a manner that he did not have control over entirely. He felt different and yet unchanged. He had no time to consider it much either. The entirety of the monster had to be dissolved.


    One by one, the adventurers around let go of the immobilizing instruments and stumbled back, collapsing into the blood-soaked battlefield. What fresh wounds the end of the combat had opened, what muscles had been torn while keeping the Deathhound down, they were tended to swiftly by the healers. Aclysia and Mehily scooped what they could of their teacher¡¯s ashes into a bag. Maltos gave a weak and assuring smile to the adventurer he had saved. His body was deflated now, thinner than it had ever been, barely more than skin and bones.


    And it began to rain.

 Fists and Fortune Epilogue – Ash in his Mouth

    Apotho shot up from the sheets. The large, silken bed was filled to the brim with those of his subjects who caught his eye. Whether that be slaves, apprentices, soldiers or demons, it hardly mattered to the warlock. What he desired, he took. Such was his right as supreme authority of this Leaf.


    To many of the demons in the bed, Apotho felt a strong connection. Not an emotional one, to get attached to such low-grade tools would have been beyond useless. It was the connection between a demonic servant and their summoner. The resources he had extracted from this Paradise Leaf. A paradise for him, that was, and those that found his liking. To everyone else, it had shifted swiftly to a Demon Leaf over these past one and a half years.


    There were other connections. Many pacts he had made, sealed in blood. Guarantees to those former inhabitants of the Leaf that saw the strength of his reign, opportunists that had heard of his name, and old subjects who threw their lot in with him again. Apotho did not have many of the last bunch. Those that did exist were invaluable.


    Among the pacts, a select few were so powerful that he could sense those that they belonged to at all times. Whereas the meek Impreh class demons he used as messengers could only be sensed if he concentrated on them, those powerful few that he had unspecific contracts with, those remarkable individuals that he knew had their goals aligned with his, he had a steady connection at most times.


    One of them suddenly cutting off, that was enough to pull him out of his slumber.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Jolene whispered and stretched with cat-like grace. She was the one who always remained by his side, the one whose favour neither waxed nor waned. The Empress of Blood¡¯s green eyes glowed like emerald embers in the darkness. She placed a hand on his chest. The slender fingers looked so weak compared to the strong definition of his chest muscles. A complete lie, just another thing that was not so in the Omniverse. ¡°Come back to bed, Master,¡± she purred, caressing his skin with a care that approached love.


    ¡°Turlesh is dead.¡±


    Apotho didn¡¯t even flinch, as Jolene¡¯s fingers tore into his pectoral. The blood that should have poured past his broken skin was instead drunk by the thick, dull claws that extended from sickly greenish black, pulsing flesh. The Unreavs demon let go of her Master, before she could fully tear him open. A gem, embedded in Apotho¡¯s sternum, pulsed green and the wound closed.


    Crawling forwards was a thing of nightmares. Red, shifting veins of blood crawled over black, smooth skin. Her curves were untouched, alluring, yet the boils of flesh at her back robbed her of any kind of lustful appeal. The growths burst with a wet squelch into six wings, membranes of a blood spanning between exposed bones. A long, whip-like tail extended, its end a cruel double-hook, like one belonging in a butcher¡¯s shop.


    The bed was in a state of panic. Every last one of Apothos¡¯s pleasure slaves awoke in a sense of dread and scurried away from the Empress of Blood, just as her neck broke, then extended in a grotesque fashion. The shape of her legs and arms warped into something bulky and then she galloped towards the window. The shriek of rage she let out caused the weakest ones amongst the concubines to bleed from their eyes and ears.


    Apotho uncaringly walked past all of them. The mess they made of his bed was theirs to clean up. He stopped in the hole of his wonderful panorama window, clicking his tongue in annoyance at the difficulty it would be to repair this. A short-lived thought, a decadent enjoyment that he could indulge in once he had secured the situation as best he could.


    Eyes tracked Jolene on her descent. Twenty stories high they were, high enough that the wind blowed into Apotho¡¯s living floor. It was the mark of an uncertain Warlock, to put their workshops below where they lived. Those that had certainty in their crafts and their subjects submission sat atop their mage towers. As floor upon floor of Blackstone was added from below, Apotho would only see further over his domain.


    At the foot of the tower, sprawling out in every direction, was a city of tens of thousands. The population expanded rapidly, made to grow by enacting the necessary rituals to allow crossbreeding with the demons and abducting the children of the worlds they scoured. Sapients were impressionable, as long as one picked them up young enough. Blackstone laid the fundament to every building. Mana rich particles, ground into a paste and baked in infernal fire. District for district, the city would be erected around his tower, so that all would always see who lay at the heart of it. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Down to that city, to his gathering of resources, Jolene descended. The other three Deathhounds followed her, climbing through the dense network of Omniverse veins that nourished the very air in this Leaf with a rich flow of mana.


    They would wreak havoc down there. The Empress of Blood would drown her sorrow in a massacre. Hundreds would die, perhaps even thousands. It would put a notable dent in Apotho¡¯s productivity, a dent that would be unacceptable for anyone else to cause. Economical procedures were exponential in these early stages. To disrupt the plan now would diminish them greatly as time progressed.


    Yet, when it came to his most valuable assets, buying her a tiny bit of relief through the death of thousands was a bargain.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Apotho approached a mountain of corpses. Each step he took created a pitter-patter from the rivers of blood that soaked the streets, slowly draining into the basic canalisation system they had dug out. Terlash and Purlesk were pulling the tasty guts out of the people at the bottom of the pile. A myriad of lesser demons kept their distance from the two Tharnatos class inhabitants of the Hellroots, picking away at what corpses there were. Whether Skinwalkers methodically peeled the epidermis off a child, Rotmaggots saw to the swift decay by burrowing through with their legions of bodies, or Demonscythes spun hair into deadly threads, every demon turned the fallen sapients into an extension of their being. Fights broke out over who got to devour the sternums, the tastiest treat for all growing demons.


    There was many a theory Apotho had, for why demons were such apt predators of those that lived above them. The answer that it was pure resentment, mutating them into forms capable of torturing those that lived off their eternal service, he found unsatisfying. More likely, the Master of the Roots estimated, was that demons had been equipped with a way to take the energy from regular mortals from the start. After all, what happened if the creatures, whose existence was based on their war against the Parasytes, were driven back? Would the mortals, with their lack of experience, take over?


    No. The Progenitor¡¯s work was pragmatic. Flawed, in the final analysis, yet pragmatic. Demons had been spawned in a time where drastic measures were required to keep the germinating Omniverse alive. Thus, when the Parasytes pushed up the tree, the demons would be empowered by the sacrifice of the mortals. Best they were eaten by their defenders before their power was drawn back into nothing by the Parasytes, after all.


    To that end, the nightmarish scene unfolding in front of Apotho was simply the logical path history should take. When a Warlock summoned a demon and allowed it to feast to its heart''s content, he created a stronger defender of the roots of the Omniverse. Was that not the ultimate act of benevolence? It reached far further into the future than any Church erected and every sanctimonious god¡¯s lessons ever could.


    The leader of the pack of now three Deathhounds, Kurlesh, was curled up atop the mountain. His head served as the rest for Jolene¡¯s elbow. A position he was content in. By raw physical power, the submissive dog was not far removed from his Empress. The difference the individual Art of a person who had crossed the 100th level could make, however, was too much to be measured in strength alone.


    ¡°Your little pet creature,¡± Jolene squeezed out, staring down at her Master. ¡°It killed my beloved Turlesh, did he not?¡±


    ¡°He must have devoured him after he was otherwise weakened,¡± Apotho explained and around him the demons started screeching. A cacophony of hatred broke out, while he nonchalantly advanced up the corpses. ¡°Turlesh got careless, even though he knew what the slime was capable of.¡±


    ¡°SPARK EATER! SPARK EATER! SPARK EATER!¡° The demons screamed. Three repetitions, then a pause, for each of them.


    ¡°We must right this immediately.¡± Jolene grabbed the corpse right next to her feet, raising it effortlessly by the skull. Bone dented, brain and gore scattered. Unexplainably, it was only the blood that touched the Unreavs-class demon¡¯s skin. The crimson was absorbed under her skin near instantaneously. ¡°Gather your resources, Apotho, and crush this affront to my house.¡±


    ¡°We will do no such thing,¡± the warlock responded and the gazes of the demons around snapped to him. The bloodlust that had claimed this segment of the city became directed at him. ¡°You are being illogical, Jolene.¡±


    ¡°Illogical?¡± the Empress of Blood tilted her head, eyes opened to the point of mania. ¡°I have put in motion schemes beyond your comprehension, mortal, what do you know of logic?¡±


    Apotho stretched out his hand to the right. Emerald fire flickered in the air, fuelling a connection and then the manifestation of a dark grey staff. The metal was dull, despite how smooth the surface was. Atop the staff was a crystal as crimson as the blood that ran towards the gutters, caged by a weave of metal runes. Loudly, the sharpened tip shattered the cobblestone of the street.


    ¡°Do not forget what you have forged,¡± he warned her.


    Tension filled the air, the three Deathhounds were the first to move, closely followed by their Empress. All other demons backed away, and were dismissed by a mere wave of Jolene¡¯s hand. She descended the pile of corpses like it was a staircase of the finest make. Soon, she stood before her summoner, their eyes on one height. The Deathhounds prowled in circles around them.


    The red drained from Jolene¡¯s sclera, retreated towards the iris, until it turned the emerald of satiated hellfire. ¡°Of course, Master,¡± she sighed, between wanton lust and grief. She lowered herself to one knee and took his hand, kissing the ring finger. ¡°I forget who I am dealing with.¡±


    Apotho placed the hand on her cheek and made her gaze up at him. ¡°I can still see the fury in your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Turlesh was mine,¡± the redhead hissed. ¡°My adorable enforcer. Few have shed as much blood in my name. This cannot be left without revenge, Master.¡±


    ¡°We both know how Fate Tracking works.¡± Apotho took his hand off Jolene¡¯s face. He snapped his fingers and the various demons hurried back out from between the houses. Many more closely followed. A storm of eldritch creatures descended on the mountain of corpses. Crunching and cracking made civilized conversation impossible.


    Apotho turned around and Jolene swiftly chased him. The most gorgeous lady walked at his side, dressed now in a fine satin dress as red as her auburn hair. She hooked into his arm. While his feet left imprints of blood on the pavement, her naked soles always remained clean of the massacre.


    ¡°Were we to send another one of our hounds to chase after the creature, or even all of them, they would have to follow the same route. You know as well as I that they must have gathered powerful allies to have taken out one of them. Allies that, if given time, will fortify a position along the path.¡± The staff clacked repeatedly on the simple cobblestone, then on the concrete slabs. The closer one got to the looming tower of the warlock, the more monolithic and expansive the structures became. ¡°It would be a suicide race.¡±


    ¡°We cannot leave this slight unanswered,¡± Jolene insisted again, her teeth swelling and sharpening ¨C then returning in an instant to what they had been before, just before their size would have distorted her gorgeous face. ¡°Is your weakness still sheltering your pet?!¡±


    ¡°My weakness?¡± Apotho whispered. ¡°You have not been shattered by the judgement of the gods, do not dare to call what is impossible to pass a weakness.¡±


    Jolene took a deep breath. ¡°I misspoke again, Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did,¡± the warlock chastised her. ¡°A frustration that you will help me vent soon enough, one way or another.¡±


    The eyes of the Empress wandered to her Master¡¯s groin. The dark robe hid the state of his manhood, but she hoped it was this path he aimed to vent. A slaughter she could always enact on her own, but lust was a treat she only rarely got to taste. Most men could not keep their fluids on the inside for more than ten seconds when making love to her.


    ¡°I forgive you, Jolene, because this state of affairs should have rattled you. You are forgiven for calling it my pet and for ordering me, as long as you do not affront again.¡±


    ¡°Most gracious, Master¡­ then, what is our plan now?¡± The main gate of the tower opened wide, pushed by two gargantuan demons of headless, humanoid bodies. Where skin and muscles should have been, those creatures instead consisted of interweaving, distorted maws. The gnashing teeth looked like shifting stitches.


    ¡°We continue as outlined,¡± Apotho stated. ¡°In the end, their lives will be in my hands, one way or another. Let us not lose sight of the highest goal.¡±


    ¡°Apotheosis,¡± Jolene hummed.


    And the gates of the tower slammed shut again behind them.

 Season 3 Epilogue – Thank You

    One ornate pot of ash stood at the centre of a row of corpses.


    Blankets covered the bodies, yet even the curtain often failed to veil the state of the bodies. Where heads or limbs should have been, the cloth slouched to the dirt. Small amounts of blood soaked from cold wounds into the fabric.


    The total toll of lives had been four teachers and three students. Seven brave souls less, now on their way to the Trunk, to be used as the gods decided. Certainly, they would enjoy some time in the heavens, before their Sparks were reborn in another shape.


    Even if their souls continued, their lives were over. For those left behind, the knowledge of heaven was a soothing reality. It dulled the pain of those that had survived thanks to the bravery of the fallen. Of the party members and students of those that had given everything.


    The entirety of the combat group stood in a large crowd around the pit, where the bodies lay. The wooden boards had been removed, leaving only damp dirt. Any signs of the battle, the rain had washed away. Only the corpses, the scars, and the tail curving around Apexus¡¯ feet were proof now of it ever happening.


    The humanoid chimera stood two metres removed from his teacher. In a wheelchair, Maltos sat, his eyes struggling to stay fully open. For the past two days, he had been like that. What little of his prime had remained, had fully passed. His remaining muscles had withered away, his skin was spotty, and his hair was thinning by the hour. The one remaining hand laid in his lap, his leg covered by a blanket.


    With one deep breath, Maltos pulled his shoulder back and raised his voice, echoing the energy he had before the fight. ¡°I have few words left,¡± he confessed. ¡°To know the risks of enacting justice does not dull the pain of the ultimate sacrifice. We walk this path with strength of will. Some of us shine brightest in our last moments. Martyrdom is not the end one should strive for, yet its nobility should always be respected. Today, we lay to rest seven brave souls. Helmut, Jenna, Kaine, Sir Redahn, Velmina, Jakob, and Pronthin. A minute, for their sacrifice.¡±


    Silence overcame the group. A tiny cough caused Apexus to turn his head and glance at the crowd that had gathered beyond their funeral gathering. With the danger beaten, the inhabitants returned to their homes. They kept a respectful distance and joined in the silence, for the most part.


    ¡°We lay them to rest here, where they have fallen,¡± Maltos continued. ¡°This is what they wished, so it will be done. Take your last gazes upon your comrades, your teachers. Then, let¡¯s show them the final honour.¡±


    Maltos gave a signal with his hand and one of his assistants pulled back the wheelchair. For the next half hour, people would step up to the edge of the pit and mumble something, if they said anything at all. For many, saying what they wanted in their minds was enough.


    Apexus accompanied Aclysia to the edge. ¡°What do I say to him?¡± the angel asked, eyes trained on the urn.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the Monk responded.


    Aclysia stayed silent for a long while, before mumbling, ¡°I hope you found a satisfying answer, mentor¡­ and thank you for every lesson, however bitter it may have been.¡±


    The funeral proceeded. Shovels were passed around and the same hole that they had all dug for the fight was getting filled in. What had taken them days to excavate was filled in during one evening. Many hands joined them, many shovels were brought in. There were more than the adventurers who had fought that saw to this final rite.


    Apexus worked in silence, but it wasn¡¯t too long before his ears picked up the first laughter. After that, it did not take too long for the mood to rise from the sombre silence. These people were used to death. They had stared at it blankly in the face before. The teachers had done so until they had their fill, the students readied themselves to see it over and over again.


    Well past midnight, the final patting down of the dirt was concluded. A small hill remained, marked with a tree that Druids and Shamans together helped grow. Its leaves were a foreboding red, a remembrance of the blood that had been spilled.


    Under the branches of that young tree, long tables were put up. The funeral had passed and so it was time for celebrations. To remember the fallen and the joys of life. Those that had lost party members or friends were understandably less jovial than others, but all drank from the barrels that were rolled out.


    Apexus and his party sat outside the bounds of the main party. Only Reysha really cared to mingle with such a crowd, but she stuck with the rest of them. The slime sniffed the beer that had practically been shoved in his hands. He took a sip of alcohol and quickly put it aside. Like every other time, he did not like the taste nor the way it made his insides feel.


    ¡°More for me,¡± Reysha joked and grabbed the tankard. One in each hard, she went back and forth.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that disgusting to you?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fucking vile,¡± Reysha responded and burped, least of all because of the gases bound in the drink. ¡°Tasted like rotten eggs crossed with mould and pig piss - But I¡¯m getting shitfaced tonight.¡± She wretched and barely managed to wrestle the vomit back down. ¡°Alright¡­ maybe not¡­¡± she poured the contents of one tankard into the soil.


    Before the second could follow, her arm was grabbed by slender fingers. ¡°And why do the heroes of the day sit so far outside the celebrations?¡± Anohal peeled out of invisibility, just as he took the tankard from the redhead. The follower of Hashahin took a huge gulp and climbed halfway up the small hill they had made themselves comfortable by. It marked the border between the plaza and one of the larger properties. The Priest balanced on the artificial ridge, putting his arms wide out, as if he was struggling with such a simple task. ¡°You are the cause of the fight and none can question either your participation or the glory of the survivors. None would protest you joining.¡±


    ¡°What they would do is besides what we want,¡± Apexus told the man of the Church.


    ¡°And what is that?¡± Anohal wondered. When no answer came, he laughed and jumped, landing butt first next to Korith. The kobold eeped and cuddled more intensely against her man. ¡°A difficult question, it appears. Typically, there is a simple answer, the true answer, and the current answer. In your role, these likely are: freedom, you aren¡¯t sure yet, and a bit of silence.¡±


    ¡°If you can read the room that fucking well, why the fuck are you here?¡± Reysha hissed.


    ¡°Unlike you, my presence in these celebrations is merely tolerated.¡± Anohal downed the entire rest of the tankard, then leisurely tossed the empty container over his shoulder. ¡°The late arrival is only popular in shoddily written plays. The role I fill in this current play does not require me to be popular, however.¡± The smile suddenly turned into a frown. ¡°Albeit, it was regrettable how things panned out. The Church is a lumbering behemoth, capable of crushing anything, yet rarely ever in time. I hope the Inquisitor survived his off-stage role as a delaying factor.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Apexus asked.


    Anohal¡¯s smile swiftly returned. One after the other, he gave the four of them a once-over. ¡°To narrow down your archetypes. I believe I have seen enough for the night. Exit stage left. Teacher, enter stage right.¡±


    Before all their eyes, the Priest of the Actor god disappeared. ¡°What a bothersome man,¡± the tired voice of Maltos moved everyone¡¯s eyes to the right. The old monk himself barely managed to cut through the magical veil, until Anohal had backed off further. His eyes returned to the party. ¡°I take it you feel odd about joining such a festivity?¡±


    ¡°These three do,¡± Reysha responded and playfully kicked Apexus¡¯ knee. ¡°Antisocial that they are.¡±


    ¡°Too much noise,¡± Apexus stated.


    ¡°Tall crowds are scary, all was easier back in Hoard,¡± Korith added.


    Aclysia stayed silent, continuously cuddling up against her beloved. Noticing this, Maltos gestured for his assistant to push him a little closer. ¡°It appears you are not taking Pronthin¡¯s parting well?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Aclysia took a moment to sort her thoughts. ¡°¡­he remains an enigma to me. I cannot understand how he, who was so committed to his lack of certainty, would find such peace in death.¡±


    ¡°Pronthin had his troubles, more than most of us.¡± Maltos blinked and failed to open his eyes all the way on the way up. ¡°What you must remember is that he may have been eccentric and cynical, but he never wanted anything else besides the best for everyone. Remember him, if I may suggest so, by the way he lived, not by all the bitterness his words had to offer.¡±


    Aclysia nodded. Weakly once, then stronger two times. ¡°I will¡­ thank you.¡±


    ¡°I must admit that I have never been one for celebrations either,¡± Maltos turned the topic. ¡°Drink was never my strong suit, nor was it to be as jovial as these occasions demand. My comrades always called me stiff.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Not that I am in any condition to celebrate even if I wished to.¡±


    ¡°¡±Teacher¡­¡±¡± Apexus spoke in unison with the assistant. Both of Maltos¡¯ students were immediately worried for the old man.


    ¡°We all have our time,¡± Maltos told the two of them. ¡°Steady your breathing, control your grief. It honours me that you feel it. It honours me more if you remember the lessons I imparted to you.¡± Audible breaths were taken, spines straightened. ¡°That is proper. The truth is that I don¡¯t know how much more time I have.¡± Maltos looked at his hand and the loose skin that wrinkled on top of the bones. ¡°I have used the Physical Gate to exhaustion. My body is too damaged now to overcome what I had to do to myself. I may only have a few more weeks or I might make it a couple more years. My practical teaching days are over¡­ do you think I did anything regrettable since I met you, Apexus?¡±


    Apexus thought long and hard about that question. Was there anything his teacher should have done differently? That he himself would have changed about what had transpired? Ultimately, the Monk shook his head.


    ¡°Then there is no need to regret the state I am in. It is a sacrifice willingly made,¡± Maltos gave them a weak smile. ¡°If you do not care to stay, would you perhaps accompany me back to the temple. I¡¯d like to have a few words with you and to give you something.¡±


    Apexus nodded, knowing none of his party members would protest.


    Maltos spent the way asleep. After departing the plaza, his head simply tilted to the side and he was out. Few words were exchanged, neither between the party members nor between them and the assistant. The teacher only awoke when he was lifted out of his wheelchair and placed on the same pillow he always sat on, opposite to everyone else.


    Almost, one could ignore the empty sleeve and aged appearance of Maltos, when he sat there. Almost, until it became clear how much he struggled to remain upright. ¡°Have a rest, Hiron,¡± he told his assistant. ¡°I¡¯ll call you, if necessary.¡±


    ¡°Please do, teacher,¡± the assistant said and bowed, before leaving the room.


    ¡°I want to give you all some last advice, as a teacher,¡± Maltos told them. ¡°One last time, as long as I still can, if you would listen?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Reysha was quickest to answer.


    An amused, tired chuckle left the old man¡¯s throat. ¡°Ever the quickest to speak. A boldness I admire.¡± Maltos forced himself awake and focused. ¡°I believe you have already come to the conclusion to travel to another Leaf?¡±


    ¡°We have not come to a decisive conclusion on that train of thought,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°Then let it be my advice that you leave. Apexus, please check under my bed. There is a small box there.¡± The humanoid chimera stood up and lifted the thin, narrow mattress that the old man called his bed. Underneath, in a depression under the wooden framework, he found a metal box. The insides rattled, when he lifted it.


    Maltos took it with his remaining hand and lifted it against his lips. He whispered a word and the lock snapped open. With a trembling arm, he put it down and lifted the lid. Of the many small items inside, he placed two on the table. One was a compass, a needle pointing stubbornly north-east under a glass dome. The other was a golden key, ornamented considerably.


    ¡°This is a Leaf Finder ¨C Have you ever heard of them?¡±


    Aclysia, Apexus, and Reysha all shook their heads, only Korith nodded. ¡°I, uhm,¡­ I sorta have one,¡± she told everyone else. ¡°You know, to find my way back to Hoard?¡±


    ¡°How come you never showed us?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Well, I only really sorta have it when Hoard says I deserve it?¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Maltos commented, then suppressed a mild cough. ¡°The purpose of the device is clear. It always points at the path towards the Leaf it was created on. Currently, it points towards the Leaf of Terimaj. I believe, there you can find someone who can teach you the Gate Techniques. I do recommend that you find a few Leaves on the way, to hone your abilities as usual. Do as adventurers do. Conquer dungeons and help the people.¡±


    Maltos slipped the compass over the table and Apexus then moved it towards Aclysia. ¡°Why do you recommend we leave?¡± the angel asked, before picking it up. ¡°We have more that could be taught.¡±


    ¡°You need to step out of the shadow that chases you,¡± Maltos responded immediately. ¡°To stay here is to continue to prepare yourself for Apotho and Apotho alone. His terror cannot define you. I wish for all of you to leave your mark on the Omniverse. Even if he succeeds to get the better of you one day, I believe you will have improved this tree of ours more than he can rip away.¡±


    ¡°I agree with him,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°Honestly, if I keep just practicing things, I¡¯ll go fu- mental,¡± Reysha stated.


    ¡°Not a lot I can learn here anyway,¡± Korith grumbled. ¡°Stupid Vulk¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Then it appears we truly will leave,¡± Aclysia grabbed the compass. There were other Priests that could have taught her, but not much more than she currently knew. Whatever knowledge pursued in this Leaf would truly leave them preparing only for the next assailant Apotho would send for them.


    ¡°This second item is all I can give you,¡± Maltos then slid the golden key over the table. ¡°What else I may have parted with was destroyed or I reserve for another one of my pupils. This, however, I believe will be most pleasing to one who will make the pilgrimage.¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Apexus picked up the key and felt a tingle on his fingers. A wordless intent from the inside reached out for his mind. ¡°It wants to make a binding?¡± the humanoid chimera wondered out loud.


    ¡°This is a Wandering Estate,¡± Maltos explained. ¡°The spirit within allows access to a pocket dimension that you can use for storage and rest. The capacity of this realm grows with your level. As you currently are, it should at least be of a similar size to that house you currently stay in. I believe you will find it more homely than sleeping in tents during a rainstorm. Safer as well. Without the means of subverting a dimensional barrier, the door opened will be invisible and impassable except for those you wish able to.¡±


    ¡°This is most appreciated,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°Room! For gold! To then offer!¡± Korith squealed.


    ¡°Do with it as you wish, but be warned. The spirit inside is a rulekeeper. The door will not open, unless it deems the situation safe and it errs on the cautious side.¡± Maltos¡¯ eyelids again grew heavy. ¡°Apexus, if you alone could stay for one more moment.¡±


    The humanoid chimera turned to his party. The trio of gorgeous women rose. ¡°We will wait outside, darling,¡± Aclysia promised, taking the key with her. They would decide later who exactly it would bind to.


    Maltos reached under the table and placed one last item on top. It was a leather book, only as thick as Apexus¡¯ hand. The brown animal hide was in expert condition and clearly new. No letters were pressed into the cover. Apexus knew what it contained without opening it. ¡°The Techniques of the Flowing Waters school, in your own writing, with personal notes attached.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, teacher.¡± A heavy lump sat at the back of the slime¡¯s throat, even though there was nothing actually there.


    ¡°Put the box away, then help me into the bed,¡± Maltos requested. Picking him up was almost too easy. He was little more than skin and bones now. His weight was comparable to that of Aclysia. Gently, the slime placed his teacher on the thin mattress. Not knowing what else to do, Apexus sat by the bedside. This was not the first time he watched a frail old man with worry. This one harboured no secrets greater than the ones he had shared already.


    Maltos struggled against his tiredness and reached out. He placed a hand on the cheek of the humanoid chimera.


    ¡°We will have no greater goodbye than tonight, Apexus,¡± he said weakly. ¡°Always carry in your heart¡­ that I would have¡­ chosen no one else¡­ as my final student¡­¡± The hand slowly sunk down, until it dangled loosely over the edge of the bed.


    Apexus quietly took it and raised the knuckles to his forehead. For several minutes, he just sat there like that. Then, he carefully placed the hand on top of the chest. Slowly it rose and fell, according to the rhythm of his quiet breaths. The humanoid chimera bowed his head.


    ¡°Thank you for everything, father.¡±

 Season 3 Author’s Note

    Hello,


    Season 3 of Drip-Fed was a divergence from the formula for several reasons. To start with, there was no dungeon crawling this season, neither was there any loot to speak of. Instead, the arc was focused primarily on a specific few character arcs, fleshing out the world¡¯s power systems, and the addition of a new member to the party. Let¡¯s tackle these in reverse order. Afterwards, I will have the announcement of what is next.


    Before any of that, however, I want to give massive thanks to those that financially support me. 2022 was my personal deadline for whether or not this writing job could give me enough money to sustain me longterm and the answer is¡­ barely. I am not comfortable on my current income, but I will soldier on for the time being. If anyone out there feels inclined to chip in, please use one of the following links.


    /Funatic


    https://subscribestar.adult/funatic


    Now, let¡¯s begin with the new addition.


    Korith was a long-planned addition. First inspiration for her came from me finally deciding to add a shortstack to my body of work. I used to not see the appeal to the bodytype, but times change and so do I, so here I am. Someone posted a Shortstack CYOA on a Discord I am on, I used that to build Korith¡¯s body and general personality.


    Of course that wasn¡¯t enough to introduce her into the story. I am fairly good at restraining myself when it comes to introducing haremettes only for their bodytype. The attached story and powerset came easily to me. I¡¯ve always liked kobolds and slightly twisting the common understanding as draconic servants to hoarding stuff for another entity was fairly easily done. Then there was the matter of her personality. She¡¯s a fairly stereotypical shortstack (lewd, bit on the shy side, pretty casual, speaks in normal ways) with some further context and quirks (fairly modest, has a kneecap shattering side to her, LOVES money).


    The choice to make her the tank of the group was fairly easy as well. It flowed naturally from the scales¡­ and from me having mained Poppy in League of Legends for a time, if the hammer wasn¡¯t a dead giveaway.


    Adding her to the party also served as a splendid vehicle for character development for all four of them. The trio needed to open their trust, Korith needed to get a bit more assertive. It came easily to all of them, because they all tacitly agreed that they wanted it. Sometimes, characters just click together. When things are thought of properly, being an author is often nothing more than describing a chain of events that play out.


    Next, for the world¡¯s power systems.


    There is fairly little to say here, I believe. The intention here is pretty clear: bind the group in more firmly with their Classes, broaden their skillset, and simultaneously drill down on what separates each Class from one another. Giving each Class their own gimmick that is in line with the stereotypical perception worked quite well to make each of them unique and give strength and weaknesses. In Apexus¡¯ case, his choice of Class was also a vehicle for his character arc.


    Let¡¯s jump right into that.


    Apexus has developed considerably since he started as a gooey drop that fell from a cave ceiling. Much of this development has more to do with experience than him actually changing. To that end, this arc isn¡¯t much different, although there¡¯s key points that had to be addressed and resolved for our protagonist to move forwards.


    To make Apexus a Monk is a choice I had decided on since the middle of Season 1, just about. It simply worked best for him. Apexus was always a rather serene personality, patient and decisive simultaneously. As his horizons broadened, his questions became more and more esoteric and specific. To call him a philosopher would be overstating it, bit it appeared to me that Apexus¡¯ outlook would fit wonderfully in a stoic, spiritual mould.


    Deliberate movements, chosen words, contemplated actions, those fit the predator that only eats as much as he needs.


    Speaking of eating, this was a pretty important character arc in the first segment of this season. Apexus not having control over his hunger was a thing that haunted him. I think I¡¯ve done a poor job on communicating the guilt he has over eliminating the life of that guardsman, but on the broader issue of his need to eat I think I have delivered. Similarly, I believe this issue was solved with the appropriate amount of hardship. A fundamental need is not so easily overcome after all.


    As much an arc for Apexus as it was for the entire party was the reaction to Turlesh¡¯s pursuit. The moral question of how far they could drag on their trail of death was one thing. Less pressing and still going to be of question is how much the group lives in the shadow of Apotho¡¯s threat. Their trail is secure, the Church will see to that.


    Aclysia also continued and will continue her arc of religious learning. To place her under a cynical and disappointed Priest put a few more questions in front of her than she could probably handle. One could expect Pronthin¡¯s faithful sacrifice to assuage such confusions, but Aclysia is too smart to go for the simple answer. How this continues to develop, you¡¯ll see.


    Reysha developed fairly little this season. This is in part because she got the trauma-beating spotlight last season. In this one, it was more about re-establishing herself and using the ¡®gifts¡¯ she has acquired. In her position in the party, she¡¯s quite functional, so there¡¯s not much of a need to develop her in any certain direction either¡­ we¡¯ll see if that holds true for the future.


    That is about all I wanted to say about all of this, really. This Season was quite focused and breaking down the events that occurred over its course will not give you many new insights.


    Instead, let me talk about the future.


    Drip-Fed will continue as per usual on Wednesdays. I have no plans to change this in the near future. My schedule is quite productive and is working well so far. The next season, maybe even couple, will reflect that the group is freer than ever before. With Apotho off their butts for the time being and their secrets no longer secrets, they can move around like normal adventurers would. This will obviously influence their decisions and finally let them live in more regular ways.


    By insistence of one my proofreaders (Hello, Lim) I have also decided to treat them to a mobile home that they can stay in. :P


    Now, before Drip-Fed continues, I will go on a prolonged hiatus for this story. This is to get my notes in order, to build up a healthy buffer, and to hopefully start things off with a week with daily releases. A shot at getting into Trending. You know how the game is played. I also want to finish up the second volume of Welldark and have to keep writing the Gamer all the while.


    Until then, you can join my Discord to keep up to date with this or my other projects and/or click on the google form below to give me some detailed feedback in an easily analysed manner. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegYZTCvN2sP-fOauziAScV8BZCBQ7VNgbTHewPiY7e6-PYnQ/viewform?usp=sf_link


    Let¡¯s turn a new Leaf everybody.

 All but Forsaken Prologue – The Silence of the Night

    ¡°So, you¡¯re leaving.¡±


    The party was too tired to be surprised by the voice. Neither did the appearance of Mai confuse them at all. The elf was still in the brunette, middle-aged form she had assumed for combat. Her true form, the one she had the easiest time maintaining. No wound nor other mark tainted her form, save for the bags under her reddened eyes.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Reysha responded. The group came to a halt in front of the fungus-covered trunk. Some storm had blown it over years ago and none had made use of it before the wood started to rot. Now, only insects, moss, and fungi had use of it.


    Mai ran a hand over the bark. It peeled back, wet from the recent heavy rain. She nodded solemnly to herself. ¡°They¡¯ve finished celebrating. The mourning will continue.¡± She directed her gaze at the far distance, where the adventurers had their victory festival. ¡°With the outside threat removed, they may turn their anger towards you.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve helped us so far,¡± Apexus stated.


    Mai let out a dry chuckle. ¡°A desperate struggle and a trusted mentor do much to weld together strangers. With both removed and many dead, you¡¯ll find that some may change their mind.¡±


    ¡°Maltos isn¡¯t dead,¡± Korith mumbled.


    A wet snap and a chunk of the bark was torn off, revealing larvae writhing underneath. Mai inspected them for a little while, watched them scatter or squeeze into other cavities. She tossed the moist wood over her shoulder. ¡°Empires are strongest when they have an enemy. No gathering of people is different. What¡¯s your plan?¡±


    ¡°Go north. Then, take a ship to the mainland. All the way to the Stem, if possible. Then¡­ we follow the compass my mentor gave us.¡±


    ¡°A Leaf Compass?¡± Apexus nodded to the Infiltrator¡¯s question. ¡°Maltos always had a great many things hidden away¡­ If you turn right upon leaving this world, I don¡¯t know what awaits you¡­ it¡¯s been over twenty years since I heard news from that direction. Left you will find a few independent Leaves and eventually the former vassals of the empire of Ambrosia.¡± Mai played with the handle of her dagger. ¡°You¡¯ll find only ruins there. Perhaps a worthwhile experience for young adventurers like you.¡± She suddenly stood up. ¡°If you go to the harbour, you¡¯ll find a small vessel. You¡¯ll recognize it by the red paint. Use it.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t strike me as the fishing kind,¡± Reysha hummed.


    ¡°Vulk won¡¯t miss it and I¡¯ll tell Joey to haul it back next time he stops here.¡±


    Reysha let out a crazy little giggle, while Aclysia rubbed her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ uncomfortable,¡± she confessed.


    ¡°He won¡¯t mind,¡± Korith assured them. After getting beaten, thrown, insulted, and lectured by the man, she was sure he would at worst scoff and at best loudly laugh about this. Even in these current times.


    Aclysia remained hesitant. Gladly, she would have directed a few more questions at the Rogue teacher, but she was hidden. Swallowed up by her Skills as quickly as she had appeared. ¡°We¡¯ll take the boat,¡± Apexus decided. He was too tired, too eager to leave, to forego the opportunity.


    They reached the harbour when the sky began to turn purple. The calm sea greeted them, the tides neither in their favour nor an obstruction. Apexus and Korith rowed, managing to find a working rhythm despite their vastly differing sizes. The red vessel parted the greyish green sea.


    The sun rose and basked the gold and brown leaves of the Teacher¡¯s Isle in its rays. There, the earliest of birds were awakening. The adventurers were going to sleep long and hard, most of them would awaken to a stinging hangover. Although there was much to be felt, looking back to the island that they had spent most of the past 8 months, they all felt only this mild, peaceful longing for a world without loss.


    Alas, this was not that world.


    __________________________________________________________________________


    They were on the water for a few days, living off the remaining food they had stocked up during their time in their home. Landfall was made at the same port they had originally met Korith at. They did not come across Joey. It would have been satisfying to have one more opportunity to say goodbye to the captain. Another thing the world just did not afford them


    They travelled north. A journey of twenty days. A span of time during which their sombre mood surrendered to their companionship. It was nothing special that caused that. They did not come across any great person on their path through the Golden Fields. They did not face any great challenges in the Spilling Swamp. They did not need to go through any unifying process to get through the Northern Wall. Neither the forests nor the villages of Elomerstir offered them any troubles.


    It was just time. Day by day, hour by hour, they came to terms with what they had lost and cherished what they had gained. The memories of their teachers became compartmentalized. The way they wanted to remember their time there manifested. The lessons learned seeped in properly. All the while, Reysha was being Reysha, with her quick tongue and her quips. Aclysia was being Aclysia, with her frustration, seriousness, and deep analysis. Korith was being Korith, with her entertaining reactions, her greed and her adorableness. Apexus was being Apexus, with his assertiveness and odd contemplations.


    And so they were all perfectly recovered to universally give Anohal dirty glares when he greeted them at the outskirts of Stemfield.


    ¡°My, oh my, you did not think you could have the prologue to your next book without my presence, did you?¡± the priest of the Great Actor asked and bowed deeply. ¡°Do not worry, I am sure I¡¯ll have a passing role from here on out.¡±


    Anohal straightened up to the backdrop of the massive city that had grown where the Leaf was anchored to the Omniverse. The veins that spread through the entire world all were bundled up into a path of silver, shifting threads that reached up into an undeterminable point in the sky. Where normally only powerful adventurers and magical beings could interact with the veins of the Omniverse, their density here was so great that people and carts could travel up and down its steep incline, ignoring the usual suggestions of gravity. That commerce between worlds brought prosperity to an area already located beside fertile woodland.


    There were tens of thousands of people. A gathering ludicrous for Apexus, who was awestruck each time he was reminded what sapient creatures could create given time and resources. Towers ten stories tall oversaw fortifications and sprawling urban areas.


    All of that was difficult to enjoy with the effeminate man smiling ever so enigmatically in front of them. ¡°So you won¡¯t press us into service?¡± Korith leered at him and the two glass-eyed people behind him. One was Mehily, the other the Lord Inquisitor whom they had only met once before. The latter was greatly displeased by the question.


    ¡°That is exactly what we should do,¡± he hissed. ¡°You are the reason Apotho walks free, you should help us fortify the city.¡±


    ¡°This is where you will prepare for the other Deathhounds?¡± Apexus looked around, at the thousands of homes that could be caught up in the crossfire.


    ¡°There¡¯s no better position. A chokepoint that cannot be circumvented. Either to enter or to leave, they¡¯ll have to come through and we will be ready.¡± The Lord Inquisitor straightened up.


    ¡°Of course, the villain will not be foolish enough to send his resources into suicide missions like that.¡± Anohal kept on smiling, hiding his true thoughts on what he had just said. ¡°This is not that kind of play. Resistance must be prepared regardless. One never knows what he may send instead of a Deathhound or what means he may employ to check whether we have prepared or not. Therefore, our new charge will be to stay.¡±


    ¡°As should you.¡±


    ¡°As they should not,¡± Anohal chided his comrade melodically. ¡°You need to study scripts more entertaining than your theological works, Lars. The heroes of a story cannot stay. They need to explore the world, singular or manifold, and find power within and without.¡± The Blessed Trickster tilted his head, smile and eyes empty like the mask that symbolized theatre. ¡°Do you wish to go against my orders?¡±


    The Lord Inquisitor saw something in the impenetrable spectrum of colours that was Anohal¡¯s soul and turned pale. Even robbed of his colour, he remained straight in posture. ¡°I¡¯ll defer to the Ecclesiarch¡¯s authority.¡±


    ¡°Ah, to have a patron that bends even the stubbornness of Inquisitors. Truly, I am blessed to know Melawa.¡± Anohal turned back to the group. ¡°It will all move smoother if we are there to see you off.¡±


    Apexus just gestured for Anohal to lead the way. He truly did not like the priest, even if he had a pleasant chat with his deity before. Followers and gods did not have to be aligned. A fact that Apexus found as puzzling as he found it fascinating.


    The streets of Stemfield were busy. So busy, Apexus had to pick up Korith so they wouldn¡¯t lose the shortie in the constant movement around them. It got worse and worse, the deeper they got. Louder and louder, town criers competing with the shop owners advertising their wares, both of them overpowering the constant mumbling of hundreds of voices. The sheer density of different smells assaulted their senses.


    Then, they walked past a gate and it all faded into the background. They were inside a fortress now. An arena that wrapped around where the Stem touched the soil, overseeing new arrivals with ballistas and spears. Four gates led in and out, each manned with soldiers who took the necessary tolls of everyone entering or leaving. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The members of the faith militant stood out intensely. Where the local soldiers wore simple armours of iron, those of the Church were dressed in silver-gleaming polished plate, half-covered by tabards. Many had pendants of their deity around their necks. Paladins, as most of them were, they preferred shields and could wield large weapons that would have been too heavy for the average soldier to hold in one hand.


    Apexus and his party saw all of this from an elevated position. ¡°Why the fuck did you direct us to a tower?¡± Reysha asked and pointed at the Stem. ¡°We want to get there.¡±


    ¡°What do you see?¡± Anohal gestured at the courtyard. He looked at Reysha and softly shook his head. He looked at Korith and she looked away. He looked at Aclysia and she was too busy thinking to notice. He looked at Apexus and Apexus looked back.


    ¡°This fortress could not have been erected within twenty days,¡± Aclysia analysed. ¡°These procedures are too smooth to have been only put into effect recently. I have previously heard that Elomerstir has designs to expand... did the Church have to¡­ no, the Church is¡­¡±


    ¡°Impartial?¡± Anohal finished the sentence of the angel with a chuckle. ¡°No, young angel, the Church is a set piece. It takes the role it is required to, to see its purpose fulfilled. We are what wards off demons and Parasytes. We do not favour nations, but we will make deals to assure positions are given.¡±


    ¡°We should just reinstitute the Order of Sanctification,¡± the Lord Inquisitor growled.


    Mehily shook her head and explained it, following a questioning gaze from Apexus. ¡°The Order of Sanctification was a plan to directly sponsor the governments of Leaves. The Church would use its power to create a vassal state, tax it, gather more power, create more vassal states, gather more taxes, until the Church had the power to control everything.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a fucking terrible idea.¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Anohal shrugged. ¡°In the end, even the Church is just filled with sapient and corruptible people. It all collapsed, costing us more than we ever got out of it.¡±


    ¡°An issue of scope and conviction,¡± the Lord Inquisitor stated, with certainty.


    ¡°And besides the point.¡± Anohal gestured at the courtyard. ¡°Elomerstir will enjoy the backing of the Church. The wealth our garrison makes flow here. The security of soldiers they do not need to pay. The legitimacy of the crown that supports a holy cause. What will they make of it? Expansion, most likely. Will this enable their plans or merely pull them forwards, to take over the Golden Fields and the rest of the Leaf?¡±


    Apexus walked up to the palisades and placed a hand on the flat stone. ¡°You show us this to make us aware of the indirect effects of our actions.¡±


    ¡°You are ever the observant protagonist,¡± Anohal complimented. ¡°Your story is then your own, as are your consequences. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find the rest of the way. Lord Inquisitor, if you would follow me.¡± Anohal headed back down the stairs, as did Lars. The party did not have a need to add anything to their goodbye.


    Uncertain, Mehily stood where she was for a little while. ¡°It¡¯s good to have seen you one more time,¡± she said.


    ¡°Not gonna ask to come along with us?¡± Reysha asked with a cackle.


    The blonde shook her head, no smile on her face. ¡°We both know how that would end, Reysha. We¡¯ve changed, but¡­ I believe we¡¯d bring out the worst in each other.¡± The tiger girl just shrugged, not caring whether that was true or not. she had asked knowing she would get a denial as her answer. ¡°I¡¯m sure our paths will cross again. In the end, I, too, wish to contribute to Apotho¡¯s end.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your sin to bear,¡± Aclysia stated softly.


    ¡°It is,¡± Apexus disagreed. ¡°Just not hers alone.¡± He put a foot on the edge of the tower. ¡°Until we meet again¡­ can you check on Maltos at times?¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Mehily promised. ¡°Perhaps it would be wiser for you to-¡°


    The Priest did not get to finish the sentence. Eager to get off this Leaf, to be rid of the meddlesome Church and the noises of this city, he leapt down from the watchtower. A loud laugh warned him and he got into position to catch Reysha the second he had landed in the courtyard. Korith slammed down hard next to him, as unharmed as the landing had been impressive. Aclysia, meanwhile, hovered down elegantly, hands raised to dissuade the soldiers that were hurrying towards them.


    ¡°They¡¯re with us!¡± Mehily shouted down from the watchtower, causing the Elomerstir soldiers to halt and then watch from a distance, as the party marched up to the Stem and joined the loose trail of people that climbed the Stem. They did not care much to hinder people leaving their jurisdiction.


    The sensation was nostalgic. Each step brought them further away from the reality of this world. The smell of Autumn faded, making Apexus realize just how thick the humidity had been these past few months. The grey clouds turned opaque, then transparent, finally to disappear entirely. They were replaced with the endless network of silver branches that stretched on in an incomprehensible scale. All existed against the backdrop of the black nothingness that the tree was rooted in and yet more branches in the distance. It was impossible to say how far away it was. All was silvery white and the thickness of the branches was not uniform. What seemed the closest could be the farthest. What seemed like the trunk could just have been a particularly close branch that was vertical relative to them. There was no guarantee they were horizontal relative to the roots. Each branch was its own centre of gravity.


    The massive trenches in the bark served as the paths people travelled. Now outside, the commerce seemed so much milder. Many carts went left, few went right. Apexus pulled out the compass and the needle turned to the road less travelled.


    To them, that made no difference.

 All but Forsaken 1 – Directions

    The Progenitor wept.


    Veins of silver shifted in the sky. Layers upon layers of Branches that swayed against the writhing mass of nothingness that inhabited the darkness between the worlds. Wherever the Omniverse wasn¡¯t, there they were. Parasytes and that which was not yet defined to be a Parasyte. The unnamed, unreasonable, unsensible darkness that just was. They contrasted against the light of the Omniverse and suffered and hated it.


    Leaves of many colours hung from the Branches, attached by Stems of hardened light. The silver glitter was the very inspiration of the stars. Every firmament on the Leaves invoked that imagery, of flashes of powerful silver, like the roots of each world in the distance.


    A Stem had been cut.


    Apexus and his party stood among a crowd of twenty travellers and traders, atop a part of the road that saw it rise to a ridge of valleys in the bark. Many of those that stood there now wished the road had kept them at the bottom of the trench. At least there, they would have travelled in blissful ignorance of what was unfolding before them.


    A Leaf tumbled. The wish to reclaim in which the Branches swayed caused the world to sink slowly towards the bottom of the Omniverse. It looked every bit like a dead leaf tumbling in gentle winds. It looked so wrong. Between its sickly grey veins, peeks at the world that had been were still visible. The shape of the Leaf frayed around the edge. Gnaw for terrible gnaw, it was torn away by the darkness.


    And the cut Stem screamed. Screamed into the darkness with the deadly hiss of escaping energies. It was like a bushfire hitting a gas pocket. Like a mountain erupting. Like a tsunami breaking the dam. It was all of those and none of those things. For all of those things were only possible on worlds pulsing with that very energy that the Roots of the Omniverse had defined out of the primordial darkness. Energy that now returned to it.


    The Progenitor wept with one eye and coldly continued its work.


    Apexus and his party stared at the tragedy of a million souls. At the Leaf too titanic to be considered such. Raising one hand, Apexus compared the size of the Leaf against it. It was three times his hand, at a distance he couldn¡¯t even fathom. Yet a distance that he felt entitled to cross. The draconic magic cortex pulsed inside him. He put it to rest. Magic was a terrible tool where the beings that had caused this tragedy wandered.


    The audible grinding of her teeth caused three of the party members to look upon the last. Aclysia stared with hatred at the floor and squashed under her heel a black dot that stained the silver. Her eyes wandered around, finding the tic-sized Parasytes aimlessly skittering around everywhere, like ants waiting to pick up the right scent to act.


    ¡°You cannot hunt them all,¡± Apexus told her. ¡°It would be like trying to suffocate a fish in water.¡±


    ¡°I can make an attempt.¡± Aclysia¡¯s jaw kept grinding, until she forcefully closed her eyes and averted her senses from the dying Leaf. The moment she ceased to see it, she ceased to hear the screaming. It was not air the sound travelled through.


    In an ever-expanding sprawl, there was an ever-expanding number of losses. Such was the sad truth of the Omniverse, that there was too much creation to guard it all and that there always would be. Unless or until they lost it all, that was. A state that then would only last until a new Tree rose.


    Apexus put an arm around his metal fairy and guided her further down the road. His steps were what stirred everyone back to movement. The entrancing catastrophe unfolding a great distance away, they did their best to leave it behind. The cosmic insignificance they felt even after the sight disappeared behind a silver ridge gnawed at their innards. No wonder one of the traders attempted to distract herself by steering her cart towards the party.


    ¡°You seem quite shaken by what just happened.¡± The brunette woman was specifically gesturing towards Aclysia, whose hate had made room for tired resignation. ¡°You got experience with Leafcutters?¡±


    The party left it to the Guardian Angel to respond or to shush the trader away. After contemplating what she wanted, she responded. ¡°No, we have only encountered an Infestation from afar before,¡± she responded truthfully. She hesitated for a few more moments, then she gave the entire truth. ¡°My visceral reaction is due to my angelic origin.¡±


    The trader¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°By the 33, really?¡± she tilted her head, gave the angel the best once-over she could from her elevated position atop the cart. ¡°Always imagined you¡¯d be of the more radiant sort.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in wished-for exile, to spend time with my darling.¡± Aclysia lightened up a little at the use of that word and nuzzled deeper into Apexus¡¯ embrace.


    ¡°Oh, that sounds like a story I¡¯d like to hear!¡± the trader said. The party exchanged easily caught, doubtful glances. ¡°Come on, not like we¡¯ve got anything better to do out here!¡±


    The road ahead was clear. Generations of travel had left minor marks in the bark of the Omniverse, which in turn pointed the way towards the next Leaf. Not that finding the next world over was typically difficult. From a highpoint on the bark, one could typically spot the intense colours of the next Leaf at a distance. It was like seeing a mountain in the distance, several days on foot away, but as long as one had enough food and water, the trek could be made.


    ¡°If we tell you, I would like some information in return,¡± Apexus stated.


    The brunette woman looked at the stoic giant of a Monk. ¡°What kind of information?¡± she asked, not entirely sure what to make of his stone-faced stare. She felt like she was a field animal getting observed by a researcher.


    ¡°If you make this track often, you must know what is in this direction.¡± Apexus gestured in the generality of the Branch before them. ¡°We do not. That kind of information.¡±


    ¡°Also what the fuck you¡¯re transporting,¡± Reysha blurted out, much too curious not to ask.


    ¡°Well, I can answer that readily,¡± the brunette stated. ¡°Name¡¯s Vilma, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Apexus,¡± the leader of the party introduced himself, the other three followed. There was a moment of silence, where they did not know where to start or who should tell the story. In the end, Aclysia was the one to do it.


    She omitted the details of what Apexus was. In this version, he was an orphan, out in the world trying to find a place in it. An approximation of the truth close enough to serve for the purposes of being understood as it let them dodge some questions. The trader was a bit confused why Apexus would be hunted down for being an orphan, so Reysha had to jump in and supply a lie about him being, in truth, the bastard of an important noble whose wife was intensely displeased with the existence of a proof of his cheating.


    A bit on the fantastical side, but among all the other details of the tale, it blended into the background. The trader had no way to verify. They were several Leaves and a one-way teleportation away from Ctania.


    ¡°Wow,¡± the trader said at the end. ¡°So you¡¯re the reason all the Church guys are swarming Stemfield now, huh?¡±


    ¡°Indirectly,¡± Apexus confirmed.


    ¡°Wow,¡± she repeated. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been entertained¡­ to answer the easiest question first¡­¡± Vilma raised the tarp from her cart and showed the dozen large vases underneath. They were all sealed with wood and wax. ¡°Elomerian vinegar,¡± she reported. ¡°Sells for a ton in Tenour.¡±


    ¡°That sounds familiar¡­¡± Reysha mumbled.


    ¡°Tenour? Capital of the Sleeping Empire?¡±


    ¡°¡­Nope, doesn¡¯t ring a bell,¡± Reysha shook her head. ¡°Who the fuck calls their country the ¡®Sleeping Empire¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Dark elves have interesting tastes.¡± Vilma shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s a Hub Leaf about two weeks from here. It connects to the capital. You heading there?¡±


    Apexus shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re following a compass.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then we can compare!¡± Vilma reached for the Adventurer¡¯s Bag at her waist. Passive magic like that was typically too minor to attract the attention of Parasytes, even when she reached inside. The enchantment reacted to her intent and let her grab the item she searched for, instead of the piles of food and water she kept in there.


    She produced a basic wooden casing, at the middle of which was a compass whose needle pointed forwards and slightly off to the left. Apexus pulled out the equivalent that Maltos had given him. It had a sturdier metal case around the glass dome and was all around better made, despite the age. Apexus placed it next to Vilma¡¯s on the flat of her cart¡¯s seat, but always kept a hand on it.


    The vibrations of the two horses¡¯ steps did not bother the Leaf Finders. Put next to each other, their needles described two parallel lines. ¡°Seems like we¡¯re heading to the same place,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Or the same in-between,¡± Apexus stated and put his compass away. The Leaf Finders always pointed towards the path to that Leaf, not where that Leaf actually was. In the latter case, they would have been borderline useless. The Branches were a three-dimensional maze unnavigable, both in scale and in finding the path between them. ¡°What else is before us?¡±


    ¡°Well, first we¡¯re going to come across¡­ I don¡¯t even know what it is called.¡± Vilma scratched the back of her head. ¡°That¡¯s off the beaten path anyway. After that is Regurdia, then Veltund. I¡¯ll make a stop there and get my supplies stocked up.¡±


    ¡°Why do you not know the Leaf¡¯s name?¡± Apexus inquired.


    ¡°Never visited it, never known anyone that did either,¡± the inter-Leaf trader replied. ¡°Nothing valuable there, I suppose.¡± She smirked at the party. ¡°I¡¯m not the adventuring type. Vinegar trade is profitable, so I do it during the winter. Lack of weather out here is boring, but it sure beats freezing.¡±


    ¡°Winter is bad,¡± Apexus stated in agreement.


    The conversation stopped after a few more questions about the two Leaves she had named. Vilma tried to pick the conversation up a couple of times beyond that, but the ¡®day¡¯ was late and they were getting tired. The party eventually huddled up in a niche of the bark. The trader kept rolling on. Either they would catch up with her tomorrow or they wouldn¡¯t. That was the simple binary of their existence.


    ¡°You should try out the key,¡± Reysha stated.


    ¡°To utilize magic on the Branches is a dangerous task,¡± Aclysia reminded, only to put a hand on her chin. ¡°Albeit, the spirit within does not respond in dangerous situations. If it is the kind of overt magic that does not engage outside of worlds, it will not activate in the first place¡­ I support Reysha¡¯s idea.¡±


    ¡°Imma just¡­ get ready to run,¡± Korith confessed. One could not be too cautious when it came to attracting Parasytes.


    The entire party strained, ready to book it down the road, should their action cause the aimlessly scattered Parasytes to suddenly descend on them like a swarm of starving locusts. Apexus raised the key and pushed it into the air in front of him.


    Nothing.


    ¡°Well, that was fucking boring,¡± Reysha sighed. ¡°Guess we¡¯re still camping outside.¡±


    ¡°And tomorrow?¡± Apexus asked. ¡°What are we aiming for?¡±


    ¡°I think the unnamed Leaf sounds exciting.¡± Reysha¡¯s tail flopped on her bedroll, after she sat down on it. The temperature outside the Leaves was simply ¡®pleasant¡¯, but a blanket helped many of them to sleep for reason of habit alone. ¡°The other two are just civilized Leaves with nothing to do.¡±


    ¡°Dungeons exist wherever we go,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Yeah, so we don¡¯t have to think about those.¡±


    A logical answer, although not one Aclysia wanted to hear. The metal fairy sighed, ¡°I would be pleased to remain around civilization, but I accept that I¡¯ve gotten my wish for the past eight months. Korith, what is your opinion on the matter?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, we aren¡¯t trading so¡­ I think the unnamed one sounds most profitable?¡± The kobold was kneeling on a big pillow, kneading it with her claws. ¡°Maltos wanted us to seek out difficulty and¡­ if we¡¯re going to try and make the Omniverse a better place, going to the Leaves that are already good won¡¯t do much good? By Hoard, there has to be a better formulation of that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m picking up what you¡¯re putting down,¡± Reysha assured. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What is being put down?¡± Apexus tilted his head. ¡°I thought that was an euphemism for killing something that is in pain.¡±


    ¡°It is and it is also a metaphor for understanding what someone else means, in that context.¡± Aclysia scratched her beloved behind the fox  ear. The tip of his tail wagged at the tender touch. The limb taken from the Deathhound sometimes moved in manners that one would expect from a real dog, despite looking much closer to that of a salamander.


    ¡°Language remains confusing.¡± Apexus sighed and then made his decision. ¡°The unnamed Leaf interests me more and it is closer. Three votes to visit it. If we find nothing of interest, we¡¯ll leave afterwards.¡±

 All but Forsaken 2 – Rationality

    Why the tail?


    A Deathhound was a creature that was simultaneously complicated and extremely simple. As the near-peak of demonic evolution, it was defined by its ability to survive and thrive in the Hellroots.


    Regular lifeforms were defined by their ability to acquire sustenance. Although bears and wolves were impressive beings, particularly to sapient eyes, it was a matter of fact that mice were more successful from an objective perspective. They were higher in numbers, more adaptable, and could survive through resource shortages due to their diminutive size. It may not have looked like it, but when it came to thriving, mice would be superior to wolves. On the Leaves, the passage of time selected for the mutations, god-induced or natural, not for what being fought the best but whose versatility allowed them to best cope with or exploit their environment. It was the mistake of many a young god, to place a leviathan in their oceans, without the necessary food to sustain it.


    In the Hellroots, the question of sustenance did not exist. All demons whose Sparks were not consumed would be reborn in the spawning pods of their kind. As such, what drove the development of demons was the ability to kill those Parasytes capable of annihilating them down to the soul. Although that only told half of the story. Demons also evolved through the ability to exploit the world above for power, to harvest the Leaves when they were summoned to them and bring that power with them when they went back down. It was for this reason that demons were horrors to the mortals that they were created to protect. For their own survival, demons were incentivized to flail skin, eat marrow from living bone, and taste every emotion of the sapient beings of the Omniverse.


    Their cruelty was driven as much by their wish to survive as their envious bitterness.


    In the end, both the exploitation of the inhabitants of the Leaves and the combat against the accursed Parasytes made demons organisms whose only concern was fighting effectiveness. Their organs did not need to make sense. Stomach, teeth, tongues, eyes, claws, limbs, down to the very shape of their bodies, all of those just existed to facilitate their ability to deal as much damage as possible, while taking only as much as their supercharged regenerative abilities could deal with.


    Which presented an issue to Apexus, when he had understood that Turlesh¡¯s body had little of worth to offer him.


    The Deathhound was a mountain of muscle fibres and bones. His nervous system was a fascinating structure. The equivalent of the brain was a thin strip running through the length of the head, but the rest of the body¡¯s nervous system was more developed than in any regular humanoid. Blood was not pumped by a heart. It simply existed between muscle fibres, existing primarily as a healing and heat-distribution agent. The bones were designed with maximum surface area in mind, to give the extensive muscle fibres space to latch onto.


    In terms of internal organs, a Deathhound possessed very little. The ¡®stomach¡¯ that sat beyond the throat existed only to temporarily hold what little organic matter the creature actually swallowed and extract the magic from it. Because Deathhounds were so far up the hierarchy of demons, they had since lost most of the tools their lesser kin had to mass harvest weaker adventurers. There just was no point for them. Their only hope to step into the realm of Unreavs, if they even desired that, was through the direct feeding of mana by powerful warlocks or the devouring of select, incredibly powerful adventurers and Parasytes.


    Consequently, for a being that acquired the biological components of other beings, a being that had very little in terms of biological components left little to choose from. There were muscles, which Apexus already had, regenerative blood, which Apexus effectively already had, acidic saliva and additional limbs. The acidic saliva was a minor benefit and against Apexus¡¯ fundamental interest of dissolving things within him. That effectively left him with the selection of additional arms and the tail.


    It had not been an easy choice. The pair of additional arms could have been hidden within his current arms when they weren¡¯t needed, to be separated out when he entered combat. This was inefficient and could take several minutes of muscle rerouting, but it could be done. That was, if he wanted to hide the extra arms in the first place.


    What persuaded Apexus to go with the tail instead was, one, the lack of that potential drawback. Two, as convenient as additional arms fundamentally were, they would put his centre of gravity much higher, which made kicking and keeping his balance more difficult. Three, the tail of a Deathhound was remarkably strong, long, and prehensile. It was not that different from having a longer, more flexible arm to guard his back with. Something doubly valuable since he had wings to guard. Which led into the fourth reason: a tail would help shift his balance in the air.


    In totality, the tail was just more useful and unique than the arms were. A disappointing revelation for the slime at the time. A being that impactful for his life, he had expected to provide a more impressive part to his physique. In the end, Apexus settled with it and disregarded that disappointment. Even if it was not incredible, the tail addressed a weakness and so it was of utility.


    -________________________________________________________________________


    The party stood before the Stem.


    The exact size of the silver pathway differed from Leaf to Leaf, scaling with the amount of traffic it saw. The Omniverse was a cosmic organism in its own way, the gods and mortals part of its extensive immune system and neural network. Impulses as simple as ants following pheromone trails let it direct its power flow to where it was necessary. The might of the Omniverse was all that those that were could use. Unlike those that were not, the Omniverse was not infinite. Not in the definitive sense, anyway. In the writings of a mathematician, its scale and power would best be described as a growing infinity. In temporal reality, when observed at an exact point, by a mind capable of perceiving all within, the world tree would be a definite quantity.


    The Stem the party looked at was less than five metres wide. Broad, by common metrics, but when left and right of it the darkness of the woefully awake nothing sprawled out it looked tiny. The gargantuan Leaf at the end of it did not do the scale any favours either. It was the barest minimum to which a Stem could shrink. Even if it was unvisited, the Omniverse would not part with one of its Leaves willingly. Fall had never come to this tree.


    Apexus led the way, the firmness of the Stem under his naked feet. It was close to the wooden bases of regular leaves, flexible yet hard. The slowly shifting pathways of interwoven magic gave it a stringy texture.


    Aclysia and Korith were right behind him, grabbing onto his arms and eying the edge of the Stem, fearing it could narrow in on them in an instant and send them dropping like the dying Leaf still visible in the distance. To appease them, Apexus slowed down and continued with careful steps.


    Reysha ran right up to the edge of the cylindrical shape. ¡°Y¡¯all are bitches!¡± she shouted, walking at a diagonal angle. The Omniverse did not care for the common understanding of gravity, even now. ¡°The only one of us that could even try to leap off is the big man! Want to try that?¡±


    Apexus was about to deliver his denial, when a motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned his head to the tumbling Leaf in the distance. The fraying, doomed world, draining of light on its descent into becoming one with the primordial void. He looked at the Leaf and the nothing around it.


    And the abyss looked back.


    An infinitesimal mouth formed in Apexus¡¯ field of view. A refraction of light only existing to him, an attempt of his mind to give form to the vast entity that was defined out of the nothingness for the stretch of time it took for it to open and then swallow the Leaf hole. In one terrible moment, the screaming of the Leaf, the deception of his mind was extinguished once and for all.


    Aclysia took a sobbing breath and slowly collapsed to her knees. Tears streamed down her face. The imprint of the tendrils and teeth were still in her retina, of flower petals forged into blades by malevolence. The image that existed only for her rationality¡¯s sake. Korith swallowed hard, Reysha was on the border of hyperventilating.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± she pressed out. ¡°Don¡¯t try!¡±


    ¡°I will not,¡± Apexus responded, sounding calmer than he was. It was his duty, as a Monk and leader of the group, to stay in control of all he felt. ¡°That entity, it cannot reach us here,¡± he attempted to calm them with reason. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It would have worked, had there not been a cry from the void. The previously imagined creature peeled out of the darkness. Features tore out of the infinite backdrop, getting torn together. Against its birth, the Parasyte struggled. Black hairs wove together into black, matted fur, that shimmered maliciously in the silver light of the Omniverse. An elongated body, like that of a serpent, with half-flowers laying flat along its spine. A cleft jaw, permanently parted. Teeth of unsteady size, smooth as chitin.


    The creature roared with endless aggression and swam towards the branch. The motion was juvenile, inelegant, hateful and misguided. It dropped, affected by new forces it had never had to contend with, and sunk towards the Hellroots.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!¡± Reysha screamed. The humanoid chimera would not have put it as loudly or brashly, but he fully agreed with the spirit of the question.


    ¡°I-i-i-i-it was defined,¡± Korith stammered. ¡°Di-did you not learn about that?¡±


    ¡°No?!¡±


    Aclysia took several deep breaths, seeking solace from the loss in knowledge to share. ¡°What we possess above the Parasytes is our reason,¡± she stated. ¡°The primordial void wishes to see us undone, because we are and it is not. In the process of being, we define it and it hates being. Whenever the acts of the void are witnessed, we attempt to understand how it could occur. In the act of witnessing, through the act of rationality, we define a part of the void and thus separate it from the whole.¡± Hatefully, Aclysia stared outwards. ¡°Perhaps, eventually, the Omniverse will be capable of rationalizing the entire void into a tamed state.¡±


    ¡°If it hates being rationalized so much, why act where it can be witnessed?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°I do not believe the primordial void is capable of learning,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°To possess or lack knowledge is to have defining characteristics. The void knows everything. The void knows nothing. It acts when it does. So, the theory that is imparted to me.¡± The angel closed her eyes, to close her heart off from the loss and the anger. ¡°None of us could ever know for sure.¡±


    ¡°And what happens to it now?¡± Reysha was right next to the group again, unwilling to be any closer to the darkness than to them.


    ¡°Another enemy for the demons,¡± Apexus theorized and was not corrected. ¡°Their bitterness grows more understandable the more I learn about the world.¡±


    ¡°Yet how to address it?¡± Aclysia asked in a hollow tone.


    Apexus had no answer to that. He helped his beloved to her feet.  The events outside their control had passed. All they could do was concentrate on what they were capable of achieving, starting with putting one foot in front of the other.


    The many facets of the new Leaf before them reflected the nature of the world. There was water, plenty of water, with islands dispersed throughout more numerous than on any Leaf they had been previously. A world not of continents but of a great many small landmasses in clusters and isolated equally. An archipelago a world across. Then, the facets slowly faded, the silver and black of the Omniverse replaced with the clouded sky of the Leaf.


    ¡°Fuck, I think we have some rotten luck today,¡± Reysha groaned.


    Raindrops fell on them, and thunder cracked. A grey curtain hung thick over a landscape of buildings. Even obscured by the rain, Apexus and Reysha could make out the dilapidated state of the empty buildings before them. There was a city there, like there had been at every Stem they had visited so far, and it was devoid of any visible activities. No lights, not a single person hushing through the streets, and no guard to stop them when they ran to find shelter underneath an arch, damaged by the elements.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s worse, the existential fucking dread or THIS THUNDER!¡± Reysha shouted against the rumble that followed the illumination.


    Korith started to laugh. ¡°That you even think¡­ there¡¯s a comparison¡­ you¡¯re¡­ such a silly cat¡­!¡± she pressed out between giggles, then suddenly stopped. ¡°W-was that mean?¡±


    ¡°Dunno, don¡¯t care, tiddy lizard.¡± Reysha smirked and ran a hand through her drenched hair.


    Aclysia gazed at the sky. ¡°I doubt that this will clear within the next few hours. May I suggest we wait out the weather in the confines of our retreat?¡±

 All but Forsaken 3 – Home is where the key turns

    The golden key weighed heavy in Apexus¡¯ hand. Its form had been left unblemished by the passage of time. What dirt and grease could have accumulated in the ups and downs of its ornaments had been carefully cleaned by Maltos. The head of the key was a circle, containing a tiny, stained-glass relief. A dot of red in a circle of white, shaped like a flickering flame. The symbol of the fifteenth goddess, Melysia of Hearth and Home.


    The tip of the key pushed into rippling air, itself a reason for the party to breathe a sigh of relief. Where the key let them pass, there was no danger to be expected. Apexus turned the key. A lock clicked and the shape of a door was projected onto the air in front of them. Within a radiant outline, brown finely carved wood appeared. A lightning bolt danced over the grey dark clouds above. Its foreboding light failed to overcome the gentle, inviting glow of the artefact.


    Apexus withdrew the key and pushed it under his skin. Once through, the slime within pulled it deeper, until the key rested between the bones of his forearm.


    Pure metal he could not digest, not even if he tried, and so the safest place for their home was between the bones of his lower arm. Even if a thief got his Adventurer¡¯s Bag, it would always be with them. Albeit, Apexus would still move it to the bag before they entered a dungeon or a place of other, frequent combat. The key was an item of incredibly high level. Still, the humanoid chimera did not care to test its shock absorption or heat capacity.


    He grabbed the handle and a quick mental exchange occurred. The spirit within the key, now dwelling in the set-up space, confirmed that its owner was attempting to open the door and inquired who was allowed to enter with him. Apexus revealed the faces and names of the people, the thoughts he had for them, and the spirit understood swiftly. The door opened.


    ¡°That was quicker than usual,¡± Korith squeaked.


    ¡°It remembers,¡± Apexus told her.


    ¡°It occurs to me that the manner by which it identifies us is subject to trickery. Even a scan of appearances and surface thoughts can be overcome,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s ever totally safe.¡± Reysha hissed at the clouds. ¡°Can we get inside before I declare war on rain? Fuck, if we landed in another Autumn Leaf imma stab something.¡±


    ¡°You always stab something,¡± Apexus remarked and stepped into the home.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, sometimes I get stabbed!¡± Reysha complained and followed, alongside the other two party members.


    The Wandering Estate was an item of a high level, which was the very reason why the goddess who had created it had built in a safeguard to not make it too attractive to be used by just about everyone. The spirit that dwelled within, in many ways an angel of much lesser status and intellect than Aclysia, used parts of its owner''s magic to access the space it then shaped according to their instruction. In other words, to access the true luxury the Wandering Estate could provide, one had to be an adventurer of power.


    At Apexus¡¯ current level, they entered a single room, roughly five of Apexus¡¯ strides deep and three wide. It was slightly larger than the house that they had left in Tacuitos. The walls were of a non-specific, brown wood, the roof flat, the floor smooth with flawlessly set tiles of terracotta. A singular window in the left-side wall let in dim light, increasing to bright flashes occasionally. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Korith hurried over to the window, held on to the sill, and peeked outside. It was like staring at a decorative fish tank. Less than a metre deep and ending shortly beyond the boundaries of the window frame, the pocket space contained a miniature sun covered entirely by tiny thunder clouds that crackled, copying the weather conditions and time of day of the world outside.


    The kobold¡¯s tail wagged. ¡°If I could get that tiny sun out of there, how much do you think it would be worth?¡± She turned her head to Aclysia and Reysha, who knelt down just a step away from her by a stone fireplace.


    ¡°Not particularly much, it appears to be a more powerful version of the basic Ilumni spell.¡± Aclysia created a ball of warm light above her hand. ¡°It is a basic spell that Priests of all seasons are privy too. I therefore expect it to be of little more worth than your average magical light, if it is even capable of being physical moved at all.¡± Aclysia concentrated the magic of the ball of light and turned it into a ray that then struck a pile of neatly stacked wood.


    Apexus closed the door to the space behind them. If anyone had been watching them from the outside, the door would have vanished from their sight at that point. In return, the group was clueless regarding anything going on outside besides the weather communicated through the window.


    The humanoid chimera put his hand in a vase full of water in the corner and drank deeply. The level of water decreased visibly, as he refreshed himself. The rainwater outside would have done it, but this was more efficient. Once he withdrew his hand, the surface began to rise back up.


    The Wandering Estate provided some luxuries. Both the firewood and the water were created by the magic of this place. There was a limit to both that exceeded standard consumption by a comfortable amount. The toilet in the room accessible through the door opposite of the window was also self-cleaning, which was especially comforting to Korith.


    There was a limitation to this in that the resources generated in the Wandering Estate could not be removed from it. When they filled their waterskins from the vase, they would find them emptied the moment they stepped out. The wooden logs disintegrated into nothing in a similar fashion.


    The Wandering Estate provided no food, nor service, nor any variation of heat to the water ¨C not yet. It also did not provide any furniture, which was why they had spent about an hour before leaving behind the Teacher¡¯s Isle moving their belongings from the house into this new place. Their haybed, the pots and pans, the table, the cushions, all of that was in there. The Wandering Estate did provide fresh hay for the bed, so they slept as comfortably as one could ask for.


    The fire soon burned, giving some direct and additional heat for the drenched women, who settled down on the blanket spread out in front of it. Aclysia grabbed a teapot, hanging from a metal bar under the ceiling. The other cooking utensils rattled when she tapped against them. She proceeded to fill the pot with water and a couple of leaves, and just a sprinkle of the magical herbs they still had. ¡°Best to use these while they still have some power,¡± she said, as she hung the pot over the flame.


    ¡°Fuck, I hope we find something on this Leaf I can eat.¡± Reysha checked her eyes in the reflection on the water. She spread her lids wide open with her fingers. ¡°They¡¯re almost pitch black now,¡± she said and then looked at her crimson, barely translucent nails. ¡°Noir almost ran its course.¡±


    ¡°Noir cannot run its course, it is a permanent affliction,¡± Aclysia corrected.


    ¡°No need to be so totally pedantic when everyone knows what I mean, bubble butt.¡±


    ¡°I cannot be sure if I know what you mean when your statement leaves such ambigui-.¡± A wet slap stopped Aclysia. Reysha¡¯s soaked shirt wrapped around her face, the linen assuming the shape of the metal fairy¡¯s face from the force of the throw.


    The tiger girl burst out laughing, having not expected her titty-freeing manoeuvre to net her such a fantastic scene. The laughter only grew louder and more manic, when Aclysia peeled the wet cloth from her face and glared at the redhead, her backwards-combed, white hair dishevelled from the experience.


    ¡°Could you do me a favour and, at any point between now and our shared future, find your maturity?¡±


    ¡°Lots of wiggle room there, so I think I¡¯ll get that done at some point.¡± Reysha peeled out of her pants next. They were handed over to Aclysia in a normal fashion and soon hung onto the metal bar, above the fireplace, to dry. The rest of the clothing of the party was put up there as well. Aclysia needed to put some of the cooking utensils on the floor to make space.


    The water was hot by the time she got done with that and she poured everyone a cup of tea. Reysha and Korith could use it for warmth, Aclysia liked the taste, and Apexus had decided to pick up the habit. Not all that an admired person did had to be copied, yet there was a utility in trying things. Besides, he had found that herbs had some interesting effects on his physique, typically mirroring those it had on most other sapient beings. It was useful to have a general idea of what they all did.


    ¡°Maybe I should shorten my hair.¡± Apexus ran a hand through the wet strands, trying to drink the moisture out of them. It was a bother to deal with hair, especially when it was this long. There was a powerful counterargument, however.


    ¡°No,¡± Reysha denied.


    ¡°It looks good on you, darling,¡± Aclysia joined the tiger girl


    ¡°I-I also think you should keep it,¡± Korith made it a universal vote.


    When the females around him aligned for an aesthetic choice, Apexus followed. His looks were more for them than they were for himself. As long as his physique overall remained efficient, he did not mind the minor heat loss that was wet hair. ¡°Then long it remains,¡± he said and sipped on his tea. It had a strong, herbal flavour. Apexus liked that it was hot. The magic in the liquid was tasty.


    As the heat settled in and their naked forms dried, comfort took hold in the room. The rain softly tapped against the window, the fire crackled, and Aclysia hummed. She stopped for a moment when she noticed, then continued without a care. There was no need to be embarrassed around them.


    ¡°We should buy a bookshelf,¡± Reysha said out of the blue.


    ¡°You? Suggest a piece of furniture for the storage of intellectual mediums?¡± Aclysia asked.


    The tiger girl just shrugged. ¡°Only stuff we can do in here is sleep, eat, play games, and fuck. I like all of those things, but might as well make the list longer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like a place where we can store board games,¡± Korith added. ¡°There¡¯s only so much I can do with dice and cards. A few wooden tiles would let us expand so much! We could play Hoardingsum!¡±


    ¡°How do you play that?¡± Reysha asked and was consequently the target of a lengthy diatribe of the way Hoardingsum was prepared and played. Apparently the spirit of the game was a balancing act between surviving and giving as much money as possible to the Hoard. The money in that game was actual coin or other easily tokenized valuables. ¡°Lemme guess, squishy, at the end of the game everything in the pot gets actually sacrificed to Hoard?¡±


    ¡°Psh, whaaat¡­?¡± Korith turned her entire upper body away to dodge the inquisitive gazes of her party members. ¡°W-well, there¡¯s this home rule that only the winning kobold has the honour of sacrificing their spendings.¡±


    ¡°And without home rule?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°We all get the honour of¡­ you know¡­ giving to Hoard.¡± Korith bashfully pushed the tips of her index finger fingers together and turned with big puppy eyes to the party. ¡°C-could we play without the home rule?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aclysia smote her down immediately. ¡°Hoardingsum shall be a game, not our actual situation. Besides, we currently have little funds available.¡±


    ¡°How much is little?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about our money in a fucking while. We weren¡¯t spending anything.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t spending anything, I had to make sure we had salt, soap, and a list of other conveniences that foraging does not provide.¡± Aclysia opened her Adventurer¡¯s Bag and pulled out the party purse. What came out was 1 single gold coin, 14 silver, 5 iron, 9 bronze, and 15 copper. An odd assortment of coins, much of which they had picked up just as change. ¡°We are comfortably far away from broke, given our general self-sufficiency, Still, we should shore up our savings.¡±


    ¡°We should also start leaving part of the money in here,¡± Korith suggested. There were some concerned glances in her direction. ¡°No, not so I can steal it!¡± she assured them, and there were chuckles around the table. No one distrusted her enough to think that was actually an option. ¡°I just mean we should have it spread out a bit so we don¡¯t lose everything at once if it gets stolen or if we get separated.¡±


    ¡°A good precaution,¡± Apexus agreed.


    ¡°Currently unviable,¡± Aclysia deemed, after some consideration. She scooped the coins back into the coin purse, then put the purse into the bag. ¡°However, certainly a good course of action once we have acquired a measure of wealth.¡±


    ¡°Is that our next goal then?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°I do not know if chasing money is a worthwhile hunt,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°We have little need of it overall.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only because we¡¯ve been avoiding civilization consistently.¡± Aclysia turned her empty cup with one hand in a rhythmic gesture. ¡°If we want a bookshelf and items to fill it with, then we will require additional funds. I¡¯d also like more clothes. Two outfits are better than one and still do not satisfy entirely. Further I¡¯d like a proper cleaning utensil for the clothes.¡±


    ¡°If we ever make it to a proper adventuring Leaf, we could also buy some more equipment,¡± Reysha put it out there. ¡°Iron and steel won¡¯t cut it forever ¨C specifically it won¡¯t cut the dungeon monsters we¡¯re facing forever. I only have that axe at the moment.¡±


    Apexus nodded. ¡°I understand¡­ then yes, perhaps focusing on earning where we can would be wise.¡±


    ¡°Just leave the bartering to me!¡± Korith proclaimed confidently. ¡°I can haggle!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s like the one area where I expect you to actually get aggressive,¡± Reysha giggled.

 All but Forsaken 4 – Exploration

    Apexus woke up to the soft sounds of water dripping back into a container. Opening his eyes, he turned his head and beheld the naked metal fairy. She had her back turned to the bed, showing only the elegant form of her snow white back. A rag, as clean as they had available, was rubbed over her shoulders. She cleaned the remains of travel and of sleeping in the hay off herself. What little had persisted after the last two cleanings.


    The thunderstorm had remained for two consecutive days, ebbing into regular rain and then surging back up to blackened skies and loud booms repeatedly over that duration. If today had marked the third day, their diminishing resources would have forced them to set out no matter the weather.


    ¡°Good morning, darling,¡± Aclysia whispered, realizing his lingering gaze. A smile played over her lips while, as quiet as possible, she cleaned out the rag she used to clean herself.


    ¡®She deserves more,¡¯ Apexus thought. He knew how much happier she was with their permanent home. Settling down was her goal. This was a suitable compromise between that and travel. Their own movable retreat.


    Seeing her sit on the blank tiles, with nothing but a shared rag to clean herself, was unworthy regardless. The angel of his life deserved better than to rub her skin with cold water and dry herself by a basic fireplace. In a cramped room. With nothing to do except sort pans for the thirteenth time, while they all slept. To eventually put on clothes that were dirty from being worn every day during travel.


    To expand this place as his Levels increased was just another reason he needed to grow stronger.


    Aclysia continued to clean herself, while her beloved failed to answer. It was cute when there was contemplation racing behind those eyes. She had watched this deliberate side of him form from his humble beginnings as a patient predator. With fluid motions, her darling chimera moved out of the bed and over to her.


    They said nothing. Not as Apexus took the rag from her and not as Aclysia leaned against him. Eyes closed, she let the rag travel over her skin. Every centimetre of her, he cleaned and then he held her in his arms, as the fire dried her. That was the best he could do for her, in their current situation. For Aclysia, this was enough. For all else that she wanted, this was what she needed. Affectionately, she rested against him.


    Apexus held the world between his arms. To fully hold her like that was only one advantage of being so large. He gazed into the fire, calming his mind by attempting to find a pattern to the flickers. His ears remained ever attentive to the breathing of the two girls still in bed.


    Time elapsed and a second glow entered the chimera¡¯s periphery. Behind the curtain, closed to shield them from the light of the thunder, the soft golden glow of the sun shone through. ¡°The storm has passed,¡± Apexus said.


    _______________________________________________________________________


    The door disappeared first, then the frame began to dissolve into nothing. It started at the right side, went up and down in equal measure, and arrived next to the lock at the same time. The golden keyhole was the last to linger. It too faded, before three seconds had passed. Apexus put the key back into its storage space within him, then led the way.


    The ruins were covered in puddles. Long forsaken sewage systems became the gathering spots for deep pools and barely moving rivers. What little segments had not been blocked by the passage of time only slowly let the water escape. The rock was sturdier. For hundreds of metres around, much of the surface was sealed or at least covered to such a degree that the water could not seep in fast enough between the chunks of cobblestone.


    Apexus knelt down next to a patch of grass that had managed to stick out between two such stones. Equally hungry and curious, he chose to satisfy both by grabbing the plant and ripping it out. It took more force than he had initially considered. The grass stretched, mud squelched, but Apexus succeeded. In his hands he held a bushel of grass with thick roots three times as long. It looked like the plants existed on self-grown stilts.


    The humanoid chimera presented it to his companions. Reysha just giggled at the scene, while Korith tried to understand and failed. Aclysia inspected it from multiple angles. ¡°Worrisome,¡± she said. Apexus nodded in agreement, then unhinged his jaw and swallowed the plant whole. His throat bulged for a moment.


    ¡°What is?¡± Korith asked, when she failed to find the answer on her own.


    ¡°The plant is adapted to stay anchored deep in the ground.¡± Apexus rose to his feet and looked around at other plant life. He was not hungry enough to sample all of them. The very fact that they all were still rooted as well was proof enough. ¡°A precaution against regular heavy rains moving the topsoil.¡±


    ¡°So, such thunderstorms are regular here?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°Because fuck this place if so.¡±


    ¡°Regular enough to be created with precautionary measures,¡± Aclysia stated and looked around. ¡°Do we wish to retreat with just this?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus gave his opinion. It was misunderstood by the other three as a hard decision. Misunderstood and accepted. When the leader gave an opinion and none questioned it, it may as well have been an order.


    Back on his feet, feeling the mossy cobblestone under his naked soles, Apexus led the way. That was, until they came across a patch of dirt. What once had been the garden of an estate whose fence had long since dissolved into rust, now housed a muddy mix of wild plants. In the middle of it was a cut of bare soil that even the heavy rain hadn¡¯t managed to fully decompress. Fresh footprints went along its length.


    Apexus pointed at a nearby house entrance, then caught Reysha¡¯s eyes and gave her a signal with his head. He, Aclysia and Korith moved into the building. Simultaneously, the tiger girl crouched down. Her presence minimized. Carefully, to have less to suppress, she followed the footsteps. Her party stayed quiet and behind, scanning the withered towers and toppled walls for any hiding places hostile scouts could use.


    Whatever or whoever inhabited the ruins was typically not the civilized sorts. They hoped that the rainfall had masked their arrival on the Leaf or that they were wrong in their assumption. Reysha returned to them after just a little while. Weaving a Directed Whisper, she contacted them without risk of anyone overhearing. ¡°Nothing yet, but I found a good spot up ahead.¡±


    Apexus nodded and they quickly followed her. Korith was the biggest concern for volume. In her full armour, she rattled occasionally and had to avoid the mud. One sticky patch of wet soil would be the ruin of their sneaking approach. They managed, however, and Reysha proceeded to scout further ahead from there. Each time, she returned swiftly. She avoided pulling too far ahead. The quickest way for a Rogue to die was to find themselves isolated in an enemy encampment.


    Her cat ears picked up a high-pitched, raspy voice that barked in an annoyed tone. ¡°Where?!¡±


    ¡°They were down this way! On the road, I swear!¡± The response elicited some kind of physical punishment, as the pained response that followed made clear.


    Reysha turned another corner and caught two small, green and barely clothed humanoids stalking up the road. They had large ears and large noses. Their lips were pulled back, revealing sharp teeth in their ugly faces. ¡®Feral goblins, ew,¡¯ Reysha thought. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the Omniverse, goblins had a bad reputation, for some good and some not so good reasons. Goblins were generally lower in inhibitions than most other races. Simultaneously, their smaller and weaker stature was compensated by higher wits. This made them adventurous crafters and traders. All of that was only true in a civilized setting, however.


    When malnourished during upbringing, the first thing goblin biology sacrificed was brain development. Their intellect and general empathy diminished, leaving aggressive, small humanoids. Malnourishment did not lend itself to attractiveness either, so they were typically ugly to boot. A drawback when it came to developing a reputation. People were always quicker to judge that which they did not like to look at.


    Their aggressiveness combined with low inhibitions led to a predictable but terrible outcome on impoverished Leaves or areas thereon. Malnourished goblins typically turned to cannibalism. First of each other, then of whatever people they managed to get their claws on. Simultaneously, goblins were among the most widespread species in the Omniverse, being more adaptable than dwarves or other shortfolk when it came to the environment, and always eager to exploit another Leaf for trade opportunities.


    Goblins were among the most maligned humanoids out there. There were good reasons to avoid the feral tribes, none of which reflected on those that had been brought up with enough food and culture to be as civilized as every other humanoid out there. It was an unintended, cruel twist of their attributes that created one and maligned the other.


    All that Reysha knew about goblins was that they were aggressive, hungry, and many. Their physical weakness was more than made up for by numbers. She sneaked back to where her party was hiding. ¡°Feral goblins,¡± she explained to her party members. ¡°I only saw two so far. There¡¯s bound to be more. They¡¯re heading for where we found their tracks and it sounded like they had seen and lost us.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯d be open for dialogue?¡± Apexus asked quietly.


    ¡°Unlikely, they¡¯re probably looking for dinner,¡± Reysha responded. Both her and Apexus¡¯ ears kept turning, taking in every slight sound. It informed them of more than their eyes could, tucked away as they were in what had once been a hallway.


    ¡°We¡¯re avoiding them,¡± Apexus finally decided. He did not want his first interaction on this Leaf to be a hostile one. Their chances of victory, even against a larger group of goblins, he deemed as high. There was no need to risk it though. At best, the goblin had intel about the area. ¡°Reysha, keep scouting a path. If they spot us, we run.¡±


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Reysha responded, the other two just nodded.


    Reysha spread her magic through her joints again and Stealthed out of the hiding spot. After moving away about fifty metres, she could hear the two goblins argue down the main road. The urge to mess with them was intense. What was someone a Rogue for, if not to make a fool of their enemies?


    The combined slaps of Aclysia and Mai proverbially hit her on the back of the head. One chastised her for reasons of immorality, the other for inefficiency. Reysha may have tried to argue with the phantoms in her consciousness if it hadn¡¯t been for Korith and Apexus staring her mental self-down. Sighing silently, she moved on.


    ¡®Life is a lot less fun when you¡¯re responsible.¡¯ Reysha soon picked up the wretched scent of rotting meat and faecal matter. She followed the unappetizing mixture to confirm her hunch. In a circle of rearranged rubble was the camp of the goblins. About two dozen more were in there, attempting to create primitive weaponry or other tools. Two goblins were watching the fire, a few others were by a wooden fence that looked like it should have held cattle. Instead there were four children, fighting over scraps. The way degenerated goblins raised their young was the primary reason they struggled so much to claw their way back up to civilization, even if they stumbled their way into more resources.


    Reysha backed away before a particularly astute member of the tribe could notice her. Now that she knew which direction to avoid, her job was a little easier.


    Half an hour later, she had guided the party out of the city and into the surrounding woodlands. With every step they took, their confidence they hadn¡¯t been spotted grew. The trees were dense enough to provide cover, although not so dense to make for a proper jungle or forest. The ground was generally even, with an occasional stretch of marsh being the only obstruction in movement.


    They did remain on high alert despite that. When there was one goblin tribe, more were likely to surround it. A place to hide would have been appreciated, but they settled for a hill from which they could see potential assailants. ¡°Aclysia, compass,¡± Apexus ordered and the metal fairy swiftly pulled out the instrument.


    It was one of the graces of the gods that compasses worked on all but the most hostile Leaves.  No matter if flat, round, or bowl shaped, there was a north. Whether that north was up, down, left or right relative to the Stem was always different. Important was only that there was a fixed point that could be used for orientation.


    Aclysia aligned the needle to the north, then turned in the other direction to make out the east and west difference. ¡°We came from the east,¡± she reported.


    Apexus considered where to go, with that information. No intuition came to him, besides not east. He shook his head and fixed his gaze on a nearby tree branch. It was old and sturdy. A good launching point. ¡°I¡¯ll gather some more intel,¡± he announced, then jumped onto that branch.


    It creaked under his weight for the moments he lingered there. With another jump, he gained several metres worth of elevation. The third jump delivered him to a young branch, too flimsy to hold more than a small bird¡¯s worth of weight. Despite that, Apexus¡¯ neither bent nor broke the branch. He was light as a feather for a step, and that was all he required to jump to the canopies. He landed on the very top of an old maple, spread his wings, and used another Feather Step to allow himself the launch.


    Emerald wings beating, he transitioned quickly to flight. His muscles pulled tight, to prevent his humanoid limbs from hanging detrimentally in their draft. The smooth tail tilted left and right, to support his balance, until he had stabilized. He rose higher and higher, until he had a proper view of the environment.


    East were the ruins. From this far up, Apexus realized it was the smallest city of all those located at a Stem he had ever seen. Even in its prime, it couldn¡¯t have been home to more than a couple thousand wealthy individuals. The properties were enormous for a city, with many courtyards and plazas.


    North was water. Only water. An endless expanse of ocean that stretched from horizon to horizon. South was mostly water. A pathway went on and on, mountains hiding just how far it went. West, too, was more land. Split apart by a vast river, a hundred metres across, the woodland and plains looked like the deformed head of a serpent, its mouth wide open. Apexus went a little higher, the impression only growing. The ruin of the city was where the eye would be. The origin of the river was found among the mountains to the south east.


    Apexus did one more circle, then searched for a spot of white in the green beneath him. Hovering above the canopies, his beacon waited patiently. Aclysia smiled to herself when her darling returned to her. He slowed before they met in a hug in mid-air. Skillfully, he lifted her into a princess carry, just as he halted his descent by landing on a fragile branch.


    Feather Step for Feather Step, he descended back underneath the patchy roof of wet leaves. They landed just a dozen metres removed from where he had started. ¡°We go south,¡± he decided.

 All but Forsaken 5 – Serpentine Shrines

    Reysha kept a hand on her mouth, to keep her from spitting out the mouthful of cooked meat that she had just stuffed in there. To chew it was like biting on worms in an apple made of maggots, minus the writhing. After the bare minimum, she swallowed the meat. Stomach acid met it halfway, but she managed to wrestle it all down.


    Immediately she grabbed the waterskin. What others would have described as the delicious, rich juices of nicely seared meat, to her was a sour and bitter mixture that could not be rinsed out of her mouth fast enough. She gargled and spat, then repeated it.


    ¡°Is it really that bad?¡± Korith asked. Unlike the other two, she had never seen Reysha fight the effects Noir had on her tastebuds. For as long as the kobold had known the Ragressian, there had always been some option to spice up their meals with the magic required to keep her condition appeased.


    ¡°Imagine you have a pile of money,¡± Reysha told the shortstack. An easy mental image, Korith always imagined treasure that would fill Hoard with joy. ¡°A truly gargantuan heap of valuables that you can give to that scamming deity of yours. Now imagine shoving that pile into an endless black chasm.¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­!¡± Korith reached out for the imaginary treasure, as it vanished into the Abyss.


    ¡°Take that feeling and turn it into a taste.¡± Reysha stared at the remains of the skewer in her hand. ¡°That¡¯s what eating this shit is like.¡±


    Apexus had no comment on that. He was half man, half blob presently, gradually dissolving the sow carcass inside of him. The tastiest and softest cuts had been removed for consumption by the rest of the party. Aclysia was on cooking duty. Despite not typically partaking in eating herself, she enjoyed preparing and seasoning the meals. Just another manifestation of her caretaking instincts.


    They were two days south of the ruins. Against Apexus¡¯ expectations, there had not been any rain at all so far. The sky was clear and blue, the weather pleasantly warm. Had it not been for the food she was required to choke down, Reysha would have been in a good mood. They finally experienced warm weather again.


    Forcing herself, Reysha took another bite of the meat. Much as she hated the taste, she hated being weaker even more. The will triumphed over the body. Strong as the urge to vomit was, she filled her stomach with the protein and fat she required to keep going. To cleanse her palette, Aclysia allowed her to take a lick of salt from their storage. She drank a huge gulp of water afterwards. The intense taste of raw salt was preferable to the death her mouth would have otherwise been filled with.


    ¡°Fuck whichever god made this backwater shithole,¡± Reysha croaked afterwards. ¡°Can¡¯t a gal have a single edible fucking animal in the wilds?!¡±


    ¡°To the normal person, there¡¯s plenty of edible game around,¡± Aclysia pointed out. ¡°The god credited for the creation of this Leaf was merciful when it came to the wildlife. A regular person would struggle to hunt a bear that can hurl lightning.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like they should get better at hunting.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should merely decrease your selfishness.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s going to happen at the same time your butt stops being juicy,¡± Reysha responded immediately.


    Aclysia opened her mouth, then sighed. As per usual, their back and forth ended with her failing to find a retort in time. She prodded her thoughts for anything, failed to produce anything, and thus the conversation ended there. Apexus and Korith kept munching on their food. ¡°Darling, how much further would you like to travel?¡± Aclysia changed topics drastically.


    A justified question. They still hadn¡¯t come across a single civilized soul. Some more goblins, who avoided the party as much as the party them. After getting a good view of the adventurers, the greenskins had deemed that this hunt would cost them more than it would gain. Chasing down a boar was less risky than a party of four armed strangers, all of whom were of a species none of the goblins had ever encountered before. Even if they had no idea what an adventurer was capable of, they kept their distance. Being more risk taking did not equal suicidal tendencies.


    The only sapient beings around stayed at arm¡¯s length and otherwise there were no signs of civilization. Every now and again they stumbled upon signs of a ruined road, long reclaimed by nature. If there was no goal, travelling the Leaf was a waste of their time. To explore for exploring¡¯s sake was something Adventurers did, there was a whole subsection of them that specialized in that. Those parties were typically made up of the upper crust of adventurers, since venturing into the unknown was among the most dangerous tasks. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Four more days,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°If we do not come across people after a week of travel, we will turn around.¡±


    With that resolution made, they went onto their third day. The pace they put on was leisurely. It was the first time in the existence of the party that they were able to explore an environment without anything at the back of their mind. They were free of pursuers and duties. Plus, Reysha kept insisting that Apexus taste test various plants hoping they found anything that was even remotely touched by magic.


    At the end of the day, they came across an interesting landmark. Apexus had spotted it from the air, a stone tower in pristine condition. Excited, the party hastened their approach.


    It was of a light beige colour that rose intensely from the rest of the landscape, including the ocean beyond it. A dome of a greenish, dull colour sat atop the structure, its rim expanded into an eight-sided flat upheld by arches. A walkway of stone surrounded the base of the tower, ending parallel to the roof. The closer they got, the less their excitement became.


    What appeared to be windows at first glance instead were dark depressions in the walls, leading nowhere. They were not looking at a tower, they were looking at a peculiar pillar. ¡°This is a divine structure,¡± Aclysia reported, her hand resting against the rock. Disheartened, she let her head tilt forwards. A deep sigh escaped her.


    ¡°Never heard you that unhappy about finding something divine,¡± Korith commented.


    ¡°What is provided by the divine maintains itself. Therefore, this is as good as a mountain to us, in our search for civilization.¡± Aclysia turned her head to Reysha, who was impatiently pacing down the side of the building. ¡°I wish to locate a dungeon in the near future. A map of the Leaf would be most useful for this.¡±


    ¡°So what now?¡± Reysha asked and gazed out at what was beyond the pillar: more water. ¡°You know, I¡¯d love a Leaf that isn¡¯t almost entirely water.¡±


    ¡°Water is essential to sustain life.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know, I¡¯m from a desert,¡± Reysha responded drily. ¡°You can have fresh water without putting oceans everywhere.¡±


    ¡°You actually cannot,¡± Aclysia denied. Both Apexus and Reysha tilted their heads at that statement. ¡°Are you aware that water evaporates under exposure to sunlight?¡± Nods all around. ¡°Extend that revelation to the entirety of the ocean. No ocean, no evaporation, no rain, no freshwater.¡±


    ¡°You can still get water from wells and fountains, right?¡±


    ¡°Where do you believe the water from wells comes from? It''s rainwater that is filtered through the ground.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh¡­¡± Reysha scratched the back of her head. ¡°You know what, you¡¯re making a lot of sense right there. Never gave it that much thought¡­ so Ragressia just doesn¡¯t have enough oceans?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s either that or the weather patterns drive the vapour elsewhere, a jungle for example.¡± Aclysia inspected one of the depressions in the walls. ¡°Gods have their options to provide water, of course, but I reckon it is most popular to leave it to a self-perpetuating system to regulate the movement of moisture throughout the Leaf. The Spark-bearing minds of the Omniverse have a habit of abusing it when an endless source of water is provided centrally. I have read about it in one of¡­ Pronthin¡¯s books.¡±


    The name caused the metal fairy to fall silent for a bit. Apexus¡¯ voice pulled her out of it. ¡°What do they do?¡±


    ¡°What societies always do: assign property. Those that find the fountain monopolize it and use it to further their own influence. Unlike a structure, rain cannot be controlled. Not without the kind of large scale, magical effort that the operation is doomed to collapse under its own size.¡± Aclysia brushed over some symbols etched into the stone. A difficult to decipher phrase, as she soon realized. ¡°Call the serpent to travel the serpent?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Korith wandered over.


    ¡°It¡¯s written here: ¡®Call the serpent to travel the serpent¡¯?¡± Aclysia tilted her head quizzically. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    Apexus stood a few steps removed, watching his melody attempt to crack the meaning of that. When he had an idea, he just shouted, ¡°SERPENT!¡±


    Reysha began to laugh. ¡°Are you for re- Woah there!¡± The ground trembled. The party rapidly coalesced at one spot, Apexus and Korith taking position in front of Aclysia. Reysha crouched, hid her presence, and readied a throwing dagger. Their eyes dashed around for the cause of the trembling.


    The water close to the temple rippled, then rose. Rapid displacement caused the surface to rise in a dome-like shape. Rapidly, that was destroyed by the water running off the gargantuan creature that rose from the waves.


    Corals cracked and fell off the serpent. Blue scales became visible, as complacent marine life was forced to vacate a long comfortable anchoring place. Strings of algae draped across the stone head of the being. Its eyes were spheres of crystal, sparkling in the fading light of the day. They possessed no light of their own.


    The serpent tilted mechanically left to right, the segments of its body stretching and revealing joints of metal underneath the rock exterior. The scales were mere decoration, carved into the plates of stone that overlapped to create the impression of a serpent.


    Slowly the construct lowered its head onto the shore. Steam rose from its surface, drying it and turning the clinging algae into shrivelled up strings. Between the nostrils, a flight of stairs was revealed by the receding marine life. The start of a path that led up to the flat top of the head. The party remained inert for a little while and so did the serpent.


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s our answer,¡± Reysha broke the silence. She put the throwing dagger back into its slot on her belt and followed Apexus. The humanoid chimera was already stepping up to what he had summoned.


    Testing, he placed a foot on the first step. Through the naked sole, he sensed thoroughly for any kind of tremor. Although the sense was dulled somewhat by the decrease in surface area he dedicated to it, it was still far above that of virtually all other sapient species. Nothing moved within the construct, neither then nor when he took another step. With growing confidence he climbed the staircase. ¡°Wait,¡± he told Reysha.


    ¡°Awww, buwt I wawna discawah daw tingy,¡± Reysha spoke in a sickly sweet tone.


    ¡°I can fly, you¡¯d have to swim,¡± he stated, unfazed by her attempt to persuade him. That was the wrong tone to reason with him anyway. Reysha knew that he found that tone to be so cute it became annoying, which was why she used it sparingly.


    ¡°Urgh, fine,¡± Reysha took a step backwards. Then, when he turned away, she rapidly ascended the stairs and tried to tackle him from behind. Apexus sensed her approach. He whirled around and attempted to grab her. She dove underneath his arm. Then she hugged his midriff. ¡°Tag, I win.¡±


    Apexus wordlessly put his hand between her ears. Purring under the gentle touch, Reysha relaxed her hug. When he turned back to the top of the head, she fully let go and walked alongside him. To try and scold a tiger out of what it wanted was an exercise doomed to fail. This was twice as true for tiger girls.


    The flat part at the top was, as it turned out, the rim of a circular bench. A low crystal sat at the centre, emanating a pleasant warmth. Unneeded, in this current weather, but pleasant nonetheless. Hovering above it was a magically conjured number that ticked down, second by second. Twenty minutes, it displayed.


    Deeming the situation safe, Apexus climbed onto an eye of the serpent and gestured for the remaining two-party members to come over. ¡°What do you think this means?¡± he asked Aclysia, gesturing at the countdown.


    Aclysia considered the question carefully. ¡°The statement was that we must call the serpent to travel the serpent¡­ this may be a transportation device of sorts? You did say that the appearance of the western tip of the island invoked the sensation of a serpent¡¯s head, correct?¡±


    ¡°Correct, but only my observation,¡± Apexus cautioned.


    ¡°C-could this be a weapon? Maybe it will attack us?¡± Korith added.


    ¡°The chance is not null, however I deem it to be miniscule. The specific word was travel. I also do not believe that the observation is a coincidence, if there is a serpentine theme going on in this Leaf¡¯s aesthetic. The divine would have shaped the landmass and river with deliberation. On its own, I would have put it aside as a coincidence, but with the instruction in mind I assume that the core of this leaf is a serpent-shaped island chain. This is likely the means to traverse it meant to alleviate the burden of needing ships.¡±


    Reysha scraped some dried algae off the ground. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like people make much use of that offer.¡±


    ¡°No, it does not¡­ Darling, I believe this Leaf may be forsaken.¡±


    ¡°How certain are you of that?¡±


    Aclysia took some time deliberating the odds and shook her head in the end. ¡°I cannot say, which is an admission of a high likelihood of me being incorrect. It could be that, since inter-Leaf commerce is simply unattractive, the inhabitants of this world have surrendered the island to the goblins and therefore avoid travel.¡±


    ¡°The important question is what we do now,¡± Korith said and sat down on the bench. ¡°Do we just keep going?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus stated firmly. ¡°We stick to the plan until we are certain that there¡¯s no one out  there.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess we¡¯re sleeping on this thing tonight.¡± Reysha plopped down on the crystal. ¡°Provided this really does start moving.¡±


    Eighteen minutes later, she had her answer. The serpent¡¯s blue form was almost free of any sticking aspects of marine life now. Everything had been magically dried out and discarded, leaving it grimy but in shape. One heavy rainfall or a dip underwater would clean it.


    It got neither. The construct turned on the spot, directing its snout to the south-east. Gradually it began to move, picking up speed until Apexus would have struggled to keep up with it if he could have run next to it. Aclysia stayed up that night, watching over the party and the path the serpent took. For hours on end, they drifted through the open ocean. On the second half of the journey, they came across a couple of islands, some so small they only served as resting places for seals. Others were large enough that one could have run a farm on them.


    On the serpentine construct, they crossed the same distance they had walked during the day over the course of the night. They slept light, Reysha most of all, who awoke several times with her stomach growling. What rations they had, she refused to touch, opting to hope their luck was better where this took them.


    They were all awake again and the sun had risen by the time they saw their stopping point. A pillar much like the one they had started at stood at the shore of another island. To the party, this one appeared larger, albeit these things were difficult to gauge.


    Once it had stopped, the vehicle lowered its head and let them disembark. Korith was the last to jump off the snout of the construct. Straightening back up, it proceeded to disappear back into the water off the shore, sinking until it was invisible to the naked eye.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what we find here,¡± Apexus said.

 All but Forsaken 6 – Harbaemayim

    A reconnaissance flight revealed nothing. To the south was more grass and woodlands. North and east a mountain chain blocked Apexus¡¯ view. Presented with this lack of intel, Apexus decided they should go north, following the coastline. South they knew what awaited them and more of the same was not what they were looking for.


    It was difficult terrain to traverse. The grass was interrupted by the edges of the mountains, transforming it into steep cliffs and craggy stretches at times. Along the shore, the rock formations formed basins during low tide, which made for easy foraging.


    ¡°I thought you hated shells?¡± Reysha asked, while watching Apexus eat. The humanoid chimera pulled clam after clam out of a cluster of them. It was the easiest meal he had eaten in a long, long time. One after the other, he swallowed them whole, adding them to a growing pile that his stomach was quickly turning into biomass.


    ¡°I do not hate shells. I do not appreciate their dull taste,¡± Apexus responded. ¡°Hate is an emotion I reserve for few objects and people.¡±


    ¡°Eh, you should hate more things. Makes life more fun,¡± the redhead joked. ¡°Anyway, you could just do what they¡¯re doing,¡± she pointed over to Aclysia and Korith, who were prying the shells open to toss their contents into a cauldron. Clam soup was on the menu today. ¡°You¡¯re probably the only animal that eats the clam with the shell.¡±


    ¡°To be the only one to act in a certain manner does not make the act nor the manner wrong.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ya truly sound like a Monk there, big guy.¡± Reysha shook her head and giggled. Her eyes dashed over to a colourful creature in a nearby pond. Immediately her demeanour switched to hunting.


    In nature, there were few animals that could afford being colourful. To stand out from the background was to be a target for predators and easily spotted by prey alike. The few survival strategies that did involve being colourful typically involved poison, intimidation, or a form of absurd deterrent. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Reysha learned the painful way which one it was for her current target.


    It was an odd creature. Segmented like an insect, with a tailfin and two bulbous eyes on stalks that shone in many colours. A selection of feelers extended from what could vaguely be called a head, although there was no discernible neck to differentiate it from its body. The animal moved by flapping its tail and waving many thin legs in unison, skittering along on the surfaces in the water whenever it caught any. A pair of claws were carefully tucked away under its head segment.


    Reysha had caught two of these blue and red beings previously. The first one out of curiosity and the second because they were edible to her. The taste of magic had filled her being with a surge of ecstatic relief that would¡¯ve sent her into a wild lovemaking frenzy, had she not still been hungry. One urge could only truly manifest when the other was satisfied.


    Ever being a high-functioning nymphomaniac, Reysha desperately wanted to fill her stomach so she could move on to more fun activities. Too bad that each of these critters was only about the size of her hand, much of that being carapace.


    Every bite counted.


    Naked, the tiger girl stalked along the rim of the pool. For as long as she was outside the water, she was largely unnoticed. She observed the water bug for a long while. Then, she jumped.


    Nimble as the being was, it did not manage to fully escape the claws of the redhead. Her right hand closed around her prey. Triumphantly, she swam back up to the surface. A sharp pain exploded in her right thumb, just as a clicking sound hit her still submerged ears. Reysha had been through worse pains, but few of them were this unexpected.


    She heard the click a second time, after emerging from the water. She barely even felt her thumb anymore at that point. It was all dull pulses. With a slam against a nearby rock, she killed the water bug. Then she inspected her injured digit.


    It was swelling quickly, growing deeper in colour by the second. Two tiny streak marks showed where exactly she had been hit. Carefully, she poked herself and inhaled sharply at the stinging pain. ¡°This fucking thing broke my thumb!¡± she exclaimed.


    That caught both Apexus¡¯ and Aclysia¡¯s attention. The humanoid chimera had put this magical critter aside as a fancy version of the average shrimp and inspected it more closely, while the angel fixed up the tiger girl¡¯s injury.


    ¡°Get your own!¡± Reysha hissed at Apexus and snatched her prey from the curious slime.


    He spared them the verbal reminder that he would have to anyway. Carrion and the prey of other hunters did not allow him to replicate what was part of it. It needed to be his kill, by the arbitrary judgement of his genome.


    Apexus patrolled the nearby ponds and soon held his own shrimp in his hands. The way the arms were tucked away underneath its head segment vaguely reminded him of a praying mantis. He was careful to only swallow it after it was confirmed dead.


    To the slime¡¯s surprise, the punch that had broken Reysha¡¯s thumb was not actually the product of magic. This mantis shrimp¡¯s structure was specialized to a ludicrous degree. Its claws were so intricately constructed that they could produce a thumb-splitting punch with pure physical force. Apexus could not make out what exactly about these beings was magical from his analysis alone.


    He formed one of the animal¡¯s claws underneath his wrist. Without the attached arm, it was little more than a densely folded, red bump of chitin, located next to the base of his thumb. He put his palm against a rock and let the smasher snap forwards. An audible click could be heard for metres around. Apexus drew his hand back and inspected the depression he had left in the solid rock. It had not created an outright crack. Instead, it had turned the surface of the impact area into a rough powder. Apexus dusted it off and rubbed the coarse substance between his fingers.


    ¡®Could be useful,¡¯ he thought and looked at the small Growth. Its size was unobstructive and the kickback had been diminished to non-consideration by the way the appendage was constructed. Running a finger along the surface, Apexus noticed no damage on the carapace either. ¡®A fascinating evolution.¡¯


    Out of interest, Apexus cycled through what else the biology of the being had to offer. Most of its body followed a standard marine life template, resembling crabs much more than shrimps. Apexus was beginning to believe this was a variety of lobster instead. The eyes of the mantis shrimp were interesting ¨C a little too interesting. Apexus had experienced sensory overload before and the capacity of seeing entirely new sets of colours definitely triggered it.


    He fought back the headache, just to experience it a little longer. There were waves in the air of a colour he could not describe. There were new contrasts all around, while many of those he knew previously were dragged into the background. There was utility to it, but not as a temporary Growth.


    Apexus absorbed the additional eyes back into his body, but kept the claws. He would have to reshape them every time he woke up and after a month the knowledge of how to build them would fade. Until then, they could be a useful tool. The first demonstration was the help they were in cracking clam shells open for the soup.


    He ate the discarded shells anyway.


    They continued to travel around the mountain. Past the northernmost part of its base was a sight they had hoped for.


    Rows upon rows of tilled dirt dominated the landscape. Orderly stacked up stones served as fences between delineated plots of land. Scarcely distributed throughout were houses and tamed woodlands. Most importantly, in the fields that continued all throughout the landscape, people were going after their daily work.


    Excited, the party picked up the pace. Korith had to jog and leap, to keep up with the long strides of her taller compatriots. Eventually, they stepped off stone and grass and onto a simple dirt road, created through decades of regularly being travelled by carts.


    They were noticed, of course. The people on the fields lowered their tools and stared from a distance. ¡°They don¡¯t seem keen on saying hello,¡± Reysha remarked.


    ¡°We are strange sights on regular occasions. A Leaf that has not seen active travel in generations would logically be sceptical,¡± Aclysia responded in a strained tone.


    ¡°Hopefully scepticism manifests into curiosity, not hostility,¡± Apexus stated, eyes on a group of people that coalesced on the road in front of them. A small cluster ahead, for everyone to see. That was the signal the farmers all around needed to do more than stay at a distance. Only a few prioritized farm work over being near for whatever was about to unfold.


    The group consisted of three young men, one older man, and one young woman. The oldest one was the evident leader of them, standing half a step ahead of the young ones, who all stood in a cluster. Their clothes did not quite match the farmwear everyone else wore, with additional colours stitched on in random places lending a sense of chaos to them.


    Apexus stopped two steps in front of the old man. The rest of his party stopped next to him. Reysha even took another step forwards, but stopped immediately and raised her hands when that caused nervous flinching from the farmers that followed the meeting of the two groups. The old man licked his gums and cleared his throat.


    ¡°You are not from here,¡± he said the expected words.


    Aclysia breathed a little easier. It was rare but not entirely unheard of for Leaves that were left on their own for too long to develop a dialect so removed from the Common tongue, it turned into its own language. Although the people here had an accent, they were still clearly intelligible.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± Apexus responded and put his arm around Aclysia.


    The metal fairy leaned against the shoulder of her tall beloved, which simultaneously put her just a bit ahead of him. ¡°We have travelled here from a neighbouring Leaf. I am Aclysia, these are my¡­ friends¡­ Ko-¡±


    ¡°Friends, really?¡± Reysha laughed out loud. ¡°I had my head between your legs not two days ago, the fuck do you mean friends?¡±


    Aclysia pinched the bridge of her nose, while the people around murmured something amused and scandalized. ¡°Reysha, could you please mind the atmosphere?¡± she requested.


    ¡°Ya know me.¡±


    ¡°¡­As I was saying, this is my friend Korith,¡± Aclysia continued their introduction. Shyly, the kobold waved. ¡°This is my worst enemy, Reysha.¡± The redhead was too busy laughing at the entire situation to make any gesture. ¡°And this is my darling, Apexus.¡± Stoically, the Monk¡¯s eyes drifted over the people. ¡°As for myself, I am Aclysia.¡± The white-haired woman did a curt little bow. ¡°We come with no ill intent. Curiosity brought us upon this Leaf and we are pleased to finally come across civilization. If any of you would show us the kindness of telling us about this world, we¡¯d be much obliged.¡±


    The farmers muttered amongst themselves, as did the group in front of the party. Heads packed together, they did not look at all at the party. Their whispers were quiet enough to go unnoticed when it came to Aclysia and Korith. Apexus and Reysha, not so much.


    ¡°Boss, what do we do now?¡± one of the young men asked the elder. ¡°They¡¯re really from off-world!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s obviously only one thing to do.¡±


    ¡°B-but what if they¡¯re dangerous?¡± another one of the men, the youngest by the looks of it, asked.


    ¡°Dammit, Cain, you¡¯ll never experience anything if you don¡¯t take a risk sometime.¡±


    ¡°I assure you I¡¯m quite dangerous,¡± Reysha giggled.


    The group of five shouted in surprise, when the presence of a tiger girl amongst them manifested suddenly. They scattered in all directions, farmers grabbed whatever tool they had on hand, and Apexus grabbed the redhead by the collar and dragged her back. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    Reysha had a flippant response on her lips, but the blue eyes of the humanoid chimera shut her up. ¡°Sorry¡­ just couldn¡¯t help myself¡­ they look so teasable!¡±


    Apexus shook his head and kept his fist clenched around the leather of her armour. Better to hold her than have her Stealth away from him again. ¡°She has bad manners. I apologize.¡± The farmers calmed down a little bit.


    ¡°Is she a demon?¡± One of the farmers shouted. ¡°Those black eyes, those red nails, those stripes, that must be devil¡¯s work!¡±


    ¡°While she may be obnoxious, I assure you that she is not of infernal origin,¡± Aclysia spoke up. ¡°The eyes and nails are the result of a curse, of sorts. The stripes are part of her species.¡±


    ¡°Ehem!¡± The older man stepped forwards again. He ran a hand through his mostly grey, once black hair. ¡°If you have no nasty surprises in store for us, I¡¯d like to invite you to my home.¡± Resigned mumbling came from all around at that announcement. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have much to tell and I can tell you all about our Leaf - Harbaemayim.¡±

 All but Forsaken 7 – The Serpent’s Path

    The house of the old man was located at the outskirts of the border region. It was small and cramped. Various knickknacks occupied the rows of a shelf. It was the largest piece of furniture in the room. The fireplace, the bed, the table, all of them were dwarfed by that shelf. Knotted roots, rusted swords, a massive collection of copper and iron coins in a sealed jar, a carefully cleaned sheathe, a broken Leaf Finder, and many other items were in the man¡¯s possession. The wooden walls of the house and the sheets of his bed and pillows had in common a patched look of repeated, improvised repairs having been made.


    The young people who accompanied them quickly took their usual places around the room. One sat down at the table, placing an elbow on it. Another, the shy one, took his place on a chest. The woman sat down in a pile of hay-filled sacks. The third young man plopped down next to her. The owner of the house took the bed.


    ¡°I guess we haven¡¯t introduced ourselves yet,¡± he said. ¡°The two lovebirds are Elma and Alurn.¡± The pair grumbled something. ¡°The quiet one is my nephew Cain.¡± Barely, he waved. ¡°This here is Tempi.¡± The man at the table waved. ¡°And I am Herm. We¡¯re the local eccentrics, you could say.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the local eccentric,¡± Tempi threw in immediately. ¡°Compared to you, we¡¯re all normal.¡±


    ¡°You can insult each other another day,¡± the woman interrupted. ¡°Did you use the High Gift earlier? You went invisible and then you were next to us!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go invisible, I just slipped away from y¡¯all¡¯s senses.¡± Reysha gradually ramped up the Stealth. All five non-adventurers in the room strained their eyes, barely managing to keep eyes on the tiger girl. She fully deactivated it and rolled her shoulders.


    ¡°Scary¡­¡± Cain mumbled, ¡°¡­you could sneak from house to house and rob everyone blind¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Reysha chirped. ¡°Also, High Gift? Weird name for magic.¡± She looked around for some place to sit, but all surfaces that qualified were already occupied.


    That was until Apexus lowered himself to the ground. Cross-legged, the tall humanoid¡¯s lap had enough room for one redhead and one kobold to share. Aclysia preferred to stand, scratching the back of her darling¡¯s head. The others in the room quickly combined 1 and 1. The relationship status of the party was the last thing they cared about.


    ¡°So¡­ is it true¡­? Our world is a Leaf hanging on a gargantuan tree?¡± the old man asked.


    The question perplexed the party. Even though they had realized that this Leaf had been without contact for many years, it had not occurred to them that such a basic fact of the nature of the universe could be forgotten. ¡°Y-yes,¡± Aclysia cleared her throat and responded with more certainty. ¡°Yes¡­ you could always travel to the Stem to confirm for yourself.¡±


    The five exchanged glances. ¡°We¡¯re not¡­ we like the stories,¡± Alurn explained, ¡°but we¡¯re not fighters. To take the serpent to the Isle of Savages is too risky for us.¡±


    ¡°I would try, but not alone,¡± Herm stated, causing the four youths to shift uncomfortably.


    ¡°Wise,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°Pack tactics are the most successful. The spider gets devoured by the ants ¨C the elk by the wolves. A hundred drops of acid melt through any exoskeleton.¡±


    ¡°But the Stem exists,¡± Herm rubbed his chin. ¡°Does it hang over the ruins of the eyes of the serpent, as the legends tell.¡±


    ¡°Yeah and ya could get a boat and sail there in like 5 days,¡± Reysha told him.


    ¡°A boat¡­ Aggrars do not get to own boats.¡± Herm shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d have to flee east and dodge the Maya¡¯s Felmers the entire time.¡±


    ¡°Aggrar? Maya? Felmers?¡± Korith tilted her head. ¡°Uhm, sorry, I don¡¯t really understand any of that?¡±


    ¡°Do they not have the castes where you¡¯re from?¡± The fair skinned man asked, surprised. ¡°What wonders lay beyond, I truly must kno-¡°


    ¡°We require structure in this,¡± Apexus interrupted. ¡°Let¡¯s pass this back and forth. We shall ask you a question and you ask us after we have received our answer. Is this acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Herm hesitated for a moment, considering if he could afford to be cheeky with the people he had invited into his house. ¡°If I may treat that as me having given my answer?¡±


    ¡°Yes, which turns it right back around!¡± Korith declared. She tapped her thighs, excited for even this little game. ¡°So our second question, what castes are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Our home, the nation of Mayana is governed by the principle of the seven castes.¡± Tempi gestured with the arm he had on the table. ¡°At the bottom, you have us, the Aggrars. At the top you have the Maya and directly below him soldiers, the Felmers, who ensure the stability of the realm.¡±


    ¡°You are born into those positions?¡± Apexus asked, when he received a nod he fell silent. It sounded unworkably rigid for a human system. ¡°Are you ants?¡± The question confused everyone in the room and Apexus shook his head. ¡°I apologize. It is your turn to ask a question.¡±


    ¡°How did you come here?¡± Herm asked immediately.


    ¡°We walked.¡±


    Aclysia cleared her throat and took over. ¡°Each Leaf on the Omniverse, the great tree, is attached via a Stem that leads to the Branches. The typical way to travel from one Leaf to another is to walk the Branches. It rarely takes more than a few days to come across another world. If you ever wish to travel the Branches, you must pack food for the trip.¡±


    Herm nodded and waved his arm, urging the group to ask their next question. ¡°Do you have a map?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Cain,¡± the boss of the eccentrical group ordered his nephew with a single word. The young man jumped off the chest and almost collided with the party in the process. There was barely enough room for someone to turn around.


    After opening the chest, itself also filled up with many knickknacks, Cain rummaged around for a little bit, until he pulled out a scroll. Carefully he handed it over to Apexus, who unrolled it. Together with the entire party, they looked at a coloured representation of the Leaf.


    ¡°Serpentine indeed,¡± Reysha mumbled. ¡°Did I ever tell you that you¡¯re smart, Aclysia?¡±


    ¡°It is your most frequent compliment.¡±


    ¡°Nah, my most frequent compliment definitely is telling you that your ass is fantastic.¡±


    Aclysia turned red. ¡®Can she ever stop doing that in front of strangers?!¡¯ Exasperated, she sighed. ¡°We missed a Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that would¡¯ve been nice.¡±


    ¡°Dungeon? What do you mean by that?¡± Herm asked.


    ¡°The orange diamond marks on this map, they are structures that the gods left on this world to serve as the grindstones for adventurers like us. They supply us with difficulty to overcome, to grow our abilities.¡±


    ¡°To one day become gods? If I may ask the follow-up question.¡±


    ¡°I see this aspect has survived the prolonged isolation. Yes, the most successful and virtuous adventurers may one day ascend to the rank of divine.¡± Aclysia studied the map. There was much to be asked about what was depicted on it.


    Apexus had a more urgent question. ¡°Why is no one visiting this Leaf?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ would have liked to ask you that,¡± Herm responded. ¡°You¡¯re the first people that I have met that have come from beyond Harbaemayim. You may be the first in a generation. I do not know what keeps people away.¡±


    ¡°What does Mayana produce?¡± Aclysia asked. ¡°What are your people known for?¡±


    ¡°Food,¡± Cain responded immediately. ¡°Uhm¡­ yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Food,¡± Elma repeated. ¡°The entire reason why the pirates keep coming to our shores.¡±


    Just another off-handed comment that caused questions in the minds of the party. ¡°Food is typically difficult or not commercially viable to transport between Leaves¡­ and it appears that your Leaf has its dungeons scattered around difficult locations. Their level range only fits a beginner Leaf and there is another nearby, with many teachers and easier to reach dungeons... it may be that you were forsaken by travellers because there is nothing here¡­. Oh, please forgive that poor choice of words.¡±


    ¡°No. It is a very apt choice of words,¡± Herm said. ¡°Would you be willing to escort me, or us, away from this Leaf?¡±


    The three women in the party looked to Apexus, who closed his eyes and meditated on the question. It was a crime for Aggrars to leave their station, that much he had put together. He barely knew these people. They had every reason to try and escape. Would it be right to help them? ¡°Maybe.¡± Apexus opened his eyes. ¡°Not at this time. Not with how little we know.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­ well, it was worth a shot.¡± Herm rolled his shoulders. ¡°Your next question?¡±


    There were so many parts that Apexus needed to know about. ¡°What are the Walled Ports?¡±


    ¡°Enormous cities crafted entirely from stone, where wise masters protect the ships that drive back the pirates and assure the trade can continue to flow between Mayana and Elaya.¡± Herm stopped for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve never been there, that¡¯s what I hear anyway. Can you teach¡­¡± he hesitated and looked around, fearing someone might hear, ¡°C-can you teach us the High Gift- magic?¡±


    ¡°We could teach you basics, but we will not stay long enough to do so.¡± Apexus had already formulated this answer, having anticipated the need for it after the previous question. ¡°When it comes to adventurers, we have merely left the realm of beginners. We have goals of our own. We cannot afford to stop and teach all those that desire it.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, also it sounds like the High Gift is reserved for the upper castes?¡± Korith threw in. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to¡­ get unfriendly with your government¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be heroes?¡± Elma mumbled.


    Reysha¡¯s gaze travelled over to the woman. When she realized she was being stared at, Elma shrunk deeper into the pile of hay sacks. She grabbed the sleeve of the young man by her side for support. ¡°People become adventurers for their own reasons. I did it for power, this small bundle of squish did it for money, Apexus did it because he had little other choice and Aclysia just follows him around.¡± Reysha rolled her neck and let her eyes wander. The intimidated woman immediately breathed easier. ¡°If there was any chance we¡¯d be the kind of heroes you¡¯re looking for, we lost it along the way.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we should not try, Reysha,¡± Aclysia chimed in.


    ¡°We will not make a decision knowing as little as we do,¡± Apexus reiterated. ¡°My next question. You have problems with pirates?¡±


    ¡°We are located near the coast and far from the garrison. When they¡¯re short on food, they come here and take what they want.¡± Herm shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just another form of tax, really. Except¡­ it depends on what crews come along and what else they want besides food.¡±


    ¡°One of them abducted my mother years ago,¡± Cain mumbled.


    ¡°Does the¡­ Maya?  Does he not protect you?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°If his patrol ships happen to be in the area, he will,¡± Herm responded with a shrug. ¡°At other times, his relatives take locals as servants. Like Alurn¡¯s brothers.¡±


    ¡°My brothers at least get to live in luxury at the Maya¡¯s court, not¡­  whatever pirates do¡­¡±


    Herm gave a sorry glance to the young man. ¡°Have you heard from them?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Does that answer your question sufficiently, Apexus?¡± Herm returned his attention to the humanoid chimera instead. After a quick nod, the next question came flying the party¡¯s way.


    It was a steady back and forth. Apexus soon realized that they were giving more than they were receiving. This group knew little even about their own world. None of them had left the country and only Herm had ever managed to convince the local Orassa (the local land owner in the caste system) to take him along on trips as a servant. Consequently, most of what they knew was hearsay, several steps removed from the original source.


    The party did not mind, even let the people in the house riddle them with questions when they themselves ran out of them. To give those that had only ever heard of the true expanse of the world a glimpse into the wider universe was a privilege. Eventually, Aclysia asked for a piece of parchment and replicated the map onto it as best she could. It would at least give them a rough idea of where they were going.


    Apexus looked around the house again. The caste system struck him as odd, with its many rules and limitations. Regardless, it did not seem like Herm was living a terrible life. He had his own house, was well-fed, and possessed a large variety of personal treasures. The yearning for something more was in every aspect of the cramped building.


    ¡°If you had to give all that you have up to begin a life as an adventurer ¨C would you?¡± Apexus asked.


    Herm hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m too old now to start anything like that,¡± he said slowly, regret swinging in his voice. ¡°But maybe you could help these younglings? Give them a choice?¡±


    Apexus looked at the four young people one after another. Cain looked away. Alurn squeezed Elma¡¯s hand. Only Tempi met his gaze directly. ¡°You will find that being free is full of risk. Keep that in mind, when you make your choices. The goblins are cautious. If you move in a large enough group, they won¡¯t attack you even if you¡¯re unarmed.¡±


    ¡°As long as you stick together,¡± Reysha added, while she rose from Apexus¡¯ lap. All of them began to move. ¡°Don¡¯t go for a piss on your own.¡±


    ¡°W-what will you do now?¡± Elma asked.


    Apexus stopped and gave that question a second consideration. ¡°We go east,¡± he responded, only when he was absolutely certain. ¡°See your country for our own eyes. Then further east, to the Walled Port of Pernero. We will clear the dungeon there. Then, probably further east. To make decisions that far into the future is difficult.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°If we return here, we shall attempt another visit,¡± Aclysia pre-empted the follow-up question. ¡°Certainly, we can consider guiding you off the Leaf at that point, right, darling?¡±


    ¡°We will consider. I make no promises,¡± Apexus stated.


    And still that was more hope than these young ones had ever felt.

 All but Forsaken 8 – The Upper Castes

    Apexus stepped out of the golden doorframe and into the small woods. It was the best hidden spot they had found. To emerge from the air randomly, Aclysia had reckoned, would not aid them in creating a trustable image on a Leaf that had forgotten much about magic. Especially with the way he stored the key, after everyone had emerged.


    ¡°You feeling like fox for second breakfast?¡± Reysha asked and pointed at the red-furred critter staring at them from a distance. The animal intuited that it was safe. It would be proven wrong swiftly if anyone in the party meant otherwise.


    ¡°It seems non-magical. There is no point,¡± Apexus responded.


    ¡°I wonder if the lack of magical animals and the diminishment in local acumen regarding the supernatural arts are related,¡± Aclysia thought out loud. ¡°Perhaps the lack of challenges diminishes ability?¡±


    Apexus raised his head and took a couple of deep inhales. The multi-layered scent of the forest brushed over his nose. Fox and cat, bird and stoat, dirt and leaf, wood and fungi, the intertwining of the various musks ended on a pleasant note. No traces of the rot that a large carcass would create nor the blood such a hunt would spill.


    ¡°These woods are tamed,¡± he said. ¡°Like a wolf reduced to a dog.¡±


    They set out north, to reach the main road again. As they stepped out of the small woodland, Korith raised her voice. ¡°Uhm, weird question, but you just mentioned dogs so it got on my mind-¡±


    ¡°Ya don¡¯t have to run us down your entire thought process when you wanna say something, squishy, just out with it.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ do you¡­ get along with dog people?¡± Korith asked.


    Reysha started to laugh, loudly. Even if that was the reaction that Reysha had to a lot of things, Korith still blushed. She dragged her feet, gradually falling further and further behind the party. Once it exceeded more than one of his strides, Apexus stopped. Without a word, he lifted her onto his shoulders. That she wore her full plate barely made this more difficult.


    Korith gulped down the little bit of emotion that accompanied the hot tingle in a whole different part of her body. ¡®Hamena hamena hamena.¡¯ The word repeated in her mind. Firm muscles of the neck and shoulders were her seat. Powerful, big hands remained on her thighs.


    The laughter ebbed away. Just as they resumed their walk, Reysha finally responded. ¡°The fuck is that question even coming from?¡±


    ¡°Y-you know, cats and dogs aren¡¯t supposed to get along¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, cats and dogs. I¡¯m a tiger.¡± The redhead¡¯s striped tail waved lazily along the swing of her hips. ¡°Besides, there were a bunch of cats and dogs that got along where I lived. More important question ¨C Korith, you¡¯re higher up, is that guy heading for us?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± The kobold looked up from Apexus¡¯ fox ears and looked in the direction Reysha was pointing at. ¡°Uhm¡­ yes, definitely¡­ why do you even ask?¡±


    The person in question was running in their direction at basically full speed. Apexus spotted a sword on their waist, something none of them had seen so far on anyone around. Robes that appeared to be simultaneously stiff and airy clad him in several layers of brown and deep grey. The colours, as the party had learned yesterday, of the Felmers ¨C the soldier caste.


    The man stopped shortly in front of them. Not even a quick muster was given, the Felmer immediately went into a speech. ¡°I am Redant of the Felmers, keepers of the peace of Mayana. By authority of the castes and the Highest Gifted, I invite you, outworlders, to the garrison of Kaba.¡±


    Apexus looked eastwards. Kaba was the city that these farms were technically part of. It was several hours east, hours that the man before them must have spent travelling here after news had reached him.


    No one in the party was surprised. They had anticipated this, even banked on it to some degree. ¡°Invited?¡± the Monk asked.


    ¡°Yes, invited,¡± the Felmer responded with a disciplined nod. His hand played steadily with the brass decoration on his sword hilt. He scratched at dirt that he knew wouldn¡¯t loosen. ¡°Do you accept?¡±


    Apexus stared at the soldier, who returned the gaze straightforwardly. The size difference between the two of them was immense, almost one and a half heads. The Monk was slowly getting a true idea of it, but it seemed like the people of this Leaf were of a generally shorter stature than those that he had visited previously. Only Korith was shorter than the man. Aclysia and Reysha were tall women, admittedly.


    The Felmer¡¯s eyes finally broke, first staring at the girth of Apexus¡¯ arms, then the crimson colour of Reysha¡¯s crystalline axe. ¡°I¡¯m expected to return by tonight,¡± he said, and slowly returned to look at Apexus.


    Finally, the Monk nodded. There was no predation in these eyes, no slyness. ¡°Lead the way. We are interested to learn more about your country and your Leaf.¡±


    The soldier breathed an ever so slight breath of relief, before turning around and marching ahead. They soon reached a carriage, drawn by four mixed breed horses.


    Apexus had rarely felt more cramped than inside the carriage. The ceiling was less than a hand width above him. The bench was too small too. To the point that he sat down on the floor instead. Legs crossed in the typical meditative pose, he stared at the Felmer. ¡°Who is driving the carriage?¡± he asked.


    The Felmer made a dismissive gesture. ¡°A Harlenn of the garrison.¡±


    ¡°Harlenn?¡± Apexus tilted his head, trying to recall the rank among the seven castes. Yesterday had provided them with much information and much of it hadn¡¯t sunk in entirely yet. ¡°The servant caste, second lowest, correct?¡±


    ¡°You know of our castes? Are they reflected in your own?¡±


    ¡°Where I am from, there are no castes,¡± Apexus replied swiftly and that answer made the man blink a couple of times.


    ¡°Then how do you ensure the gods-blessed order that leads to prosperity?¡±


    ¡°I grew up in a world crueller than this,¡± Apexus kept it short. ¡°It was the law of eat or be eaten.¡±


    The soldier shuddered, as if he had just been touched by something terrifying. ¡°The gods should have blessed you with knowledge of your place in the world.¡±


    ¡°Oh, where do you think that place would be?¡± Reysha asked, her ever-present smile twisted into something toothy. ¡°Where I grew up, we stuck to families and-¡°


    Aclysia knew what the next word would be and interrupted. ¡°Reysha, please¡­¡±


    The redhead shut her mouth and demonstrably turned her eyes to the window. Agitated fingers danced over the surface of the bench that she, Aclysia and Korith shared. ¡°You talk then,¡± she hissed, doing her best not to listen too closely. ¡®Everything about the way this place is run pisses me off.¡¯


    There was no further talk that happened.


    ______________________________________________________________________


    The keep was a structure of smooth, carefully cut stones that had been stacked with artistry. Grey and brown rocks created a steady diamond pattern along the walls. Large banners with various house animals on a brown and grey background hung from the walls. Four bridges of solid rock crossed the rainwater filled moat, leading up to four gateways without doors.


    Apexus¡¯ fingers brushed over the wall, while he stepped through the entrance. The only bumps he felt were that of the gaps between the stones. In the courtyard, a dozen men of various ages executed steady routines, dancing with their shiny, blunted swords in a display of impressive swirls and flourishes.


    ¡°The Dalara,¡± the Felmer who fetched them reported, pride brimming in his voice. ¡°The invincible sword dance. The reason why the pirates have not dared attack us!¡±


    ¡°We heard they attack every year,¡± Apexus reported.


    ¡°Where our reach does not extend!¡± The Felmer spat out. ¡°Cowards that they are.¡±


    Apexus beheld the sword dancing for a little while. He had seen routines before, been part of them every morning that he had trained under Maltos. There were wasted movements in many routines. A Monk¡¯s daily set of motions were to loosen muscles and to develop them. They were starting points to actual fighting techniques, not techniques in and of themselves.


    ¡°You mean to say that these motions will win you the battle?¡± Apexus asked for clarification.


    ¡°Whoever is the greater master of the Dalara will win.¡±


    ¡°You should dispense with that notion.¡±


    The soldier¡¯s smile wavered. His brows trembled. Again, he played with his sword. Every ounce of honour within him demanded a duel, but he beheld a giant of a man, taller and broader than any that he had faced before. Further, one who had come from beyond, who was said to be accompanied by one who could turn invisible whenever she wished.


    No resolution was reached, Apexus instead looked to a gold-robed man steadily approaching him. The people of Mayana were all light skinned, but this one seemed like he hadn¡¯t seen the sun in days. A pale that was reinforced by a thin layer of make-up that removed any blemishes under pinkish white. He was bald, had shaved eyebrows, and from the face to the gut he showed a weight beyond what was healthy.


    ¡°You are the outworlders, then,¡± he said in a melodic voice.


    Aclysia had the decency to bow her head. Korith followed the example. Neither Apexus nor Reysha did. The Ragressian even rolled her eyes and sat down on a nearby staircase that led to the catwalk atop the walls. To call them battlements would have been a step too far.


    If the lack of courtesy bothered the man, he did not let it show. ¡°We have heard much of your exoticness. I am Maya-Harl Eltahn.¡±


    ¡°Maya-Harl¡­ a relative of the Maya serving as local official?¡± Aclysia recollected. ¡°Please excuse my illiteracy regarding your customs. Your castes are confusing to me. May I list them as a reminder to myself, before we begin?¡±


    ¡°Please, go ahead. Your interest in our culture honours you, miss¡­?¡±


    ¡°Aclysia. With me are Apexus, Korith and Reysha,¡± she pointed at them in turn.


    Reysha again deliberately turned her eyes away from the scene. She had nothing nice to say and in the interest of not getting them into any further trouble she wouldn¡¯t say anything. ¡®And that¡¯s as much as they can ask of me,¡¯ she thought.


    ¡°I shall list them from lowest to highest. I understand that Aggrars are your farmworkers. Then come the Harlann, the servants. Above them are Termer, the traders, then Doadas, the crafters, Orissas, the local lords, Felmers, the soldiers, and finally the Maya and his Maya-Cast, the relatives he delegates to be his representatives among the lower castes. Correct?¡±


    Eltahn clapped his hands. ¡°A fine and basic summary. Do you wish to step inside, to converse further over wine and cake?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus responded swiftly. The answer caused Aclysia to look back to her leader, forehead in wrinkles.


    ¡°What is the matter, darling?¡± she asked quietly.


    Apexus pulled her aside, an action that got many of the soldiers that had been training to instead come closer. ¡°This place reeks of pretence,¡± he whispered to her. Behind her, Reysha nodded, following the conversation with her keen ears. He waited for Korith to join them, before he continued. ¡°This fort has never seen a single projectile break upon its walls. Their blades are only crossed with each other¡¯s. Their customs are stagnant. They have the appearance of purpose and nothing else. There is no value in talking to them.¡±


    ¡°Darling, I believe this decision may be hasty¡­ I find the determinism of status by birth unconscionable, but we¡¯re strangers here.¡±


    ¡°An animal is better understood by watching, than by counting its parasites.¡± Apexus gestured around them, at the people that surrounded them. ¡°What more do you need to see from here?¡±


    Aclysia took a deep breath and pressed her lips together. She glanced over once to the overweight, patiently smiling man, then to Reysha. The blue eyes of the redhead begged for her to relent. ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked Korith.


    ¡°I think they just want to know if we¡¯re trouble¡­ and we¡¯re already behaving like it sooooo¡­¡±


    Aclysia sighed and rubbed her forehead. Ultimately, the metal fairy did nod and stepped away from Apexus. A deep bow preceded soft words. ¡°We are honoured by your wish to speak with us, but we believe our fate is on the road.¡±


    ¡°And where would that road take you?¡± the Maya-Cast asked, his voice as warm as before. It contrasted starkly to the ring of swords that surrounded them.


    ¡°East,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°To clear the dungeons.¡±


    ¡°I see. Please understand that Mayana will keep track on you while you move within our borders.¡± The smile faltered and was replaced by an enigmatic, almost worried expression. ¡°We have proper ways to do things in this country, removed from whatever anarchism you may be used to. I pray you are humble enough to learn that the words of restless Aggrars are not laden with wisdom.¡±


    ¡°We will keep contact to a minimum.¡± Apexus turned away, the signal for Reysha to jump to her feet.


    ¡°Let them pass.¡± The Maya-Harl ordered the Felmer. In unison, the soldiers twirled their swords three times, before sheathing them in a slow motion that made the blades glisten in the sunlight.


    The party stepped out of the gate.


    ¡°That was a waste of our time.¡± Reysha folded her hands behind her head.


    ¡°No, it was not,¡± Apexus disagreed. ¡°We know now we are in a land of weakness.¡±


    ¡°It could have been an elaborate ploy to make us believe they are weaker than they truly are,¡± Aclysia cautioned, then took one more look at the luxurious garrison. ¡°I rescind the statement. Still, I believe we should not take sides until further information has been gathered.¡±


    ¡°What could you possibly learn that would get you in favour of these people?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Well, uhm, to be fair, things aren¡¯t terrible around here,¡± Korith pointed out and gestured at the tilled fields and nourished people.


    Reysha rolled her eyes. ¡°They¡¯re surrounded by fertile lands, no hostile forces, and those pirates sound like absolute fucking wimps. I think you¡¯d have to absolutely screw up to not feed everyone under these circumstances.¡±


    ¡°A system that maintains momentum generally has value of some description,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°Did they not have a soft caste system where you¡¯re from, Korith?¡±


    ¡°I mean, no? Maybe? I¡¯m Goldborn.¡± The kobold tugged at the strands of her blonde hair. ¡°We¡¯re taught to offer to Hoard, but that¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s not an obligation on the how, you know?¡±


    ¡°Everyone has the expectation that one¡¯s children will follow in your footsteps,¡± Reysha kicked the air with every step. ¡°It¡¯s a different manner if your father says that you¡¯re going to inherit the fucking workshop and some asshat declaring that everyone¡¯s bloodlines are going to do only one thing until the end of eternity.¡±


    ¡°I do see your point, but could you at least attempt to understand mine?¡± Aclysia requested, mildly annoyed. They took the quickest route out of the city and tried to keep their conversation quiet enough that they weren¡¯t overheard. Their appearances drew enough attention as it was. ¡°This is a functioning country. It is unwise to upend what functions just because it displeases you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan to upend anything, but it does fucking annoy me,¡± Reysha stated. ¡°What about you two?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen enough,¡± Apexus kept his answer short and to the point.


    ¡°Same, kinda? I don¡¯t share your¡­ hatred for this?¡± Korith shrugged, making her heavy armour clack. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They would see more one way or another.

 All but Forsaken 9 – Through Mayana

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it just itch in your fucking fingers to find out whether that ¡®Darala¡¯ stuff is more than ritualistic sword dancing?¡± Reysha asked, glancing at the Felmer that followed them at a safe distance. It had been well over a day since they had left the keep to the west and since then at least one guard had followed them at all points. They only shook them off when they entered their Mobile Estate.


    ¡°Dalara,¡± Aclysia corrected, ¡°and there is no need to make a stir. We will be beyond the borders shortly.¡±


    ¡°Again, big difference between itching to do a thing and actually wanting to do it, bubble butt.¡±


    ¡°You will excuse me if I deem that you have a propensity to execute what you are itching to do on a whim, regardless of the merit of the action.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s saved your ass a bunch of times.¡±


    ¡°It has also gotten us into trouble several times.¡±


    ¡°True, I do make our lives more fun,¡± Reysha chirped.


    Aclysia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°In any case, my deliberation has come to an end. I now firmly agree with you in your distaste of this place.¡±


    Reysha¡¯s lips spread in a smug grin. ¡°What did it?¡±


    Aclysia pulled out the map that she had bought from a member of the trader caste a few hours ago. It was a notable upgrade from their previous sketch of the same and they had gotten it for a few copper pieces. To the trader, that had been a fortune. The kind of rust-free copper used for their coins was the standard coin of this place. In other words, with their current money they were rich beyond comprehension. A gold coin probably was worth so much here that they wouldn¡¯t be able to use it even if they found someone who would be willing to trade something of fitting value to them.


    Which would be difficult.


    ¡°Crafters cannot sell their own produce, they must go through the trader caste. The traders must be given licenses by Orissas or Maya-Casts to trade in goods and areas. This fundamentally annoys me. Worse is that I learned that there is a way to rise and fall through the castes. A person of a caste at least two further up may ascend someone one caste. A person of the upper three castes may descend someone of any caste below them.¡± Aclysia stopped and shook her head. ¡°It is convoluted, it is inefficient, and it is a recipe for disaster.¡±


    ¡°Told ya,¡± Reysha purred.


    ¡°Yes, but you did not know it.¡±


    Apexus hummed at that. ¡°What is more valuable, concrete knowledge or swift intuition? A question of circumstance.¡± He scooped Aclysia up into a princess carry. Laying across his arms, her wings vibrated quickly enough to create a noise akin to blankets fluttering in the breeze. ¡°It is good you confirmed.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, darling,¡± Aclysia whispered.


    ¡°Can we pick it up a bit?!¡± Korith shouted from several dozen metres ahead. The kobold was hopping from one foot onto the other. ¡°Hoard does not respect the weakness of local currency!¡±


    ¡°Seems like we¡¯re all motivated to leave,¡± Reysha cackled and began to jog.


    Apexus and Aclysia looked at each other for a moment and then shrugged in unison. The metal fairy giggled and held onto her darling. Bare feet trampled the dirt road. Whatever they would do with Mayana in the future, for the present they did not care to stay.


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    There wasn¡¯t even a border fortress. The party followed a valley that cut through the mountain chain that enveloped the country. Then they made way for the coast. Reysha hoped that they would come across more of the mantis lobsters. No one protested the mild addition to their travel time.


    To be in the wilderness was liberating to Apexus and Reysha. Even Aclysia and Korith preferred this particular stretch of undeveloped land to the country behind them. They came across ruins that had decayed past the point of usability. ¡°Guess there was an attempted exodus in the past?¡± Aclysia theorized.


    ¡°Or a catastrophe,¡± Apexus suggested. ¡°Too old to say for certain.¡± He looked around for any signs of human activity. There was some ash from campfires mostly. All of it was old. Whoever lived beyond the bounds of Mayana, they stayed on the move.


    They spent no further thought on it. Any interest in the country was fleeting. To have encountered it was a curiosity in their travels. Except for one of them.


    ¡°It does gnaw at me,¡± Reysha stated out of nowhere. The tiger girl was sitting atop the rim of the sitting area of the serpent they were travelling on. Her eyes were directed west, towards the landmass they were leaving behind. ¡°Are we supposed to be heroes?¡±


    ¡°You were the one to rebuke that question,¡± Aclysia reminded.


    ¡°Yeah, and now it gnaws at me.¡± The tiger girl looked at her hand, at the dried remains of algae and other marine life that had stuck to the surface of the vehicle. It had looked barely more used than the previous one. ¡°Are we¡­. No, am I not supposed to do more?¡±


    ¡°Reysha¡­.¡± Aclysia let out a heartfelt whisper and tried to sort her thoughts.


    ¡°Just, I still have a lot of stupidity to make up for,¡± Reysha kept talking. ¡°There¡¯s a lot that went into the mess that we¡¯re in, but I pulled the final trigger. I¡­ try to forget that¡­ the fire¡­ the screams¡­¡± she quivered, as exaggerated images and sounds resurfaced. They bubbled past the barrier that she had erected around them. ¡°All of the things that I¡¯m responsible for, just because I wanted a select few to suffer the same fate I thought you had.¡±


    Apexus had put his hand on her back. He said nothing, because he had nothing to say that could guide her. All he had was his presence. The quivers he felt go through her gradually calmed down.


    ¡°I want to forget what I did¡­ but I can¡¯t¡­ I shouldn¡¯t¡­. I have a fucking obligation to remember.¡±


    ¡°You have a responsibility to be better,¡± Aclysia weighed in. ¡°Not to torture yourself. Self-flagellation does not solve the world¡¯s woes.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Reysha closed her eyes and wrestled the memories down. It had become easier, through routine and distance. One and a half years had passed since that day. ¡°I know that there¡¯s no way we could leave that place better than we found it¡­¡± she gazed back out west. ¡°Still though¡­ it gnaws at me.¡±


    ¡°Remember them,¡± Apexus said. ¡°We¡¯ll help them when we come back. That¡¯s as much as we can do as we are now.¡±


    Reysha gave him a short nod. There was a loud ¡®thump¡¯ next to her. With uncharacteristic sluggishness, she turned her head ¨C too slow to realize Korith was giving her a full body hug until it happened. The unarmoured kobold held the Rogue in her arms with all she had to give. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°H-hey¡­ you¡¯ve¡­ you¡¯ve done wrong but¡­ you¡¯re alright to me, okay?¡± the Warrior stammered.


    Reysha gave that a single laugh. ¡°Thanks, Korith.¡±


    _______________________________________________________________________


    Apexus walked forwards.


    The stag raised its head. It was white, from the hooves all the way to the antlers. Only its eyes were of a different colour. An icy shade of blue, interrupted by a pupil that seemed more like a crack than a proper seeing organ.


    Apexus did not direct his eyes at his prey. He did not think of it as prey either. Slouched shoulders and a relaxed gait signalled disinterest to the deer. A false sense of safety kept the animal at a distance. It danced back slowly when the Monk came a bit too close for its liking and never let the new arrival at the water hole leave its gaze.


    Like most herbivores, the deer was ready to fight or flee at the first sign of danger. Whether they were danger or not, sapient hunters knew to mask. The animal did not know what exactly to do, whether it was worthwhile to expend the energy that running or combat brought with it. Not until Apexus suddenly turned heel and charged straight at it.


    The stag had not anticipated the degree of acceleration the Monk was capable of. It lacked the experience and the faculties to play such a scenario out. By the time it had turned around to dart away, the humanoid chimera was almost upon it. Apexus kept up, deftly dodging a stomp of the creature.


    The ground around where it put its hooves down froze, forcing the Monk to take awkward routes to avoid slippery surfaces. The stag built a little bit of distance and bolted towards nearby trees. Barely, it caught a flash of red in the corner of its vision. Rearing its front legs, it avoided the strike of the whirling axe that embedded itself in a tree.


    Reysha had pure murder in her eyes and drew a throwing knife to serve as her next projectile. The threat of sharply glistening steel distracted the animal for long enough that Apexus could catch up. He swung his arm. The palm slammed against the neck of the animal. Where fur, fat and muscle would have normally warded against the impact of such blunt force, the combination of the Rippling Palm and punching power of the Growth in his wrist overcame all resistance. The guided force travelled deep ¨C severing nerves and bones.


    Like a sack of rocks, the stag collapsed. Apexus had hit a vital bundle of nerves, ending its life in an instant. The humanoid chimera stepped out of the way of the corpse, watching a few last twitches of confused reflexes kick its legs.


    Reysha had no such patience. With two knives, she carved into the hide of their prey. Sharp tools tore through layers with ease, until the meat below the fur and fat became visible. At that point, the sweet smell of blood sung to the redhead¡¯s instincts. A lick of her blade confirmed the taste of magic. Swiftly, the tools were discarded. Dispatched in favour of her claws and fangs. Like any other predator, she took hold of the carcass and stained her maw crimson with the raw flesh, tearing strings muscle off the stag¡¯s ribcage.


    Aclysia and Korith caught up with the hunters of the group. The metal fairy frowned at the sight of the tiger girl, so utterly indulged in her first proper meal in 5 days. As much as she found the gorging to be unappealing, she swallowed her complaints.


    ¡°Never gets any less ewww,¡± Korith stated.


    ¡°I am incapable of putting it any more succinctly,¡± Aclysia agreed and averted her gaze. ¡°This does, however, beat watching her be sapped of all her usual enthusiasm.¡±


    Reysha wasn¡¯t even capable of hooking into the conversation there. Any quip she could have thought of was buried under several layers of hunger and satisfaction. A starved beast, she kept tearing into the carcass.


    Apexus followed Aclysia and Korith to the watering hole, out of the splash zone of Reysha¡¯s meal. ¡°A bit muddy,¡± the metal fairy stated, looking at the water. Then she looked around. There were some pebbles and sand around. With a few rags, she could make a basic filter. Boiling what came out at the end would give them halfway clean water. ¡°Should I go through the effort?¡±


    ¡°No, I think we¡¯re good,¡± Apexus responded and looked at Korith for confirmation. Personally, he had no problem drinking even dirty water. Soil would either stop at his membrane, or be concentrated into a clump that was then pushed back out. That was, if it wasn¡¯t digestible in the first place. A lot of dirt was made up of tiny remains of life, like leaf-litter or fungus spores. The only water they needed was what Korith and Reysha drank as they travelled. It was bothersome to open the Mobile Estate each time either of them wanted to refresh themselves.


    ¡°I mean, we¡¯re a coin catch away from Pernero, so,¡± Korith¡¯s armour clacked from her shrug. ¡°Plus, we¡¯re staying here tonight, right?¡±


    The party was on the final island before arriving in the city and had already located the Serpent Shrine that would bring them across. The only reason they hadn¡¯t activated it was the time of day. The journey would take several hours and they didn¡¯t want to arrive in the middle of the night. According to the map, they would arrive at the city¡¯s edge and given Mayana¡¯s reception, they anticipated they would attract attention. Best to arrive during daytime, when people were less defensive towards unusual occurrences.

 All but Forsaken 10 – Bent Backs

    The Walled Port of Pernero ¨C one of the three major maritime fortresses in the world. Stone buildings extended up the slope of a mountain. What had once been ridges of solid rock had been transformed through painstaking labour into several level plateaus, each covered in structures laid with the very same grey and reddish brown rock that had been loosened in the process. The taming of nature did not stop there. Where the mountains had transitioned out into the ocean, digging and mining had shaped large basins surrounded by walls and gates. During high tide, they could be filled with water, during the ebb, they could be drained, and all could be used to store the many ships of the locals.


    A shallow ring had been deliberately kept intact around in the water. Vessels either had to enter through the few controlled and guarded gaps that existed, or risk tearing their hull open on the solid rock.


    What had once been a mountain that sloped off into the sea now was another testimony to sapient ingenuity. Apexus watched people work all around the basins that surrounded the city. Some had been transformed into salt fields. Shallow water was gradually moved around, the sun evaporating it until only the salt remained ¨C alongside a great many impurities that then had to be removed through raking and other filtering.


    Many people with bent backs were working those salt fields. Many more pushed wooden boats through another shallow basin, checking the traps for lobsters, shrimp, and other crustaceans. They did so carefully, avoiding the potential punishments of claws or, worse, the slams from the mantis shrimps.


    Then there were the docks, where yet more workers swarmed around ships that needed maintenance or were being built. Basins could be flooded individually or as segments, which made for ideal drydocks.


    The people who worked were men, universally. They were shirtless, their backs bent, their bones showing slightly through the skin. Around them stood more men in good clothes, sometimes even leather armour. They had swords and whips on their waists and never lifted a single finger to help anyone. Not when the shirtless men lifted large logs to the watermill. Not when they pulled in the fishnets. Not when they stumbled and fell into the piles of wet salt.


    ¡°Slaves,¡± Aclysia stated, while the serpent drifted through the outer barrier. They followed one of many canals that connected the basins which made manoeuvring between them with boats even possible. This particular one was a surrender of those that had built the city to the demands of the gods. The Serpent Shrines could not be meddled with.


    The beige tower sat on the shore of the city. Around it was a massive yard. Open space, where only temporary structures were allowed, with tall walls looking down at it. Guards manned the embattlements, bows in hand. Barrels filled with arrows and throwing spears were at the ready. Orders were barked in the distance and the open space was cleared quickly of all those who travelled through it.


    ¡°We really are the most exciting thing to come about this Leaf in the last few decades, huh?¡± Reysha asked, while a small group of armoured men bunched up at the shrine. ¡°You ever think what goes through these guys¡¯ heads?¡±


    ¡°S-something about wanting to protect their homes, probably?¡± Korith suggested.


    ¡°No ¨C I mean yeah, probably ¨C but what I meant is those guys specifically.¡± Reysha gestured towards the little group, then towards the embattlements. ¡°If we decide to attack them, they get fucked while the assholes up on the walls get to stand at a safe distance and fire arrows.¡±


    ¡°I assume the honour of being the face of the city outweighs the potential risk of the occasional confrontation,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°More importantly, how do we wish to engage with these people?¡±


    Apexus looked at himself. ¡°Should I cover my chest?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Korith shouted. ¡°Why?! That¡¯d be a crime!¡±


    ¡°¡­Calm down there, horny shortie,¡± Reysha giggled. ¡°Although you do have to explain to what weird fucking places your thoughts went again.¡±


    ¡°It appears that having no shirt is linked to a low status in this city.¡± Apexus pointed at the men working the basins. ¡°I do not want to wear the guise of prey.¡±


    ¡°I find it personally questionable whether there is a direct correlation. However, there is no disadvantage to putting it on, darling¡­ besides the aesthetic loss.¡± Aclysia¡¯s opinion was enough on the matter for Apexus to pull up the upper parts of his robe. The preferences of his women was a good enough reason to go without cover most of the time.


    Korith kept making saddened noises all the way until the serpentine vehicle lowered itself onto the ground. The only smile that remained as they got off was Reysha¡¯s. The tiger girl¡¯s lips were curled into an enigmatic grin that could just as easily have been belligerent as it could have been amused. For once, she stuck to their formation, staying behind Apexus and Korith as they walked down to the flattened rock.


    Apexus found the texture of the ground odd. Much work had gone into carving the mountain into the city, and yet the ground was a crudely worked surface. He stopped halfway up to the guards and let his naked sole travel over the ground. There were so many little bumps and depressions, reduced to bluntness after thousands of feet had trampled over it for such a long time. To have flattened the mountain into these various plateaus was impressive work, but the tools and skills employed to do so had been basic.


    All throughout the motion, Apexus never once took his eyes off the guards. A few of them reached for their swords or clenched their spears tighter. The odd gesture of Apexus¡¯ foot made them nervous, doubly so because the large chimera painted an image of a being they could not place. Kobolds were unknown, but there were a few goblins in the city. Aclysia, unarmed and wearing a priestly robe, was fundamentally disarming due to her body language and the base trust that men often afforded attractive women. Same could have been said for Reysha, but her unwavering smile and the black of her eyes diminished this greatly. The small arsenal of weapons attached to her leather clad form did the rest.


    Apexus took another step forward. Even folded, the verdant wings increased the scope of his silhouette and the long tail extended his reach. To the guards, to whom adventurers were but distant legends, a man that stepped up with fists like his might as well have been wielding a warhammer. The swords were drawn and the spears pointed.


    ¡°That is close enough,¡± the captain said in unison with his comrade¡¯s actions. He was the only one to keep his weapon sheathed. His head rose to Apexus¡¯ nose, making him by far the tallest of the guards and yet still shorter than either Aclysia or Reysha.


    Apexus stopped, as did Korith, Reysha positioned herself behind her man, to use his body as cover. It was easier to slip away from people¡¯s senses when they couldn¡¯t see her completely. Aclysia also stopped two steps behind. She had no intention to take over the speaking role here.


    ¡°I am Apexus,¡± the humanoid chimera introduced himself, his deep baritone was exactly the voice one would have attributed to a man of his stature. ¡°This here is Korith and Aclysia,¡± he deliberately skipped over Reysha, as did the eyes of the guards. This time, the Rogue acted with full agreement of the party when she positioned herself for the worst case scenario.


    ¡°Welcome to the Walled Port of Pernero,¡± the guard captain responded in a harsh voice. ¡°Where do you come from?¡±


    ¡°Recently, Mayana. In general?¡± Apexus considered the question for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Does it matter?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play games,¡± the guard captain warned. ¡°Do you come in the name of any faction?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus responded simply. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What¡¯s your reason for travelling to our city?¡±


    Apexus pointed westwards. ¡°The dungeon known as Serpent Heart. We aim to explore it.¡± That caused additional tension among the guards. The spears quivered and the captain hesitated for several moments. ¡°Is there an issue?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the captain said and cleared his throat. His mouth was suddenly dry. ¡°If that is all you wish for, go right ahead. You¡¯ll have to understand that we will be watching you, sir?¡±


    Apexus tilted his head, confused, then nodded. ¡°It is your city,¡± he lowered his hand. ¡°We have no intention of bothering anyone.¡±


    ¡°Then be on your way. If you want access to the city proper, check in with the gatekeepers. Have a nice day¡­ sir,¡± the guard captain hastily gave a hand signal and the entire welcoming committee stepped back. While the guards stepped away, Apexus picked up the captain mumbling to one of his men, ¡°How can someone talk about entering that death trap so casually?¡±


    Apexus pieced together what had caused the shift in attitude at that moment. To them, a level 10-20 dungeon was a fairly normal experience. To a guard who only had to deal with normal people, it was the same as being thrown into a pit of vipers. Consequently, someone who stated, without a care, that they wished to walk into a death trap, had to be regarded as either foolish or too dangerous to handle. The captain had gone with the latter. A correct assumption.


    ¡°Are we powerful?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Objectively speaking, this is the case,¡± Aclysia responded swiftly, having herself guessed what had gone on during that exchange. ¡°Adventurers exceed the physical and magical capacities of regular people several times over, unless those people stem from a particularly hostile, magic-rich Leaf.¡±


    ¡°In a place like this, we might as well be demigods,¡± Reysha stated, hands folded behind her head.


    ¡°Reysha!¡± Aclysia protested.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You cannot entitle yourself to such a station ¨C it holds moral weight!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a metaphor, bubble butt.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, so we aren¡¯t entering the city?¡± Korith asked, while Apexus took a step westward. He stopped and gave the city a long look. Then he turned to Korith.


    ¡°Do we have any reason to?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Just curious about the local economy,¡± the kobold confessed.


    ¡°Considering the Walled Ports¡¯ function as protecting the maritime exchange of goods and the west to east route that appears to be the core of this Leaf¡¯s trade system, it can be assumed that the economies are largely synchronized. In other words, you can expect currency to be about as valueless here as elsewhere.


    ¡°I hate this place,¡± Korith squeaked.


    ¡°You should,¡± Aclysia stated and glared over to one of the basins. While the overseers stared at the party, they chastised the workers who did the same. ¡°It reeks of immorality.¡±


    ¡°Pretty quick to decide that one,¡± Reysha observed.


    ¡°Although I have personal issues with the rigidity of a caste system, it can be a workable way to organize a society at the base level, provided there is enough space for individual achievements,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°It must be inspected closely. To keep your fellow sapient beings in bondage, however, is immoral at all points. We were all given souls by our benevolent creators.¡±


    ¡°We should learn more, regardless of how bad it looks,¡± Apexus said. ¡°But not today. If we do engage in trade, it should be after we have found new things to trade. Agreed?¡±


    ¡°That does make sense,¡± Korith stated.


    ¡°As long as I get something to eat.¡± Reysha grinned and rolled her shoulders. ¡°We¡¯re overlevelled for that one anyway.¡±


    ¡°Not by much.¡± Apexus extended an arm off to the side. An offer that was immediately understood by the shortstack who leapt onto it. For a moment she dangled from it like a monkey from a tree branch, then his hand went down and supported her butt. Korith wiggled herself into position, until she sat comfortably on his palm, head rested against his shoulder. It was one of the many comfortable positions she could get carried in.


    ¡°Shortie privileges,¡± Reysha complained.


    ¡°Ye,¡± Korith responded with a happy squeak.


    They travelled along the outskirts of the city. There were slaves working in every basin, gathering the seafood and salt that was the baseline sustenance of the city and repairing the ships that served as defence and trade vessels. Looking eastwards, they spotted many vessels travelling the middle sea of the Leaf. The three Walled Ports were the primary havens and their ships protected the many smaller island communities from piracy. That was all the group really knew.


    It took them the entire day to travel from the outskirts of Pernero to the Serpent Heart dungeon.


    It was unusual to see a dungeon that had no sign of a guild outpost whatsoever. If there ever had been one, it had long since rotted away, and left only the corridor of indestructible, white stones that jutted out of the ground like a giant rib cage, leading up to a broad hole in the ground that descended deep into the underground.


    ¡°Really been a fucking while, huh?¡± Reysha asked, looking at the dark dungeon entrance. Her nose tingled, the smell of magic and stagnant air mixing into the intoxicating promise of dangers and feasts.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Aclysia confirmed. ¡°This will be our first dungeon as an extended group.¡±


    ¡°G-good that it''s on the easier side then,¡± Korith stammered.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do fine,¡± Apexus immediately assuaged her concerns. They had fought a dragon together, what could a low-level dungeon do to them?


    Only one way to find out.

 All but Forsaken 11 – Bloody Serpents

    The Serpent¡¯s Heart drummed distantly. The pulse was accompanied by a waxing and waning in the intensity of the red light that came from the network of warm veins that covered the walls. The illumination travelled up the tunnels and the veins, basking the party in rhythmic light. They advanced deeper, the last bits of daylight disappearing and being replaced with the ever denser network of red, until nothing besides the overlapping veins was visible anymore.


    Reysha poked the walls, first with her fingers, then with her dagger. In both cases the strange, pulsing material gave underneath, like a sack filled with water. ¡°Ya gotta wonder how hard you¡¯d have to tear at this to break it open.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon, its structure is unassailable,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Ya say that, but do you remember the Deathhound tearing through the boss room door?¡± Reysha hesitated for a moment. ¡°Or did I hallucinate that?¡±


    ¡°You did not,¡± Apexus assured her.


    ¡°Thank fuck,¡± the redhead exhaled and looked ahead. ¡°Difficult to coordinate in this environment.¡±


    Apexus only nodded. The ground was just as much covered in the veins as the walls were. In the first place, there was no solid difference between ground and walls, the tunnel describing an imperfect cylindrical shape that cut through the ground in a curved path. Currently they were heading downwards, the light always pulsing in their direction. The constant changing of the light levels made it difficult to let their eyes adjust. Whatever was ahead, it only was visible for the brief moment the light travelled through. Then, the darkness swallowed it all.


    The footing was bad, the visibility terrible, and there was little space to navigate. Far from optimal conditions.


    ¡°Korith, lead,¡± Apexus decided, trusting his instincts. The kobold let out an affirmative squeak. Apexus dropped to the back of the party, taking the rear. The pulsing ground dulled his tremor sense, but it was still the best they had in case there was an ambush.


    Step for step, they continued. The tunnel¡¯s winding eventually became more aggressive. Each curve was another obstacle to finding what was ahead. They turned a corner and Korith stopped. ¡°D-do you see that?¡± the blonde asked. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Apexus and Reysha strained their eyes. Up ahead, a part of the ceiling was cut open. A bloody red liquid flowed from the cut vein, gathering in thick streams on the ground, hiding the local knot of overlapping vessels under a crimson pool.


    ¡°Aclysia,¡± Apexus only had to say the singular word for the metal fairy to step behind Korith. The advantage of having a tiny frontliner was just how easy it was to aim over her head. For a few seconds, Aclysia considered which spell to use. Palm extended; she loosed a simple Bolt.


    The golden spell travelled down the corridor, contesting the reign of the pulses, until it hit the pond. A long hiss sounded down the tunnel, more aggressive than of liquid evaporating alone. Everyone readied their weapons. The pool roiled. The beating light hid the blood. They saw a pillar of crimson. They saw a maw form at the tip. They saw a serpentine body of pure liquid rushing towards them.


    Korith planted her feet as firmly as she could and gripped her hammer with both hands. Golden eyes stared ahead. The pace of the creature lagged behind the light. It was hidden once again, then revealed again just as it opened its maw. Liquid flesh split with a squelching sound, revealing a toothless maw with a second set of jaws within. Dagger-like shards of bone protruded from the internal one, only four of them, big enough to secure a grip.


    None of the nervousness remained in Korith¡¯s body language. The enemy was before her and hesitation was death. She brought her weapon upwards and turned the head of the bloody serpent into a splatter on the wall.


    Reysha didn¡¯t even have time to quip on the monster¡¯s apparent weakness. The head was regenerated within a blink. Korith¡¯s momentum turned her halfway. A deliberate decision that allowed her to bring her tail between her head and the monster¡¯s maw. The creature took the bait, its crystalline eyes focusing on the appendage. Red scales turned as grey as steel. Teeth grinded on an armour they could not break.


    A terrible screaming sound filled the cave, loud and unnatural. Reysha rammed her left hand into the head of the monster. Magic whirled around the upper segment of each of her digits, encasing the thick protrusions of the demonic limb in an excavating edge. Blood sprayed as fine mist from the wound.


    Apexus twisted around when he felt movement behind them. A smaller serpent, still over three metres long and as thick as Apexus¡¯ torso, had appeared. The direct lunge at his back, he redirected sideways. Flow Manipulation turned the attack into self-harm. Head splattering on the wall, the liquid creature simply let that segment of its body drop and a new head bubbled to the surface.


    The humanoid chimera immediately smacked it across the head. Force rippled through the liquid body, bolstered by his Ki, and exploded the creature from within. All over, the surface burst open and the barely coherent body of the creature turned into a geyser of red that seeped swiftly into the ground. Nothing was left behind.


    Ahead, Reysha and Korith had dispatched the first snake. ¡°Whyyyy?¡± Korith whined, wiping blood off her face. That freed her eyes, for the most part, but her golden hair and face only became more covered in the thick crimson.


    The tiger girl scratched the back of her head awkwardly. Black skin and thick claws turned back into brown and nails. ¡°In my defence, it fucking worked.¡±


    ¡°Yes but¡­ still,¡± Korith did not have to put into words why she was upset. No one appreciated being sprayed with viscera. ¡°Did you at least get food out of it?¡±


    ¡°Kinda?¡± Reysha raised a blood red gemstone. A core, that much was clear. Its presence prompted Apexus to search for something similar on the ground. It took a moment, but he located it. Like the cores of other magical creatures, the energy coming from it was intensely concentrated. ¡°Is it safe?¡± the tiger girl had the presence of mind to ask.


    Apexus, after digesting the gemstone, nodded. ¡°Typical elemental core,¡± he told her. A point of personal disappointment. Elementals were too far removed from biological structures to net him anything usable, typically speaking. These enemies appeared to be no exception. They had the ability to manipulate the blood in these walls, but not to generate it. Even if Apexus bothered to grow and learn that particular ability, it would not be useful as an acquisition.


    Reysha mirthfully popped the gem into her mouth and sucked on it like hard candy. It gradually dissolved, releasing the magic into her. She moaned, the intense taste of magic reminding her of what she had been missing out on for so long. ¡°Thish hitsh the shpoooot,¡± she slurred, not even bothering to keep her hand from creeping between her legs. ¡°Ooooh, fuuuck, yessshhhh.¡±


    ¡°Find your centre,¡± Apexus cautioned the swaying Rogue. ¡°No sex until we find a safe place.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh-okay,¡± Reysha swallowed the last of her enriched saliva. Then she gestured for Korith to keep heading down the corridor.


    They continued on, occasionally fighting more of the monsters. The Bloody Serpents relied on their creepiness and the unsteady environment to back them up. Neither worked well on the party, who had fought much worse before. The regenerative abilities of the creatures were bothersome, but could be exhausted through constant pressure.


    ¡°It appears the pulsing always points in the direction of the exit,¡± Aclysia noted, after they came across the third junction. ¡°We will not get fully lost, even if the pheromones fade.¡±


    ¡°Fortunate, I am unsure if I¡¯d be able to maintain the path we followed in my mind indefinitely,¡± Aclysia commented. ¡°Perhaps we should acquire paper on our next shopping trip.¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, she sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, I hate spending money too,¡± Korith said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not my issue. The paper in the city will be pressed using slave labour at some point of production. It strikes me as distasteful to acquire wares born from such a system.¡±


    Apexus had to give that some thought. ¡°To eat the fruit of the evil tree, because it is convenient,¡± he said. ¡°When is it justified to compromise for the sake of one¡¯s desires? Can it ever be?¡±


    ¡°There ya go being a monk again,¡± Reysha giggled. She immediately stopped when several more enemies sprouted from the walls.


    Korith rushed ahead, leaping straight into a coiling mass of three of the Bloody Serpents. ¡°For Hoard!¡± she shouted. A copper flame spread along the head of her warhammer. The fire stuck tightly to it, even as she slammed through the intertwined and melded bodies of the snakes. Only when it hit the ground did it fan out into a carpet of low-glow, copper flame. The flickering fire seemed to vibrate. Its flow increased. Then, it finally exploded. A sound like a small gong getting struck echoed in the tunnel, swiftly swallowed by the veiny walls. The Bloody Serpents were catapulted upwards, burned and shoved simultaneously.


    Reysha struck over the head of the kobold. Ramming her demonic hand into the head of one and separating the neck of another with her axe, she retrieved one core and caused a second to fall to the floor along the viscera. The last of the knot of Bloody Serpents was swiftly dispatched by Korith after it landed.


    ¡°Think this is going to get hard anytime soon?¡± Reysha checked out the core. The fingers she held it in swiftly reverted from the black, leathery texture of demon hide to the same brown, striped skin as the rest of her.


    ¡°According to the level bracket on the map, we should have appropriate difficulty with the later half of the dungeon, if we make it that deep.¡± Aclysia turned her attention to the kobold. ¡°We are resource restricted for the first time.¡±


    ¡°S-sorry?¡± Korith stammered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize for being closest to the designs the gods have created.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m a freak, huh?¡± Reysha asked with a huge grin.


    ¡°A crass exaggeration of me calling Korith normal ¨C albeit not entirely inaccurate. The Noir condition does change you from the default of your species.¡± Aclysia hesitated for a moment. ¡°I must wonder if the possibility of the affliction was within the plans of the gods or if it is another aspect of the evolution of their creation.¡±


    ¡°No clue ¨C say, squishy, wanna try and get it too?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°No¡­ no, I kinda like eating normal food, having normal eyes, and¡­ you know, not suffering from slutty hunger pangs.¡± Korith tossed the two cores she found on the ground over to Reysha. The redhead caught them both, then flicked one further down the line to Apexus. The humanoid chimera caught it in his fist. By the time he opened the hand again, the core was most of the way under the membrane.


    Reysha popped both monster remains into her mouth. ¡°More for ush thehn ¨C say, bubble butt, how long ya think we can sustain Korith on what we have?¡±


    ¡°By my estimations, we¡¯ll have enough stag meat to remain fed for about six days. She is not as voracious as either of you.¡±


    ¡°Being big is such a waste of resources. Hoard was wise to make his servants small.¡± Korith nodded sagely.


    ¡°Being big does indeed require additional nourishment,¡± Apexus said, before casually backhanding a Bloody Serpent that had tried to sneak up on him. One proper strike to the head, and the amalgam of dungeon blood was only seeping splatters. The core bounced off the wall and landed in his carefully placed palm. ¡®How much would I struggle with these without the proper skills?¡¯ he wondered.


    The answer was likely quite a lot. Reysha made it look easy, ripping the cores out with her hand. While Apexus¡¯ own limbs had the necessary combination of sturdiness and regeneration to pull off the same feat, to push so seamlessly through the surface she required the Edge Martial Art. Similarly, he was blasting apart their structural integrity with the Rippling Palm. Korith¡¯s Copper Strike and defensive skills also made her way more effective. Aclysia¡¯s capacity at killing these things had hardly been tested. She was conserving her mana in case anyone got injured.


    With pure stats, they would have been hacking and slashing away at these things. They would have still come out victorious, it would have been much harder though.


    ¡®I best continue my learning,¡¯ Apexus thought.


    ¡°I understand now why they thought we were crazy when we said we¡¯d go here,¡± Korith continued the conversation. ¡°To the normal person, this really is a creepy hellhole. I mean, even I find it ewwy.¡± She poked a particularly thick vein with her weapon.


    ¡°I wonder how many individuals over the years deemed themselves worthy of the challenge and were devoured,¡± Apexus thought out loud. He had learned enough about human nature to know that some would see the death trap as a challenge. ¡°Even more I wonder if any ever succeeded.¡±


    ¡°Unlikely but not entirely impossible. The gap between a complete novice in combat and a level 10 creature is large but not insurmountable, given proper planning, equipment, and luck,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°However, considering what passes for an art of war in these parts¡­¡±


    Reysha burst out laughing when she recalled the eloquent dance of the Felmer. ¡°They all fucking died.¡±


    ¡°Their arrogance is no excuse to be mirthful in their demise, Reysha!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­ but isn¡¯t it though?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the type of arrogance,¡± Aclysia conceded just a little ground. ¡°Further, it is not entirely certain whether the Walled Ports would be of a similarly esoteric combat doctrine. If they have to fend off pirates on a regular basis, given their smaller size, they should have a working guard core.¡±


    ¡°Our welcoming committee struck me as disciplined. I do not know about their combat ability. Neither am I sure if they need to be good warriors. The structure of the city makes it easily defended from enemies within and without.¡±


    ¡°We can ask around after we get back. Looking forward to only eating stag meat for the next couple of days, squishy?¡±


    ¡°¡­No¡­¡±

 All but Forsaken 12 – Temporary or Not so Temporary Changes

    The healing fountain room was a sanctuary from enemy attacks and the claustrophobic lighting of the tunnels alike. Both were welcome, but the former was more important.


    Apexus retrieved the key resting between the parallel bones of his forearm. As it passed through the membrane, the slime retreated from the surface of the ornate key, guided by the central will emanating from the nucleus. The humanoid chimera turned it in his hands, making sure it remained as immaculate as ever. Rust did not affect the heavy key. Any dirt that accumulated would have been a sign of lacking care.


    Nodding, satisfied, Apexus pushed the key into the air. To everyone¡¯s relief, it partly disappeared, soon spawning the golden lock and outline that marked the creation of the passage. The door fully manifested and swung inside.


    The window that usually showed the weather had been changed into the same kind of veiny texture the dungeon walls had. Otherwise, the inside of the Mobile Estate was entirely unchanged. ¡°We shall not touch the water skins unless direly necessary,¡± Aclysia announced, while Korith got her fill from the refilling vase.


    This was another issue with having Korith in the party. Where Apexus and Reysha could drink the water of the healing fountain without any issue, Korith would gradually be poisoned by the mana of the dungeon in the water. Some was manageable and in a pinch the water could be brought to a boil to remove some of the harmful energies. To rely on it alone would inevitably have dire consequences.


    Having access to the water from the Mobile Estate would alleviate the issue. They still required a safe space in order to access their home. No healing fountains for several days would be an issue. Crawling a dungeon was never without issues though.


    ¡°Ya ever think about giving this place a more interesting name?¡± Reysha asked, after returning from the latrine. ¡°Mobile Estate is super dull.¡±


    ¡°It is accurate,¡± Apexus stated.


    ¡°Hoard Home!¡± Korith declared immediately.


    Aclysia softly shook her head and sighed. ¡°I would prefer not dedicating our permanent dwelling to a god only one member of our party follows.¡±


    ¡°Mordekainen¡¯s Magnificent Mansion,¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°Mobile Estate is still perfectly accurate?¡± Apexus repeated himself. The three women in the room glanced at him for a moment.


    ¡°Darling, accuracy is not sufficient, beauty is important and there is beauty in names.¡±


    The humanoid chimera tilted his head in thought, before slowly nodding. He sat down on the bed. The frame creaked under his weight, the straw under the blanket gave a bit. Had it not been for the refreshing aspects of their to-be-renamed home, the plant fibres would have been lain through in little time. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What¡¯s a Mordekainen and why should we name our home after him?¡± Korith squeaked.


    ¡°Some Wizard or Bard, I honestly don¡¯t remember. Never was one to listen much to folk tales that didn¡¯t involve someone getting stabbed or earning absurd amounts of money.¡± Reysha rolled her neck. ¡°We sticking to the funny alliterations or what the fuck are we doing for theming?¡±


    ¡°I am personally fond of the repeating starting letters,¡± Aclysia hummed in agreement. ¡°Perhaps we should begin with another question: do we wish to give our party a name?¡±


    ¡°Hoard¡¯s Hunters!¡± Korith declared, this time with a bit of a smile on her face. No one laughed. ¡°Awww, I thought self-deprecation was the highest form of humour?¡±


    ¡°Only when my careless ass does it,¡± Reysha weighed in. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t see why not. If we¡¯re going to deal with the guild in the future, might as well have a shorthand, right?¡±


    ¡°Apexus¡¯ Harem would be a factual statement,¡± Aclysia suggested.


    ¡°¡­can¡¯t even tell if you''re joking or not, bubble butt.¡±


    The metal fairy blinked a couple of times, before curiously tilting her head. ¡°Why would I be joking? We are all darling¡¯s women, there is nothing funny about that. It¡¯s a rather enjoyable state of affairs, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Point taken. I think you¡¯d kill Korith if we called ourselves that though.¡± The tiger girl gestured at the kobold who tried to hide her embarrassment by chewing on some stag jerky. ¡°Maybe something like ¡®the gluttons¡¯?¡±


    ¡°A cardinal sin is not a name for a respectable party.¡±


    ¡°Are we respectable?¡± Reysha laughed and waved off when Aclysia shot her a concerned glance. ¡°Alright, how about ¡®Deep Travellers¡¯? We do go in pretty deep ¨C especially the big guy.¡±


    ¡°Please stop with your innuendos.¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡±


    Aclysia gave it a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°I would suggest only using ¡®the travellers¡¯ but such a generic name would not be recognizable. The name of a party should be recognizable and convey what their primary objectives are.¡±


    ¡°Evolutionists?¡± Apexus suggested from his contemplative silence. ¡°We aim to become stronger. To grow. Evolve,¡± he elaborated.


    ¡°Not an entirely wrong approach, although the ring of it does not match my taste,¡± Aclysia confessed.


    ¡°The Apotheosis,¡± Reysha suggested with a dry chuckle. ¡°Yeah, I know, bad taste. Ignore me.¡±


    ¡°H-how about Change Seekers?¡± Korith suggested. ¡°It kinda works with the evolution idea¡­ and it¡¯s a money pun. It¡¯s the whole package!¡±


    ¡°Eh, it''s not the best, but it¡¯d do for me,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°It will suffice,¡± Aclysia agreed.


    Apexus just nodded and so the name was set. There was nothing stopping them from changing the name at a later date. It was just a shorthand to introduce themselves.


    ¡°Then¡­ for this place¡­ Change Mansion?¡± Korith followed up with another suggestion.


    That worked equally as well.


    _______________________________________________________________________


    They advanced deeper and deeper into the almost literal guts of the earth. The network of dense tunnels became interspersed with large chambers. Fibres expanded and contracted in tandem to the ever present beat of the distant heart. They held the pulsing light inside them for seconds at a time, before sending it further up through the tunnels.


    The shifting ground was covered in a thin layer of viscera. The soles of their boots and naked feet were stained red. Underneath every step, the ground shifted, fibres stretching and relaxing. The rhythmic difference between firm and soft was alien.


    Korith leapt over a fold in the ground, with Reysha soon to follow. It opened into a gap, while Aclysia hovered across. With a disdainful face, she landed back on the soaked floor. She hated the red that soaked into her deep blue robe. She turned her head to wait for her darling.


    Apexus waited for the rift to close again. Over the course of a few seconds, the crevice clamped down, like a slowly clasping mussel. To find oneself between the walls was bound to crunch some bones.


    The Monk walked across when it was most expedient. He raised a hand, letting the magic he fed into his crystal fingernails serve as a light that shined even when the red from the walls pulsed elsewhere. It was brighter than Aclysia¡¯s spell and his ki was less valuable than her mana.


    The viscera pooled together in front of them. Blood wove into muscle fibre and bones. The deeper they got into the dungeon, the more manifest the serpents had become. The one in front of them was less liquid than any that had come before. The ribs made up most of the exterior, red strings connecting them and hiding the spine. Only the head appeared to be mostly liquid still. The maw parted, revealing two rows of sharp, curved teeth and a claw-like secondary maw deeper within.


    The Bloody Serpent rushed towards Reysha, its head so far above that its empty eye sockets drifted straight over the kobold. A fact the shortstack immediately punished, shooting upwards and ramming her entire body into the thick body of the enormous creature.


    Its body forced to curve, the jaws of the monster were pulled back just before they could snap close around Reysha¡¯s head. The Rogue¡¯s claws swiped through the air, missing where the head had just been a moment prior. The creature reared back.


    Apexus rushed to the front line. He had to leap to grab the monster by the jaw. The lack of footing made him a helplessly flailing accessory to the Bloody Serpent¡¯s jaw, as it thrashed to throw him off. The rest of the party could only watch, the intensity of the monster¡¯s motions making it impossible to approach unharmed.


    Time lost was time bought. Where Korith and Reysha could only watch, Aclysia drew back her arm. A loud crackle and an explosion of light announced the creation of a Solar Lance. The spiralling magic fed back into itself, jittering with each second it was kept in check. Carefully, the angel aimed, and then let it fly.


    Muscles sizzled, bone dried, blood turned into powder, as the Lance tore a hole through the serpent. The lower three-quarters of its body suddenly became inert. What hadn¡¯t been affected directly by the spell went into a death spasm. Confused nerves spasmed, exhausting what energy still laid in the system. The liquid parts of the body oozed out between the solid ones, a messy display of crimson.


    So much of its body missing, the rest of the Bloody Serpent fell to the ground. The humanoid chimera beat his wings once, creating enough upward force that he landed on his knees rather than his butt. Jumping back to his feet swiftly, he dodged one last attempt by the dismembered serpent to bite him. Then, a foot of light grey colour crushed its head.


    The monster continued to move, but it had no eyes to see nor jaws to bite with. Apexus grabbed it by the neck, while Reysha hurried over and sank her energy-enveloped claws into the serpent¡¯s skull. When she ripped out the lemon-sized core, it finally stopped moving.


    ¡°These are becoming more of a pain,¡± Reysha crooned, tail and hips swinging.


    ¡°Why do you sound so happy about that?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Because I am,¡± she hummed.


    Aclysia was too busy giving everyone the once-over to comment on that. ¡°No injuries,¡± she reported, tension draining from her body from those two words alone. She glanced up at the ceiling. ¡°This lighting annoys me.¡± In the red light, spotting injuries was difficult. Everything looked red and the splattering crimson did her no favours. She lowered her gaze to find Apexus raising his hand upwards. ¡°Is something the matter, darling?¡±


    ¡°I was too small,¡± the humanoid chimera told her what was on his mind. ¡°Too light. I am considering growing.¡±


    ¡°¡­yes, please¡­¡± Korith whispered.


    ¡°Can ya not be a size queen for three seconds?¡± Reysha asked.


    Aclysia and Korith were both taken aback. ¡°Did you just chide someone for their sexual preferences?¡± the angel asked.


    ¡°¡­Oh, by the Hellroots, what have I become?!¡± the tiger girl dramatically stared at her hands. She snapped out of it immediately and tossed her wild, red hair over her shoulder. ¡°No, but seriously, if you want to, go right ahead Apexus. It takes you out of kissing range though.¡±


    A displeased rumble echoed from his chest. He proceeded to take what of the monster corpse was edible and added it to his biomass. It wasn¡¯t enough, on its own, to facilitate the change. The stores wrapped around his core were enough to make up the difference.


    Consolidating his mass again, after absorbing the elongated body of the serpent, Apexus stood a good fifteen centimetres taller. Where Aclysia and Reysha had previously made it up to his ears, they now barely reached his chin. His width had increased accordingly, keeping his proportions and looks intact.


    Korith shifted happily from one leg onto the other. The more she had to tilt her head back, the more into it she was. He was now almost twice her height.


    Aclysia and Reysha mustered him critically. The body of their lover was built for their mutual enjoyment and his height being limited had its reasons. ¡°That¡¯s not too bad,¡± the tiger girl said.


    ¡°I¡¯m torn,¡± the angel confessed and squeezed her darling¡¯s upper arm. The added bulk was something to behold, but that she couldn¡¯t reach him for kisses even if she got on her toes was a travesty.


    With one possessive motion, the now truly giant hulk of man grabbed the metal fairy by her cushy behind and raised her up. The kiss that she craved now came alongside being lifted by his paw. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, while tongues whirled.


    Apexus released her when he had satisfied their immediate craving, only to be besieged by the other two haremettes. First Reysha, then Korith, he helped them reach his lips. At the end, he held both in his arms simultaneously. ¡°This isn¡¯t so bad,¡± the tiger girl purred.


    ¡°It¡¯s a combat decision,¡± Apexus reminded them.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t have to stop there¡­ well, ya can decide after we get out of here.¡± Reysha dropped the little distance out of his arms. ¡°We¡¯ll fuck first before you change back though. You were tall before but by the Hellroots now you¡¯re just giant.¡±

 All but Forsaken 13 – Bloodwyrm

    The chamber in the lower most strata of Serpent Heart was a kilometre across. All light in the dungeon originated from the large, fleshy structure at the centre of the donut shaped chamber. It connected the roof and floor in a pillar of smoothly narrowing and then broadening flesh. At the core was a knot that expanded and then collapsed, forcing light and viscera through the walls of the entire dungeon.


    The party looked upon it from a distance. They had been culling more of the Bloody Serpents in the area, exhausting pools of crimson that had been filled from gushing gaps in the grotesquely soft and squirming floor. The dungeon was at its most dangerous. No parties had cleared it in generations.


    The entire room rippled with each beat of the dungeon¡¯s heart. What was a valley in one moment became a crushing crevice over the course of a few seconds. Nothing around was individually surprising. It was the fact that everything moved that made it so dangerous. Attention was pulled in every direction. Like a swarm of ants made it near impossible to pay attention to any singular ant, so too did it become difficult to stay focused on any single pit.


    They focused on what was directly in front of them. To stare off into the distance was strictly too distracting. Fight by fight, they got closer to the centre, until what was distant was right before them.


    ¡°I am uncertain about our task,¡± Apexus thought out loud. They had reached the edge of a circle. A twenty metre radius around the heart was almost smooth. Muscle fibres formed a bouncy floor that was lowered visibly from the rest of the fleshy environment. ¡°Are we supposed to destroy the heart?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Reysha responded and looked around. ¡°Ain¡¯t seeing anything else that¡¯s big and bossy.¡±


    ¡°So, do we just take it on?¡± Korith asked. ¡°Or do we keep slapping the enemies around?¡±


    ¡°They do make for better eating now that they¡¯re all fleshy,¡± Reysha stated.


    ¡°Personally, I¡¯d prefer to vacate this dungeon at our earliest opportunity,¡± Aclysia cast her vote. ¡°The light is getting on my nerves.¡±


    ¡°Same here¡­ and I want to eat something else¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t fault ya for that¡­ so we¡¯re two for leaving, one against. Deciding vote, big guy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a preference one way or another,¡± Apexus stated.


    ¡°Decision through inaction, ey?¡± Reysha rolled her shoulders. ¡°Well, I got my fill at least. If ya wanna go ahead.¡± She gestured with her axe at the pulsing muscle.


    Apexus leapt down and the rest of the party followed. The ground sank where his heavy form impacted. What caved downwards inevitably had to bounce back. Reysha laughed loudly when she and Korith were catapulted forwards by the surprising elasticity. The tiger girl landed on all fours five metres further ¨C the shortstack made it more than half the way to the heart. Boosted by her Martial Art, she landed readily, then leapt immediately again. Her hammer struck the heart.


    It collapsed in on itself. All muscles tensed. A powerful surge of light rushed outwards through the entire dungeon, replacing the twilight with an almost painfully bright red. Then it ebbed away again, leaving darkness and a faint glow at the core of the heart.


    The original source of the light was powerful, but layers of muscle and veins turned it into a diminished ember. All branching pathways and fibres were visible. A helix of bone coiled around the core of the heart. Segments of bladed, dense material, coiling onwards for several metres. From its upper half, a pair of double-jointed branches extended, ending in three extended claws.


    A spine. A pair of arms. A creature, whose dimensions became more apparent now that it shifted within its confinement. It was not a heart ¨C not just. It was a cocoon. A chrysalis, whose surface rapidly hardened like shedding scales.


    Before Korith could land, a hand broke through the crystallized muscle. It gripped her small form with three curling claws. In a gush of ichor and the sound of shattering glass, the boss monster tore the opening further.


    Korith was slammed down on the ground. A head emerged, elongated and covered in sharp scales. Two eyes, yellow like pus, sat in the black-red face of the serpentine creature. It coiled out of its shell, showing where the two arms were joined with a bulbous, almost humanoid segment of its otherwise long form. Its scales reflected the intense light at the heart of its cocoon. The last of its seven metre long form slipped out of the confinement. Its length belied its true bulk. The creature was sleek, its arms thin, its spine a ride that was visible under the scales that covered it.


    As the last of the viscera ran off its scales, the light within its cocoon drained into the environment. What had been steady pulses was replaced with a constant level of ambient, red light. The flesh smacking of shifting walls came to an end. It was eerily quiet. There was only the trampling of feet on the ground.


    Apexus leapt with wings and feet. The Bloodwyrm, the boss of the Serpent¡¯s Heart, twisted dexterously out of the way. Its neck curved and coiled. The maw opened wide, revealing teeth as sickly yellow as its eyes, dripping with bacterial rot. It ignored both the throwing knife and the Bolt that damaged its surface and caught Apexus¡¯ left wing in its teeth.


    The monster ripped its head around, beginning a deadly thrash. After only a single swipe, it felt the weight it moved diminish to next to nothing. Apexus landed hard on all fours. The skin on his back, where the wing should have been anchored to his spine and shoulder blades, was raised and pinched together. Gradually the surface flattened, while he raised a light grey fist and slammed it against the boss¡¯ nearby claw.


    The help was all Korith needed to push the limb off her and roll out from underneath. Blood poured from a deep cut across her cheek and her bones ached. Both pains were swiftly suppressed by pulsing adrenaline. She leapt, a swipe of the Bloodwyrm¡¯s tail passing by under her. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Apexus was not as prepared. One half of his body was several kilos lighter than it was supposed to be. The tail struck him square in the midsection. Abs coated in defensive magic reflected light grey in the dim red light, slime underneath distributed the force evenly. Force that would have ruptured liver and kidney only distantly disturbed a set of loosely placed organs swimming in gelatinous insides.


    The two metre tall hulk of a man was pushed back, but he did not topple nor was he catapulted into the air. His own tail served as the last bit of stabilization he needed, pushing against the floor. The boss let out a long growl, followed by a hiss after he dropped Apexus¡¯ dismembered wing in front of him. Where the teeth had punctured it, the feathers were curled and dull.


    Curling sideways, the boss feigned a bite. Apexus and Korith both retreated, only realizing that this was exactly what the Bloodwyrm wanted after it had backed away. Now with both of them in its field of view, it kept a distance, constantly moving the upper third of its body. The rest was coiled, primed for an explosive motion.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a fucking problem!¡± Reysha shouted from behind.


    Apexus¡¯ ear turned. No look was required to hear the sound of two Bloody Serpents making it down to the boss arena. He shook his head. ¡®Open boss arena, should have cleared out the area,¡¯ he reprimanded himself, too used to boss rooms that sealed off once the fight began. ¡°I¡¯ll take this.¡± Korith hesitated. ¡°Go!¡±


    The kobold jumped, the voice of the humanoid chimera atypically loud. Concern weighed heavily on his thoughts and the shortstack jumping away barely helped. To turn his gaze away from the boss was to open himself up to an attack. To fall was to have everyone else killed. They could handle two Bloody Serpents. They couldn¡¯t handle two serpents and the boss.


    Apexus took a deep breath, then let go of all the air in his body. He shut down that unnecessary habit. Drowned out his worry. Let go of his wish to look over his shoulder. All that remained was the instinct to protect. The membrane pinched off the last few attached muscles and the second wing dropped. He bent his knees and found his centre.


    The Bloodwyrm rushed forwards. It seemed like a bite at first, then the boss rapidly curved and swiped sideways with its claws instead. Apexus greeted the attack with two hands. A cushion of energy emanated invisibly from his palms. Like a stream of flowing water, he guided the attack above his head.


    What should have connected became a complete overswing. The Bloodwyrm halted his momentum, opening himself to a vertical kick to the jaw. Scales cracked as a sole as hard as iron slammed into it. Shards dropped off, revealing bright red flesh underneath.


    The boss went into a rampage of motions. Apexus barely had his foot down before he had to jump back. Claw swipe after claw swipe was either dodged or redirected. Each time, part of the energy rippled up Apexus¡¯ arm. Liquid muscles strained under the stress, bones ached, but it was all nothing compared to the single attack of the Deathhound.


    Apexus¡¯ thoughts were like the distant view of the forest. Serene, yet filled to the brim with the struggle to survive. Nature¡¯s beauty was built on the corpses of prey and the successes of the survivors. He was no prey.


    The Bloodywyrm rushed straight at him. He sidestepped the jaws of the beast, then gently nudged the trajectory of the claws upwards. In the ensuing opening, he lowered his stance. His hands drew back in esoteric circles. The Ki that had bubbled out as Flow Manipulation was rerouted, entirely flowing from his magical cortex through the pathways of his circuitry. Meridians that were on the shortest path were avoided. Others took their place in the formula. The magic was shaped and changed. What started as the neutral tingling of pure energy soon felt like calm water rushing through him, pooling under the membrane of his palms.


    Pressed together at the wrist, he touched the serpent with both hands simultaneously. It was light, there was barely any contact with the abrasive scales. While the impact from the strike itself was nothing, the Ripples were everything. As the magic surged forwards, so did the two smashers sitting next to the base of his thumbs. There was a boom and two cllicks.


    The serpent let out a choked squeal. Its body curved unnaturally, physical and magical force distorting and cracking scales, flesh, and bone. Opposite to the place of impact, the scales burst off the skin like the shell of a cooked egg.


    Apexus lingered just a second too long.


    The boss regained control over its body swiftly. Curving back, the tail slammed against Apexus¡¯ knee. He toppled forwards, landed inelegantly on all fours. He managed to dissuade a bite with a whirling punch, but the boss only circled around and tried from the other side.


    Pushing its flow, Apexus got the boss to back off for long enough to get to his feet. He looked for a way out. None was available. The serpent was circling around him. It crawled and slithered, always ready to strike at the Monk¡¯s back, should he attempt to run where its sharp parts weren¡¯t. Blood dripped from its infectious teeth. The strike had ruptured something inside.


    That only made it angrier. It lunged suddenly at Apexus.


    The constant use of Martial Arts did take its toll. Exhausted magical pathways revolted against continued usage of his Ki. The humanoid chimera needed to rest them. All he could do was try to dodge.


    The jaw he escaped, but the claw caught him. Sharp talons dragged over his chest, leaving three deep trenches in the skin and muscles. Viscous slime oozed out, no membrane present to differentiate it from the outside. It was sealed easily enough, but the muscles were shredded and required time to reconnect properly. Force drained from his left arm, with no pectoral to pull it forwards properly.


    Apexus delivered another kick to the body of the serpent, but without Ironskin all he truly accomplished was tearing his sole open. The Bloodwyrm hissed in an approximation of laughter, coiling ever tighter around him. Then it went in for the final bite.


    With nowhere to go, Apexus offered his crippled arm to the monster. It took it willingly. Teeth sunk through the membrane. An immediate, disgustingly bitter taste filled Apexus¡¯ being. The bacterial infections on the teeth filled his biomass. Sickly swirls of dark yellow spread through and underneath the skin. Up to the shoulder, his arm was in the maw of the serpent. Its open jaw was curled in a disgusting grin.


    Apexus jammed a finger into the depression between collarbone and shoulder. Half of his body suddenly felt like he was rolling in a carpet of needles. Everything on his right, from his eyelid to his calves, went limp and numb. His left side was spared, except for the arm in the boss¡¯ mouth. It was the recipient of all the energy.


    The arm turned grey in its entirety. Superheated slime was transported at a rapid pace to the limb. A cascade of hot steam filled the boss¡¯ mouth. For a brief moment, the usually so sluggish and methodical capacity of the slime to reshape itself became rapid. Spikes as hard as iron extended several centimetres from the arm and sunk into the soft tissue of the monster¡¯s gullet.


    Howling, it released his arm, seared puncture wounds filling its mouth with blood. Apexus relaxed the meridian. His senses snapped back to normal. The Ironskin dropped, the spikes lost all surface tension and hung as useless growths alongside the limb. Still, the hand could move again.


    Angry, the monster went back in for an immediate bite. It aimed at his centre of mass and in that lay its mistake. The increased temperature made Apexus faster, fast enough to bring the damaged left hand up and manipulate the flow one more time. The chin of the monster was pressured downwards and it slammed into the floor. Its own anger left it dazed.


    Apexus hit the exposed neck with his palm. The tiny amount of magical power he had left was barely enough to force the boss to the ground for another second. It was painful for the creature, no doubt. It was not lethal.


    ¡®That¡¯s the limit,¡¯ the first words he had thought in a while bubbled up in his head. To defeat a boss of this level alone, he would have to suffer and sacrifice much more than he had given. The Heat Core in his chest began its work in earnest, providing more than a little surge of speed to a specific limb.


    Then Apexus felt the trampling of feet.


    By the time Reysha jumped into his field of view, the furnace inside him was bereft of additional fuel again. The redhead slammed the crimson axe into the exposed neck of the boss monster. Korith flew in a second later and delivered a perfectly aimed follow up. She hit the back of the bearded axe with her hammer, driving it deeper. It snapped through spine and nerves, sending a violent shiver through the body of the monster, before it went limp in its entirety.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Reysha gasped, beholding her man. Watching him hold his own against the boss was impressive in more than one way. Sure, he had looked better before. All of the blue gashes and holes where his membrane had not yet regenerated into skin and muscles highlighted his inhuman nature. Without the wings, he seemed a bit incomplete. Still, the only really unattractive part was the remaining bacterial infection that his acidic system was quickly turning into the least appetizing meal he had ever had.


    ¡°Uhm, Reysha¡­?¡± an apologetic mumble got her attention.


    ¡°What?¡± she slowly turned her head, to find Korith holding her axe. The red crystal that made up the blade was cracked down the middle. ¡°Fuck,¡± she cursed. The weapon chose that exact moment for the crack to run its course. The bottom half of the bearded blade broke off and fell on top of the boss¡¯ head. ¡°Fuck! I liked that one.¡±


    ¡°Constant replacement of equipment is a reality of adventuring life.¡± Aclysia stepped up, bringing with her the soft glow of her Ilumni spell. She didn¡¯t even stop to check on the other two party members ¨C she had healed them enough while they were dealing with the serpents. Her darling was in need of assistance.


    ¡°It¡¯ll regenerate on its own,¡± Apexus said, while warm energy filled his arm.


    ¡°You will let me ensure it happens immediately,¡± the healer responded firmly.


    And that was the last anyone could say about that.

 All but Forsaken 14 – Rewards

    Apexus ate the two Bloody Serpents and split the boss with Reysha. Aclysia tried to preserve some of the meat. It was surprisingly easy. The high liquid content would have made it a terror to dry out under normal circumstances. With her magic, it shrivelled up nicely, leaving a bloody red jerky that was just the right kind of stringy. It retained enough magic to serve as rations for Reysha for at least a few days, until the rest drained from it naturally.


    With the meals taken and their injuries taken care of, they were left in the chamber. Both the constant drumming and the pulses of light were gone. The dungeon lay still, the light a constant, dim red. Still not optimal as far as the party was concerned, but better.


    ¡°Maybe I can still use it as a pick or something?¡± Reysha mumbled, turning the destroyed axe in her hand. No amount of glue would put it back together. It was a mystery what kind of magical craftsman would even be capable of melding crystal like this. Such a person would not be found on this Leaf.


    ¡°I¡¯m so, so sorry,¡± Korith apologized for the fourth time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be¡­ weapons are tools, tools break¡­ it is how it fucking is,¡± Reysha looked at the weapon one more time, then tossed it over her shoulder. Korith lunged for the shard and the metal, catching both. ¡°The fuck?¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­ someone could buy them? It¡¯s still sharp stuff!¡±


    ¡°¡­Fuck it, if you want to try to bring our trash to the vendor, go right ahead, squishy.¡± Reysha stretched. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in new stuff ¨C where da loot at?¡±


    ¡°A splendid question ¨C I suspect down here.¡± Aclysia hovered above where the heart/cocoon had been. The beating muscle had long since entirely dried out. Sometime after the boss¡¯ death, the weight of the crystal had made it fall through the bottom. None of the voracious party members had investigated it yet, neither did the guilty blonde.


    The way the crystal had fallen created a conveniently easy to climb drop. Underneath the boss arena was a granite chamber. Korith laid down the second she realized. ¡°Stone,¡± she cooed, ¡°honest, firm stone¡­ I missed you sooooo muuuuuuuch.¡±


    ¡°The constant squishiness of the environment was a point of annoyance,¡± Aclysia agreed, herself caressing a wall like it was an old friend. They had only been able to sleep in the mansion twice. The rest of the time was spent moving or resting inside the tunnels.


    As they moved down the tunnel, Reysha let out a long sigh. ¡°I did really like that axe though¡­ How come your weapon doesn¡¯t break instead, huh?¡±


    ¡°W-well, there¡¯s a reason Warriors usually use clubs and hammers.¡± Korith clutched her trusty beat stick with both hands. ¡°Big chunks of metal don¡¯t break that easily¡­¡±


    ¡°Psh, that makes sense, get out of here with that,¡± Reysha rolled her neck. ¡°While I¡¯m asking stupid ass questions, ya gonna regrow your wings, big guy?¡± Apexus grunted. ¡°Very informative.¡±


    ¡°I am uncertain,¡± the humanoid chimera said and rolled his shoulders. It was easier without the extra weight attached. ¡°They¡¯re a weak point in combat and unfavourable in these tight spaces. The extra jumping power isn¡¯t worth it. I am wondering if I could find a way to quickly grow and absorb them as needed.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t ya press one of your orgasm spots and make that easier?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple for complex biological structures. They take time and energy.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ hmmm, okay ¨C also can ya keep your new Growths away from me?¡± She rubbed her thumb, while looking at his wrists.


    The previously red dots had changed to a colour that made them near indistinguishable from the surrounding skin. Without a closer inspection or tactile feedback, the smashers looked like they were part of the thumb muscle. Functionality wise, they were much the same. Scarily, there was little about these instruments that could be improved from a biological perspective. They were a little wider now and, once Apexus got used to them, could be reinforced with Ironskin. Both increased the punching power by a notable margin. Speed wise, nothing would change. More active Martial Arts, like Rippling Palm, were sadly too slow to be used through the smasher. To use them simultaneously would work better.


    What was most important was that Apexus had a weapon that was effective against armour without utilizing his Ki. A back-up weapon at worst and an additional impact to every successful strike at best. Considerations had been made to place them somewhere else. Apexus had deemed that his palm was most frequently in range of enemies. Especially now that his towering size got him the range advantage against practically everyone.


    They stepped into a new chamber. With a loud ¡®CLONK!¡¯ the corridor sealed behind them. Standard dungeon design, partly to make them feel at ease and partly to prevent them from waiting out the spawn of the next boss through an easy access route.


    As another aspect of standard design, they were greeted with a healing fountain and six chests in niches along the circular wall. Clear drinking water bubbled from a separate basin and a half-removed side room offered space for a campfire and sleeping quarters. The usual luxuries afforded to the victors. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a lot for adventurers who had just made their way through a dungeon.


    Reysha lost no time stripping. Korith lost no time hurrying towards the first chest. After exchanging a glance, Apexus joined the former and Aclysia the latter.


    Korith pushed open the lid of the metal box. She dangled over the rim of the container, her upper body vanishing in the darkness of the divine container. There was no risk involved ¨C if the treasure chests had a capacity to let greedy adventurers plunge to their deaths, that would have been a widely known issue.


    The kobold eventually tilted back, a velvet bag of coins in hand. ¡°10 gold!¡± she squeaked after looking inside. ¡°Hoard will be so happy!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking that.¡± Aclysia acted fast on those words, fishing the purse out of the shortstack¡¯s clutches. She whined and made big eyes, but the metal fairy was unrelenting. ¡°It is paramount we start building a comfortable cushion,¡± she stated. ¡°Or do you wish to eat only stag meat next time as well?¡±


    ¡°F-for Hoard, I would¡­¡± Korith stammered in half-hearted defiance. ¡®I wanna be a good follower but¡­ urgh, too much stag¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­well¡­ Hoard does teach us to take care of his envoys¡­¡±


    ¡°Squishy, each time ya talk about your god, it sounds more like a scammer.¡±


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    ¡°Ya sure ya ain¡¯t talking about your boobs?¡± Reysha cackled, then let out a long sigh. She lowered herself into the water and watched the viscera, sweat and grime get carried away by the constant stream of hot liquid. ¡°That¡¯s the stu- Hello there handsome.¡± She purred as Apexus sat down next to her.


    Doubly frustrated, Korith stomped over to the second chest. More treasure would lift her mood. She retrieved a wristband. It seemed fairly dull at first, some kind of nicely worked, flexible material. After putting it on and executing some random gestures, she found that it allowed her to pull small objects towards her. With Reysha¡¯s underwear in hand, she danced excitedly, until she realized what she was doing.


    ¡°Why¡¯re ya happy? That¡¯s obviously best for me,¡± Reysha asked. ¡°Pulling knives back will be nice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy we found valuable stuff!¡± Korith chirped and dropped the wristband atop the tiger girl¡¯s clothes. Excited, she rushed to the third chest. It contained a golden seed, shaped like that of an apple, but itself as large as one. Reysha whistled and Aclysia¡¯s eyes went wide. Korith was just stunned.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Apexus asked. There was a vague sense of familiarity about it. He had heard about it before, but didn¡¯t quite recall.


    ¡°It¡¯s the seed of a Divine Fruit, darling,¡± Aclysia reported.


    Apexus remembered then. It was a lesson from long ago, years by now, that he had received from Gizmo. Divine Fruits grew at the end of Branches if the Leaves on it were ¡®stimulated¡¯ by the heroic acts of adventurers on them. This came in the form of Divine Quests, clearing dungeons, finding unknown mysteries, and so on. It took several years, at a minimum, between Divine Fruits to grow on the same branch and they could only be claimed by those that had partook, in large part, in its creation. A cruel fact of the Omniverse, for those Fruits boosted the person that ate it with rejuvenating energies of the tree itself. It was a necessary step towards godhood, yet the conflicts that broke out around who was to eat one were often what showed who was too cruel to deserve divinity.


    ¡°Something this small will still reverse a couple of years of aging,¡± Reysha hummed.


    ¡°Can you split it?¡± Apexus asked, looking between the redhead and the kobold.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want it?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°I must admit a deep curiosity about what would happen were you to consume it,¡± Aclysia stated and looked towards the two regular mortals in the party. ¡°Provided you agree to-¡°


    ¡°Yes, we do,¡± Reysha interrupted. ¡°Come on Korith, give the big guy a chomp of tree power.¡±


    The kobold waddled over and handed the seed to Apexus. Hesitantly, the humanoid chimera took it. He shot both the redhead and the blonde one last questioning glance. They were both in their mid-twenties. Neither needed the rejuvenation, but Apexus was certain he didn¡¯t age at all. He had no cells that could degrade over time. All his traditionally biological bits were grown from slime and sustained by the same.


    Since they were so eager to see what would happen, he obliged them. He put the side in his mouth and swallowed it whole, letting the stomach acid do the work.


    Apexus furrowed his eyebrows.


    The trio of gorgeous women bowed towards him, inspecting his confused expression. The humanoid chimera remained quiet. He tilted his head. The confusion deepened. ¡°Weeeeell?!¡± Reysha exclaimed, when she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°We¡¯re waiting!¡±


    Apexus opened his mouth. He unhinged his jaw and pushed a hand down his throat. Perhaps he was so human in appearance, the display was disturbing even to Reysha. Not disturbing enough to make her flinch, just to make her feel that little uncomfortable knot in her stomach. It passed once his hand emerged and his bones slotted back into their proper position.


    In his hand was the completely untouched seed. Yellow acid coated its surface, but did nothing at all to it. ¡°Can¡¯t eat it,¡± the humanoid chimera revealed and cleaned it in the pool. ¡°It¡¯s inorganic.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ suppose?¡± Aclysia responded, confused and disappointed. The Omniverse was pure magic. It was a tree, but the trees on Leaves were made in its image, not the other way around. It had no obligation to be similar to what they called trees. ¡®Still, darling has been capable of eating magical essences in the past,¡¯ she thought. ¡®How peculiar.¡¯


    ¡°Well, at least we have another pointer towards ya not being a Parasyte in nature?¡± Reysha tried to find something good in the situation.


    ¡°That has long since been established,¡± Aclysia stated firmly.


    ¡°It¡¯s also long since been established that I''m great at stabbing the life out of shit and I still reaffirm it every time we go in a dungeon,¡± Reysha shot back. The guardian angel opened her mouth, then groaned when no return quip came to mind in time.


    ¡°Can it be split?¡± Apexus repeated his question.


    ¡°Yes, although it needs to be consumed fast,¡± Aclysia responded.


    Apexus snapped the seed along its length. It was surprisingly easy, like breaking a cracker with a deliberate weak point. The insides shimmered silver-white, like Aclysia¡¯s hair and the branches of the Omniverse. He handed both the mortal party members their half.


    Korith eyed it for a moment, before starting to chew on it. As if she was a common rodent, she gnawed at the tip. Reysha took a hearty bite and quivered ecstatically when the undiluted essence of magic hit her Noir-twisted taste buds. ¡°Oooooh, yessssssshhhh,¡± she slurred and stuffed her face with the seed as quickly as possible. Even while her cheeks were stuffed, she sent Apexus the kind of glance that let him know exactly what would happen once she swallowed.


    The nymphomaniac had reached critical desire.


    Before the inevitable orgy could derail everything, Aclysia checked on the last three chests. She found a pendant that was enchanted with light magic, creating a soft and steady glow. An extra light source for Korith, so she could take the front without being dependent on Apexus or Aclysia. Also for Korith was a new surcoat. Enchanted cloth that didn¡¯t offer anything in terms of additional protection but provided heat regulation. Valuable in its own way. Last was a ball of red slime that Aclysia couldn¡¯t quite identify yet. She stored it away for the time being. The loud, lustful gasp that followed Reysha swallowing the seed marked the end of her venture.


    Korith finished around the same time, the orderly method of munching ultimately proving more effective than stuffing her face with more than she could chew. Neither of the two looked much different. At mid-twenty, they were in their physical prime so there was little to revert. Under the surface, Reysha was cured of minor liver damage she had caused herself. One of Korith¡¯s horns righted itself ever so slightly, correcting a minor shift from a head bumping incident when she was a toddler. That was as far as that went.


    The more pronounced effect was the ferocity with which Reysha mashed her lips on Apexus¡¯.

 All but Forsaken 15 – Heated Height [Erotic Content]

    A distant aftertaste of the seed lingered on Reysha¡¯s tongue. It was sweet beyond anything else, perhaps even sweetness itself. Not even the gods remembered if the fruits of the Omniverse came before the fruits on the Leaves and the one that came before did not care for tastes.


    Apexus needed no additional reason to make out with his beloved redhead. His tongue extended, until he dominated hers utterly. Being dominated only made Reysha fight back harder. Arms slung around his neck, she pressed her entire, nubile body against his broad chest. ¡®Fuck, he¡¯s built like a river croc!¡¯ she thought, spreading her legs wide to straddle his half-submerged midriff.


    Her blue eyes flicked to the side for a moment. An amused chuckle mixed in with the moans of their kiss. Aclysia and Korith both stood at the edge of the pool. Their hips wiggled. Weight got shifted back and forth. They did not touch their clothes or themselves. Any autonomy they had melted away the moment the pheromones filled the air. It melted under the heat of eager submission, growing in their loins.


    Reysha tilted her head back. The monstrously long tongue, a tendril of deep blue, barely translucent slime, gradually glided past her reddish brown lips. She shuddered, sucking on the welcome invader even as she let it pop out of her. Each inhale filled her own lungs with the exciting sweetness of his musk. Even after the experience of devouring the seed, his scent remained her favourite variant of that taste. It stuck to the back of her throat, brushed over her tongue when she sighed, and made her thoughts boil in heat.


    ¡°Good giiiiiirls,¡± Reysha drawled, when his tongue had left her. She looked at them, while her hips grinded back and forth. She could feel every bump and every fall of his abs under her sensitive, swollen mound.


    The stare had been meant to intimidate, in all the sensual ways a submissive could be intimidated. Instead Aclysia and Korith watched as Reysha¡¯s expression turned utterly thoughtless. Eyes went glassy, her mouth hung wide open, and her tongue lolled out like that of a panting dog. She slipped up and down his rock-hard midriff. Any thoughts of what she wanted to do were drowned out by a needful static.


    When her eyes did return to Apexus, he saw in them the rare opportunity to do with the tiger girl whatever he wanted. Parts of him urged to emerge. He wrestled down the tentacles before they could sprout, directed all of his lust instead towards the facsimile of the traditional organ for intercourse.


    The seriously unimpressive member swelled swiftly to a medium size. He grabbed Reysha¡¯s ass with both hands and realized just how much larger he was now. That bubble butt of hers, the bottom half of her head-turning figure, he grasped effortlessly with his paws. Reysha moaned at the touch, mewled lustfully when her weight came to rest on those hands. He stood up and effortlessly carried her. It didn¡¯t seem like he even noticed her weight.


    The chocolate skinned tiger girl got goosebumps all over her otherwise so smooth skin. The water of the pool pearled off her. Gooey strands stood out amongst all of that. Excessive wetness dripped from her cunt. Reysha made wide eyes at just how drenched she was. ¡°I¡¯m so hoooot,¡± she gasped. The goosebumps had settled and now there was only heat.


    They said that Ragressians didn¡¯t go into a breeding frenzy. Evidently, crazy redheads with certain conditions were the exception.


    ¡°Put it in me, big guy,¡± she begged. ¡°Fill me the fuck up.¡±


    Apexus took a hand off her ass. Even on a single palm, she could balance herself comfortably ¨C especially after it readjusted to sit between her round cheeks. A single thick finger curved into her cunt. A sharp inhale was quickly followed by a deep, blissful groan. She quivered, hanging from his neck. She was so high up, so secure, so utterly trustful that she would not ¨C could not fall. Her arms were barely holding on. Her cat ears were oddly relaxed, slouching off to the side like her firm breasts, slightly dropped in accordance with their decent size.


    The second hand grabbed her face. Thumb and index finger gently yet firmly pressed into the soft cheeks of her gorgeous features. Dark eyebrows quivered. She sunk into his strong blue eyes. In her own shimmered the lust and love she embodied with every heartbeat. Her lips were distorted by the pressure. He asked a single question. ¡°Do you want me to take control?¡±


    The question slowly registered in her mind. Two sides pulled at her mind. The urge to be ravished fought the urge to do whatever she wanted. She gulped. She thought. She trusted. ¡°Yesh,¡± she slurred.


    Apexus spun her around. His average sized cock pressed against her backdoor, drenched in his own slippery secretions. Heated folds clenched around his finger. Quickened breaths moved the chest laying on his right hand. Her heels found purchase against his back. She penetrated herself with his cock just as much as he pushed inside her.


    As it filled Reysha¡¯s asshole, the cock grew larger. Its thickness stretched the relaxed sphincter. Its growing length made it seem like he was pulling out while still pushing deeper inside her. ¡°Oh my--- fuuu--- yeessssss!¡± Reysha let out a series of noises. It was impossible to choose which one was appropriate for the pleasure rising up inside her. A second finger joined the first, stretching her tight quim further. His wrist pressed demandingly into her abdomen.


    Gradually she went from penetrated to stuffed full. The tension built torturously slowly. Reysha forgot to breathe. Like she was possessed, she hung in front of him, eyes wide and screaming silently. Then he rammed the rest of the way inside her. Her ass jiggled from the heavy impact. Like a toy, she hung in front of him ¨C and broke.


    Days of insufficient stimulation and the greatest surge of magic in her life combined for a glorious disaster. Her eyes rolled up. A desperate breath supplied fresh air. It was immediately pressed out again as a loud scream. It bounced off the stone walls, overpowered the voyeuristic gasps of the other two women and the sound of her gushing juices raining down on the pool.


    Apexus beheld the stretched state of her backdoor for a few satisfied seconds, then he pulled the redhead against his broad chest. An incoherent obscenity accompanied the impact. The striped desert woman¡¯s tail moved in spasmic intervals. The cock and fingers inside her grinded against her sensitive insides with each bounce. He was walking. Then he pinned her against the wall.


    The humanoid chimera lost no further time. He squeezed her tit with one hand, fingered her cunt with the other, supported her with both. Her feet were hooked behind him, held still with the fierce tenseness of ecstasy. Where his upper body pinned her against the wall, his lower drew back ¨C only shove back into her.


    Reysha¡¯s mouth only produced sounds of bliss and drool. Hard, fast, and loud, the hulk of a man was fucking her asshole. There was nothing and no one that ever could have made her feel like this besides him. She came again and again, turning a dry bit of wall and floor into a sprayed, soiled mess. Each orgasm drove the madness of the magic out of her, diminished what was an aphrodisiac effect and desperation, until she was so thoroughly satisfied that only he remained.


    And he remained unassailable.


    His cock was the perfect size, stretching her out to the maximum comfortable. His hands were rough and reassuring. His weight pinned her and yet she didn¡¯t feel caged at all. A single displeased noise, a single word of annoyance, a single utterance of pain, and she would be released. She knew it. She knew it with her entire being. She knew she would be in control of herself again the second she demanded it. Knew she would be in control again in the future.


    It was wonderful to surrender completely for once.


    And he hammered her tirelessly. The pace was without a single hitch. Apexus had no need to watch his breath, no concern about sore muscles. He was raw, perpetual motion. There was only one goal in his instincts: to fill her up.


    Aclysia and Korith had only turned to face them. That was the only motion they had made. The only deliberate one, truthfully speaking, as they were busy twitching and salivating the entire time they watched Apexus¡¯ back. Reysha¡¯s hourglass form had been diminished to a pair of legs. Her domineering, teasing presence was nothing more than whorish moans.


    Each time he slammed into her, that shapely ass turned into a rippling duality of jelly. It was a cushion, a heart shaped, heavenly cushion. The intensity of their lovemaking had turned it slightly darker and redder than the rest of her. Apexus indulged himself in the sight, before surging back forwards. There was not a millimetre of empty space between Reysha and the wall. Hard, he rutted into her. His speaking plates reverberated with telling noises. Her entire body shook in orgasms and anticipation.


    After well over fifteen minutes of pounding her backdoor, he slammed into her one last time. Eyes closed, he basked in the sensation of her ass flattening against his groin. Seed formed within and surged out of the shaft. Even without balls that tightened, the pulsing of his cock and the painting of her insides was the same as all other humanoids. White drowned her insides. Intense spurts of thick cream pumped into her. She squirted with equal ferocity. His heat inside her was all she needed to go completely rigid. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then, completely limp.


    ¡°M-moooarrrrr,¡± the insatiable redhead gasped, after she was carefully placed on the floor.


    ¡°Claim more when you can move again,¡± Apexus advised her stoically. A lingering parting kiss was his short goodbye to the cum leaking tiger girl. The nymphomaniac would reclaim feeling in her legs eventually. In the meantime, he would play with the other two.


    Apexus stood up and straightened his back. A slight smile played around his lips. When he turned around, it was gone, replaced with the stern gaze of the¡­ ¡°¡±Master!¡±¡± the submissives gasped in unison.


    A happy tingle rolled through Apexus¡¯ insides. The title was laden with lustful meaning and he revelled in it. A sinful indulgence and one he allowed himself. He was a Monk, not a stone.


    ¡°Strip,¡± he ordered. Robes and armour that had been kept on for far too long finally dropped from their female forms. Plate revealed the curve of Korith¡¯s enormous chest and fat ass. As cloth whispered over her skin, the sheer obscenity of Aclysia¡¯s pale pear figure became visible, her perfect bubble butt invoking every need to see, touch, and breed.


    Apexus¡¯ own bodily functions had cleaned his cock completely by the time he reached the two of them. In dual motions, he grabbed Aclysia¡¯s squishy behind and one of Korith¡¯s longer horns. He pulled on both, dragging the pink lips of the angel up to his and those of the tanned blonde towards his cock. Both did as he desired. Eagerly, Aclysia surrendered her mouth to his invasive tongue. Eagerly, Korith took his large cock down her throat. Eagerly, both moaned.


    Wings flitted, while Aclysia pressed herself against him. Pebbled nipples crowned her petite breasts. Smooth, hard, and soft, her chest rubbed against his firm form. Below, Korith grasped at the air, nothing to do with her scaled hands. Standing, she was at the perfect height to take his entire shaft down her well trained hole. She had been before, but now it was that little bit easier for it to angle down and glide down her tight, sensitive throat.


    Aclysia envied the shortstack for a short moment, then the tongue inside her mouth extended into a tendril in its own right. Her eyelids fluttered, her own throat stretching around the bulbous head of the transformed tentacle.


    More sprouted from Apexus¡¯ back. His attention was short. Like Reysha, he had been holding it in for several days, when rest at the depths of the dungeon had been too sporadic and unsettling to enjoy. It urged him to see all of them filled with seed. Even if it was deliberately impotent, instincts desired the deed done.


    Tendrils coiled around throats, wrapped around thick thighs, and found the two twitching holes hidden between. Korith stopped squirming for long enough to spread her legs. The little bundle of supple flesh jumped, then her eyes rolled up. All three of her holes were getting filled to the brim by the large members of her beloved, activating every perverted part of her size seeking brain. Aclysia raised one leg at the knee with the grace of a dancer and gyrated her hips invitingly with the determination of a hopelessly lost nymphomaniac.


    ¡®A slut for my darling,¡¯ the words surfaced in her thoughts, echoed for a moment, and then repeated over and over again. ¡®I¡¯m a slut for my darling! A slut for my darling! A slut for my darliiiing.¡¯ The muffled sentence reverberated around the tongue fucking her throat, while her quim and backdoor were swiftly filled.


    ¡°SMACK!¡± the reverberating sound of her ass getting spanked filled the chamber. Aclysia screamed. Her spread, swollen lips gushed clear love juices. Her long hair trembled, every quake that went through her body making its way down to the tips, hanging all the way by her round, white ass. She was like a flawless marble statue in motion, as soft as the great artisans desired to convey through imagery to the touch. Only where his hand brought her delectable abuse, did she turn red.


    ¡®MEeeeeee toooooooo!!!!¡¯ Korith screamed inside her mind and swiftly got almost exactly what she wanted.


    Apexus pulled her off his cock, then pinned her down on the floor. The tendril in her cunt switched places with his manhood. Hands were pinned above her head and her enormous tits squeezed until the overabundant flesh spilled between roughly grasping digits. Korith grinned as much as the usage of her throat allowed.


    Aclysia was lowered to the floor next to where the kobold enjoyed being buried under her Master. To even hold Korith¡¯s hands, the humanoid chimera had to arch his back tremendously. She was just so tiny compared to him. A lack of back issues was an additional perk of his conjoined biology. He could see her enormous tits sway back and forth without a worry in the world ¨C grasp and slap them as the masochistic little cocksleeve enjoyed.


    Then he could turn his eyes to the left and witness what he already felt with his entire being: Aclysia¡¯s slender body getting used from all directions. Her neck bulged from the tendrils down her gullet. Her midriff showed a soft rise whenever the tentacle glided smoothly through clenching folds. Her ass was raised just as far as Apexus allowed her for easiest access. Every orgasmic bucking of her hips was tied down by tentacles around her slim stomach and flawlessly smooth legs. Unlike Korith, the angel didn¡¯t even need to breathe. She was just a constantly available, gorgeous submissive.


    The pleasure rose rapidly. Tendrils further and further constrained their motions. Suction cups latched onto nipples, teased them with myriad little ends. They were all melted within his many grasps, reduced to a putty like state in which he could do anything he wanted with them.


    One more time he shifted positions. He did it just as Reysha stumbled up to him. Sitting, his head was at the height of her midriff. He pulled her the rest of the way towards him with his tail and kissed the sweaty muscles of a softly toned stomach. The redhead giggled crazily. His arms closed around the two true submissives, hugging them tight as the pumping of the tentacles finally pushed him over the edge.


    Reysha scratched him behind the ears, while he filled the two spasming women. Like the redhead before them, they went completely rigid, when they were filled with his heat. The warm cum guzzled down throats and pumped up into quivering holes. They vibrated subtly, while they outwardly remained still ¨C the occasional twitch ignored.


    First, from Korith¡¯s mouth, to let the little size queen breathe, then from all their other holes, he retreated. They oozed trickles of thick seed. The volume was impressive, yet not quite absurd. It made for a nice display of white, especially from Korith¡¯s tanned features. The white on white for Aclysia¡¯s skin had its own allure, but Apexus loved his contrasts. He gave the metal fairy another smack to the bouncy rump just to see another red imprint. She gasped loudly, before collapsing against him. Her chin rested on his shoulder. A last little gush of love juices announced the end of her aftershocks.


    ¡°On your back, big guy,¡± Reysha purred into his ear. ¡°We¡¯re far from done.¡±


    Apexus nodded in complete agreement.

 Drip-Fed – All but Forsaken 16 – [Character Summaries]

    Yes, hello, Funatic here,


    I am slightly phoning it in this week, giving y¡¯all a new iteration of the character summaries ¨C now including Korith. I felt like it was time to update everything and it''s best to get everyone on the same page about what the characters can do. So, without further ado¡­


    Apexus


    Class: Monk/Omniverse Slime Chimera


    Level: 22 [Estimated]


    Spell and Skill List:


    Ready Waters Style ¨C Apexus is taught in the basics of the Ready Waters Style. It focuses on defence and mobility. Monks achieve different styles by channelling their Ki in unusual ways. Other Classes simply let their mana take the path of least resistance, where the Monk deliberately trains their magical pathways in order to stimulate certain Meridians. This ¡®weaves¡¯ the Ki in ways that change the Martial Arts from their base templates.


    Meridian Pressure ¨C One of the fundamental abilities of Monks is to know the location of Meridians, also known as pressure or ki points, and trigger them through quick injections of their Ki. They are roughly categorized into Major, Medium, and Minor Meridians. Inverse to expectations, the Major Meridians are the smallest ones. The more difficult a point is to press, the more intense the effect. Ki points affect the target''s physical ability, magical ability, or senses. A Meridian may affect only one of these categories or all three.


    The pressing of Meridians requires immense accuracy. Monks are typically required to outpace, outsmart, or subdue their opponents in order to land a worthwhile blow. Apexus himself is aware of all common meridians of the humanoid form and can map them onto alternative body shapes with low accuracy. While he is capable of pressuring Meridians, it is not his forte. To use it accurately in battles of his level will require further training.


    Flow Manipulation (Ready Waters Style) ¨C Another fundamental ability of Monks. Uses an invisible ¡®pad¡¯ of Ki around the palms to gently nudge the trajectory of anything that moves. The redirection requires constant accompanying movement by the Monk and part of the force will affect the Monk¡¯s body. The Ready Waters Style emphasizes the defensive use of this ability, distributing the attack force more evenly throughout their form to avoid taking meaningful damage. The drawback of this approach is a prolonged redirection process and wider motions.


    Ironskin (Ready Waters Style) ¨C Hardens the skin to reach the level of the name-giving metal. The Ready Waters Style lightens the discolouration of the affected areas, making it appear brighter than regular iron. The Ready Waters Style provides an additional resistance against magical effects.


    Featherstep (Ready Waters Style) ¨C Allows the user to walk on narrow and brittle surfaces, ignoring whatever issues one¡¯s weight might bring. The Ready Waters Style pushes this to the extreme, making one capable of walking on surfaces that can sustain next to no weight at all. For beginners, this describes primarily tree tops, but masters of the style can hope to walk on water and even air. All such motions must be carefully planned. For how potent the Martial Art is, it is also fleeting, and reality will reassert itself before long.


    Rippling Palm (Ready Waters Style) ¨C The Rippling Palm is a fundamental Monk Martial Art that transforms the open hand into a deadly weapon. The energy of the strike ripples past the palm, unfolding its destructive potential a short distance behind the place of impact. The Ready Waters Style does little to change the function of this Martial Art.


    Equipment:


    Wing-friendly Robe (Grey): A grey robe, originally an overcoat that was adjusted to fit Apexus¡¯ impressive frame. Open in front of the legs. Otherwise, grey and simple. The humanoid slime only wears it in social situations. Now slightly too small


    Pants: Baggy pants that sit comfortably. Baggy enough that they have survived his recent upsizing without issue. Might require replacement though.


    Undergarment: A simple pair of trunks, secured in place by a cord.


    Hairband: A simple string, used to bind hair into a ponytail.


    Adventurer¡¯s Bag: Although often held by Aclysia, Apexus has his own bag. Usually, it only holds his clothes.


    Mobile Estate Key: The key to the Mobile Estate, typically stowed in the slime of his arm ¨C or deeper in his body if he suspects combat is imminent.


    Inventory:


    Other Factors:


    Beyond Divinity ¨C Does not possess a divine spark. The exact ramifications of this remain unknown.


    Slime ¨C A being that is, at its base, made from only two components: a nucleus and the name giving goo surrounding it. The former serves as the brain, heart and every other important organ of the creature. Without it, the slime dies. The slime around it is a highly acidic substance that is separated from the outside world through a magical membrane. The acidity of Apexus¡¯ slime is also magical, transforming it into a harmless liquid when separated from the main body. Only possesses a natural sense of touch, noticing potential prey through tremors, working best underwater and worst in the air.


    Acquiring Devourer ¨C Can grow or replicate limbs, organs and attributes of things he has killed and eaten. These replications do NOT scale with the size or power of Apexus and they cost varying, but often high, amounts of energy to make. After roughly thirty days, knowledge of these replications fades and Apexus would have to devour a new member of the species. Can keep a Growth around for longer than he remembers how to remake it. Apexus loses all non-permanent Growths when he goes to sleep. He currently requires about six hours of sleep every day.


    Challenging Evolver ¨C Upon beating and eating the Apex Existence (not necessarily predator) in an ecosystem, Apexus may acquire one of its Growths to become permanent. These permanently acquired parts do scale with Apexus¡¯ abilities and will outperform their natural counterpart fairly quickly. If and how this ability would work in social settings, where the Apex Existence is determined not by natural factors, is unknown. Permanent Growths can not be completely dissolved, only shrunk down to an insignificant level.


    Magic Sense ¨C Can sense magic while in contact with it, differentiating between a normal and an enchanted object.


    Rebirth from Core ¨C If the nucleus is removed from Apexus¡¯ body in a mostly intact fashion, the slime does not perish immediately. While the entire body will immediately collapse, the slime turning into a harmless liquid and the remaining Growths laying around on their own, the ego and acquired information of Apexus will survive in the nucleus. Given enough time, the nucleus will shrink, its outer layers turning into slime, and allow Apexus to be ¡®reborn¡¯ in a severely weakened state. Water and food are an immediate necessity after such a regeneration.


    Spark Eater ¨C Apexus devours the divine spark of a being along with its flesh. This bars demons from returning to the Hellroots, ending their life permanently.


    Permanent Growths [and their current abilities]:


    Pheromone Ducts ¨C Produce pleasant smells that can manipulate receptive insects and other organisms. Easily tracked by creatures with fine noses. After choosing his gender, Apexus¡¯ musk has shown the capability to perform as a minor aphrodisiac. Apexus is able to tune the amount he spreads quite accurately, limiting or increasing the time the scent lingers. The aphrodisiac has come to also be mixed into his sexual fluids, as it increases in potency.


    Bird Wings ¨C Originally the shape of an eagle¡¯s, these wings can be transformed to better fit the environment or purpose Apexus needs them for at any given time. Such transformations take time and energy however, especially when it comes to increasing size. Making muscles and fibre out of slime takes a tremendous amount of energy. The wings have an emerald green colour, inspired by Aclysia¡¯s eyes. Attached to Apexus¡¯ shoulder blades and supported by liquid muscles.


    Cat Eyes ¨C Pale blue eyes, chosen for their superb night vision. Sit in their appropriate place inside his skull.


    Fox Ears ¨C Once pale blue, the fox ears have changed to a near black, blending nicely with his black hair. Grant superb hearing that is highly adjustable in its directional perceptions. Located on top of his head.


    Speaking Plates ¨C Wooden plates attached to the roof of Apexus¡¯ mouth. They vibrate to create a deep, extremely pleasant voice. Can be purposefully manipulated to create a cracked voice that¡¯s similar to a boy in puberty. Through continuous humming, Apexus can create vibrations that have, so far, only been used for lewd purposes. Apexus has successfully linked the syllables to the appropriate lip movements, imitating regular speech.


    Toothed-Snake Teeth ¨C Uncannily human-like teeth, although with more pronounced edges and spikes. Attached to his human jaw, making them seem almost correct. Inspected closely, their feral appearance becomes clear.


    Human Skeleton ¨C The skeleton of a male human. Adjustable in dimensions of the individual bones, manipulating length and girth, but not in placement. Apexus remains completely flexible, as he doesn¡¯t have to worry about nerves and veins and such.


    Skinwalker Hide ¨C Replaces Apexus¡¯ outer membrane with a superior version. It can part and close quicker. It¡¯s harder and more flexible at the same time. It allows him to hold appearance shifts without problem. Can change to different mono-colourations and minor colour deviations appropriate for mimicking a human. It¡¯s also a perfect base for further improvements.


    Black Strands ¨C Black hair that can be grown to whatever length the owner wants. The roots are highly sensitive to movement. Each strand can be ejected at will, preventing grappling. Used to create hair and eyebrows.


    Silver Crystal Ducts ¨C Ducts that can grow sheets of a remarkably stable crystal material. It turns brittle once grown out too far. Can grow at an incredibly fast rate, if desired. Used as finger and toe nails. Can create protective patches, if the strike is anticipated in time. Can be made to glow or vibrate. Develops only minor heat and only as a side product.


    Volcano Tearer Heat Core ¨C A spherical object that appears like knotted roots made from stone. Its true nature is that of a bony material, originally evolved to withstand magma. Burns energy to heat up liquid flowing through it. Allows Apexus to moderate his own body temperature, keeping his stamina high. He can increase the heat to the point where his own slime starts to evaporate, granting him a speed and power increase at the cost of a large amount of biomatter and water. Fused to and surrounding his nucleus.


    Myrm Nose ¨C Nose that, once combined with the Human Skeleton, is indistinguishable from a human one. Sense of smell is several times better, however. Particularly good at picking up organic smells, like sweat, earth or blood.


    Liquid Muscles ¨C Strands of densely packed, elongated slime cells, each with their own membrane. They tense in response to magical energy, like electricity is used for regular muscles. Sinew and muscle regions have been created and attached to the human skeleton, giving them staying power. Movement with liquid muscles takes more energy than the previous method of shifting slime around, but the movements are quicker and more precise. The muscles also give Apexus proper grip and bite strength and allow him to more finely control his facial features.


    Deathhound Tail ¨C The tail of a Deathhound. It extends over one and a half metres and consists purely of muscles. In that sense, it is almost more akin to an extremely nimble tongue. Its texture is smooth, the colour matching the rest of Apexus¡¯ skin. It''s strong enough to serve as an additional weapon and dextrous enough to be prehensile.


    Mantis Shrimp Smasher ¨C The absurdly powerful arms of a small crustacean. Fully adapted into Apexus¡¯ biology, the folded arms are practically invisible in his wrist. Once they snap forwards, they hit with immense force that rivals even a direct slam of his fist ¨C directed at a much smaller area. Direct acquisition has optimized only the camouflage of this Growth. Like the smashers of the original, it unfolds its true punching power underwater, where the impact creates a bubble that then collapses, creating a secondary slam.


    Physical Description:


    While Apexus remains fundamentally a slime, making his shape a thing of his own choosing, he has very little reason to assume anything but his humanoid form. Despite being cobbled together out of numerous monster parts, he appears as an incredibly attractive and muscular man in his mid-twenties.


    His frame is deliberately kept balanced between bulk and agility. That being said, the balance struck is one of the relative dimensions of his limbs. In most weightlifting competitions, he would be the natural favourite by his size alone. 2,05 metres tall and broad enough to make most people disappear in a hug, the slime is covered in impressive muscles, with no body region neglected. He is the embodiment of physical perfection.


    Due to his nature, his skin is without blemish, unwanted hairs, or popping veins. The Skinwalker Hide emulates a healthy tan, giving him a light brown tone. Two large, emerald feathered wings sprout from his upper back. His nails are of a light silver colour and usually short.


    His face is masculine and handsome, coming with a square jaw and a softly curving chin. His eyes are of a pale blue, the pupils slit. The eyebrows are perfectly swung and dense, every hair placed as desired. His lips are pinkish brown, the teeth behind them sharp. A pair of fox ears extends from his long, black hair. The slime has grown it out on request of his women, but finds it bothersome if it whips around when he moves fast. Because of this, he usually keeps it bound into a ponytail. A pair of regular ears sit on the appropriate places for a human. They are fakes that only emulate the appearance and cannot hear.


    His flaccid dick is tiny, to avoid flopping.


    Aclysia


    Class: Guardian Angel [Basic Class]


    Level: 22 (Estimated)


    Spell list:


    Sunlight Bolt ¨C Bolt, the most basic attack spell, limited to the Divine-Light category due to Aclysia¡¯s nature, adjustable in strength according to the amount of mana put into it and the user¡¯s skill.


    Sunlight Ray ¨C A continuous discharge of energy. Efficient when directed continuously at the same spot on the target. Generally discouraged, due to how easy it is to accidentally hit allies with the laser.


    Solar Lance ¨C Curving discharging mana into a self-containing ellipsis creates, after a few seconds of charging, a manifestation of mana that can broadly be described as a lance. The magic is unstable and continues to rise in density, until it is either released or explodes where it is channelled. The Solar Lance is thrown by the caster at the target and unleashes intense heat and light upon impact. Several times more destructive than the basic Bolt spell.


    Divine Healing ¨C Basic healing spell of all Classes that are divinely attuned, uses a moderate amount of mana for a moderate heal, scaling with the user¡¯s mana input and familiarity with the spell.


    Sunray Mending ¨C Quick heal that consumes a lot of mana.


    Sunshine Rejuvenation ¨C Time consuming heal that is very mana efficient.


    Healing Nova -


    Sunlight Focus ¨C A technique used to prioritize the healing of particular areas first. Mana costs are dependent on the healing spell used, but generally higher than the basic version. Failure prone if used without proper concentration.


    Illumni ¨C Basic Light spell. Creates a stable, pleasantly warm sphere of sunlight that hovers over the user¡¯s fingertip. Functions as a basic, slightly inferior in terms of range, torch replacement.


    Flare ¨C A flash of cold sunlight. Highly mana intensive basic blinding spell. Does next to nothing to people not looking in the direction of the user.


    Spark of Life ¨C Analyse a female humanoid¡¯s body to find out whether or not a divine spark is forming inside them, thus detecting whether a person is pregnant and, if yes, with how many children.


    Equipment:


    Depth Priest¡¯s Robe (Sloan) ¨C A shimmering silk robe of a deep blue colour, invoking the feeling of the deep ocean. Black embroidery covers it like the waves of the sea. The lower segment is slit open at both sides, revealing a large amount of leg every step, and the back has holes for Aclysia¡¯s wings. The robe is blessed by Sloan, the 11th of the 33 original gods.


    Metal Staff ¨C A staff dripped in Myrlight, mimicking expert design. The rod is of a simple steel grey. At the tip, six black and white crystals lock together into a diamond shape. The staff and the crystal focus are in a good state.


    Leather shoes ¨C Nothing great, just some basic protective wear for her feet.


    Adventurer¡¯s Bag ¨C Aclysia has her own bag, containing their gathered funds and a few commonly used items. She also used to hold the group¡¯s communal bag, but gave it to Reysha, as they couldn¡¯t find a vendor for a new one.


    Inventory:


    Casual Dress ¨C single article of clothing that covers the entire body, apart from the upper back. The kind of dress that farmer women can work and walk in without issue. Not particularly beautiful or outstanding.


    Fancy Dress ¨C A flowing dress of a silk-like, blue material. Fit for any noble gathering.


    Washcloths (5x) ¨C A number of linen squares used for whatever purpose is appropriate at any given time.


    The group¡¯s funds ¨C Aclysia holds and manages the groups finances. Their wealth after all latest income and expenses: 11 Gold 14 Silver 5 Iron 9 Bronze 15 Copper.


    Red Sphere ¨C An odd Red Sphere found in the Serpent¡¯s Heart, whose purpose is not yet clear.


    Other Factors:


    Divine Flight ¨C Can use her moth-like ¡®angel¡¯ wings to hover, as long as there is enough room to stretch them. This consumes a minimal amount of mana. If her wings are damaged, the ability to hover decreases accordingly.


    Metal Fairy ¨C Is made from a metal that is lighter than flesh. This comes with several factors. Aclysia is unlikely to ever win in a melee battle, particularly without weapons, due to a lack of weight and therefore force behind her attacks. Aclysia only requires mana to survive, which she can get by eating basically anything in creation or by absorbing it from a willing other.


    Angel on her own ¨C Does not hold any natural sway over any member of the Church despite being a divine creation by the 33rd of the 33 original gods. This also prevents her from being recognized at a glance by all but the most divinely attuned.


    Physical Description:


    Aclysia is 1,81 metres tall and has white hair, which is always combed back and falls down to the middle of her back, ending at the base of her wings. Akin to a moth in texture and shape, she possesses a total of four wing segments, they are mostly white and have symmetrical patterns in black running over them.


    Her skin is of a milky white and meticulous, not a single strand of hair anywhere. Her bust is of a moderate size, slightly below average, with light pink nipples. Overall, her figure is defined by her hips, giving her a pleasing pear type body with long legs and nice thighs.


    Her face is defined by its fair cut, having something ephemerally beautiful about it and the brilliantly shining emerald eyes. Her ears are pointy, like an elf¡¯s, but not unusually long. Her nose has a well rounded tip, her eyebrows are as white as her hair, her lips are pink and pillowy.


    Korith


    Class: Hoard Warrior (Unusual Base Class)


    Level: 22 (Estimated)


    Skill and Spell list:


    Warrior Control ¨C The fundamental ability of the Warrior is to always have their abilities ready. They sacrifice finetuning of their abilities and surprise factor for pure reliability. To Warriors, boosting their strength and speed with magic is a constant affair. Their Skills are activated more as a matter of reflex than deliberate decision.


    Ironscale Armour ¨C Combination of Ironskin and Scale Armour, boosting Korith''s defenses immensely, to the point that she can shatter basic weapons on her body. Currently this causes her scales to turn steel grey. Her visions tell her they will turn gold eventually.


    Ironclaw Strike ¨C Muscle Martial Art, increasing strength in an arm immensely. This is simultaneously used with reinforcement of claws to turn them into armour rending points.


    Steadfast  ¨C Bone plus Joint Martial art, locking a segment or the entire body in position to absorb an impact far above usual tolerance.


    Punish Leap ¨C Slam into the side or back of an enemy with maximum jump force and Ironscale Armour.


    Copper Strike ¨C Weapon Art, of perhaps holy origin. Fills the weapon with the power of Hoardfire. After coming into contact with an area, the Hoardfire spreads and then explodes, shoving and burning enemies in the area. Strength of the attack can be increased by sacrificing currency.


    Treasure Leap ¨C Bone-Muscle Martial Art, allows the user to take massive leaps. Evolved from Frog Leaps to greater effect (and so Korith doesn''t feel as embarrassed)


    Contact Hoard ¨C A ritual through which Hoard¡¯s followers offer it ever more treasures. Sometimes, Hoard offers something in return, wishing to guide its flock to bring it even more shinies.


    Equipment: S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Modified Plate Armour ¨C Overall standard metal armour that has been modified to work with her assets and shortness.


    Warhammer ¨C A regular warhammer with two flat sides.


    Warpick ¨C A pick to smash through armour


    Mace ¨C A one handed weapon for tight areas and close quarters.


    Torchlight Pendant ¨C A pendant that glows with the same intensity as a torch, providing constant light around the wearer.


    Calming Surcoat ¨C This surcoat was enchanted with heat regulation, diminishing the drawback of being covered in metal in cold or hot environments.


    Inventory:


    Casual Clothes ¨C A set of clothes. Most of what Korith likes to wear is baggy, conservative, or both. She knows her curvaceous body nets her a lot of eyeballs and she does not want everyone to keep staring at her.


    Dice, Cards, and more ¨C Korith¡¯s growing assembly of utensils to use to play games with


    Other Factors:


    Scaled Limbs ¨C Korith¡¯s arms are covered in red scales from the elbow down. Her legs are similarly covered from below the knees. While these do serve as natural armour, they make wearing regular clothes a bit difficult due to the chaffing.


    Tinker¡¯s Claws ¨C Kobolds have horn-like claws that protect their fingertips but retain a surprising level of sensitivity. They aid, rather than diminish, the Kobolds natural desire to tinker.


    Physical Description:


    Korith is a tiny woman, standing at only about 1,06 metres tall. That is the only aspect of her that could be considered small, however. Embodying the body type of ¡°shortstack¡±, she has an impressive pair of tits and her butt is similarly wide and jiggly. As a kobold, she possesses red scales that cover the lower half of her limbs. Her feet are akin to that of a mixture of lizard and bird, three thick toes extending forwards, with a short back claw replacing the heel. Additionally, she possesses a short tail and two pairs of horns, one larger than the other.


    Her ears are long and pointy, extending from a head of long, wavy blonde hair, as gold as her eyes. She has a roundish face, mixing adorable with attractive. Reddish brown lips sit underneath a cute button of a nose. Her pupils are slit, but that does little to invoke any feeling of danger from her.


    Although small and squishy in all the right places, Korith is far from a pushover. Her heritage blesses her with bones reddened by the amount of iron within them. She is much heavier than her stature would imply and where her top and bottom are soft, the rest of her is toned and tanned from a life on the road. She¡¯s rarely seen without a mace, hammer, or comparable weapon by her side.


    Reysha


    Class: Noir Rogue [Unusual Basic Class]


    Level: 23 (Approximately)


    Skills and Spells:


    Stealth ¨C The Rogue suppresses her presence to such a degree, she becomes difficult to acknowledge. This is not invisibility and lingering in an area, particularly in plain sight, will gradually invoke an odd sense of suspicion in onlookers, until the protection unravels. Used in combat, it only causes a momentary disruption in a person¡¯s focus on the Rogue.


    Aimed Whisper ¨C The voice of the user travels in one direction only. Should it hit a surface, it will bounce from it as if it was the original source. If it hits the ear of someone, the sound will be swallowed entirely and the said thing will only be heard by that one person.


    Dislocate ¨C Dislocates the joints in the arms magically. While painful, this does make it possible to slip out of many hasty or loose bindings. The first spell any Rogue learns, as it is fundamental to applying magic to joint areas.


    Edge ¨C Creates a slicing aura around Reysha¡¯s joints or weapons she has trained with extensively. The longer a weapon, the harder this is to use.


    Overplay: Chainsaw Effect, very loud


    Spellslicer ¨C Creates a sheen around a weapon that allows it to disrupt any kind of mana.


    Overplay: Slicing shockwave that carries the effect of the attack forward several metres.


    Shadowstep ¨C Combine a burst of presence suppression with muscle boosting to, in the perception of enemies, teleport a short distance. In truth, this is just unnoticed dashing.


    Overplay: Repeat the Shadowstep several times, dropping in and out of awareness.


    Equipment:


    Snakeskin Leather Armour Top ¨C A leather armour top made from the dark grey skin of snakes found in the Drowned Altar dungeon. Above average leather armour in every regard, but not enchanted and still not nearly as protective as anything made from metal.


    Leather Armour Pants ¨C Pants made from leather treated to be stretchable and decently protective.


    Iron Dagger (2) ¨C A basic iron weapon, sold to beginner adventurers. One serves as her main weapon, the other as replacement. She wears both on her body, one sheath strapped to the right side of her hips/her right thigh and the other attached to her lower back.


    Throwing Knives (7) ¨C Small, iron knives good for throwing but too small to be reliably used in melee combat. Worn on her belt. Currently, all hoisters on her belt are filled.


    Adventurer¡¯s Bag ¨C Formerly the group''s communal bag. Holds up to 25 kilograms worth of stuff inside it.


    Rogue Belt ¨C A basic belt with holsters for the tools of the trade.


    Crimson Shoes ¨C Shoes of a deep crimson colour They shimmer like polished glass and the inside is lined with soft cloth. The soles can be reshaped however the user wishes. Within the limitations of the present material, of course.


    Ice Stiletto ¨C A steel stiletto enchanted with ice properties. The thorn has three sides.


    Inventory:


    Washcloth ¨C Reysha¡¯s personal washcloth. It isn¡¯t used for her body, instead, it''s there to clean her weapons after combat.


    Water Bag ¨C A bag of leather used to transport water.


    Lockpicks (5) ¨C Sets of thin metal needed to carefully open doors that were meant to remain closed by physical means.


    Other Factors:


    Tiger Girl ¨C Possesses formidable sight and hearing, cat ears, eyes and tail, as well as retractable, sharp claws. Has a much higher chance to give birth to females.


    Noir [Semi-Final Stage] ¨C Increased physical and magical attributes, improved senses. Can eat the meat of dungeon monsters and drink the magic infused water of the structures without problem. In return, normal food and drink are absolutely disgusting, tasting worse the stronger the natural taste. When not having eaten magically enriched food for several days, negative symptoms begin to surface. The extent of these negative symptoms at this time is unknown, since Reysha hasn¡¯t suffered major drawbacks for a long time.


    Demon Arm ¨C Reysha¡¯s original left arm was seared away by the magic that sealed Apotho. The warlock replaced it by utilizing the blood of a Tharnatos class demon, the Deathhound Kurlesh, as her reward for setting him free. By every available analysis, the arm is her own. It changes into its demonic form in response to her desires, aggression particularly. Revealing its true nature, the arm has a leathery, black appearance and ends in dull claws. When cut, it bleeds demon blood, which swiftly evaporates to seal the wound and facilitate the regeneration.


    Physical Description:


    Reysha is a 1,78 metres tall redhead with wild flowing hair. Despite her lack of care for it, aside from the occasional combing with her claws and baths, her nature as a tiger girl prevents it from matting and rarely does it look like anything other than a perfect scarlet mess. It grows past her neck and miraculously never gets in the way during fights, partly thanks to the pair of cat ears that grow out of the top of her head, the same colour as her hair.


    With a naturally light brown complexion and a lot of time under the sun, Reysha has a colouration whose exoticness is only furthered by the tiger stripes. A few shades darker than the rest of her skin, they stretch over her body, adding chocolate to caramel.


    The lowest strips start above the ankles. More cover the long, smooth legs and her athletic, hourglass curves. The well-proportioned breasts with the pinkish brown nipples are not covered at all. The furthest up are two stripes, the only ones on her face, that run around her blue eyes like natural warpaint. The stripes on her red tail, growing out where the spine ends and adding her primal flavour to her bubble butt, are the only truly black ones. However, they are notably absent from her crotch area, where only a moderate, usually trimmed, amount of red hair decorates her sex.


    When her claws are retracted, her fingernails look, aside from their progressively reddening colour, like a normal human¡¯s. If they come to use, however, they lengthen a fair bit and the tips condense into the curved, needle-like claws of a cat.


    She has a sharp face, with clearly defined feminine features finalized to be both intimidating and seductive, savagely gorgeous, with dark lips often curved into a mad smile, showing the fangs inside her otherwise human teeth and a pair of blue eyes contrasting heavily with the reds and browns of the rest of her body. Something only worsened by the steady blackening of her eyeballs by Noir. She has normal human ears in addition to her cat ones.


    Mobile Estate ¨C The Change Mansion


    Rules:


    The Change Mansion is only accessible when the area is safe. The spirit within the key judges when it is safe and it is a cautious one.


    The Change Mansion¡¯s entrance can only be crossed by those the user of the key wishes to invite.


    The Change Mansion¡¯s entrance, once closed, is invisible. It takes advanced magic to find it.


    The Change Mansion¡¯s facilities and provisions expand with the level of the adventurer that uses it.


    The Change Mansion¡¯s provisions, once removed from the Mobile Estate, disappear.


    Current Facilities:


    Main room ¨C The Change Mansion¡¯s primary room, the size of a peasant¡¯s house. In it the party has placed some basic furniture. The straw bed at the back is consistently supplied with fresh hay, keeping it comfortable. Notably, the room contains a fireplace and a window that gives a view of the weather outside.


    Urinal ¨C A side room for alleviation of biological duties. Self-cleaning and isolated.


    Provisions:


    Water ¨C The Mobile Estate currently provides cold, clear water that can be drunk or bathed with.


    Hay ¨C The Mobile Estate refreshes the bedding.


    Firewood ¨C The Mobile Estate provides logs for the fireplace.

 All but Forsaken 17 – Into the City

    They spent two days in the chamber. One to just relax and the second to halfway align their sleep schedule with the path of the sun again. On the third day, they emerged and on the fourth day they returned to Walled Port Pernero.


    The city had not changed in their roughly two weeks of absence. Slaves still worked the salt fields and executed the heavy labour, as citizens oversaw and went for the more skilled crafts. Ships drifted through the channels, cut into the reef through years upon years upon years of labour.


    ¡®It would be impressive if it wasn¡¯t so fucking terrible,¡¯ Reysha thought.


    A guard recognized them at the western gate. It was much less guarded than the one by the shrine. The many layered structure of the city meant that even a less guarded gate came with a vertical barrier between any assailants and the buildings.


    For a moment, the guard considered stopping the quartet. A single glance from Apexus was enough to silence that notion. ¡®Was he THAT tall before?¡¯ the guard thought. He did not know, it was difficult to recollect when there had already been a sizable difference between the two. ¡®Either my mind is playing tricks on me or adventurers are even more powerful than the legends imply¡­ to change body size on a whim.¡¯


    Apexus had looked at the man merely out of curiosity. Attentive eyes wandered on, taking in the grey and reddish browns of the environment. For the first time, they entered the city proper and there was much to see.


    Pernero had not been built in a day. Each segment of the city, each of the many plateaus, was its own expansion project. Carved right out of the mountain, the walls and roads retained the same aesthetic and sometimes veins of certain colours moved fascinatingly along the surfaces. The buildings on top of each platform were either carved out of the mountains as well, built from the many rocks that had been loosened during the development, or a mixture of both. The largest structures were almost entirely created from rock and plaster.


    As impressive as it all was, it was not flawless. To crack open the mountain and to use slaves to do the labour lovelessly inevitably introduces difficulties. Few things were entirely level. Harder rock formations introduced bumps in the road or had been worked around altogether, ignored due to the time it would have taken to destroy them fully. Here and there the walls bore holes, the signs of lovers or bored kids carved into the rock. Shallow channels along the sides of the road, meant to direct the rainwater into the city¡¯s water stores, had been poorly designed in places. Pools formed in places they really shouldn¡¯t, creating stale ponds that reeked and gave parasites places to breed.


    In the higher up, richer parts of the city, these issues were few and far between and often in the process of getting fixed. In the lower parts, where the slaves and those as poor as slaves dwelled, no such attention was given.


    The party moved to one of the upper layers of the city. The rectangular, modular layout was all the more visible from higher up. The city rose up the slope, but did not do so in a truly ordered manner. Organic growth and the original shape of the mountainside created rises and falls all over. It was almost nauseatingly difficult to navigate. In the north side of the city, a group of a hundred slaves was chipping away at the next extension.


    They found a shop that sold smoked and roasted fish and bought some for Korith. The kobold direly needed a change in her diet and seafood on a stick was right up there. After that, they moved about in search of a few other shops.


    ¡°We require new soap, salt, and cooking oil, preferably olive,¡± Aclysia listed while they walked. ¡°Additionally, I would appreciate a greater selection of pillows and a thicker sheet for our bed. A spare set of bowls may be wise.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the shelf,¡± Reysha threw in.


    ¡°C-can we buy some more game stuff? Maybe a proper board?¡± Korith added.


    Aclysia smiled and responded, ¡°Affirmative.¡±


    The metal angel was in as good a mood as being in a slave city permitted. The prices on this Leaf continued to be absurdly low. Their primary difficulty wouldn¡¯t be to pay for things, it would be to find traders who took payment in gold. Either they would have to buy something truly expensive or they would have to hope the trader was willing to part with the rest of his coins in exchange. The party¡¯s own stockpile of currency of appropriate value for this Leaf was sadly limited.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a carpenter first,¡± Apexus decided.


    It did not take long. The carpenter¡¯s shop was visible from a distance, standing out from the stone buildings of this clean and wealthy area due to the wood shavings the owner had used to make the ground around his home a little more pleasant to walk on.


    Apexus bowed his head on the way in. For the time being, he wanted to keep the size increase. It had served him moderately well in the dungeon and he noted that people were viewing him as a predator even more than previously. It made them keep their distance. Apexus welcomed that.


    The shop area doubled as the workshop. The carpenter was a man in his forties. Wealth and work had combined to make him someone of impressive size, if quite fat. The top of his head was bald, the sides short, his clothes simple brown that he would not mind getting damaged as he worked. At the moment, he was carving decorations on a plank.


    When he looked up at the visitors, he froze. From the winged giant to the brown skinned redhead, the group struck an unusual and somewhat intimidating picture. The two less concerning specimens, the blonde kobold and the white haired fairy, stepped forward. ¡°Greetings.¡± Aclysia bowed her head deeply. ¡°I hope we do not intrude?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, the shop is open,¡± the carpenter responded, glancing nervously between Aclysia and Apexus. ¡°You must be the adventurers?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative¡­ may I inquire about the rumours spreading around us?¡±


    ¡°Just that you came in, posed around, and then walked off into the Serpent¡¯s Heart¡­ did you¡­ have you returned from that place?¡±


    ¡°We have indeed, with value earned that we wish to exchange for service,¡± Aclysia reached into her Adventurer¡¯s Bag and pulled out a single gold coin. The eyes of the carpenter zeroed in on the unblemished piece of metal, followed it as Aclysia placed it on the table.


    Korith put her hand on top. ¡°A shelf!¡± the kobold demanded. ¡°We would like to buy a shelf! For books and stuff. Do you have one of those?¡±


    ¡°Not right now¡­ but I have a bunch of planks and such that I could hammer together into one,¡± the carpenter put the board he had been working on aside and stood up. ¡°Wait just one moment!¡± He rushed into the backroom. Over the course of several trips, he brought out two long, decorated planks and then a couple of smaller ones. Laying it all out on the ground, he gave the party an idea of what the shelf would look like when it was all done. They talked a little bit back and forth about the drawbacks and advantages of adding more or less boards to the shelf.


    When the carpenter got to work, Apexus wordlessly stepped over and helped. Holes needed to be drilled into the wood, to then be filled by small wooden nubs that would extend just far enough from the plank for the shelf boards to rest on them. At first, the carpenter wanted to protest the humanoid chimera¡¯s support, but then he saw the care with which Apexus turned the drilling tool.


    ¡°Have you done woodwork before?¡± the carpenter asked.


    ¡°Oh me? All the time, I love working with wood,¡± Reysha threw in from the background. She grabbed something invisible and stroked it up and down. ¡°Really good at polishing.¡± Aclysia gave the redhead a smack to the back of her head. All that caused was loud laughter.


    The carpenter, for his part, joined. Uproarious laughter filled the room, chasing away any remaining nervousness the man felt. Even while chuckling with amusement, he moved the coal marker precisely, leaving little crosses everywhere a hole needed to be drilled.


    Apexus followed the hands of the carpenter. A mild feeling of awe accompanied the way the man¡¯s hands worked. Even if Apexus was faster and stronger, the carpenter did his work at the speed of experience. Aspects of the material that gave the Monk trouble, the learned craftsman used or overcame without difficulty.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus answered, when the last of the laughter ebbed away.


    ¡°Hm?¡± the carpenter hummed, mildly confused. Then he remembered his own question. ¡°I can see that. You have a good basic understanding.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. My teacher always said a broad education is useful. Understand how difficult something is, to understand how much the masters work to make it look easy.¡±


    ¡°Your teacher sounds like a wise man,¡± the carpenter added.


    ¡°He is,¡± Apexus agreed with a deep nod.


    They put the shelf together in less than an hour. The brunt of the work had been done already. To put things together usually took less time than to make their parts. The finished shelf was just taller than Apexus, had a spacious lowest segment and evenly sized ones above that. About a metre across, it wasn¡¯t a large shelf, but that was good. They didn¡¯t have a lot of room to spare anyway.


    Everything was given the once-over and the gold coin formally handed over. ¡°I totally forgot to ask¡­ what are you planning to do with that?¡± the carpenter wondered when all was said and done.


    ¡°Put it in our home,¡± Apexus responded.


    ¡°Have you¡­ acquired property around the city?¡± The carpenter was more confused than before. ¡°I thought it was illegal to sell to non-citizens.¡±


    ¡°We have not,¡± Apexus responded and, after a moment of consideration, decided to just show the man.


    Apexus reached into the inside of his robe. Like the last time they were in the city, he had put the grey article of clothing on properly. He gestured around, as if he was searching for something. In reality, he just made time for the key to push out of his membrane. When he showed it to the carpenter, he was none the wiser regarding Apexus¡¯ true nature.


    They stood out enough as adventurers, no need to add the knowledge that he wasn¡¯t god-made like the rest of them.


    ¡°Our home is with us,¡± Apexus said and opened the Change Mansion. The blatant display of magic made the carpenter¡¯s eyes go wide.


    ¡°By the gods,¡± he gasped, when the door swung open. The surprise levelled a bit, when the abode within was humble, even compared to the size of the workshop. ¡°Do all adventurers travel like this?¡± the carpenter asked, looking around for a moment.


    ¡°Very few,¡± Aclysia chimed in. ¡°My darling¡¯s teacher has gifted him this item. It is exceptionally rare.¡±


    The carpenter examined the wooden walls of the magical structure. ¡°How wondrous. I¡¯m glad I got to see one of God''s magical miracles¡­ is it true that magic isn¡¯t rare beyond this Leaf?¡±


    ¡°This is the first Leaf I¡¯ve been to that sees no adventurers and thus so little magic,¡± Apexus reported. ¡°I have been to four, this one included.¡±


    ¡°Incredible¡­¡± the carpenter mumbled. They moved the shelf into the single room, then closed access again. ¡°Thank you for the business and the sight,¡± the craftsman said afterwards. ¡°It¡¯ll be an interesting story to tell my kid when he complains that woodwork is boring again.¡±


    Apexus gave the much smaller man a mild smile. ¡°Glad to be of inspiration.¡±


    With that, they separated. There was much else to buy and nothing else to talk about. As they hit the streets again, Aclysia asked. ¡°Was it wise to reveal our home, darling?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Apexus answered, having considered it deeply. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it matters much. We stand out either way. Like a new species in an established system, we will either be devoured or fit in.¡± He watched the duo of guards that, despite their station, walked a huge curve around them. ¡°I do not worry about being devoured here.¡±


    ¡°Pride comes before the fall, darling,¡± the metal fairy cautioned half-heartedly. It was difficult to advise modesty when they so clearly outstripped everyone around. ¡°What do we wish to find next?¡±


    ¡°I would like to visit a bookstore,¡± Apexus reported. ¡°I want to learn more about the history of this Leaf.¡±


    ¡°May I suggest we keep the bookstore for last? I deem we will spend most of our time there and a great many smaller articles have to be bought,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°I say we listen to the bubble butt,¡± Reysha stated.


    ¡°Sounds fine to me,¡± Korith agreed.


    With the decision made, they wandered around the city, ascending and descending layers in search of whatever they needed. They bought just about everything. Towels and rags for cleaning themselves and their tools, whetstones and soap, salt and a few other spices, additional eating utensils and so on. They tried to buy additional clothes too, but found nothing in their size and did not care to stay until something appropriate could be tailored. Instead, they bought a few metres of rolled up cloth and sewing utensils. Aclysia had shown interest in attempting to create the clothes herself. Another step up in their self-sufficiency.


    They bought Korith a few things needed to play games with more extensive rules. With that, they had just about everything they had wanted besides the books.


    Bookstores were one of the rarer commodities in the city. Paper was difficult to come by and most works were being copied by hand. The knowledge of the printing press had been lost generations ago. Still, there was one large store in the wealthiest area of town. After learning about it from a person on the street, they headed there.

 All but Forsaken 18 – Young Master

    There wasn¡¯t much on offer. Handwritten meant that books were expensive. Each was the result of hours upon hours of labour. They browsed through the pages, checking on the contents. Time in isolation had made the local calligraphy a bit different from the norm of creation. Every letter was curvy and flowed into the next. Despite those oddities, the script was still readable as the common one used on practically all Leaves. It worked, after all, and was bestowed by the gods. When utility and faith met, few ever rattled the cage.


    ¡°I would like works on history and the local creation story,¡± Aclysia requested the clerk. The rest of the party scanned the books by hand. Reysha was on the lookout for anything that randomly caught her eye. Korith looked for tales of treasure. ¡®Come on, this world has pirates, there have to be some legends about hidden booty!¡¯ she thought. ¡®Hoards for Hoard, Hoards for Hoard, Hoards for Hoard!¡¯


    While the kobold kept chanting in her head, Apexus scanned for books regarding the myths of this place. Books similar to the ones Aclysia had requested, but with a religious or semi-religious bent. He wanted to understand how the local rulers justified the caste system and the slavery. In its inception, in the past, and in the present.


    Aclysia was in the middle of getting recommendations when the door to the store opened. Aclysia, Reysha, and Apexus all shot an inquisitive glance over. A glance turned into a stare. Korith wagged her lizard tail.


    Boots hit the wooden planks of the building. Four pairs of them, two of them ahead and two of them behind the much softer steps of sandals. The four heavy steps belonged to women clad in the heavy robes of the Felmer. Their outfit had been modified from the usual brown and deep grey layers of cloth to include basic plating that elevated the shape of their breasts and the narrowness of their midriff. They were dark haired, tanned women, tall for this Leaf but still shorter than Reysha by a hand width. Each of them was equipped with sheathed swords.


    They surrounded a man in colourful clothes. His skin was pale, untouched by the sun, and only a few decorations painted on his face gave him any colour. He was thin, moderately fit, and a slight bit taller than the women he surrounded himself with.


    Apexus did not like the man¡¯s gaze as he looked over the room. There was a casual possessiveness there, of the room and, as it lingered, of the people in it. A lustful curiosity mingled in when he saw Korith. Then a competitive superiority when he stared at Apexus. Almost unnoticeably, the shop owner swallowed.


    The newcomer took several steps forward, always surrounded by the four Felmers. ¡°So these are the adventurers I heard so much about?¡± he raised his voice and finally Korith also turned her head. Crossing eyes with the man immediately made her clutch her mace. ¡°I am Maya-Term Tanas. You may introduce yourselves.¡± He kept staring at Korith as he said that.


    Apexus calmly put the book he was holding back on the shelf. ¡°A trader,¡± he noted.


    ¡°A royal trader!¡± Tanas harshly corrected, eyes travelling over. ¡°Know your place, casteless, and introduce yourself before you dare say anything else.¡± Apexus took several steps. The two Felmer at the front allowed it, until he crossed an invisible threshold. Then their hands darted to their swords and they took combat positions. Tanas tutted. ¡°These loyal warriors are of the tenth level and their Dalara is impeccable. If you do not remember your manners soon, they will remind you of it.¡±


    ¡°So, you do have Scribes on this world,¡± Reysha remarked. Ignoring the sweating shop owner, the redhead jumped onto the counter and sat there. ¡°Hear that, Aclysia?¡±


    ¡°We would prefer not to make a scene,¡± the metal fairy stated.


    ¡°Then you should tell your attack dog to take a step back.¡± Tanas sneered, glaring at Apexus. ¡°A mute brute is hardly worthy of the company of ladies such as you.¡±


    ¡°I am contemplating if you are worthy of speaking to,¡± Apexus reported his thoughts honestly. There was no malice or joke to the words and that only made the insult that much harsher. Tanas clenched his jaw and growled, face red, when Apexus turned his attention away.


    ¡°I am talking to you, ignorant creature,¡± Tanas stated.


    Apexus looked to Aclysia for advice on how to handle this situation. He found the guardian angel smiling. Not the usual slight smile of her good mood or the broad smile at the end of long and intimate contact, but a sharp and dangerous smile. A smile that he hadn¡¯t seen on her for a long time. ¡°Reysha, Apexus, you two should have a conversation with the man outside. You did wonder about the Dalara, correct?¡±


    The words were terribly sweet. With a broad grin, Reysha jumped off the counter. ¡°As my melody desires,¡± the humanoid chimera turned. ¡°I am Apexus. Let¡¯s go outside.¡±


    ¡°¡­it would be unbecoming of me to make a scene in my favourite bookstore,¡± Tanas declared, as if this had been his idea. He turned around, as did the back two of his bodyguards. The remaining two maintained eye contact with the adventurers for as long as it took their young master to step out of the building.


    As they turned, they caught Aclysia¡¯s expression turning dark and condemning. Both instinctively turned around again. The metal fairy did not bother to assume the smiling mask again. The contempt was in her lightless eyes. Hurriedly, they joined the rest of their group outside. Apexus and Reysha were quickly behind them.


    ¡°E-everything alright?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°No one insults my darling like that,¡± the angel stated in a dreadfully neutral tone. ¡°I hope they burn.¡± Little bits of heated light played around her fingers. When she noticed, she suddenly snapped out of it. ¡°Ehem, my apologies,¡± Aclysia turned back to the shopkeeper. The man was so pale, one would think he was bleeding out. ¡°If you would be so kind as to finalize your recommendations?¡±


    Outside the building Reysha and Apexus stood across the Maya-Term and his four Felmer guards. In another district of the city, the standoff would have attracted attention. In this well off part, only a few servants and housewives followed the events from their windows. Everyone else was working in the lower areas of the city.


    ¡°My uncle wrote to me of your bad manners, but I did not think an outlander would be this unwise,¡± Tanas said. ¡°And all I wanted to do was have the conversation you brutes refused to have before. If you still declare your support of the Maya¡¯s castes, I can forget all about this. I am magnanimous like that.¡± His eyes roamed over Reysha¡¯s body. ¡°I could personally make sure you are given great places in our castes, should you have the wisdom to obey the proper order.¡±


    ¡°You wanna put him in his place or should I?¡± Reysha asked, ignoring the monologue of the man.


    ¡°How does he exist?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Eh, you¡¯d be surprised how entitled people get when they have stuff by right of birth.¡± Reysha shrugged. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I will take care of this,¡± Apexus decided and stepped forward. The two guards at the front readied themselves to assume their combat pose again, only for Apexus to stop exactly at the invisible line. He placed a fist against his palm and bowed his head. ¡°Maya-Term, I do not care for your country. I ask that you respect my indifference. Turn and tend to your business, so that we may go after ours. That would be wise.¡±


    Tanas felt a vein on his temple throb. ¡°Only the Maya know about all wisdom, how dare you lecture me about it?¡±


    Apexus froze for a moment and gave the proud young man a long stare. The dark hair, the blue eyes, the casual superiority he displayed in every motion. ¡°I require clarification. You claim to have mastered wisdom itself?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Tanas puffed his chest up. ¡°The Maya have ruled over Mayana for hundreds of years. Our wisdom is as vast as our realm prosperous.¡±


    ¡°When is it appropriate to kill a being of sapience?¡±


    The question threw Tanas off balance. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    Apexus tilted his head, then shook it. ¡°It is a genuine question. I struggle to find a good answer. My teacher struggled with an answer. He was as close to a master of wisdom as I would have anyone claim. If you have mastered the art, give me an answer. When is it appropriate to kill a being of sapience? When can anyone assume the authority and the moral right to end a life before it has run its course?¡±


    ¡°When they threaten the stability of the realm,¡± Tanas answered.


    Apexus mulled over that response in silence for a little bit. ¡°What of all crimes that happen beyond your realm? Are they not worthy of attention?¡±


    ¡°If they want the protection of the Maya, they will have to submit to our laws.¡±


    ¡°Does justice only exist within the nation, then?¡± Apexus asked. ¡°Is that your answer?¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°How could justice exist outside the nation, between savages and tribes? Without rulers, who can dictate what justice is?¡± the Maya-Term returned, conviction in every word. ¡°The individual has no perception of justice. Only the Maya know what is best for the lower castes. We know what justice is and we have the authority to execute those that violate it. We are the enforcers of morality.¡±


    The longer Apexus listened, the more he considered those words, the more anger built up inside him. ¡°This is the mastery of wisdom you claim?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I take it you cannot see the-¡°


    ¡°Arrogance!¡± The boom of Apexus'' deep voice made the entirety of the Mayana delegation take a step backwards. In the background, Reysha purred, seeing her man straighten up. An aura of annoyance surrounded him, emotions made tangible through the intense effect a Monk¡¯s mood had on their ki flow. Forcing himself back to the centre, Apexus continued in a scolding voice, ¡°Do not presume to yourself answers you do not have. You inherit responsibility and treat it like a vulture would a carcass.¡±


    ¡°You call me a carrion feeder?!¡± Tanas growled. ¡°Enough of this. If you do not respect Mayana, then you will be taught respect through the invincible blade dance.¡± The Maya-Term gestured for the left of his two forward bodyguards to advance. ¡°If he loses a limb, that will be his fault.¡±


    The sword drew with an audible ¡®shiiiing¡¯. The blade had the stainless shine of expertly crafted, sharpened, and polished steel. A longsword with a broad blade and broad edges, it was a truly marvellous piece of smithing. The hilt was a decorated pair of iron and brass wrapped in leather. The female Felmer took a deep stance, turning her sword in a wide circle as she did. The onlookers were impressed with the smoothness and confidence of each motion.


    Apexus stared passively and looked at the woman. Magic on the Leaf was minimal. To rise above the male peers despite the constraints of biology, to then get what little magic schooling there was from the Maya¡¯s court, and to be assigned as a guard to one of his relatives, all of that was beyond impressive for her society.


    Apexus understood this instinctively, even if he was not privy to all the details. ¡°How many are your equal in the Dalara?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The three behind me,¡± the woman responded. ¡°Only two dozen people in the Maya¡¯s court could beat us in the highest art.¡±


    Apexus nodded and assumed a combat pose himself. ¡°Show me this art.¡±


    ¡°¡­Will you not draw a weapon?¡± she gave him the chance.


    ¡°I am the weapon,¡± Apexus responded calmly.


    The warrior woman did not know what to make of it. Never had she seen an unarmed person this confident and the tales of adventurers and their magic were extensive. Extensive and, as far as she knew, completely overblown. She had seen the magic of Maya and she knew that it was powerful and that it was limited. Had it been strong enough to stop swords at will, they would not have needed bodyguards.


    ¡°Then you are truly to blame if you lose a limb,¡± she finally declared. Her blade swung through the air. Muscles under the robes shifted, warming up as she danced, flourishing her blade in wide arches. Her opponent¡¯s eyes traced the trajectory of the blade. She established a rhythm, following the lessons of the fourteenth stance of the Dalara. On and on she went, until her body was warm for the movements. The robes breathed with the continued motions, allowing her to keep herself just cool enough to be comfortable. Her opponent retained his pose, unwise to the fact that the only response the Dalara had to this following of steps was the second or seventh blockade. Breaking the rhythm, she spun around her own axis, building momentum with a valiant cry. One deep slice would be-


    Stopped.


    The blade came to a halt centimetres from his shoulder. The warrior woman stared at the tensed, thick forearm that her wrist had slammed against. The entire energy she had built up had been counteracted by a counterstrike against the arm.


    This was not part of the Dalara.


    Instinctively, she pulled back and assumed a defensive pose. Expecting him to strike, she awaited his counterattack. The many forms of attack she was used to, none of them were employed. He just stood there, passively and looked at her.


    This was not part of the Dalara.


    He did not seize momentum, and so she decided to take it from him. One step, then another, she strut forwards confidently. Both times, she swung her sword in wide arches. On the third step, she delayed the swing. On the fourth, she would accelerate, catching him off guard with the broken rhythm. He did not allow her the fourth swing. He did not cede his ground and grabbed her wrist as the third swing began.


    This was not part of the Dalara.


    Apexus tilted his head and waited for her to show him what she would do next. Confused, he pulled her by the arm. She refused to let go of the weapon, but she didn¡¯t have any means to free her arm.


    ¡°Y¡¯all should carry daggers!¡± Reysha shouted from the background. ¡°Daggers are neat! Ya can stab people when they¡¯re that close!¡±


    The three women and the Maya-Term in the background were too stunned to respond, the Felmer stood where she was too embarrassed and angry to even acknowledge the words. She tried to yank herself free, but she was standing on her toes at this point. Apexus jabbed three points down her arm in quick succession and then released her wrist.


    She drew her arm back rapidly. Only when Apexus caught her sword by the hilt, did she realize that her hand was open and numb. ¡°Give that back,¡± she demanded.


    Apexus inspected the weapon. There was no tingle of magic from it. No secret there to unveil. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hold it,¡± he told her, pointing at her uselessly dangling arm.


    She grabbed herself by the shoulder, hissing when she felt nothing. ¡°Cruel magic, to take my arm from me for the threat of the Maya-Term.¡±


    ¡°It will only last ten minutes,¡± the Monk informed her calmly. ¡°It would be unjust to hurt more than your pride.¡± Apexus weighed the weapon in his hand for a little bit. ¡°Reysha, would you value a sword?¡±


    ¡°I would value four swords,¡± Reysha purred.


    ¡°Do not be greedy.¡±


    ¡°Pretty please?¡± Reysha pushed her lower lip out and made the most adorable face she could. It did tingle the layers of his core.


    ¡°You would rob me of my weapon?¡± the Felmer asked.


    ¡°I would disarm you, yes,¡± Apexus said and handed the sword off to Reysha. ¡°You can win it back.¡± He looked at the other three women. ¡°I am interested to see more of this Dalara. You claim to be invincible with the sword. He claims to be the master of wisdom.¡± Apexus pulled his shoulders back, brows pulling together in the mildest display of irritation. ¡°I worked with a carpenter earlier today. When I witnessed him, I was in the presence of an old eagle. Now I am in the presence of chicks. You believe you can soar. You have just forgotten how to fall.¡± He fixed his gaze on Tanas. ¡°Prove me wrong.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. You, next,¡± Tanas sent the next member of his bodyguard forwards.


    The woman confidently strut forwards. The Dalara was invincible ¨C any loss was a problem of execution, not of the techniques. They were flawless and she would prove it. Taking the place of her caste sister, the Felmer took her longsword in both hands and then lunged straight at him. As the Dalara predicted, he dodged to the side. Hard, she yanked the blade in the direction of his chest. At least she would have, if he hadn¡¯t grabbed her by the wrist.


    This was not part of the Dalara.


    Disappointed, Apexus wrestled the second weapon away from its wielder and extended another challenging glance. The third woman stepped forwards, twirling and dancing, as she executed wide swing after wide swing in his direction. He dodged nimbly, always keeping a distance. She accelerated. Then she suddenly slowed, did a full spin and stumbled over the leg between her legs.


    This was not part of the Dalara.


    The last contender went slow and steady. She kept him at a distance with a raised weapon and did not know what to do when he respected that distance. They just stood there, until her arms became tired. As soon as the tip of the weapon started dropping, Apexus rushed in. Her attack was sluggish, a thrust to skewer his shoulder.


    Apexus dodged sideways and was about to execute a shoulder throw, when a projectile of magic struck him in the face. Tanas laughed victoriously in the background, hands raised. ¡°In the end the Maya¡¯s divine gifts are the¡­ true power of¡­ the¡­ realm¡­¡± His voice trailed off when the explosion of arcane energy cleared. Purple energies thinned out and revealed Apexus¡¯ skin protected by a layer of grey. The Ironskin of the Ready Waters Style had neutralized the attack completely.


    ¡°Again.¡± Apexus took several steps back and offered the Felmer a second try at attacking him. Already humiliated, the warrior charged forwards and joined her sisters in defeat a moment later. Reysha grinned as she was handed the fourth sword. ¡°Will you fight?¡± Apexus asked, glaring at the Maya-Term.


    Tanas was still dumbstruck from the utter lack of impact his blast of magic had. Taking the silence as a no, the Monk turned back to the beaten Felmer. They were clenching their teeth, uncertain of what had happened.


    Apexus saw their confusion and provided an answer. ¡°Keep the broken rhythm, discard the rest. The Dalara only defeats itself and inexperience. You waste your stamina, you create a thousand openings, you are inflexible. You dance more than you fight.¡± The words rung painful, delivered by someone who had just beaten all of them. Apexus turned to the young master. ¡°Do you respect my indifference?¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re a vile creature, a threat to the realm, undermining our sacred traditions,¡± Tanas spat when he found his voice again. ¡°The Maya will hear of this, of your manipulation of the Dalara and the theft.¡±


    ¡°Tell him that I will do nothing unless he forces me to,¡± Apexus stated.


    Tanas was about to deliver a heated response, when the door of the bookstore opened and Aclysia stepped out. First she smiled, seeing Apexus, then she stared, dead faced, at Tanas. ¡°The wretch is still present?¡± she asked, loudly and annoyed with the man¡¯s very existence.


    ¡°¡­You will know your place¡­!¡± Tanas began and grit his teeth when he realized he was all out of threats. Turning around so quickly that his robes fluttered, he stomped away.


    ¡°I got some very nice books,¡± Aclysia said in an upbeat tone.


    ¡°¡­¡¯Clysia, I¡¯m supposed to be the crazy one around here,¡± Reysha complained.

 All but Forsaken 19 – Information

    ¡°Ya sure ya don¡¯t want to lead a slave revolt?¡± Reysha asked.


    Aclysia looked up from the book to shoot a warning glance at the redhead. ¡°Please do not get us in further trouble. Our popularity with local authorities is already doomed to sink due to today¡¯s actions.¡±


    ¡°Psh, what¡¯s the worst they could do?¡±


    ¡°They could destroy the carpenter¡¯s shop,¡± Apexus responded plainly and slammed shut the book he himself was holding. Not because he was finished with it, but because the words were swimming in front of his eyes. For all of his interest in the topic, reading remained the kind of activity that did not mesh quite well with his instincts. ¡®If only words required a hunt,¡¯ he thought.


    The group was located at the edge of a plateau that bordered the docks. Of the local ones, it was the tallest and it had once been the most luxurious district of the entire city. Now, it had fallen into disrepair. The houses there could not be given to slaves, since that would put them right next to the walls with the military equipment meant to put down any large-scale uprising. Simultaneously, it was not given to the rich citizenry, who preferred the higher places far away from the smell of fisheries and sweat. That left only the middle class and the bums to populate the areas. A combination not often seen next to each other, but where luxurious houses bordered long empty streets, such things happened.


    They sat in a circular cut-out at the edge of a ruined mansion, so far in disrepair that not even the homeless saw it fit as shelter. Of the railing that would have protected people from the drop, only broken pillars remained. It had once been a balcony, now it was a safety hazard.


    The party neither cared about the drop nor the state of disrepair. A cliff was far from the worst hazard they regularly interacted with. From the angel to the kobold, the worst the ten metre drop could do to them would heal within a matter of a week, naturally, or a matter of moments, magically.


    That the mansion did not offer protection from the elements similarly did not matter. They just needed a place that hid the entrance of the Change Estate. Apexus had been willing to show the carpenter and they knew that rumours were likely to spread. There was no reason to leave more trails for stalking predators though.


    Another reason for this stay was the phenomenal view. They could see the ocean before them and the sun slowly setting in the west. In the far-off distance, a rainstorm descended on the ocean. It had missed the city by a few kilometres. Only the slaves, still toiling in the salt fields and other hard labour tasks, spoiled the scene.


    ¡°T-they would do that?¡± Korith stammered.


    ¡°It depends on how much we annoy them,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°We are the first strangers in this land in a long time. We appear to have the begrudging respect of the guards and will maintain it if news of Darling defeating the wretch¡¯s guard spread. A factor of import, in all of this.¡± The metal fairy turned the page. ¡°The fool will attempt to shield the reputation of Mayana by keeping the incident silent, thus making it difficult to justify a move against us. If he shares the incident in its details, it will be our reputation that will make the guards hesitant. In either case, there will be an understanding that messing with us is not worth it initially. However,¡± Aclysia pointedly stared at Reysha again, ¡°there is a limit to their calculation. They will move against us in whatever ways they can if we appear to be a threat not just to their relations to their trading partner, but also their internal safety. The disgusting, slimy, arrogant cretin will be lent ears if we open them.¡±


    ¡°Gotta say, you¡¯re really dedicated to finding new insults for the guy.¡±


    ¡°What kind of dumb ox insults my¡­ our darling like that?!¡± Aclysia snapped. ¡°A stooge, and a loon, and dolt, an absolute disgrace of a human shaped pile of sh-¡°


    ¡°Aclysia,¡± Apexus softly interjected. ¡°You are most beautiful when you¡¯re at your centre.¡±


    The metal fairy took a deep breath and let it out just as slowly. ¡°I apologize, darling. I just dislike that such a¡­ person saw it in his right to call you a creature.¡± She shook her head. ¡°The proof that some existences may be asinine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ya fall on us, girl,¡± Reysha laughed.


    ¡°Angels are allowed to love,¡± Aclysia responded in a matter of fact tone. ¡°To fall is to act in one¡¯s selfish interest, to be deemed incapable of operating among the rest of the divine host in the extermination of Parasytes in the Branches. Not-¡°


    ¡°Yes, okay, alright, I was just joking, ya wordy fae,¡± Reysha laughed.


    ¡°To this day, I don¡¯t understand what the difference between angels and fae is¡­¡± Korith mumbled. ¡°¡­o-or how we got here? Uhm, we were talking about people smashing up the carpenter¡¯s shop?¡±


    ¡°They cannot hurt us,¡± Apexus stated simply. ¡°Or they will believe they cannot without taking considerable risk to themselves. Rather than hunt us and risk injury, they will kill what we eat to force us to migrate.¡±


    ¡°¡­I understand the Apexusism,¡± Korith stated. The term had been created by Reysha forever ago. Back then it had been because Apexus, as a slime, did not have the greatest grasp of language and common idioms. Nowadays it was because, as a Monk, he tended to overthink or draw similes that were unusual, even if sensible.


    ¡°Basically, they¡¯re cowards,¡± Reysha summarized.


    ¡°And we are a lightning rod for trouble. We stand out like an innocent child on a Demon Leaf,¡± Aclysia added. ¡°Only a fool would make business with us after we have attracted the ire of the local powerholders. They have to live here long after we have passed on.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, but did ya think about the people who hate the current leaders?¡± The redhead¡¯s tail flopped about, as her head turned back to the district and its wide disparity. Then she gazed again at the salt fields below. Slaves were moving about. Overseers were approached by messengers and their shift replacements. Sewage poured into the ocean. ¡°Old Rogue saying: there¡¯s always stubborn dirt under the foot of the mayor.¡±


    Reysha stood up and moved towards the entrance of the balcony. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Aclysia investigated.


    ¡°Gonna try to find some books that aren¡¯t state sanctioned,¡± Reysha purred. ¡°I¡¯d take one of ya along, but ya ain¡¯t sneaky enough. I¡¯ll come back if I need some extra muscle.¡±


    ¡°We will stay here until tomorrow noon,¡± Apexus stated and tried to get back to reading.


    Aclysia sighed and did the same. Korith looked confused between the two of them and Reysha, as the tiger girl walked away. ¡°Uhm, are we really going to just let her do that?¡±


    ¡°I personally would prefer it if she did not contact the local criminals. It is, regardless of my preferences, a productive use of her time,¡± Aclysia scanned through the pages. ¡°These texts net us little good, all in all, entertaining as they are.¡± She looked at the blonde kobold. ¡°Unless your book is of any true interest?¡±


    ¡°Not really¡­¡± Korith confessed, flipping through the pages. ¡°Just account after account of how terrible pirates are and how we should all do our best to exterminate them blablabla.¡± She tilted until it was her back that was on the ground and her feet in the air. The red-scaled limbs kicked at nothing. ¡°Some mention of ancient treasures, but only in the context of all the stuff in them that the Walled Cities and the two fertile countries want back.¡±


    ¡°And how is your reading going, darling?¡± Aclysia extended the conversation to the hulk of a man. He carefully turned the pages, greatly respectful of the calligraphy, if not what the calligraphy was used to convey.


    ¡°Propaganda,¡± he responded simply. ¡°The caste system is to be a mortal copy of the balance in heaven, it says. The few stand at the top, the Progenitor and his 33 chosen, followed by the other deities, their angels, then mortals, and finally demons. It appears that this Leaf was the first creation of a god called Serpentis¡­ a snake person in life or just a snake enthusiast? It is not clear. Or I have not gotten to that part yet.¡±


    Where Apexus was less than a third through his book, Aclysia was currently scanning the final page. ¡°That would match the historical record in large part. It appears that this Leaf went through three ages. The age of its creation, when Serpentis walked the earth and shaped it, effectively making this a Sanctum Leaf.¡±


    ¡°Like Kobidzan!¡± Korith declared enthusiastically.


    ¡°Quite, except this deity did not intend to stick around, like Hoard has,¡± Aclysia agreed. ¡°The people here were no less religious though. Their god left them after a prolonged celebration, during which he imparted final boons and lessons. The historical text mentions that Serpentis laid the fundament for the legitimacy of the castes and slavery at the time. Considering that this book would be written by the current people¡­ I have my doubts about the validity of such claims. In the second age, interest of outsiders in this Leaf waned. The third age began with the return of Serpentis for a brief moment to crown the Maya and the Elaya. Those that disagreed with this arrangement became the pirates that harass the just commerce. After that, it is mostly a record of how the castes came to be anchored in their current responsibilities, notable members of them, their dates of birth, particularly heinous raids¡­¡± Aclysia drifted off and shook her head. ¡°It is a thoroughly one-sided text.¡±


    Aclysia put the book aside, then noticed that Apexus was extending his book towards her. ¡°You need something new to read,¡± he told her.


    ¡°You were not finished? I am content just watching you go through the text,¡± Aclysia assured him.


    For a moment, Apexus contemplated those words, then he nodded. He was happy to watch her read as well, so why wouldn¡¯t the opposite apply? Even if the continuous study bored him, he engaged in it. It was worthwhile because it was a struggle.


    ¡°Well¡­ hopefully Reysha will find something interesting,¡± Korith sighed.


    ¡°Hopefully nothing too interesting¡­¡± Aclysia sighed deeply.


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    ¡®Never use what I am about to tell you to become an assassin. You do not want bought blood on your hands.¡¯ The words of her teacher echoed in Reysha¡¯s head, as she walked around the docks. She laid on her back, exhausted to the point of being unable to move, while the Infiltrator spoke. Perhaps that was why Mai¡¯s words stuck so well. ¡®The quickest way to find a criminal society is to stalk the guards.¡¯


    Reysha sat on a wine barrel, slotted for further transportation. The expensive nature of the good had led to six of the guards directly overseeing the efforts of the slaves and sailors. More frequently than was natural, eyes strayed in her direction. It took Reysha a bit of self-control, to not meet the gazes. She wasn¡¯t invisible, she was only very difficult to notice and direct eye contact was the most likely way someone would manage to break the effect.


    ¡®Whether they are corrupt or just, guards know about ongoing criminal activity in a city. Often they even tolerate it. They give the thieves rope and the smugglers paths. It is easier for everyone involved if it is understood that the guard can intervene if the criminals ever overstep. They will tolerate a little dirt and the criminals are given leeway.¡¯


    Reysha watched as one of the six guards announced he was going to get some grub for everyone. There were a few jokes about it and none of them were related to food. The tiger girl jumped off the wine barrel and leisurely strolled after the unaware guard. ¡®Like taking candy from a kid,¡¯ she thought. It did not take long for the guard to arrive at a dark corner that seemed practically made for shady deals. Judging by the smell and the groves in the wall, it was actually made for bladder relief. The guard stepped up to a man and money exchanged hands. ¡®Corruption it is, then.¡¯


    There was a quick conversation about where they would leave a couple of marked barrels and when it would be safe to extract them. Either the wine trade was being used to smuggle something else into the city or the wine itself was worth enough to make the effort. Reysha didn¡¯t care much, she had just found her new target to follow.


    The guard moved on to use his newly acquired money to actually buy some food, while Reysha stalked after the criminal. Judging by the clothes, he was an overseer or at least someone posing as one. He moved in the general direction of the salt fields, taking a few conspicuous breaks to make sure no one was following him.


    ¡®Between corruption and toleration, you can always assume the corrupt criminals to act more brazenly. After all, they have more of the guards in their pockets. When there¡¯s a struggle against truly just guards, the criminal elements will move their main base somewhere they can¡¯t be found. They will always attempt to slip out from under the thumb of the local authorities. Depending on the scale of the corruption, they are the local authorities.¡¯


    The sun had set, by the time Reysha followed the overseer into what, outwardly, appeared to be a slave house. It was located at the edge of a salt field and against the side of one of the shallower platforms. Inside, several slaves were lounging, taking what joys they could in the hours of their day they weren¡¯t performing hard labours. The people in the house lived a little denser than was comfortable, were a little thinner than was reasonable, and were scarred by years upon years of demanding work. All of that acknowledged, they weren¡¯t in squalor. The house was hooked up to the canal system, so it was clean, and they had clean water to drink and bathe with. The slaves weren¡¯t free, but neither were they dying.


    The overseer walking among their midst was barely even acknowledged. When he was, it was only to invite him to a dice game. Not the typical action slaves took towards their masters, Reysha reckoned, and it became clear that it was a disguise not all that much later.


    Moving into the back of the house, where the supplies for the slaves were kept, the overseer shuffled a few crates aside and revealed a crawl space. ¡®Bingo,¡¯ Reysha thought, as she first let the man go through, then followed half a minute later.


    On the other end was a crudely worked tunnel system. It likely ran in parallel to the city¡¯s sewage and rainwater gathering systems. A fairly typical way for smugglers and thieves to move about the city unseen.


    The man she was tailing had lit a torch and was moving deeper inside. ¡®Only makes my job easier,¡¯ Reysha thought and hung behind. The darkness would give her additional cover and her nocturnal vision would do the rest.


    This was way more interesting than reading a book.

 All but Forsaken 20 – Truth?

    Salt and limestone covered the walls. Crystal and brittle rock interspersed, creating a formation that, in Reysha¡¯s experience, was unique to sewage systems near the ocean. The presence of salt was why the redhead had left behind her original target. The man had stopped in a hidden room and started playing cards. Not a productive thing to observe, particularly when there was such an interesting clue in the environment.


    The tunnel system existed to bring water out of the city. Whether that was rainwater, bathwater, or urine, the liquids that were supposed to flow through these tunnels did not contain enough salt to drench the entire air with it to the degree that it started settling on the walls. In order for there to have been this degree of salt in there, some part of the canalisation needed to have an influx of seawater.


    Something that was very, very interesting for Reysha. Seawater flowing into the channels at some point harboured the potential of something travelling with that seawater. The salt was a trail ¨C a trail to a smuggler¡¯s den.


    ¡®Like snails, criminals leave a sticky path,¡¯ Reysha thought and then giggled quietly to herself. ¡®Nope, can¡¯t do it. The Apexusisms just aren¡¯t the same if they don¡¯t come out of  a hunk with a straight face¡­ or a blob¡­ or out of whatever shape he takes that day.¡¯


    The ground crunched under her feet. Usually, a Rogue would have attempted to keep their footprints concealed. As even Reysha¡¯s first teacher had said: Sneaking and Stealthing is only worth so much if people can chase you. However, this path was frequented and much of the dust and salt consolidated into a firm walkway. An additional pair of feet wouldn¡¯t be spotted.


    The smell of salt in the air shifted from stale to the fresh ocean breeze. Simultaneously, the light levels in the tunnels rose. Distantly, Reysha could hear the pitter-patter of water. Then, she picked up voices.


    Slowing her step, Reysha carefully approached. If ever there was a time for caution in this endeavour, it was when approaching the centre of the criminal operations in this city.


    Although the smell remained strong, the environment shifted drastically. The utilitarian tunnels of the sewage system were replaced with decorated walls, enveloping a decently sized pool. Buildings half extended out of the rock and likely much further in. About four dozen people were hauling goods off and on small merchant vessels ¨C the kind only used in cities with extensive canal systems. None of them looked like they would have survived one bad day at sea.


    The pool the boats swam in was a large, circular thing. The ocean water flowed in through a short cave system. Two heavy steel doors, much of them covered in rust and marine life. A couple of much narrower streams went into the sewage system. One of them Reysha carefully followed into the open chamber.


    The people working the boats were well-fed and they joked with each other jovially as they went about the work. None of them looked at Reysha, as she advanced down the catwalk around the edge of the pool.


    The crates getting loaded into the ships contained all manner of things. Meat, art, wine, documents, metal ¨C most common were old porcelain and books. After things were picked up at the harbour, they likely ended up here for further distribution. This was where all the expensive items were stored and in the world of the lawless, the crime boss rarely was far away from where their money was.


    Reysha marched towards the largest of the few buildings. This complex rivalled a large storehouse, which was impressive for something located within solid rock. Beyond that, however, it was exceedingly average in its form and function. The decorations along the walls had been added generation after generation, the designs shifting throughout. At times knots were carved into stone, at others a half-complete picture of a serpent. Concentric squares surrounded the door of the central building.


    The door was the greatest obstacle Reysha had faced yet.


    It was a simple wooden one and it did not appear to be locked. Even if it had been, Reysha could have pried it open with her thief¡¯s tools. Rogues learned lockpicking for reasons of greed. Dungeon chests were sometimes locked and sometimes was often enough to pick up a trait that was useful outside the dungeon as well.


    While she could have just opened the door, the act of doing so would inevitably draw eyeballs. Stealthing masked manipulation of the environment only to a limited degree and, at her level, she couldn¡¯t just open and close a door without anyone noticing. An alternative had to be found.


    Or she could just get lucky and have someone leave the room.


    Reysha heard the steps just in time to back away. The door flew open, a broad-shouldered man stepped out, and shouted a joke over his shoulder. In the second it took those words to be delivered, Reysha slipped into the room. A bit of a tight squeeze, but she was used to squeezing by large men. Apexus took up an absurd amount of bed space.


    ¡®Really fortunate he¡¯s a calm sleeper,¡¯ Reysha realized. Now that her man had decided to grow to a truly herculean size, him rolling the wrong way while they were unconscious could crush a kitty in ways the redhead did not enjoy. ¡®The threat of loving a boulder of a man.¡¯


    While the leisurely thought bounced around her head, Reysha looked around the building. It only had a single room and extended several metres into the solid rock of the carved mountain range. It was an odd mixture between office and warehouse. Crates were stacked up to the ceiling around the walls, filling out shelves, and just generally dominated the space. At the back, a clearing had been made for a large desk, a number of refashioned barrels serving as stools. Only the chair behind the desk was truly luxurious. A piece of white wood, with cushions of intense red bolted to its back and seat.


    In it sat a lanky man. He had long hair, bound into a ponytail. Originally it had been brown, but sun and salt had bleached it to a soft blonde tone. He wore a simple, white shirt. The lack of discolouration to it made it more impressive than any fancy tailoring. His natural thin build combined with his muscles to a build that evoked the image of ship rows in Reysha¡¯s mind. Sturdy, despite the relative narrowness of the intertwined fibres. He was tanned. Blue eyes drifted over a parchment he was holding. His dark lips were curled up from the memory of the joke that the leaving man had told.


    ¡®Too bad I¡¯ll have to ruin his day a little bit,¡¯ Reysha thought and got closer. She had either found the leader of the operation or someone so high up in the food chain that they were privy to most things. Either was good enough for Reysha.


    The Rogue quickly grabbed a piece of writing coal and parchment from the table. Two items small enough that she could move them without getting noticed. Then, she retreated to a corner of the room outside the reading man¡¯s periphery. Quickly, she wrote a few words. She made sure every letter was as clear as possible, to not cause any confusion with the locals. The script of this Leaf had become more cursive than was common for the Omniverse. They were still the same letters though.


    ¡®The Adventurers want to speak to you,¡¯ the message read. Reysha put it on the table and sat down on a crate at the edge of the room.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the man¡¯s eyes to rise from the paper he was currently reading. He stretched his shoulders, yawned, and froze in both motions when he spotted the parchment on the table. He blinked two times, put the current report aside, and picked up the short message. He read it several times, trying to parse any hidden meaning. Then he looked around the room. ¡°Is anyone here?¡± he asked, not loud enough to alert the people outside. ¡°Redhead?¡±


    Shortly after he said that word, his eyes stopped at where Reysha sat. Not moving, the tiger girl grinned, while he narrowed his eyes. It was like a farsighted person trying to narrow in on a book in front of their nose. Ultimately, he failed to spot her.


    Reysha moved to one of the barrels in front of the table and dropped her Stealth. ¡°Gotta compliment your senses,¡± she purred, and the man whipped around to face her. Leaning onto the table, the tiger girl raised one hand and whimsically wiggled her fingers in greeting. ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°¡­hello,¡± the salt-bleached man responded and put the message down. ¡°Any reason you lead with this?¡±


    ¡°Just applying some lessons I was taught. When dealing with people who don¡¯t know or don¡¯t respect the extent of Stealth, it¡¯s a nice way to test their character by leaving them a message and reading their reaction.¡± Reysha shrugged. ¡°Didn¡¯t think much about it, just wanted to try it.¡± A wicked little smile spread on her face. ¡°I did learn that you know about me though.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do¡­ whiskey?¡± the man reached under the table and brought forth a half empty bottle of golden alcohol.


    ¡°¡­Lemme try a little sip,¡± Reysha requested.


    Two glasses were put on the table, both of them filled, and raised in toast. Reysha downed the liquid swiftly. A terrible mistake. Every muscle in her body felt like laundry that had been treated the wrong way and was now shrinking three sizes. ¡°That¡¯s fucking vile,¡± she retched.


    ¡°Not much of a drinker?¡± the man asked, amused.


    ¡°Not anymore¡­¡± Reysha grumbled and put the glass back on the table. ¡°Ya wouldn¡¯t happen to have a mantis shrimp around here? That¡¯s what they¡¯re called, right?¡±


    ¡°The toe splitters?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, those fuckers. I want to put one in the whiskey.¡± The statement caused immense befuddlement on the criminal¡¯s face. Reysha couldn¡¯t help it. She started laughing.


    The unsteady tones of the tiger girl''s amusement echoed through the room and, inevitably, through the door. It burst open, as the same large man who had let her in, checked on who had made it into the boss¡¯ office. He and two other men poured into the room, and all were equally confused when they saw the redheaded tiger girl struggle to keep her balance on her seat.


    Reysha held her breath for one moment, seeing the additional confused faces. Then she resumed laughing. Louder. Tilting back dangerously far, she kicked the air and held her stomach.


    No one knew what they should do or think about Reysha. All of them had heard of the adventurers and of the brown woman with the cat ears among them. Her capacity to drop in and out of awareness had been reported on. Knowing all of that and seeing the gorgeous, leather clad woman in person were two different things. Especially when that woman kept slapping the desk with her open palm.


    So they just stood there, waiting for their boss to give them an order, while the boss just sat there, trying to work this out.


    Reysha¡¯s roaring laughter gradually calmed to a little giggle. ¡°You¡¯re certainly as¡­ eccentric as tales of adventurers paint your folk as,¡± the leader suggested carefully.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m the special kind of¡­ hehehe¡­ crazy.¡± The Ragressian ran a hand through her wild mane and directed her eyes back to the boss. Every bit confident that she could outmanoeuver all of them, she put her back to the three men still in the doorway ¨C and the entire rest of the smugglers peeking in from outside the building.


    The leader of the operation only now realized the depths of the black that surrounded her blue eyes. The shade of her skin, the darker tone of the stripes, the black of her sclera, layers of progressing darkness that surrounded the intense blue of her cat eyes.


    She put her elbow back on the table and extended her hand. ¡°Reysha,¡± she introduced herself.


    ¡°¡­Lanak,¡± the man introduced himself and shook the hand. ¡°How did you find us?¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Oh, you know¡­¡± Reysha suppressed her presence in a swift burst and hopped from one seat to the other. To her, it was just a swift bounce. To them, it was like she had teleported. Everyone¡¯s eyes snapped from where she had sat to where she was now. ¡°¡­I have my ways.¡±


    ¡°A better question then: why did you find us?¡± Lanak asked, remaining calm even now.


    ¡°Big news to ya, I know, but me and my party aren¡¯t native to this Leaf¡­ if I told you we call ourselves the Change Seekers, what do you think of that?¡±


    ¡°Honest answer? I think that¡¯s a really random segue,¡± the criminal leader responded in a dry tone. ¡°Otherwise, it sounds like you¡¯re in the begging business.¡±


    ¡°I knew it,¡± Reysha grumbled. ¡°Gotta workshop that name again¡­¡± The tiger waved off. ¡°Sorry, was just on my mind. We¡¯re trying to get a read on this whole Leaf. We got some books, but they¡¯re kinda, sorta, really boring and one-sided. Thought I¡¯d try to find the people not so fixated on the accepted truth.¡±


    ¡°You want to learn the actual history of this world.¡± Lanak slowly nodded to himself and stood up. ¡°Truth be told, we don¡¯t have a lot of reliable information,¡± he said, while searching through a couple of crates. ¡°The broad strokes of widely accepted history are true. The god made this Leaf, he governed it for a little while, then he decided he wanted to try again elsewhere. The old text make that sound like the norm?¡±


    ¡°Far as I know, it ain¡¯t even the norm that gods stay physically in a Leaf they make. They kinda just get it done and then bugger off,¡± Reysha told him. ¡°Ain¡¯t exactly a clear situation though. Each god is different.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­ in any case, the whole situation went to shit when the first Maya rose up. He was a powerful mage with powerful allies, who took over the land of Mayana. He barred food delivery to the city at the Stem. Since outside traders had already lost most of their interest, the city was struggling and quickly collapsed into food riots. Refugees flooded Mayana. The instability gave rise to the rigid caste system. That¡¯s our version of events anyway. There¡¯s a great many holes in all of that.


    ¡°The Walled Cities came about around the same time, in response to a rise in piracy. In order to erect the defences swiftly, the local governors enlisted the refugees and the poor, promising them basic shelter and sustenance in return for their labour.¡±


    ¡°And so the slavery started,¡± Reysha stated. ¡°Remarkable it survived though.¡±


    Lanak shrugged. ¡°They exchanged their freedom for safety. Fundamentally a trade people should be capable of making. With enough money, everyone can buy their freedom back.¡±


    Reysha hummed. Still sounded like a terrible system, but at least there was a way out of the slavery. That was more than the castes offered. Although the worst of the castes did have more freedoms than the best of the slaves. ¡®Man, that¡¯s messy,¡¯ she thought. ¡®Not that home was any better with the frequent assassinations¡­. Maybe everywhere is always a mess.¡¯


    Lanak returned to the table with a thin book. Once it was placed in front of her, Reysha flipped through the pages. Surprisingly, the letters had the sharp form of print. ¡°You have a press?¡± she asked.


    ¡°One has to find ways to keep forbidden information alive,¡± he told her.


    Reysha browsed the book for a little bit longer, before closing it and putting it in her adventurer¡¯s bag. Lanak¡¯s eyes went wide when the entire object just disappeared without a trace into the deceptively small satin container. ¡°Well, this was productive,¡± Reysha hummed. ¡°Guess I owe y¡¯all a few things in return ¨C honour among thieves and all that.¡± She turned and looked past the men in the door. ¡°I¡¯m expected back by next morning, so feel free to ask me a few questions about what¡¯s going on beyond this world.¡±


    They did.

 All but Forsaken 21 – A little wiser

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Aclysia closed the little book that Reysha had brought back and put it aside. Head in Apexus¡¯ lap and laying on the bed, she was at the peak of nightly comfort. ¡°This book portrays a fairly regular tale of a powerful individual consolidating a realm and then pulling up the ladder behind him. An assurance that his inheritors will be successful.¡±


    ¡°A uniquely sapient behaviour,¡± Apexus commented. ¡°To have the power to create a society that then caters to the needs of few that are fundamentally the same as those that serve them. An odd arrangement.¡± After a few moments, he added. ¡°And a doomed one.¡±


    ¡°What makes ya say that?¡± Reysha asked, while running a fine-toothed comb through her tail. She hated the way salt stuck to the fur. ¡°I mean, I agree, but it''s fun to poke your weird thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Power is acquired through adversity. Strength of muscle and of character does not come about without resistance. Change is inevitable. To try and ward your children from it dooms them to an eventual fall.¡±


    ¡°¡­Say that again?¡± Reysha hummed.


    ¡°Power is acquired thro-¡°


    ¡°No, no, the middle part.¡±


    ¡°Change is inevitable.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that!¡± Reysha pointed at him with the comb. ¡°Change is inevitable! We should change our team name to that!¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ huh?¡± Korith stopped stacking coins to shoot the redhead a confused glance. ¡°Wait¡­ I think I get it? From ¡®Change Seekers¡¯ to ¡®Inevitable¡¯ because what we bring is inevitable, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and because it''s way less lame,¡± Reysha stated. ¡°Come on, ¡®We¡¯re Inevitable¡¯ has so much more impact than ¡®We¡¯re the Change Bringers¡¯!¡±


    ¡°It is pompous,¡± Aclysia countered. ¡°With such a name, you attribute to yourself a power that we do not have. It is a threat in and of itself. A promise that, whatever we do, we believe is unstoppable.¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t believe that, what¡¯s the point in even doing it?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°I am quite fond of the potential of reverting course once the sunk cost is revealed for what it is,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°To seek change is much less threatening.¡±


    ¡°I wanna sound threatening. Ya don¡¯t get respect for entering a room and declaring yourself the safe people. The safe people get fucked with.¡±


    ¡°Actions speak louder than words. Any attempt to annoy us will be met with appropriate force,¡± Aclysia pushed back.


    ¡°You two are kinda losing yourself in a whole different argument?¡± Korith intervened. ¡°I get it¡¯s a message and all of that, but you¡¯re way overthinking it¡­.¡±


    ¡°Labelling is of great importance. Titles and presentations set the mood for whatever play you¡¯re watching. A name is no different.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so we should have a name that makes it sound like we mean business, not one that makes people think we¡¯re looking for spare coins.¡±


    ¡°Well, you know, we are though?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°¡±You are!¡±¡± Aclysia and Reysha responded in unison.


    ¡°Awwww¡­ but why wouldn¡¯t we want extra money?¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°We are not beggars,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Yeah, our wealth is Inevitable!¡± Reysha declared.


    ¡°Given our current trajectory, it most certainly seems to be the- Wait a second!¡±


    The redhead burst out laughing, when the angel caught onto what the tiger girl had said. While one woman struggled to breathe and another glared, Apexus came to his own conclusion. ¡°I am with Reysha on this one. The best way to avoid predation is to make predators think it is not worth it. Also, one word is easier to say.¡±


    Aclysia let out a long sigh. ¡°A vote then. Everyone for the old name, raise your hand?¡± Only her own hand made it up into the air. ¡°Korith?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, uh¡­. We seek change¡­ our wealth is inevitable¡­ I can¡¯t decide!¡± the kobold threw her hands into the air. ¡°I withhold my vote.¡±


    ¡°Then that means we have two in favour, one against, one absconding,¡± Aclysia let out another long breath. ¡°We are ¡®Inevitable¡¯, then.¡±


    ¡°See? Goosebumps!¡± Reysha declared.


    ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Aclysia just closed her eyes and enjoyed her darling¡¯s lap.


    _____________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Did someone else expect us to run into trouble?¡± The question came from the redhead just as they left the city towards the north. After a good night¡¯s rest, they had packed up and simply started walking. There had been a guard tailing them at basically all times. Tailing was all it ever stayed at. The quartet made it to the much smaller northern gate and simply walked out.


    There barely even was a road leading out of the walled city. Even the path up to the northern wall had been narrow. This part of the city was too far inland to be concerned with pirate attacks. Same could not be said for the people who chose to live in the green area between the island¡¯s mountain chain and the sea. There were few of them, taking the risk of much decreased protection to grow a variety of crops that fetched a high price in Pernero and abroad. Food crops were imported en masse from Mayana and Elaya. To grow food here would have also attracted hungry pirates, so the plants of choice were cotton, spices, and other such things that didn¡¯t have a direct nutritional benefit.


    ¡°They¡¯re likely just happy to see us leave,¡± Aclysia provided her answer. ¡°We cannot stir up additional trouble if we¡¯re not present.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Reysha shrugged.


    Their plan from here on out was simple: make their way to the Serpent Tail, then the Aqua maze.


    The two dungeons would provide challenges worthy of the party. The idea was to take the land route to Inero, then get a ship there and get to Hebero, and from there back to Pernero. A first look into getting to the dungeon in the north, the Dreadnoughts, had been met with uncertainty. No one navigated those waters, pirate infested and distant from any worthwhile trade as they were. Consequently, getting a boot up there was a matter of either finding an unusual captain or of them acquiring their own boat.


    A question for then. For now, they would travel.


    ¡°How long are we expected to be on the road anyway?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°An estimated 13 days,¡± Aclysia had the answer ready immediately.


    ¡°¡­Why didn¡¯t we take a boat to Inero?¡± she asked the next question.


    ¡°I looked into the matter and all common routes would have included several stops that ultimately made the journey longer. Additionally, I am sick of boats,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Same,¡± Korith groaned. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna share a room with ten other passengers or sailors again¡­ can¡¯t be loud¡­¡±


    ¡°The Change Mansion wouldn¡¯t work on a boat,¡± Apexus pre-empted the redhead¡¯s questions. They had gone over all of this while she was gone. ¡°We would step out in the middle of the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Drat,¡± Reysha cussed. ¡°Urgh, let¡¯s just hope there¡¯s some magical meat on the way.¡±


    There was, either in the form of more mantis shrimp, electrical stags, or various marine life that they spotted as they used the various serpents to hop from island to island. There was a swift chain of three of them that brought them from the large island Pernero was on to another, not quite as large island in the north. It was the upper curve of the Serpentine Path.


    On the fourth day of the journey, when the island was coming into view, Reysha spotted something unusual. ¡°Hey, Apexus, ya see that?¡± she asked.


    Apexus rose from his position near the heating crystal at the centre of the mechanical snake¡¯s sitting area. Walking over, he followed the direction of her finger. A sizable island, sizable enough to be on the map anyway, located west of their destination. Fundamentally, as unassuming as any other minor and medium isle they had passed. An addition to the archipelago with grass, cliffs, beaches, and trees.


    Straining his eyes a little more, Apexus did spot something that was off. Where usually there should have been green and grey dominating, there was a hill of brown. Around it, there was movement. The tip-off was a tall entity moving on a high point.


    Crouching down, Apexus leapt upwards with all his might. It wasn¡¯t quite as impressive as Korith¡¯s ability to jump several times her body height, for reasons of training and shorter bones being beneficial for such techniques. It was, however, enough to give Apexus the initial height to have his wings direct his fall. He went into a low soar, mere metres above the shifting waves, and then beat his wings to gain altitude.


    The brown hill on the island very quickly became apparent for what it actually was: a ship. Turned as far sideways as a sea-faring vessel of moderate size could be, it laid on the beach, slightly hidden by a bay. Dozens upon dozens of crates were scattered around the area, tents pitched and canvas spread to create temporary shelters that had been in place for quite a while.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t look like they were washed ashore,¡¯ Apexus thought, while circling above. There was shouting by the people down below. Apexus hadn¡¯t tried to be stealthy. Difficult to remain unseen when using a statically moving god-made serpent construct to move along a set route.


    Apexus looked back in the direction he came from. As quickly as she could, his metal fairy was catching up. Her fluffy moth wings were spread out, but unmoving, leaving behind particles of the mana she burned to accelerate her typically slow flight. The sacrifices she made for her entirely magical capacity of resisting the pull of gravity.


    To synchronize their circling speeds took a moment. Aclysia had to hover upside down underneath him, to not get in the way of his flapping wings, and he had to match his speed to hers despite the winds. A lot more awkward than matching one¡¯s steps, especially since stopping wasn¡¯t an option.


    ¡°It appears we have spotted pirates,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Analysing the location of their ship and the presence of logging around their camp, I deem that they are in the process of maintenance. Such would not be necessary to do here, if they had access to regular ports. Therefore, pirates is the most likely explanation,¡± Aclysia outlined her reasoning. ¡°Do you wish to make contact?¡±


    ¡°I am considering.¡± Apexus would have to think fast. The distance between where Reysha and Korith were waiting and where the ship was quickly grew. Landing without them was an option, but splitting the party was never pleasant. The alternative, to land on the main island first, then travel over from the shore, would cost them several hours. Hours the people may use to break camp themselves. ¡°I will get the other two. Find a good landing spot.¡±


    ¡°As you say, darling,¡± Aclysia agreed.


    They separated, one heading down to the island and the other turning to dive back to the moving vehicle. He landed momentarily, said only, ¡°We¡¯re making contact with the pirates,¡± then grabbed Reysha and took off again.


    ¡°At least buy me dinner first!¡± the redhead shouted over the howling winds. Legs wrapped around his waist, his arms holding on tightly to her torso, she was attached like a sloth to a tree. Not an optimal position for long term flights, but for the few minutes it took them to bridge the distance to this island, it more than sufficed.


    Reysha dropped down from three metres up and Apexus immediately turned back around. Korith minorly surprised him, by jumping up high in the air. Catching the shortstack was fundamentally easy, but her dense weight dragged him down for a moment. He stabilized, then returned to where Aclysia and Reysha were waiting.


    The landing spot was an elevated bit of terrain. Easy to access by air, not as much by land, and thus would have prevented any nasty ambushes the pirates could have sprung on them. No such thing was even attempted. The quartet was reunited, climbed down, and made their way across to where the ship was on foot.


    It was time to get another perspective on the state of the leaf.

 All but Forsaken 22 – Careening

    ¡°We go by Inevitable,¡± Aclysia introduced them.


    ¡°Urgh,¡± Reysha let out a displeased cry in the background. ¡°By the Hellroots, ¡®Clysia, the fuck you saying? That¡¯s not how you introduce us. Apexus, go!¡±


    ¡°We are Inevitable,¡± Apexus stated.


    Aclysia¡¯s lower lip quivered a bit, as she looked at her darling. The swooning was interrupted when Reysha grabbed her pale arm. The black dress that she wore, a physical gift of her divine nature, did not hide anything about the snow white skin, nor the state it was in. ¡°Aha, goosebumps!¡± Reysha declared victoriously.


    ¡°You are a terrible person!¡± Aclysia shot back.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I keep getting what I want.¡±


    ¡°A matter resolved without honour is a matter revisited with a sword.¡±


    The two party members continued going back and forth, leaving two very confused pirates, a mildly blushing kobold, and a passive hulk. ¡°They just do that sometimes,¡± Korith assured them.


    ¡°Who are you people?¡± one of the pirates, a woman with jet-black hair and tanned skin, asked. The bald man next to her nodded supportively. He was of a broad build, with a bit of a belly that was less the consequence of a good diet and more his build.


    It was the second time they had asked the question. Apexus glanced once more over to Aclysia. Typically, she was the one to talk to strangers. Still involved in one of her many fights with the redhead, that was not an option. ¡°I am Apexus,¡± the humanoid chimera took over. ¡°This is Korith. Aclysia. Reysha.¡± The tiger woman grinned and waved, when he pointed at her. ¡°We are adventurers.¡±


    The words caused mild surprise, despite the obvious off-world nature of the quartet. ¡°You come from beyond this Leaf?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The flat answer brought the conversation to a grinding halt. Like all people they had met so far, the pair of pirates were of a size the group would regard as below average. That was relative to whatever Leaf one was on. For the two tall women and the very tall man, these people were tiny though. Even the broad man barely made it up to Apexus¡¯ shoulders.


    Korith cleared her throat, stepping out from behind Apexus¡¯ thigh to extend a proverbial hand to the pirates. ¡°Apexus is a bit very direct so you¡¯ll have to ask detailed questions if you want a response.¡± The humanoid chimera tilted his head, wondering how he should respond to people talking about him while he was right there. His blue eyes kept staring at the woman who had taken the helm. He remembered to blink. ¡°D-don¡¯t mind his manners, he¡¯s really friendly.¡±


    ¡°I mean no harm, if you mean none to us,¡± Apexus supported.


    A minor reprieve for the pirates, who still weren¡¯t sure exactly how to deal with this. They had started defensive preparations when they had seen the giant of a man flying towards them. It was rare to see people travel using this land route. It was unheard of that someone could fly. It was unthinkable that they would be adventurers.


    Yet there they were, approaching a pirate crew of two dozen unafraid and that put all the terror it could into the two people who had been sent to parley. Other pirates could be dealt with, authorities from the nations of the Walled Ports were always enemies, but these unknown elements were terrifying.


    Apexus measuring them up constantly did not help.


    Aclysia finally noticed the degradation in the negotiations. ¡°We will continue our eternal discussion about your lack of proper manners at a later date,¡± she told Reysha.


    ¡°There¡¯s so much more fun stuff we could do with our tongues though.¡±


    Turning away with a blush, Aclysia stepped back in front of her darling. ¡°My apologies for the confusion. We are¡­ lively.¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°We entered this Leaf 30 days ago, approximately. Many tales were presented to us about the current state of the Leaf and the founding myths of its civilizations. So far, we do not hold any stake in it and we do not intend to change this stance needlessly. I understand fully that¡­¡± Aclysia came to a slow halt, when she realized both of the pirates were looking at her with onsetting confusion. ¡°We are neutral and mean you no harm. We would just like to talk and learn more about the state of this world,¡± she surmised her words in more plain language.


    ¡°¡­I suppose,¡± the woman responded carefully and turned around. ¡°We¡¯ll let them into camp!¡± she shouted. To the adventurers, she said, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    The quartet did as instructed and followed a curving path through the rocks down to the bottom of the cliff. The wooden barricades were left and placed back with the other crates. It wasn¡¯t the most efficient defence, but it was a well-studied one.


    The party stepped into the bay. A green area near the cliffside had been gradually trampled into submission by the constant movements of the two dozen crewmen. Clear paths of wet dirt connected various areas of the camp. Tents and hammocks were scattered about, assuring a minimum of privacy for those who cared about it.


    Of greatest interest was the vessel that laid sideways in the mud. Where the ebb retreated and only shallow water covered much of the greyish brown seafloor, the boat lied. Chunks of algae, barnacles, and rotting wood, too heavy to be washed away, laid around the vessel.


    ¡°What are you doing with it?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Careening,¡± the woman answered with a single word. Apexus shot her a confused glance and she looked back just as confused. ¡°Never encountered boats before?¡±


    ¡°Only as a passenger. Most Leaves we visited did not require much oceanic travel. What is careening?¡±


    ¡°Well, when you¡¯re on the ocean, stuff gradually attaches to the bottom of the ship. Barnacles and such nasty stuff ¨C not to mention the worms that eat the wet planks. Every so often, you gotta go ashore, turn the ship over and give the planks a good scrubbing. Maybe change out some of the planks, if necessary, or just seal some weak spots with lead and tar paint.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Apexus stated.


    ¡°Hey, boss, can I talk to you for a moment!¡± A member of the crew shouted across and waved urgently. The woman, the boss by means of election, shot the party a glance, before slowly walking away. ¡°If we¡¯re going to have to feed those four too, we¡¯ll have to send out an extra hunting party.¡±


    The words were muttered, but Apexus heard anyway. Without any further words, he leapt at the nearby cliffside, then bounced off it to gain even further elevation. The stunned and confused pirates could only watch as the giant humanoid took off towards the ocean.


    ¡°He¡¯s going hunting,¡± Reysha explained, having heard just as well as the rest of them had.


    ¡°Darling is always so proactive.¡± Aclysia let out a dreamy sigh.


    ¡°Want to play a game to pass the time?¡± Korith suggested.


    Games were a matter the pirates knew all too well, at least. A set of four crates, pushed together, served as a large table. Korith and Reysha sat down around it. Aclysia preferred to hover above the camp, waiting for her man to return. Something she only got to start doing after giving the kobold and the tiger girl some gambling money.


    ¡°Standard poker, would you look at that,¡± Korith chirped, checking her hand.


    A couple of rounds were played and Apexus eventually returned. Not on his wings, but marching up from the ocean. Behind him, he dragged a large reptilian body. Holding it by its tail, as much as his own held onto one of the relatively short hindlegs.


    The pirates were gawking at him, when it became apparent that he was dragging a saltwater crocodile behind him. It only intensified when they realized that, not only was he entirely unharmed, but also that the creature had been killed by a skull-crushing punch between the eyes. The knuckles of his fist were engraved into the shattered scales.


    ¡°I hope this is edible,¡± Apexus stated, the two metre long cadaver now in front of the woman¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Uhm, yes,¡± the pirate responded. The crew had sometimes eaten crocodile before. Typically, at this size, the crocodiles were more likely to eat them. ¡°Could you help us get it over there?¡± she requested, pointing at a bloodstained table.


    A few men were already getting into motion. All of it unnecessary as Apexus just picked the body up and carried it effortlessly over to the table. Then he left the stunned cook of the crew with the bloody work of gutting and skinning.


    At the poker table, Korith happily giggled as she took what little hard cash the crew had. ¡°Do you truly need copper?¡± Aclysia chided.


    ¡°Hoard needs all,¡± the kobold responded with zealous conviction.


    The pirates may have been of a mind to grumble, had Apexus not been right behind the sitting shortstack. Unbeknownst to them, assailing the blonde would have gone just as poorly as the giant. Unintuitive for those who were used to the typical humanoid limitations.


    The crew consisted of nineteen men and three women. All of those three were part of relationships, which were all the reasons why they were there in the first place, as the party soon learned. Over the course of their meal, they listened to the state of the Leaf from the perspective of these pirates.


    The woman and the stout man were from the Walled Port of Hebero, the one in the centre of the map. He had been an overseer, she a slave working in the production of canvas and other fabrics. Ultimately, he had not been able to live with his participation in the system. Together with a few others, he organized a small revolt, which saw them break out during the night, grab a ship, and make out northwards.


    That had been four years ago. By their own admission, the pirates had plundered the shores of Mayana and Elaya each twice and sometimes attacked trade vessels to gain additional goods. Some people they had lost in those raids, others they had gained.


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to scrounge together enough to settle some island in the east or west,¡± the woman, Laima was her name, finished off the retelling. ¡°Of course, most pirates have the same idea¡­ and few of them are as humane as we are¡­¡± She looked Apexus dead in the eye. ¡°You wonder about the perspective of us pirates? There is none. Every ship is its own group. Some of them are as bad as the Walled Ports would make you believe. Some of us just want to live.¡±


    ¡°And you need what exactly in order to settle?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Seeds,¡± Laima responded immediately, then continued to rattle down a list in her mind. ¡°Tools to till fields with and build houses. Weapons to fend off pirates that steal from us. Money to pay off ships from the Walled Ports that would harass us. Nets, livestock, clothes and the means to make them. Metal.¡± She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s what comes to mind right now. We can¡¯t exactly buy any of the stuff. Smugglers are our best bet, but they don¡¯t deliver in huge quantities. Even if they do,¡± She turned her eyes to the ship. ¡°This boat can¡¯t carry everything needed to start a good life.¡±


    ¡°Why not start an acceptable life?¡± the humanoid chimera asked.


    ¡°That¡¯d be good enough for me¡­ but I don¡¯t want to have children on an island with nothing on it.¡±


    Apexus halfway understood. To give one¡¯s offspring the best chances was understandable, but the children could expand on the mediocrity of the situation, certainly? Generations of success had to start somewhere. Where exactly was that? A difficult question he pondered over.


    ¡°So your plan is just to keep on plundering until you have a lucky break?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Essentially.¡± Laima shrugged. ¡°What else could we do, really? It''s either this life or getting put into chains.¡± She clutched the bowl of crocodile stew. ¡°I¡¯ll never suffer that again.¡±


    The broad man next to her put an arm around her. ¡°It¡¯s not the most honest life, but it¡¯s not like they gave us much choice.¡±


    Nations rich in fertility, keeping the power close to their chest. City states that kept the trade flowing and their citizens rich by exploiting those that had nothing. Pirates that were in discord, some of them terrorizing the stable realms, others just staying alive with no achievable visions for the future.


    A deadlock. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®Change is inevitable,¡¯ Apexus contemplated. ¡®Are we the change?¡¯

 All but Forsaken 23 – Further

    ¡°Are you sure you want to leave?¡± Laima asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus responded sincerely. ¡°I am only certain that stagnancy is worse than a half-shaped decision.¡±


    ¡°We say half-baked,¡± Reysha chimed in.


    ¡°We could ship you to the Dreadnoughts,¡± the pirate captain suggested. Her motives were obvious, even to Apexus. The four of them were more powerful protection than anything money could buy on this Leaf. It would take the deliberate effort of an army exhausting them to be defeated by the locals.


    ¡°That¡¯s not our current prey,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°We will go through that hunt another day.¡±


    Although the increased difficulty of the Dreadnoughts was a reason to avoid that Dungeon for the time being, the truth was that Apexus still hadn¡¯t found a satisfying answer to his conundrum. Did he want to intervene or not?


    The question remained unanswered.


    With nothing left to say, Apexus simply turned around and began walking away. The pirate captain was left standing there, confused. Aclysia bowed, Korith jumped off the crate she had been sitting on, and Reysha just waved, before following after the party leader. They vanished into the setting day as quickly as they had arrived.


    ¡°They seem like the most decent people so far,¡± Korith said, once they were out of earshot.


    ¡°Affirmative, they seem to be,¡± Aclysia responded, stressing the verb. ¡°It cannot be said whether we met the best of the current leadership and we certainly have not met the worst of the pirates, by their own admission.¡±


    ¡°Bla bla, caution, bla bla,¡± Reysha mocked. ¡°I get it, you don¡¯t have to introduce a moral gradient into every situation.¡±


    ¡°She does,¡± Apexus disagreed, as they marched over the grassy green of the island. ¡°Because I urge her to be involved and I require the best counselling.¡±


    ¡°Just do it.¡±


    ¡°Reysha!¡± Aclysia chided, annoyance bound into that single word. Before she could ramp it up into a lecture of some kind, the redhead pushed back.


    ¡°What? Ya gonna keep going on about this detail or that detail? Oh, we don¡¯t know literally everything, so we can¡¯t do anything! That¡¯s just bullshit and it never, ever works out. There¡¯s a point where you either have to surrender to the current state of affairs or say ¡®fuck it, I¡¯m going in¡¯ and do whatever the Hellroots you wanted to do.¡± The intense stare of the tiger girl¡¯s narrowed pupils kept Aclysia quiet even in the long pause. ¡°There¡¯s literally no fucking way we can ever know what happens once we stir the pot. The only question you have to ask yourself is if you¡¯re fine with the current state of things.¡±


    A complicated question and Apexus didn¡¯t agree that was the only thing that mattered. The better question would be if he was fine with taking the risk that things could get worse. He wasn¡¯t sure of that yet.


    Reysha putting her foot down had a chilling effect on the conversation. They were all lost in their individual thoughts, wrestling either with the question of what they were justified in doing or how to convince the rest of the party to go along with their particular view on things. Knowing that was going on, Apexus asked the question, ¡°Would you change things here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d start yesterday,¡± Reysha spoke.


    ¡°We were in the middle of nowhere yesterday?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a metaphor, big guy.¡± Cackling, she poked him in the ribs. ¡°Or a figure of speech or whatever the fuck.¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I am leaning more towards intervening¡­ at least when it comes to the city¡­ cities?¡± Korith threw her lot in. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I understand that waiting until we have analysed everything is unfeasible, but I retain that our current state of intel is insufficient.¡± Aclysia looked to Apexus. ¡°Darling?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Apexus stated. He had nothing more to say, for he truly did not know.


    The topic surfaced repeatedly over the next eight days of travel. Sometimes the differences of opinion, particularly between the usual two suspects, led to heated exchanges, but nothing worrisome. At the end of the day, whatever differences they had in their views regarding the local or even general politics, they were friends, a party, and lovers.


    The four of them sat, once again, in the comfortable seats atop the head of one of the serpent constructs. They were gliding through the waves, across the largest divide yet. They had an entire night¡¯s rest and still the only colour surrounding them was blue, the occasional cloud notwithstanding.


    ¡°Wherever we go after this, I want it to be just one landmass,¡± Reysha stated.


    Aclysia tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Why? This mode of travel is quicker and more comfortable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fucking sick of water, I like using my legs, and unlike you, if this thing sinks, I am fucked. Not as fucked as the dense girl over there, but still.¡±


    ¡°H-hey!¡± Korith protested. ¡°I¡¯m not stupi- Oh, you mean that my bones are dense¡­¡±


    Reysha giggled, ¡°Little bit of both, maybe?¡±


    Red rose to the tips of the kobold¡¯s ears. ¡°S-screw you, I can swim!¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ kinda,¡± Reysha thought back to the attempt the kobold had made at swimming. The combination of her metal-reinforced bones/scales and her rather immense assets had her buoyant enough to stay afloat. Between most of her updraft coming from her chest and her short limbs having to compete with her comparatively large surface area, she was neither a graceful, nor fast swimmer. ¡°More like paddling though.¡±


    ¡°Wawawa¡­¡± Korith let out a scandalized series of sounds. ¡°Why am I always getting bullied?¡±


    Apexus suddenly put his large, heavy hand on top of her blonde head. The kobold turned his way, hope in her golden eyes. Gently, she swayed with motions of his palm, his fingers scratching behind the base of her horns. ¡°You¡¯re small and cute,¡± he provided an answer, ¡°Soft.¡±


    Blushing, Korith let go of this for now and just enjoyed the sensation of the large paw combing through her mane. Before long, Apexus had her settled in his lap instead. The ways he touched her became indecent as the travel continued.


    Before he could work up the appetite to pull her clothes off, Reysha whistled. It made both of them look up and spot the towers that peeked up over the horizon. ¡°Guess we¡¯re there!¡±


    The city of Inero, eastern of the three Walled Ports, differentiated itself from Pernero in practically every way. It was located on a peninsula connected only via a tiny land bridge to the larger island that housed the second dungeon. Neither was there a mountain on the island that the port could have been carved out of nor was there a surrounding reef system that had been deliberately shaped into channels and deadly traps.


    Due to this lack of opportunities, Inero was a comparatively simple gathering of buildings. Bricks brought from a quarry in the mainland had been bought across over the generations, gradually stacking up into tall, grey walls of rock and mortar. Several rings of fortifications surrounded uneven ring after uneven ring towards the tall palace at the centre of it all. Decade after decade, the city had expanded. Nowadays, it nearly met the shore and the first settlers were putting their houses on the other side of the land bridge.


    Towers were a large part of the cityscape, a display of wealth by the merchant class and a precautionary measure by the guards, to have an easy time overseeing the streets below and the salt fields beyond the walls. The architects of Inero had the same expertise as their counterparts across the ocean when it came to moving water through channels. Sea water flooded the fields, was evaporated by the sun, and the resulting salt was then scraped together by slaves.


    Because even an ocean¡¯s divide did not change the customs of these people.


    The serpent mechanism slowly sunk under the waves, leaving the party to make landfall by the typical, tall shrine. Expectedly, they were met by a small assembly of guards. The encounter went as predicted, with the soldiers leaving intimidated and the party making their way into the city under watchful eyes.


    ¡°Imma wait until nightfall to see if I can find the local scum,¡± the tiger girl whispered.


    ¡°We are not staying,¡± Apexus decided. The cobblestone streets were steadily being swept by slaves. Their clothes were of good quality, albeit bland in colouration compared to the lords and ladies wandering the streets. Inero had fused the oligarchic nature of a Walled City with the caste system to create a sort of merchant nobility that reigned above the citizenry and the slaves. Those fortunate enough to serve those that could afford to live by the main street that stretched from palace to port were well clothed and fed. Slaves beyond that had the typical sorry lot of their kind: kept in bondage in conditions reigning from unhygienic to acceptable. All of them were marked by a metal ring tightly fit to their neck, impossible to remove without the proper cutting equipment.


    Although this port was different, it was also the same in all the things that Apexus had loathed about the last. Since Elaya had been reported to be the same as Mayana, that only left Hebero as a potential bastion of what he thought to be proper behaviour.


    Chances were slim, he already knew that city, too, practiced slavery.


    ¡°Not going to lie¡­ I¡¯d rather get out of here too,¡± Korith stated from her perch atop Apexus¡¯s shoulders. As with all environments with dense crowds, letting the shortstack walk was just asking for her getting separated. ¡°Let¡¯s take that side street!¡±


    Apexus followed the pointing finger of the kobold and they made it off the busy main road. It only took them two crossings for the steady, sweaty smell of large humanoid gatherings to be replaced with the stench of urine. The entire area they were in now was squalid. Not a single tower rose from the buildings. It was a prison without walls.


    Slaves without owners sat under shoddily constructed sunscreens, playing cards, drinking and consuming whatever numbing substances they could get their hands on. One bug-eyed man with patchy, greying hair was drunk enough to draw a knife and sway in the party¡¯s way. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Apexus opened his mouth for a moment, to deliver a warning, but there was no sense of sapience behind those green eyes. Their colour was as muted as the mind behind them, both damaged by years upon years of alcohol, malnourishment, and other ailments.


    ¡°G¡­ gimmeeeee¡­¡± the drunk slurred, incapable of even holding a knife up to them. Under other circumstances, onlookers would have joined the mugging. Considering the man that was leading the formation and the fact that the redhead behind him was wielding a Dalara sword, they did no such unwise thing. It was that sole old man who was too out of it to recognize how far he had to tilt back his head to look into Apexus¡¯ eyes.


    The humanoid chimera slowly extended his hand. The gesture failed to register in the mind of the man. Everything in his field of view was already swirling. A stumble nearly let him dodge. Nearly was not enough to escape Apexus. Pinching a couple blood vessels, he had the man passed out within a few moments. There wasn¡¯t even a real struggle.


    ¡°He is not dead,¡± Apexus said to a pair of young men who sat near the crate he placed the old man on. They nodded, too deep in poverty to even care about the unusual sight the adventuring group posed. The nice clothes the party wore already put them in a different world. That they came from another Leaf was practically secondary.


    Once the old man was situated against the wall, Apexus resumed moving. Korith slipped off his shoulders, not wanting to be stuck up there in case there was a larger altercation down the street. She was justified in the fear, as Apexus stopped ten metres down the grimy road. His fox ear turned first, responding to the sound of sleeping groans and clothes being removed.


    Turning his head, the humanoid chimera saw the two youths pull anything they could off the unconscious man. ¡°He ¨C is not ¨C dead!¡± Apexus repeated, louder than he had meant to. The young men turned their eyes his way and just blinked slowly. No understanding about what caused the interruption existed.


    Apexus stomped back the way he came. Survival sense made the duo scatter, running into a nearby alleyway with what they had already robbed in hand. Left behind was one passed out old man, still unconscious due to the alcohol more so than the meridians, with barely even the muddy brown clothes on his back to call his own.


    Even those would be taken from him if Apexus just left him there.


    Not thinking further about it, the humanoid chimera picked the man up and threw him over his shoulder. He reeked, of booze and worse, felt icky to even touch, but Apexus still did it. ¡°What¡¯s the plan with him?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know anything,¡± Apexus responded, harsh and bitter, two intense emotions that had the trio around him exchange concerned glances. They had to walk with large strides, jump even, in Korith¡¯s case, to keep up with the humanoid chimera¡¯s aggressive steps. ¡°This entire Leaf is a lecture,¡± he spat out.


    ¡°Darling, you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Off centre,¡± he agreed and took a deep breath. With the air, he forced as much of his aggravation out of him as he could. ¡°I still cannot fathom when it is justified to kill a person, how could I know when it is justified to kill a nation?¡± he looked around him. They hit the invisible barrier of districting and, across a single, partially fortified street, stepped into a nice area. With a single glare, he made the guard about to stop them decide to keep standing by the corner instead. ¡°You are both right. We should act when we want to and we should know more. I will start here.¡±


    With the unconscious man draped over his shoulder, the party left the city.

 All but Forsaken 24 – The Ones too Useless

    Aclysia¡¯s glowing hand glided through the air shortly above the unconscious man. Her brows quivered; the eyes closed. The healing magic was directed ever so carefully, trickling through clogged circuits and atrophied and malnourished tissues, and attempting to revitalize a heartbeat that had long since lost its lustre.


    Apexus kept his thumbs on two pressure points, preventing the man from awakening. ¡°What is his state?¡± the humanoid chimera asked.


    ¡°Dire,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°My Scanning abilities are limited, but even I can identify numerous issues.¡±


    ¡°So? Can¡¯t you just¡­ fix them?¡± Reysha made a half-hearted mystical gesture. She asked more out of curiosity than concern for the slave they had ¡®stolen¡¯. For all the odd stares they had gotten, no one had stopped them in the process. Now they were thirty minutes out from the walls, on the main island, treating the old man.


    ¡°You should know better than that,¡± Aclysia chided the redhead. ¡°How often have I patched you back together after one of your numerous scuffles?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere between 1 and a 1000 times,¡± Reysha answered. ¡°Care to tell me the answer, so I can forget it again?¡±


    Aclysia sighed and pulled her hand back. The glow ebbed away, her eyes opened, and she turned to the tiger girl. ¡°A simplified explanation would be that healing magic, putting aside certain Arts and Spells of the uppermost echelon, cannot enhance vitality. Imagine yourself as a container filled with liquid vitality.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to do that, I am that ¨C at least after the big guy has had his fun,¡± Reysha threw in.


    ¡°What are you¡­ Reysha!¡± Aclysia turned red with second-hand embarrassment when she had worked out what the tiger girl had said.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s not a big deal, we literally all enjoy it,¡± Reysha grinned ear to ear.


    ¡°That is no reason to-¡°


    ¡°Cumdump.¡±


    ¡°Reysha!¡± Aclysia turned redder by the moment, until she took a deep breath to steady herself. ¡°To finish the explanation you requested,¡± she forced herself to continue, ¡°healing magic¡¯s primary uses are to refill the container or mend cracks in it. To enhance the container or change a misshapen aspect of it, I lack the capability.¡± Her eyes returned to the man. ¡°His life force is stored in a barrel with an open faucet. Slowly, steadily, it seeps from him. My magic cannot do much here.¡±


    ¡°How much longer does he have?¡± Apexus asked.


    Aclysia hesitated. ¡°My Scanning abilities are limited,¡± she reiterated. ¡°He could live another ten years¡­ or ten minutes. I could not tell you with any degree of certainty.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± With those two words, the humanoid chimera released the meridians. For a few seconds, there was nothing, then the man slowly cracked open his eyes. Remaining inebriation kept the panic from settling in, as he sat up.


    ¡°Wheresh¡­¡± he mumbled, words pressed through teeth diminished by years of eating gruel. He looked around, slowly blinking, then yawned and lay back down with the certainty only a child or a drunk could have.


    ¡°Riveting,¡± Reysha stated drily.


    ¡°Uhm, Apexus, I still don¡¯t get¡­ what the plan here is?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°There is no plan,¡± the humanoid chimera stated, while picking the man up again. ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave him to be robbed or killed. That is all there is to this.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should make a plan, darling?¡± Aclysia suggested.


    Apexus shook his head. ¡°Plans for the broad strokes. For this, I will see where conscience guides me. I believe that will be wisest.¡± Facing east, he began walking. ¡°I may be wrong. Considering how little I know, it will almost certainly be wrong. Still, it is my decision to make.¡±


    ________________________________________________________________________


    It took an entire day of travel before the man, for the first time, came about in a cognizant manner. For hours, he had drifted in and out, first of drunkenness, then hungover sleep. Laying by the campfire the party had made, unwilling to let the old man into the Change Mansion, he shot up and looked around.


    The look in his eyes confused Apexus. It had very little of an alert human. A rodent, that was what the humanoid chimera was reminded of. Standing on its hindlegs, snout in the air and sniffing for any potential threat ¨C a mouse. A rat, if he was being generous. ¡°W-where am I?¡± the old man stammered, pulling his thin arms and legs into a bundle.


    Apexus tilted his head a little further, sitting across from where the old slave was cowering. ¡°You¡¯re not a turtle.¡±


    ¡°N-no, sir, I¡¯m not a turtle?¡± the man responded, even more confused than the Monk.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a question,¡± Reysha threw in. Slowly, carefully, at first, then suddenly, the gaze of the old man wandered from Apexus to the redhead. Fear mixed with clear desire. The salivating was so obvious that Aclysia, who had been getting ready to offer the man food, just placed the bowl in the grass and took two steps back. The desperate desire wafted off the man as a borderline physical stench, mixing with the already unflattering aroma of the unwashed.


    Silence settled around the campfire. The trio was waiting for the man to ask something. The man just existed. The sheepish emptiness behind his eyes was complete. The fear had died down as soon as the immediate danger had passed. For minutes on end, they just sat there.


    The man¡¯s stomach growled.


    ¡°Eat,¡± Apexus said and pointed at the bowl.


    The man looked at it. Several blinks passed, before he reached out and grabbed the bowl. Against expectations, he did not wolf it down. He ate slowly, his hand moving at a lazy pace. Apexus wanted to start a conversation, but it seemed the unowned slave before them was not capable of handling eating and speaking in tandem.


    And so, they just waited until the last bit of stew had been devoured.


    ¡°Do you not wonder where you are?¡± Apexus asked, when the empty bowl was back in the grass.


    The man looked around, eyes lingering mostly on the three women around Apexus. ¡°I¡¯m wherever you took me, sir.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your sir,¡± Apexus responded. ¡°I did not buy you. I do not own you.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the old man let out that single sound, then was back to staring at Korith¡¯s tits.


    ¡°How did you end up in that slum?¡± Apexus asked, a little bit of annoyance sneaking into his voice.


    ¡°Was put there,¡± the man responded.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Master didn¡¯t want me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Am too slow.¡±


    Apexus did not have to drill further than that. The man was obviously a moron. It could be said in any number of ways more flattering, but the fact of the matter was that this slave was one too mentally incapable to fulfil even the most rudimentary task on his own.


    There were people, however painful that realization was, who were too dull to participate in society in any meaningful way. As family members of well-situated families, they subsisted on charity. In any wealthy, caring society, these people were given some basic jobs where they at least couldn¡¯t do any damage. While the Walled Ports may be wealthy, they were not caring. That the old man had lived to grow this old was a miracle.


    ¡°How did you survive?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Took smuggling jobs. Killed a few people.¡±


    The ease of the confession only made all of this even more confusing. ¡®Is murder that accepted or is he just too dull to keep his mouth shut?¡¯ Apexus wondered.


    While he was thinking, something snapped inside the man. The little voice of reason inside his head, weak from the start and worn down by time, held no influence over him. He stood up and stumbled towards the breasts he had spent the last five minutes staring at. Apexus¡¯ massive hand held him in place.


    A reasonable man would have stopped there. For a man who busied himself with small crime and support in big crime, reason had long since left the faculties. He attempted to push forwards and was consequently pushed back. A small shove, that was all it took. The old man stumbled, fell, slammed into the ground, and did not get up.


    It only took Apexus a second to register what he had done. Reaching out, he felt for a pulse, and dropped the limp hand when there was none. ¡°Dead,¡± he announced to the other three.


    ¡°Man, talk about fragile,¡± Reysha said casually.


    Aclysia and Korith said nothing, torn between a life lost and the relief of not having a creep in front of them anymore. Apexus, likewise, did not know what to do.


    He had not made plans for this man. Still, his mind had wandered to fantasies of tearing the shackle off his neck and giving him a new chance at life. The desire to help at least one person back on their feet was powerful, but even if the man had not turned into a corpse, how would Apexus have gone about it? That entire slum was filled with people who were of no real use to anyone or criminal elements, from what Apexus had seen and now heard.


    The first attempt to help had ended with a disappointed sigh and a nameless body, still wearing its shackles. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Are you fine, darling?¡± Aclysia asked.


    A difficult question. Apexus rose from his seat in the grass and tossed the body into the fire. Cremation was as good a funeral as they could afford to give him. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he responded truthfully. ¡°This is the second time I killed a person,¡± he looked at his hand. ¡°I do not regret this one. It wasn¡¯t on purpose. He wasn¡¯t innocent. No one innocent tries to rob people at knifepoint.¡± He stared at the corpse, as the flesh and fat slowly began to burn. ¡°It feels inconsequential. That might be the most terrible part of it. Who will even notice?¡±


    No one in the party had a good answer for it. They tossed a few more chunks of wood into the fire, then walked away, the smell of burning flesh too much for them. They spent ten more minutes moving before turning in for the night.


    ¡°What after the dungeon, darling?¡± Aclysia asked, the next morning.


    ¡°The plan remains, we travel to Hebero. We clear the Aqua Maze. Then, it gets complicated,¡± Apexus told her.

 All but Forsaken Finale – A decision made

    A creature like a worm, shaped entire from tailbone. It slithered around the party at constant speed, burrowing into and blending with the white, jagged walls. Fused ligaments and skeletal segments formed a coral-esque formation. Even the ground was riddled with holes.


    The worm creature surfaced between Reysha¡¯s legs. Swift as she was, she only managed to dodge through the use of Shadowstep. The redheaded Rogue was breathing heavily. This had only been the latest in a chain of uses of the Martial Art.


    Her retaliation attempt was swift. Swinging one of the swords they had taken off the Dalara fighters, she attempted to lop the head off the creature. It curved out of the way, clacking four pointy mandibles in mockery, before retreating back down the hole at rapid speed. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Guys?!¡± she shouted, eyes constantly darting around, trying to anticipate the next attack.


    Aclysia was in a similar state, bowed over Korith. A hole had been punched through her armour, right where her heart was. The wound underneath was deep and only the healing magic flowing from the metal fairy¡¯s hands kept the kobold from bleeding out. The cause of the injury, a creature of protruding bone spikes and acidic secretions, was facing off against Apexus.


    The humanoid chimera felt every movement strain his depleting reserves. Heat radiated from his skin. Steadily, the biomass burned in the organic furnace of upping his capabilities. ¡°Is she stable?!¡± he asked out loud.


    ¡°Stable enough!¡± Aclysia shouted back.


    Immediately, the humanoid chimera turned tail. A smack of the additional limb to the side of the nightmarish urchin''s body left it unbalanced for enough of a moment for Apexus to scoop up the kobold and start sprinting in the opposite direction. Reysha threw the sword as an additional distraction. The tempered steel bent when it slammed into the bones.


    Cursing, Reysha noticed the skeletal worm only when its bone-mandibles gripped her by the back of her head. The redhead screamed, crushing pressure sending a cracking sound reverberating through her entire skull. The true set of jaws behind delivered a testing stab, ready to pierce through her shattered skull to feast on the squishy contents.


    The worm began to pull, to force its grabbed prey to the ground. Reysha barely resisted, the grinding and etching sound of the mandibles digging into the back of her head a constant presence along with the all-encompassing sound of her pumping blood. Her struggle was long enough for a Solar Lance to slam into the long body of the worm.


    The impact tore the creature apart, two segments of its body separating with deceiving ease. Reysha immediately rushed forwards. The pain at the back of her head remained intense. Adrenaline kept her moving. Apexus passed her with a worried glance, but that was all they could afford. The new end of the worm turned liquid, new mandibles and jaws forming. They ran, as fast as they could, towards the distant light.


    The staccato of ribs filled the air behind them. The bone urchin hooked into the gaps in the wall and pulled itself forwards with surprising speed. A wall of death followed them, gradually closing in.


    Apexus felt a grip on his tail and forced himself forwards with no regard for his bodily integrity. The limb of pure muscle frayed, freeing the humanoid chimera, and letting him continue his sprint.


    Sunlight covered them a moment later. Apexus threw himself the last few metres of the dungeon, narrowly escaping a closing grip of curved ribs. With his body as his cushion, he landed under the daystar¡¯s warm embrace in the grass. Reysha made a similar escape, hitting the ground hard, while Aclysia overshot the target in her panicked flight.


    Apexus only got to take half a second, staring at the monster as it slowly lurched back into the shadow of the dungeon. Then he immediately turned to Reysha. The redhead had gone from motionless to spasming.


    With no hesitation or time for surgical precision, Apexus gripped the head of the still attached worm and tore. Steam rose from his skin, light grey covered the skin of his hand, and he ripped at the creature with every last ounce of strength he had to muster. He put his knee on Reysha¡¯s back, his other hand on her neck. Skin sizzled under the heat of his touch. He growled angrily and pulled. The mandibles finally lost their grip. A long, disgusting tongue followed, getting gradually removed from the brain of the redhead. Once it lost all connection, the puncturing tendril waved disgustingly in the air.


    Apexus got off Reysha and smashed the worm into the ground. Again and again, red dominating his vision, until the creature was nothing but bone shards and paste. ¡°Fuck,¡± he cursed, for the first time in his life, then immediately turned back to Reysha.


    The redhead was laughing. Her legs were pulled against her chest, and she was laughing. The back of her head showed deep trenches. Bushels of hair had been removed by the grip of the feeding monster. Fresh skin was growing under the light of their guardian angel. Cracks in the skull were mended, until only hairless spots betrayed the injury sustained. Still, Reysha was laughing. The crazed little laugh that flowed in the face of lethal absurdity.


    ¡°Psshhhh, level 20 to 30.¡± Reysha barely managed to roll onto her back. The burn on her neck remained and Apexus¡¯ palm was slightly seared into the leather of her shoulder. Aclysia did not have the energy to heal more, not when Korith still required attention for more pressing injuries. ¡°Who the fuck scouted that?! That¡¯s like 60 to 90!¡±


    ¡°25 to 30, probably,¡± Apexus corrected her with a half-hearted mutter. He was still struggling to reclaim his balance. He hadn¡¯t felt so much anger in his core since Apotho¡¯s betrayal. The entirety of this Leaf was weighing down on his mind, from its oppressions to its disappointments. Watching his partners take such immense damage was the final link in a chain of negative events.


    They had entered the dungeon this morning after a little more travel. The first worm they had encountered, just a few metres in, they had dispatched with relative ease. It had given them a sense of confidence, but that had been quickly shattered when the bone urchin revealed itself. Korith had been gripped mid-air by the second worm and consequently skewered by the larger monster. Aclysia had rushed to heal her, Apexus had created space, Reysha had distracted the worm, but the message was immediately clear: if Korith could be hurt this easily, none of them were safe.


    That they had gotten this message this early in the dungeon was a lucky break.


    ¡°I will finalize the healing in a little bit,¡± Aclysia promised.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Korith responded, forcing herself to sit up while the guardian angel plopped down on the grass. ¡°Seriously though: what the fuck?¡±


    ¡°Time compromises all information,¡± Aclysia responded in the tone of exhausted neutrality. ¡°Dungeons on this Leaf haven¡¯t been scouted in generations. A 0 and a 5 can look similar, if the paper is degraded enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s supposed to be a 5-level difference?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°We have a variety of disadvantages accrued.¡± Aclysia swallowed, bringing a bit more life into her voice. ¡°Our training is above average for our level, but our equipment is not. We are approximately at level 22, maybe 23. Thus, our strength and speed is not enough either. Noir and darling¡¯s nature may counteract this somewhat, but I doubt both the worm and the rib creature were just level 25. It is a spread, after all.¡± Aclysia shook her head. ¡°We could overcome this hurdle, perhaps, if we had more power or better equipment, but with both lacking¡­¡±


    Aclysia trailed off, leaving unsaid what they all thought.


    They made a unanimous decision.


    __________________________________________________________________________


    Herm scuttled along his field, picking up stones.


    The older he got, the less he appreciated this part of fieldwork. Swinging a plough let him imagine he was training for a sword fight, drawing a cart made him wonder about distant lands, even paying his tributes to the Orassa enabled a fantasy of something greater. Picking stones out of the tilled soil, there was nothing even somewhat heroic about it. The only purpose to it was to make the next harvest a little easier and to remove obstacles for the roots of the plants.


    Additionally, it gave him terrible backpain.


    Standing up, the eccentric stretched. His spine produced a few satisfying pops, bringing about an immediate relief. He gazed out to the distant ocean, wondering whether the foolish dream to join the pirates was still possible at his age. ¡®Late fifties isn¡¯t terribly old¡­¡¯


    ¡°Herm!¡± the excited voice of his nephew pulled his attention aside immediately. It was rare to hear the boy shout. Elma and Alurn, who had been helping him with the fieldwork, also looked up. Tempi stopped chopping wood to look around the corner. ¡°Herm, they¡¯re back!¡±


    The announcement was slightly confusing, until the old man noted the four figures following behind his excited nephew. The adventurers struck as much an interesting figure as the first time. They were not as imposing, however. They just seemed more¡­ worldly, to the local.


    That was until their leader stopped in front of them. Herm glanced towards the nearby door of his house, then back to the giant of a man. Distinctly, he remembered the fox ears just barely missing the doorframe. Now the question was if he could even pass through standing. Herm wasn¡¯t sure what to make out of that.


    Their two groups stood opposite each other, the young ones looking to their older role model and the little harem of the man looking to their party leader. Uncomfortable silence hung between them. The redheaded woman with the stripes around her unnerving, blue-on-black eyes jabbed the much bigger man with her elbow. Still, he said nothing.


    ¡°Ehem,¡± Herm cleared his throat for effect. ¡°How were your travels?¡±


    ¡°Loathsome,¡± Apexus responded immediately, the single word having come to summarize his experiences on this Leaf. ¡°We achieved little,¡± he looked at his wrist, and the Growth hidden there, ¡°and found much we cannot answer. I wanted to help a little, but I was na?ve and incapable. We elected to leave.¡±


    The final sentence came suddenly and yet unsurprisingly. ¡°Of course, you did,¡± Herm said with a tired smile. ¡°Then I suppose you¡¯re here out of nostalgia?¡±


    ¡°No. I have considered and I offer what I did not back then,¡± Apexus let his eyes wander from one to the next. ¡°You¡¯re all here. That is good. If you wish to leave this Leaf, we will escort you.¡±


    Herm blinked. The words sunk in ever so slowly, filling his being with shudders of excitement. The other four reacted similarly, shifting from one leg to another. ¡°Seriously?¡± the leader of the little group of eccentrics asked. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just about the only thing we¡¯re sure we can do on this fucking place,¡± Reysha responded immediately. ¡°Protecting you from a bunch of goblins and pointing you in the right direction will be easy.¡±


    ¡°After careful analysis, it is the best we can do.¡± Aclysia¡¯s moth-like wings hung like a loose cape from her back. ¡°We wished to find a way to improve your situation, but found none to do so reliably without sacrificing time we do not have and dedicating ourselves to a life we do not wish to lead.¡±


    The tiny blonde scratched the back of her head. ¡°Yeah, so¡­ we¡¯re at least helping you¡­ and hope that something good comes of it.¡±


    ¡°You do not have it bad here,¡± Apexus assured him. ¡°You imagine great things, but the life of an Adventurer is complicated. Inconsistent. Unstable. You are eating reliably here. Know that even that much isn¡¯t guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever I have to, if I can be free,¡± Herm said what he had dreamed to say for so many years. The conviction that he had seen no avenue to manifest now grasped onto the single lifeline offered. The young ones around him were not quite as swift to agree, thinking of their families and duties. In the end, all of them made up their minds.


    It only took a day for them to gather their things. They packed their things, said or avoided their final goodbyes, for fear of the Felmer trapping them, and then met up again.


    Travelling to the Stem was a matter of a few days. The party showed them what few survival tricks they did not know already. Aggrar lived off tamed land, all they truly lacked was the ability to deal with dangers. In the evenings, they sparred, learning the basics of combat. They needed to become nimbler, balance out the muscles that had formed through years of farmwork.


    Four days, it took them to reach the ruined city at the Worldstem. ¡°Wow,¡± Herm muttered, when he first laid eyes on the strands of silver vanishing into the sky. Wide-eyed wonder remained among all of them, as they approached, sometimes interrupted by fear when they spotted a goblin move in the ruins around them.


    A single throwing knife let the greenskins know to keep their distance. Reysha pulled it out of the ground, after deliberately missing the goblin¡¯s head, and followed the rest of the group. Soon, they ascended the Stem. The former Aggrars kept marveling at everything, from the light they walked on to the way they phased out of the world with every step ¨C then at the immenseness of the Omniverse itself.


    The party joined them.


    For the first time and far from the first time, the two groups looked at the expanse of silver veins that, surprisingly close and endlessly far away, contrasted the lightless nothing beyond. Leaves of all colours sparked like small stars in the distance, their light incapable of reaching as far as the purity of the Tree they were attached to.


    They turned, and looked back at Herbaemayim. Fragments of the world were visible on the segmented surface of the Leaf. There was so much blue there. ¡°No more oceans!¡± Reysha reminded out loud.


    Apexus snickered. It grew to a full laugh. Aclysia looked at him surprised for but a moment, before joining with an elegant giggle. Korith followed suit and finally Reysha herself began to cackle at her own statement. Next to them, the group of five began to laugh themselves.


    A great many worries were washed away at that moment. All their concerns about the state of this Leaf¡¯s cities and nations, the great injustices they could do nothing about, they were all so small and distant. All that was left was them. Them and their own ambitions. The great and impossible projects were pushed aside and they turned to make their next few steps.


    Only moving on would bring them to where they wanted to be one day.


    The quartet guided the group back to Tacuitos. They would help them get past the entrance control, hand them enough money to live and the three Dalara swords still in their possession as starting help. There, their ways parted again. The party was not ready to return to the Teacher¡¯s Isle and this Leaf was safe to travel anyway.


    The five would do as instructed and move to the Teacher¡¯s Isle. There, they would learn for just six months, before setting out to apply what they had learned. Led by Herm, they did well. They had the right mix of caution and talent to make up for how late they had started their career. Climbing the levels was slow, but gradual and successful. They travelled several Leaves, finding themselves in great adventures and many difficult situations.


    Eventually, however, Herm¡¯s age did truly catch up to him. By sheer luck, they came across a Divine Seed, letting him delay the worst effects for a few more years, but they knew they wouldn¡¯t always be granted such boons. On a quiet, sober night, they made a decision and returned to their home.


    They were welcomed warmly by their relatives and with fear by their rulers. The inevitable happened and they came to blows. It was a short civil war, Herm uniting the Aggrars behind him. He assumed the title of Maya, then passed it on to Elma and Alurn. By the time he passed, the caste system had been fully abolished, the city at the Stem reclaimed, and trade pressure put on the Walled City suggested that slavery too would be a thing of the past eventually.


    It wasn¡¯t without its ups and downs. There was turmoil, there were bad years, but it was as bloodless as any major upheaval could be asked to be.


    On his deathbed, Herm would dictate to the woman writing down his memoirs: ¡°It was that second meeting I had with the Inevitable that let me make my home a better place.¡±


    An interesting last line.

 Drip-Fed – Season 4 Author’s Note

    ¡°Huh, wait a second, Season 4 Author¡¯s Note?¡±


    Yeah, this is going to take a moment.


    Hello, Funatic here.


    As you may or may not be accustomed to by now, I typically split my Seasons up into Arcs, my Arcs into Chapters, all of that. Having a Season that consists of only 1 Arc is a first, but let¡¯s go through what happened here.


    Putting it simply: I wrote myself into an interesting spot. Not a corner, I would say, for the reason that there were no plot contrivances necessary to keep things moving, just an interesting spot where I presented myself with a moral quandary.


    Obviously, this entire Arc has been about the group¡¯s struggle of whether they should or should not directly intervene in a situation that they do not have a larger stake in. The problem with this question is that it is profoundly difficult and, in planning, I did not give that the proper deference.


    You can see the traditional tale: adventurers arrive in a world, find it in a bad spot, intervene and leave it in a better place. A story told a hundred thousand times that will (and should) be told a million times more. That was the idea. I, however, made two critical mistakes.


    One, the situation was not as terrible as one might require for a morally unquestionable intervention. You can say much about the castes and the slavery and all of it justified, but Herbaemayim was not in a state of universal destitution. Matter of fact, most people were doing quite well. I wanted each side to have its arguments, even if that argument boiled down to ¡°everyone gets to eat, don¡¯t touch anything¡±. Which, for the record, I think is a pretty good argument.


    Two, the characters of this story. Perhaps I am just a bit too used to the Gamer with its absurdly overpowered protagonist. I wouldn¡¯t say that problems there are solved without inspecting the nuances, but John has luxuries that Apexus simply does not, when it comes to projecting his will onto the world. This is doubly true because one has the will to exert himself, while the other is busy pondering what wisdom is. The scales of these two stories are fundamentally different and our leading quartet reflects this in their attitudes.


    I tried, several times, to find an angle that would make the party make a move. I could have forced the issue. It would have been perfectly reasonable. A draconic punishment by an unwise slave owner. A chasing party by a slighted young master. A run in with cruel pirates. All of this could have happened.


    But as I wrote the arc, I realized that none of this would have felt true to their characters. The problem isn¡¯t that it wouldn¡¯t be an entertaining story, it''s that Apexus is not the character, at least not at this time, to make the drastic move of toppling the flawed systems of an entire leaf. He would not assume that authority to himself.


    So, I was dragging my heels for a bit, wondering where to take this next and then I realized that the only logical place to take this is off this Leaf. The party would realize that they cannot achieve what they want and so wouldn¡¯t stay. They would extend what little help they can. That is, therefore, what happened.


    And I am really happy with that.


    I won¡¯t pretend any of it was planned. Neither will I deny having considered de-canonizing this arc. I believe that admitting to faults in writing and starting over fresh is a drastic but viable measure. But, I won¡¯t employ it here.


    It¡¯s messy. I believe my writing style makes it apparent that I like messy. A strength of self-publishing on the internet is that not every chapter needs to have a point to the overarching narrative. There¡¯s no paper to be saved. Meandering is an option and meandering is something I enjoy, because life isn¡¯t that simple and straightforward and that¡¯s just how I like to write things. Sometimes, things are messy, stuff doesn¡¯t work out, time is wasted on tasks that lead nowhere. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So, the Season ends, as they always do in this story, when they leave the Leaf. After just one Arc, this time. It has the added benefit of keeping the story a bit unpredictable. I am not one to overtly resist tropes, but I am not one to follow them blindly either. They¡¯re tools and I will treat them as such.


    That being said, I will outline the next arc a bit more carefully. Unpredictable is good, repeatedly dissatisfying is not. Can¡¯t abort every plotline in its inception. I don¡¯t know how long that will take, I just hope I¡¯ll do it properly this time.


    So, yeah, don¡¯t have much more to say, honestly. Hope you can derive as much value from this clusterfuck as I have.


    Let¡¯s turn a new Leaf everybody,


    Funatic.

 An Update on the Hiatus

    Y''ello,


    Just for anyone not following me on Discord and wonder what is happening with this story.


    To calm everyone down first: this is not an infinite hiatus case. I am definitely coming back to this.


    It simply is the case that there''s only so many hours in the day and, as of right now, it is in my interest to get the Gamer Rewrite done. That story is what brings home the bacon and I rather like not starving, so that''s where my time is going right now. I anticipate that will take another six months, after which I will return to writing Drip-Fed (and Welldark).


    Yes, a long hiatus, I know, frustrating, but it is what it is.


    I''ll be back with an announcement when we are approaching continuation. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Until then,


    Funatic

 2023 in Review

    I¡¯ve decided to do a bit of a reflection of what I wrote this year.


    This is going to be fairly ranty at the start, look for the TLDR to skip to the general writing part. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Financially, 2023 was a terrible year for me.


    My income stagnated about August last year at the 1500$ I ¡°needed¡± to hit by that month to hit my self-imposed deadline of when I want to live off this. Then it started to drop, substantially, hitting a low of 1250$ around March. At the same time, inflation happened and I get hit twice by that because I get paid in USD, but I have to pay myself out in Euros. Everything got more expensive and I was falling further and further below the line that I set for myself I had to hit to believe this job had a future for me.


    So yeah, that was kinda depressing, not gonna lie. I was fairly close to taking up a side job again and, if the wage fell further, the logical conclusion would have been to quit doing this as my primary income source and go to job hunting. I¡¯m fine with being a low-paid artist, but I won¡¯t turn 30 and be a failed one.


    To start with, I did the two things one should do when faced with a problem: introspect and get at it. Introspection (and asking as many of my current readers on Discord as were online during my ranting hours), made it fairly obvious that the issue was twofold. A minor issue was an overabundance of erotic content. Alright, fixed easily enough, lewd wall ended. The major issue, however, was that I was far from the only one having to put on the tighter belt.


    Fundamentally, I am the end of the distribution chain. By that I mean that my writing is, by the truest definition, a luxury product. Worse (for me), it¡¯s a luxury product you don¡¯t actually have to pay for. Not only do I put the vast majority of my writing out for free, I also compete with other people that do. I do not loathe this, but it does make for a fairly difficult situation when people are cutting expenses out of their bills. Why would your patronage not be among the first things to cut?


    I do not want this to sound accusatory, I¡¯m quite honoured for every cent you give me. I¡¯m just analyzing my situation, or the situation I was in and will likely be in again at some point or another.


    Since the major problem was something I could not fix, I am not going to go into politics, I¡¯m too principled for that den of vipers, there was really only one choice.


    Work.


    When the times get tough, you just have to tough it out. No other choice, really.


    Now, the good news is that my finances did ultimately recover¡­ well, before adjusting for inflation. I hope it keeps going up, because I¡¯m about 400 USD away from being in a paygrade that I would regard as ¡°sustainable for a career¡± rather than ¡°stupid thing men can do in their twenties¡±.


    Me turning scarcely producing hobby writer by the time I hit thirty is a genuine thing that might happen. If you want to prevent that, give me money. Don¡¯t do it out of guilt, do it because I provide a good product. I¡¯m not begging, I¡¯m reminding you that I¡¯m trying to live over here.


    And please do read all of this in the voice of the ¡°:P¡± emoji, I¡¯m not a direly serious person¡­ despite being German. :P


    If I was Austrian, the threat of a failed art career might hit harder¡­


    Ah well.


    TLDR: I was doing pretty poorly at the start of the year but its fine but its not good.


    Now, onto what I actually did this year.


    I worked¡­ a lot. By my estimations, I have a 60 hour work week, I take 14 days off a year, during which I also write anyway, and¡­ yeah, that¡¯s what I do with my live. I fucking love it.


    This year I published Welldark Volume 2, to generally high praise and good reception.


    I started and finished Drip-Fed Season 3, then put that story on hiatus for¡­


    I began the Gamer Early Rewrite. Aforementioned need for cash made it so I pressured Despaxas again on the question whether he would be fine with me publishing my branch elsewhere. Good manners, since he started the story and all that. He did give me the go-ahead, but the early chapters of the Gamer are so utterly terrible that I had to rewrite those to have a clear conscience. So I went ahead and started that¡­.


    I hate editing.


    I hate editing so much.


    We¡¯re getting there though, only about 90 more chapters to go¡­


    I weep¡­


    Anyhow, on a much smaller note, I also wrapped up Deep in Trouble and am almost done with WAKMD. I write this on the 20th and I hope to finish that story up before the end of the year, but I am not hopeful. Probably will be mid-January.


    ¡°The hells is a Deep in Trouble? WAKMD?¡± Many of you may ask.


    The answer is debauchery.


    Deep in Trouble is a Dice-Rolling Quest that I ran on fiction.live in my spare time. Yes, I take breaks from writing by writing. A Dice-Rolling Quest is a story where the readers decide many of the character actions/worldbuilding and outcomes are largely decided by dice rolls. It¡¯s a fun exercise for someone like me, that usually plans things.


    Deep in Trouble suffered from a variety of issues, most of which stemmed from it being my first venture into such a story, and I wrapped it eventually on a pretty ¡°meh¡± note because I had acquired a bunch of ¡®tech debt¡¯. Too long a story to go into.


    I replaced it with Hexagons for Master.


    Both of those stories are incredibly lewd, because the readers are in charge.


    For WAKMD, that¡¯s a WoW fanfic (and the last fanfic I¡¯ll ever write) about Anduin building a stupid large harem of willing sex slaves. It¡¯s just porn. You can find it on Hentai Foundry.


    Now, on¡­ request? Recommendation? Of one of my long-time supporters (you know who you are), I started tracking my words written per day this year. The results are¡­ interesting. Again, as of me writing this, I am still 11 days out from the end of the year, but it seems that I have written an average of about 3200 words per day this year, with about 40 days in there where I did not write a single word.


    I don¡¯t know how much of those 40 days is my unorthodox sleep schedule ¡°stealing¡± days from me. I¡¯ll keep an eye on this next year, because that¡¯s an unacceptable amount of wasted time to me. There¡¯s also a few days I just forgot to log.


    My buffer remained around the sturdy 20 this entire year. I dipped to around 15 for a little while in February, which was about the month where I considered if I would have to quit. Not the mindset for productivity, as you can imagine. Seasonal depression do be hitting.


    Quick explanation for the graph you¡¯re about to see: Blue line is the daily words written, orange line is a 7-day running average, black striped line is my daily wordcount goal (3500 words), and blue dotted line is the trend line, calculating the overall average and its trajectory over time.


    Moving on, what do I hope to get done next year?


    I want to wrap up WAKMD for good. That seems achievable fairly fast. Once that happens, I can get back to writing Hexagons.


    I want to finish the Gamer Rewrite. That will be the bane of my existence. Another 80 chapters to go on that, which is about 20 days spend on it (I usually need a day to edit a batch of 5). Its getting generally faster to edit these as I progress, but its still a slog.


    Once the Gamer Rewrite is done, I can get back to writing Welldark and Drip-Fed. Drip-Fed will be the first priority, but Welldark Volume 3 will definitely get put into the works. I just wouldn¡¯t expect it before late 2024 at the earliest.


    Beyond that, I¡¯ll do as I usually do and publish my 5 Gamer chapters a week. No plans to shake that up this year. I might decrease it to 4 or 3 if I get closer to the end/one of my other stories gets unexpectedly very popular, but I don¡¯t see that happening on that juncture.


    On that note, if you could please take this survey to give me some intel about what y¡¯all want to see, I¡¯d be much obliged.


    https://forms.gle/cQXcfiCsQw7M5nJf7


    And now the shill links, just for good measure.


    /Funatic


    https://subscribestar.adult/funatic


    And with that, I consider this year reviewed. Really not my favourite one, but it could have been much worse. I have good-ish hopes for next year, since dumping the entire Gamer story on NovelFire is bound to get me some eyeballs.


    Thanks for reading my rant,


    Funatic.

 Season 5 Start – A Rivalry 1 – A long time to Wander

    ¡°It¡¯s been too fucking long,¡± Reysha groaned. ¡°Can something, please, fucking happen?¡±


    ¡°I would advise against such requests. Unexpected events on the Branches are typically the cause of death by Parasyte,¡± Aclysia stated, her even voice compromised for a moment when she spoke the name of the accursed ticks that skittered the radiant bark they all trod upon.


    ¡°She¡¯s right that it has been forever though¡­,¡± Korith weighed in. ¡°¡­are we going to get there soon?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Apexus¡¯ simple answer had the rest of his party hasten to catch up with him. They had worked out when his tone implied that elaboration was made unnecessary by what was before him.


    The humanoid chimera stood on top of a little ridge on top of the groove in the titanic tree. From there, he gazed at the target of their journey.


    After delivering the little group of eccentrics from Mayana to Tacuitos, they had gathered up a little intel and then set back out. Their journey had taken them to the nearby Hub Leaf, which served as a network point, and from there they had followed rumours to a new adventure. The needle of the compass that pointed towards the place where Maltos had said Apexus would find the masters to teach him the next set of Martial Arts a Monk should have access to narrowed their path. Beyond that, the party had just one goal.


    They wanted something simple.


    Exploring the Sleeping Empire, in whose borders they now technically moved, had sounded like too much of a potential hassle. Similarly, they did not want another mess like Herbaemayim to drag them down further. All of them agreed that they wanted a Leaf that they could travel and that they could act as actual adventurers on.


    That was when they had heard about the Leaf of Alarshus. Crafted only a hundred years ago, Alarshus was just explored enough that the powerful adventurers that specialized in such endeavours had left. In their absence, the rank-and-file of the appropriate level went to the Leaf to fill out the gaps and tame the wild. Alarshus had been created without sapient people and so was a realm for adventurers and adventurers alone.


    That was what they had been told and that was what they looked forward to on the horizon.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Korith mumbled.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have put it better,¡± Reysha whispered, without a hint of sarcasm.


    A Leaf always was a splendid sight ¡ª a dimension attached to the great silver Branches of the Omniverse. Even the smallest of them glinted with veins of raw mana spreading through the surface, tinted by the seasons common to that Leaf. Typically, the size difference between Leaves was small.


    Not so with this one. Alarshus was gigantic. Distance was always difficult to gauge on the Branches that cut through the void, but this was close enough that Apexus could make out the sheer scale of it all. The visions of the new world that drifted over the facets of the Leaf were manifold and magnificent. Of all the Leaves that they had visited on their three month journey to this point, only the Hub World could have compared.


    ¡°If we hurry, we will get there before the end of the day,¡± Apexus said and resumed his walk.


    An unspoken promise lay in those words. They had needed to sleep in the glowing argent of the Branches for many, many days and had eaten whatever rations they had bought at their pitstops. Whether they would be able to acquire food there was questionable, mostly due to a lack of funds. A place to sleep, however, the Change Mansion guaranteed them.


    The rest of the journey was as uninteresting as the path there. Quick steps over silver bark. Occasionally, they would squish a skittering Parasyte under their feet.


    Then the bark was replaced by hard light. Thousands of veins of mana shifted gently under a semi-translucent surface. The party advanced and advanced. Fragmented displays of the world they were entering were becoming clearer. Deserts and chaotic plains, jungles, forests, and vast spires that looked like termite hives. Gradually, all of that became distant. It moved behind the horizon.


    Clear as anything else before their eyes was a city. Not a great city, just a city. A centre with buildings of stone surrounded by a sprawling, loose ring of outskirts primarily fashioned from wood, and sometimes even just from mudbrick. Tents were also numerous. It was as much a city as a military outpost and yet it was neither of those things.


    ¡°Great, our sleep cycle is out of whack,¡± Reysha groaned, blinking up at the midday sun. ¡°I¡¯m dead tired and it''s bright as the Heavenly Canopy.¡±


    ¡°Reysha...¡± Aclysia sighed.


    ¡°Yes, yes, do not use the great dwelling of the gods in vain.¡± The redhead waved off. ¡°Seriously though, this is going to suck to get back into whack.¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s not like, uhm, we have to be on time for any job,¡± Korith said.


    ¡°We may have to visit shops within their regular opening hours, however,¡± Aclysia considered.


    Apexus listened to their talk and scanned the plaza they were descending on. It was mostly dirt with a few roads of cobblestone leading into the surrounding city. To the humanoid slime¡¯s mild approval, they were not approached as they walked on the proper ground. There was no welcoming committee or tariff collector. In terms of organized military presence, there was only a pair of dark elven guards that flanked the entrance to an embassy of some kind. The flag of the Sleeping Empire, an elven face with closed eyes, dark grey on a white background, fluttered in the soft winds of Spring.


    The Sleeping Empire had expanded right up until the next Leaf over, the one the party had visited last. On this one, they only kept a token presence. The world was too untamed yet to take it off the hands of adventurers. To do so would have only upset the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and forced the empire to expend its own treasury to assure some kind of peace for only a little bit of farmland in return.


    It would take hundreds of years before Alarshus was tame, if it ever was. There was no incentive for any nation to bring its law here. Only the Adventurer¡¯s Guild cared to put down roots in such a place. Them and the various guilds that moved in their wake, be it merchants, crafters, or colonists, all of them ready to keep the adventurers clothed, fed, and supplied, and pick up land and profit in return. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Adventurers are like a plough, followed by those that scatter the seeds,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty normal Apexusism,¡± Korith said.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even qualify as an Apexusism, that¡¯s just wisdom-babble-monk-speech.¡± Reysha stretched. ¡°Do we bother taking a look around or do we lie down immediately?¡± she asked.


    Apexus was still busy scanning the environment. It was loud. Everyone was busy getting somewhere. There was no order, either. A pair of piss drunk adventurers were drunkenly pissing against a house wall. The craftsman the house belonged to shook his head, but decided it was less trouble to just let them do it. A society governed by young, adventurous people had the coherency of a psychopath¡¯s moral compass.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a remote spot to put the door up,¡± Apexus answered. He picked a direction at random.


    The crowd was beyond colourful. With no local population to set a baseline, all that had come here to colonize and explore were the mix of people that adventurers always were made up of. There was a slight tinge towards humans, courtesy of being the most numerous race around, and dark elves, courtesy of being the ruling class of the nearby empire, but neither was so overbearing that it made the crowd anything besides diverse.


    Trade in this city was straightforward. Exports were monster parts, enchanted items crafted with those monster parts, and other rare objects from Dungeon runs. Imports were ale, metal ingots, and leather. Food was largely locally sustainable. Trade came and went in waves, carefully calculated by the merchants based on local liquor consumption. Once the adventurers were about to run dry and the traders would get their best prices, they went out.


    It happened with astounding frequency.


    The party marched past the, by far, largest building complex in the city. Several stone buildings encapsulated a massive courtyard, all of them interconnected by roads, tunnels, and gardens. It was the local Adventurer¡¯s Guild outpost, the beating heart of the operations of this world. A map of Alarshus was displayed next to the entrance. The massive size of the interconnected landmasses was separated into many areas, none of which quite made sense to the party.


    ¡°Any idea what U-I-O means?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Too tired, ask tomorrow,¡± Reysha yawned. ¡°Or maybe tonight would be more accurate.¡±


    That found general agreement and they continued to the outskirts of the city. Stone was swiftly replaced by wood and canvas. Here and there were remains of the forest that had been chopped down to make space.


    The party decided to make one of those forests the space to put down the entrance of the Change Mansion.


    The space inside did not live up to the name. A singular room with a singular, albeit large, bed of hay, a bookshelf, some other small furniture, a fireplace and cooking utensils, and a window to the outside weather. The weather, specifically, as the window otherwise just displayed a generic, non-existent landscape.


    Aclysia walked over and pulled the curtain closed, dimming the light in the room to a soft level. Korith leapt straight into the sheet-covered hay bed at the other end of the room, landing in the pillows they had acquired over time.


    ¡°Softness!¡± the blonde kobold squeaked.


    Reysha chased after her, putting her red head between the shortstack¡¯s tits the moment the breastplate was off. ¡°Softness!¡± she exclaimed with even greater enthusiasm.


    A little smile showed on Apexus¡¯ stoic face once he remembered to show it. With the door behind them closed, their privacy was absolute. All of them were tired from the long journey and there was much to enjoy in this little space. Water replenished itself within the containers that the Mobile Estate provided on its own, firewood was similarly available, and the bed was still as firm as the day they had first lain in it, the hay remaking itself while they were out and about.


    Apexus pulled at the cord that kept his grey robe closed. The fabric glided off his naked chest and he hung it from a hook on a nearby wall. His loose pants soon followed. The rest of the party stripped out of their equipment. Wanton gazes wandered about, but their wish to be entangled erotically was third after the desire to be clean and to sleep.


    Reysha moved her dark-skinned curves to the water basin first. The stripes of a darker, brown shade covered the redheaded tiger woman with a bare hint of symmetry. Only the two stripes around her eyes were perfectly mirrored, surrounding the black of her sclera like warpaint. The slit, blue eyes within were, without a doubt, the most lecherous of those around. Medium-sized breasts and toned, long legs trembled sinfully with every step she took.


    Aclysia was next to her swiftly, handing over a washcloth with one of her pale, slender-fingered hands. The metal fairy appeared as if she had never seen a hint of the sun, so total was the snow-white of her skin. Her long, straight hair was of a similar, silvery-white. Her figure was bottom-heavy, her petite chest and narrow midriff contrasted delightfully by the plumpness of her ass and thighs. Green eyes clung mostly to her darling, but she paid plenty of attention to the others. ¡°Let me aid you,¡± she offered, once the last of the three females approached.


    Korith was as short and stacked as ever. Standing as tall as Apexus¡¯ crotch, the four-horned, blonde kobold was blushing incredibly at the sight of her tall lover and party leader. Enormous breasts swayed with every little squirm. Her figure was that of a squished hourglass. Her head was relatively large, courtesy of her shortness, but nothing about her height made her curvaceous body any less womanly. Arms and legs ended in red-scaled claws. A tail grew from above her round derriere.


    ¡°Th-thanks,¡± the shortstack mumbled and let the pointy-eared angel rub the washcloth over her back. The Warrior of the party had more muscles under all that squish than one might anticipate and had trouble reaching those spots.


    Korith was tiny, Reysha and Aclysia were tall for women, but Apexus was giant. Over two metres tall and, in line with his male sex, of much broader and muscular build, he towered over the three of them even once he was squatting. He loosened the low ponytail he kept his long, black hair in and put the ribbon he used to that end to the side. Emerald eagle wings on his back atrophied so he could move about a little easier in this confined space. The long, smooth tail of the Deathhound was easier to keep around.


    ¡°I need the cleaning least of us,¡± Apexus reminded Reysha when the redhead started to wipe off his chest. His membrane wasn¡¯t as thin as it used to be, allowing more dust and dirt to gather on him. Even with that, his lack of bodily functions such as sweating or shedding skin, meant that he was always relatively clean.


    ¡°I am using whatever excuse to touch those pecs that I can get,¡± Reysha purred, then hissed complainingly when he pushed her back.


    ¡°In the morning,¡± he promised her.


    All of them continued to wipe themselves off with washcloths in relative silence. They talked every day, bantered about this and that, shared almost all experiences, and thus there was little to actually discuss in moments of quiet like this. They shared the quiet with the occasional compliment thrown in here and there.


    One important discussion needed to be had before they went to bed though.


    ¡°We do not have any notable funds left,¡± Aclysia reported.


    The party had gathered up a bit of wealth before leaving Tacuitos. Those funds had minorly diminished in Herbaeyanim. It was the travel to this new Leaf that had majorly bit into their savings. Between the buying of information, passage through the portals of the Hub Leaf, and the occasional meal, they were down to just a few silver.


    ¡°Such a sorry, sorry state of affairs,¡± Korith whined.


    ¡°Indeed. Similarly, our equipment remains notably subpar for our level, with some ultimately minor exceptions,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Come morning, we will look for Quests,¡± Apexus stated.


    It was a new idea for the party, yet the backbone of adventuring life as much as dungeon runs were. The rewards from dungeons were often enough to keep adventurers financially afloat, but to truly get ahead and thrive, one had to supply what people in the larger economy wanted. Whether that was eccentric rich people desiring some kind of trophy or a collective of farmers pooling resources to request monster corpses that made for exceptional fertilizer hardly mattered. Quests were how adventurers got not only money but connections.


    Knowing someone was often more important than having money, especially for the specialized goods each Class of adventurer often needed.


    To this party, the idea of going on Quests was still alien. It had been well over a year since they stopped avoiding other people, but they still maintained a degree of general distance.


    ¡°Now is the time to come out of our shell,¡± Apexus addressed the general thought in the room. Nods all around. Confused, the humanoid chimera tilted his head. ¡°No comment on Apexusisms on that one?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a common phrase, darling,¡± Aclysia informed him.


    ¡®Language is so confusing,¡¯ he thought.

 A Rivalry 2 – A difference in Philosophy

    Thundering song echoed from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    Mugs were slammed on tables, creating a beat that nearly drowned out the lute it was supposed to support. Under the guidance of a Bard, a blonde half-elf seated on top of a table, nearly the entire tavern sang along.


    ¡°And when adventure calls, where do ya go?


    To the place where ale flows!


    To the Guild! To the Guild!¡±


    The few that were out of the song were busy pouring drinks down their gullets or having rigorous discussion with someone at their table. Even those groups swayed their feet and heads to the song. Even the barmaids seemed to swing their hips in unity with the rhythm, as they sashayed from bar to table and back.


    ¡°Where does the blackboard wait for ya?


    At the place where the comrades sing!


    At the Guild! At the Guild!¡±


    Mugs were raised in merry toast, as all went silent for a moment. The Bard struck a swift number of accords, the invigorating music practically visible. Magic made the notes echo with power in the large tavern. Up at the second level, people pressed against the wooden railing not to miss a singular moment of the performance.


    ¡°Who will ya meet as you Quest today?


    They are members of these halls!


    Of the Guild! Of the GuIld¡±


    The Bard jumped to her feet, redoubling the effort of her play. On her own, she sang the end of the song.


    ¡°The Guild is where we meet and the Guild is where we stay!


    Through rain and sunshine, here do we dwell!


    And what brings us out of these friendly halls!


    Is money, fame, and divinity ¨C or nature''s call!¡±


    Laughter and cheer accompanied the now disunited drumming of mugs on the many tables. The Bard bowed many times, before jumping off the table and being greeted by her own party. Things quieted down after that, everyone returning to their individual conversations. That made the massive tavern hall, filled by almost 200 people, far from quiet, just less noisy than before.


    Korith turned the last of their silver coins between her fingers, inspecting it for any kind of blemish. When she found something, she pinched the metal, a polishing rag between her claws and the coin, and rubbed until there was nothing to be found anymore. ¡°You¡¯re my greatest treasure,¡± she mumbled repeatedly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make money come tomorrow,¡± Apexus promised and looked to the rest of his party. Aclysia and Reysha were by the reception desk. In typical fashion of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, tavern and business were merged. It was a tradition more than anything else, many of the people actually working the reception desk would have rather done their business somewhere quiet. There was a limited utility to having other adventurers always in earshot of someone taking on a Quest though. It gave people the opportunity to weigh in, offer help, or just give advice.


    Advice that could be, even if unwelcome, life-saving.


    The duo barely stood out in this crowd. The entire party barely stood out in the crowd. There were goliaths, kobolds, goblins, humans, elves, various beastkin, and even a nearly three-metre tall half-dragon. Further, like Korith and Reysha, most of the visitors of the establishment kept their weapons close. Armaments were carried around casually around these parts, from daggers to bows. All were at the side and in their sheath, however. When a weapon was drawn, it was only for the purpose of showing the craftsmanship.


    They were a colourful quartet, but they were just another set in a large, ever-shifting blend.


    Apexus stared at the meat on his wooden spoon. ¡®So much flavour cooked out,¡¯ he complained and slowly moved the alien utensil in his hand to his mouth. When enough of the chunky bits had been fished out, he just poured the rest of the meal into his mouth and swallowed.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t like it?¡± Korith asked, still going through her portion.


    ¡°No. Too salty. Not enough fat to the meat.¡±


    Korith put another spoonful in her mouth. She thought it tasted pretty great, but they had quite different desires when it came to food so that wasn¡¯t too surprising.


    Aclysia and Reysha returned to the table a moment later. The redhead grimaced at the half-eaten bowl in front of her, then forced herself to shovel the rest of it inside. It wasn¡¯t as terrible to her as most meals were, but the traces of magic still in this meal were not enough to satisfy her condition. Rather than a bowl of puss and spider thread, she felt like she was eating liquid dust. Not great, just comparatively acceptable.


    ¡°We have acquired answers,¡± Aclysia said and gestured at the world map next to them. It had been painted onto this segment of the wall and was present in various other forms all over the Adventurer¡¯s Guild building complex. It paid to have people have a steady reminder of where they could go and how to get there. ¡°U-I-O stands for ¡®Under the Influence Of¡¯.¡±


    Apexus looked at the map again.


    ¡°Is it like the Spilling Swamps on Tacuitos?¡± Apexus asked.


    It was an area of the Leaf that they had not spent any time in during their stay. Still, they were aware of it. The Spilling Swamp had been an area around a Dungeon aptly called the Spill. From there, foul water and monsters would emerge. Most of the Dungeons the party had encountered thus far had contained their influence to within their walls.


    There were exceptions. Exceptions like the Spill, that affected the surrounding lands, or Dragonspawn, that were the proverbial breeding ground for creatures that then spread far and wide across the Leaf. Such effects guaranteed that adventurers remained in steady demand, either by taking care of the effects directly or by beating the dungeon and making it temporarily stop, as gods often implemented.


    Aclysia nodded. ¡°Affirmative. Each coloured zone on the map represents the currently known influence areas of dungeons. The level recommendations as displayed are of the area affected and, after the slash, of the dungeons themselves. Dungeons, as per usual code, are marked by orange diamonds.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re the white areas then?¡± Korith wanted to know. ¡°I¡¯m guessing little areas where people carved out a stable-ish realm?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative.¡± Aclysia nodded again. ¡°Some of these areas fashion themselves independent kingdoms, others are simple adventurer¡¯s outposts scaled up with no interest in self-governance. In all cases, they are open to any helping hands that will come their way. However, these areas are not fully pacified. They do have to guard their borders against attacks and their realms against Incursions.¡±


    ¡±¡±Incursions?¡±¡± Korith and Apexus asked at once. Something about the way Aclysia had said that word just piqued their interest. They weren¡¯t even surprised that they had both spoken in unison.


    ¡°Turns out that these influence zones go pretty fucking hard,¡± Reysha explained. ¡°In the areas, sometimes smaller versions of the dungeons just appear and need to be cleaned out before they close again.¡±


    ¡°If I understand correctly, their frequency is decreasing over time. Most likely, there is a finite energy reserve beyond what the Dungeons are granted by the Omniverse itself. As long as adventurers deplete more than the Dungeons are granted, that finite reserve keeps decreasing, gradually shrinking the area of influence.¡± Aclysia gestured at the map. ¡°Drowse is particularly safe. The area around the Worldstem, this city, has not seen an Incursion in three years.¡±


    ¡°So, we kill creatures, clear the Dungeons, and bit by bit the wilderness is tamed,¡± Reysha summarized.


    ¡°Current estimates are 50 to 100 years of the current activity level to bring this wilderness to a point where half of it is safely travelable by regular people. As new land is steadily being claimed, new investors are also steadily pouring in, alongside the usual interest groups that follow adventurers. We should be able to generate revenue easily.¡±


    Apexus nodded and then got up. ¡°We have the minimum knowledge of this world. Let us pick a Quest now.¡±


    Korith finished the rest of her (and Reysha¡¯s) bowl, then they all made their way over to the blackboard.


    It was enormous, much larger than any of its variety the party had seen before. Notes were pinned onto it at such a density that some were barely even visible. This was doubly true for the segment of the board that was reserved for self-postings. Those Quests were not vetted by the Guild and had been pinned there by whoever. It was quicker to do it this way but adventurers often avoided those Quests for two simple reasons: trust and appearances.


    Without the Guild to guarantee that the Quest was put up by a trustworthy individual that had the funds to pay the adventurers, many parties just did not bother. Almost as important was that the self-written notes usually just did not look that enticing or were missing key details that the person writing them just hadn¡¯t thought of at the time.


    That was the usual case. On this Leaf, the self-posting section was heavily crowded by parties looking for a job. Since most of those living on Alarshus were retired adventurers or those that spent most of their time next to active adventurers, they knew the game. Additionally, without other law enforcement, anyone who screwed over an adventurer, at best, found themselves ignored by the entire community. The worse outcome was when the adventurers that had just risked their necks purging a Wandering Root infestation decided that their weapons worked just as well against weaker targets.


    The Inevitable party stood before the Guild-sanctioned part of the blackboard. ¡°¡­What would be a wise first Quest¡­?¡± Apexus thought out loud. All of them were looking around, struck by equal parts uncertainty and decision paralysis.


    ¡®Usually our issues just come to us,¡¯ Reysha thought, sarcastically. ¡®That¡¯s much easier.¡¯


    ¡°Darling, do you mind if I take a look at the self-posted notes?¡± Aclysia asked and got the go-ahead.


    The remaining three of the party kept staring at the blackboard.


    A man next to Apexus suddenly pointed at one of the notes. ¡°I recommend this one.¡±


    Apexus first inspected the pointing man. He was a very unordinary man because he was an ordinary man in a very unordinary crowd. Brown hair, long and mildly dishevelled, brown eyes, beard stubble on an averagely shaped face, and ordinary adventuring gear covering simple, athletic gear. His clothes had various additional slings to secure pieces of armour on and a sword on his hip made his Class clear: this was a human Warrior.


    The humanoid chimera read the Quest next. It was posted by the Sleeping Empire¡¯s embassy and called for an escorting job from their current location across the ocean and over to the little bit of the Lanaan Hives territory that Drowse had a foothold on. After a one week stay, they would then come back. A minimum pay of 20 gold was listed, with a bonus depending on evaluation of work done.


    20 gold was a lot, Apexus knew that much by now, and scanning the surrounding Quest notes indicated that it was a lot even for this Leaf. ¡°Why that one?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re new here, right?¡± the man asked. ¡°Name¡¯s Atlas, by the way. I¡¯m the leader of the Atlas Party ¨C yes I know how pretentious that sounds.¡±


    ¡°Apexus¡­ leader of the Inevitable party,¡± the humanoid chimera answered.


    ¡°Alright, that makes two of us that sound pretentious!¡± Atlas joked and hit the back of Apexus¡¯ shoulder. The humanoid chimera did not move a muscle in his face. ¡°Ah, stoic, a true Monk then,¡± the Warrior said, keeping his jovial tone. ¡°No offense meant. I just have a particular sense of humour.¡±


    ¡°I deal with worse,¡± Apexus said and gestured towards Reysha, who waved past her broad man.


    Atlas waved back, then put the hand on his hip. ¡°To answer your question, that Quest gets you out and about for a bit and the people you¡¯re protecting are from the Sleeping Empire. They get their money from the state, so they¡¯re not stingy with it. Just show them that you¡¯re seriously struggling against whatever you¡¯re fighting and they¡¯ll give you a big fat bonus.¡±


    Apexus did not like the man¡¯s tone. After a solid five seconds of thorough pondering, he had worked out with near certainty why. ¡°You suggest we lie to them to increase our pay.¡± S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It''s not lying, you just let them see that we¡¯re doing all the dangerous work.¡± Atlas rolled his neck. ¡°If they wanted to pay less, they should try not being useless. Until then, they¡¯ll have to hire us. If we take a bit of advantage of their naivety, we can buy better equipment, which keeps everyone safe. Everybody wins, right?¡±


    ¡°Your argument is like a slug: soft at the core and surrounded by mucus,¡± Apexus answered.


    Atlas¡¯ smile dropped and he took a deep swig from the beer mug in his hand. ¡°If you want to be a goodie-two-shoes, nobody is stopping you. No need to be an ass about it because the rest of us are looking out for ourselves.¡±


    The growing tension between the two of them was not missed by surrounding adventurers. ¡°Come on, Atlas, no need to be mean to the newcomer!¡± someone in the crowd shouted. ¡°They¡¯ll find out the business soon enough.¡±


    Apexus¡¯ eyes had returned to the board. ¡°A question to your wisdom,¡± the humanoid chimera pointed at a note whose paper had turned a light yellow from being ignored for weeks. ¡°What do you think of that Quest?¡±


    Ignoring his annoyance, Atlas did as the Monk requested. The Quest described repeated attacks near a farm in the north of Drowse territory. ¡°Low reward, far away, and you aren¡¯t even guaranteed to find the monsters. They probably migrated by now or someone took care of it accidentally on the way through,¡± the Warrior answered. ¡°Not a good use of your time.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Apexus said, then pointed to another one. ¡°What about this one?¡±


    ¡®Fucking Monks¡­ this is what I get for helping another newcomer,¡¯ Atlas thought to himself, but played along. ¡°Reward for that one is pretty meagre, definitely not worth facing an Incursion for.¡±


    ¡°So, you would just leave it be?¡± Apexus asked. ¡°It¡¯s not far from here. 1 Gold is still good money.¡±


    ¡°If we let them sit on it for a while, it¡¯ll go up to 5,¡± Atlas answered. ¡°I know this farmer. It¡¯s always the same with him.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why?¡± Apexus was earnest in his curiosity. Being stingy with a reward that could save one¡¯s life was one thing, needing months to save up the money another.


    Atlas shrugged. ¡°Beats me.¡±


    ¡°You never asked?¡±


    ¡°Look, I can see where this is going.¡± Atlas emptied his mug and placed it on a nearby table. The people on it just laughed at the known adventurer. ¡°It¡¯s a very simple concept, right? We¡¯re adventurers. We risk our asses so that the farmers don¡¯t have to learn how to fight. If they don¡¯t want to pay, they have to learn how to take care of it themselves. I won¡¯t feel bad because I am making sure we earn as much as possible so that my party can be equipped for whatever shit the Dungeons throw at us next.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Apexus stared at the notably shorter and notably boozed man. Two differing instincts wrestled inside the predator. First was to preserve the energy that he would waste on what came next if he opened his mouth. Second was the surging desire to teach the haughty man a lesson.


    ¡®If no one in the room is doing the right thing, that makes it your duty.¡¯


    Maltos¡¯ words pushed Apexus¡¯ towards the realization of his principle. ¡°I find your lack of empathy rotten,¡± the Monk stated.


    Atlas glared up at the humanoid chimera. ¡°You know what? Fuck you.¡±


    And just like that, the Warrior went for an uppercut.

 A Rivalry 3 – Tavern Brawl

    The fist connected. Atlas¡¯ speed was more than Apexus had anticipated. Even if he had seen the attack coming, he would have found it hard to dodge. Everyone around was treated to the absolutely absurd sight of a Warrior¡¯s uppercut slamming straight into the underside of a man¡¯s chin and that man standing.


    95% of humanoid species would have had their brain rattled by the impact. The other 5% would have at least felt their optical nerves shaken. Apexus just felt the blunt pain of his head tilting back, then his Monk instincts kicked in and he tilted forward.


    Swiping the arm aside, Apexus went for a subduing grip on the shoulder. The first move succeeded, but the second did not. Atlas gripped the fellow adventurer by the wrist and twisted into a shoulder throw.


    Apexus surprisingly found that the smaller human was capable of throwing him. ¡®The strength of an adventurer,¡¯ the Monk thought while cutting through the air. He knew what his fellows should be capable of, but it was interesting to experience it first-hand.


    Over 200 kilos of man, meat and muscle slammed into the thick stone tiles of the reinforced floor. Surrounding adventurers cheered and booed in equal measure, having created a wide ring around the event.


    ¡°What is-¡° Aclysia raised her voice, only to have her shoulder be grabbed by Reysha. ¡°Why are you stopping me?¡±


    ¡°Come on, bubble butt, this is part of the good tone around here.¡± The redhead grinned widely, revealing her sharp teeth. ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens.¡±


    Atlas grabbed a mug of ale from a nearby onlooker, who just laughed while the Warrior downed it. ¡°Sorry about that, your tone just pisshed me off,¡± the brown-haired man slurred, growing more intoxicated by the second. ¡°¡¯Let¡¯s help everyone!¡¯ ¨C Yeah, shorry, shunshine, but it ain¡¯t that easy and I haven¡¯t rishked my life for the last 9 years to live like a fucking nun.¡±


    ¡°There is a gradient between starvation and greed,¡± Apexus said as he calmly stood up.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t greedy! It¡¯s fuckin¡¯ supply and dema-¡° Apexus had heard enough and raised his fists into a simple guard stance. That was enough to cause the drunken Warrior to drop the mug and mirror the pose. ¡°Alright! That¡¯sh the language men should speak!¡±


    To the cheering of the crowd, the two adventurers stood across from each other, fists raised and eyes focused. ¡°Go get him, Atlas!¡± Someone shouted. ¡°Fuck him up, newcomer!¡± Someone else added. All was exclaimed in a joking tone. Bets were made all around.


    ¡®Dammit, I have no money to bet with!¡¯ Korith whined to herself. ¡®Hoard forgive me for being so poor!¡¯


    Apexus was the first to break the staring match. Surging forwards, he went for a straight jab. It was a swift and shallow punch. It caught Atlas straight in the elbow and caused him to stumble back half a step. The humanoid chimera followed, delivering another left to the same spot. Atlas stumbled again, but kept his guard up.


    The third punch was thrown with a little more force. The wind-up was Atlas¡¯ signal to strike. He ducked under, wove into the opening in front of the much taller man¡¯s chest and was about to lay into him when Apexus revealed his feint. The punch went straight into a downwards headbutt. The forehead of the Monk slammed into that of the Warrior.


    Both of them reflexively activated Iron Skin. It was as if two slabs of solid plate smacked into each other. Excess magic made the shockwaves from the impact visible for a split second. Both of them reeled back.


    Apexus recovered first.


    Grabbing Atlas by the side of the head, the Monk took the Warrior for a spin. Notes on the blackboards rustled but remained securely pinned. At the end of the motion, Atlas was thrown like a curveball. The crowd acted as his buffer, three adventurers catching him before he could fly into anything, then backing away. The ring moved as they did. Up above, people were banging the bottom of their mugs against the railing.


    Atlas recovered with a sway in his step. A sudden surge in speed caught Apexus off guard. The Warrior¡¯s knuckles connected with the Monk¡¯s face. In regular combat, their weight and reach difference would have guaranteed Apexus¡¯ superiority. The Ki coursing through their fibres assured this wasn¡¯t the case.


    The attack caused the humanoid chimera to take two steps backwards. The eye on the struck side spun on its own, synced back only after a full second. Atlas charged in, landing three more blows. All of them were blocked by the tensed muscles under the sturdy membrane.


    Apexus¡¯ knee rose up sharply. The impact was hard and sudden. Atlas got half-folded over it before he managed to stumble back. Grabbing him by the shoulder, Apexus yanked the Warrior back.


    The smack that followed turned Atlas¡¯ face to the side. It had no similarity whatsoever with a scolding motion. Every intent was to deliver non-lethal harm and the already dazed man saw stars. In his drunken confusion, his instincts made him reach for his sword.


    It only took an inch of enchanted metal to be revealed before the mood in the tavern changed. The surrounding crowd went from passive onlookers to intervening jury. Atlas¡¯ weapon was forced back into the sheath, his hands forced off the grip, and a pair hastily pulled the man aside.


    Apexus froze at the sight of the two of them. One was a dwarf in a tribalistic get-up. His blue eyes glowed softly with power. Long, black hair covered the entirety of his neck at the back. His beard did the same at the front. Beads and other decorations were woven into it. The dwarf was not the reason for the humanoid chimera¡¯s surprise.


    The other person was a woman consisting, almost entirely, of a gelatinous, blue liquid. White water lilies bloomed from her temples. Green eyes inspected Atlas with gentle admonishment. Her curves were covered by a highly revealing outfit, leaving little of her semi-translucent form to the imagination. Strands of liquid hair moved with a mind of their own.


    The appearance of a slime person, caused several questions to cascade through Apexus¡¯ mind. ¡®Am I not alone?¡¯ he wondered.


    Before he could approach, the duo carried Atlas to the isolation of a table. In their absence stepped a green-skinned woman. She wore a brown witch¡¯s hat and was covered in an esoterically tattered robe. The top of it barely managed to contain the fullness of her bosom. Reddish brown hair fell in a wild cascade. A pair of wooden, partly thorn-covered horns emerged from holes in her hat. Yellow eyes focused on Apexus.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± the dryad said. ¡°Atlas gets a bit rowdy when he¡¯s drunk. He¡¯ll apologise to you when he¡¯s sober.¡±


    ¡°I take no personal offence,¡± Apexus answered, swallowing his questions about the slime woman. They were regulars in this place. The chance to talk would arise on its own. ¡°A disagreement in philosophy does not need to become a grudge, depending on execution.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not extorting anyone, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about,¡± the dryad answered. ¡°We¡¯re taking what we consider to be our just reward. There is a price to sticking our necks out. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    Apexus just stared. ¡°Your path is your own. Whether you want to walk through uncleared thicket or the safe road is your choice.¡±


    ¡°All a matter of the time and place,¡± the dryad answered.


    They shared a unified nod, then turned away from each other and walked towards their respective parties. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d have that much trouble, big guy,¡± Reysha remarked.


    ¡°The people here are around our level,¡± Apexus answered.


    ¡°Really weird to think about,¡± Korith squeaked. Even when they hung out at the Teacher¡¯s Isle, only about a fifth of the students were around level 20, as they were. Not only was the average level in the tavern higher, there were also a lot more people in it than any individual school had housed. This really was an adventuring frontier.


    The party returned to the blackboard. Aclysia was silent until Apexus asked her. ¡°Did you find a good Quest?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, darling,¡± she answered hastily and presented him with a note that she had taken off the blackboard. Apexus took it, Reysha read it with him, and Korith got on her toes to try and do so as well. She failed. ¡°A simple request to clear out an Incursion that opened up two days from here. The pay is decent. My primary objective is getting ourselves accustomed to these Incursions. Further, the Quest offers favours in addition to pure coin. I believe our objective for now should be to get to know some locals. We will be staying, after all.¡±


    ¡°Someone is looking forward to being sedentary,¡± Reysha remarked.


    ¡°I, uhm, do not blame her¡­ we¡¯ve been walking for a long, long time¡­ it¡¯ll be nice to stay someplace for a little while and¡­ focus on home improvements? Maybe just a bit of community?¡±


    Apexus just nodded. His personal urge for social interaction was considerably muted, courtesy of his nature. His interest was in his party members, because he was very tightly pair bonded, and he had a broader empathetic interest in good people thriving. Aclysia, despite or because she was an angel of the actor god, had a craving for the kind of social cohesion that life on the road did not usually allow.


    Giving Aclysia time to engage in these preferences was long overdue. Korith also would appreciate it. Reysha was more like Apexus. It was a wonder that the solitary predator was part of a party at all.


    Because it was a Quest from the self-posting board, they did not have to fill in at the reception for having accepted it. Just by courtesy of having removed the note from the board, they were the only ones on it. There was a risk that someone who wanted to go through that Quest had decided to leave the note up, but that was bad etiquette and therefore unlikely.


    People who broke convention and either kept Quests misleadingly open or, worse, pulled them off the board to get to them on their own time, were dealt with similarly to those that did not pay the adventurers.


    ¡°Should we¡­ head out immediately?¡± Korith slowly suggested. ¡°No real reason to stay, right?¡±


    ¡°That depends on whether we manage to find the Atlas party tonight,¡± Aclysia answered.


    ¡°Fucking why are we bothering with that? Are you that needy for an apology?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°I get it, he touched the great darling in places only we¡¯re supposed to, but-¡°


    ¡°It is not about that, although the disrespect shown may justify a degree of payback,¡± Aclysia interrupted. ¡°Did you not see the companions that picked him up?¡±


    ¡°No, I was busy staring at the big tits of that dryad.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m small, I did not stare at those big bouncy things!¡± Korith lied as naturally as she collected coins. ¡°I just didn¡¯t see.¡±


    Aclysia shook her head. ¡°You are incorrigible. There was a slime woman with Atlas.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ oooooh!¡± Reysha scratched the back of her head. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s something the big man would like to talk about, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus confirmed. He was scanning the room for the scantily clad blue lady at that very moment. His height gave him an advantage on that one. He caught her at a nearby table, currently on her own. ¡°Give me a moment,¡± he requested.


    Making his way through the crowd was a mild inconvenience, but he managed to make it over in the end. ¡°Oh,¡± the slime lady exclaimed once she noticed him standing by the table. ¡°I-If you have further issues with Atlas, the rest is currently bringing him away so¡­ please don¡¯t drag me into it?¡±


    ¡°This little brawl is not a tree that I shall attach my vines to,¡± Apexus answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad to hear that!¡± The slime woman¡¯s hair visibly elongated as tension left it. ¡°Why waste energy on a hunt that only brings the reward of inedible emotions, right?¡±


    Apexus nodded more eagerly than he had nodded in living memory. ¡°Exactly. May I sit?¡±


    ¡°Sure! Name is Flora, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Apexus.¡± The humanoid chimera sat down.


    In the background, the rest of his party watched the events unfold. ¡°They seem to like each other. Ready to make this a¡­ what¡¯s a group of five called? Pentatet?¡±


    ¡°Quintet ¨C and you should be very aware that our people met to party addition ratio is two to several hundred.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m special!¡± Korith squeaked.


    ¡°You sure are, squishy.¡±


    ¡°¡­Something about the way you said that makes it feel like an insult.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I sense you are contemplating how to ask a question?¡± Flora addressed Apexus, who had been quiet since sitting down. ¡°I assure you, you can be as direct and clear as the path of the sun.¡±


    Apexus took the invitation. ¡°How did you spawn?¡±


    The slime lady blinked several times, then scratched her chin. ¡°That¡­ is a first,¡± she admitted. ¡°Usually, people ask where I am from¡­ but, uhm¡­ I split from the great pool of mother slime about twenty-four years back, over at the world of Ruduradas.¡±


    Apexus¡¯ hope was diminishing already. ¡°The great pool of mother slime, where did it come from? What is it?¡±


    ¡°A Cardinal of Ouros placed it there many, many years ago. It¡¯s just this big bowl of alchemical stuff that keeps producing us slime people until it runs out¡­ is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°It is not the answer I hoped for,¡± Apexus revealed readily. Her origin was that of the gods, just another species born in a different way. She had a creator and a point of origin, specifically traceable.  This opened the possibility that he was himself some kind of alchemical experiment, but who, why and how? All of them were the same questions he had been asking all along. ¡®I am still alone,¡¯ he thought. ¡°That is all I wanted to know. I wish you a good evening.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, same to you,¡± she answered with an unsure smile.


    Apexus returned to his party. They did not ask, his expression gave the answer away. ¡®I¡¯m still alone¡­ but I am not on my own,¡¯ he thought and put his hands around the redhead and metal fairy. ¡®That matters most.¡¯


    ¡°Now we can go,¡± Aclysia decided.


    Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 A Rivalry 4 – Incursion

    ¡®This Leaf is truly gargantuan,¡¯ Apexus thought.


    High up in the sky, he gazed out over the landscape. He was used to sprawling forests, green plains, and all manners of biomes by now. What he wasn¡¯t quite used to was the sheer scale of sameness in this one. Even high up as he was, high enough that he had to burn additional biomass to keep generating heat against the chilling winds, all he saw was the same green, half-tamed farmland. Towards the south, there was some ocean.


    There had been some comparable stretches in Apexus¡¯ path, but those had been vast swathes of their Leaves, compared to what was, by scale of the world map, a rather small area. This world required months to traverse.


    Apexus went into a sudden dive. His eyes narrowed down on a target on the ground. They had originally belonged to a forest cat, but the adaptations since becoming a permanent Growth had made them as sharp as those of an eagle, with the added benefit of precise night vision. The latter did not enter the equation at this moment.


    Challenging himself, Apexus pulled his wings in fully. Undiluted speed made the line of trees come closer and closer by the millisecond. Hitting the canopies sprinting, the Monk Feather Stepped his way from branch to branch. A simple slip up would have sent him crashing down through the woodwork.


    Apexus was so focused on keeping the Ki in his feet steady that he was caught by utter surprise when there was no more treeline to tread on. One stride hit nothing but air and he fell on over forwards with all of the grace of a boulder tilting over a cliffside. Hurriedly spread wings did not do much at this distance, so Apexus decided to attempt a roll instead.


    The gravitational impact broke his shoulder. One of the bones in his wings snapped as he did not roll over but stopped on top of it. The uneven ground stopped the motion halfway through.


    ¡°Darling!¡± Aclysia shouted and hurried on over.


    ¡°Is he badly hurt or can I laugh?¡± Reysha shouted.


    ¡°You can laugh!¡± Apexus shouted.


    The tiger woman proceeded to do so. Loud and borderline manically did she laugh. She even held onto Korith¡¯s horns to keep herself steady while the shivers of intense amusement went through her.


    ¡°Do you require assistance?¡± the first of his loves asked the humanoid chimera.


    In response, Apexus raised his unharmed arm. Under the surface, stores of biomass were consumed to knit back together the shards of bone. For regular beings, shattered bones were among the worst wounds. For Apexus, it was among the simplest. As long as everything was still attached to him, that was easily fixed.


    Afterwards, Apexus got up and joined the rest of them on foot on their journey northwards. Not much of it was left. The farmstead was in view. It was a collection of ten houses. Originally, this plot of land had been settled by two adventuring parties that had cross-party romantic interests. That had been two generations ago and since then the lines had become farmers first and adventurers second.


    These people were capable of fending off the average beast roaming the tamed area of Drowse, but an incursion was too much for them. If they threw bodies at the issue, they would be able to solve it, but money was more readily spent than the blood of one¡¯s neighbours.


    The quartet entered the busy village. It was a harvest season lunch and most of the inhabitants were currently sitting around long, communal tables. Their coming was spotted from afar. The largest table at the centre of it all held the town leadership. Busy gestures waved the party closer.


    Aclysia took the lead, as per usual with social situations. ¡°Greetings, we are the Inevitable party. We have come in order to fulfill your posted request.¡± She pulled the folded note from her adventurer¡¯s bag and presented it to the table.


    ¡°Gods, I wish you had come three days earlier,¡± the elderly woman, who took the note, lamented.


    ¡°Was the Quest taken care of already?¡± Aclysia asked.


    To that, the old woman shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that the Incursion appeared in the middle of a field. We haven¡¯t touched the crops there because of the monsters and a lot of it is probably going to waste now¡­ ah, but that¡¯s not your issue. Boy!¡± The elderly woman shouted over to a nearby table. ¡°Come here!¡±


    The ¡®boy¡¯ was a male human in his mid-teens. Farmwork from a young age had given him a tan and stringy muscles. Someone of his age could only still be called a boy in an environment that was harsh and dangerous. ¡°Yes, gran?¡±


    ¡°These people are here to take care of the Incursion. Please show them the field¡­ oh, or would you like to eat first?¡± The old woman smiled wryly at the visitors. ¡°I am getting forgetful in my age, forgive the lapse in manners.¡± S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°We prefer a swift approach to our work,¡± Aclysia answered.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ ah, I guess I could have spared myself the question. You are probably looking to eat in the dungeon,¡± the old woman now focused on Reysha specifically. ¡°It has been years since I saw someone with Noir.¡±


    ¡°Surprised you even know about it,¡± Reysha admitted.


    ¡°When we originally started exploring this Leaf, there were a lot of people who¡¯d lose their comrades or venture into dungeons alone.¡± The old woman turned her gaze to something distant. ¡°There was less organization back then¡­ so there were quite a few survivors who came back with the condition¡­ maybe¡­¡± the elderly woman shook her head and turned her attention to another grandchild, this one only three years of age, tugging at her sleeve.


    ¡°Lap?¡± the very young girl asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the village elder answered. ¡°Please then, go ahead. We¡¯ll talk more after you¡¯ve cleared out the Incursion.¡±


    The boy waved for the party to follow him. They walked for roughly ten minutes, before their goal became apparent to the quartet. Most of the fields were empty by now. Work had transitioned from pulling the various root crops from the ground to storing and processing them. That one field was left untouched, its vegetables rotting in the ground, made it stick out immediately.


    What stuck out next was the figure that shambled around the field. It was a deformed figure, devoid of any sense in its body plan. Two giant arms were dragged along while thin legs struggled to keep up with the weight. On top of a broad, monkey-like torso sat the head of a praying mantis. All around, the creature appeared like a weird mix between monkey and insect. Not a blend, it had to be said, just a mix and matching of poorly scaled parts.


    The monster did not notice them at a distance. It just walked about in small circles, occasionally tearing a carrot out of the ground and nibbling on it. ¡°The hole it crawled out of is in the field,¡± the boy reported. ¡°They only get aggressive when you get real close. There¡¯s pro¡¯ly more dangerous stuff down there.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Apexus stated simply, then leapt upwards. His wings beat desperately to gain the initial bit of altitude, then in a controlled rhythm to keep getting higher. Once he had gained a satisfying height, Apexus went into a dive.


    There was no braking to this descent either, although he was doing something he was experienced in this time around. Crashing into the monster at speed that would have been suicidal for many other people, Apexus squashed the creature with his Ironskin covered hide. Bones cracked, flesh ripped, carapace burst open, and just like that, it was on the floor, dead. Apexus rose from the wreckage and dusted himself off.


    It was a swift and simple way to take care of a monster with bad perception.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find our way back,¡± Reysha told the mid-teen, then sashayed her way over to Apexus. She was about to descend on the meat when Aclysia held her back. ¡°What?¡±


    The metal fairy pointed over her shoulder at the young male that stayed at a respectful distance. He had a greater interest in watching this than he had in sitting with everyone at the feast. The meals happened regularly, adventurers taking care of an Incursion less so.


    ¡°They know what Noir is.¡± Reysha shrugged and was hesitantly let go of.


    Aclysia did not like showing others this side of Reysha. The redhead not only was ambivalent about it, she did find a degree of revelry in the fact that she got to live out her abnormality in open daylight.


    The cracked carapace of the legs made for the quickest access to fresh meat. Tearing the chitin plate of the thigh wide open, Reysha revealed purplish meat within. Her iron dagger had difficulty cutting the meat, densely enriched by magic as it was. She decided to put the inefficient weapon aside. She dropped the pretense. Apexus grabbed the torso of the corpse, she ripped at the legs, until muscle, cartilage and sinew snapped one after the other.


    After that, the animalistic feast truly began. Reysha nearly choked on her first bite, so intense was her need for the magical meat. Blood and fat filled her mouth with a rich taste. Mad giggles rose in her throat, a purring of another variety, while she devoured her first delicious meal in days.


    The boy¡¯s fascination stopped soon thereafter. Blood and guts were things he was used to, living out in a farm, but they weren¡¯t interesting to look at. He returned to the village and left the party to their dirty work.


    ¡°By guild estimation, Incursions in the Chimerion Influence Zone are level 15,¡± Aclysia reminded. ¡°At our estimated level of 21 average, this should be a simple affair. Please do not underestimate our opponents, however.¡±


    ¡°The only simple part here is my lack of proper weaponry,¡± Reysha complained and picked up her dagger. ¡°Only weapon I still have and it''s not even cutting right.¡±


    During their journey, Reysha had either lost, broken or needed to sell the various weapons they had accrued over time. The dagger was indeed the last she had. Korith¡¯s plate armour also was quite damaged, but it was still serviceable. Her hammer was the kind of weapon that scarcely needed maintenance.


    ¡°We will put the money from this Quest to good use,¡± Apexus said, then lead them all up to the hole.


    It was a diagonal, almost vertical shaft. The walls were reinforced by a web of some kind of chitinous substance, preventing the whole thing from collapsing in on itself. Apexus leapt down first, his eyes swiftly adjusting to the twilight.


    After the initial drop, the Incursion revealed itself to be a simple tunnel. It continued on for two dozen metres. Its width left much to be desired for a party with three melee combatants. Two enemies half-monkey, half-praying mantis shambled around like their above ground kin had done.


    ¡°Aclysia,¡± Apexus offered to the metal fairy.


    ¡°Are you certain, darling?¡± the angel asked. She preferred to keep her mana reserves topped up in case she needed to heal.


    ¡°It¡¯ll work best if we take them out from a distance. I don¡¯t want to be surprised by enemies hiding in the walls.¡±


    ¡°I see the wisdom in that,¡± Aclysia answered, then took a deep breath.


    Invisible at first, then manifesting as blinding, solar light, the magical energy of the angel channelled into a swirl that soon took the shape of a lance. Each passing second saw the energy construct grow longer. Light continued to swirl around the iridescent core. The brightness alerted the closer of the two chimeras. Too late ¨C the Solar Lance was launched by Aclysia. Her throwing arm was weak, but that hardly mattered. All the gesture provided to the spell was the direction of its launch. All acceleration past that point was supernatural.


    The devastating spell ripped clean through the first chimera and continued on, cutting into the shoulder of the second before stopping. A split second after the spell¡¯s momentum had ended, the remaining energies within the concentrated, deliberately unstable spellwork burst apart into a wave of divine energies.


    ¡°Exemplary,¡± Apexus complimented the metal fairy.


    ¡°Yeah, that was impressive, bubble bu-¡° Reysha¡¯s addition was interrupted by the screeching arrival of a third chimera. As Apexus had guessed, it had hidden in the wall and came out, gorilla arms swinging. Confused, it only hit the wall of the corridor. An opportunity for an attack that Korith took full advantage of.


    The kobold sailed through the corridor. Hammer raised, her explosive leap found its endpoint with the flat of her weapon smacking into the head of the monster. One loud ¡®CRACK!¡¯ and the insectoid top of the creature was turned into purple pulp.


    ¡°That it?¡± Reysha wondered.


    ¡°Uhm, nope, there¡¯s another hole at the end of the corridor,¡± Korith announced.


    ¡°The majority of Incursions have a mini boss,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°Mini boss? The fuck is that supposed to mean, is it going to be tiny?¡± Reysha asked, more amused than anything. ¡°Can I fit it in my pocket?¡±


    ¡°The terminology of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is widespread and therefore useful!¡± Aclysia¡¯s pitch rose slightly, reflecting her embarrassment.


    ¡°Relax, bubble butt, I¡¯m making fun of the word, not you.¡±


    ¡°It is difficult to tell with you sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know ¨C now can we murder this mini boss so I can clean myself and then have my insides rearranged? Fuck, eating makes me horny!¡±


    ¡°You mean like breathing makes you horny?¡± Korith asked.


    Without missing a beat, Reysha responded, ¡°Yes! Murder!¡±


    The redhead broke out into a sprint and leapt down the hole. The rest of the party followed as quickly as possible.


    They dropped into a den of some kind. Its inhabitant was immediately upon them: a massive bear with the arms of a praying mantis coming out on the top of its shoulder blades. Parts of the fur had been replaced by black chitin.


    For as swift as the bear moved, it still was hopelessly outclassed. Reysha suppressed her presence, then moved at increased speed. The mini boss was confused, especially when Apexus and Korith landed on top of it in short order.


    The humanoid chimera wrapped his arms around the dungeon chimera¡¯s neck. Arms of a praying mantis tried to tilt to pry him off but even this animal had the weak spot of the back. The monster just could not turn its additional arms enough to grapple the male that now had its windpipe in a tight embrace.


    Thrashing would have followed, had it not been for the concussive impact of Korith¡¯s hammer. The two-handed weapon smashed straight into the forehead of the monster.


    From there, it was a struggle for execution. Apexus¡¯ feet managed to connect to the ground. Evolved, liquid muscle fibres tensed up, boosted by the deliberate flooding of ki into the stressed fibres. The bear creature thought itself the biggest, strongest thing in the room and tried to break out the straightforward way. It was wrong.


    Reysha and Korith went for the exposed gut. With demon claws and hammer strikes, the creature was slaughtered. It was a struggle, but a one-sided one. In the end, the chimera collapsed to the ground.


    ¡°Alright, where¡¯s the loot?¡± Reysha asked.


    Aclysia, having actually listened when they had informed themselves about Incursions, went to the centre of the den and unearthed a chitinous lid. Now that the boss had been slain, it loosened and she lifted it to reveal a simple gemstone. ¡°Incursions on this Leaf provide Mana Gems, there is no specific loot. We have to visit proper dungeons to be blessed with those boons.¡±


    ¡°Bah¡­ are they worth something at least?¡±


    ¡°They are highly sought after by craftsmen,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°They make for good batteries and conductors in complex magical items.¡±


    ¡°What will happen to this cave?¡± Apexus asked.


    Aclysia had the answer to that as well. ¡°It will refill itself with fresh dirt over the course of three to seven days.¡±


    ¡°Neat! So¡­ uhm¡­. Let¡¯s go back for the free food?¡±


    ¡°Feel free to go ahead.¡± Apexus¡¯ form began to spread out, enveloping the bear corpse in its majority. He left a leg for Reysha to munch on. ¡°We are going to eat our fill here.¡±

 A Rivalry 5 – Books, Commerce and Apologies

    ¡°Where is it¡­ where is it?¡± the old lady mumbled.


    The reward for the Quest already lay on the table. Four whole gold coins, most of it in silver, carefully counted by Korith and then put into the party treasury by Aclysia. It was the entirety of the reward promised and already made the party breathe a lot easier. With this, they could definitely live a while and even afford some new equipment.


    The reason why the old lady was shuffling through the cupboards was something else.


    The house was large, the largest in the village in fact. It was one of the oldest buildings, made by those two original parties that had founded the farmstead and whose blood ran through the vast majority of the current inhabitants. She, the sole living member of those founding parties, had inherited the space partly because they needed storage to put all the memorabilia and partly because this was the village¡¯s most frequently checked on space. If anything happened to her, someone would be close by to check.


    For the most part, the memorabilia consisted of items that only had personal value. The old gear of the party had long since been sold off or its magical charge had depleted to the point where they required maintenance too costly to warrant the effort. Among all those trinkets and faded gizmos was a thin book bound in leather.


    ¡°There we are!¡± the old woman declared once she had found it. ¡°You will find this most useful, I believe.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really read,¡± Reysha said, but took the book anyway. ¡°Care to give me spoilers?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the gathered notes of one of my old party members about coping with the drawbacks of Noir,¡± the old lady revealed. ¡°I told you it was quite frequent on this Leaf back when I was active.¡±


    Reysha was now a lot intrigued and opened the book up wide. Both the old lady and Aclysia squeaked in horror. Ancient strings ripped and only a swift intervention by Apexus kept the spine from breaking entirely. ¡°We should have it rebound,¡± Aclysia suggested. ¡°Give it to me, before your irreverent hands break this ancient parchment.¡±


    For once, there was no quip on Reysha¡¯s lips. Chastised and looking the part, she handed the ancient journal over to be kept safe in Aclysia¡¯s adventurer¡¯s bag. ¡°Any idea of what is in it beyond the summary?¡± Apexus investigated.


    ¡°Mostly tips and tricks on how to draw ¡®the spice of magic¡¯ out of things. I also recall him being proud of making alcohol drinkable again.¡±


    ¡°Is that for real?!¡± Reysha nearly jumped with excitement. ¡°Oh fuck, yes, please let me taste the numbness from the pain of existence again, I craaaaaaaaave it!¡±


    ¡°That sounds unhealthy,¡± Korith remarked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s alcohol,¡± Reysha returned.


    The old lady chuckled. ¡°I guess bantering is ingrained in every good party,¡± she said, then went for a nearby chair to have her seat. ¡°Now, don¡¯t let me keep you. Much as I like the company, I don¡¯t have the energy for long conversations these days.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the book!¡± Reysha exclaimed. ¡°I mean it ¨C like, really fucking mean it.¡±


    ¡°If you meant it, wash out your mouth, young lady, that¡¯s no way to talk,¡± the old woman half-joked. ¡°Now out, before I remember how to cast a Lance spell.¡±


    The jovial threat did move them out of the large house. The village was empty now, everyone either out in the fields or busy in the adjacent storage and working facilities. Only the youngest children and freshest mothers were still at home. Consequently, they left the village in tranquil silence and were back on the road a moment later. Back on the minimal imprints that semi-regular traffic had left on the ground, to be more accurate.


    This was the most civilized part of the Leaf and it was barely above the rural outskirts of a true realm. ¡°Isn¡¯t this place just refreshingly out there?¡± Korith asked. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s kinda tame but not really and that¡¯s really nice.¡±


    ¡°It is a good place to adventure,¡± Aclysia agreed. ¡°We should earn a proper keep here.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°Could be a little more wild, but yeah, I can work with this,¡± Reysha stated. ¡°Now let¡¯s find a bookbinder!¡±


    ______________________________________________________________________


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 1 gold,¡± the craftsman said.


    ¡°For a bookbinding?!¡± Korith squeaked.


    ¡°You make it sound like that¡¯s easy work and doesn¡¯t involve a whole process of carefully separating the pages, glueing them back together, then using string to attach it all to a new hardcover crafted from leather and cardboard.¡± The craftsman took a huff from his pipe, then puffed it back out in a slow breath. ¡°I know you short, scaled fellows are stingy, but that¡¯s what it¡¯ll cost.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Your services are most welcome,¡± Aclysia put the gold coin on the counter before Korith could start to haggle. A decision that made the kobold blow up her cheeks in quiet protest.


    Reysha poked one side of the blonde¡¯s face, causing the air to be released as an amusing sound. ¡°That¡¯s 25% of our earnings right there!¡± The kobold complained while they walked away. ¡°It¡¯s a steal, I tell you! That money would be much better invested with Hoard!¡±


    ¡°Hoard does not offer returns on investments. A book that helps alleviate the drawbacks of Reysha¡¯s condition is priceless,¡± Aclysia answered.


    Korith kept pouting, while the party waited for the craftsman to write them a receipt. ¡°It¡¯ll take me a couple of days. Got a backlog.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Reysha asked and looked around. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect many people in these parts to need books bound.¡±


    ¡°Enough proselytizing priests and self-aggrandizing adventurers around these parts, I assure you,¡± the craftsman told her. ¡°We¡¯ve got less paper than people that want to advertise their latest achievements. Then there¡¯s the guild with their constant needs to publish updated findings on the local monsters. You new here?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia answered.


    ¡°I recommend you pick up a copy of the Alarshus Encyclopaedia in a month or two, when the new edition is published. Good book to have out on the road to know what¡¯s edible and not. Plus it spares you asking every Guild clerk out there about info whenever you¡¯re aiming at a new dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Your recommendation is deeply appreciated and will be taken into consideration at the mentioned moment in time,¡± Aclysia responded.


    The craftsman chortled a little at her overly complex sentence structure and verbiage. Then he shooed them off with a gentle wave of his hand. ¡°If you aren¡¯t here to get the book once it''s done, I¡¯ll keep it in storage for up to a year before putting it out to be sold,¡± he told them. ¡°Have to assume you died at that point.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Aclysia said and they stepped away from the shop.


    Like most stores in this part of the city, it was a street-facing outcropping of a larger, typically wooden building. The district was entirely built around the beating heart of a few buildings belonging to various merchant guilds. Besides the simply named Trader¡¯s Guild, which was the largest, there were various local or empire-sponsored mercantile enterprises that competed with each other.


    Unlike the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, which profited from the disinterest most adventurers had in getting into business, guilds focusing on commerce regularly split into smaller factions to get the most money out of their enterprise possible. This assured steady competition, which was good for everyone involved. The Crafter¡¯s Guild had something similar going on, but that particular organization was primarily organized on the local level because of the natural restrictions of the job.


    The layout of the district was broadly U-shaped, with the broad main road leading up to the merchant guilds acting as the gap. Everything was distributed outwards from there. Prices appeared to be fairly standard, by the party¡¯s perception. The flow of currency on this Leaf was many times higher than on the average world, but the amount of supply kept up with the demand, meaning that the prices were balanced out at an ultimately reasonable level for most things. There were some odd edge cases, such as hard liquor being by and large cheaper than normal while bricks and other building materials were a lot more expensive than was regular.


    The economy was entirely focused on the needs of adventurers. Long-standing architecture was ten or twenty years away from being considered. For the time being, wood would do. Because everything was made for adventurers, there was another quirk to the layout.


    Apexus stopped suddenly when a pair of spears were crossed in front of him, barring him entry through the wide gap in the cobblestone fence. ¡°Show your adventurer¡¯s card,¡± one of the two guards requested.


    Tilting his head, the leader of the party did as requested. There was some remaining hesitance about revealing the card to anyone, courtesy of the Omniverse Chimera Class that was written on it. After his nature had been revealed to the people on the Teacher¡¯s Isle, Apexus felt less paranoid about such things, but a little bit of caution was always healthy.


    The guard only would have raised an eyebrow if he had even read that part. The moment he saw the metal the card was made from, he already shook his head. ¡°Coppers don¡¯t get to walk past this point.¡±


    ¡°We were told we would find adequate gear for level 20 and upwards here,¡± the humanoid chimera said.


    ¡°You will, but Coppers don¡¯t get to walk around here. Standard security measure. The crafters don¡¯t want to lose the high-level goods to a thief that gets big ideas and the medics don¡¯t want to deal with someone Equipment Poisoning every day, so we keep the better stuff behind the wall.¡±


    Worthwhile worries to have. Everyone with a brain would keep their more expensive goods in a more secure location in an environment where plenty of people were specifically trained to suppress their presence. Reysha could have made off with a great number of items just in passing if she had so desired and she was far from the only Rogue around ¨C and others were way better at stealing.


    Equipment Poisoning, similarly, was a real issue. Every enchanted item radiated part of its magic constantly and that radiation of magic was a lot more intense if someone handled that item. If someone had less magic than an item that they were wielding, the detrimental effects could range from nausea to death, depending on the difference. Like rainwater could cause the surface of a cherry to split due to osmosis, so too did magic have detrimental effects on the undeveloped soul.


    In general, it was recommended people did not go for items more than five levels above their level.


    Much like the latent magic in dungeons, the radiating magic from magical materials did have its upsides. Crafters found themselves levelling in their own way because of the magic that was released when materials were worked. Much like combat allowed the soul of an adventurer to expand to take in additional energies, so too did the creative process work for crafters. These kinds of levels and Classes were different in their manifestations, but the underlying principle was the same.


    It was therefore entirely reasonable to separate where the higher-level people were working from the general areas. It assured the less experienced adventurers and traders didn¡¯t get exposed to the increased amount of magic in the air from the mana-rich fumes of a forge working true silver or the chemicals used to tan the hides of boss monsters.


    What Apexus found unreasonable was to tie that to the metal the card was made from. ¡°It clearly states I am above level 20,¡± he pointed out, verbally and physically.


    The guard did him the favour of looking at it, but shrugged all the same. ¡°Could be forged ¨C Look,¡± he continued before any of the quartet could start complaining. ¡°I don¡¯t know how often people try to forge their cards, I don¡¯t know if it''s reasonable to say that people could forge copper cards but not iron ones, but the rules are the rules. Unless the guild respects you enough to give you the iron, you aren¡¯t getting through.¡±


    ¡°How about if I put in a good word for them?¡±


    The new voice in the conversation made the two guards and the quartet turn their attention to its source. Left of the little gathering stood a familiar figure with long-ish brown hair. He raised his hand in greeting.


    ¡°You sure about this, Atlas?¡± the guard asked.


    ¡°We had a drunken brawl the other day and he hits hard enough for the part. I was drunk, I should say, the big guy was sober.¡± Stepping up closer the Warrior gave Atlas a testing, friendly slap on the shoulder. Apexus left the social gesture uncommented. ¡°In any case, they¡¯re not the run of the mill adventurers. They¡¯ll get the iron soon enough.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± the guard answered with a shrug, then stepped aside. Atlas¡¯ word was good enough for him.


    ¡°Come along,¡± Atlas invited them and, after Apexus took the first step, the rest of the party followed.


    ¡°This is an appropriate recompense for the trouble you have caused my darling,¡± Aclysia stated, once they were past the cobblestone fence. The segment of the district was immediately less busy. Rather than broad appeal, the shops here were focused on commissioned work and it showed. Everyone was working right there out on the street, advertising their wares as much as their craftsmanship. Rather than prices, the large boards by every shop displayed percentages of what the craftsmen either expected to be paid for turning loot into usable items or would pay to receive certain raw materials without the Adventurer¡¯s Guild as the middleman.


    Most adventurers were pretty lazy and just handed their loot over to the Guild¡¯s traders, who then sold it in bulk at a markup. Subverting that process was usually cheaper, but most craftsmen did not have the warehouses required to keep everything they wanted in stock so they only bought on demand. It was its own little sub-category of Quests, to get crafters what they wanted.


    ¡°Prickly,¡± Atlas joked, then cleared his throat when the metal fairy kept staring. ¡°Message received. I am really sorry about starting that fight, please forgive me.¡± He bowed his head in earnest apology.


    ¡°You are forgiven,¡± Apexus said simply.


    ¡°This is what I like about you Monks, you¡¯re always direct.¡± Atlas straightened back up. ¡°Not going to lie to you either, I don¡¯t think I said anything wrong¡­ unless I got a massive hole in my memory.¡±


    ¡°You said that adventurers should extort those in need of help,¡± Apexus summarised.


    ¡°Woooow, that sounds a bit much. We still have a moral obligation to make sure people live,¡± Atlas swiftly answered. ¡°I would say adventurers should maximize their profits. That does sometimes involve squeezing people a bit, I admit, but I can¡¯t help people that have nothing to offer me if I don¡¯t take the big paycheck from the people that have more than enough. The good stuff doesn¡¯t pay for itself.¡± He pointed over his shoulder at a shop that, in big, bold letters displayed the words: DO NOT ENTER WITH LESS THAN 100 GOLD!


    The idea did not sit right with Apexus still. ¡®Perhaps I am judging them too harshly on the basis of my own self-sufficiency,¡¯ the slime considered. ¡°I will give your words further contemplation.¡±


    ¡°And I give a half-promise not to punch you next time I¡¯m drunk,¡± Atlas laughed, then ducked away to escape Aclysia¡¯s criticizing gaze. ¡°See you around!¡±


    ¡°Jolly fellow,¡± Reysha commented.


    ¡°He seems alright,¡± Korith agreed.


    ¡°He has annoyed me and continues to do so,¡± Aclysia put out her verdict.


    Apexus had nothing to add and instead looked around. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can sell that Mana Gem. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to afford a new weapon for Reysha otherwise.¡±

 A Rivalry 6 – Rankings

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild separated its members into ten tiers, signified by cards made from ever rarer kinds of metal.


    Copper cards were the lowest of the low. They were so cheap to produce that the service of having them created was free in basically every Guild outpost around the Omniverse. Anyone who wanted to get a copper card could do so at any point and for any reason. It was no surprise then that they were the most frequently seen. Even adventurers of higher tiers often carried a copper card with them because it was simpler to get an updated level that way.


    Above copper came bronze and then iron. Ascendancies in rank in this spread were tied, more than anything, to Guild records of an individual. Once an individual or a party had fulfilled loosely outlined criteria, they were allowed to either apply or were outright given a card of the elevated service.


    These three initial ranks made up the dwelling of the vast, vast majority of adventurers and roughly covered the level spread of 1 to 30. Levels did not correspond cleanly, since the Guild reserved the right to promote (and, rarely, demote) based on their own criteria.


    Cards for these ranks were cheap to make, since all these metals were fairly common. Some larger collectives of adventurers, such as Expeditions or Chapters, sometimes were given license to make their own cards just to ease the administrative burden. Similarly, often adventurers were given some kind of writ to prove they were entitled to new cards of a certain rarity. Most people only upgraded their cards when they achieved a new rank though. Level numbers were only useful as an estimate on what challenge to tackle next and getting a new card around every 10 levels was, therefore, good enough.


    It was above these ranks that things got interesting. Silver and gold came next. It was the only stretch that had a definitive ceiling in terms of level, as no one could exceed the rank of a gold card without having acquired their Common Art, something that usually happened at level 50, with only minor deviations being known.


    This was the stretch where adventurers left the realm of the common problem solver and became influential people just by virtue of their existence. Silver and gold cards were not handed out without merit, just because of how expensive it was to make them. By raw material, a gold card was worth about ten coins. No one would have ever sold it, the doors such cards opened were worth more than that, but that was still something to be said.


    Platin was next. Platin was where people¡¯s reputation truly began to soar, as they now had access to a Common Art. These powerful techniques, although shared with other people of the same Class, were a strength amplifier that made it so individuals above this threshold could take on dungeons of lower levels on their lonesome without much worry.


    Titanium, azurust, and orichalcum were the three kinds of cards that followed. For most people, all these ranks meant that someone was a living legend. For the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the Church, these ranks were interesting because it allowed them to filter who to reach out for in case of calamity. The return of Apotho and threats of the same level demanded that no one less than an azurust ranked adventurer was called into the mission to try and take care of this. Azurust, in this system, roughly equalling someone between level 70 and 80.


    Lastly, there was the divinium tier. Cards made from the godly metal were handed out with exceptional rarity, as it was generally regarded as a waste. Those that operated at this strength level stood at the cusp of providence. It was assumed that adventurers of this level would not remain within the mortal coil for much longer. Thus, the divinium tier was usually granted only to those that deliberately decided to stay mortal for longer than required and keep suffering the restrictions of material existence in exchange for staying free of the gods¡¯ code of conduct.


    Only those that had their Individual Art entered the divinium rank and they were short of gods in two aspects. First, they remained within mortal bodies. Second, they were not granted the Spark of Creation ¨C that fragment of the Omniverse¡¯s might that allowed gods to take the silver mana coursing through the great tree to make new Leaves.


    To call them demigods would have been entirely accurate.


    Although the Guild did somewhat consider moral fibre when taking into account where someone should be placed in the ranking, the main question they asked was that of merit. Quests concluded successfully and money earned for the Guild (in the shape of commissions on Quests) were what the Guild cared about most. It was a simple question of operating costs for the top brass in the Guild. A multi-versal enterprise rarely had the luxury of caring about ethics in their conduct.


    It was for that reason that no one in the group had even been granted a bronze card. They all looked at their updated copper. Aclysia was level 22, as was Apexus, Reysha reached level 23, and Korith was behind at level 21. All of that was in the expected range. It was the metal of the cards that caused them a headache.


    ¡°This will be an issue going forwards,¡± Aclysia hummed. ¡°We cannot rely on others to keep giving us access to the good parts of the markets.¡±


    ¡°We have a bunch of issues going backwards,¡± Reysha groaned and put down the bowl she had, with much chagrin, swiftly downed. ¡°We¡¯re flat broke again.¡± The redhead played with the true silver stiletto now attached to her hip. It had cost them the entirety of the loot and two and a half of the remaining three gold of their Quest reward. All of that after Korith had haggled so harshly that the smith had only agreed to the price on the condition that they never came back to her.


    ¡°A-and if we don¡¯t get recognized as a higher level group, we won¡¯t get recommended for specific jobs!¡± Korith squeaked. Besides the blackboard, the Guild also offered the service of directly finding parties best suited for jobs of particularly high-paying customers. The Guild got a higher cut of those Quest¡¯s rewards, but that was paid by the Quest giver so getting recommended for one of these was typically lucrative ¨C plus the prestige involved was plenty.


    ¡°If we wish to advance quickly, it would be in our interest to take Quests that offer the maximum reward for minimal time investment,¡± Aclysia stated the obvious. ¡°I¡­ dislike this, but perhaps we should consider Atlas¡¯ approach for the immediate future.¡±


    The idea did not invoke joy in Apexus. Much like his first love, he could not deny the efficacy of the idea to get out of their cycle of bare minimum and brokenness. ¡°It would be wise,¡± he agreed, reluctantly. It felt wrong to cave after having a brawl over it. To hold onto the opposite position because of that would have been even more wrong.


    They needed money. It was that simple. Without proper armaments and consumables, the challenges up ahead would be unnecessarily dangerous. They were safe of Apotho¡¯s schemes for now, but one day Apexus wished to bring that warlock to justice. If not for his own sake, then for the redhead who still suffered the nightmares of her guilt at times.


    With that in mind and their bellies full, they moved to the blackboard.


    The mission that Atlas had recommended to them a few days ago had been removed, likely claimed by another party that wanted the money. After ten minutes of scanning, they settled simply on a Quest with a massive reward of 150 gold. That alone would be more money than they had earned in the entirety of the last two years put together several times over and definitely keep them in the green for a while.


    ¡°Are you sure you want this Quest?¡± the clerk asked when they brought the note to the counter.


    Apexus read the text again. By its description it seemed simple enough. North of Drowse, south of the mountains that separated the peninsula from the Influence Zone of Chimerion, was a small area that remained dominated by Incursions and naturally occurring monsters. In that area was a lake. At the bottom of the lake was a ship that had been carried there during a storm flood and then sunk. In that ship were valuables that the Quest giver wished retrieved.


    ¡°What is the problem with it?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°A Chimera Gargant has been spotted in the area. A bounty has been placed, but it¡¯ll take a bit before we can confirm it''s safe again.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, question!¡± Korith jumped and then held onto the edge of the desk in order to be seen as she spoke. ¡°Bounties are just general rewards, right? So it doesn¡¯t violate the ¡®no multiple Quests¡¯ code?¡±


    ¡°That would be correct, but a Gargant is recommended for a party of level 25.¡±


    Apexus considered the risk and reward of the situation. At level 22 average, they were close enough for comfort. Their lack of equipment, they could compensate for somewhat with their individual quirks and benefits. They had slain a minor dragon via dirty methods. A Chimera Gargant should have been just as possible.


    ¡°We will take the risk,¡± Apexus decided.


    The Quest paid too well not to consider. ¡°As the Quest states, the provider would like a meeting first,¡± the clerk informed them. ¡°Please take this form to their address. Once you have returned it with their signature, I will officially mark the Quest as in progress.¡±


    Aclysia took the form and carefully folded it before stowing it away. Then, the party headed out.


    The location they had been given took a bit to find. Official addresses weren¡¯t a thing in this city, so everything was relative to the few permanent or larger fixtures of the districts. The house they were pointed to was three removed north-east of the Sleeper¡¯s Guild, the state-sponsored merchant guild on the Leaf.


    ¡®Three removed¡¯ turned out to be a flexible term. Given the bend of the street and general uncertainty where one property ended and another began, it was arguably the case that the house of the merchant was seven or just two removed. In any case, after some awkward knocking and asking around, the party managed to get where they were supposed to be.


    It was a two-story house with walls of orderly stacked brick stone. That alone betrayed the wealth of the inhabitant. There was no quarry anywhere near Drowse, the only way to make a house like this was to have every individual brick brought over the Branch via carriage or to have them shaped up by Shamans via earth-fusing rituals.


    Despite that, the house was relatively small, too small to count as a manor. The base floor consisted of a foyer, two offices, a living room, a kitchen, and the staircases that led up to the bedrooms and down to the storage cellar. In it lived the merchant, his wife, two children, and a separate bedroom was kept empty for a live-in maid. A typical house of the emerging upper class of this gradually settling Leaf.


    In the absence of a maid, the man of the house had to greet the party personally. He was a short man in his early fifties, with a bald head and a gentle demeanour. Apexus liked him immediately, because of a combination of eagerness to please and calculation inside those eyes.


    ¡°Can I get you anything? We have tea, cookies¡­¡±


    ¡°We will not take your time for long,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°We wish to set out on the Quest as soon as possible. We simply require your signature.¡± She pulled out the form.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the trader took the paper over to his small writing desk and grabbed a feather. As the ink of his signature dried, he turned to the party. ¡°The reason why I requested this be done is that I wanted to have a quick chat about what I want you to find and how to get it back.¡±


    ¡°We walk?¡± Reysha suggested.


    The trader showed a mildly amused smile. ¡°That may be a little bit difficult. To make a long story short, I was the captain of the ship when it sank, so what I want retrieved is the chest in the captain¡¯s quarters. It was built to remain dry on the inside, so the contents should still be intact, as long as it''s not opened.¡±


    ¡°You would prefer if we managed to retrieve the chest unopened?¡± Aclysia guessed.


    ¡°If possible, yes. Most of the contents would be fine with some limited exposure to water, but there¡¯s a picture of my wife in there, among other things, that I¡¯d rather keep intact. Also, the chest itself is worth a pretty copper, as you can guess.¡±


    ¡®That little? Ah, metaphor¡­¡¯ Apexus thought to himself. ¡®Why not say pretty platinum?¡¯ The question was also kept to himself.


    ¡°We will attempt our best, but in case we do not manage to drag the chest to land in its entirety, is there a particular order of priorities at which you would like to see the items retrieved?¡± Aclysia investigated.


    ¡°To put it bluntly, there¡¯s roughly 500 gold worth in rolled up coins in there, so I would like that retrieved first,¡± the trader answered and fixated on their faces one after another. That he had wanted a meeting now made sense twice over. Easier to prevent the party from stealing when they knew that their faces were associated with the Quest. ¡°Beyond that, there¡¯s sentimental trinkets. A locket, a few rings, a broken lantern,  aforementioned picture, of those I would just like you to save what you can. There is also an¡­ additional reward to be earned.¡±


    The trader grabbed two pieces of paper. One was blank, the other was the blueprint of the vessel they were out to find. It was an averagely sized merchant ship, barely larger than the vessel they had travelled on, back on Tacuitos, to get to the Dragon Isles.


    ¡°The ship sank straight with the nose down,¡± the merchant told them. ¡°That¡¯ll make getting to the captain¡¯s quarters relatively easy.¡± He copied the shape of the ship onto the blank page and marked the space under the elevation of the steering wheel where his room had been. ¡°However, my crew has requested that I at least ask that you retrieve what you can of their belongings and that will be more complicated. The crew quarters were down here.¡± He drew in a flight of stairs that left under deck, then a wall, then a bunch of hammocks. ¡°I am sure you can see the issue.¡±


    ¡°The captain¡¯s quarters are up and directly accessible, but the sailor¡¯s quarters are all the way down,¡± Aclysia analysed. ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult to manoeuvre, all of the heavy items will have sunk to the bottom of the room and the doors will be swollen shut from the exposure to water.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the long and short of it, yeah. Just grab whatever you can, again chests would be optimal but I get you only have so many hands. Also, one of my men drowned in there.  Unlikely he turned into an undead, but with the Chimerion zone you never quite know.¡±


    ¡°It will not be an issue for us,¡± Apexus assured.


    ¡°It won¡¯t? Not to pry or anything, but I had already given up hope on anyone taking the Quest on account of adventurers being unable to stab the concept of drowning.¡±


    ¡°I can survive underwater,¡± Apexus said simply. ¡°I do not need to breathe.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, that¡¯s very useful.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Apexus agreed and the conversation came to a grinding halt.


    Aclysia cleared her throat. ¡°Manoeuvring underwater will indeed be the least of our issues. Dragging the valuables back to shore under the duress of wild monsters will be our primary hindrance. You mentioned assistance on returning the items once retrieved?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, if you would direct your eyes there.¡± The trader pointed them at a local map of Drowse. It was made from wood and glass, allowing him to draw onto the surface with a special kind of pen and then wipe it away later with simple cloth. Using one such pen, he drew a route. Hexagons on the map hinted at the distance one could travel in a day. ¡°On the way to, I can¡¯t help you, but on the way back, you should go to the Drowse River. There¡¯s a bunch of ferries that take adventurers downstream. Just mention Bo from the Bo Ring Company sends you. I¡¯ll have it paid later.¡±


    ¡°Bo Ring company, really?¡± Reysha laughed.


    ¡°Simple names sell,¡± the trader answered with a proud smile. ¡°You won¡¯t forget it.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative, we shall commit it to memory.¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 A Rivalry 7 – Midnight Arousal [Erotic Content]

    Korith woke up. It was a random awakening, brought about by nothing else than the heat between her legs and in her chest.


    The shortstack was pretty used to waking up like this by this point. Sleeping naked in a bed shared with two other nubile women and a massive stud of a man just had that effect sometimes. Not that she hadn¡¯t woken up horny before these current circumstances, but the pheromones in the air just made it that much more frequent, as did the bulky arms that cuddled her like a particularly big pillow.


    There were only three options for a horny kobold in her situation. Closing her eyes and trying to get back to sleep was option one. She hated option one. She had always hated option one, but the frequent sex she had been getting since joining the party made option one the worst thing ever.


    Option two was to wiggle her way out of the embrace and find something phallic to help herself with. Claws had their upsides but they were not masturbation friendly. Option two could be nice but¡­ Korith did not have a phallic sex toy around and even if she did, she sucked at being quiet.


    Option three was to gently tug at a strand of Apexus¡¯ long, black hair, wait for his eyes to open and then execute the most adorable, horny pout she was capable of.


    Sheets rustled after just two seconds, following the motion of Korith¡¯s hands. The shortstack giggled shyly to herself, then moaned when thick fingers roamed between her plump legs. Apexus found her sex wet with midnightly desire. Mons, swollen from the blood rushing to her pleasantly pink pussy, gave under the pressure of a single digit. The flesh wobbled amusingly when he gave it a playful flick, stimulating the clit in the process.


    The sharp moan of the blonde shortstack stirred the other two party members from their sleep. Reysha yawned while sitting up and took drowsy stock of the situation. What she saw was Korith, her head resting on Apexus¡¯ bicep. The other hand of the sole male in the room was gently moving up and down her wet slit. All of it was barely visible in the darkness of the room. The moon was too thin this night to illuminate anything else through the drawn curtain.


    ¡°Surprise, surprise. Squishy has the midnight fever,¡± Reysha joked, her tone made extra sultry by the mild tiredness.


    ¡°You are the one most susceptible to that illness,¡± Aclysia commented. Courtesy of her nature, sleep was just an energy-saving state for her. Awakening was as simple for her as a cat. Ironic, considering the tiger girl had to stretch.


    ¡°It¡¯s a wonderful illness to have,¡± the redhead said and spread her legs. Occurrences like this were frequent enough that no questions were asked and Reysha needed no better reason than ¡®any reason¡¯ to start masturbating. ¡°Ain¡¯t it, Korith?¡±


    ¡°Y-y-esssssh,¡± the kobold moaned. One of Apexus¡¯ fingers slipped into her. His hand was so large and her pussy so tight that the single digit already sent jolts of pleasure up her spine. Her back arched, then arched further still when Reysha squeezed the crown of one of her huge tits and twisted. ¡°Tw-wo fingersh please, Mashtehr!¡±


    ¡°Because you are being a good girl,¡± Apexus answered and did as she had pleaded.


    There was no need to get any more creative at this moment. No tentacles, no vibrations, just Korith getting her cunt fingered and a nipple squeezed was enough. Already aroused to the point of waking up from restful sleep, Korith came within minutes. Her back claws pushed into the mattress, pressing her wet pussy into the rapid up and down of Apexus¡¯ hand. The tips of middle and ring fingers of his massive hand kept on rubbing against that one sensitive spot among her folds.


    ¡°Hellroots, yesssssss,¡± Reysha hissed at the sight of the submissive shortstack getting the climax she had begged for. Every little shift in the dark room was a picture unpainted. Even Reysha struggled to make out more than the outline of Korith¡¯s form and that lack of information intertwined with her intimate knowledge that they all had of each other¡¯s bodies into a wonderfully suggestive experience. Sometimes less was¡­


    ¡°M-more?¡± Korith dared to stammer, as the throws of ecstasy began to ebb away.


    ¡°Greedy, aren¡¯t we?¡± Reysha cooed, her breathing hitched for a moment from the tingle her own fingers gave her. ¡°What do you think, Aclysia, does your fellow submissive get to have a little extra?¡±


    ¡°If it pleases Master,¡± the metal fairy sighed. She knelt at the side of the happenings, watching it all with hand-wringing excitement. Her green eyes glowed with an ever so subtle golden hue, a tiny light, bright in the otherwise thorough darkness.


    ¡°It does,¡± Apexus stated, his deep voice enough to make the women swoon. He did shift his position. Laying made sense when it had been a matter of swiftly taking care of her. The situation had changed from a quick scratching of an itch to a proper nightly orgy. ¡°Little plaything,¡± the two words had Korith look up with lustfully wide eyes. She could not wait to see what way he would use her.


    ¡°Lemme help ya with that,¡± Reysha purred when Apexus straddled the shortstack¡¯s torso. Taking hold of both of Korith¡¯s massive tits, the tiger girl squeezed them together for the swiftly swelling cock of the humanoid chimera to sink between.


    Korith was a little mess, moaning while the cleavage of her underboob served as the sheathe of her Master¡¯s cock. Smirking at the sight, Reysha watched the rhythmic back and forth, felt the ripples under her groping hands, until her own lust made her move for a little more. Before Korith knew what was happening, she was locked in a kiss with the secondary dom in the room.


    All of the senses of the shortstack were hazy. Her eyes were half-closed, as was done to her everything her doms wanted ¨C everything she wanted. Pinned under a man twice her size, getting her tits fucked, Korith inched closer and closer to another orgasm. Her chest wasn¡¯t as sensitive as her pussy or throat, but it was sensitive enough.


    Apexus backed off before the kobold got over the edge again. For a moment there was frustration there, of the best kind. ¡®Am I going to get to cum?¡¯ the delightful question was answered by her Master moving a little lower.


    ¡°Lucky girl,¡± Reysha whispered.


    Korith could only scream in response while the cock of her man pushed into her tight quim. At first, it was merely large for her, an upgrade from the fingers that had worked her before. Even as he was pushing into her, her Master¡¯s cock swelled. More and more, the member grew, until its girth was such that her abdomen visibly rose where he penetrated her.


    The flexible insides of the shortstack accommodated it with pleasure. Her folds were stretched, exposing more and more sensitive nerve endings to the rigid texture of his cock. Her womb was pushed deeper into her little body. That was too much for her. Like every shortstack, she was built for big dicks and he was filling her to the brink.


    She came.


    Explosively.


    Pussy juice gushed in heavy spurts over their joined sexes, soaking the sheets that her fists bunched up. Thick thighs wrapped around his waist as best as they could, pressing squishy, trembling, pliable flesh against her gently smiling dom. Rolled up eyes made her appreciating the expression impossible. Her field of view was crackles and dancing, multi-coloured dots. She barely even noticed her midriff curling.


    Apexus leaned forward until he had the shortstack firmly underneath him. Then, he started pounding. The grip of her drenched, spasming folds made that nearly impossible, but only nearly and Apexus knew how Korith liked to get fucked.


    ¡°F-fuck! So lucky!¡± Reysha moaned. The tiger girl was bent over now, her bubble butt in the air, her chin on the mattress, both hands between her legs, working her cunt in an attempt to feel even half the pleasure Korith was. ¡°Yesssss, mess her up, big guy!¡±


    ¡°Darling,¡± Aclysia pushed out the single word without thinking. It was swooning, lustful sounds, reflective of the dripping state her untouched pussy was in. The bottom-heavy angel squirmed where she knelt, bit her lower lip, and imagined herself in that position. No, rather, she remembered herself in that position. It had only been yesterday that she had last been pounded like that herself.


    Korith didn¡¯t remember anything, including her name. There was just the present, in which she was a slab of fuckable meat getting pressed into the mattress. Any initial difficulty Apexus had had in fucking her had since been solved by her incredible wetness. Her pussy was a deep and wide hole, shaped by his cock. Every time he hammered against her ass, equal parts appropriate for her size and yet obscenely thick, the resounding ¡®PLAP!¡¯ sound was immediately followed by another. She had stopped screaming in ecstasy only because her lungs ran empty.


    Apexus pulled out on a sudden impulse, leaving behind a gaping cunt. One final squirt of love juices accompanied him getting out of the grip of her legs and leaving her lower body to flop back down to the mattress. Twitching and grinning, the kobold was clearly satisfied. Apexus had elsewhere to spend his remaining stamina. One had started this nightly debauchery, two more were in need of ¡®tucking in¡¯.


    ¡°Let me just wiggle over here¡­¡± Reysha repositioned herself slightly while Apexus moved to get behind her. ¡°Spread those legs, bubble butt.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress,¡± Aclysia moaned and did as ordered. While the tiger girl dragged her tongue over the now exposed slit of the snow white angel, Apexus pushed against the lower lips of the dark-skinned redhead. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her ass was a work of art. Round, juicy, smooth and firm, all of the things a chocolate butt like hers could be asked to be. Top down and bottoms up, the curve from her waist to her hips was emphasized. The gradual parting of her petals was delightful to behold. Apexus savoured every moment of it, then savoured the sensation of her folds around him. He penetrated her slowly, adjusting the shape but not the size of his cock as he went to fit Reysha¡¯s needs absolutely.


    Reysha hummed with sinful appreciation while she got filled up by his manhood. Her tongue was busy with Aclysia¡¯s clit. A task that was put on hold for a moment when Apexus delivered a sharp smack to the redhead¡¯s rear. ¡°Yes!¡± she shouted. ¡°Oh fuck, do that a-Gnnnn!¡± The second spank had Reysha throw her head back. ¡°Fuck the soul out of me, big guy!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Apexus answered, a hint of amusement in his voice, then grabbed Reysha by the swing of her hips.


    Hungry for pleasure, the blue-eyed nymphomaniac dove back between Aclysia¡¯s legs. Sloppy were her efforts to eat out her fellow haremette. Control over her tongue and general movements was compromised by the sheer weight that was clapping against her ass from behind. The massive man was slamming into her depths, the girthy rod always stopping just shy of what would be uncomfortable for a woman who, even if much taller, was not blessed with the stretchy insides of a shortstack.


    Regular folds were just as good as those stretchy insides though. To Apexus, the difference in texture was simply a difference between two delicious flavours. He kept pumping in and out, never once stopping. The soreness of muscles regular men had to fear did not affect him, he would just wake up a little hungrier than usual after burning this much biomass in the pursuit of satisfied mates.


    Stuck between a hard cock and a swollen cunt, Reysha was in one of her personal erotic heavens. Her ass burned pleasantly from the aftermath of the spanking. Her man was pounding her pussy. Her getting over the edge was a delectable inevitability.


    Apexus stopped moving shortly after the spasms started. Purring, Reysha gasped and moaned, getting her hair caressed by a gentle fairy and her ass squeezed by the experienced lover. The one orgasm wiped her mind for a few seconds, made her energized, before suddenly taking that energy away and reminding her of just how late it was.


    Lethargic and yet eager for more, Reysha tilted forwards until Apexus¡¯ cock left her with an almost inaudible, wet sound. The natural tension in the rigid member had it spring up and then settle between the cheeks of the chocolate-skinned redhead. ¡°I love how that feels,¡± Reysha whispered, swaying her ass for a moment, before suddenly turning her attention to Aclysia.


    The angel yelped in surprise when she was shoved. Her precarious balance was fully destroyed and she landed on her back on the hay mattress. Swiftly, Reysha climbed on top of her, ran her hands through the orderly white hair of the pointy-eared woman, and wiggled her hips enticingly. The invitation was clear.


    Apexus formed a second cock with ease. It was almost ready by the time he got behind the duo and certainly ready by the time he lifted their stacked hips to the height of his groin. The simultaneous penetration got mismatched moans, the differences in temperament manifesting in Reysha¡¯s shameless cries and Aclysia¡¯s elegant gasps.


    The initial difference was gradually eliminated by the simple and straightforward sex that followed. In and out, sometimes adjusting the angle to hit another sensitive spot. Getting pounded at the same rhythm had them forget their differences gradually, until they were both moaning messes fully surrendered to the passion. The pale and the dark-skinned woman were each running their fingers through the others hair, while pink lips parted for the hungry tongue of the tiger girl.


    They held on together, kept their pleasure at bay for as long as they could, they let go as one ¨C all three of them. Whether it was the tensing of Apexus¡¯ shaft or the grip of their cunts that occurred first was impossible to say. If there was any difference in order, then it was inconsequential. Fact was that the orgasmic cries of the kissing women filled the room while seed spurted from the tips of Apexus¡¯ cocks filled their depths.


    The finale was a prolonged moment of gasps and purrs, moans and little cries. It ended not suddenly, but with the very slow, very gradual ebbing away of their combined pleasure. Bit by bit, tensed muscles relaxed, placing sweaty bodies on stained sheets. Aclysia and Reysha remained intertwined, the latter drifting back into sleep nearly instantly, the former following once she had received a goodnight kiss from her darling.


    Apexus, for his part, picked up the horny kobold that had started all of this, long since passed out herself, and pulled her back between his arms.


    Just like that, they were all out again.

 A Rivalry 8 – Chance meeting at the Lake

    Apexus peeked his head out of the door of the Mobile Estate. His eyes scanned the immediate surroundings of the door. Carefully, he stepped outside. There was nothing behind the minimal space between the door and the tree they had placed it against.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear,¡± he told the rest of the party, who hopped out of the Mobile Estate one after another. Reysha stretched under the morning sun. It was a cold spring morning, but the rays were still warm and the air fresher than the inside of the one-room Change Mansion.


    Apexus pulled the key out of his lower arm and locked the door of light. It collapsed into the golden object, which he then handed over to Aclysia. Today he expected combat, so he did not want to keep the key in a limb that may get ripped off or between ribs that could take a denting blow. The chances for that were not too high, but they were higher than the chances of it getting stolen.


    They were outside the territory of Drowse now. After six days of travel, they had arrived at the wetland that surrounded the lake they were sent to investigate.


    The relative cold kept the environment from being too humid. Activity of amphibians was low, courtesy of the salinity of the water. The land here was flat and low, letting storms flood the plain with ocean water with some regularity. It was a particularly intense storm of that variety that had sent the ship sinking in the lake in the first place.


    Maps made land look rigid. In reality, coastlines were constantly changing according to the whims of nature. Similarly, the map made it look like there was a magical cut-off point between where the land was safe and where it was dangerous.


    Two days ago, the party had left the mansion and was swiftly assaulted by a chimeric creature that was a mix of flounder, frog and centipede. The chimera had laid flat on the ground and been camouflaged to a degree that not even Apexus had noticed it until it was too late. The creature had been pressed flatly to the ground, then suddenly expanded a giant maw and grabbed Korith with its sticky tongue.


    It was fortunate that the party¡¯s smallest member was the second heaviest and, all things considered, the most likely to win a tug of war. The Warrior kobold had squeaked, dug her heels in, and resisted being pulled towards the eager mandibles for long enough that the rest of the party had kicked the life out of the monster.


    Since then, they had been more careful about what was outside their movable home.


    ¡°It is highly fortunate that we do not sleep in tents or similarly open places,¡± Aclysia remarked. ¡°From hearsay I have learned that an estimated 70% of adventurer deaths are due to nightly ambushes.¡±


    ¡°Sounds about right,¡± Reysha agreed. ¡°Wonder how many people get used to the safety of Healing Fountains and then forget they don¡¯t have that protection from roaming monsters.¡±


    ¡°More than zero,¡± Apexus suggested.


    ¡°There¡¯re idiots in all professions¡­¡± Korith cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway, lake?¡±


    ¡°Lake,¡± Apexus agreed and gestured for the kobold to take point. The open wetland wasn¡¯t a dungeon, but it was best to treat it as such. He dropped to the back of the formation, leaving Aclysia between them. Reysha dropped out of his perception. The last he noted of her was the sound of tall grasses rustling.


    ¡®Could stab them right now,¡¯ the redhead thought to herself. ¡®No one would ever know, hehehehee¡­ wow, I can laugh creepily in my own head.¡¯


    Reysha turned away from the party and began to Stealth ahead. Occasionally, she would drop the Skill to let the others know where she was and to show which path she had scouted out. Korith then leapt on over, with Aclysia and Apexus following on wings.


    ¡®Well, that ain¡¯t good,¡¯ the redhead thought after she had reached the shoreline. Retreating quickly, she rejoined the rest of the Inevitable party. ¡°Shoreline is covered with crocorillas¡­ gorocrocs?¡± She shrugged. ¡°Crocodiles with gorilla arms for legs. They¡¯re probably pretty fast.¡±


    ¡°That sounds terrifying!¡± Korith exclaimed. ¡°Crocodiles should not be allowed to sprint, that¡¯s illegal!¡± S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Really, of all the things we killed, that¡¯s the one that gives you pause?¡±


    ¡°Crocodiles have no souls, have you seen their eyes?!¡±


    ¡°What about alligators?¡±


    ¡°What about cancer?¡±


    ¡°I did not know you held such hatred for a fellow creature of scaled exterior,¡± Aclysia hummed.


    ¡°If I ate a crocodile and took its eyes, would I lose my soul?¡± Apexus tilted his head. ¡°Do I have one?¡±


    ¡°Technically no, darling, although I do not believe this particular theological debate between consciousness and divine Sparks should occur here. As Reysha stated, there is a goridile infested beach twenty metres away from our current location. How many combatants can we expect?¡±


    ¡°Like, twenty?¡± Reysha answered. The rise and sudden fall between the lake¡¯s shore and the surrounding wetland covered the view. ¡°Enough that we really shouldn¡¯t mess with them even if they¡¯re like ten levels lower.¡±


    ¡°Our situation is about to change,¡± Apexus stated and pointed south.


    Aclysia turned around, Reysha raised her eyes, then a brow, and Korith jumped to hang from the arm. She couldn¡¯t have looked over the surrounding ferns from her standing height.


    In the distance, a familiar face waved. Fully armoured, Atlas took confident strides through the wetland, following a blue-furred tiger¡¯s footsteps. Behind him were the dwarf Shaman and thorn-dryad Witch that the party had briefly seen before, alongside a pale-skinned elf Ranger that they had not.


    ¡°Are you people stalking us?¡± Reysha asked jokingly.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Atlas joked and received a soft, reprimanding tap on the side of the head by the green-skinned dryad.


    ¡°Pure coincidence,¡± she assured them. ¡°We are up here to find Saline Verdants.¡±


    ¡°May I ask what those are?¡± Aclysia investigated.


    ¡°Some kind of fancy garlic that apparently grows well in salt-heavy marshes like this,¡± Atlas filled them in. ¡°The big guys from the Sleeping Empire think they can use it to develop some agricultural areas back in their main provinces. They want a new shipment every other year as they try to make it stick to their own soil.¡±


    ¡°We are also looking for the Gargant while we are up here,¡± the dwarf added. For a member of his species, he spoke calmly and completely accent-free. He stroked his carefully shaped, blueish-black beard. ¡°May we ask what you are doing here?¡±


    ¡°We aim to find a shipwreck in this lake.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh, the Bo Ring company?¡± Atlas asked and Apexus nodded affirmingly. ¡°That¡¯s going to be pretty difficult. Thought it was expensive myself. Half the reward would go down for the water breathing potions you¡¯d need to be on the safe side of it all¡­ plus the grocillas.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the worst out of the four¡­¡± Korith groaned. ¡°Is that really what they¡¯re called?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what he calls them,¡± the Witch weighed in.  ¡°Feel free to ignore Atlas¡¯ questions, by the way. He doesn¡¯t know the definition of the words ¡®trade secrets¡¯.¡±


    ¡°It is fine. I do not need to breathe,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°I am not¡­ a standard sapient being.¡± The hesitance was answered by nothing out of the ordinary.


    ¡°Man, that sounds pleasant. Breathing is such a pain,¡± Atlas joked. ¡°Out of interest, would you be up for helping us with the Gargant? We¡¯d split the reward 5 to 4. You know, shares per head.¡± The party with him appeared pleased by their leader¡¯s suggestion.


    Reysha was immediately suspicious. ¡°Why the offer?¡±


    ¡°Because we actually were looking for help but everyone bailed or was otherwise busy. A Gargant isn¡¯t to be taken lightly¡­ also, honestly¡­¡± Atlas scratched the back of his head. ¡°Call it charity. You lot are obviously running around in gear that needs replacement. I mean, that¡¯s a non-enchanted robe.¡± His hand wandered from Apexus to Aclysia. ¡°And that staff is obviously too heavy for a Guardian Angel.¡±


    ¡°You know of my nature?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°I did,¡± the dwarf stepped forwards, then bowed his head. ¡°I know the signs of a divine being.¡±


    ¡°We can discuss more later, if you agree to the deal,¡± Atlas offered. ¡°Otherwise we¡¯d just be on our merry way and see each other back in Drowse.¡±


    ¡°What would be your plan if we agreed?¡± Apexus investigated.


    ¡°We¡¯d put up a shared camp nearby. You would do your shipwreck stuff, we¡¯ll gather up the Saline Verdants, and once we¡¯re both done with that, we¡¯ll either have found the Chimera Gargant or go looking for it.¡±


    Apexus considered the suggestion, while Atlas¡¯ eyes dashed back and forth between the giant Monk and the angel to his right. ¡®I am really not sure which one of these two is the actual leader,¡¯ the brown-haired Warrior thought.


    ¡°Would you accept a test first?¡± the humanoid chimera investigated.


    ¡°Depends on the test?¡±


    ¡°Behind us are about 20 of the gorilla crocodile hybrids. They are sunbathing and likely still lethargic at this hour. They are still too much for us alone. I would request your aid in cleaning them out.¡±


    ¡°Think we can do that?¡± Atlas asked his party with a grin. The dwarf answered with an affirmative shout, the two women rolled their eyes (yet nodded all the same), and the blue tiger meowed.


    The Atlas party went left, while the Inevitable party went right. The plan was simple: split the enemy¡¯s attention while staying with already familiar groups. Optimally, both parties would get a general idea of the other¡¯s combat style and the lake would be considerably safer.


    The fight began with Apexus jumping down the slope.


    The chimeras on the beach rose up on their furry legs. Cold-blooded circulation was in slow motion, the sun was warm but not warm enough to provide these creatures with enough energy to react quickly to the huge Monk bringing down a light grey fist on the first one¡¯s head. The concussive blow was powerful enough to kill it instantly.


    Even lethargic, the creatures did try to grab their prey. The hard-programming of dungeon monsters still existed in these feral variants and they knew nothing but aggression towards the Spark-bearing people they existed to test. Two nearby monsters sprinted on their ape arms towards Apexus. One caught the back of Apexus¡¯ heel. The Ironskin-reinforced foot blew the lower jaw off the monster.


    The second fell victim to the gold-haired kobold that descended from above. All of the weight and all of the acceleration of gravity came down with the flat of the hammer, breaking the skull of another enemy.


    Up above, Aclysia pulled mana from the surrounding air into her staff. Using external mana slowed the weaving of the spell, but she was in no hurry. The Sunlight Rays she unleashed existed for confusion first and foremost, blinding those she struck either temporarily or for the rest of their limited lifespan.


    Reysha descended on the enemy furthest removed from the happenings. From the crocodile-gorilla¡¯s perspective, one moment it lived, the next a brand new dagger was separating its neck from its spine. ¡®Gods, I already love this thing,¡¯ Reysha thought and inspected the true-silver stiletto. The thin, narrow blade rejected the blood on its surface, causing it to flow off within seconds. Left behind was only a gleaming, white-silver weapon, waiting for its next victim.


    The remaining chimeras were now properly prepared and flowed towards the two parties, tying each of them down.


    Across the divide the parting herd caused, Atlas blocked the fist of a crocorilla with a raised shield. The gold decorations on the iron surface gleamed as the protective enchantments activated. The enemy experienced a greater backlash from the impact than it expected, blowing its defenses wide open.


    Rather than take that opening, Atlas stepped aside. In a set of fluid motions, the Warrior bashed his shield against the side of the head of another enemy, while the blue tiger jumped forwards and gouged the chimera¡¯s throat out.


    ¡°Why do we even bother with this?¡± the elven ranger complained, even as her hands moved rapidly to shoot the arrows between her fingers. One after the other, she emptied her hand, then got a new handful from her quiver.


    Each of her arrows struck true, sinking deep through the scales. The expensive true-silver tips of the ammunition were partly to thank for that. Another factor was the mumbling of the Dryad. Before her the grimoire that had previously dangled from her hips now hovered in mid-air, the pages flipping as she combined words of power from the deep texts. Each spoken syllable was a continuation of the Curse of Vulnerability that she had placed on this set of enemies.


    ¡®How interesting that she¡¯s supporting her party actively,¡¯ the dwarf Shaman thought, stroking his beard. His blue eyes were focused on the moth-winged angel up above. ¡®I thought she was their healer¡­  no, she must be. Going out without a healer is suicide and those are Priest spells¡­ she is a Guardian Angel, she confirmed as much. What tremendous skill, to handle this much mana while holding reserves.¡¯ Blue eyes glowed when he called upon the spirits. ¡®Impressive, I should work at least half as hard!¡¯


    Atlas felt his pulse quicken. Muscle fatigue was suddenly washed away. Little blue spirits swirled cheerfully around him. ¡°Just what I needed!¡± the party leader shouted, then executed a brilliant three-strike combo that saw just as many enemies felled.


    The numbers of the herd had been thinned on both sides to the point that the true combat was now over. Reysha and Apexus finished off the remaining monsters on their side. The tiger and the Witch did it for the Atlas party, the latter summoning needles of condensed mana to sink into her enemies. The spell was slow but precise.


    ¡°Now I doubly want you onboard,¡± Atlas laughed and sheathed his gold-silver sword. ¡°You have our opposite weakness! You¡¯re totally melee dominated.¡± He pointed over his shoulder. ¡°I can only ever rely on Flora to try and back me up in the thick of things.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true!¡± the tiger said, while morphing into the flower-decorated slime woman that Apexus was used to. ¡°Give Kumlin some credit.¡±


    ¡°Kumlin? Give me some credit!¡± the dryad shouted. ¡°Did you forget what I did last time we were in a Double Incursion?¡±


    ¡°Like you weren¡¯t itching to test that Curse,¡± Atlas bantered back. ¡°Anyway, do we have a deal, Inevitable?¡± His eyes darted back and forth between Apexus and Aclysia. ¡°Which one of you is the leader?¡±


    ¡°I told you before?¡± Apexus wondered.


    ¡°Was that when I was drunk enough to try to draw my sword in the guild? Because memory not so gud in those situations.¡±


    Aclysia silently pointed at her man, solving the question once and for all. Now in the know, Atlas awaited the response of the humanoid chimera. ¡°I find your terms agreeable,¡± he ultimately decided.


    ¡°Great, then we¡¯ll meet you here tonight!¡± Atlas stated. ¡°Good luck diving!¡±


    The cooperating parties separated for the day.

 A Rivalry 9 – Shipwreck

    ¡°So, I guess we just stand here and wait?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Yup-puh.¡± Reysha let the end of the confirmation pop, then took another bite of gorilla arm. ¡°Want me to eat you out while we wait?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Korith answered.


    ¡°I¡¯d wash out my mouth first.¡±


    ¡°That is not the issue! There¡¯s absolutely no cover around and there¡¯s monsters about.¡±


    ¡°¡­Since when are we against outdoor sex?¡±


    ¡°Since there is no cover around!¡± Korith squeaked. ¡°Why are you like this, Reysha?!¡±


    The redhead chortled at the exasperated question. ¡°¡¯Cause it keeps giving me funny faces to look at¡­ finger action, maybe?¡±


    ¡°N-no, Reysha, please¡­ don¡¯t do stupid stuff.¡±


    ¡°Alright fine¡­ little bit of making out?¡±


    Korith wanted to answer no instinctively, because of how the conversation had gone so far. After Reysha had cleaned the blood off her full lips, however, one member of their polygynous party stared at the other with a lot more than platonic desire. ¡°O-okay¡­ but we have to stay vigilant!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always vigilant,¡± Reysha purred.


    While the landlocked half of the party were doing their best to keep busy, the slime and the angel were scouting out the lake. They had been told that the crash had happened near the south shore of the lake, but well within the murky expanse of the body of water.


    Aclysia hovered above, keeping a lookout for any sign her darling gave her from within the lake. In a fortunate case, she would be able to see the mast of the ship in the upper layers of the murky water. In the absence of such luck, it was up to Apexus to find the target.


    The humanoid chimera was naked. Taking the robe into the water would just have created unnecessary drag. In his state of nature, Apexus was slowly walking over the lakebed. His legs vanished, often up to the thighs, in the dense carpet of water plants and soft mud. Small animals, sharp rocks, and the occasional sea urchin pricked his feet. Only the last of that list was bothersome. Apexus devoured those that got stuck on his soles by enveloping them with his membrane. His feet resembled those of elephants because of it.


    The lake was an interesting ecosystem and entirely natural. Most of the worlds¡¯ biomes had been designed by the gods that had made them. The lake had been an accidental, later creation, coming about because of the interplay between tides, strong winds, and elevation.


    A hundred years were not a long time in human generations, but for fish it was plenty of time to adapt. The salinity of the lake was considerably lower than the neighbouring ocean, but it wasn¡¯t nothing. Because of this, the lake was not used as a source of water for the surrounding wildlife. Simultaneously, the lake was not big enough to support large marine predators. In that interim, the crocodile gorillas had taken up the niche as top predator. Everything else in the lake was a smaller version of their open ocean cousins.


    Apexus stopped for a moment when he felt something solid under his steps. He bowed down and pulled out an algae covered piece of wood. He dropped it again a moment later. ¡®Too overgrown to be what we are looking for,¡¯ he thought. He was walking, rather than swimming, primarily because he did not want to drift over something. Visibility was terrible. The water was utterly dominated by algae and drifting mud.


    The humanoid chimera felt nostalgic at the environment. It was different from the cavity in which he had formed, but close enough to invoke memories. Things had been much simpler back then. A simplicity that, given the choice, Apexus still would have surrendered in favour of what he had now.


    The shape of the ship peeled out of the ¡®fog¡¯ slowly. Apexus thought it was a rock at first, then he made out the various markers of a crafted thing. The angles, the wooden planks, the nail, one after another it became apparent.


    Apexus finished digesting what was currently in his feet, then pushed himself upwards. He swam to the top of the deck and disturbed several dozen crustaceans who were working on a corpse tangled up in rope. ¡®The dead sailor tried to escape after the ship had sunk,¡¯ Apexus guessed and carefully prodded the corpse. When it did not move, he disentangled it. It was composed of too much bone now to float to the surface.


    Leaving that there for a moment, Apexus inspected the rest of the ship. Dimensions, position, and design all matched their targeted vessel. They had found what they were there for after just six hours of the humanoid chimera wandering about. There were plenty of other ships wrecked in this lake that he could have stumbled over instead.


    Confirmation acquired, Apexus grabbed the corpse, threw it over his shoulder, and returned to the surface. Once Aclysia had spotted him she floated over. Her moth wings vibrated softly, creating the illusion that it was them, not the magic flowing under their fuzzy surface, that kept her airborne. ¡°it appears your search has been successful, darling?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Apexus answered and inhaled deeply. It was easier to stay buoyant when his stomach was filled with water. ¡°Stay here, please. I want to get this corpse ashore so we can get it buried.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia confirmed with a little smile. ¡°As a messenger of the divine, I thank you for your consideration, darling.¡±


    The Monk just nodded, then swam back to the shore. Korith nearly jumped when Reysha suddenly broke the kiss. Pointing at the approaching party leader, the redhead smirked and said, ¡°See, I am paying attention. That our undead?¡±


    ¡°Just dead,¡± Apexus reported and carefully placed the corpse down. ¡°Can you dig up a grave for him?¡±


    ¡°Why? It¡¯s just as good that the crabs eat him as the worms do.¡±


    Apexus slowly shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not about what he wants to be devoured by, it¡¯s about where he would have wanted his body to lay. People largely prefer burials. We can offer that service. It is the correct thing to do.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t mind,¡± Korith assured.


    ¡°I mind, what if I break a nail?¡± Reysha joked and inspected the claws of her left arm, just as she made it turn into a demon hand. ¡°Seriously though, we should buy a shovel if we¡¯re doing this type of work in the future.¡±


    ¡°We have to acquire a long list of things,¡± Apexus answered, then spread his wings. ¡°We can talk more later.¡±


    ¡°Laterz,¡± Reysha waved.


    ¡°B-bye!¡± Korith added.


    Apexus flew back to where Aclysia¡¯s hovering presence marked the sunken ship¡¯s location. Once back in the water, he first went for the main target of their Quest: the captain¡¯s quarters.


    Opening the door was difficult. The wood was swollen shut and the frame was partially sealed by barnacles and vegetation. It did not help that, three tugs in, the rusty doorknob came loose in its entirety.


    Apexus decided to try and shatter the door. He hit the door once. It swung inwards. The humanoid chimera stopped in the middle of the second swing. ¡®I am alone. No one saw that,¡¯ he assured himself and gave the door another push to make it open the rest of the way.


    A pocket of air was trapped under the ceiling of the tilted room. Between that air and the water swam a cloud of dissolving bed fillings, paper, bottles, and various other things. The room was in a state of total chaos. Not much marine life had made it through the closed door, but the storm had made a ruckus of it all before the water had given it a second whirl. The bed was out of place, the desk toppled over, but the chest was still in place. It rested against the bottom wall of the cabin and was located behind the now open door.


    Apexus gave it a testing pull. It was heavy, but not as heavy as its bulky appearance would make one believe. The air still trapped inside gave it a degree of buoyancy. Not enough to actually float, but enough to reduce its weight in the water from the over eighty kilos it actually weighed with its content to something closer to fifty.


    A load that a man of Apexus¡¯ stature, an adventurer doubly so, would be able to haul the distance.


    Before he engaged in that project, Apexus went deeper into the ship¡¯s guts. There was another large air pocket trapped between the entrance to the bottom of the ship and the crew quarters. Apexus was tempted to flood it, if only because the lack of water made it awkward to manoeuvre the tilted staircase. ¡®Let¡¯s not do so without good reason,¡¯ he told himself.


    The crew¡¯s quarters were in a much worse state. Water had torrented in there at a higher speed. The gap that had caused the ship to sink was located nearby and thus all kinds of marine life had taken up residence between the rotting hammocks. Three of the chests Apexus found were rotted through, their contents rusted or otherwise damaged to the point of non-functionality. He still grabbed what he could, storing it inside his stomach region. The fourth chest was in good condition. He almost missed it because it was nearly entirely covered in sediment.


    Even though it was in good condition, water had seeped through the gaps. It was a sailor¡¯s chest, after all, not that of a captain. Most of what was in there was clothing. A murky goo had once been paper. There was another heavily rusted locket and an impressive, large shell of some kind of giant clam. A talisman for good luck.


    Apexus saw no danger in taking it all along and did so. Once it was stored in the adventurer¡¯s bag of one of the other party members, it wouldn¡¯t add to the weight. The chests, however, were not worth the retrieval.


    With all of that done, he went back to the surface, informed Aclysia of what had transpired, returned to the shore a second time, loaded off the sailor¡¯s trinkets, and then went to fetch the chest proper. None of that was interesting work. There was a short moment of excitement when he, mid-retrieval, was ambushed by another gorriladile. Beyond that, the only real enemy was time. Hauling the chest back to shore took him several hours. It regularly got stuck on things because of its broadness, which was a pain. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°That went smoothly,¡± Reysha commented when Apexus came back with the chest carried in front of him. ¡°I don¡¯t trust it. There¡¯s no way we make a big amount of easy money.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it,¡± Apexus requested.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing the opposite of jinxing it. I firmly believe something fucky will happen. The Leaf will tumble into the endless void before we¡¯re allowed to have actually good equipment and luxury stuff.¡±


    Korith¡¯s eyes, all the while, were glued to the chest. ¡°C-can we open it? Can we?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Apexus answered.


    ¡°Not yet?¡± Aclysia landed next to the group, just as Apexus placed the chest down on a relatively dry and blood free part of the beach. ¡°Darling, may I ask why we would open the chest at all? It is not our property.¡±


    ¡°I want to assure nothing crawled in. We won¡¯t look through the contents,¡± Apexus stated simply. ¡°We will not,¡± he repeated at Korith specifically.


    ¡°500 gold thoooooough,¡± the kobold whined.


    ¡°Oy, it¡¯s my job to be the greedy, immoral one,¡± Reysha complained.


    ¡°It¡¯s 500 gold. In coins.¡± Korith shifted her weight from one leg onto another. ¡°Hoard disdains stealing from the undeserving, so I won¡¯t take it, but I just want to¡­ look at it, you know?¡± Excitedly, she ran a hand over the top of the chest. ¡°Such good craftsmanship¡­ when will we open it then?¡±


    ¡°When it is dry,¡± Apexus answered, then looked up at the fading sun. There was only a sliver of it left. They had been lucky and it still had taken them the entire day.


    ¡°I must inquire where you buried the corpse,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°Sure, bubble butt, follow along.¡± Reysha guided the angel over to where they had dug out and filled back up a shallow grave. ¡°Best we could do with the tools we had. Shouldn¡¯t be a problem, not much left to rot and all that.¡±


    ¡°It will have to do,¡± Aclysia sighed and put her hands together in prayer. ¡°May your Spark find its rightful home in the Heavenly Trunk.¡±


    The rest of the party stood a few steps removed, lacking the dedication to the faith to stand with the Priest. They could have done so for the show of it. Without sincerity, the gesture was unwelcome.


    Nothing happened either, neither visually nor invisibly. No particles of light showed the passing on of an otherwise trapped soul nor was there an ethereal wind that blew over them with the gratitude of a departing consciousness. There was just an angel, saying her prayers for the dead, and those she travelled with standing quietly in respect of her faith.


    It wasn¡¯t until Aclysia lowered her hands that conversation resumed. ¡°So, what next?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Next we make camp,¡± Apexus stated plainly and pointed at the group of lights that was coming towards them.


    The Atlas party was returning.

 A Rivalry 10 – A Shared Camp

    ¡®Man, that¡¯s the last thing I wanted to know about the guy,¡¯ Atlas thought and moved his eye away from the tiny pecker the huge Monk had between his legs. ¡®Monks sure can be weirdos.¡¯


    ¡°Put on some clothes, vulgar creature!¡± the high elf ranger shouted and notably averted her gaze.


    Apexus did so only after cleaning the remaining wetness of the lake from his legs. The last thing he wanted was to go through all the trouble of taking the pants off only to soak their inside with saltwater anyway. Once he had the clothes back in place, the two parties were face to face.


    ¡°Successful day?¡± Atlas pointed at the beached chest with his chin.


    ¡°We have finished our objective,¡± Aclysia answered in her darling¡¯s stead. ¡°Do you have a campsite in mind?¡±


    ¡°We found a nice and dry spot about ten minutes from here. Flora would make it a little more homely. That work for you?¡±


    ¡°Courtesy of our unique circumstances, the location of our encampment is secondary at best,¡± Aclysia answered. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I will show you.¡± Apexus took the key that Aclysia pulled out of her Adventurer¡¯s Bag. The golden object felt right in his hand. That his first love had held it for the day had not changed that it belonged to him. The spirit within responded to Apexus, both in terms of who could enter and how the space available extended.


    Atlas whistled when the turned key created a frame of light and a wooden door within it. ¡°A Mobile Estate? I only heard about these things. I thought you had no money?¡±


    ¡°My teacher decided to gift it to me upon my departure.¡±


    It clicked in the head of the party¡¯s Witch and she took a sudden step forwards. ¡°Your teacher wouldn¡¯t happen to be Divine Hand Maltos, would he?¡±


    The Monk nodded with a mild smile on his face. ¡°His reputation reaches even here?¡±


    ¡°He was here, a hundred years ago, when the Leaf was formed,¡± the Witch reported. ¡°His Chapter was the one to venture out to the furthest reaches, founding the cities of Respite and Isolation. Had it not been for him, we¡¯d likely still be tracing the coastlines of this world.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably find a few statues of the man around,¡± Atlas added. ¡°To think that legend is still alive¡­ Divine Fruits sure pack a punch, huh?¡±


    ¡°I can only speak about the seed,¡± Reysha said, while Apexus and Korith moved the chest from the beach into the Mobile Estate. To use it as storage for larger items was one of the intended uses for it. One locked door later, Apexus put the key into his own adventurer¡¯s bag. He would use it again soon enough.


    Not having to haul the chest around made trekking over to the spot the Atlas party had scouted much easier. It was, as advertised, a bit of dirt elevated enough that it was nice and dry. A rare ring of trees kept the dirt compact. The number of large plants that had survived the salination of the groundwater in the lake¡¯s direct vicinity was little. Over the coming hundreds of years, those few survivors would multiply again. Where once a forest had been, a forest would be again, in due time.


    Flora, the slime Druid, and Kumlin, the dwarf Shaman, assured this campsite would survive a while longer by combining the rudimentary forms of their magic to balance the water and strengthen the roots of these trees. While that was going on, Aclysia helped the dryad Witch with drying firewood that the others were gathering.


    The Atlas party pulled out their own set of luxuries. Four large tents that popped up on their own, a ring of stone that would assure the campfire stayed lit on its own, foldable chairs, and plenty of food. They offered to share and Korith took the offer after some nudging. Apexus and Reysha preferred to partake in the remains of a crocorilla that they had carried with them.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask if you also have Noir,¡± Atlas spoke up, ¡°but I think we should take a moment to actually introduce ourselves. There¡¯s been some talks here and there between our groups, but I don¡¯t know half your names. If we work together, we should get that much out of the way.¡±


    ¡°A good call,¡± Apexus agreed. ¡°You are socially abler than me. I will adapt from your example.¡±


    ¡°Weird choice of words,¡± Atlas laughed. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back and forth then. I¡¯ll start.¡± The Warrior rose to his feet and executed an overly dramatic strike with the branch of wood he had been playing with. ¡°I am Atlas, leader and founder of the Atlas party! I originally was a solo adventurer. I formed the party because I needed to for some paperwork. Never thought I¡¯d get a permanent bunch around me, but one thing led to another and now I am stuck with one gorgeous dryad and three idiots.¡±


    ¡°Hear, hear!¡± the dwarf laughed. The rest of the camp followed.


    The mood was jolly, which made it difficult for Apexus to keep up with it. He stood up and then just¡­ stood there. He was still sorting his words. The party across the fire was giving him patient smiles. Not because they knew of his current internal struggle, but because they were used to Monks taking their time making any announcements.


    ¡®I¡¯m strong now. Too strong to be hunted. Too human-like to be wanted as a trophy.¡¯ The pragmatic thought occurred first. ¡®I should open myself to those that are trustworthy. Maltos advised as much.¡¯ ¡°I am Apexus. I originate from a cave in the depths of Ctania, where I came into existence for reasons unknown. No god has made me.¡± He raised a hand and turned the skin translucent until the blue slime and bone underneath became visible. ¡°I am a slime that evolves by devouring creatures and replicating their parts.¡±


    That, the Atlas party had not expected.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why¡­¡± Flora mumbled, now understanding why he had approached her.


    ¡°For real?¡± Atlas asked. ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡±


    ¡°That seems like an interesting origin,¡± the dryad agreed. ¡°Can you replicate anything you eat?¡±


    ¡°Must be useful,¡± the dwarf added.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you look like someone mixed and matched a bunch of parts,¡± the elf stated.


    That, the Inevitable party had not expected.


    ¡°I can¡­ replicate anything biological, although there are restrictions,¡± Apexus kept it brief. He expected further questions and a few came. They were understandably curious about what he was and he answered what little he could. Knowing not to be rude and sensing that this was a large step for the humanoid chimera, the Atlas party did not pry.


    Instead, they kept things casual and on topic.


    The dryad stood up next. Her asymmetrical, wooden horns had shrunk down in the absence of her witch¡¯s hat. ¡°I am Rahesia, a thorn dryad from the forests of Mergrun. I practice witchcraft, utilizing a variety of curses to either inhibit the enemy¡¯s abilities or intensify their weaknesses. I also have the questionable honour of sharing a tent with this guy.¡± She playfully grabbed Atlas by the hair.


    ¡°She¡¯s also the reason why they have a noise-cancelling tent,¡± Kumlin added.


    That caused another wave of laughter, during which Reysha jumped to her feet. ¡°I am Reysha from Ragressia. I¡¯m a disagreeable, little bit crazy murder-kitten. Got Noir because I was stupid enough to think I could take on a dungeon on my own. I was saved at the last moment by a batch of sapient goo.¡± She mimicked Rahesia¡¯s motion by scratching Apexus behind the fox ears. ¡°I¡¯m also the reason why ya should be thankful we sleep in a dimensional pocket.¡±


    ¡°What is it with you all and being proud of being loud?¡± the elf Ranger groaned.


    ¡°You would understand if you finally broke your dry spell,¡± Atlas joked.


    ¡°Fuck you! Urgh!¡± The Ranger jumped to her feet. One hand on her hips, the other flipping back her cascade of white hair, the fair-skinned, green-eyed woman announced: ¡°I am the Ranger Alabasta of the House of the White Falcons from the Sleeping City. I hope you will know to pay me some respect!¡±


    ¡°Uhhhh, should we?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°It means she is nobility of the Sleeping Empire, in whose territory we currently dwell,¡± Aclysia supplied.


    ¡°Oh¡­ ooohhh¡­ wait¡­ you are related to the tax collectors, then?¡± Korith grabbed her bag and clutched it tighter to her chest. ¡°Get your own stuff!¡±


    ¡°I am getting my own stuff, I am an adventurer!¡± Alabasta stomped. ¡°Why are peasants always so weird?!¡±


    ¡°H-hey, I¡¯m not a peasant! I¡¯m a Goldborn!¡±


    ¡°Come now, squishy, ya know the protocol, stand up when ya introduce yourself,¡± Reysha teased her party member.


    Korith rose from Apexus¡¯ lap, which barely made a difference to her height ¨C then cleared her throat. ¡°Ehem, I am Korith Hoardseeker from the realm of Hoard! I¡¯m adventuring to get stuff for Hoard. Hoard is love, Hoard is life, and we should all praise Hoard and¡­ uhm¡­¡± Suddenly self-aware she stammered. ¡°I-i-I joined the party kind of on happenstance and now I am here! That¡¯s it!¡± She plopped back down hastily.


    ¡°You did not tell them what a Goldborn is,¡± Apexus pointed out.


    ¡°Oh, uhm, right.¡± Korith shot back up. ¡°As a Goldborn, I am a chosen of Hoard to fight and gather in its name. I am¡­ kind of nobility?¡±


    Alabasta raised an eyebrow, quietly doubting that fact. Her expression made the others laugh. The pale elf¡¯s scowl slowly turned into a smile in its own right. ¡°You¡¯re all weird,¡± she drawled with bantering intent. She was stiffer than the rest of them, but she still fit in.


    With the kobold seated for good, it was the slime woman who rose next. ¡°My name is Flora. I am a slime of the Lilypad Lake in Ruduradas. I am a Druid. My primary specialisation is shapeshifting into cats and bears to function either as a Rogue or a Warrior replacement, basically. I can, uhm, also heal a little bit, but you shouldn¡¯t rely on that.¡± When Flora sat back down, she did so by turning her legs into a puddle for as long as it took for her butt to reach the ground.


    The final member of the Inevitable party stood up.  ¡°I am Aclysia, angel of Hashahin. I was found by my darling by happenstance and, following the completion of a Divine Quest, became his companion for as long as love binds us. I am a Priest and I will do my best to assure your physical and mental well-being.¡±


    ¡°You do twice as much as Kumlin does, then,¡± Atlas joked.


    The dwarf laughed loudly, slapping his knee. ¡°Quite so, quite so ¨C then again, who could keep your thoughts in line?¡± the Shaman asked and pulled out a pipe. After lighting it, he turned his blue eyes to Aclysia. The angel was still standing. ¡°May I ask a question?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°I do not guarantee I will disclose all intel you seek, however.¡±


    ¡°Just some curiosity. I saw you weigh in extensively during the fight for the beach, using offensive spells. Just struck me that you¡¯re capable of wielding a lot of mana at once. Did you ever consider hiring another healer and doubling down on the attack?¡± Kumlin took a huff and puff of the pipe.


    ¡°I was crafted with versatility in mind. My purpose was to be matured by the Divine Quest, not to be claimed as a travel companion. I suspect that is why I can handle more mana than I should be capable of. I lack the limiters that prevent me from inflicting self-harm by overloading my mana circuits.¡± Aclysia then shook her head. ¡°However, my calling is that of a healer. To do harm to the enemies of my darling may be just and proper, but my temperament finds care more agreeable than harm.¡±


    ¡°Tad of a shame, that, but I understand,¡± Kumlin answered, then got on his feet while Aclysia sat down. ¡°Name is Kumlin. I hail from the forests of Ogh Katuhn. I was exiled by the local mountain prince because I preferred wood and water over rock and stone. A blessing in disguise, as it brought me to travel the Leaves, rather than spend my life mining deeper.¡± He paused for a moment to draw on his pipe again. ¡°I¡¯m a Shaman. I¡¯m the main healer of this party. My healing is powerful but works over time, which has its drawbacks. I can also restore stamina and temporarily boost the performance of Skills and Martial Arts. In a pinch, I can use water magic to help out.¡±


    With that, the two parties had finished introducing themselves to each other. Atlas enthusiastically raised his hand. ¡°Question! Are you one of those parties?¡±


    Apexus, sitting with a tiger woman to his left, a cuddly angel to his right, and a shortstack in his lap, tilted his head. ¡°Those parties?¡±


    ¡°A harem party,¡± Rahesia clarified.


    ¡°A sleazeball party,¡± Alabasta used the less flattering term.


    ¡°Yes ¨C no,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°I heard that parties like this usually do not work out. I have been with Reysha and Aclysia for¡­¡± He looked to the metal fairy for help.


    ¡°The closest estimation would be two years,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°Although we cannot be entirely certain. There were stretches during which we did not have access to a calendar or did not care to count the passing days.¡±


    ¡°And I have been with you for like a month,¡± Korith grumbled.


    ¡°Closer to nine, actually,¡± Aclysia informed.


    ¡°W-what? When?!¡±


    ¡°Could have popped a baby out by now,¡± Reysha joked.


    Rahesia laughed. ¡°You sure are an interesting bunch. A very wild mix.¡±


    ¡°We have had our ups and downs,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°As I am sure you¡¯ve had.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mean to brag.¡± Atlas very much meant to brag. ¡°But we did face a Living Gravestone once while we joined an Expedition into the Necro Lord¡¯s Influence Zone. Took twenty people to take it down.¡±


    ¡°It got my grimoire for the trouble,¡± Rahesia told them.


    ¡°What¡¯s the strongest monster you ever fought?¡± Flora asked.


    Reysha grinned braggingly. ¡°A Deathhound.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Alabasta shouted. ¡°You did not!¡±


    The next two hours were spent exchanging tales. Apexus took from the Atlas party a promise not to share everything he told them and they took the same promise in return when they went into the more juicy details of their individual journeys.


    Apexus spared few details, admitted even to the most shameful moments of their path. The Atlas Party answered in response. Alabasta revealed that she was technically disowned and that, as a high elf, she belonged to the lesser houses anyhow. Most of the Sleeping Empire¡¯s nobility consisted of dark elves. Kumlin confessed to having sabotaged the Hold the day after he was sent into exile.


    Such shared shames were the rarer events though. Primarily, they talked about things that happened that were funny either in the moment or in hindsight. That time Flora had shapeshifted so convincingly a dungeon monster had tried to mate with her had been funny immediately. The memory of Kumlin rolling down a suddenly sloping corridor and managing to hit every spike on the way was only funny because he had survived it.


    They talked about Quests and dungeons and morals at times. The more Apexus talked to Atlas, the more he understood the validity of the view, even if he did not share it.


    ¡°I still think you are too greedy,¡± Apexus said at the end.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Atlas dismissed with a wave. ¡°We don¡¯t have to agree, don¡¯t we? In the end, we¡¯re both doing good work.¡±


    ¡°There is wisdom in those words.¡±

 A Rivalry 11 – Garlic and Strategy

    ¡°You sure?¡± Atlas asked.


    Apexus nodded stoically. ¡°We have what we came for. We won¡¯t leave before we slay the Gargant. Might as well lend you a hand.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t say no then,¡± Atlas stated, then was pulled aside in favour of his dryad girlfriend.


    The Witch held up a book. It was a different and much less impressive piece of literature compared to her grimoire. The binding was cheap, barely more than lime and some string. Mass production had been prioritized over making it seem pretty. The letters on the front spelled out ¡®Alarshus Encyclopaedia, Third Edition¡¯.


    ¡°Have you read this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus stated truthfully.


    ¡°Alright, then you stick with me for the day,¡± the Witch said simply.


    ¡°Why do I get excluded?¡± Atlas complained.


    ¡°Because you just look at my boobs instead of focusing on the task.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, you are a much more interesting plant than this saltwater garlic.¡±


    Rahesia responded with that kind of half-offended, half-amused sound that only spouses could reliably produce. A chuckle and a kiss and then Atlas departed from the campsite. It wasn¡¯t as if they were going to be far apart. The group was going to scatter about fifty metres. A distance easily bridged by adventurers of their level and yet large enough so they could individually gather up the plants.


    ¡°Aclysia, you¡¯re the intellectual of your group, yes?¡± Rahesia asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have ya know that I am very smart when I want to be,¡± Reysha weighed in jokingly while the book wandered from one hand to another.


    ¡°Saline Verdants are on page 6. We¡¯re specifically looking for Alarshus Garlic and Crust Bulbs.¡± Rahesia continued while leading the way. As the largest cluster of people, they took the middle position in the advancing line of people. Atlas and Kumlin were to the left, Flora and Alabasta to the right.


    Aclysia opened the page, careful not to overstretch the yellow, worn paper, and checked the pictures on the page. The quality of the image had clearly suffered from the mass-production process. The stamp was mediocre, there was no colour, and part of the ink had smudged. The letters next to it were nicely set, at least, describing where and how the plant could be easiest found, in what seasons there typically were Quests for it, and whether it tasted good in a stew. The essentials for adventurers.


    Alarshus Garlic was just that: garlic that grew here, in the saline soil of Alarshus¡¯ coasts. Crust Bulbs were a bit of a mystery according to the encyclopaedia and had only been discovered recently. ¡°This edition is horribly out of date on that,¡± Rahesia told them, when Aclysia asked. ¡°It¡¯s a kind of insect that draws the salt out of the water and uses it to make a cocoon that they metamorphize in.¡±


    ¡°Why are they looking for that?¡± Korith wondered.


    ¡°They want to try and see if they could de-salt areas with them. Apparently, the precursor of the Sleeping Empire had a habit of salting the fields of its enemies.¡± Rahesia bowed down and inspected a couple of ferns. ¡°I¡¯m not a big fan of the Sleeping Empire, but it¡¯s not like they have no noble ambitions whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°What makes you dislike them?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Any empire that large gets too powerful at the top and too disrespectful of the bottom,¡± Rahesia gave her opinion. ¡°Taxes are high, tariffs are higher ¨C if you bring something into the Sleeping Empire without a permit, they take 10% of the projected value upon entrance on the Leaf.¡±


    ¡°Kill them!¡± Korith squeaked.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far,¡± Rahesia answered with a chuckle, then squatted down. ¡°The insects that make the Crust Bulbs usually bury themselves down in the shadows of ferns. So all we got to do is dig about ten centimetres deep¡­¡± Her fingernails moved through the wet dirt until she grabbed something the size of a large grape. ¡°¡­and there it is.¡± She held it up for the Inevitable party to inspect.


    The surface was quite smooth for a salt crystal, but it unmistakably was one. A little, dark dot on the inside was all that was visible of the practically liquid insect undergoing metamorphosis within. It was no wonder the first people who had discovered the Crystal Bulbs had been puzzled by them.


    ¡°How do we transport them?¡± Aclysia asked.


    Rahesia lifted a sack that she had tied to her hip. It was no adventurer¡¯s bag, but a plain old sack of linen. She opened it to reveal the bulbs they had found the day before, as well as a chunk of dried meat. ¡°We have to fill six of the bags. The meat is there for the insects that hatch. It happens rarely, but the clients get mad if we deliver dead beetles.¡±


    ¡°Makes enough sense,¡± Reysha said, then pointed at a nearby plant. ¡°I suppose that is the garlic then?¡±


    Rahesia looked over and hummed, pleasantly surprised. ¡°Sharp eyes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good for a few things: sex, stabbing things, and seeing things,¡± Reysha listed. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You really are a pervert, aren¡¯t you?¡± Rahesia asked. ¡°Not trying to sound criticizing, I promise. It¡¯s just that you keep mentioning sex every other sentence.¡±


    ¡°I love sex,¡± Reysha purred.


    ¡°It makes sharing a room with her a safety hazard,¡± Aclysia drawled sarcastically.


    The dryad chuckled and moved over to the garlic. ¡°With this, it¡¯s really simple: just grab it by the base and yank it out!¡± Her voice rose a bit as she put strength into her arm. The bulb popped out of the mud with a bit of a wet smack, revealing the bulb and the roots that extended from its bottom. ¡°We¡¯re specifically looking for bulbs that are nice and round like this one. These plants are pretty resilient. They¡¯ll draw all of the nutrients and energy they can out of the roots and leaves. Most bulbs survive for several weeks this way and grow decently once they¡¯re put in new soil.¡±


    ¡°Why do they keep needing new shipments, then?¡± Reysha asked.


    The Witch just shrugged. ¡°Beats me. Maybe a bunch of influential noblemen are pulling them aside for dinner, maybe the seasons are different and that causes a bunch of them to die come winter, maybe they¡¯re dragging their feet on the transportation.¡± The plant wandered into her adventurer¡¯s bag. ¡°Whatever it is, we¡¯re supposed to gather a whole crate of them. We won¡¯t need every hand for this though.¡± The dryad gave an indicative look toward Apexus and Aclysia. ¡°Since you two can fly, could I ask you to check around for the Gargant? You¡¯ll find a description of it on page 13.¡±


    Aclysia looked to Apexus before answering. One nod from the giant man later, she said, ¡°Affirmative,¡± and they were on their way.


    The next three days were straightforward. They went out into the marshes, collected as much as they could, then trekked back, gathered what they may have missed, and then checked how much they had so far. Progress was an up and down of luck, as working with nature often was. Sometimes they walked for two hours without finding a single suitable plant for collection, then they spent half an hour yanking out an entire field of them.


    After each day, they¡¯d sit together for about an hour before retiring for the night, then set out in a different direction.


    ¡°We may not even have to move camp,¡± Atlas said happily, inspecting the progress.


    The bags with the Crust Bulbs had been filled within two days. It was the season for them and insects were usually easier to find than certain kinds of plants. Plus, the demand for them was lower. Gathering the bulbs was a lot more tedious.


    ¡°That would be fortunate,¡± Kumlin said and stroked his beard. He then directed his eyes upwards. ¡°Our allies are returning.¡±


    Apexus landed in the middle of the camp. ¡°We spotted the Gargant,¡± he reported.


    ¡°Really?¡± Atlas asked, excitedly. The Warrior was eager to have a change of pace. Gathering garlic paid well, but it was hardly why they were adventurers.


    ¡°Six arms, three heads, four metres tall, an amalgam of gorilla, praying mantis, crocodile and human, that was certainly it,¡± the Monk answered.


    ¡°Fortunate timing,¡± Kumlin hummed. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to wait too long to move with our cargo.¡±


    ¡°Should we store the crate in our Mobile Estate?¡± Apexus suggested.


    Kumlin rubbed his chin. Personally, he did not agree with placing the Quest items in the care of people they had only known for three days. Atlas, having always been more of a people person, did not share that reluctance. ¡°Sure,¡± the party leader said and so it was done. Outwardly, the dwarf kept his opinion to himself. Decisions by the Warrior had more often brought them benefits than lost them anything.


    After the move, and after everyone had been gathered up, Atlas initiated a strategy meeting. ¡°Alright, Apexus and Aclysia found the Chimera Gargant about four hours west from here. It is aggressive towards people, so my plan would be for Aclysia to shine a bright light tonight and make it come towards us. We¡¯ll slay it tonight, then set out south and gather whatever additional bulbs we find on the way. At worst we¡¯ll be a little short of the wanted amount and be given a 20% penalty. Given the reward from the Gargant, we¡¯ll still make out with a nice profit though.¡±


    ¡°We will follow your lead on this one,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°You have fought one such Gargant before, I understand?¡±


    Atlas nodded. ¡°A weaker one in a dungeon but it should be about the same strategy-wise. First off, it can¡¯t actually see that well in the dark. None of its three heads have eyes built for midnight, so we can use that to our advantage. Aclysia, I¡¯d ask that you focus on regulating light levels in the fight.¡±


    ¡°She will keep your position illuminated,¡± Apexus followed along swiftly. ¡°It will make our ranged combatants practically invisible to the monster.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I¡¯ll have it tunnel-vision on me. Kumlin¡¯s regenerations and stamina boost will ensure I can take the strikes.¡± Atlas pulled out an expensive tablet. Its surface consisted of enchanted Hexagons made from carefully contained mercury. Using a stylus and one¡¯s intentions, the surface could be manipulated into a three-dimensional map. Perfect to make battle plans with. Coloured stones served as tokens for each combatant. ¡°While I have its attention, everyone else will pelt it with attacks.¡±


    ¡°According to the documents provided, we have to anticipate a Phase Mutation, correct?¡± Aclysia asked.


    The party had not encountered a Phase Mutation in a long while, but the original trio still remembered the Laghast. The humanoid monster, a cross between deep-sea dwelling creature and skinny humanoid, had changed rapidly from one form to another mid-fight. Such Phase Mutations were typically accompanied by ultra-fast regenerations and a shockwave of kinetic and magic energy that made interrupting the change near impossible for fighters of the same level.


    It was the gods¡¯ way to make certain monsters more challenging than an initial exchange of blows would suggest. Most creatures that possessed a Phase Mutation triggered them after sustaining a large amount of damage. The Chimera Gargant was no exception to this.


    ¡°Correct,¡± Rahesia confirmed. ¡°The Chimera Gargant will change into a bulkier form with only two arms after its vitality has been whittled down enough. Its defences will also increase. Carapace, and all of that.¡±


    ¡°It means during the first phase, we should focus on whittling it down slowly,¡± Atlas told everyone. ¡°No wasting mana or ki early on. Any excess damage we deal to it will just get healed when it mutates into the second phase.¡±


    Alabasta groaned. ¡°We know! Do you think we¡¯re idiots?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the details,¡± Apexus said. ¡°Missteps here could be deadly.¡±


    ¡°See, my fellow party leader is with me,¡± Atlas declared, to the mild amusement of the two parties. Talks continued from there. ¡°So yeah, nothing fancy in the first phase. I¡¯ll keep it occupied.¡±


    ¡°Korith and I will stay nearby, to take over in an emergency,¡± Apexus weighed in. ¡°Reysha and Flora will deal damage where the opportunity arises.¡±


    Atlas nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Exactly what I was going to suggest. Just in case I bit off more than I could chew, tag me out. Kumlin will patch me up. Aclysia, could you blind the enemy?¡±


    ¡°Three heads will make a permanent blinding of a beast like this unworkable, but a standard flash of light is within my repertoire,¡± the Priest answered.


    ¡°Alright, then I will shout ¡®Shuffle¡¯ when I need to tag out for a moment. Blind it then, that should give Korith or Apexus enough time to jump in. Who would do it first, just out of interest?¡±


    ¡°That, uhm, would be me,¡± Korith said. ¡°I¡¯m the face-shield of the party.¡±


    No one questioned that, not when short-folks were common enough among adventurers and certainly not after they had seen her hammer crush the skulls of crocorillas. ¡°Alright. Reysha, a tip for you, don¡¯t bother with going for vital areas. Try to sever the arteries and tendons under the shoulders. Every arm you disable is a bit of pressure off me, so I¡¯d thank you a lot for that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let ya get away with telling me how to do my job this once,¡± the redhead answered, a disarming smirk on her face. ¡°What about phase two then?¡±


    ¡°All collapse on it,¡± Atlas said, moving the various stones on the three-dimensional map around the big stone that represented the Chimera Gargant. ¡°Once the shockwave is over, it¡¯ll have regenerated. The new form will have massive, powerful fists. I can take a hit or two from those, but I¡¯d rather not. The best way to approach it is to just keep it busy from all directions so it can only do flailing hits, rather than proper punches.¡±


    ¡°I will place a Curse of Vulnerability on it at this stage,¡± Rahesia weighed in. ¡°That will emphasize the weakness the carapace has in the spine and neck areas.¡±


    Alabasta raised her voice. ¡°My arrows won¡¯t do much good in that phase, so I¡¯ll use Eagle Shots to take out its eyes, specifically the ones at the side. We¡¯ll reduce its range of vision.¡±


    ¡°And then you and I,¡± Flora gestured at Reysha, ¡°go for the back of the spine, right above the hip.¡±


    ¡°I guess it has three necks, so taking those out one after another would be a pain?¡± Reysha asked, to the nodding confirmation of everyone else. Unlike the impatient tiger woman, the rest of the camp had at least read the (somewhat outdated) brief on Chimera Gargant strategies. ¡°Going with paralyzing the lower body then, peachy.¡±


    ¡°And after that, we¡¯ll just play it slow and careful and whittle down its remaining vitality,¡± Atlas summarized. ¡°Basic strategy, but still dangerous.¡±


    ¡°One does not hunt worthy prey without danger.¡± Apexus glanced in the direction of the sun. They had several more hours left until it was dark enough for their lure to work.


    It would be a dull wait.

 A Rivalry 12 – A Planned Encounter

    Darkness covered them.


    Apexus hid in a cluster of swamp grass. The tall plants hid his form well. A number of leeches in the water attempted to draw nourishment from his naked calves. They failed to penetrate the skin and swam on after a while.


    From his position, the slime had a good look at Aclysia and the beam of summerly sunlight that she projected. It was a focused, if harmless, ray, illuminating the form of the monster that was following the brightness.


    The Chimera Gargant was everything described. Three pairs of arms extended from a broad torso. One pair was girthy and muscular, covered in black fur like those of a gorilla. A second pair, the smallest and located closest to the chest, was the double-joined scythes of a praying mantis, scaled up for the height of the creature. The last was akin to that of a human and a crocodile mixed together, scales covering twitching muscles.


    The top of the monster was dominated by a cluster of heads. At the bottom sat the gorilla head, above it crocodile and mantis. Their necks were short, too short for the monster to look around without turning its entire upper body. An advantage that they would exploit.


    The legs were an odd mixture of all the species that went into the mix. Long and thick limbs, capable of holding up the weight of the monster. Every step made the stale water ripple.


    The light lowered just a tad, focusing instead on the back of Atlas. The moment the Gargant spotted the silhouette of a humanoid, its body language shifted instantly. What had been instinct-driven curiosity turned into pure aggression. Dropping onto its gorilla arms, the monster suddenly charged. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Atlas grit his teeth, placed one foot back, tensed his core and pushed ki into every bone in his body. Reinforced joints locked into a rigid position. Steadfast, he awaited the impact.


    The scaled knuckles of the Gargant slammed into the shield. Atlas¡¯ feet dragged through the wet ground, but he remained standing. Screaming, yelling, and hissing, the three heads of the monstrosity expressed its frustration, before going into a flurry of blows. Atlas leaned fully into his Warrior Control, that particular Skill that exchanged the flashiness of bursts of power for pure reliability. The expensive, heavily enchanted shield absorbed and returned the blows, only making the Gargant angrier.


    Behind Atlas, behind Aclysia, Rahesia read the words of power that flashed inside the turning pages of her grimoire. Every word spoken brought her closer to the completion of the spell. Finally, the woven vocals unfolded their magical power, descending on the monster as Curse of Lethargy.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Atlas shouted and knocked aside the scythe-like arm. Fists were easily blocked, but the grapple of a praying mantis he could not afford to end up in.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± his girlfriend shouted back.


    The stand continued, while arrow after arrow sailed through the air. Each projectile spun in the air, the technique of the Ranger working with her specialized arrows to drill into the flesh as deep as possible.


    Kumlin poured a flask of the good water over his hands. Before the enriched liquid could drip from his hands, it was connected to his will. He rolled the water between his hands like it was a collection of prayer beads. The water amplified the effects of the spell the Shaman wove. It was costly to prepare. What was it supposed to be used for if not in a situation like this?


    Atlas felt the refreshing cool wash over him the moment the water leapt onto him. Straining muscles were reinvigorated, allowing him to continue to take and keep up with the strikes of the Gargant. Between the increase in his power and the diminishment of the Gargant¡¯s, they were surprisingly equally matched.


    Apexus and Korith continued to observe the situation. ¡®It seems they could have taken it on their own,¡¯ the Monk considered. ¡®We are here to tip the scales in their favour. We probably will save them a few one-time use items as well.¡¯


    While the two heavyweights laid low, the two felines snuck closer to the back of the Gargant. Blue tiger and red tiger girl suppressed their presence with Stealth, prowling ever closer. The monster raised all of its arms for a barrage of hammering strikes. The duo struck.


    Confused screams accompanied the Gargant¡¯s pain. Teeth and dagger dug into the soft flesh of the gorilla arms, below the shoulder joints, then ripped downwards. The Gargant attempted to fall backwards, to crush the assailants on its back under its weight. Doing so left its legs defenceless. A sudden forward surge had Atlas slam his shield against the kneecap of the large creature. The bone shattered.


    Reysha and Flora had to retreat. They left behind heavily bleeding gashed and exposed sinews. They were unsevered, but the shattered kneecap created an alternative advantage.


    Apexus and Korith stayed in the background even as the creature thrashed on the ground. There was no need for them to weigh in. Every second the monster kept Reysha, Flora, and Atlas at bay with its wild swings, kicks, and bites was a second Alabasta used to needle its exposed stomach with arrows.


    The elven Ranger drew the bowstring back to its utmost. Ki flowed from her fingertips into the rune carved into the enchanted wood. The fire energy from the tendon of a young dragon seeped into the back of the arrow. Each of her projectiles was tipped with magic-basked gold, the Silver Birch of the shaft quivered in excitement and the Storm Fowl¡¯s feathers unleashed their element at the call of the Ranger.


    The Evocation Shot unbound the magic in the item to devastating effect. Slicing winds accelerated the arrow as it flew, then formed a digging, drilling tornado in front of the tip. Flesh tore open. The tip of the arrow was about to dig into exposed guts when it was blown back.


    All of the fighters were blown back. ¡°PHASE TWO!¡± Atlas yelled. Pure ceremony, everyone was already moving. In their hiding spots, Apexus and Korith tensed up.


    The six arms of the Chimera Gargant fused into two. All over the creature¡¯s form, thick chitin plates pushed out of semi-liquid skin. Where it was injured, the wounds flowed back together. Bone and muscle were patched up as if they had never been injured in the first place. Its bulk increased by a notable factor, as the various colours of the chimera all turned an angry red. It roared and so did its enemies.


    Rahesia slammed her grimoire shut, then opened it back up at the first page. The Curse of Vulnerability now was on her lips. Effortlessly, she grabbed a Witch Candle from her bag and lit it with one hand. The curse¡¯s effect was magnified, outlining the monster¡¯s shape in dooming purple.


    The Chimera Gargant still had its eyes on Atlas. It could hardly see more than the Warrior and was not smart enough to consider that the origin of the cone of light may have been another person. ¡®This is going to hurt,¡¯ the party leader thought and raised his shield.


    The impact of the fist was diminished by the simultaneous arrival of Apexus and Korith. The two had leapt from their individual hiding spots, wings equalizing the extra jumping power the shortstack had by nature. Hammer and Ironskin-reinforced leg hit the monster in the back of one shoulder and the front of the other.


    Apexus narrowly escaped the vengeful bite of the crocodile head, beating his wing just as the monster reclaimed its balance. Atlas rolled his shoulder. Even the diminished impact had vibrated down through the force-reflecting shield.


    Korith landed in the grass next to him. The two Warriors did not exchange a single glance. They remained entirely focused on the enemy. Atlas¡¯ eyes widened when he realized Apexus was already back in the fray ¨C and had even landed on top of the Gargant. ¡°Does he do that often?!¡±


    ¡°Uhm, yeah?¡± Korith answered.


    Apexus had one foot on the side of the mantis head, keeping it from turning while he held the bottom of the crocodile jaw. Devouring these creatures had told the Monk enough about their physical attributes: while the bite strength was incredible, the muscles related to opening these jaws were relatively weak. All Apexus had to do was to keep a secure grip and pull up. Crystal claws dug into scales. Like that, he remained, struggling and, for the moment, succeeding in keeping the boss¡¯ attention occupied.


    The Chimera Gargant was reaching up to pluck the annoyance off its face. Korith and Atlas moved as one. Surprise was not a large enough factor for them to stop in the heat of battle. Sword and hammer came down on the arm, breaking the surface plates, and driving the limb back down.


    That covered one hand, but the other was already going up. ¡°Alabasta!¡± Kumlin shouted, sending a surge of rejuvenating energy towards her.


    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing¡­¡± she pressed out. It was all she could do. The high elf was drawing her bow past what she should have been capable of. Ki surged through her arms and the weapon in equal measure. The effort affected her entire posture. It looked like she was leaning against an invisible wall, such was the tension on her bowstring. The surge of new stamina allowed her to eke out that little bit more, before loosing the Power Shot.


    The arrow had a light blue glow, as it cut through the night. The tip slammed into the forearm, punched a straight hole through the chitin armour, and threw the arm backwards.


    Time bought was time used. Apexus gathered all the Ki he could in the meridians that boosted the strength of his limbs. Eerily quiet, the lungless Monk burned biomass to grant himself the might he needed, then twisted the crocodile head. The neck snapped with a loud crack.


    Adrenaline and pain allowed the Chimera Gargant to move faster than anyone had expected. It twisted around, the momentum enough to send Apexus flying. He spread his wings. Too slow, he was already on the ground. The Gargant immediately brought its fist down. Apexus trusted his instincts and met the punch with an upward kick.


    Parallel to the kick a singular fist rose. Reysha came to everyone¡¯s awareness, the Rogue lending her aid to Apexus¡¯ counterforce. A large foot and a small fist met a giant hammer of chitin and bone. The leg broke. The arm broke. Opaque, blue slime and black blood splattered. The attack came to a halt before it could destroy more than the limbs.


    Again, Atlas and Korith moved in seasoned unison. The backs of the legs were turned towards them. Unarmoured knee pits were a ready target. Atlas cut a tendon. Korith¡¯s swing was hard enough that the leg folded. The Gargant lost its balance and keeled off to the side.


    The terrain blessed the party in that moment. All of that weight hitting the ground caused the muddy ground to give. The Chimera Gargant fell, then slipped into one of the ditches of the marsh head first. Usually a disorienting experience at worst, but deadly in the middle of combat.


    ¡°Get its legs!¡± Apexus shouted an order. Much like Atlas¡¯ comment, that was hardly needed.


    Korith and Atlas got on the right, Apexus, Reysha, and Flora on the left. Slime leg and demon arm had already regenerated back to the point of usability. Together, each group managed to grapple one leg and keep it down while carving into the chitin plates. The Gargant was struggling, trying to pull itself upright, but its hands only found water and yielding mud.


    Reysha stabbed and stabbed again, cutting between two of the armouring plates. Once it was loose enough Flora hooked behind it with her teeth and pulled. ¡°Stay like that,¡± Apexus ordered and rammed a hand into the resulting gap. The slammer hidden in his wrist punched the back of the chitin plate with enough force that it suddenly came loose in its entirety.


    They ruined the entirety of the exposed musculature within seconds, then moved onto the other leg to the same. ¡°Back!¡± Atlas barked, once they had completely torn both of the monster¡¯s legs open. This time, the order was necessary for a coordinated retreat.


    Everyone scattered. ¡°Light out!¡± Apexus told Aclysia, who extinguished the cone coming from her joined palms immediately.


    Everyone blinked to get used to the new levels of light. It was an overcast night. Even if it hadn¡¯t been, the moon was thin. The Atlas Party reached for their adventurer¡¯s bags and pulled out glasses that granted them a degree of dark vision. Korith, as a kobold, had her own limited variety of that. Reysha and Apexus were barely inconvenienced at all. Aclysia flew back and trusted that she would be given orders when necessary.


    Now that no one was obstructing it anymore, the Chimera Gargant managed to push its hanging torso out of the ditch. It was bleeding in heavy gushes from its ruined legs. It didn¡¯t even attempt to stand upright. The eyes of the two still-living heads scanned the environment. They barely managed to make out anything. An angry slam was delivered and squelched something. The group of ferns did not appreciate being squashed like that.


    It was quiet. The two parties remained without word, keeping their distance from the Chimera Gargant as it dragged itself towards whatever it identified as an enemy. After ten minutes of this, the monster became delirious from the blood loss, twitching and thrashing without any reason at all. After another five, it was so bereft of vital ichor that it stopped moving. After another ten, it let out its last breath. After another five, Apexus carefully approached.


    ¡°It is dead,¡± he confirmed.


    Everyone let out a collective sigh, as relaxation settled in. ¡°Clean work, everyone,¡± Atlas said. ¡°So much for only using Eagle Shot, Alabasta!¡±


    ¡°Can you people ever decide if I am too rigid or too spontaneous?¡± the high elf complained and closed in to try and get back as many of her arrows as possible. It was the lot of a Ranger to lose money to retain the range advantage, but even if the shaft broke she could at least get some of the tips and feathers back.


    ¡°What¡¯s the proof of kill?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°The three heads,¡± Atlas said. ¡°I would say we should wait until morning to start the sawing, but then we¡¯ll have a maggoty mess by the time we get back¡­ Stupid swamp flies.¡±


    ¡°Go sleep. I will take care of it,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°I have biomass to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to-¡° Atlas stopped his question when he noticed the form of the Monk¡­ changing. He wasn¡¯t exactly bloating. Extra mass was expanding out from the skin, leaving the original body untouched. ¡°¡­Okay¡­ If you hadn¡¯t told me what you were, this would be the part where I might try to take your head off for being really creepy.¡±


    ¡°Will you try?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Nah, but I¡¯ll take that nap. Alright, everyone, we¡¯re leaving the clean-up to the Inevitable!¡±


    ¡°Why is their party name so much cooler than ours?¡± Rahesia asked.

 A Rivalry 13 – Payment is Due

    ¡°It ain¡¯t normal,¡± Alabasta said.


    ¡°Certainly not.¡± Atlas was gently spreading oil over the length of his blade. The fluid sparkled in the early sunlight. Tiny bits of alchemically loosened true silver particles within the liquid were attracted to the gaps in the enchanted item¡¯s physical shape. Every magical item had a soul, of sorts, and that soul allowed for the intended shape to be reclaimed or retained via procedures like this.


    Any tiny scratches or chinks in the weapon were gradually filled up until only oil was left behind. Tarnishing was not a problem when a weapon was made from true silver and enchanted gold, but magical oils had other benefits. This specific oil could be ignited in a pinch. The alchemical compounds would burn for a while.


    Atlas turned the blade around and continued with the other side. Next to him, Rahesia was enacting a similar procedure for the shield. She had always been more talented when it came to maintenance, therefore the more heavily damaged armament was under her care. Her helping him in this preceded their romantic entanglement. Back then it had been because the shield was the barrier between their enemies and her. Now it was the barrier between enemies and the two of them.


    She was very careful to do it right.


    ¡°Do you bring it up to complain or because you want us to do something?¡± Atlas asked, glancing at the high elf Ranger.


    For her part, the white-haired woman was staring at where the corpse had been last night. Morbid curiosity had driven them to each spy out of their tents as soon as the rising sun had given them enough visibility. They had caught the tail-end of the bones dissolving. The Monk that they had interacted with had been a human torso attached to a massive blob of blue acid.


    It was an inhuman sight.


    That acknowledged Atlas did not think the man himself was inhuman - quite the contrary. ¡°He told us about what he was,¡± the party leader stated.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I honestly don¡¯t know why I brought it up,¡± Alabasta scratched the back of her head. ¡°The Omniverse sure is big, huh?¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± Kumlin agreed.


    ¡°I, uhm, wonder if we should have told him to keep the bones intact?¡± Flora asked.


    ¡°Little late for that now,¡± Atlas laughed. ¡°But yeah, actually, Gargant bones would sell for a pretty penny¡­ totally slipped my mind last night.¡±


    ¡°We are going to make a nice profit from this mission regardless.¡± Rahesia tilted the shield so the light reflected off its gleaming surface. A creepy cackle rose from her throat. ¡°A fresh shipment of Darktide Ink is well within my grasp!¡±


    ¡°Careful, guys, the Witch wants to write more curses,¡± Atlas joked. ¡°Hide your blood.¡±


    ¡°I only needed it that one time!¡±


    They laughed together and continued through their morning routine. Not long after that, the previously invisible frame of the Mobile Estate opened up. The door parted and out jumped the redhead of the Inevitable party. ¡°Change Mansion!¡±


    Atlas had to keep himself from ogling. Progenitor knew that he was a faithful man, but when an athletic redhead in leather armour appeared, any man would have had trouble keeping their eyes on her face. Especially since that leather armour was damaged in various places, adding to that rugged sexiness. The Snakeskin top was fraying at the seams. The tight, stretchy pants had various gaps, out of which brown flesh softly spilled.


    He did manage to keep his eyes on her face though. Rahesia raised her voice in the meantime. ¡°Any reason you shout that?¡± she wanted to know.


    ¡°I keep saying it¡¯s not cool enough, agree?¡±


    Kumlin stroked his freshly combed beard. He was still in the process of weaving the pearls back into it. ¡°I can see that it may require some additional¡­ how do they say¡­ razzle-dazzle?¡±


    Snorting, Atlas put his sword into its sheath. ¡°Call it the Apex Den.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not terrible actually.¡±


    Rahesia reached up and scratched the back of her man¡¯s head. ¡°Contrary to our party name, he is not actually bad at naming things.¡±


    ¡°Ya hear that, bubble butt?¡± Reysha asked and turned to the open door. ¡°Apex Den it is!¡±


    ¡°Your opinion is noted, but not taken as the last word on the matter,¡± the Priest said, emerging from the Mobile Estate a moment later. ¡°I would prefer it to have some names that do not make it appear as if we advertise a sense of grandeur.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ya know that the two things that sell are sex and sticky names?¡± Reysha asked.


    Atlas followed the back and forth of the Priest and the Rogue with the usual amusement. Those two Classes had a tendency not to get along, for obvious reasons. Polar opposite moral types were attracted to the differing power sets. ¡®That in mind, those two are getting along really well¡­ especially considering what their party is,¡¯ Atlas thought.


    A mild flash of envy accompanied it when the leader of the Inevitable party stepped out, shortstack in arm. A man with three women could certainly be envied for the benefits of such an arrangement. Atlas knew better than to want that life for himself though. His experience with the fairer sex was chaotic and he was happy to have the one he had in his life. Alabasta and Flora were just friends and he wanted to keep it that way.


    ¡°Do you have the heads?¡± Atlas asked.


    Apexus patted the bag on his hips. It had been a pain to cram them past the opening, but he had managed. ¡°Could they not be faked?¡± he wondered. He had a tendency to ask questions out of the blue.


    ¡°They¡¯ll check the circumference of the skulls. Gargants have bigger heads, it¡¯s in the name,¡± Atlas said, jokingly. ¡°Now, this is the part where we attack you and take all the money for ourselves!¡±


    Aclysia glared at him from the corner of her eyes and the Warrior had the decency to awkwardly clear his throat. At least Reysha giggled. Korith gave it an uncertain smirk. Apexus¡¯ face was an unmoving mask.


    All of them were in poor equipment.  Nothing Apexus wore, besides the bag and the key, was even magical. The grey robe and baggy pants were both stained with months¡¯ worth of mud and other dirt. Aclysia¡¯s robe was silk and she kept it decently clean, but even she could not do anything against the places where the occasional monster attack had torn into the blessed garment. Korith got away the best, but Atlas knew when armour was kept together by shoestring and desperation.


    ¡®Tough crowd,¡¯ he thought. ¡°Alright, if we have everything then¡­ I guess we might as well go?¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________


    The journey back was eventless. They made it back into Drowse territory in their adventuring gear, then changed to more casual travelling clothes when the landscape went from ¡®untamed¡¯ to ¡®occasionally dangerous¡¯. Once they reached the source of the river, they did as the Quest giver had suggested and boarded a ship. They did not need it to get home, but it was still faster.


    ¡°You should take the lead,¡± Atlas suggested, once they were by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    It was noon. Contradictory to most expectations, that was the least busy hour of the day for the building. Adventurers typically ate hearty breakfasts and dinners. Every hour in between was usually filled with snacks. A habit picked up from the constant marching those in the trade did.


    ¡°Why?¡± Apexus wanted to know.


    ¡°Build yourself a reputation. You haven¡¯t been properly registered on this Leaf yet, right?¡± Atlas asked with a grin. ¡°You¡¯ll need the iron if you want to buy the good stuff.¡±


    Apexus could only nod to that logic. It felt somewhat wrong to be the one to step forwards when it was Atlas that had suggested the alliance, but, for the sake of the party, the humanoid chimera had to accept that. He, Atlas, and Aclysia went inside.


    Remembering something, Atlas quickly grabbed Apexus by the sleeve and had him bow down to hear his whisper. ¡°She¡¯ll be asking if the guild can buy the heads afterwards,¡± he told the Monk. ¡°Usually you should say no, I know a guy that pays more for the bones, but to get some good credit, say yes.¡±


    Apexus nodded again, then they actually went for the desk. ¡°I wish to collect the bounty for the Chimera Gargant,¡± he told the receptionist.


    ¡°The one in the border zone?¡± she asked for clarification and was pleasantly surprised by his nod. ¡°That one has been trouble. One moment¡­¡± she flipped through a stack of cards until she found the correct one. ¡°Come with me for the verification process please.¡±


    The three of them followed the woman to a backroom. It was scarce when it came to decorations and every surface had deliberately been covered in the kind of alchemical lacquer that could withstand heavy scrubbing. The door closed perfectly, to ensure no maggot was capable of crawling out. Showing proof was often unhygienic business.


    ¡°If you would please present the heads,¡± the receptionist requested and gestured at a nearby table. There were four of them, all of them currently empty. During busier hours, more than one verification may have been ongoing.


    Apexus pulled the heads from his adventurer¡¯s bag one after another. He placed them down and the receptionist grabbed a few ropes that hung from the wall. Each of them was marked for the average chimera head¡¯s circumference. She whistled when the rope barely managed to do a loop. ¡°It was a really big one,¡± Atlas chimed in.


    ¡°I can see that,¡± the receptionist said, held the rope by the overlap point, and then carried it over to a ruler for proper measuring. She entered the numbers into a table for research. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild got its legitimacy from helping the brave survive their foolishness. Any blackboard could have served to let Quest givers meet with those fulfilling them. Analysis and the creation of guides were the most important tasks of the guild. ¡°Would you like the Guild to take care of these for you? We will pay you, of course.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus answered.


    ¡°Alright, then given the weight that should be an extra¡­ 25 gold.¡± She said.


    Atlas bit the inside of his tongue. To the right bidder, skulls like this (especially the teeth) were worth up to thrice as much. For all the good the Guild did, they were still quite greedy.


    Apexus and Aclysia, on the other hand, were elated. An additional 25 gold sounded like a lot to them, even after it had been parted between the parties.


    ¡°I have good-ish news for you as well,¡±  the receptionist said. ¡°Two days ago we got confirmation that the Gargant had killed another adventurer and the bounty was raised because of that.¡± She gestured for them to follow her back to the receptionist desk. Once there, the trio waited in front of the desk while she scanned over the card that she had pulled out initially. Her mouth moved while she mentally added up the various numbers on it, each an increase of the bounty as time and urgency rose.


    Bounties were not entirely a Guild thing. Any monster could have a bounty on it and any members of the community could add to the bounty pool. Such money was collected upfront and added to the Guild coffers. The Guild made a profit from that particular endeavour whenever someone had failed to provide proof of their kill or plainly did not know they had slain a monster with a bounty on it. Neither case was frequent, but the profit margin was so immense that it did not matter. The Guild had to do literally nothing but keep up the bounty ledger.


    ¡°That will be 500 gold coins.¡±


    ¡°How much?!¡± Aclysia wheezed.


    The receptionist chuckled, it had been a while since she heard that level of bafflement from a new adventurer. ¡°The Gargant bothered a few influential people in the area, so you struck platin,¡± she said. ¡°Speaking of, would you like it to be paid out as such?¡±


    Apexus and Aclysia were baffled for too long to answer. ¡°Give us the 500 in platin and the 25 in gold, please,¡± Atlas weighed in. ¡°We have to calculate the split and all of that.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ oh, and before I forget, to what party can I credit the kill?¡±


    Apexus found his voice again, ¡°Inevitable and Atlas.¡±


    ¡°Inevitable¡­ you are new?¡± Another nod. ¡°Quite the first accomplishment¡­ you aren¡¯t unduly promoting them, are you, Atlas?¡± The question was entirely jovial. Atlas waved off. The receptionist chuckled and wrote down the accomplishment. ¡°Also says here that you are on a Quest to find a shipwreck?¡±


    ¡°We have completed it but have elected to come here first,¡± Aclysia explained the situation. ¡°We wish to split the reward for the kill with the Atlas party before we collect on our own Quest.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see¡­ all coppers, mhm?¡± The receptionist scratched the side of her head.  ¡°I guess you want the iron as fast as possible to actually use that money¡­ Oh, I see your last levels now¡­ You attended the Teacher¡¯s Isle on Tacuitos?¡± That was her best guess on how someone of their strength without a long register of accomplishments could appear on this Leaf.


    She was technically correct, so Apexus and Aclysia nodded in unison.


    ¡°Alright¡­ well, I can¡¯t give you the iron outright, there¡¯s procedures for that, but I can arrange the next best thing.¡± She scribbled a note down on a paper and left it somewhere the next person on shift could see it. ¡°Come back after you get confirmation for the Quest, please. You¡¯ll be given bronze cards and a writ that tells the guards at the upper market that you are exempt.¡± She made a casual gesture. ¡°This sort of thing happens frequently enough.¡±


    ¡°Deeply appreciated,¡± Apexus said.


    The receptionist handed out the money, then went back to the register to also update the page of the Atlas party. She had to write on the back of their third page to find room for the newest accomplishment.


    ¡°You any good at counting?¡± Atlas asked.


    ¡°No. Aclysia is.¡±


    ¡°At equal shares, each member of our parties will receive a cut of 58 gold, 33 silver and 33 copper. Split by party, this combines to 233 gold, 33 silver, and 33 copper to us and 291 gold, 66 silver, and 67 copper to you,¡± Aclysia rattled out the math before they had even sat down.


    ¡°¡­Okay, wow, did not expect that.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s an analytic genius,¡± Apexus boasted, feeling second-hand pride at the accomplishments of his beloved. Aclysia blushed slightly, then sat down in her darling¡¯s lap.


    Coins were poured down on the table. It was that sound that had Korith break waiting outside and zooming into the tavern. The kobold zapped over to the table, holding onto the edge of it as she watched the pile of silvery-white coins get sorted into stacks of five. ¡°How much money is that?!¡± she squeaked. ¡°We are rich!¡±


    Atlas chuckled. ¡°You get one good haul and you think you¡¯re rich, that¡¯s adorable,¡± he teased.


    ¡°Yo, what the fuck?¡± Reysha had followed Korith and now realized that she was looking at platin coins, not regular silver. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen that much money since my father agreed to¡­ you know what, never mind, I was told to never talk about it.¡± She would tell the party in private another time.


    ¡°Alright, I think that¡¯s the split?¡± Atlas asked once the platin and gold had been parted into two piles. One had 22 platin coins and 14 gold coins, the other 28 platin coins and 11 gold coins. Because they had neither copper nor silver, an exact split was impossible. Would have been, if they hadn¡¯t had other money in their pockets.


    ¡°If we are rounding, then we are one gold coin,¡± Aclysia pointed out.


    ¡°Yes, ya socially inept angel,¡± Reysha weighed in. ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡±


    ¡°I- Oh,¡± Aclysia realized and bowed her head. ¡°Your graciousness is appreciated.¡±


    ¡°My repayment for the bad jokes,¡± Atlas said and scooped his share of the money into his purse. It was heavy before and would have doubtlessly torn had the coins been any heavier. ¡°There¡¯s a bank ¨C Wow there!¡± The Warrior raised his hands in surprise at the sudden and aggressive, almost cat-like hiss of the blonde kobold. ¡°Your money would be safer there, is all I am saying.¡±


    ¡°Banks are evil, all money should go to Hoard,¡± Korith declared.


    ¡°¡­Well, you can settle that amongst yourselves,¡± Atlas decided and got up with a laugh. ¡°Pleasure working with you. If you want to have a victory toast tonight, you¡¯ll find us here.¡±


    Apexus was still looking at the money. ¡°We will consider. Thank you for the guidance.¡±


    Atlas walked away with a casual wave.


    Reysha began to giggle. ¡°Holy shit, we actually have money?!¡±


    ¡°¡­there is no such thing as blessed excrement¡­¡± Aclysia mumbled, her protest weakened by being similarly stupefied.


    Apexus gave Korith¡¯s creeping wrist a reprimanding smack. ¡°You promiiiiiiised,¡± the kobold whined. ¡°Just 80% of it? For Hoard?¡± S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°First, we need to cover our needs. If we have excess, that can go to Hoard,¡± the humanoid chimera said. Aclysia gathered up the money, then they set out.


    There was still more money to come their way, somehow.

 A Rivalry 14 – Money and Spending Money

    They knocked on the door of the trader¡¯s house. A young boy answered, staring up with the fascination that rambunctious children often had for the dangerous jobs. ¡°We would like to speak to your father,¡± Apexus said, slightly lifting the chest he was carrying with Reysha.


    ¡°Alright!¡± the boy answered and hurried inside. There was excited shouting and the reprimanding answer of a stern mother. While she disciplined her overly energetic boy, the father moved to the front door.


    ¡°You got it! Come on in, come on in!¡± Bo eagerly waved them inside. They had to move slowly, the chest too large to fit through the door smoothly. ¡°In here, please,¡± he guided them further into the workroom that they had previously visited. The chest was placed on the floor near the wall. Bo noted that the lock at the front of the chest had been removed. ¡°Did you check the contents?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We wanted to see if it was dry,¡± Apexus answered.


    ¡°Do you still have the lock?¡± the trader asked.


    ¡°It was rusted beyond the point of function. We broke it and left it,¡± Apexus answered.


    Bo nodded. ¡°To hope for more than this would have been unreasonable,¡± he said, mostly to himself, and lifted the lid. Inside was a great assembly of things. Ship logs, personal items, novels meant for entertainment, dice and card games, a variety of glass-sealed licenses, and the cassette filled to the brim with coins of all kinds. Bo scanned over all of it with great care, but only took the time to count the money in detail. After he had confirmed none had been removed, he took out the cassette and closed the chest again. ¡°You have been honourable in your conduct.¡±


    ¡°We did as agreed,¡± Apexus answered.


    ¡°I know, but I can still be thankful for it.¡± Bo moved over to his work desk and cleared some space. He started to count coins again. ¡°Did you manage to save any personal items of my sailors?¡±


    Apexus nodded and began to pull out the various things he had retrieved from the depths of the ship. One after another, he placed them on the table. When he was done, Bo scratched the back of his head. ¡°Not sure that any of these are worth it to them¡­ but it¡¯ll be on me to see everything returned. 150 gold was what I put on the board, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus confirmed.


    The pile of coins Bo had separated from the 500 gold inside the cassette was certainly more than the sum agreed on. Apexus could be certain of it. After all, the pile that the trader kept to himself was smaller. ¡°500 iron, 500 silver, 245 gold and 5 platin ¨C 350 gold in total,¡± Bo told them the contents of the pile. ¡°I know it is a pain to only run around with big coins.¡±


    That was more than twice their reward. It was clear, from the contents of the chest, that they were not being overpaid though. Combined, the chest and all the items that would not have survived the retrieval were easily worth the extra 200 gold and that was before sentimental value was considered.


    Aclysia gathered up the coins and put them into her bag. Their total wealth had shot up from a couple of coppers to a grand total of 515 Copper, 9 Bronze, 5 Iron, 500 Silver, 256 Gold and 33 Platin. The bronze and iron coins were useless in the local economy, but they still had them floating around.


    With a heavy coin purse and a smile on their faces, the party left behind the equally pleased trader. They went back to the Guild afterwards, had the finished Quest logged, and were given the paper slip to enter the good part of the trading district in return.


    Everything was coming up for Inevitable.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t trust this,¡± Reysha blurted out. ¡°Something is going to happen.¡±


    They continued down the road for a minute.


    ¡°Ah¡­ my bag is gone!¡± Aclysia declared.


    Reysha whirled around, to find the bag very much still on the priestess¡¯ hips. ¡°Well played, ¡®Clysia,¡± the tiger girl laughed and the angel patted the bag twice. ¡°Keep it away from the kobold, though, she¡¯s doing grabby hands.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hoard demands sacrifice¡­¡± Korith whispered, her golden eyes consumed by a greedy hue. Fingers wiggled with nabbing intent. Had she not been seated on top of Apexus¡¯ shoulders, she may have tried to get to it too.


    ¡°Expenses first,¡± Apexus told her. ¡°Then we see how much we have left.¡±


    ¡°Our list of recommended acquisitions is lengthy.¡± Aclysia was sorting through it in her head as they spoke. ¡°I believe universal upgrades are in order. Let us begin with your armour. Hoard will get nothing if you perish.¡±


    That argument worked well enough and they went to an armour smith first thing.


    ¡°You were using this thing?!¡± the dwarf asked. He was the image of a dwarven armourer, with arms as thick as his beard and soot all over his hairy chest. ¡°I¡¯ll take 2 gold off the price for the replacement armour. Can only smelt it down.¡±


    ¡°Sure?¡± Korith answered.


    The dwarf kept turning the old, scratched and dented chestplate in his hands. ¡°Ye have a measurement card?¡± he asked, his accent light.


    ¡°Uhm, should have it, yeah¡­¡± Korith pulled a simple paper card from her bag and handed it over.


    The dwarf¡¯s expression darkened when he saw the card and the signature in its corner. ¡°Ye went to the Armourer¡¯s Guild before?!¡± he growled. ¡°No wonder yet armour is absolute trash!¡±


    ¡°I thought it was alright¡­¡±


    ¡°YER WRONG! YER WRONG AND IT MAKES ME ANGRY!¡± The dwarf ripped apart the measurement card in a fit of rage. ¡°RAAAAAAAAH!¡±


    ¡°What ye makin¡¯ such a fuss about?!¡± a female dwarf asked, stomping out of the backrooms.


    ¡°This gal here been wearing plate from the Armourer¡¯s Guild!¡±


    ¡°How is she still alive?!¡±


    ¡°EXACTLY!¡± The smith pointed at Korith, who was now blinking rapidly. ¡°Ye need a proper measurement card and a proper armour! Come along, I¡¯ll do this for free!¡±


    ¡°The armour?¡± Korith asked, hopefully.


    ¡°The measurin¡¯! Go on, follow the wife!¡±


    Korith scratched the back of her head and went over to the woman, who pulled her into one of the backrooms. A few minutes later, all measurements had been taken. After that followed an interview regarding preferred fighting style, dominant hand, leg, and even eye. The final result was a new card with a lot more detailed intel.


    The dwarf scratched his chin under the black beard as he went over the newly gathered information. ¡°Leaper, ey? Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised. Ye kobold Warriors are built for it. Ye should get a bigger hammer to use the leverage and reach.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s, uhm, on the list,¡± Korith assured.


    ¡°Making armour for you will be pretty cheap. Less material for your frame. No gauntlets or boots required either. The big guy fights with you in the frontline, right?¡± A nod. ¡°Then I¡¯d recommend a true silver chest plate, half-arm guards, knee plates, and thigh armour. Enchanted gold would protect ye more, but it¡¯s got way higher maintenance cost. Not usually worth it unless you¡¯re loaded or the only real frontliner.¡± He kept on scratching his chin. ¡°What thickness grade do you want?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, I was happy with three before?¡± Korith answered. ¡°Kept me safe, rarely dented, worked really well.¡±


    ¡°Ye, but this is Alarshus, not your average Leaf with planned dungeon dives. True silver is twice as dense as the steel they use for beginner armour. You¡¯ll be marching a lot in it. If you have the legs for it, that works.¡±


    Korith considered the question for a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ stay with three.¡±


    The dwarf just nodded, it was acceptable either way for him. ¡°Alright, thickness grade three armour, true silver, no boots or gauntlets, Leaper type, with extra chest room.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ yeah,¡± Korith confirmed. ¡°How much would that be?¡±


    The dwarf glanced over to his wife, who already carried over the chair. Korith gulped when it was placed behind her. ¡°200 gold,¡± the dwarf said, then laughed when the kobold stumbled back into the chair. ¡°Ye Hoard worshipping lizards! Always stingy!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 200 gold!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot of true silver! Stuff doesn¡¯t grow on trees!¡± The dwarf kept on laughing. ¡°Ye taking it or not?¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Aclysia weighed in. ¡°Do you take payment now?¡±


    The dwarf shook his head. ¡°We take pay on completion. Ye don¡¯t wanna be on the grudge list of the Dwarven Smith Guild.¡±


    ¡°We indeed do not,¡± Aclysia confirmed. ¡°How long will completion of this commission take you?¡±


    ¡°About a week, just come by then. Now get out of my smithy!¡±


    No money exchanged hands and neither did a receipt. In this part of the market, most things were done by word. It was a much smaller pool of buyers and sellers, therefore it was easier to track down if someone did not pay what was owed.


    That initial expense was the worst. They moved on to a weapon smith next. Korith got a new mace made from true silver, a weapon for tight corridors. She insisted on not getting a new warhammer yet. Reysha did not have that inhibition. In addition to the stiletto that they had bought for her before, they got her two daggers, ten throwing knives, a sword, a mace and a warpick. Reysha liked her selection of weapons and they had the finances to get her a nice spread. In totality, that took another 90 gold out of their pockets.


    Next down the list was a new staff for Aclysia. The heavy thing she currently had to contend with was replaced with an intricate charm of Hashahin, made from enchanted gold and a sanctified mana stone. It was worn as a necklace. Its size made it a weaker focus than a staff of the same grade, but it was still an improvement for the metal fairy in terms of strength. It cost them another 25 gold.


    The last major expenses were a new robe for Aclysia and new leather armour for Reysha. Blessed silk from Radiance Moths had been spun into pure white fabric, which was then dyed and tailored by the Priest¡¯s request. Aclysia had hers dyed the rose red of her father-god and grey, in honour of Pronthin. To pay respect to Sloan, the god of depth and darkness whose robes she had been wearing for a long time, she also had deep blue highlights added.


    The robe was a substantial upgrade to the dungeon drop. Priest garb typically offered little in terms of physical protection and the silk was not an exception. That being said, while the fabric did little to diminish the force of an impact, it was at least sturdy enough to prevent stray arrows or similar projectiles from punching straight through. Importantly, it was also highly resistant to magic and other elemental effects and enchanted with resistance to extreme temperatures. It also looked plainly more impressive.


    Reysha¡¯s armour upgrade was even more necessary. Her current, cobbled-together look of snake-skin top, regular pants, and red shoes from a dungeon chest were all replaced. Hides from the Lanaan Hives were used to make leather boots, pants, belt, gloves, and top.


    What made this kind of leather outstanding was twofold. One was that, with the right technique, it did not need to be stitched. The skin of the Lanaan remained ¡®alive¡¯ for a while and could be mended together into the desired shape. It then remained stretchy as long as it was treated with the right oils periodically. It was, in fact, so stretchy that one only needed a suit of the generally correct size. After a few hours of wear, it would expand to form-fit the wearer.


    Reysha had always been, and remained, in favour of clothes that functioned like a second skin. The Lanaan Hide armour, or bodysuit as it was more aptly called, fulfilled that optimally. Top and pants clung to her tightly enough to show the peaks and valleys of her definition, even enveloping her breasts individually. The boots and gloves were sleek things. The belt covered up the little gap between the top and bottom, making it seem like everything was one item. From turtleneck to toes, Reysha was covered in dark brown leather. The stretchiness of the material did not reflect in any squeaky noises while moving.


    The second aspect of the Lanaan Hide, which made it especially popular with the Sneaking Classes, was that it was scent neutralizing. The monsters from the Lanaan Hives that the leather was stripped from were ambush predators that possessed a strange kind of anti-musk in their sweat glands. Like the stretchiness, this effect was maintained as long as the armour was properly treated, neutralizing all but the most intense scents. It made remaining unnoticed that little bit easier, especially against creatures that had acute noses.


    The robe and the bodysuit were both cheap, courtesy of a current glut of materials, putting the group a mere 60 gold further down.


    One last ¡®necessary¡¯ expense, although not a costly one, was to get Apexus a new robe. It cost a little extra because of his size, but since it was ultimately just semi-resilient travel garb, they got away with only 5 gold invested.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not done yet,¡± Apexus told Korith.


    ¡°But¡­ but¡­ what more do we need?¡±


    ¡°Clothes,¡± Reysha said and gestured at herself. None of them were terribly dirty, but their wardrobes were in constant circulation and much of it was worn down from the long marches. ¡°Soap. Washcloth.¡±


    ¡°Among a great list of other items,¡± Aclysia added. ¡°We have well over 200 gold left. Let¡¯s get ourselves dressed nicely with an additional 100?¡± It was way more than she would have usually suggested, but the guardian angel craved a little bit of comfort. There was also a long list of utility items all of them had wanted for one reason or another.


    They all bought new shoes. For most of them that was a new pair of marching boots with an additional pair to spare so they wouldn¡¯t be caught out in a wintery area with a hole in the sole. With the same in mind, they also got themselves additional fur clothing. After that, it was casual clothes. They all got three whole new sets of the kind of clothes that they could wear anywhere (except for that one top Reysha got that had a plunging neckline). They got themselves pants for comfort and for looking good, dresses, sandals, and even a few hats.


    After clothes, it was time to buy more in the way of cooking and field utensils. They stocked up on rope, soap, spices, salt, tinder, fishing lures, and whatever else could be stored long-term and may come in handy. They had more money than they knew what to do with.


    There were more expenses they could and would have to cover in the future. Except for Aclysia¡¯s robe, none of their new items were enchanted. That was simply outside their price range at the moment. They would also have to buy the various oils that were needed to keep leather flexible and metal from rusting.


    At the end of their shopping spree, taking into account what money was spoken for even if they still had it, the group was down to 458 Copper, 9 Bronze, 5 Iron, 312 Silver, 66 Gold and 4 Platin. They were a whole lot less rich than they had been at noon, but they were still richer than they had ever been.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Aclysia finally surrendered to Korith¡¯s pouting. ¡°You will have coin for your god.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the kobold exclaimed happily.

 A Rivalry 15 – Hoardcoin

    Korith looked at the 4 platin coins in her hand. It was the remainder of their platin, but with 66 more gold coins in their collective funds, Aclysia did not feel the need to be stingy.


    The metal fairy had resolved to also spend on a proper two-handed warhammer later, so the kobold had her traditional main weapon in addition to the mace. Korith would just get it without being asked. That was the simplest way to get her to accept it.


    40 gold was a lot and yet it was not that much at all in the context of today. With the money left they would easily make it until the next payday, which in turn would let them buy more equipment, which would let them tackle harder Quests and Dungeons, which would pay them more. Aclysia was feeling very good about their wealth accumulation prospects.


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Korith asked and made big eyes up at the metal fairy. ¡°Ack!¡± she exclaimed when the metal fairy gave her a reprimanding chop between the eyes.


    ¡°That is plenty,¡± she stated. ¡°Operate within our means or be given nothing.¡±


    ¡°Greedy lizard,¡± Reysha chimed in jokingly. ¡°Get to it! I want to see what stupid stuff comes out of your scam god this time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you scam god¡­¡± Korith grumbled and turned around. Her tail came dangerously close to whipping the leg of the seated tiger girl.


    They were back inside their Mobile Estate, having opted to do this ritual in seclusion. Korith began laying out the circle, after putting the four coins in a neat pile in the centre of their table.


    Just like last time, she used the deck of cards as well as dice to create the summoning circle. They were representative of various values. Hearts stood for the love she had for the Hoard, diamonds for the wealth Hoard was going to receive, crosses for the burdens she would bear for Hoard and spades for the depth to which she was willing to dig to find what the Hoard wanted. The dice all around were representative of the randomness of life and Hoard¡¯s own whims.


    Korith put her finger on the ace of diamonds and waited. Almost immediately, the dice and cards began to glow. The coins at the centre flipped into the air, spun, and then fell right through the table. An illusionary image appeared in the air, taking the shape of the piece of quartz she had received last time.


    Hastily, Korith pulled it out of her bag and presented it. The moment it was over the edge of the circle, it left her hand and hovered. The cards that made up the circle began to fly in a dramatic tornado of fluttering paper. Three dice flew up to Korith. ¡°Roll the dice,¡± the nondescript voice of Hoard declared.


    ¡°As you wish, great shining pile!¡± Korith answered and clasped the three dice in her hollow hands. She shook and shook and shook until the moment felt just right. She let go.


    The first die landed on a 4.


    The second die landed on a 5.


    The third die landed on a 6.


    The eyes on the dice glowed, then sent out beams that filled the quartz with divine energy. A sound like a hundred coins cascading down filled the room. Most pleasant was the click-clack of metal and the rain of wealth. Most pleasant was the click-clack of the dice, now rolling back into the circle. ¡°Thank you for your contribution,¡± Hoard announced.


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    The quartz suddenly turned into an uncut, blue gem in the centre of a warhammer. The head was granite, black and grey, shimmering with remnants of Hoard¡¯s might. The long shaft was from the same stone, but smooth and polished, covered with marble inlays where one would grip most frequently. In its entirety, the weapon was almost as tall as she was.


    Korith squeaked and jumped to her feet, just barely grabbing the hammer before it started to fall. It would have smashed the table had it been allowed to drop. The weapon was heavy. It was perfectly heavy, exactly the kind of weight the kobold wanted to wield it while delivering devastating strikes.


    ¡°I told you Hoard was the best!¡± Korith said and lifted the hammer up. ¡°Who needs normal hammers when you have a Hoard Hammer!¡±


    ¡°Alright, and what is that?¡± Reysha asked and pointed at the table.


    The kobold¡¯s eyes glided down, then she gasped audibly. Carefully but swiftly she put the hammer aside, to dive for the object left where the four platin coins had been before. It was a stone coin, about the size of an adult woman¡¯s palm. On its surface was carved the image of a big pile of money, behind it a trend line graph that, through rise and falls, went steadily up.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Hoardcoin!¡± she declared. ¡°Do you have any idea what this is worth?!¡±


    ¡°No. How much?¡± Apexus wanted to know.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Korith had to stop in her bravado and think about that for a moment. Still looking at the coin, she scratched her chin. ¡°Well, I dunno, we¡¯d have to go to a place that accepts Hoardcoins in exchange for goods and services and ask¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, so it¡¯s worth nothing,¡± Reysha drawled.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Korith grabbed the coin with both hands and raised it above her head like a holy icon. ¡°Hoardcoins are the currency of the future! They¡¯re way better than your stupid metal standard or bank notes! Hoardcoins are backed by the Hoardchain, so their value and integrity are guaranteed and because Hoard only hands them out when it wants, they are highly resistant to local inflation!¡±


    ¡°You just put some numbers together and that popped out,¡± Reysha pointed out.


    ¡°Urgh, you just don¡¯t get it.¡± Korith shook her head and put the coin away. ¡°Mark my words, this will be very important one day.¡±


    ¡°Way I see it, we paid 4 platin for a warhammer.¡± Reysha gestured at the pile of other weapons. ¡°All of that combined cost us 90. Scam god.¡±


    ¡°I will show you scam god!¡± Korith grabbed the handle of the standing warhammer.


    ¡°Bring it!¡± Reysha kept teasing.


    ¡°Bad kitty,¡± Apexus intervened before the redhead could goad her fellow haremette to actual violence. Amused by the title, the Rogue nevertheless backed down. Korith was grabbed and placed in Apexus¡¯ lap. ¡°The money is worth your happiness,¡± he assured the kobold.


    She kept on pouting for about five minutes before cuddles and head pats melted her into a gooey pile. Aclysia picked up the scattered cards and sorted them by colour and number, before putting it all into a proper stack in the middle of the table. The dice were similarly sorted.


    After that, Aclysia placed their remaining 66 gold coins on the table. Korith was appeased, so she did not immediately make grabby hands. She did, however, stare with a greedy sparkle in her eyes. Apexus kept her locked between his arms, where she decided to stay.


    ¡°It is my opinion that our finances are stable enough to split some of the remaining money into pocket money for private expenses,¡± Aclysia announced. ¡°Darling, do you, as our leader, affirm that decision?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°Splendid. As this is private money, you can do with it as you want ¨C yes, you can sacrifice even more of it to Hoard,¡± Aclysia preempted the question. ¡°I will, however, point out that the group funds will only cover basic food and household needs. If you give away all your money, you will not be able to afford private luxuries. I demand that you spend your money sensibly or that you at least will not complain if others manage to be frugal and wise with their indulgences.¡±


    ¡°What ya looking at me for?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Korith gets her daily reprimands, I felt the need to reinforce the messaging that you are also terribly impulsive.¡±


    ¡°Psh, I never bought anything I didn¡¯t need.¡±


    ¡°Were you not renowned for heavy drinking before your tongue was cursed?¡±


    ¡°No comment!¡± Reysha gestured at the pile. ¡°So we split that four ways or what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°My suggestion is as follows: 30 gold shall remain in the group funds. The other 36 gold will be split amongst us, meaning each of us gets 9 gold to hold on to.¡± She split the big pile of money into the described stacks. ¡°For ease of transportation, I have also bought three new purses,¡± she stated and put the empty velvet sacks on the table. Because adventurer¡¯s bags only allowed one item at a time to be pulled out, it was highly recommended to have a regular purse within the bag that contained the money.


    ¡°Thoughtful as always,¡± Apexus praised his guardian angel, who preened at the words.


    ¡°It is upon us, darling, to keep these two chaotic minds fed, clothed, and happy.¡±


    ¡°Would ¡®well-fucked¡¯ fall under happy or is that an extra thing?¡± Reysha asked and reached for her part of the money. ¡°What?¡± she asked when Aclysia hit her with a weak, reprimanding bolt of magic.


    ¡°My suggestion has not yet been approved,¡± the Priestess reminded. ¡°Darling, the final say is up to you.¡±


    ¡°You can assume my approval unless I protest,¡± the giant of a Monk answered.


    ¡°See, I knew that,¡± Reysha said and then scooped up her part of the money. Once everyone had done so and deposited their share in their bags, the rare, awkward silence filled the room. It was the redhead that presented the question. ¡°I guess this is where we¡­ split up?¡±


    No one answered. They had not split up for any meaningful time for months. Even during their stay at the Teacher¡¯s Isle, they had always known where each other was and since then they had, at most, been on opposite ends of the street. This would be the first time since founding the party that they would each go out to find individual entertainment.


    ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Apexus finally confirmed. Alien as the idea was, it was also what they should do. ¡°We will meet here by sundown.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ imma go pick up that book now. Can I haz the receipt, pleaze?¡± Reysha asked in her cutesy voice. ¡°I wantz to eatz and drinkz twe tastwy.¡±


    ¡°Just for using that voice, your request is denied,¡± Aclysia answered, even as she reached into her bag to pull out the paper slip.


    Reysha took the paper and held it to her chest, all innocent-like. ¡°Thwank you, uwu.¡±


    ¡°Never make that sound again,¡± Apexus demanded.


    ¡°No promises are made!¡± Reysha declared, before breaking out into a cascade of laughter. Between table slaps, she backed away from the furniture and got on her feet. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    Aclysia gave the redhead a warning finger wag. ¡°Don¡¯t get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°No promises are made!¡± the tiger woman said, then stepped out the door.


    The remaining three people of the Inevitable party were left thinking about what they would do. Apexus absent-mindedly started kneading Korith¡¯s left breast. The kobold was more amused than aroused by it. Casual appreciation of her body did not always lead to sex, but it did feel good regardless.


    The uncertain but pleasant quiet ended when the kobold had made up her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll have a look around,¡± she decided. ¡°Get a better feel for the city, maybe, uhm, find some fellow Hoard worshippers.¡±


    Apexus wordlessly released her from his arms and she tapped towards the door. That left him and Aclysia in the room. The humanoid chimera was still uncertain about what he wanted to do. Buy food? No, civilized food always cooked all the tasty juices out of the meat. ¡®Maybe I could buy a whole cow?¡¯ he wondered.


    ¡°Darling, if you have no alternative ideas, perhaps you would like to accompany me?¡± the metal fairy suggested. ¡°I would like to head to the local churches again and make some offerings. Perhaps they also have meditation chambers or the like?¡±


    A hum was Apexus¡¯ first answer. ¡°It has been a while since I got to meditate in silence,¡± he said. He could do it in the Mobile Estate while he was alone, but his home was a bad place for meditation. It was too filled with the scents and auras of his day to day life to properly empty his mind. Memories, pleasant as they usually were, made it difficult to find his centre. ¡°I will accompany you, my melody.¡±


    Aclysia smiled radiantly. ¡°Wonderful.¡±

 A Rivalry 16 – Downtime Montage

    Aclysia and Apexus made their way to the local church district.


    The Church, as the institution, was present as a central building. It had little resemblance to a temple of any kind and it was not either. The block of grey stone had been hastily erected when the Leaf had earned initial prominence and had not been replaced in the 90 years since. It barely had any windows, nothing in terms of decorations, and existed solely for the purpose of administrative duties. In the eyes of everyone, it was a blight on the cityscape.


    The district around it was, after all, gorgeous. Wooden, brick, concrete, and stone buildings of shapes engineered and magical stood tall and proud all around them. There was no greater plan to their layout, no symmetry between the stained glass windows and the druidically shaped water basins, but there was a shared sense of beauty in it all.


    Around them were not the efficiency-seeking structures of landlords trying to maximize the rentable space nor the selfish display of wealth of merchants who only cared for the looks of their own houses. Instead, they walked through the streets of the priests who had the virtue of living with the community, rather than above it. They understood their duty of spirituality and thus, even without talking to one another, agreed silently where what could stand to create a district of solemn beauty.


    It was quiet there. The bustling street life was several streets removed and thus died down to a soft background murmur. Almost, the whispered prayers of the various small congregations overpowered it. Almost.


    The air was rich with the smell of various kinds of burning incense. A group walked with purposeful slowness down the street, the priest heading it gently waving a censer, spreading the smoke. Parts of the same procession stopped at elevated stones that framed the walkway, rubbing aromatic oils on the polished rock.


    Apexus found that a bit vain, but he left them to it. He did not know what god they worshipped nor what purpose exactly this ritual had. He simply followed Aclysia to the church she wished to visit. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The two-faced mask of Hashahin was painted on the heavy wooden door. Aclysia leaned against it and, although she would have managed, Apexus swiftly came to her aid. Together they entered, finding half a dozen people sitting on the floor of a small chamber. They were watching a performance, a quiet dance by a seventh member.


    A quiet dance by a woman clad only in barely opaque cloth.


    Apexus knew that the followers of the god of his melody were unique fellows. The God of Art and Actors inevitably attracted the oddballs of society. Aclysia blushed a little bit at the indecent exposure of her fellow worshippers. Quietly, they entered and sat down.


    Aclysia was soon enthralled by the dance. The wide and circling motions had a purpose to them, they were all part of a larger story.


    Apexus, for the first time in a long time, was happy that his emotions rarely showed on his face. He was confused more than anything. ¡®Is this some kind of strange mating ritual?¡¯ he asked himself. For a little while, he continued to sit there, not sure if he was allowed to leave. Eventually, he decided to just do it.


    Violating the silence felt wrong, so he quietly found his way out. Aclysia repressed a disappointed sigh. She suspected that this kind of art was not to his liking. It irked her that he left, that he was not sharing her interest, but she swallowed that emotion. She knew what kind of man she loved and he was too practical to find entertainment in art. A smile was what she offered instead. They would see each other again by nightfall.


    Apexus wandered the quiet district for a little while before he found a tiny church. The entrance was marked by the sign of the lotus flower. It was that which made Apexus enter. The temple to the Progenitor was empty and quiet. Dust on the floor indicated no one had used it in a long time. A familiar set of symbols in the opposite wall tugged on Apexus¡¯ emotions. Knotted patterns created the d¨¦cor that had been frequent all over Maltos¡¯ temple.


    There was a single elevated spot in the middle of the room. Sitting down there, Apexus stripped off the top of his robes. He placed his knuckles together, thumbs hovering just in front of his stomach. He let all the air flow from his body and closed his eyes. All that mattered was inside now. He emptied his mind and just¡­ was.


    Time flowed on.


    _________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Boo!¡± Reysha jumped at Korith.


    The kobold leapt in surprise, nearly flinging herself into a passerby in the process. It looked like a startled frog making an instinctive escape. Only one of the reasons why that Martial Art was named the Frog Leap in the first place.


    ¡°Sorry! So sorry!¡± Korith apologized to the laughing passerby, then turned to Reysha. ¡°Hellroots, what did you do that for?¡±


    ¡°Your face!¡± the redhead exclaimed, laughing loud enough to turn some heads. She slapped the shortstack on the back, causing collective eyes to go to the tightly packed boobs that jiggled from the indirect impact. People had the decency to keep walking, rather than stare. ¡°I knew someone would come after me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just heading in the same direction!¡±


    ¡°Potato potahto.¡± Reysha waved off. Still giggling to herself she asked. ¡°Any first step you have in mind? Might as well walk together.¡±


    ¡°Not really? I was just going to walk around, see what I can¡­ you know, see.¡±


    ¡°With your eyes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Korith pointed at her golden gazers and Reysha giggled some more at her own joke. ¡°Y-you¡¯re just messing with me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Reysha feigned an innocent smile. ¡°Who? Me? Never!¡±


    ¡°Well, what are you going to do that¡¯s so great?¡± Korith wanted to know and began to walk. If nothing else, she could take a little bit of a lead. ¡°I thought you wanted to pick up that book.¡±


    ¡°And I shall do so, squishy,¡± the redhead assured. ¡°However, playing a little prank on you was too delicious to pass up the opportunity¡­ aww, don¡¯t give me that.¡± Korith was puffing up her cheeks and pouted. ¡°That only makes me want to bully you more.¡±


    ¡°Could you answer my question?¡± Korith asked. ¡°Or are you too busy devising your next innuendo?¡±


    ¡°Admittedly, my tongue is always busy with something,¡± the redhead quipped, much to the kobold¡¯s second-hand embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m going to pick up that book, then visit someone with scissors. I need a haircut.¡±


    A swift glance up at Reysha¡¯s hair was quickly followed by Korith combing through her own hair. They had similar hair, in that it was gorgeously messy and silky all the same. Came with the territory of their species and the benefits of magic. It was also longer than it used to be, just by the passage of time. When Reysha had first met Apexus, her hair had gone down to the middle of her shoulder blades, just about. Now it was well down her back. If she kept it growing for much longer, it would touch her tail.


    Korith¡¯s hair had been longer, relative to her size, to start with and had only grown further in the last few months. It was well down to her own tail, but that did not bother her. Scales were not as sensitive to the touch as hairs were.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll keep it like this¡­¡± she said after some thought. ¡°Could you pick up a few hairbands for me though? Might be best if I bind it up¡­¡±


    ¡°So Master can yank you by the ponytail?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I-I mean no!¡± Korith stammered. ¡°It¡¯s j-j-just more practical!¡±


    Reysha just laughed and slapped the shortstack on the back again. ¡°I¡¯ll bring a receipt,¡± she finally said, before splitting from Korith.


    The kobold shook her head and walked alone. ¡®Feels weird,¡¯ she thought. ¡®Don¡¯t have to stick to someone tall, just need to keep dodging the big people.¡¯ She played with the pommel of her new mace. The shortstack-sized weapon hung from her hips. It was a warning that she always carried with her, even now, for any men who thought she was theirs to flirt with. ¡®Maybe I should wear something that shows I¡¯m taken like¡­ a collar or something¡­ did I just think that unironically?!¡¯


    Korith had to keep the embarrassed scream inside.


    ________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°There you go.¡± The bookbinder handed over the finished article. Reysha turned it in her hands. The leather looked pristine, quite a difference from the yellowy pages it contained. She opened it up and flew over the first couple of pages.


    The contents were unsorted. The original author had not thought the book would reach another person¡¯s eyes and had been happy to use his own sorting system. The paper was too cheap to write on both sides, so the page count was deceptive as well. There was no table of contents either.


    ¡®That¡¯ll take a minute to get through,¡¯ the redhead thought and closed the book, then put it away. ¡°Thank ya very much,¡± she purred and wiggled her fingers in goodbye. She stopped shortly before leaving the store and then took three steps backwards. The craftsman looked at her with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Anything else I can help you with?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, actually, if you can believe that.¡± Reysha turned around to have a normal conversation. ¡°When¡¯s the new edition of the encyclopaedia thingy coming in again?¡±


    ¡°Three weeks minimum. They¡¯re preparing the presses. I¡¯d expect something closer to five weeks from now.¡±


    ¡°Any typo-riddled prototype you¡¯d be willing to throw my way?¡± the redhead asked.


    The bookbinder shook his head. ¡°Those always get swooped up by the collectors on the day of printing. No chance.¡±


    ¡°Ah well, was worth a shot.¡± Reysha tugged at the tip of her hair. ¡°Any barbers around that can give a woman a decent haircut?¡±


    That the man could help her with. Fifteen minutes later, Reysha was sitting on a stool in front of a tall mirror. A woman rolled over a cart, on it a number of arcane items that Reysha had no idea why any woman would ever need. Scissors and hair clippers were all she needed for this.


    ¡°Ears on or off?¡± the woman asked, to Reysha¡¯s amusement. She was a fellow cat girl, of the common, un-striped, fair-skinned variety. She was also relatively young and unblemished, the daughter of an adventurer who had founded this business after their retirement. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as ears on.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m rather attached to them,¡± Reysha chatted back.


    ¡°Alright, serious question then.¡± The hairdresser took a gentle hold of Reysha¡¯s hair. ¡°Are we just doing tips? Up to here? Maybe here?¡± She indicated with her offhand various lengths.


    Reysha hummed, still somewhat undecided. She liked her hair pulled as much as the next gal, but recent months really had made her sick of all the side effects. Plus, in a crowded bed, someone always managed to roll into an undesired position. ¡°Let¡¯s do chin length,¡± she decided.


    ¡°You sure?¡± the hairstylist asked. ¡°That¡¯ll take years to grow back.¡±


    ¡°Gods, I hope,¡± Reysha laughed.


    _________________________________________________________________________


    Apexus heard the rest of his party before he saw them again. ¡°That really does look good on you,¡± Korith said.


    ¡°I concur.¡± Aclysia agreed.


    ¡°Stop it... Continue,¡± Reysha cooed in the tone of the vain.


    Apexus did not have to wonder what they were talking about. Once he turned around the last corner, he was treated to the sight of his women.


    Aclysia was the same as ever, an eternal monument to beauty in his life. Korith had tied her hair up into a high ponytail. It was a mild change, a cute one at that, and it worked well with her horns. Reysha, however, looked entirely different.


    Apexus had only known her with long hair. Seeing that scarlet mane reduced to a length that barely made it past her chin suited her, however. It still had that wildness. Had each strand obediently been straight, her hair probably would have reached her back again. Instead, that messy display curled whimsically, as if the tiger girl had just jumped out of a bush. The pair of feline ears and the symmetrical stripes around her black eyes only added to the feeling.


    The humanoid chimera swiftly stepped closer, pulled Reysha to his chest, and kissed her. It was all one instinct, all one motion, and it ended only after a long time of tongue whirling unity. ¡°I love you,¡± he whispered to her.


    Reysha blushed. She blushed all over, feeling a warm tingling go up from her toes all the way to the roots of her hair. ¡°Shut up,¡± she purred and put her chin on his chest. ¡°I love you too but shut up. I just cut my hair.¡±


    ¡°You look gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    He kissed her again.


    Then they retreated for the night.

 A Rivalry 17 – The Spice of Magic

    Several days later, the party sat back in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Reysha tossed several herbs into the soup that she had just bought. The green particles swam on top of the broth, then on top of the spoonful she took of the meal.


    When Reysha filled her mouth with the food, it tasted bland. Bland was a massive improvement over the wretched taste of botfly maggots and puss that she was used to. The herb was a medical agent typically used to make vile concoctions go down easier. It numbed the taste buds for a short time, which worked well enough to make Reysha capable of eating a good meal.


    The herbs had been costly, coming from a different Leaf altogether, but they were shelf stable, worked in small quantities, and could be sprinkled on basically anything. If there was a drawback to them, it was that overreliance on them would have her building up a resistance. For now, Reysha was just happy not to have to force herself to remain nourished.


    ¡®Luckily, I was always good at suppressing my gag reflex,¡¯ she thought to herself and listened to the music. It was a different Bard that stood on the table today. There were many of them, each in competition to see who could get the most drinks paid for.


    As per usual, it was a festive song.


    ¡°In the Guild we gather,


    In the Guild we laugh,


    In the Guild we splatter,


    Drink all over the tabletops!¡±


    The refrain was met with a unified cheer. Korith herself raised a mug full of ale, joining all the others in a loud ¡°EY!¡± The blonde let out a satisfied sigh after taking a huge swig from her mug. It would have been large in the hands of a regular person. Smiling like a dopey drunk, she sat there, enjoying the simplicity of affording alcohol.


    ¡°As the days go by,


    As the purse goes empty,


    As the rent is due,


    We take on the Quests we can!¡±


    For some reason, Korith found those lyrics unfathomably funny. That this was her third mug likely contributed to that. She laughed and laughed, much to the amusement of the other party members at the table.


    ¡°Do we fight for ale?


    Do we fight for girls?


    Do we fight for justice?


    Yes and no, too hard to say!¡±


    ¡°YES AND NO, TOO HARD TO SAY!¡± The crowd echoed the phrase.


    Aclysia smiled at the merriment but did her best to ignore the noise. Her eyes were focused on the compilation of religious texts that she had acquired. Every line in the book had been touched by her gaze before and would be many more times.


    ¡°In the Guild, we gather,


    In the Guild we laugh,


    In the Guild we splatter,


    Drink all over the tabletops!¡±


    The song played out with a long and complicated series of notes from the violin of the Bard. All of the crowd went wild for the two minutes that it was drawn out, the musician using the opportunity to display the range of his skills, while all others danced in manners jovial.


    Apexus took in the scene. It was nice to be amongst happy people. That being said, the overexposure of sensual inputs was starting to bother him. Much as he enjoyed the setting in small doses, he preferred to leave and soon at that.


    Earlier that day, they had picked Korith¡¯s new armour, putting them at their new combat capability. Plenty of money remained in their pockets, so they were in no hurry in a financial sense. There was an unspoken wish at the table to keep in motion, however. The trio, more so than Korith, wished to become stronger. If they wanted to ever play a role in dealing with Apotho, then they had to become stronger.


    ¡°We should talk about our next move,¡± Apexus finally brought it up.


    ¡°Yesh, Mashtahr, we should!¡± Korith slurred drunkenly, spilling a substantial amount of ale on herself. ¡°Noooo, thish stuff costsh money!¡± She exclaimed. Aclysia closed her book, put it away, and pulled a handkerchief out in its place. The drunken kobold had just enough self-control to dry herself up.


    ¡°Water for her, please,¡± Apexus spoke to a nearby tavern wench, who nodded and swiftly went to fetch it. ¡°Can you listen?¡±


    ¡°No, Shir!¡± Korith continued to drawl the wrong syllables. ¡°Am drank.¡±


    ¡°Sober Korith won¡¯t mind us making a decision without her,¡± Reysha said.


    Aclysia wrestled the mug from the kobold¡¯s hand and replaced it with the glass of water that arrived a moment later. ¡°What certainty do you have of that?¡±


    ¡°Lemme just recreate her input really quick: ¡®Money, I want money! All the money for Hoard!¡¯¡±


    ¡°FOR THE HOARD!¡± Korith shouted. The raised voice just joined other screams in the room. The night was going on and drunkenness was more frequent than not. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Korith, however, had reached her capacity limit. She downed the glass of water, thinking it to still be ale, then slumped forward onto the table. A cute snore just a few seconds later proved she had immediately fallen asleep.


    Aclysia sighed and gave in on the matter. ¡°Very well, if she disagrees vehemently, she can tell us so come morning. What do we have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Personal request.¡± Reysha pulled out the journal and flipped to one of the latter pages. ¡°Says here that you can extract a ¡®Spice of Magic¡¯ by boiling dungeon monsters in healing fountain water in a certain way. It¡¯s a fairly stable way to get something that I could transport to eat food and have it actually taste good.¡±


    ¡°A dungeon dive, then?¡± Apexus waited for Aclysia to take out and unfurl the map she had acquired recently. It, like the local map that the merchant had possessed, was covered with a hexagonal grid that roughly represented how far an adventurer party was expected to get in a day. Obviously, it was inaccurate, terrain being what it was, but it was good enough to get a general idea.


    ¡°The closest dungeon we should dare challenge would be Chimerion.¡± She tapped twice on the orange diamond in the northern part of the Zone of Influence. ¡°By this map, getting there would take us at least 16 days. An additional estimation of 50% is likely wise, considering the hostility this area is supposed to offer.¡±


    ¡°That works for us in this case,¡± Apexus said. ¡°We are level 23 average. The dungeon is level 25 to 30. We require additional training before we enter it.¡±


    ¡°It would be wise to acquire at least some enchanted items as well, before we tackle such a challenge,¡± Aclysia weighed in. ¡°Our items are now merely appropriate for our level, we should aim to have additional tools at our disposal.¡±


    ¡°Sounds smart to me ¨C so what¡¯s the idea?¡± Reysha expected Aclysia to have a plan already and she was not disappointed.


    ¡°Caravans make it from Drowse to Altuan and Summerdawn semi-regularly,¡± Aclysia shared what she had gathered over the last few days. ¡°Merchants, primarily, that wish to bring their wares to a less competitive market. To Altuan, the traders prefer ships, rented or bought, which require some protection between the regularly patrolled coastal areas.¡± The finger of the metal fairy traced the white borders of the settlements.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s been a while, but I am still sick of water,¡± Reysha groaned.


    ¡°It would be the lesser part of our journey. To Summerdawn, traders either set out from Drowse itself and make it across Chimerion or they start in Altuan and follow the river up to the border. However, I do not suggest we join one of these caravans.¡±


    Apexus was relieved to hear that, but he still had to ask. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°As you acutely observed, darling, our current level is too low. Caravans survive on the basis of numbers, so we would be part of a larger collective. Individual pay would also be mediocre. Additionally, our Mobile Estate makes us detached from the wider caravan during the pivotal night hours.¡±


    ¡°We could always, ya know, not use it?¡± Reysha¡¯s suggestion was met with a reluctant sigh.


    ¡°I would much rather retain my privacy,¡± the metal fairy stated. Apexus and Reysha did not fully understand, they hardly minded mating in front of other people, but they knew that she and Korith preferred thick walls around them. ¡°Wares and people are, however, not the only thing that flows from Drowse to the other outposts.¡±


    ¡°What else is there?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Items and documents,¡± the metal fairy said. ¡°Not all can be or is desired to be relayed via the Scribes of the Guild. Summerdawn and Altuan both currently name themselves as independent city-states, which the local outpost of the Sleeping Empire finds disagreeable. Diplomacy is the current route and the nobles prefer their letters delivered in the condition they write them, alongside various tokens and trinkets of threat or appreciation.¡±


    ¡°So, they need runners,¡± Reysha noted. ¡°What¡¯s the pay like?¡±


    ¡°100 Platin ¨C yes, I am serious,¡± Aclysia pre-empted the question. On the table, Korith giggled, the mention of such a sum bringing her pleasant dreams. ¡°Acquiring the Quest is a highly competitive affair. Obviously, a great number of adventurers are eager to gain such a paycheck. In order to narrow down the candidates, the local nobility will hold a series of tests tomorrow. Whoever impresses them the most will be chosen to deliver the diplomatic package.¡±


    ¡°What a fortunate timing,¡± Apexus commented.


    ¡°Korith won¡¯t agree with you come morning,¡± Reysha joked. ¡°What if we don¡¯t get the job?¡±


    ¡°We will attempt to find a humbler version of a similar Quest. Regular people want individual items delivered all the time and it is usually safer to let a party like us handle it.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Apexus asked. ¡°A caravan has many more people. If they entrust it to someone that is part of it, that should be safer.¡±


    ¡°In theory, you are correct, darling. In reality, whenever a group expands to a certain size, selfish elements will surface. An item entrusted to a singular group means that the group can be tracked by the mechanisms of the Guild. Our departure and arrival will be logged and the message sent via Scribes back to the person who placed the Quest here. Items that are part of caravans tend to vanish.¡±


    ¡°That is to say, someone swipes it,¡± Reysha puts it more bluntly. ¡°If it¡¯s just in the cart, it just takes a Rogue to take it while no one is looking. The merchant won¡¯t make a giant fuss about something that¡¯s not his to begin with. If it¡¯s with an adventurer, there¡¯s some elements out there that¡¯ll arrange a convenient ¡®screw-up¡¯. The adventurer will get drunk, forget their bag somewhere, and when they find it again the item is gone, only to reappear on the black market sometime, if at all. ¡®Course, the entire thing happens with the adventurer¡¯s knowledge, but it looks like an accident so not much that can be done about it.¡±


    ¡°Unless a pattern is established,¡± Aclysia pointed out.


    ¡°Some people conveniently lose stuff too frequently,¡± Reysha agreed.


    ¡°How often does this happen?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t take very often for people to be distrustful,¡± Reysha answered. ¡°If you had a 1 in 100 chance to get smacked in the face every time you enter a tavern, hard, but the prices are 20% lower, would you go to that tavern? Probably not, right?¡±


    ¡°If the competition is better.¡±


    ¡°The competition is indeed better. Delivery for expensive items from Drowse to Altuan is a well-established system and some parties make their living exclusively off being the ones to make such deliveries. We have arrived in early Spring, which is when most deliveries are placed. We would not qualify for one of the better jobs, but we would find a job, guaranteed.¡±


    Aclysia gestured back at the map, tracing a route with her fingers.


    ¡°My proposal, therefore, would be to get one of those delivery Quests and make our way to Summerdawn. There, we will use our newfound wealth to acquire magical items, be they enchanted armament or consumables, and then travel to Chimerion. If the dungeon proves too difficult for us initially, we can find more Quests locally, preferably purging Incursions to increase our levels and wealth.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan. That should keep us busy and fed for a month or two.¡± Reysha grinned widely. ¡°Look at us, living the regular adventuring life.¡±


    ¡°It is pleasant,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°Albeit I miss the chaos of nature somewhat.¡±


    If all went according to plan, he would taste it again soon enough.

 A Rivalry 18 – Competition for the Job

    The Inevitable party stopped in front of the government building. Tall walls of orderly cut stone formed an out perimeter. The oaken double doors were currently open, but the two guards still stopped the quartet. ¡°Your invitation?¡± one of the dark elf men asked, his hand demandingly extended.


    Aclysia respectfully bowed her head, she delivered the parchment. An eyebrow rose, as the guard read through the Guild¡¯s description of the party. ¡°Unvetted in matters of messaging¡­¡± The man rolled up the scroll and handed it back. ¡°¡­you haven¡¯t even earned your iron. It is your luck that the Sleeping Empire judges merit on its own. Honour that by not wasting the lords'' and ladies¡¯ time.¡±


    A gesture of the guard¡¯s head permitted them to enter. Reysha bit back her impulse to joke or stick out her tongue at the guard. There was enough money at play for her to mind her manners.


    They followed a demarcated path into the building. The inside was thrice as ornate as the outside. Grey pillars of polished stone, half-embedded in the walls, segmented corridors filled with oil paintings, statues, and vases. Walking through another oaken door brought them into a large courtyard. Garden patches marked the rim of it, separating the expensive windows from the fighting pit at the centre.


    Opposite the entrance was a balcony, hovering above everything, the other adventurer groups in the courtyard included. They were a loose assembly, the parties clustering, with some friendly and quiet banter between friends ongoing.


    The Atlas party was there, the leader of them chatting with a member of another party and chuckling as loudly as the environment allowed. He and his other party members noted the arrival of the Inevitable and covertly waved, before returning to the conversation. There were older friends here that they wanted to catch up with.


    No one in the quartet was surprised at seeing them there. Atlas and his party would obviously want a job as well-paid as this one. In total there were five parties in the room, six with the Inevitable party included. The smallest consisted of only two members and, at five, the Atlas party was the biggest.


    Apexus guided his companions to the left of the group, where the symmetrical layout of the courtyard was currently devoid of people. A glance down at the fighting pit revealed its remarkable quality. Enchanted plaster covered the unevenly shaped terrain, meant to simulate the conditions out in Chimerion. The material was sturdy, but could also be easily patched up if it was broken, the optimal combination when it came to having civilized fights between adventurers.


    ¡°The promised hour has arrived!¡± a haughty voice came from above, shutting up all chatter in the yard.


    Apexus raised his gaze, finding a woman whose beauty was marred by her clothes. The many sparkling layers were utterly ridiculous to the humanoid chimera, each inhibiting the movement of the grey-skinned noble more than the last. Indeed, the only purpose of the clothes appeared to be the accentuation of her hips and her, for an elf, unusually large breasts.


    What Apexus found to be deeply distracting, the other people were, at worst, ambivalent about. Many of them, the women in particular, found the gem-encrusted blue and grey layers of cloth incredibly fashionable. Whatever they thought of her clothes, none could deny the attractiveness of her symmetrical features.


    ¡°I am Lady Frashina, your hostess for today,¡± she spoke, every word carrying in it power. Not any magical or personal power, but the power of authority. Such a power was mightier than that of any of the adventurers below, yet lesser at the same time for it relied on their kin. ¡°It is my impressment that you seek, my authority to grant you the honour of delivering letters and gifts of diplomacy to the leadership of Summerdawn.¡±


    She snapped her fingers and servants hastily brought chairs to the edge of the white balcony. Frashina sat down, as did the other nobles who occupied the embassy. These trials existed in no small part because they were looking for amusement.


    ¡°First, each of you shall introduce yourself. What are your merits, why should you be given the honour of serving as the arm of the Sleeping Empire?¡± Farshina gestured. ¡°Atlas, scoundrel, step forward first.¡±


    ¡°Always glad to be working for you,¡± the brown-haired Warrior joked, causing the noblewoman to chuckle behind a raised hand. ¡°My party has great experience in operating with and for the Sleeping Empire. There is a sour loss in our streak, admittedly, but that was a year ago and we have since improved in all aspects. The last three times you relied on us, we delivered swiftly. Our track record speaks for itself.¡±


    ¡°Indeed it does¡­ you, then, go next.¡±


    One after another, the other four parties introduced themselves.


    ¡°We are the Stinging Scorpions, eager to serve the Sleeping Empire. We specialize in spelunking and deep delves and are never caught off-guard. All of our members have the iron, our equipment is strong, and we know how to present ourselves as your noble deliverers!¡±


    ¡°The two of us are the Night Runners. We have been making a name for ourselves in the business over the last few months and now aim to take on this most esteemed Quest. Our service is one of speed. None will move your message quicker than us.¡±


    ¡°We are the Bastion. While speed is not our forte, security is beyond the question. All of our members are heavily armoured and our paladin is one of Kolten. His spells assure we are never ambushed and never stolen from.¡±


    ¡°Honoured lady, I represent the Parlour¡¯s Tricks and we-¡°


    ¡°Parlour¡¯s Tricks?¡± the lady interrupted. ¡°Ah, the follower of the 33rd ¨C get out of my sight. I¡¯ve had enough of your people¡¯s games for this year.¡±


    The man speaking opened his mouth, then shook his head when he realized that there was no talking to a noble. A wave of his hand and the rest of his disappointed compatriots followed. They would talk about a name change later that day.


    Expectant, the gaze of the noblewoman landed on Apexus next. It wandered over to Aclysia when the metal fairy took a half step forward. ¡°I speak for the Inevitable party,¡± she introduced them. ¡°We are a recent arrival on this Leaf and our past has given us little opportunity to work with the Guild. However, I assure you that our capabilities are vast. The leader of our party was trained by Maltos himself.¡±


    As Aclysia had predicted, that caused some mumbles even among the people on the balcony. ¡°Do you have proof of this claim?¡± the noblewoman asked.


    ¡°We have items that once were in his possession,¡± Aclysia said. Playing along, Apexus presented them with the compass that always pointed towards the world that Maltos himself had been trained on ¨C the world that they were ultimately heading to. Leaves like the current one they visited for many reasons and getting stronger was foremost among them.


    ¡°A Leaf Compass is expensive, but there is no proof it belonged to him,¡± the noblewoman stated. ¡°Do you have a writ?¡±


    ¡°Of sorts,¡± Apexus answered and pulled out the notebook that his teacher had bestowed on him. While the majority of it was a compilation of the humanoid slime¡¯s own writings, Maltos had added some of his own notes.


    The noblewoman snapped her fingers and another noble descended the staircase that led up to the balcony. ¡°May I see that for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Do not damage it,¡± Apexus warned, not caring in the slightest if this was a breach of etiquette. The glare of the noble made clear that it was, but he was too enticed when he carefully flipped through the pages. He nodded. ¡°This is the same handwriting as some of the old exchanges with the Radiant Hand.¡± Closing the book gingerly, he held it ponderingly. ¡°I would buy this for 30 Platin from you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Apexus put his hand out. The noble scoffed but handed it back. Apexus quickly put it away.


    ¡°Very well, then!¡± The noblewoman said, deeply pleased. ¡°Stinging Scorpions, you too shall leave.¡±


    ¡°W-what, why?!¡± the leader shouted.


    ¡°Do not question me!¡± Frashina snapped back. ¡°Leave or face the consequences.¡± Several guards moved, their armours clacking, as the threat was spoken. Grumbling, the second of the six parties took their leave. ¡°I will proceed to ask you questions. Only the one I look at shall respond.¡± She focused on Reysha first. ¡°What is your greatest fear?¡±


    A quip was fast on the redhead¡¯s lips, but a covert pinch by Aclysia kept her tongue in place. Thinking for a moment, the memories of the flaming sky came back unbidden. Clenching her teeth, Reysha chased away the images of trauma, overcome but never gone. ¡°Losing who I am.¡±


    The noblewoman nodded solemnly, then directed her gaze at one of the two members of the Night Runners. ¡°What would you do if a monster attacks?¡± Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I would rely on my comrade so that both of us can slip away if it is strong or slay it if it is weak.¡±


    A less enthused nod, then Frashina looked at Kumlin. ¡°You come across an injured man on your journey, what do you do?¡±


    The dwarf stroked his beard thoughtfully. ¡°Certainly, he would have my aid. His wound would be healed and I would accompany him for as long as necessary to maximize his survival.¡±


    Another nod. Frashina¡¯s eyes kept wandering and she kept asking questions. They seemed random, possessing only a general undertone of testing the moral character and flexibility of the people. ¡°Would you ever steal?¡± she asked the other member of the Night Runners.


    ¡°Certainly not from the Sleeping Empire, milady,¡± she answered quickly. That she had misspoken in her haste to impress dawned on her the moment the words left her mouth. ¡°No, I mean never from-¡°


    ¡°Enough ¨C get out of my sight.¡± The order was given and, hanging her head, the one Rogue was guided away by the other. That left them with half of the original attendants of the meeting. The Bastion party moved closer to the middle of the courtyard, to use the newly opened space. ¡°I understand each of you is here because you desire the money. Adventurers are such a lot, desiring wealth to drink and buy your safety through magical trinkets. Beyond that, however, what do you desire? What does each of your parties wish to achieve in the world? You may think for a minute.¡±


    Korith tugged on everyone¡¯s sleeves to get their attention. ¡°Uhm, what do we say there? Do you have a good response to that?¡±


    Apexus lightly tilted his head. ¡°I have a true response.¡±


    ¡°Is it finding tasty things?¡± Reysha joked.


    ¡°Give darling more credit than yourself,¡± Aclysia reprimanded.


    ¡°Never.¡±


    The group disengaged their heads stuck together, the women backing Apexus as he turned to the balcony. ¡°We desire the wisdom and might to make the places we visit better than we have found them.¡±


    ¡°A noble endeavour,¡± the aristocrat commented.


    ¡°You know what we are about,¡± Atlas answered next. ¡°We want to live good lives and make sure that extends to those we care about.¡±


    ¡°Simple, but honest.¡±


    The leader of Bastion cleared his throat. ¡°We dedicate ourselves to the protection of the innocent!¡±


    ¡°Urgh,¡± Frashina outright retched at that. ¡°Lies leave a terrible taste in my mouth. If protection of the innocent was your goal, you would join the Church and the army ¨C and you certainly would not seek a Quest whose first and foremost reward is money.¡±


    ¡°We-¡°


    ¡°I do not care ¨C Leave.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± the Bastion leader spat out a curse, then turned on his heels. Now only the Inevitable and the Atlas party remained.


    ¡°Do we do this the same as always?¡± Atlas then asked. ¡°Because I do not like my chances.¡±


    ¡°We indeed will. Remaining competitors for the honour of serving the great Sleeping Empire, choose your champion. Face each other in combat. First blood will decide the loser of this bout.¡±


    Atlas sighed, resigned to defeat. Monks were usually a bad matchup for Warriors. Warriors had the edge in defences, but Monks both had speed and power on their side. One of the most basic Skills of the Monk, the Rippling Palm and its many derivatives, was designed specifically to strike through protective layers.


    On the other side, there was a short talk. ¡°Should I go, maybe?¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°Uhm, I think that¡¯s a bad idea,¡± Korith whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way but, uhm¡­ you¡¯re a little bit of a killer.¡±


    ¡°What wrong way is there to take that? I absolutely am,¡± Reysha agreed readily, her face devoid of a smile. ¡°We don¡¯t want to draw last blood¡­ alright, sure.¡±


    Throwing Korith into the fight was similarly out of the question. The drawback of her reliance on leaping was that she could not do as much as a half impact. Apexus and his measured fighting style were the best all around here.


    The Monk and the Warrior stepped into the fighting ring. ¡°When this handkerchief touches the ground between you, you may begin,¡± the lady declared.


    Apexus kept his eyes on the opponent, even as the pink cloth sailed down between them. It settled on the floor, to no reaction from the two combatants. ¡°You can divest yourself of your armour,¡± the humanoid chimera offered.


    ¡°Gesture is appreciated, but I fight best in it,¡± the Warrior answered.


    A nod, then a step forward. Atlas raised his shield, covering much of his body. It included his sword arm. Apexus let his vision blur, concentrating on his tremor sense and his ears. He caught the little adjustments in posture that accompanied a hand lowering and the slight click of a weapon being drawn.


    Apexus snapped forwards suddenly. The aggressiveness of the assault surprised Atlas, but Warrior Control was in full effect. Like all of his Class, the frontliner was specialized to have the magic surging through his blood constantly, creating an effect that was lesser than the spikes of other Classes in exchange for the reliability that let him meet the charge with a swing of his shield.


    The changed angle of impact made it so the Rippling Palm¡¯s energy surfaced again where the arm was not located. Atlas then immediately lunged forward, a dagger in hand. Ironskin clad, Apexus knocked the weapon aside. Any larger weapon would have been too heavy to turn around in time. Atlas went for a second stab, just as the Rippling Palm slammed into his chest ¨C accompanied by the metal denting impact of the mantis shrimp smasher hidden in the wrist of the humanoid chimera.


    The combined impacts flung Atlas. He remained on his feet, catching himself after two stumbles. ¡°Yup¡­ your victory¡­¡± he wheezed, sensing the blunt trauma on his ribcage. ¡°Definitely bleeding¡­¡±


    ¡°As Atlas says, then-¡°


    ¡°No,¡± Apexus interrupted. ¡°The victory is his.¡±


    The noblewoman leaned over the railing, to get a better look at Apexus. As always in combat, he had taken off the upper part of his robe. There was not a single dot of red to his lightly tanned form. ¡°Do you surrender?¡± she asked, confused.


    ¡°No. He won.¡± Apexus wandered over to Reysha.


    ¡°Always such a goody-two-shoes,¡± she theatrically rolled her eyes and handed him one of the new weapons she carried on her. The true silver dagger felt awkward in his hands, least of all because it was too small for his paws.


    In demonstration, Apexus raised the weapon to his own face and cut a trench over his cheek. The aristocrats cringed at the display ¨C an emotion soon replaced with interest when they only spotted a glimpse of deep blue before the wound sealed itself. ¡°My species does not bleed like most people do. His second strike struck my shoulder. He broke skin before I did.¡± He handed the dagger back. ¡°He is the victor.¡±


    ¡°¡­So he is then,¡± the noblewoman hummed. ¡°Very well, the Atlas party will have the job.¡±


    The party was not in as festive a mood as usual when they got a gig like this. Certainly, the Warrior trusted in Apexus¡¯ assessment. The armour made it impossible for either to know who had truly bled first. Atlas did not bring it up. They wanted the Quest and a niceness stand-off would lead to very little.


    ¡°Inevitable, know that I will remember your conduct,¡± Frashina declared. ¡°Now go, I have details to discuss with the Atlas party.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure meeting you,¡± Aclysia said her goodbye, then followed the rest of the party out the door.

 A Rivalry 19 – The Lesser Alternative

    Four iron plates were placed on the counter in front of Apexus. A moment later, a note was added ¨C the official license that the humanoid chimera could show in other outposts around the Omniverse to prove they were entitled to this level of authentication.


    ¡°Why?¡± Apexus asked, looking at the objects. His surprise put him back in the bad habit of not fully formulating understandable thoughts. ¡°Why are we receiving these?¡±


    The receptionist, an older man, double-checked the notebook before answering. ¡°You attempted to take a Quest from the Sleeping Empire, correct?¡± he asked, then continued after the Monk nodded. ¡°They were pleased with your performance and sent us an official letter of recommendation. We don¡¯t get many of those, so the top brass must have thought that was good enough.¡± He closed the book and looked up at the party leader. ¡°The Guild is not in the habit of holding back capable adventurers. Between the Gargant, Atlas¡¯ recommendation, and now that of the ambassador''s wife, we have enough reason to skip on the usual procedure.¡± He gestured at the metal plates on the table. ¡°Therefore, you go straight to the iron, congratulations. Would you like to create your cards right now?¡±


    Apexus just nodded. Each member of the party pricked their thumb with a sharp needle and bled onto their individual sheet of metal. The receptionist raised an eyebrow at the reddish gold of Aclysia¡¯s blood and the water-like consistency of the thinned slime that oozed from Apexus¡¯ wound. He commented on neither. It was unusual, but on par with other weird stuff he had seen in his time.


    The magical feather of the Scribe moved over the metal, using the life essence of the four adventurers as the ink to etch into the iron. A minute later, each of them held their new cards. Levels had not changed since the last update. They had only fought the Incursion and a Gargant since, not enough to bring about the kind of change they needed.


    To level effectively, adventurers had to truly risk their necks. It was no wonder, then, that most adventurers plateaued at one point or another. Only a few kinds of people were happy to keep risking their lives in exchange for more power. Most got to a level at which living was good and then stagnated there.


    Iron in their pockets and the note stored away in Aclysia¡¯s second bag, the party addressed the receptionist with their actual question. ¡°We requested to be notified if a certain kind of job came in. Has there been a development?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± the receptionist had forgotten they had led with that. He opened the registry back up, checked for their request, and then opened another book. ¡°Now that you have the iron, this is much easier,¡± he told them. ¡°You can work for us.¡±


    ¡°The Guild?¡± Apexus asked.


    The receptionist nodded. ¡°We got the word this morning that our outpost in Summerdawn is running low on ink. The special ink that the Distance Feather uses ¨C you know what a Distance Feather is?¡±


    ¡°One of the devices used so Guild outposts are in contact in and between Leaves,¡± Apexus answered.


    ¡°Exactly. They don¡¯t produce the ink locally yet, so we have to send it across. Normally we¡¯d do it with a caravan, but the last one got ripped apart by a Scorpiopede.¡±


    ¡°A what now?¡± Korith squeaked.


    ¡°Imagine a millipede.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not¡­¡±


    ¡°Then imagine it¡¯s twenty metres long.¡± S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Ew! Ew! Ew, ew, ew!¡±


    ¡°Then imagine every other segment got mantis arms sticking off to the side.¡±


    ¡°What terrible, terrible god would make that!¡± Korith¡¯s eyes flew open. ¡°That¡¯s awful.¡±


    ¡°To this day, we do not have a precise answer to that. This Leaf was the sum of collaborative efforts. The scholars are pretty sure Chimerion is by a relatively young god though. Apparently young gods like slapping common creatures together.¡± The receptionist shrugged. ¡°To the point, the reward would be 25 platin, paid immediately upon delivery. You could set out right now, we have the package in the back.¡±


    Apexus looked to the rest of the party. Korith nodded thrice, Aclysia once, and Reysha gave a thumbs-up. They had been waiting two days for a job and they were tired of sitting around. ¡°Very well. We accept.¡±


    The package was a stack of flasks contained in a wooden cylinder filled with wood shavings for cushioning. It was slim enough to go into an adventurer¡¯s bag and not particularly tall either. Distance Feathers did not use up much ink.


    Rather than keep it in their bags, the party decided to store it in their Mobile Estate. It was safer there. ¡°Alright, now that we have a payload, let¡¯s go!¡± Reysha urged everyone. ¡°Come on, I haven¡¯t eaten anything good in several weeks!¡±


    ¡°I will miss you, cooked food,¡± Korith sniffed.


    ¡°We have new cooking utensils and spices, you will eat well on the road,¡± Aclysia promised.


    ¡°Ah, right, cool.¡± Happily, Korith waddled next to Aclysia, the two of them and Apexus following Reysha on swift foot.


    The streets thinned, the busy movement of the city gradually decreasing until it was not even a distant murmur. Left was the whisper of the wind over the tamed fields that surrounded the city. All of them breathed easier out there. Even the half of the party that liked civilization preferred the clear air of the farms to the layered stenches and aromatic scents of a city.


    Suddenly, Reysha stopped.


    ¡°Alright, this as far as I know what the best route is!¡± Turning around on her heels, she pointed at Aclysia. ¡°Swing your bubble butt to the front, bubble butt! I want something nice to look at.¡±


    ¡°Would you also be interested in marching in the correct direction?¡± Aclysia suggested.


    ¡°Ya know me, ¡®Clysia, that¡¯s the second priority at best.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should make it your first priority?¡±


    ¡°Nah, each of your cheeks is more important than finding the quickest way ¨C so it¡¯s third at best, actually.¡±


    ¡°It is advisable that you get your mind out of the gutter.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think ya want that.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± The metal fairy was genuinely confused.


    ¡°Remember all those times I had to make shady deals with people living in the canalisation to get ya what ya wanted? Yeah, that¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ mhm¡­¡± Aclysia went quiet for three seconds, then let out a frustrated groan. ¡°You win this one.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t ya learn by now, bubble butt?¡± Reysha gave the white-haired angel a smack to the same as she passed by her. Jumping in surprise, the metal fairy tried to give a poisonous glare. She did not quite succeed, their relationship was too deep for that. ¡°When it comes to banter, Reysha doesn¡¯t lose.¡±


    Aclysia pulled out a compass to properly orient them. Once the group was back in motion, the fairy at the helm, Apexus raised his voice. ¡°I never understood why people sometimes talk of themselves in the third person.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cauwse Weyshwa does whatevaw she wvant, uwu,¡± the tiger girl slurred her words with sickening sweetness. She burst out laughing a moment later. Their faces would never not be priceless.


    ¡°I think people just do it for¡­ uhm¡­ emphasis?¡± Korith suggested, then nodded to herself. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the right word. When you want things to sound a certain way, you use it.¡±


    ¡°When is that?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ you¡¯ll just know?¡±


    ¡°Apexus does not know,¡± the Monk answered. ¡°Apexus too stupid. Apexus has no brain.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like that!¡± Reysha laughed, slapping her lover¡¯s back a couple of times.  ¡°Really emphasizing your empty skull there, big guy.¡±


    ¡°This manner of speaking confuses me. It is like a river that curves away from the ocean when the beach is in sight.¡±


    ¡°River¡­ curve¡­ ocean¡­¡± Korith mumbled, then scratched the base of her ponytail. ¡°Do we file that under Apexus-isms or Monk-isms?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a clear Monk-ism,¡± Reysha answered. ¡°Apexus-isms usually have weird animal analogies.¡±


    ¡°Are my metaphors like snails and slugs to you?¡±


    ¡°See, that is an Apexus-ism!¡±


    ¡°In my humble opinion, that was a standard simile,¡± Aclysia chimed back in. ¡°The similarities and differences between snails and slugs are widely known.¡±


    ¡°The fuck is a simile?¡±


    Aclysia let out a deep sigh. ¡°The proper word to describe what all ascribe the label metaphor to.¡± Sorting her words for a moment, she then continued, dramatically. ¡°A great storm is about to descend on you, cracking lightning in your head, causing aches of great pain!¡±


    Reysha applauded the performance. ¡°Impressive, I can really see your daddy¡¯s influence coming through.¡±


    ¡°That was a metaphor.¡±


    ¡°For what? How?¡±


    ¡°For a headache, to put it so bluntly that even one of lowly intellect, you who are like a gaping fish, can understand.¡±


    ¡°Now that was a metaphor!¡±


    ¡°No, that was a simile!¡± Aclysia stomped once in frustration. ¡°The difference is quite simple. A simile relies on words such as ¡®as¡¯ or ¡®like¡¯ to make the connection. A metaphor exists without such binding agents.¡±


    ¡°So, one is glue and the other is like a boiled horse?¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°I¡­ uhm¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, exactly!¡± Reysha laughed, at which point everyone was confused about what the entire talk was even about. Korith joined in the laughter because she didn¡¯t know what else to do. The general joviality of the banter spread to the other two.


    In that good mood, the party went northwards, stopping only to reorient themselves, deal with the stray, weak monsters that still popped up in this neck of the woods, and refill their waterskins in public wells. The latter was only necessary because the water from within the Mobile Estate could not be brought out.


    They followed the same route as they had taken the first time around. It meant that they primarily stuck to the wide river that parted the land of Drowse in an eastern and western half.


    After six days, they were back at the salt lake. ¡°If I take one more step, it¡¯ll be the furthest from Drowse I have ever gone,¡± Korith said dramatically.


    That earned her weird glances from everyone else. ¡°And?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°It was just¡­ just a joke¡­ Why am I always the unfunny one?!¡±


    ¡°You are really funny, I love laughing at you,¡± Reysha answered.


    ¡°Well, thank you- Hey!¡± Korith grabbed some clean-picked bone off of the ground and charged with it at Reysha. The slow swings were easily dodged. Mischief in her eyes, the redhead deliberately backed into Apexus. Following the mischief, Korith kept swinging her impromptu weapon.


    Aclysia let out a quiet sigh when the predictable happened. The bone got blocked by the Monk, the Monk elbow-jabbed in the stomach by Reysha, and suddenly all three of them were tumbling in the grass. Their usual playfight for dominance was taking its course.


    A smile on her lips, the Guardian Angel kept a look at their surroundings. The crocodile-gorilla hybrids could have hidden in the murky channels that marked these salt marshes. ¡®I can¡¯t even tell them to mind their clothes now that we got spares,¡¯ Aclysia lamented to herself, her smile growing wider. ¡®What a horrid luxury.¡¯


    Korith tapped out first, getting pinned down by a combination of Reysha¡¯s thighs and Apexus¡¯s hands. The redhead immediately lunged at the much larger black-haired man afterwards. As per usual, she avoided the physical struggle, instead trying to confuse him with a flurry of motions. It did not work on her darling, not anymore. Deeply controlled, he caught her by the wrists and then pinned her down. A kiss between them sealed the fight.


    Covered in mud and grass, the trio rose back to their feet. Aclysia still kept a watchful eye on the surroundings. ¡°Shall we stop for the day?¡± she suggested. ¡°We will not make it to dry land before nightfall no matter how hard we march.¡±


    Reysha ran a hand through her hair, realizing too late she was staining her red strands with mud. ¡°Sounds good to me, for some reason I got dirty.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®got¡¯ dirty? Dirty is your base state,¡± Korith jabbed.


    ¡°HAH!¡± Reysha laughed out loud. ¡°See, ya got some humour, squishy.¡±


    Apexus put up the Mobile Estate. Once inside, they stripped out of their dirty clothes. Aclysia took it upon herself to clean them as best she could with what she had on hand. The limitless supply of water helped, but she lacked the proper utensils and space. The other three gave themselves a thorough scrubbing. Afterwards, they entered their resting hours.


    It was that time of day between them entering the Mobile Estate and dinner being ready. After dinner, they usually played games until libido took over, after which it was sex and sleep. Before dinner was the hour in which they went after their individual tasks ¨C as best they could in the space they had.


    Apexus sat cross-legged on the bed, blending out the other noises. There was the soft vibration of magic. Aclysia was channelling her magic into harmless light, exercising her magical circuitry. A little bit removed, sounds of exhaustion could be heard from Korith. The kobold was pushing her body to the limits using weights she had bought with her own money. Reysha snapped her fingers. She did it again. Several minutes later, she did it again.


    Korith looked up suddenly. Aclysia stopped focusing on her spell. Reysha grinned. ¡°Distracted?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes ¨C what was that?¡±


    ¡°One of the things Mai didn¡¯t get to teaching me, so I¡¯m trying to figure it out for myself ¨C it¡¯s called Misdirect.¡± She snapped her fingers again, the sound coming across slightly louder than it should have been. ¡°Basically I¡¯m inverting all of the effects of Stealth to create something that seems way more important than it is.¡± She snapped her fingers again and made a sour expression. ¡°Long shot from being able to use it in combat though.¡± Reysha did not need to ask what the other two were working on, their training was of the endurance kind. Important, fundamental even, yet not much to talk about. ¡°And what are you doing, Apexus?¡±


    The Monk was in the calm of his mind and needed to stir his thinking again before he could answer. Eyes still closed, he answered. ¡°I am trying to achieve the Ego Death.¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck would you want that?¡± Reysha remarked, her tone flat and serious. ¡°I like you.¡±


    ¡°You mistake ego for character. It is fundamental that I achieve a state in which I am governed not by what I desire but by what I ought to do. My instincts must be grounded in my discipline, so that my virtues may be at the wheel.¡±


    Shaking her head, the redhead mumbled, ¡°That sounds like it¡¯s for people that have virtues.¡±


    Apexus opened his eyes and fixed his stoic gaze on her. ¡°You are being too harsh on yourself. It has been two years. You¡¯re no longer that same person.¡±


    ¡°Funny, I still feel like that cunt.¡±


    ¡°You are and you are not ¨C my point is that you have tried to be virtuous and you have succeeded. Not in all ways, no, and I do not think you will ever be a paragon¡­ but maybe you should try to let there be distance between you and what you did.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather snap my fingers, I¡¯m good at that.¡± Reysha demonstrated with a loud click.


    Apexus stared blankly at her for a few seconds. ¡°I love you. I would not love a villain.¡±


    Blushing, Reysha averted her gaze. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± she muttered, her tail flopping on the floorboards. ¡°What¡¯s it like¡­ Ego Death?¡±


    The humanoid chimera closed his eyes and tried the impossible task of entering the state while holding a deliberate conversation. He failed at the former. He remembered enough and had read enough to relay. ¡°It is a state of true clarity and freedom. All desires and functions of the body are laid out before the mind and thus all actions are taken by the mind, the stoic reason, and the instincts honed by a good life.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ pretty great?¡±


    ¡°It is torture,¡± Apexus clarified quickly. ¡°I can feel my hunger gnawing at the edges of my mind. My muscles twitch in response to my thought. The pulsing of heat through my body. The production of acid in my stomach. The eyes in my head. The ears on my skull. The plates on the roof of my mouth. My skin. I can feel it all individually like the day I have acquired it. All the subconscious processes of my body are rubbing up against my active mind, like the tongue of a cat peeling off fur.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s an Apexus-ism,¡± Reysha tried to introduce some levity into the talk. Korith giggled, then cleared her throat.


    ¡°Please, do laugh,¡± Aclysia encouraged. ¡°This need not be a dire conversation, I believe.¡±


    ¡°Dire is not my goal,¡± Apexus assured, his voice even and relaxed.


    ¡°If it sucks so much, why do it?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s better than the alternative ¨C to be guided by whims. If pain is the price for self-control, then I will gladly suffer.¡± That was the final word on the matter. Aclysia stirred the boiling stew. Korith went back to lifting.


    Reysha silently watched him meditate.

 A Rivalry 20 – Wilds

    Stone cracked bone. The swing reverberated with the sound of a coin bouncing off a stone floor. Satisfying as that clear noise was, it was drowned out in the current slaughter.


    Heavily breathing, Korith tugged at her hammer. The stone had sunk a little bit too deep into the gorilla skull and got stuck on splintered bone. The delay was all the opening the enemy needed.


    Leaping, a gorilla-mantis nymph attached to Korith¡¯s armour. The head-sized creature¡¯s mandibles and teeth scratched over the surface of the armour. Its thin legs latched onto whatever little gap they could find. The jaws of the juvenile creature snapped ever closer to her face.


    Korith finally yanked her hammer free. Before she could take out the creature, more insect than mammal at this stage of its lifecycle, another adult member descended on her with thick, furred arms and the lower body of its insectoid half.


    A swipe of her weapon broke the descending arm. Simultaneously, the nymph reached her neck. Mantis mandibles dug into the exposed flesh. Had it not been for the magic coursing through her skin, the wound could have been fatal. Instead, she only had her skin torn. More could have happened, had Apexus not appeared.


    The Monk grabbed the monster by its insectoid lower body and ripped it off. Not even two seconds passed before Apexus squashed the head of the creature between two palms. The scatter of gore was scarcely worth the mention in the blood-soaked pit they were in.


    Apexus¡¯ heels came down in precision stomps, squashing ever more of the nymphs. Monstrous instincts kept them skittering towards him and his companions anyway. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The adult monster screamed. The scream was cut short violently. Reysha¡¯s demonic hand had rammed into the back of the neck of the monster, took hold of the spinal column, and ripped it out.


    A final gargle and the monster collapsed, burying a fair number of her brood underneath it, alongside a number of eggs that had yet to hatch. Elsewhere in the pit, fire was spreading, spurred on by Aclysia¡¯s magical ray attacks.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out ¨C now!¡± Apexus shouted when he finally saw a gap in the slaughter.


    He led the way, relying on his tremor sense to know what parts of the ground were safe to tread on. The hardened mud was covered in holes, an irregular pattern of where eggs had been buried and where they had hatched. Reysha and Korith followed him closely on foot.


    They emerged from the pit, covered in blood, that of their enemies and their own. They ran towards a nearby safe spot in the landscape: a gap between two rocks that would funnel the chasing nymphs through a chokepoint.


    They were greeted by a massive spider lunging at them. Apexus had not expected it. Apexus was also fully engaged in the heat of combat. His body moved with purpose, meeting the lunging spider¡¯s face with his Ironskin-clad knuckles. Chitin cracked, eyes burst, and Aclysia joined from above, spearing the enemy with a Lance. The concentrated, unstable energy exploded, ripping the spider apart where its abdomen and main body came together.


    Things finally relaxed from there. Only a few nymphs skittered in their direction. The rest lacked either the knowledge or the sight to chase after their supposed prey. Aclysia landed and started to heal Korith. The kobold had taken the brunt of the assault.


    ¡°Assholes!¡± Reysha cursed and grabbed a spider leg off the ground. Without much of a thought, she cracked the chitin wide open to get at the flesh inside. As she munched, she looked back at the pit with annoyance. ¡°Since when do monsters put up elaborate traps?!¡±


    The party had been progressing smoothly for the day, only to find themselves suddenly breaking through the floor and falling into a specially prepared burrow. Two adult monsters and their brood had then descended on them. A feeding for the newly born creatures, before they were made to fend for their own in the wilds.


    ¡°It may have been an Incursion,¡± Aclysia suggested. ¡°It could also have been the manifestation of their life cycles outside of dungeons.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hideous is what it is!¡± Reysha responded, stuffing the meat in her face. ¡®At least the reward food is good.¡¯


    Korith felt the pain of a broken rib suddenly wash away. The fight had started with her throwing herself in the path of a fist meant for Aclysia. While the armour had blunted most of the impact, it had still been enough to rattle her insides. ¡°You the best,¡± the kobold squeaked.


    Apexus remained at the entrance point of the crag, staring outwards. His eyes were only the secondary sense he was focused on. His naked soles were listening for any vibration that was out of place. He only took a step back when Korith tugged at his sleeve and gave him a signal that she would take over the guard.


    Obliging his hunger, the humanoid chimera unhooked his jaw and wolfed down several pounds of spider meat in unchewed chunks. He needed to replenish the biomass he had lost to injury and energy consumption. Reysha was just eating for the hell of it. Feasting on a monster corpse was having the usual effects, from satisfaction to arousal. She bit the inside of her cheek not to act on those desires.


    ¡°The air smells dangerous,¡± the Ragressian noted in a flat voice.


    Apexus nodded, his eyes ever-wandering. None of them were new to hostile environments. They had visited dungeons, confined into tunnels or exposed to the open sky, before. That, however, had still been confined instances with the usual rules that the gods provided for such places. This was, well and truly, the wilds.


    Reysha forced herself to throw the remains of the spider leg aside. There was still room in her stomach, room she was used to filling when she got the opportunity to feast on flesh that tasted better than mouldy wheat straws extracted from cow dung. As it stood, she was better advised to eat only as much as she required to fend off the distracting gnawing of her own stomach. If she ate until she was truly full, that would slow her down. A handicap they could hardly afford.


    ¡°Everyone good?¡± Korith asked, then glanced at the stone wall next to them and perked up. ¡°Oh! Oh yes!¡±


    Mild amusement found its outlet in a variety of chuckles, as the healed members of the party followed the kobold¡¯s rapid change from concerned to distracted. Korith had spotted a silvery glint along the boulder¡¯s wall. To inspect it more closely, she leapt, clinging onto the craggy stone. Some spider silk obscured her vision.


    ¡°Need a knife?¡± Reysha offered when the shortstack tried to get rid of the sticky webbing with her hands.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Korith said after taking the sharp throwing weapon. The keen edge sliced through the fibres like a shear through silk, revealing more of the material. Korith handed the dagger back once she had cleared enough of the wall, then proceeded to dig into the rock with her claws.


    The dull, dense end points of a kobold¡¯s hands were adapted to this kind of work. Thin enough to enter crags in weathered rock, sturdy enough to survive the pull and sensitive enough to make out whether they were about to unearth something they shouldn¡¯t, the claws and scaled hands made for optimal tools to chip away at the surface of a mountain. Incidentally, they were also quite apt at working with machinery, specifically artifice, but that was, all things considered, more of a happy accident of their guided evolution. By design, the claws were meant to help dig out warrens in rocky landscapes and prospect for minerals.


    Korith was currently doing the latter, removing a somewhat loose chunk from the large stone. A regular kobold would not have been capable of ripping it out. A Warrior of her level did it with relative ease.


    The satisfaction of removing the rock was followed by immediate disappointment. Korith dropped to the floor and presented the chunk of silver-veined stone to the crowd. ¡°Ore?¡± Aclysia asked. ¡°I must assume not, considering your disappointment.¡±


    ¡°Too light.¡± Korith weighed the stone demonstrably in her hand. ¡°It¡¯s just muscovite.¡±


    ¡°I must admit that there is a gap in my knowledge,¡± Aclysia confessed and looked a little closer. ¡°Could you inform me on the nature of muscovite?¡±


    ¡°Basically, it¡¯s a kind of rock that looks like silver at a glance but it¡¯s just a worthless rock,¡± Korith answered and dropped the chunk. ¡°Sorry¡­ got excited for nothing¡­.¡±


    The weight of Apexus¡¯ gently placed palm made the blonde¡¯s head bob. ¡°Get excited as you desire, I adore it,¡± spoke the giant of a slime.


    ¡®Hamena, hamena, hamena,¡¯ thought the shortstack of a kobold, while swaying under his patting hand. The adorableness was almost enough to distract them all. It was certainly enough to distract Aclysia.


    Reysha only appeared distracted. Her amused little smile turned into a manic grin. A spin on the spot and the throwing knife she had lent Korith a moment ago went whistling past the angel¡¯s head. The true silver sliced through the base of the left wing of a fist-sized insect that had swept in. It immediately dropped to the ground, its life force extinguished in an instant. The throwing knife sunk half a finger¡¯s width into the stone wall, cutting into it like a steel knife would do with tree bark.


    ¡°Why!¡± Korith shouted, staring at the dead thing on the ground. It was a thoroughly creepy mixture between a mosquito and a tarantula. It had the fuzzy legs and size of the latter while possessing the clear wings of the former. The head was an absurdist mixture between the needle-like mouth of a mosquito and the abdomen of a spider. ¡°Why make that! Why?!¡±


    Apexus picked it up and inspected it from a few sides, then he devoured it whole to understand better how it worked. From his lower right arm, he formed a half-functioning replica of the creature. It looked like it had been grafted onto him. Incidentally, that was what this kind of creature specialized in.


    ¡°They latch onto a person¡¯s limbs and inject them with a tranquillizer while sucking blood. The nutrients go to the egg-sack and the eggs are then deposited under the outer fat layers to-¡°


    ¡°Stop! Cease! Ew!¡± Korith shouted. ¡°Ew, ew, ew!¡±


    ¡°I concur,¡± Aclysia agreed, leaning onto the wall to fight off the sudden sense of nausea. ¡®Curse my swift thoughts,¡¯ she thought. With every word spoken, she had automatically and vividly imagined the process in all of its details. Even now her mind was spinning around the way the hatched larva would bury deeper into the host body to-.


    ¡°Hey there, bubble butt,¡± Reysha interrupted the intrusive thoughts by putting her arm around the sickened angel¡¯s neck. ¡°I just saved ya from that thing, so how about ya give me a little reward?¡±


    ¡°Its reproductive strategy would not have worked on me.¡±


    Aclysia¡¯s objection was overruled by the redhead leaning in. Justification ignored, the angel was more than eager to accept the prying tongue of the tiger woman. The forward approach grew in force and the healer yielded by instinct. The kiss, not chaste whatsoever from the outset, soon had the Priest with her back against the stone. Both women¡¯s breaths were faintly audible by the time Reysha broke the kiss.


    Rather than pull away, the Rogue rubbed her cheek against that of Aclysia, like an affectionate cat. The angel smiled softly, eyes only open a miniscule gap, and nuzzled into the touch. Reysha sent a half-lidded, smug glance to Apexus. It was between a challenge to join and an invitation to do the same.


    The humanoid chimera took it but only placed two quick pecks on their foreheads. Disappointment was layered underneath resignation to the wisdom of that decision. ¡°Have you recovered your mana?¡± Reysha asked teasingly.


    ¡°Mhm?¡± Aclysia hummed, her mind swimming in the happiness that kissing loved ones always brought, a buzz that she and Korith got lost in much more easily than the more assertively minded half of the party. ¡°What?¡± she asked, when Reysha and Apexus laughed, one loudly, the other in his reserved fashion. ¡°What?!¡± she repeated, louder, more embarrassed, when they kept going.


    ¡°See? She adores me,¡± Reysha flattered herself. ¡°No taste in women, that angel.¡±


    ¡°Her taste is refined,¡± Apexus disagreed.


    ¡°What did you ask?¡± Aclysia repeated for the third time, now miserable from embarrassment.


    ¡°Did you fill up your mana?¡± Korith repeated the question in the stead of the giggling redhead. ¡°Because, you know, you can do the whole¡­ sucky thing?¡±


    ¡°She can do that sucky thing alright!¡± Reysha shouted, then almost fell over because her own joke made her stomach hurt.


    ¡°Can we not engage in innuendos for five minutes?!¡± Aclysia shouted back, composure entirely broken down.


    ¡°We can, she cannot,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°A group of four crows may sit together, but one will always caw.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s more of a thieving magpie,¡± Korith mumbled. ¡°Stealing innocence and whatever else¡­¡±


    The joke at her expense only made Reysha laugh more. She held her stomach, taking her out of the conversation long enough for Aclysia to regain her composure. ¡°I have not absorbed any mana. May I, darling?¡±


    ¡°It is more useful with you than I,¡± the slime answered and extended his hand.


    ¡®I wanted another kiss¡­¡¯ thought the angel, but took the hand gracefully. Mana flowed from one body to the other. Apexus pulled her against his chest and into a warm hug. ¡®This is nice as well,¡¯ the white-haired woman thought and snuggled up against his broad frame. The remaining viscera made it all a little less romantic.


    They parted when she had concluded her recharge. Stopping only so Apexus could pile some more fresh meat into his stomach, the party moved out of their safe spot and further north. ¡°Should we be worried about that?¡± Korith asked, pointing at circling vultures up above. They were too large to be of the regular variety.


    Apexus kept a close eye on them for half a minute, before answering. ¡°They¡¯re not here for us, they¡¯re here for our scraps,¡± he reckoned.


    ¡°They must be true animals then, not dungeon monsters,¡± Aclysia theorized.


    ¡°Could also be smarter dungeon monsters,¡± Korith suggested. ¡°The dragons technically were dungeon monsters and they didn¡¯t attack us on sight either.¡±


    The angel nodded sagely. ¡°An astute objection ¨C as we reach higher levels, the rules blur and more get added. Old assurances may not necessarily hold, especially not out here.¡± The vultures landed behind them, their needle-toothed beaks soon digging into the remains of the spider carcass.


    ¡°Caution will be our primary guide,¡± Apexus said.


    And they advanced deeper into the wilderness.

 A Rivalry 21 – Halfway There

    Thirteen days had passed since they had left Drowse.


    Eight days had passed since they left the civilized area and entered the Influence Zone of Chimerion.


    Five days had passed since they had the major incident with the brood pit.


    Their new and shiny equipment was covered in new cuts and scratches. Reysha¡¯s new bodysuit had several claw marks on its surface, Aclysia¡¯s robe was stained with mud and fluids that a casual wash could not get out, and Korith¡¯s armour had a whole series of dents and grooves. All of them were signs of the items¡¯ usefulness.


    The claw marks on the bodysuit were remainders of when a swipe had cut Reysha¡¯s back open. The leather had made it a shallow impact. The most prominent stains on Aclysia¡¯s red robe originated from an acid spew that would have eaten through lesser fabrics. For Korith¡¯s armour, every dent and scratch was testimony to the work it was doing. There was not a single hole in it either.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Reysha groaned.


    The tiger woman sat in the middle of their Mobile Estate, wearing only a shirt that was three sizes too large for her.  It was so large that the head opening was wide enough that most of her left shoulder was bare. Ironically, it being that large and loose made the single article of clothing more of a ¡®decent¡¯ cover than her skin-tight bodysuit.


    The top of said bodysuit was currently lying in front of the redhead. In her right hand, she held a rag. It had been the white-grey typical of cheaply woven fibres initially. Now most of it had taken on the deep brown colour of the oil it was soaked in. An oil that the redhead was rubbing all over the cut marks.


    After a solid minute of her efforts, Reysha lifted the rag again to look at the unchanged cut marks. ¡°I hate this!¡± Reysha grabbed the collar of the shirt and pulled it over the bridge of her nose. The sweet, masculine scent that hit her took the edge off the annoyance.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting oil on my shirt.¡± Apexus pointed out, gesturing at Reysha¡¯s fingers. Excess from the rag had made it onto her hands and now onto the collar of the shirt. A shirt getting dirty was no cause for concern for Apexus usually, but this was different. Not only was the oil a pain to wash out or off anything, but the shirt also had a clear purpose. Apexus only wore it so his women could take turns ¡®stealing¡¯ it.


    Reysha hissed at her hands. ¡°Sorry. This work just sucks. May the Parasytes eat us all if it means I am rid of-¡°


    ¡°Reysha!¡± Aclysia yelled across the room.


    The air bristled with the passive discharge of mana caused by the angel¡¯s emotions. Biting her tongue, Reysha lowered her head in surrender. ¡°Sorry,¡± she mumbled again. ¡°Why is it so complicated to fix this shit though?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad?¡± Korith threw in, eager to keep the conversation going away from Reysha¡¯s curse. In the background, Aclysia shook her head but returned to her own task of checking on her robe without further reprimand.


    ¡°It¡¯s fucking awful! How does it work?!¡± Reysha cursed and gave the marks a few more rubs. ¡°I was told the leather will grow back together!¡±


    ¡°I mean, it did? Those used to go clean through?¡± Korith poured her own variety of oil onto a similar rag, then tenderly distributed the viscous fluid on the armour. The true silver particles suspended in the liquid attached to the armour. Improper application would make the armour abrasive, the new metal forming random bumps all over. Korith, using it properly, filled out the scratches and such. The dents she had taken care of earlier by heating the armour up in the fire and then just popping them out.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s switch?¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°No.¡±


    The redhead recoiled from the swiftness of the kobold¡¯s certain answer. ¡°Why nooooot?¡± she whined.


    ¡°Because I know what you are doing is easier and you¡¯re still bad at it,¡± Korith answered.


    ¡°How the fuck do you know whether it¡¯s easier to fix the leather or the metal?¡±


    The kobold held up one of the many leather straps that were used to fix parts of the armour in place. It was the exact same material as Reysha¡¯s bodysuit, just used in a different place.


    Defeated by a gesture, Reysha¡¯s ears and tail drooped down. ¡°How does this work.¡±


    ¡°I told you before,¡± Korith groaned, her usually timid attitude diminished by three days¡¯ worth of similar questions. ¡°You have to keep a moderate pace and go against the direction of the cut.¡±


    ¡°But when I did that yesterday, it just tore open when I put the suit back on.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because you didn¡¯t let the oil do its work properly. You just sealed a thin layer on the surface. You have to slowly let the gash grow smaller.¡± Korith glanced over, then let out a long sigh. ¡°That¡¯s way too slow.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Reysha froze mid-motion, then went to do big eyes. ¡°Apexus, help?¡±


    The humanoid chimera had been following it all from his position on the bed. Not wearing any expensive equipment meant he did not have to do any of the bothersome upkeep either. That was the state of things before a pouty tiger woman was thrown into the mix.


    Apexus was hesitant. He did not like the oil. It felt disgusting on his skin. An alchemical product like it couldn¡¯t be eaten to clean himself off either. He had tried and paid for it by experiencing a short-lived, horrendous headache. The pain made no sense to a creature who only kept liquid in his skull so it didn¡¯t ring hollow when he knocked against something.


    ¡°Please?¡± Reysha squeaked, putting every ounce of her misery into the word.


    Sighing, the humanoid chimera got up and changed positions with the redhead. Rather than perk up, the tiger woman trotted over to the bed with her head hanging in shame. Was she happy that she did not have to do that anymore? Absolutely. That was buried under the guilt of not being able to pull her weight in this situation. ¡°Guess I¡¯m just good for stabbing things.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a valuable skill in our line of work,¡± Aclysia assured her. ¡°I shall not lie, as bothersome as your lack of capability in this is, I find it deeply satisfying to see you humbled.¡± Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The tips of Reysha¡¯s cat ears slumped a little bit further. ¡°This useless kitty apologizes for her uselessness, oh useful one. If you would give this useless kitty a chance to work against her uselessness in any form, she would be much obliged.¡±


    ¡®I still do not get the third person speech,¡¯ Apexus thought to himself. ¡®Apexus does not like rag, Apexus brushes over leather, he likes the motion¡­ No, I¡¯m not thinking like that again. It is weird.¡¯


    ¡°I would suggest a task, would one come to mind.¡± Aclysia directed a gentle sunlight spell towards the stain she had managed to wash out. Once it had dried, she began applying a new coating to the silk, renewing its resilience against water and other fluids. ¡°If we had more space, I would ask you to prepare ingredients for cooking. If it was safe to go around alone, I would ask you to search for herbs or scan the lay of the land. Alas, we have neither space nor security.¡± Aclysia smiled at the redhead. ¡°We all have our weaknesses¡­ just stop getting oil on darling¡¯s shirt.¡±


    ¡°I can do that, I think,¡± Reysha sighed and went to wash the traces of the fluid still on her fingers.


    ¡°When is this place going to get bigger anyway?¡± Korith wondered. ¡°We never asked, did we?¡±


    ¡°We did not,¡± Apexus confirmed. When Maltos had given them the Wandering Estate, he had not been in a state for a long conversation. Consequently, they had no idea if the item worked gradually or on thresholds. ¡°We will discover the answer when the Change Mansion changes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still such a lame name¡­¡± Reysha complained in a little voice.


    ________________________________________________________________________________


    Reysha drove her two daggers into the skulls of two crocodiles simultaneously. The true silver punched through the magically reinforced bones with less issue than the steel equivalent would have for regular skeletons. That she reinforced the stabs with the Edge Martial Art helped, but the main work was done by the keen edges.


    Grinning, the redhead jumped for a nearby bundle of ferns, then suppressed her presence. Her job was to ensure that the rest of the party did not get flanked. ¡®Cheap kills are the best kills,¡¯ she thought, then laughed at the situation in the middle of the battlefield.


    After leaving the safety of their Mobile Estate, the party had wandered for an hour, and then came across a mountain pass. The valley had been claimed by a shallow lake, occupied by almost normal crocodiles. The only chimeric aspects of them were the additional, bug-like plates covering their backs. Regular crocodiles already had sturdy back scales, making such an exoskeleton scarcely a factor in fighting them. That one of them was four metres long was more of a concern.


    The party had elected to fight them anyhow. They required the additional practice and the alternative was taking a two-day detour around the mountain.


    Reysha¡¯s amusement had come about due to the way they were handling that main crocodile. By an amusing set of circumstances, Korith had managed to lodge her warhammer between the jaws of the creature. Lacking the tools and intelligence to knock it out of position or the strength to shatter it, all it could do was thrash around.


    All the while, the Monk and Warrior were smashing through the lesser crocodiles with hands and feet. There were hundreds of them, but most were young or juvenile, scarcely getting bigger than half a metre. The adults were the real threat and were taken out by Reysha before they could get close.


    The fight was a drawn-out engagement with a predictable outcome. In the end, only the massive crocodile remained.


    Korith leapt across the stuck jaws, landing behind the monster. A slam of its tail drove Korith a foot back without actually hurting the plated kobold. Swiftly, she hugged the tail with both arms. The same explosive manifestation of Ki used to fuel her leap now aided her in pulling on the massive bug-reptile.


    Once, twice, thrice, the kobold spun around her own axis, lifting the giant creature out of the shallow water and then launching it towards the side of the ravine. Chitin cracked against rock. Apexus charged in while the creature was still dazed.


    In the mind of the humanoid chimera, the knowledge of meridian structures and the biological structure of creatures combined. ¡®There!¡¯ The flat palm of the Monk slammed into a spot just below the ribcage of the monster. A second clap followed the first near instantaneously, the mantis shrimp smasher in his wrist adding to the impact of the Rippling Palm.


    It should have been a muscle-tearing attack. What it became was an organ-shredding vibration. The body of the monster remained intact on the surface, but underneath it roiled like no creature should have roiled. It lasted for two seconds, then the half-liquified contents of its chest were vomited out in a spew of gore from its maw.


    ¡°¡­Yo! What the fuck?¡± Reysha popped up out of Stealth and looked at Apexus. ¡°What was that, tell me everything, that was gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°I do not agree with that choice of words,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°It is a wasteful outcome,¡± Apexus agreed with her and gestured towards the cone of blood and guts. ¡°I will get it,¡± he told Korith, then waded through the water, merely knee height for him, to get her hammer. ¡°I found the Calamity Point,¡± he explained after returning with the weapon.


    ¡°The what now?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°The Calamity Point is a major meridian, located somewhere around the rim of the ribcage,¡± Apexus explained. ¡°Hammering it with a Ki-injection messes with the dispersion and expulsion of foreign mana inside the body. You can see the result.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t abuse the fuck of that because¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the size of an apple seed viewed from the top. It takes intense study to find it.¡± Apexus picked up one of the smaller corpses floating by. ¡°I reflected on their Growths when I was meditating.¡±


    ¡°This is almost as great as the orgasm button,¡± Reysha stated. ¡°Did you get that from your notes?¡±


    Apexus nodded. ¡°I will share more as I learn to use it. Boasting about what is still being learned is not how I like to share my lessons.¡±


    ¡°If ya need a guinea pig to test more of the sexual stuff, I¡¯m always here,¡± Reysha offered with a grin.


    ¡°I will remember the offer,¡± Apexus pledged.


    They washed off what blood and guts they could in a clean part of the lake, then continued on. Past the mountain pass, the landscape shifted suddenly. An expected factor to the party, who had gotten used to the area¡¯s odd landscape. From their current, elevated position, they could see the various different colours of soil that peeked out underneath the wild mix of grasses. Swamps, woodlands, grasslands, terracotta wastes, and anything in between existed in an impossible density.


    ¡°Having found the mountain path, we should arrive in 5 days,¡± Aclysia told them all. ¡°We can expect the next two days to be filled with stronger monsters. Our path takes us close to the dungeon entrance. Once we are past it, adventurers from Summerdawn should keep the area under surveillance.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the money,¡± Korith leapt down the mountain pass.


    The rest of them followed.

 A Rivalry 22 – Arrival in Summerdawn

    The party had expected the entrance to Chimerion to be something special. A gash in the side of the mountain or a vast assortment of small cave entrances. Instead, they were treated to a large skull lying at the end of a valley, its maw open.


    An impressive sight, no doubt, just not the gargantuan thing they had expected for a dungeon that had influence over an entire continent.


    What was exceptional was the crowd of monsters loitering around its entrance. Usually, a Guild outpost would have been located near a dungeon, especially a prominent one like Chimerion. Even poorly visited dungeons often had a token member of the Guild looking over it, just in case something unexpected happened. Breaks from that rule typically had to do with inhospitable terrain.


    A gathering of various monsters created by blending already dangerous animals together and spicing the result up with magic could be described as inhospitable terrain. Rather than spread out into the surrounding landscape immediately, the former dungeon inhabitants spread out at a leisurely pace, many preferring to stay near the ambient mana of the dungeon. As long as they had that, the creatures did not need to eat.


    ¡°Entering the dungeon will be difficult,¡± Apexus whispered.


    The three female members of his party just nodded, preferring not to make unnecessary noise. They had climbed up a ridge and gotten as close as they felt was safe. From gathered information, they knew that the monsters that left the dungeon were much weaker than the ones within. The influence zone of Chimerion had a difficulty rating of Level 15, while the dungeon covered the spread from 25 to 30. The former was easy for the party, with an average level of 22 between them before they had set out. The latter was deadly if approached carelessly.


    Between the mass and the potential that genuine dungeon monsters could have hidden in that crowd, attacking it was unwise. Not that they had planned to enter the dungeon at this time anyhow. First, they had a package to deliver.


    They managed to retreat from their observation spot and then make it to the wider landscape without issue. As Aclysia had predicted, once they were east of the dungeon, things got notably safer. What previously had been wild with only scarce signs of regularly used trails turned into a half-civilized display over the next half day. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Frequent paths created by footfalls, campsites, and hunters who dared to look for game further away from civilization. All of those sights became more frequent. They failed to ever overcome the wilderness but they at least managed to put some order into it all. By the end of the day, they saw the border fortress in the distance.


    The structure stretched from one mountain to the other. On the map, it had been presented as a properly constructed castle of grey stone. In reality, the fortress mimicked the wider patchiness of Chimerion in how it had been cobbled together.


    Majorly, the structure consisted of a wall that went between the barriers created by the mountains, filling out any gaps in the natural defences. Active construction was underway on the wall, replacing simple earthworks created by Shamans, Druids, and other nature-attuned spellcasters. The castle, located in the middle of the largest gap between the mountains, was a total mess of parts. Wood, stone, dirt, crystal, and whatever else had been used to create an assembly of towers and other fortified positions, all of them used to oversee the gate that served as the sole entrance point on this half.


    Too far away to make the distance while they still had sunrays guiding their steps, the party decided to go away for the night. ¡°So how long did we take?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t there yet,¡± Aclysia pointed out the obvious.


    ¡°Next morning we will be though?¡± the kobold asked.


    ¡°Not quite: our destination is behind those walls. We will be travelling another one or two days,¡± Aclysia revealed. ¡°Summerdawn is a small settlement surrounded by farmland in every direction, alongside half-tamed wilderness.¡±


    ¡°A noble cause to dedicate one¡¯s life to reshaping the land for the welfare of one¡¯s descendants,¡± Apexus remarked. ¡°What is that?¡±


    The question was in reference to an object in Reysha¡¯s hand. It did not quite reach the size of the average chicken egg, was similar in its shape, and was made from exceptionally smooth metal. ¡°Oh, ya know, just a thing,¡± the redhead purred playfully.


    ¡°You bought one?!¡± Korith shouted once she realized what it was. Rapidly crawling over, the kobold looked at the small object with intense curiosity. ¡°Is it¡­ good?¡±


    Reysha¡¯s grin grew a little wider. ¡°Haven¡¯t tried it yet.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to?¡± Korith wanted to know. ¡°Tonight?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need it, we have a guy that can do the same thing for way cheaper,¡± Reysha answered.


    ¡°What is the purpose that this object and I share?¡± Apexus wanted to know.


    ¡°It vibrates,¡± Aclysia answered with an audible sigh. ¡°The object in Reysha¡¯s hand consists of a small Mana Gem contained in a metal shell. A second piece is keyed onto the magical frequency, allowing for remote activation of the Mana Gem. The magic fuels a very simple, high frequency motion spell.¡±


    ¡°Look at you two, knowing all about it,¡± Reysha teased.


    Aclysia and Korith blushed in unison. While Korith pulled away and tried not to turn too red, Aclysia cleared her throat. ¡°I was interested in this sexual toy, admittedly, but deemed it a waste of money. It has only a singular setting and darling provides quite well when it comes to this kind of pleasure¡­ which begs the question of why you have bought it?¡±


    ¡°Just curious about it.¡± With a mischievous grin on her face, the tiger woman put the object down on a shelf.


    __________________________________________________________________


    ¡®Of course,¡¯ Aclysia thought, dryly, and followed Reysha¡¯s motions with resigned eyes.


    The redhead was holding onto Apexus¡¯ arm. That, on its own, was far from unusual. A member of the harem grabbing her man in any fashion was a common occurrence. That Reysha, of all women, managed to stay attached to him was odd, however. Usually, the redhead was constantly in motion.


    A description that could be applied still, in a way. Twitching and trembling, the redhead alternated between walking with a degree of confidence and stumbling along. Her tail was moving irregularly. Her cat ears drooped down, only to perk up suddenly. Her shoulders pulled back, then slouched.


    Aclysia knew what a climaxing Ragressian looked like. Korith knew what a climaxing Ragressian looked like. Apexus knew very well what a climaxing Ragressian looked like.


    The humanoid chimera had to ask, ¡°Why are you walking around while orgasming?¡±


    ¡°Just orgasming¡­ occasionally.¡± Reysha swallowed, trying her best to regain control over her laboured breathing, and pressed the little button on the remote in her pocket. The buzzing inside her panties stopped. She exhaled. Her gait returned almost to normal over the next ten seconds. ¡°It¡¯s training, I tell ya, training!¡±


    ¡°What kind of training?¡± Korith asked, highly doubtful.


    ¡°Managing to use my abilities even while I¡¯m¡­ distr-ah-cted.¡± Reysha had pressed the button again, feeding her a fresh buzz of pleasure. ¡°It¡¯sssss¡­ important!¡±


    ¡°I believe you are simply getting off on it,¡± Aclysia commented dryly.


    ¡°That¡¯ssss a side benefit.¡±


    The party was only a few metres away from the gate now. Turning around and forcing the redhead to take the vibrator out was an option. Apexus opted to let her try. For one, unorthodox as it was, it was not entirely without merit. For two, if it did not work out, he trusted she would disable the toy and play it all off as the kind of temporary issue that females suffered with some regularity.


    Reysha pushed the ki down the usual paths, muting her presence just as they stepped into the earshot of the gatekeepers. The goal was not to fully hide herself, only to make it so her fidgeting went ignored.


    ¡°Name and purpose?¡± the captain of the present guards asked.


    The humanoid chimera considered the question for a moment. ¡°Our purpose for entering Summerdawn? Is that what you desire to know?¡±


    ¡°What else?¡± the captain answered brashly. He was not the average kind of guard that the party was used to, the kind used to control average people. Only retired adventurers were strong enough to prevent Chimerion from spilling over into the hard-fought fields that they used to sustain themselves. It was a base requirement that members of the guard were level 10 and the majority were level 15, increasing their levels gradually throughout their years of service. A captain had to be at least level 20.


    In other words: they could afford speaking to adventurers as if they were idiots.


    ¡°Keep your monk-ish thickness out there in the world. I need your name and your intentions while you stay in Summer-¡° The guard stopped suddenly, his eyes snapping over to Reysha. Like all men when face to face with a gorgeous woman like the redhead climaxing in front of them, he was stunned for a moment. The panic of discovery made Reysha cover herself up again before it could be truly worked out what was happening. ¡°-¡­dawn. In Summerdawn,¡± the captain continued, not quite sure what he had just seen. ¡°Does your companion have a fever or something?¡±


    ¡°She is certainly heated,¡± Aclysia threw in sarcastically, then cleared her throat. ¡°I apologize for my tone, honoured guard. If you would allow me to answer: we are the Inevitable party.¡±


    ¡°Pretty cool name¡­¡± another member of the guard muttered and pulled out a ledged. ¡°Never heard of you.¡±


    ¡°This is our first run to this area of this Leaf,¡± Aclysia informed them. ¡°My name is Aclysia, these are Reysha, Apexus, and Korith.¡±


    ¡°Last names?¡±


    ¡°Apexus and I do not possess such. Korith goes by Hoardseeker, if I remember correctly?¡±


    ¡°A Goldborn¡­¡± The captain eyed her with annoyed tiredness. ¡°Due to public order offences in the past, you must be informed that the trading of Hoardcoin is forbidden in Summerdawn.¡±


    ¡°What! That¡¯s--- fine¡­ that¡¯s fine¡­¡± Korith¡¯s voice got quieter while she beat down her own annoyance.


    ¡°What about her?¡± the guard holding the ledger asked. ¡°Any last name?¡±


    ¡°Mrrrrrrrritklas,¡± the redhead purred, for entirely removed reasons. ¡°Spelled with¡­ with¡­ three rs¡­¡± Before her legs could start to give in, Reysha pressed the button to stop the vibrations. ¡°Just in case that¡¯s important,¡± she continued, gathering her voice.


    ¡°Purpose?¡± the captain asked again.


    ¡°We aim to deliver a package to the local Adventurer¡¯s Guild outpost,¡± Aclysia responded. ¡°Afterwards, we will replenish our resources and set out for Chimerion.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in luck then. The next expedition will start soon.¡±


    ¡°Expedition? Apologies for the question, but we have not been capable of getting our hands on a copy of the encyclopaedia so far.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll forgive it,¡± the captain answered, his voice dripping with belief in his own generosity. ¡°Because of all the monsters that linger around the entrance of the dungeon, we periodically organize large-scale expeditions into the dungeon. It¡¯s a good way to network, diminish casualties, and sweep the landscape clean.¡±


    ¡°A wise policy,¡± Aclysia agreed.


    ¡°In any case, with all of that covered¡­¡± the captain took a step aside. ¡°Welcome to Summerdawn. Enjoy your stay, spend money, make money, spend more money.¡±


    Reysha suppressed a moan when she reactivated the vibrator.


    ______________________________________________________________________


    The delivery of the package was a simple affair.


    A three-story building at the centre of the biggest town in Summerdawn served as a joint headquarters for the Adventurer¡¯s and Trade Guild. The package was handed over, money was received in return, and information was quickly gathered. The expedition would set out in a week¡¯s time.


    ¡°Do we want to wait?¡± Korith drew shapes on the uneven surface on the table, using the tip of her claw and some remains of spilled beer that were left from the last party.


    ¡°For the food? We should, we ordered it,¡± Reysha answered.


    ¡°Very funny, buzz crotch,¡± Korith shot back.


    The redhead burst out laughing. Reysha had not expected a swift retort from the blonde. After they had made it through the castle in its entirety, the redhead had stopped playing with the remote. Less a factor of decency and more of a realization of how damp her panties were getting. The vibrator was still there. She did enjoy just knowing she was one click away from very nice sensations.


    While Reysha cackled, the other three continued talking about the future. ¡°I believe we should wait,¡± Apexus gave his opinion. ¡°The new edition of the encyclopaedia is supposed to be out any day now. I would prefer not relying on hearsay.¡±


    ¡°Networking is never disadvantageous,¡± Korith agreed.


    ¡°There is also a chance we can learn proper strategies if we ask around,¡± Aclysia weighed in. ¡°We have some money to spend on consumables now.¡±


    Adventurers lived and died by the strength of their abilities and the quality of their gear. Those two factors were, exceptions like Apexus not included, what people used to scale upwards into better dungeons. Where most equipment was meant to remain worn until it was made insufficient by the increased level of the enemies, consumables were exactly as the name implied: consumed on usage.


    The party had been using the general kind of consumables so far. The oils used to maintain their equipment, packaged food, even Reysha¡¯s throwing knives could technically be counted in there. The ¡®true¡¯ kind of consumable were the kinds of items adventurers used to achieve a temporary effect that let them either punch above their weight one time or fulfil another kind of goal.


    The Atlas Party had shown them several consumables. Water that had been cultivated in the purest place, capable of transmitting mana much better for the Shaman using it ¨C until that usage inevitably tainted it and turned it back into regular water. Charms that amplified curses but burned up in the process. Warding glyphs that could grant greater protection to someone in armour. Poison that slowed even dungeon bosses.


    Those sorts of things were useful to have around ¨C useful and expensive. No parties liked to rely on consumables. They were a burden on the purse of parties and it was commonly accepted wisdom that using consumables in base combat would distort one¡¯s fighting style in an unhealthy fashion. Still, the strategic advantages of having short-term boosts to help with tricky situations could not be understated.


    ¡°Then we are in agreement,¡± Aclysia summarized, when no protests were raised. ¡°We should investigate our options tomorrow.¡±

 A Rivalry 23 – Supply, Demand, Supply

    The next morning, the party went out for shopping.


    Summerdawn as a recognized, civilized territory was a recent phenomenon. Adventurers had been using the specific area as a safe haven in the wilderness for two generations. Only in the last twenty years had that reached the concentration and reliability to be called an actual settlement. Since then, things had expanded, but slowly. The only reason why one would want to be in Summerdawn was the proximity to Chimerion and the Vaults of Lightning.


    That made the population density even thinner than that of Drowse, already quite scarcely populated compared to more settled Leaves. That population was made of generally sterner stuff, however. That went for the adventurers and the craftsmen who had made it up to Summerdawn.


    For every ten adventurers who had the ambition to reach a higher level of power, there was one crafter who wanted their weapons to be used by such ascending adventurers. Such crafters had three choices in life. First, they could retain their independence, at best joining a guild for the connections, and take the freedom of forging only the best they could make with the consequence of a less available customer base. Second, they could become an associate of an Adventurer¡¯s Guild Chapter, giving them a steady stream of contracts in exchange for following that Chapter wherever it went. Thirdly, the crafters could hybridize, sacrificing time in the workshop to join an active party, making them weaker members of a group that got highly experienced in maintaining and upgrading the gear of their specific party.


    The third path was the least popular. Parties did not much like it because that person would always be a weaker member. The Crafters did not like it either, because they fell behind their peers. It took a very specific arrangement and party set-up to be worthwhile for everyone involved. Option one and two were about the same in commonality.


    In all cases, such crafters were pulled to where the action was out of necessity and ambition and when there was a regularly scheduled expedition about to take place, well, then even those that usually served a broader customer base may find themselves chasing an opportunity for high-grade work.


    The Inevitable Party woke up the next morning to a tent city having sprouted up next to the modest settlement the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was located in. A town of no more than 500 people had swelled to twice that size. Besides the crafters, there were many traders that had made it across in caravans to sell their wares to the expedition.


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± Korith said as she scanned a massive chalkboard. It was located behind a ring of large tables, serving as the centre of the auctioning efforts of the market. Generally, there were two kinds of deals being made. Small scale and specialized transactions were made between stall owners and their customers. When it came to larger deals, they were best facilitated via the auction. A trader who arrived with 100 healing potions could just put them out to the auction at a set price and then leave to do other deals as they were sold off. It was more convenient for everyone that way.


    ¡°What is?¡± Apexus wanted to know. To him, the numbers on the chalkboard meant fairly little. Math had never been his strong suit. He was capable of using numbers in directly practical ways, but the giant list of stock available and price ranges were doing nothing for him.


    ¡°Kinda expected prices to be higher here,¡± the kobold said and kept scanning the list. ¡°The expedition should create a demand spike. Seems like the regularity of them has reached the local economy, though, so the supply roughly keeps up with it and prices normalize. Some items are a little more costly, some items are a little cheaper, but it¡¯s not going past 20% in either direction.¡± She turned her head to the side. ¡°Exception being the live services.¡±


    About fifteen metres away from the auctioning space, a large smithy was currently occupied by twenty men and women of the profession. Armour and weaponry were constantly getting worked on. The market had barely been open for an hour and already all of the blacksmiths were drenched in sweat. Several more were sitting on the sidelines, waiting for their turn. Because a forge was such a specific construction to have, only the locals or exceptionally rich smiths had their own building. The same held true for most other crafting varieties.


    Armour could be stockpiled, but armour could not be adjusted to a perfect size in advance. Time was the truly limited commodity in this market. Any last-minute repair or adjustment jobs were therefore at a premium. A premium that adventurers were willing to pay for reasons of utility and vanity. No one wanted to die but, even more pressing for a lot of people, no one wanted to be the guy who had to be left behind due to a wardrobe malfunction. If Hans the Holy stumbled over his laces while leading the charge with his fellow Paladins, he¡¯d never hear the end of it. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The party was in no need of such repairs. Korith kept scanning the auction board to get a feel for the local prices. Bartering was alive and well. The haggling started around the price that the good in question could likely be bought for at the auction that day (or hour, depending on the volatility of the market). Knowing that price was half the battle against getting ripped off.


    The other half was knowing what they needed.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s our list?¡± Reysha asked and turned to Aclysia.


    The guardian angel thought back to the talks they had last night and this morning. Rather than waste paper, she had kept the answers to that in her reliable memory. ¡°Of absolute importance are four Healing Potions, a Warding Glyph, and a Stink Bag.¡±


    Healing Potions were the self-explanatory baseline of every adventurer¡¯s consumable toolkit. No one wanted to be caught with a flesh wound when they got separated from the party or the healer ran out of mana.


    The Warding Glyph existed to temporarily boost the defences of a person, typically by hardening their armour. Varieties existed but the rule of thumb was that any such glyph expired faster the more area they covered and they did not last for long to begin with.


    The Stink Bag was another highly useful item, if only in specific situations. There was such a thing as a Return Crystal, which allowed those who used it to return to the entrance of the dungeon. Such items were exceptionally rare, however. For everyone else who wanted to book it, the Stink Bag was the best option. Filled with a particular blend of alchemically manipulated plants, the Stink Bag, once ignited, exuded a horrid aroma.


    To humanoid noses, the odour was disgusting, thus the name. To dungeon monsters, the burning herbs released a specific kind of mana particle that they associated with the structure itself telling them not to go there. Many dungeons shifted, sometimes violently, and all monsters had signals to avoid getting caught ingrained in their instincts. Thus, when such a bag was lit, it made avoiding monsters a whole lot easier. Not guaranteed, every adventurer had to be aware. The urge to fight would overpower the monsters¡¯ reluctance with direct contact.


    There were any number of reasons why a party would want to leave a dungeon rapidly.


    ¡°Do we need four potions?¡± Apexus questioned.


    ¡°One per person,¡± Aclysia answered simply. Before the humanoid chimera could elaborate on his question, the white-haired healer added, ¡°For the sake of easing my mind, darling.¡±


    Apexus just nodded and the guardian angel gave him a pleased smile. Then, wide hips swinging, she led the party into the part of the market where the individual stalls stood. Both Healing Potions and Stink Bags were sold by alchemists. The Warding Glyph was typically found with metal workers.


    The reward for their last Quest had been 25 Platin. That, combined with the over 30 Gold they still had from their previous haul, put the group firmly above their usual standard of living. Even with that much money in Aclysia¡¯s pocket, looking at the prices of consumables was daunting. Selling to adventurers was popular because it was lucrative.


    4 Healing Potions immediately made them 4 Platin poorer. Lesser quality potions would have only cost them 1 Gold each, but those were recommended for levels 1-15. As the vitality of adventurers rose with their level, so too did the materials and skill required to make potions to notably recover that vitality. At least the vials were free.


    The Stink Bag was expensive not because of those factors but because of the demand for it. 5 Platin coins for a single bag. It was a hefty price, but at least one such bag burned for 48 hours straight. It could not be put out once it had been ignited. The bag itself was made from a waxy paper-like material, with a singular hole at the top.


    The Warding Glyph they bought last. Visually, it was a singular glyph carved into a piece of metal slag. Because of the materials that had gone into that refuse, it was rich in mana. Slag from adventurer forges was often used as the medium for glyphs. Once activated, it would adhere to whatever armour it was slapped onto. Then, depending on the stress put onto it, the extra defences would last for anywhere between ten seconds and five minutes.


    The Warding Glyph cost them a mere 5 Gold.


    ¡°We still have 16 Platin and 25 Gold,¡± Aclysia remarked afterwards. Closing her eyes, she went through all of the additional things they had talked about the day before. ¡°I would like to buy a second Stink Bag just to be certain. A Mana Potion would also be wise. Do you insist on poison?¡±


    ¡°It could come in pretty clutch,¡± Reysha answered.


    Aclysia hummed again, ran some numbers in her head, and then offered a suggestion. ¡°The market rate for a Mana Potion is 5 Platin. With that in mind, my suggestion would be to allow me to buy such. Of the remaining 11 Platin, I would give you, Reysha, Korith, 3 each to spend on Consumables as you see fit. The remaining 5 will-¡° Aclysia saw Korith open her mouth and spoke a little louder to prevent the interruption. ¡°-NOT be given to Hoard.¡±


    ¡°¡­Cheapskate¡­¡± the kobold grumbled. ¡°Fine, sounds good. Why isn¡¯t Apexus getting anything?¡±


    ¡°I would not want it,¡± the Monk answered simply. ¡°My body is my weapon.¡±


    Apexus was not one to like using items to begin with. A character trait he shared with most Monks. The control and frugality that the Class¡¯ teaching espoused naturally reinforced a preference for self-reliance.


    They spread out through the market after the money had been split. Aclysia went to get her Mana Potion at market price. Because the materials that went into it included a ground-down Mana Gem, it was that much more expensive than even Healing Potions.


    Reysha found a store for sneaky goods. First, she got herself a large container of Paralyzing Poison. The flat bottle it came in was designed for the quick dipping of throwing knives and average-sized daggers. The poison was rapidly acting and only required a small amount to activate. The drawback was that it did not last for even a short duration. In combat, taking one enemy out for a few seconds could be vital though and repeated exposure was possible.


    Having a whole coin left after that, Reysha also treated herself to a Trap Glyph of the Adhesive variety. Once activated, the Glyph would remain where it had been placed on the ground. Whatever next touched the top of it would be rooted in place for about thirty seconds, unless physical effort exhausted the magic faster. Trap Glyphs were difficult to use competently since allies could also trigger them. Reysha wanted to at least try.


    For her part, Korith bought 5 Favour Papers. Such papers were typically bought by Paladins, Priests, and other divinely attuned Classes. When praying with such a paper in hand the item would burn up and grant the person a boon of their god ¨C if that god was feeling generous. She bought a second Warding Glyph after, to have something more to show for her shopping.


    ¡°Really?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°That¡¯s what you bought?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re important!¡± Korith squeaked and stretched to get the Favour Papers back from the redhead.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to jump for them,¡± Reysha teased.


    ¡°They might tear! I¡¯m heavy!¡±


    ¡°That you are.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ urgh! Gimme!¡± Korith gingerly grabbed the Favour Papers once they were in her range again. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think they would have these here, you should be thankful!¡±


    ¡°Thankful that you can burn money for your scam god?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you scam god!¡± Korith waved around with the gold-glittering papers. ¡°Listen here! What do you think a Favour Paper does for one such as I, who works for the Hoard?¡±


    ¡°Make everyone around you poorer?¡± Reysha kept on teasing.


    Korith pouted, put the papers away, and then just walked away. It was not a big distance she could cross, being back in their Mobile Estate, but being across the room communicated the point.


    Reysha blinked a couple of times. ¡°What? What does it do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you, you big mean cat!¡± the kobold shouted back.


    ¡°Ya can¡¯t tease me like that, that¡¯s illegal!¡± the redhead stated. ¡°Korith! Korith, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Crossing her arms, the blonde puffed up her cheeks and demonstrably looked away. ¡°Come ooooon;¡± Reysha whined and crawled after the kobold. ¡°This is gonna kill me!¡±


    Apexus laughed to himself. ¡°Curiosity is killing the tiger.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ pruddy please? I¡¯ll bew aw gawd gawl if yaw tell meow?¡±


    ¡°Just for using that voice, I demand you do not tell her,¡± the Monk weighed into the talk again.


    ¡°You can¡¯t have me suffer for my actions!¡± Reysha cried.


    Aclysia stirred their dinner with a smile on her face. It was nice for them all to be lively. ¡°Are you certain we will have a return on that investment?¡± she posed a simple question.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Korith assured.


    ¡°But hoooow thooooooo?!¡± Reysha groaned.


    She would not receive an answer.

 A Rivalry 24 – Gorgeous Things [Erotic Content]

    Apexus sat at the edge of the bed.


    Aclysia¡¯s head was in his lap. However, the position was not one that was usually expected from such an arrangement. The white-haired woman laid with her back on the mattress. Heated, she gazed up at her man, whose fingers were combing through her silky, straight hair.


    The gentle touch of her scalp was complimented by the sensuous brushing of his other hand over her slender body. From her white shoulders, down the tail of her collarbone, to her petite breasts. Aclysia gasped audibly when he caressed her hard nipples in passing. The linea alba, the middle line from sternum to midriff, was his next guideline. The soft peaks and valley of her midriff shifted.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± she cooed, barely able to stay still.


    Apexus gripped her hair as a warning gesture, his blue eyes hardening, and his submissive did her best to reign in her adorable quiver. Muscles tensed under the surface. The swell of her arousal soon introduced a softness between his digits and her firm core. Wetness swiftly followed.


    ¡°Haaaaahhhhh¡­¡± Aclysia let out a prolonged moan. The sound was between relief and despair. Similar sounds echoed the first, while he traced the delicious pink of her petals up and down. ¡°Ah!¡± she cried when a single finger entered her. ¡°T-two?¡± she begged. Apexus obliged, curving his ring finger so it joined the middle one inside her.


    Aclysia was far from a short woman and her hips were notably wide even for her height, yet the hand of her dom looked massive. The base of his thumb pressed against her groin and the tips of the fingers inside her. It put additional pressure on the sensitive spot he found and massaged with steady, circular motions of his hand.


    Not knowing what to do with hers, Aclysia brushed over her own curves. Wordlessly, Apexus let her. The little touches only made the guardian angel more aroused, more ready for what he had in store for her. Her thick thighs clenched and relaxed around his hand. Her hips pushed up against his palm with increasing urgency. Apexus kept steady, guiding her towards the inevitable.


    Mouth opening wide, Aclysia pushed out a choked moan, before falling into quivering silence. Her head rose from his lap for a half second, glancing at what he was doing to her. Smirking, and giggling, she let her head fall back down. The climax ran its course, with all of the sweet little cries that ensued. Apexus stayed his hand as she rode out the aftershocks.


    ¡°May I pleasure you too, Master?¡± Aclysia asked sweetly.


    ¡°When it pleases me,¡± Apexus denied her and resumed fingering her. He let magical energy flow to his nails. The crystal outgrowth began to vibrate.


    Aclysia inhaled sharply at the sudden increase in stimulation. Pearly white teeth closed with a clack afterwards. ¡°Mhm-massterr,¡± she whined erotically and gripped the sheets of the straw bed. Her eyes betrayed her desperation, her need to repay his kindness.


    Apexus let her dwell in that. ¡°Absolutely gorgeous,¡± he whispered and watched her white skin flush crimson in response. Flattered, her sensitivity only rose. Her hips soon bucked off the mattress as her second orgasm rolled over her. Her dom had to grip her hair again to keep her spasming curves where he wanted them.


    ¡°One more time for me,¡± he told her, the orgasm barely past its peak, and added rapid motions of his fingers to even stronger vibrations. The door to the Mobile Estate opened, causing Aclysia to force her mouth shut for a few seconds. Hastily, the entrance was closed behind the party member. Immediately, the angel renewed her cries, twice as loud as before.


    ¡°Master! Master! Darling, yes, darling right there, right there, right theee-¡° The stream of words abruptly came to a stop, replaced with little sounds bordering on animalistic. Heels digging into the sheets, Aclysia¡¯s hips rose as far as the counter force of Apexus¡¯ hand let them. He was still fingering her, the sounds exceptionally wet. Waves of pussy juice dripped from his digits and the metal fairy¡¯s perfect ass. The colourless cheeks quivered, as did the abundant meat of her thighs. Her slender torso remained in place. Her pink lips were locked in an o-shape. Her eyes, despite the fluttering lids, remained on her beloved¡¯s face, as he smiled down on her.


    ¡°Good girl.¡± The two words spiked her aftershocks. Aclysia giggled mindlessly as her lower body collapsed back down onto the bed. The fingers, drenched in her juices, were quickly presented to her upper lips. She lost no time sucking them clean. ¡°Now it would please me.¡±


    Aclysia caught the implied order and eagerly rolled off the bed. She used her white-black wings and magic to slow the fall, moving around her Master¡¯s spreading legs and coming to an elegant stop between them. On her knees, she followed the swift rise of Apexus¡¯ cock from a flaccid, little thing to a member that was almost too large.


    Usually, Apexus preferred to take a more moderate size, but he knew when Aclysia desired a challenge. Reading a submissive¡¯s mood was the first and foremost skill a dominant had to possess.


    Aclysia licked up the rigid cock, tasted the dribble of lubrication from the top, swooned at the sweetness of the pheromones therein, and then wrapped her pink lips around it. Grabbing her by the back of the head, Apexus ¡®forced¡¯ her down at the pace she was comfortable with. His girth created a bulge in her neck. Soon her nose touched his groin. Apexus kept her down. The metal fairy did not technically need to breathe, but her body experienced asphyxiation all the same ¨C a boon when one was masochistically inclined.


    When he let her come up for air, Aclysia moved quickly. His cock left her mouth, accompanied by the swift gasp and light cough of a woman comfortably close to a lack of oxygen. Gooey strands connected her mouth to his manhood. ¡®More!¡¯ the metal fairy urged herself. ¡®More of a mess, more of darling¡¯s cock in my throat.¡¯ She went down again as soon as her lungs stopped complaining.


    A hand decoratively kept on Aclysia¡¯s bobbing head, Apexus glanced upwards. Reysha grinned back at him. ¡°And I thought I was horny when I got in,¡± she purred, wiggling her way out of her tight pants. The metal vibrator dropped with her panties, hitting the ground with a cushioned clunk. Reysha pulled her top over her head while walking over. It was simply tossed somewhere, the redhead not caring much where it landed. ¡°Then you show me this,¡± she spoke in a little melody.


    Apexus drank in the dark curves of the tiger woman. The chocolate tone of her skin was nicely complimented by the almost black shade of her stripes. Abs showed with a decent amount of definition on her midriff. The redhead was toned, her bust on the larger side of things, her hips a balanced match. From top to bottom, she had a dangerous allure that could not be denied. The humanoid chimera did not care to try.


    Taking his head between both of her hands, Reysha bowed down and met his lips with hers. Her reddish-brown mouth greedily opened. His did the same, their tongues wrestling for dominance like their bodies often did.


    Sharply, Reysha moaned into the kiss, following an audible SMACK! Apexus had grabbed her ass with all the force appropriate for such a wilfully presented cushion. Squeezing it, he forced the tiger woman a little bit closer. While Reysha did not count herself among the submissive folk, she could not deny that his large hand grasping her like that felt positively amazing. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Continuing to make out with Apexus, Reysha glanced down. By fate or intuition, Aclysia glanced up at the same time. It was impossible to say which one got more turned on by watching the other, certain was only that both got more heated.


    Apexus could smell it. He sensed it in the vibrations of their bodies. He heard the lust in their moans and the increasing wetness of deepthroat and deep kiss.


    A tendril extended from his lower back, curved around, wrapped twice around Reysha¡¯s leg for anchoring, then pushed into her. Reysha let out a short, sharp shout at the swift penetration. ¡°Oh, fuck, yesssss,¡± she hissed, before resuming the wrestling match of their tongues. As per usual, Apexus was set to win this struggle for dominance.


    Stuffing two holes was as fantastic as ever. The priestess on the floor worshipped his cock like it was her idol. Letting the air touch his skin was a sacrilege that should not be suffered while her tight and hot throat was there to sheathe it. A tight ring, her lips kept gliding over the slippery shaft. The usually-so-elegant face of the almond-eyed woman was turned entirely lewd by her caved-in cheeks and depraved eyes.


    Barely keeping her balance, Reysha now held onto Apexus¡¯ shoulders. Their kiss had barely any lip contact now. Their tongues were still whirling. Reysha was panting, racing towards her first orgasm. Strutting through the market with the toy inside her had left her needy for the real thing and the tentacle inside her was close enough, missing only that specific hardness of a proper cock.


    Reysha¡¯s weight leaned against Apexus, who thankfully had a hand free to stabilize himself. Locked in bliss, the redhead was always one quiver from falling over. It was a delightful wonder to watch her steady herself. In the corner of Apexus¡¯ vision, the entrance opened again.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Korith darted into the room and closed the door before anyone could look in. ¡°We need a curtain!¡±


    With one final sigh, Reysha phased out of her orgasm. ¡°If you find the space to install one,¡± Reysha gestured at the room.


    ¡°We really need more space¡­¡± Korith mumbled, repeatedly glancing between the participants in the threesome.


    Apexus failed to see what the issue was. There were only other adventurers out there and he was not showing them anything shameful. Alas, he had higher priorities than comprehending what did or did not embarrass his shortstack. ¡°Strip.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Korith switched to obedience instantly. From the moment she had entered the room, her most urgent thought had been, ¡®Please let me in there.¡¯ She was, as ever, an orgy-hungry, gorgeous little thing.


    A curled finger ordered her to come hither. It may as well have been a binding spell. Korith arrived just as Aclysia was guided back onto the bed. Tentacles received her, soon stuffing the metal fairy¡¯s pussy and throat. On the other side, Reysha urged Apexus to split the tendril between her legs ¨C a request he fulfilled readily.


    ¡°Yessssss,¡± Reysha hissed, when she got her backdoor stretched. The tendril started thin and swelled in girth, allowing her to gently get used to the size.


    Meanwhile, Apexus picked up Korith. The manhandling made the shortstack swoon immediately. Hard and large, his cock still remained, drenched with the aftermath of Aclysia¡¯s service. Laying down on the bed, Apexus placed the small cocksleeve in a straddling position and let her figure out the rest. Her plump rear was facing him, but he could still see her huge tits past the small of her back.


    Aclysia remained upright and in the grasp of the tentacles. Since she was light, and her own hovering could support such actions, Apexus could actually lift her with his tendrils. It made assaulting her holes and sensitive spots from multiple angles that much easier. Reysha was not done kissing yet. If anything, she had grown more needy. She laid down with him, nuzzled against him, and made out while she got fucked. Both of them were watching Korith.


    The kobold was dazed by the prospect of choice. More than that, she was stunned by the size of the erection she was sitting in front of. Ever the size queen, she could only marvel at this hard phallus, going well past her navel. Had she been built regularly, that size would be best kept outside her body. Thankfully, the gods had a sense for erotic things.


    ¡°Uhm, can I¡­ should I¡­?¡± Korith asked and gulped when she realized Apexus was deliberately ignoring her. ¡°O-okay¡­ message received?¡± Taking a deep breath, the small blonde raised her wide hips. Squishy thighs tensed, a perfect and thick fusion of fat and muscle. She had to stretch to get her pussy on top of that cock. ¡®Hamena, hamena, hamena,¡¯ she thought, feeling the head press against her quim. ¡®Hoard, I am dripping all over it!¡¯


    Korith gulped and steadied herself. Her clawed hands were the wrong kind of instrument to help the alignment, but with a rod this straight aiming was easy. Another gulp, then a groan, then a giggling moan. The kobold was impaling herself and she loved it. Her dense folds were stretched out, revealing all the sensitive spots that only a big dick could access in a shortstack. When the tip pushed against her womb, it was orgasmic. When she dropped further and her babymaker was pushed deeper into her flexible insides, that was pure euphoria.


    ¡°Biiiig is the be-e-e-e-essssst,¡° the size queen submissive slurred, twitching where she sat.


    Apexus had to thrust up into her to remind her that her bubble butt looked better in motion.


    Not saying anything more, the kobold focused on using those plump thighs to bounce. The equally meaty twin spheres of her ass really did look the best while jiggling. One moment they were symmetrical roundness on the upswing, then they half-flattened against her dom. Korith was tiny, but her ass was enormous. Shortstacks were a special kind of sexy.


    Apexus loved her form no less than that of the two tall women by his sides. One and a half women, considering Aclysia was getting railed twenty centimetres above the bed. Mouth, ass and cunt were all getting stuffed, while more flexible appendages formed a sort of harness around her, locking her in position and circling her sensitive nipples.


    Reysha was simply getting fucked in an alternating rhythm by the two tendrils. One was always thrusting in, the other always pulling out. Back and forth like that, at an ever increasing pace. It drove the crazy feline Rogue mad in the best possible way.


    Apexus could not hold on for much longer. His only target was waiting for Korith¡¯s cunt to tighten again. The moment the second orgasm hit the shortstack, Apexus let go.


    Semen spurted from the tip of his cock and the tendrils buried inside his women. Filling up so many holes simultaneously was pure satisfaction. Apexus was glad he was already lying on his back, the excessive pleasure making his senses swim for the five seconds of pure bliss he had.


    As quickly as it came, the orgasmic pleasure ebbed away, leaving him amidst women still struggling to regain their breath. He did not intend to let them.


    They had a lot of time to kill.

 A Rivalry 25 – Again?

    The day of the Expedition had come.


    Apexus, Reysha and Aclysia looked at a force of roughly 150 adventurers ¨C Korith was looking at their knees. To the combined confusion of the Inevitable Party, the Expedition had separated itself into three very clear camps. One was very large, the other two comparatively small, and all three were glaring daggers at the other.


    ¡°Where do we go?¡± Korith asked, moving her eyes between the three camps.


    Apexus did not have an answer ready. While he tried to come up with one that was satisfying, he was instead handed one. A raised and waving arm from one of the two smaller groups beckoned him closer. ¡°Let¡¯s ask them,¡± the Monk stated and led his group towards the one inviting them.


    ¡°I have to assume you have no idea what is going on?¡± Atlas greeted them in a laughing tone.


    ¡°I have no idea how we keep running into each other,¡± Reysha joked.


    Kumlin laughed, before supplying an answer in his oddly melodic, yet typically deep dwarven voice. ¡°We go where the money is, so if you move in the same direction, you¡¯ll find us.¡±


    ¡°We learned by happenstance that an Expedition was occurring,¡± Aclysia informed them. ¡°We wanted to head into Chimerion independently.¡±


    ¡°Brave,¡± Atlas stated, ¡°although with your party you could do it. Once you get past the entrance area, it¡¯s not that bad. Anyway, I¡¯ll have to guess you haven¡¯t partaken in an Expedition before?¡± The group shook their heads. ¡°Alright, Rahesia, you want to explain?¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°You have the prettier voice.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that,¡± The green-skinned Witch bumped shoulders with her man, then cleared her throat. ¡°Expeditions typically separate themselves into at least two, typically three, subgroups. Group 1.¡± She pointed at the largest assembly of adventurers. ¡°You can call them exterminators or experience farmers or whatever else. They are here to kill enemies and grow stronger. Once inside the dungeon, they will coordinate and spread out through individual corridors to clear the dungeons out of monsters. They¡¯ll coordinate so every individual party can have difficult but predictable fights.¡±


    That made immediate sense to everyone involved. Dungeons were often unpredictable places and the best way to prevent getting ambushed was to have the entirety of the enemy monsters be busy with fighting all over the area.


    ¡°Group 2,¡± Rahesia continued, now gesturing at the other small group. ¡°The scouts and treasure hunters. They are apt at avoiding enemies and use that skill to move a couple of hours ahead of the extermination group. They then make maps, take stock of enemy formations, ambush points, and so on. All of that is shared with group 1. In return for the service, they are paid and they clean out any treasure rooms they come across.¡±


    ¡°Man, everyone must hate those guys,¡± Reysha laughed and put a hand on Korith¡¯s head. Already the kobold was glaring across the divide. Treasures were rare and often contained items that were either ahead of what adventurers could currently afford or practically impossible to make by mortal hands (like the Mobile Estate). It was only the importance of map intel that let a group that picked the treasures clean even be tolerated.


    ¡°Quite, and that brings us to Group 3.¡± Rahesia gestured at the Atlas Party and those behind her. ¡°We¡¯re the independents. We remove ourselves from their coordinated advance and in return gain two important freedoms: one, we can pick up the treasures we find ourselves and, two, we can rush to the boss. It¡¯s more risky and you don¡¯t make yourselves a lot of friends by being an unknown quantity. Only one party can kill the boss though.¡±


    Apexus looked westward, towards the massive mountain that housed Chimerion. ¡°I had not considered that,¡± he admitted. ¡°How long until the respawn?¡±


    Alabasta, the high-elven Ranger, weighed in  ¡°If you¡¯re asking in general, then 2 to 4 weeks ¨C long time to squat out in a dungeon. There¡¯re a bunch of parties that will do so though. Wouldn¡¯t surprise me if there¡¯re still some stragglers from the last Expedition.¡±


    ¡°Is that common?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°More common than you would think.¡± Atlas scratched the back of his head and glanced at Reysha. ¡°Some people really want the boss loot and some more try to deliberately contract Noir. Haven¡¯t ever heard of it working, but going through the gauntlet helps adventurers that are stuck reach a new level of ambition.¡±


    ¡°You know?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°We know,¡± Atlas confirmed. ¡°We didn¡¯t do it to try to get Noir though. In any case, this here is the group that will join in the initial push into the dungeon, then each party will shake hands and do what they want. There¡¯s no guarantee for treasure this way, but if you find the boss room first you make it big.¡±


    Treasure rooms in the dungeon itself were random (and often trapped in one way or another). Boss rooms always had a number of treasures in addition to the reward that fighting the boss itself was in terms of personal power growth. This was more than just Levels in the case of the party. Apexus needed to kill the boss to acquire an additional Growth.


    ¡°We will stay in this group,¡± Apexus declared, to no one¡¯s surprise.


    Ten minutes later, the time for the gathering had officially come. The head of the local Adventurer¡¯s Guild outpost climbed on top of the tables that remained from the trading village that was now starting to dissolve. Many of the traders would linger to buy up materials that the adventurers brought back from the Dungeon, but the time to sell was over.


    ¡°I welcome and thank everybody that has decided to join the 74th Chimerion Expedition,¡± the Guild official says. ¡°As per usual, we also thank the sponsors of this effort, the people of Summerdawn. 4500 Gold have been gathered this time around!¡±


    There were obligatory shouts of enthusiasm from the crowd. It sounded like a huge sum of money and it would have been if it had gone to any individual. Before it went to the hands of anyone, the pot of money was first diminished by 20% by the guild for the effort of organization and acquisition of the supplies for the journey. Of the remaining 3600 Gold, another 10% was put aside for the return celebration. That left 3240 Gold to be distributed between roughly 150 participants. That came out to something around 22 Gold coins per person, or 88 per averagely sized party.


    Not a sum to sneeze at, but considering the time invested and danger experienced, it was a pittance. Only the most destitute parties joined an Expedition for the money. Most did it for the connections, the opportunity to Level, and to get a break from regular Questing.


    ¡°Your efforts will echo for¡­ uhm¡­¡± The Guild official snapped his fingers a couple of times. ¡°Fuck, I forgot the word.¡± Everyone laughed. Someone said something and the head of the local Guild then repeated it loudly, ¡°ETERNITY! Yes, thank you, your efforts will echo for eternity. Every raid of Chimerion is a further depletion of its magic and more farmland for the good men and women of the Sleeping Empire. Bla, bla, heroism, bla, bla riches;¡± the Guild official cackled at his own lack of seriousness. ¡°Okay, the real talk. We¡¯ll head out now. Protect the carriages. You receive your payment once we¡¯ve made it to the first Healing Fountain, after which you can hack and slash however you prefer. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The official jumped off the table and marched towards one of the two carriages that held the supplies the Guild had bought for the journey. It was more than enough for the three-day journey and the subsequent stay inside the dungeon.


    ________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Feels weird to be part of a group this large,¡± Reysha commented. Deliberately, the party hung out at the rear end of the trail. ¡°Been months since we killed the Deathhound and that was a whole different kind of effort.¡±


    ¡°We will not be part of this group for a prolonged period,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°What, not happy with it, bubble butt?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly,¡± the metal fairy confessed. ¡°I enjoy a sense of community and this has none. Everyone is in it for themselves. A band of mercenaries with no higher cause.¡±


    ¡°Mercenary work pays¡­,¡± Flora suggested carefully. The slime woman had fallen back to chat a little bit with all of them. ¡°It is a bit godless though, I agree.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes a sell-sword is required for a swift solution,¡± Aclysia agreed. ¡°I aim only to express that it is not my preferred company.¡±


    Apexus listened to the conversation with only half an ear. His attention instead lay with the front of the caravan. Since they had left the walls of Summerdawn behind, the trail of adventurers had been subject to constant harassment by monsters. There was nothing stealthy about a procession this large and so every creature in a several kilometre radius that was programmed to attack humanoids on sight did so.


    The wheels of the carriages never stopped turning. Warriors, Knights, Fighters, and other melee Classes formed a loose wall around the rolling supply hubs. Their help had not been needed so far, except to go out and pick any valuables off the corpses that the attacks of the ranged Classes produced. No monster ever made it within 50 metres of the caravan.


    Once they arrived at the entrance of the dungeon, they cleaved their way through the gathered monsters. What had looked impossible to the Inevitable party was child¡¯s play for a group this large. The Guild official gave them a simple battle plan ¨C a pincer manoeuvre that would see all of the monsters shoved together in the centre of the valley. They executed it and an hour of slaughtering creatures later, the entrance to Chimerion was open.


    Things got more complicated from there.


    ¡°Parties of level 25 and up take the sides and rear. Anyone want to take the frontline?¡± the Guild official asked. ¡°We need two parties, that will be enough to cover the entrance tunnel.¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± Atlas raised his hand.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you 25 average by now?¡± the official asked.


    ¡°24, only been Questing the last year.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, alright. Someone else? You?¡± The Guild official looked at Apexus, who had raised his hand to volunteer. ¡°Inevitable party, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Apexus answered. The official had known of them because they had delivered the ink and also because he had checked the record of every party that partook in the Expedition to see if they were troublemakers. Because this was their first Expedition and because of their swift rise in the rankings, the new party had stuck in the Guild official¡¯s mind.


    ¡°You seem a bit underequipped,¡± he noted, looking at Apexus specifically. ¡°Any healing items? I don¡¯t want to send you to your death. The first stretch will be the most dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I have very high regeneration and I am a Monk. My reflexes are my armour.¡±


    ¡°Alright, works for me,¡± the official said and gestured ahead. ¡°We¡¯re looking for the first Healing Fountain. That¡¯s where we will put down the main camp.¡± sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Apexus and Atlas nodded, then stepped into the maw of the large skull. The rest of the caravan followed as soon as the carriages had been moved through the gap.


    Chimerion greeted the people with the sour smell of its spawning pools. Finally in possession of the encyclopaedia, the party knew well enough about the dungeon¡¯s structure. Like a dense anthill, Chimerion stretched both up and down into the mountain. In the current entrance area, the tunnels were horizontal and wide, but the deeper they would go, the more archaic things would become.


    Nestled into that layout were the spawning pools, large bodies of an acidic substance from which fresh monsters arose periodically. There were many of them near the entrance, responsible for the birth of most of the creatures that left Chimerion and flooded the outside realm.


    The Atlas party stuck to the right side of the hallway, the Inevitable party to the left. The walls were oddly smooth and glistened. Dragging his thumb over it, the humanoid chimera felt the thin layer of oil that coated the surface. Light came from crawling insects with glowing abdomens the size of human heads. They were harmless, yet had to be taken note of. Their light died with them, so area spells were a quick way to be stuck in darkness.


    The first monster they encountered was a bulky mixture of boar and ape. Broad and fat, it squatted in the tunnel, turning its hog-nosed face towards them and immediately charging. It lost speed as it went down the length, a swift Curse laming its muscles.


    ¡°Let me,¡± Apexus stated and stepped in front of Korith and Atlas. The sharp tusks of the monster, galloping on the hooves of a pig and the forearms of a great ape, were coming at a diminished but still highly lethal speed.


    Spreading his arms out wide, Apexus prepared himself for impact. The creature did not know an obvious trap when it saw one. The tusks gored the slime, punching through his midriff with barely any resistance.


    The impact was harsher than Apexus had anticipated, shoving him backwards. It was not harsh enough to stop the Monk from enacting his plan. Wrapping his arms around the neck of the monster, he pumped as much ki as he could into the muscles of his arms and back. The boar squealed as it was lifted, swung overhead, and then slammed onto its back behind the humanoid chimera. The rest of the other two parties lost no time in slashing and hammering at the exposed belly.


    ¡°Here ya go,¡± Reysha said and threw a thick cut off the creature¡¯s pectoral muscles at Apexus. The Monk caught it, then devoured it raw. The biomass and magic within were not enough to make up for all of the damage sustained from the impact, but he did not have the time to eat the entire corpse.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding,¡± the Guild official commented, staring with respect at Apexus¡¯ completely healed midriff.


    ¡°I was not,¡± the Monk confirmed, carefully watching the reaction of the man. He had felt comfortable revealing a bit more of his capabilities to the wider world with the Atlas party there to vouch for him should they have a poor reaction. Some of the adventurers were visibly confused by seeing one of their own at this level displaying this sort of regenerative capability. Confusion was where the reaction remained.


    Knowing that he would not be hunted, Apexus turned towards the tunnel again. The entrance tunnel was the only part of the dungeon that generally remained stable in its shape. Sometimes it bent left, sometimes it bent right, but it was a consistent level of girth and there was always a Healing Fountain adjacent to it. After four hours of carefully advancing down the pathway, they finally found it.


    It was a large chamber. The clear, healing waters fell from a hole in the ceiling onto a great crystal, and further down from there into four pools. Some of the adventurers immediately started stripping the moment the carriages had been moved into the room. Only some would fit into the healing fountain. Big as both the chamber and the pools were, the size of the Expedition was too much for it. The treasure hunters immediately set out, taking some of the strain off it.


    The independents gathered up near one of the corridors to talk. In addition to the Atlas and Inevitable party, four more groups of four each had decided to set out on their own. ¡°Basic code of competition?¡± Atlas suggested. Nods all around, but he explained for Apexus and his party. ¡°The basic code means we agree that we owe each other nothing, but that we will come in to help if we find someone that¡¯s overwhelmed and that we won¡¯t pull any dirty tricks like poisoning one another.¡±


    Aclysia pressed her lips together in disapproval. ¡°There is a code where that is allowed?¡±


    ¡°No code would be that, yes,¡± Atlas answered and shrugged. ¡°Expeditions are lucrative.¡±


    ¡°If we play our cards right,¡± another party leader spoke up, then extended his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s not dilly-dally when there¡¯s monsters to kill. For loot and levels!¡±


    Following the example of the others, Apexus joined his hand in the middle of the circle. It was a nice and short-lived moment of camaraderie, culminating in all of them shouting what the first man had shouted, ¡°For loot and levels!¡± and throwing their hands up in a celebratory gesture.


    Then, they all set out. Three parties went down the current corridor, including the Atlas party. Apexus deliberately separated as soon as possible. Guides were good, but so was learning things on their own. Of the remaining three parties, two chose to follow the two other paths that led out of the Healing Fountain chamber.


    ¡°Where do we go, darling?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°Back,¡± Apexus said and pointed towards the corridor that they had come from. There had been a great many side paths that they had ignored. ¡°I will explain once we are alone.¡±

 A Rivalry 26 – Unorthodox Methods

    Reysha slowly reached for her utility belt. The cold metal of one of her True Silver throwing daggers felt forever pleasing in her grasp. Swiftly, she turned on her heels, drawing the weapon out of its holster and then hurling it. The force of her turn translated into the straight trajectory of the weapon.


    Drawing his weapon quickly, the Rogue behind them only realized that the weapon was going to miss him anyway when he had already dropped out of Stealth. The satisfying sound of silver reverberating echoed in the otherwise empty tunnel. Clattering, the weapon bounced off the wall, then came to a still on the floor.


    The Rogue immediately threw his hands up, subjected to the judging stares of the Inevitable party. ¡°I was just heading in the same direction.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you were,¡± Reysha drawled sarcastically and walked towards him. The unknown Rogue kept his hands up and his weapons held. The redhead made sure to pass him with her demon arm between him and the rest of her comparatively very vulnerable body. To those not knowing about the capabilities of that particular limb, it looked like she was taking a confident strut past her Class colleague as she went to retrieve her dagger.


    The Rogue hated to have one person behind and one in front. This was just the inevitable manifestation of getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar though. Trying not to look too paranoid, he gave the approaching giant of a Monk a calm smile. It died quickly. Something about the way the man approached, his expression a stoic mask that Monks so often displayed, felt¡­ off.


    Nothing was wrong physically. His face was perfectly humanoid, handsome even. It was in those blue eyes that the horror laid. Like the pack leader of a group of dire wolves, the Monk mustered the Rogue and weighed if he was worth the hunt. It sent shivers down the Rogue¡¯s spine.


    ¡®I fucked up,¡¯ he thought. ¡®How do I get out of this? Fuck, I can¡¯t outrun a Rogue, a Warrior and a Monk¡­ shit¡­¡¯ He clenched his daggers. ¡®I¡¯ll go for the Priest and then-¡°


    ¡°You are part of the treasure hunters faction?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Rogue answered bluntly, still formulating his plan. A Monk this big had reach, so he would have to go low¡­ but the baggy pants of the man indicated that he was apt at using his legs as well. Then there was that tail and the green wings, both things that could break his charge. ¡®What race is he even?¡¯


    ¡°You overheard what I said?¡±


    The Rogue shook his head. The reason why he had followed the party was not that he had heard anything, but that they had so swiftly and confidently gone back to the main track after being at the helm of clearing it. It did not take a genius to realize that party had noticed something that could be of value.


    Apexus kept staring at the man, not sure how to continue. ¡°He¡¯s bullshitting you!¡± Reysha shouted from the back.


    ¡°I heard nothing!¡± the Rogue insisted.


    ¡°Yeah, okay, maybe, but come on, guy!¡± the redhead grabbed her dagger and turned around. ¡°You didn¡¯t follow us for no fucking reason. You¡¯re answering the letter of the question, not the spirit of it.¡±


    ¡°His words are hidden behind the truth like a worm in an apple?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Does that qualify as an Apexusism?¡± Korith wondered.


    ¡°An inappropriate question at this time,¡± Aclysia returned.


    ¡°Answer to that is yes.¡± Reysha dipped out of everyone¡¯s perception for a split second, then returned when she put her arm around the back of the neck of her fellow Rogue. The gesture was casual and deeply threatening. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m better than you, buddy,¡± she whispered sharply.


    The Rogue gulped and dropped his weapons immediately. There was no way out of this one.


    Apexus caught the twin daggers mid-fall and inspected them. Unlike Reysha¡¯s, these weapons were curved and had a singular edge. The spines of the True Silver blades were particularly sturdy and the tips hooked. ¡°What is the reason for this design?¡± he wondered out loud.


    The Rogue saw an opportunity to make himself a little popular. ¡°Treasure hunters like me use our weapons more like multi-tools. The hook and curve helps with reaching into tight spaces. You also want something to poke the lock of a chest with.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a mimic, better you poke it with a dagger than a lockpick.¡±


    Apexus hummed and kept turning the weapons in his hands. It did cross his mind to take them. Reysha was certainly eyeing them with interest. The redhead may have preferred daggers, the throwing and melee kind, but she had never complained about using other weapons either. For considerable stretches, she had used an axe, swords, and even a warpick.


    Knowing the cost of equipment, Apexus considered that to be too much. ¡°I fault you for your greed,¡± he stated simply. ¡°It made you unwise. Reflect on this, before you step into the jaws of a creature hungrier than I.¡±


    The Rogue was stunned. His hands took back the daggers by pure instinct. He sheathed them automatically, then looked after Apexus. Reysha immediately let go of him as well. The redheaded beauty went from hugging his neck to the arm of the Monk. The nature of that grab was entirely different, as was the smirk she regarded him with.


    ¡®I should go before that gift horse bites me,¡¯ the Rogue thought and took off in the opposite direction.


    ¡°Your keen senses are ever reliable,¡± Aclysia complimented, now that the situation had been resolved.


    ¡°I got more uses than being the sexiest kitty in a three Leaf radius,¡± Reysha purred and hugged Apexus¡¯ arm a little tighter. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Make that ten Leaves,¡± the humanoid chimera answered and placed his large palm between her ears. Ruffling her soft red hair made her purr in a literal fashion. ¡°I had not realized those footfalls were so close.¡±


    ¡°Best countermeasure to Rogues are other Rogues and Rangers,¡± Reysha cited one of the lessons she had learned in her days in adventuring class. Obviously, Rogues were wise to the tricks of other Rogues. Since their ¡®invisibility¡¯ relied on using magic to downplay their presence to the point of being unnoticed, the Classes that had the best chance at overcoming that were those that had the sharpest senses. While Monks, Warriors and many other martial Classes had considerably sharper senses than magical Classes, that was primarily in the active perception of things. Rangers, who specialized in tracking and who had to constantly be wary of being ambushed while holding a bow, had a much greater passive perception than the average adventurers.


    They also had the habit of putting up traps in one way or another.


    ¡°Can¡¯t sense anyone else following us,¡± the Rogue of the party continued. ¡°So, can we talk about this thing you noticed yet?¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Apexus squatted down before answering. It looked a bit ridiculous, a man of his size taking a frog-like pose. Both of his hands were on the floor, as were the heels. He nodded. ¡°Vibrations,¡± he stated. ¡°Regular. Many of them. Several dozen of them. It is distant, but certainly there.¡±


    Reysha dropped to the ground next to him. Her own hands felt nothing. Pressing her ear to the ground had her hear something. ¡°Not sure if I can double that up or if I am just imagining things because the big guy says there¡¯s something.¡±


    ¡°We can trust the word of our darling alone,¡± Aclysia stated and pulled out the party¡¯s copy of the ¡®Alarshus Encyclopaedia, Fourth Edition¡¯. The tome was thick, over 600 pages on expensive paper, covered with an even thicker leather binding. Aclysia had not shied away from buying the most sturdy version of the book available. Good intel like this was worth every Copper.


    ¡°Is there something in the dungeon that fits the description?¡± Korith asked.


    Aclysia nodded slowly, while flipping through the pages. She had read the entire thing back to front since they had bought it. Her erudite mind had committed most of it to memory, but she preferred to double check everything.


    ¡°The Blade Chamber,¡± she read out. ¡°A massive treasure vault-¡°


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Korith declared.


    ¡°Ehem¡­¡± Aclysia cleared her throat and then resumed reading. ¡°A massive treasure vault found in Chimerion. It is filled to the brim with deadly contraptions, most commonly pendulum guillotines. Some contraptions can be disabled, others have to be stopped with brute force or dodged. At the end of the chamber awaits a singular treasure chest with¡­ mhm.¡±


    ¡°Mhm?¡± Reysha mimicked the sound.


    ¡°They write it in all capital letters so¡­ LOOT?!¡± Aclysia shouted the word, a joke that she immediately regretted. The party laughed, so she got what she wanted, but that only made her feel more self-conscious about it. The tips of her elf-like ears were red when she finished reading the entry out. ¡°Loot appropriate for someone around Level 30.¡±


    ¡°Llllllet¡¯s go?!¡± Korith asked and urged in the same two words.


    ¡°We¡¯re still pretty underequipped, all things considered,¡± Apexus analysed the situation. They had slightly above the minimum to be considered armed appropriately for their Level. More would not hurt his three partners.


    ¡°And they may be enchanted, so that could be a huge step up.¡± Reysha got up.


    ¡°Further, I do not believe we have another orientation point at this time.¡± Aclysia¡¯s was the third voice that advocated for them seeking out this Blade Chamber.


    Apexus followed the tremors of the swinging blades some more, then marked their current spot with his pheromones. In the absence of the rest of the Expedition to keep exchanging maps with, they would have to resort to their usual methods. ¡°Should I use this sparingly?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we never know who also has fine noses,¡± Reysha advised.


    Nodding, Apexus finally got back up as well and then scanned their environment. They had a direction. That was more than anyone else had, but it did not enable them to just sink through the floor. Now began the work of scanning through the various side corridors for a way down.


    A venture off the cleared path began with Apexus picking the nearest gap in the walls. It was narrow, the kind of gap that had to be walked through vertically. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead,¡± Apexus said. While he was the bulkiest of the party members he was also the most flexible. That his hands were his weapons further helped. If Korith took the lead and got attacked in that crevice, she would not be able to swing her hammer in response.


    The preparation turned out to be unnecessary that time. Squeezing through the tight corridor was simply done. The walls were smooth and coated in a thin film of an oily substance. Both factors helped in making it around the soft bend of the five-metre stretch. Apexus emerged on the other side into another wide corridor. It tilted downwards and the oil coated the ground here.


    ¡°We¡¯ll advance slowly,¡± Apexus said and gestured for Korith to take the helm again. Usually it wasn¡¯t the smartest idea to let the densest person go first in a slippery situation like this. Korith, however, had the advantage of her clawed feet. As long as the ground was at least a little uneven, she could keep her balance quite well.


    They went down the slope without any issues as well. At the bottom, they were greeted by two spawning pools. The blubbering pits of red, acidic liquid were currently inactive. Another piece of the scenery that they could just leave behind.


    Apexus created a whistling sound with the wooden plates he used to talk. It was a signal, one that had Korith stop immediately where she stood and scan the situation again. ¡°Above,¡± the Monk pointed out.


    ¡°I see it,¡± Korith confirmed. Clenching her hammer, the Warrior squatted down and leapt four metres up and forwards. The praying spider-mantis had not registered that it had been spotted yet. Its disguise as a peculiar formation of dripstones under the ceiling was broken when the kobold¡¯s hammer turned half of its head into pulp.


    The wagon-wheel sized monster fell to the ground, hissing in the way large arachnids did. Six legs and two scythe-like arms flailed incoherently. Apexus caught one, whirled the creature overhead and splattered its remaining lifeforce against the wall. ¡°Thank fuck, I was starting to think we would starve,¡± Reysha groaned.


    ¡°Want to take this along?¡± the Monk asked and held up the monster. The primary motivation for coming to this dungeon remained Reysha¡¯s interest in this ¡®Spice of Magic¡¯ that the journal described.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a Healing Fountain before we start collecting ingredients,¡± the redhead said, but ripped one of the legs off the monster. A walkway snack was always nice to have.


    And a lot of walking would have to be done.

 A Rivalry 27 – Making the Spice

    Apexus viewed the area below them.


    Two massive monsters guarded a wall of translucent, blue crystal. Their overall shape was arachnoid, but the fatness of their bodies compared to their stubby legs was more resemblant of a tic than the typical spider. Smooth and fleshy, their bodies did not look particularly durable. It was not their durability that Apexus was primarily concerned with.


    Within the large abdomens of the twin creatures, glowing liquid sloshed. For one it was bright red, and for the other, noxious green. Both monsters possessed a fleshy protrusion where the head of an arachnid would have been. Just above it, a vaguely humanoid torso extended upwards, the arms ending in the sickle-claws of a praying mantis. The head was a fusion between gorilla and dragonfly, massive eyes sitting above sharp teeth.


    Taking three steps back, he put the edge of the cliff between him and the two large monsters. He returned to the rest of the party. Korith and Reysha were both covered in monster blood. It had been four days since they had separated from the Expedition and they had not seen a Healing Fountain since. Sleeping out in the open dungeon was risky. Courtesy of Aclysia not needing sleep, they always had a ready guardian, but the stone floor was still a bad place for rest. Bedrolls were a poor substitute for the bed of the Mobile Estate, whose door remained closed while they were inside a dangerous environment.


    Courtesy of that, the two regular mortals in the party were dirty and minorly exhausted. They were still adventurers with over two years in the occupation under their belt. Reysha had certainly been through worse. When they had fled down the Long Way from Turlesh, that had been a true test of endurance. Korith couldn¡¯t boast of a gauntlet quite as taxing, but she had had her own fair share of difficulties.


    Aclysia and Apexus were faring better. Being liquid under the skin had its advantages when it came to finding comfortable sleeping positions. While the slime was still dirty from the gore that they had not been able to clean off, that was limited to his clothes. Aclysia, being the backliner, was practically spotless. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The metal fairy flipped through the pages of the encyclopaedia. Finally, she found the segment about Chimerion mini-bosses: encounters that often, but not always, were placed in front of places of value and were harder to fight than the typical dungeon monster.


    ¡°Fire and Poison Dryder,¡± Aclysia read out. ¡°These twin dryders possess tremendous physical strength, above average intellect and are capable of spitting liquids. The liquid of the fire dryder ignites while that of the poison dryder evaporates into a Dungeon Poison (page 215-22) mist, changing on each respawn. The gas is also flammable. This can be used to clear areas quickly, but is to be done with caution as it will typically cause a fireball. Since the two dryders are short-sighted and relatively slow, it is recommended to separate them. Assign most of the party to one target while an off-tank occupies the other. Generally, it is best to kill the poison dryder first. No Phase Mutations.¡±


    ¡°Sounds simple enough,¡± Reysha mumbled. ¡°Apexus occupies the fire one while the rest of us go in on poison then?¡±


    Aclysia was skimming through the notes in the Dungeon Poisons as she answered. ¡°We could also avoid the encounter,¡± she noted. ¡°We are below the recommended level for the dungeon. A mini boss may be more than we can handle at this time.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the reward?¡± Korith wanted to know.


    Aclysia went back to the page for the mini boss. ¡°Chimerion mini boss rewards page 111-113¡­¡± she muttered then kept flipping on through. ¡°Crystal wall, yes?¡± Apexus confirmed with a hum. ¡°What colour?¡±


    ¡°Blue.¡±


    ¡°Blue¡­¡± Aclysia mumbled as she scanned through the list. Twice, she tapped on the page when she found it. ¡°After the boss is defeated, the blue crystal wall crumbles to reveal a Healing Fountain, a chest of medium quality, and a shortcut deeper into the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I vote we try,¡± Reysha said. ¡°I need that Healing Fountain.¡±


    ¡°You know my answer,¡± Korith added, tail-wagging at the mention of treasure.


    ¡°I remain cautious¡­¡± Aclysia muttered and closed the book. ¡°The choice is yours, darling.¡±


    As party leader, on a tie his vote was the breaker. Contemplating things for a few moments, he made his decision. ¡°We can do this.¡±


    ¡°Then the decision is made,¡± Aclysia stated with a nod. She would not let her disagreement with it be a reason for hesitation. In combat, the unity of the party was the decisive factor.


    The party got up to the edge of the platform and watched the dryders patrol. The advertised lack of long range vision let them stay at the ledge unnoticed. A predictable rhythm was soon established and based on that rhythm, Apexus entered the main chamber.


    Like an eagle locked onto its prey, the humanoid chimera soared downwards and crashed into the back of the monster. The thick, short legs of the dryder buckled, but did not give. Surprisingly stretchy, it twisted its back around and swiped at the assailant with the long, curved blade of its forearm.


    Apexus had anticipated even this speed. The dungeon range was up to level 30 and they were challenging a mini boss. That he got caught even on his surprise manoeuvre was a necessary sacrifice. Iron Skin prevented the tip of the blade from etching into his skin.


    The fire dryder let out a bellowing howl. The poison dryder answered in kind and began to skitter across. It only managed to take three steps before Korith¡¯s hammer slammed into the top of its head. The creature stumbled, its skull clearly dented, but it lived.


    Reysha and Aclysia joined the battle a moment later. The poison dryder thrust forwards the fleshy protrusion. It opened up wide, then suddenly convulsed. Green liquid gushed out in a series of disgusting sprays. It hissed and bubbled even as it flew, much of it turning into gas long before it reached the ground.


    The aim of the monster was completely off. While its motions remained fast as it swung its claws at Korith and Reysha, that first hit had clearly damaged something vital. It moved as if drunk to the point of near incapacitation.


    On his end, Apexus had no such luck with his opponent. The fire dryder kept swiping at him, until it noticed the desperate squawks of its twin. Although that elevated intellect was not enough to coordinate proper teamwork, it was enough for the boss to start turning its front towards the other engagement. Poison pools were gathering all around, ready to be turned into a gas explosion with one quick burst of flame.


    Apexus could not let that come to pass. He leapt off the back of the large monster and moved himself in front. The creature reacted to the obvious provocation like dungeon monsters typically would: by focusing on him. Surrendering the advantageous position had come with the intended effect. The issue was that he was now in front of the monster¡¯s spewing organ.


    There was just enough of a delay between the surfacing of the liquid and its ignition to keep the creature from burning itself. Apexus was not so lucky. He was engulfed by flames. Using his wings as an impromptu shield, he sacrificed first his feathers then the limbs entirely. Charred stumps now, they hung from his back. The rest of his body, however, was mostly unharmed. The fires had been magical in nature and against that the Ready Waters variety of Ironskin afforded additional protection.


    A lack of intellect sometimes served as a benefit. Lacking the faculties to be properly surprised, the monster resumed its attack as soon as the flames had ebbed away. Apexus could only focus on the defence, dodging and blocking the scythe swings.


    Across the room, Korith remained a thorn in the monster¡¯s everything. The poison dryder¡¯s sluggish motions failed to catch the bouncing kobold. Leap after leap, the Warrior of the party continued to crack chitin plates. Accumulated shock and internal bleeding gradually sapped the life out of the monster.


    Reysha massively accelerated that process by Stealthily leaping onto the monster¡¯s back. She was only noticed by the time her twin daggers carved into the thin connection between midsection and abdomen. She had to pull back swiftly when she cut into the tube that connected the poison sack to the expulsion organ, causing pressurized poison to vent into the air as green mist.


    While immune to the effects of its own poison, it could not cope with the artery that had been cut leaking black blood. Further and further, the motions of the poison dryder slowed, until it collapsed entirely. Korith finished it off with one more powerful strike to the head.


    Then, the attention of the entire party switched across the room.


    Apexus was thinning. He had started to burn biomass in his Heat Core to up his speed. A necessary sacrifice to prevent the claws from catching him. It was not a sustainable strategy. It was necessary that the rest of his party came in when they did.


    A throwing knife made the fire dryder back off its prey, saving its eye. A flash of light by Aclysia followed. Lidless, the creature had no defence against the sudden blindness. However, the sheer size of the insectoid eyes meant that not all of it was blinded equally. Twisting its neck around, it kept looking with the back of its eyes. A decision that caught Korith off-guard.


    Mid-leap and used to the groggy motions of the twin, the kobold nevertheless managed to activate the Steadfast Martial Art just as she was grabbed. It made her entire body lock up in her current pose. When the scythe arms of a praying mantis grabbed her, they found it impossible to properly snap shut and squeeze the kobold to death. The armour did the rest, protecting Korith from the serrated inner edge.


    The monster reacted rapidly to the obstruction, slammed Korith down on the ground, and then started shoving her along. Not pincered but stuck between elbows, claws, and floor, the Warrior could not resist, especially with Steadfast active.


    The party realized what the mini boss¡¯ plan was too late. Even if they had realized earlier, none of them had the physical strength to do much about it. Korith was shoved face first into a lingering pool of poison. She held her breath, closed her eyes, and just hoped for the best.


    Power to stop it they had not, but the power to punish they had in plenty. A Solar Lance ripped into the back of the creature, fully obliterating a plate that Apexus had damaged during the initial exchange. Rogue and Monk leapt onto the creature and ripped away at the exposed flesh with the purest of lethal methods: raw violence.


    Purple gore and black blood splattered. The wound was lethal well before they ripped out a bundle of nerves running through the meat. The back two legs of the monster gave in, no longer capable of flexing, and the entire creature tilted backwards.


    Seizing the opportunity, Apexus grabbed the monster¡¯s lower jaw and ripped it back. The monster provided enough counter force to prevent it from ripping. Apexus¡¯s muscles strained. The back of the fire dryder¡¯s neck was on his shoulder, heavy as a log that attempted to escape. Sweeping in, Reysha stabbed the exposed throat. Once, twice, thrice, she sunk her dagger into the flesh, using the power of her demonic limb to drive it all the way down to the hilt into the neck.


    The fourth stab made the creature shiver and finally give in.


    Aclysia was already down there. Trusting in her artificial biology, or lack thereof, she grabbed Korith and attempted to drag her out of the poison. The kobold felt the touch and took that as her signal to loosen Steadfast. She crawled along with the direction of the movements.


    The body of the mini boss half collapsed into the poison cloud. Reysha and Apexus had already retreated by that point, standing a fair bit away. They hurried over to make sure their favourite shortstack had gotten away unscathed.


    Korith cracked her eyes open a testing sliver before daring to inhale. ¡°We won?¡± she asked, to the nods of the other two.


    ¡°Not our cleanest victory, but yes,¡± Reysha confirmed. A couple of cuts all over the bodysuit demonstrated how narrow things had gotten a few times. Korith may have held the attention, but a flailing mini boss was still a flailing mini boss. ¡°Feeling poisoned?¡±


    ¡°Not right now?¡± Korith answered and got on her feet.


    ¡°Tell us if this changes,¡± Aclysia implored, clearly worried. ¡°It may be a slower acting agent.¡±


    Korith nodded several times, then the entire party turned to the sound of cracking crystal. The wall collapsed in on itself, the shards phasing out of existence as it did, leaving the entrance of the Healing Fountain open.


    Reysha took two of the legs off the fire dryder. They did not know if the poison dryder was edible and did not care to be the ones to find out. Apexus grabbed himself another one. He would have preferred to eat the entire torso, but it was currently surrounded by poison. If it was still there once it had all dispersed, he would consider taking a bite at it. Taking those legs along, they entered the Healing Fountain chamber.


    It was more luxurious than the common grade of Healing Fountain. While not as large as the one they had arrived at, it possessed a number of alcoves and even a sauna where the steam from the main pool magically gathered.


    Korith hastened on over to the chest. ¡°Is this where you use one of your praying stickers?¡± Reysha asked, hopefully.


    ¡°Favour Papers,¡± the kobold corrected. ¡°And no.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­,¡± Reysha cursed under her breath. ¡°The curiosity is killing me!¡±


    ¡°You are a cat, after all,¡± Aclysia drawled.


    Korith lifted the lid of the hardwood box. It looked entirely out of place in the chamber of stone and chitin. A sign of an inexperienced god using default designs they had found during their life as an adventurer, with little care for thematic coherency. Such things did not influence the reward.


    It was a gauntlet ¨C a heavy gauntlet. It changed size and even the shape of its fingers to work with Korith¡¯s arm when she put it on. Like most dungeon loot, there was a grace period during which it would mould to fit a prospective wearer. Once that was up, it would be locked in that state. Like much dungeon loot, it also communicated its purpose to Korith instinctively.


    The kobold thrust her arm out, causing a block of energy to appear. It was no larger than the average brick and had about the same shape. ¡°Try to move it,¡± Korith told Apexus, who walked over.


    He pushed, he pulled and he even sat on it. All of it only caused the block to move minorly. It was dense and hovered but it was not immovable. Its usefulness did not end there though. When Korith punched it with the gauntleted hand, it flew forwards in a straight line at the speed of an arrow, stopping and shattering when it hit the dungeon wall.


    ¡°Thrice per day,¡± Korith answered the question before it could be asked.


    ¡°That seems rather useful,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°You should keep it.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, wouldn¡¯t that be better for Apexus?¡± Korith asked. ¡°Generating platforms for Featherstep and all that?¡±


    ¡°Darling doesn¡¯t do well with items, as you know. The theoretical benefit he would have from broader applications are made null when he fails to use them. Additionally, he is in the habit of sacrificing limbs.¡± She gave the still burned wings a disapproving glance.


    Apexus shirked from the unspoken reprimand by his woman. ¡°It works.¡±


    ¡°I was not stating anything to the contrary.¡±


    While they were talking, Reysha pulled a variety of items from her Adventurer¡¯s Bag. Most of them were simple cooking utensils. A flask of the alchemical kind and a fine-meshed strainer were the only parts out of the ordinary.


    Eagerly, she started the process detailed in the journal and everyone else was soon watching her. She scooped up Healing Fountain water into a pot, placed chunks of monster meat in it, and then brought the whole thing to a simmering boil. A lid prevented the steam from escaping. That was the first difference from what adventurers did when they were desperate. Boiling Healing Fountain water removed much of the magic from it ¨C enough to make it drinkable for a few days without suffering the usual magic poisoning.


    While it boiled, the party stripped down and took their long overdue bath. Once it was ¡®done,¡¯ Reysha poured the still hot water through the fine strainer. Left behind was some kind of blue slime. She let that dissolve into a fresh batch of Healing Fountain water, put more chunks of monster meat into it and then repeated the process. After six repeats, the water was of a notable blue tint. After thirteen, it was more slime than water. Leaving the lid off, Reysha then reduced the mixture to an almost gelatinous state.


    ¡°That¡¯s supposed to be it,¡± she said, stirring it with a wooden spoon. She raised it up and gave it an anticipating lick. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ sweet,¡± she stated, between joy and disappointment.


    Apexus gave it a try himself. The taste was clearly that of magic, he had tasted the difference often enough to know it, but it was of a muted, downright artificial variety. He could understand the disappointment.


    ¡°Can I have a ration?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia answered and handed over an already pulled out strip of regular mutton jerky. Some of the blue goop was spread over the flesh. Reysha eyed it with a degree of distrust, then took a bite.


    Her eyes sparkled when she tasted the simple honesty of mutton. There was a bit of that artificiality still and that sweetness as well. All around, it was no mind-blowing experience. It was just mutton. That was the important part. ¡°Oh thank fuck,¡± she exclaimed, devoured the rest of the mutton and was about to pour the rest into the flask for storage when Korith collapsed into the pool. ¡°Oh fuck!¡±

 A Rivalry 28 – Dungeon Poison

    Apexus threw himself in the Healing Fountain. He caught Korith by the horn and dragged her back up from under the water. Eyelids fluttered while he moved her back to the adjacent stone floor. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± she muttered. That was all she pushed out. Her eyes were glassy.


    Aclysia threw the book at Reysha, who caught it hastily. ¡°Which page?!¡± the redhead asked, already scanning the book at random.


    The angel did not answer immediately, instead focusing her immediate efforts on scanning the kobold, now laying somewhat comfortably in Apexus¡¯ lap. Her hand came to rest on Korith¡¯s forehead for only a moment. She was scorching hot. Sweat joined the pearling water on her naked skin.


    ¡°215!¡± Aclysia finally managed to answer the question, her mind already racing through the catalogue of poisons that she knew. ¡°219, third entry, double check it!¡±


    Reysha flipped through the pages, wrinkling the paper. ¡°Trial Poison, estimated occurrence chance 0,1%. Chance of contagion: low, requires prolonged exposure. Behaviour: remains dormant for anywhere between 1 and 4 hours, before creating a rapid onset of fever, exhaustion, and sweating. Leading to death, if victim is unaided, within one hour.¡± Reysha gulped, then continued reading. Aclysia cast healing magic on the Warrior. ¡°Treatment: if your healer is a Shaman, they can Detoxify this using Blessed Water, Healing Fountain water will do if skilled enough. Otherwise, your healer must keep the victim alive using traditional healing magic. When the Trial Poison activates, a flower blooms somewhere in the surrounding dungeon, within an approximately 2-hour radius, that cures the poison upon ingestion. Weathering the poison¡¯s duration is like, if highly unpleasant, provided the healer is of adequate level for the dungeon. Healing offsets any pains and aches created by this poison. It will take 3 to 7 days depending on delivered dosage.¡±


    Turning the book around, the redhead presented Apexus with the inked image of a flower with remarkably sharp-angled petals. Especially in this environment, it would be hard to miss.


    ¡°The fuck is a 2-hour radius?!¡± Reysha complained.


    Aclysia had the answer for that ready. ¡°The encyclopaedia does in-dungeon measurements based on time spent walking at average humanoid speed. Theoretically, that¡¯s easier to understand while inside an enclosed structure.¡±


    That made enough sense for Reysha to not complain about it further. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move,¡± Apexus decided immediately and wiggled out from underneath the kobold. ¡°How much time do we have?¡±


    ¡°If I can take breaks healing her¡­ 10 hours?¡± Aclysia sounded doubtful. ¡°I have not healed continuously like this before, I do not know with any certainty.¡±


    ¡°Before the day is over,¡± Apexus distilled the point to its essentials.


    He and Reysha quickly strapped their equipment back on. ¡°Should I scout out the corridor ahead?¡± the Rogue asked.


    ¡°Yes. I will check the direction we came from first,¡± Apexus answered. If the flower bloomed in a nearby corridor, then it was possible that it had popped up where they had already come through.


    On regenerated wings, Apexus flew over the corpses of the mini bosses and up the slope. He took a moment to scan the environment, then headed back up the corridor.


    He turned the corner and came face to face with an ape-like insect. The acidic substance of the Spawning Pool was still running off of its chitinous hide when it parted its mandibles and teeth and rushed forwards.


    Ironskin kept the bite from taking off more than Apexus¡¯ nose. The monster¡¯s left paw came forwards, attempting to grab Apexus by the midriff. Monk instincts guided him well, smacking the arm aside without seeing it. The flat of the humanoid chimera¡¯s palm slammed against the side of the monster¡¯s head. The Rippling Palm caused the brain inside the head to rattle, but it did not kill it.


    A second time, the monster went for a grab. Apexus wasn¡¯t quick enough to intercept. These creatures he had previously fought with his entire party, now he was in its reach and alone. The clawed paw of the great ape tightened and yanked at Apexus¡¯ shoulders, tearing the slime muscles at the shoulder.


    Apexus did not fight with safety in mind, only swiftness. The palm that had struck the monster¡¯s head turned into a grip of its own. The thumb gouged out the creature¡¯s hateful eyeball. The smasher set into Apexus¡¯ wrist clicked. It was enough to add to the daze of the monster, but not to end it.


    The two hulking humanoids were locked in a primitive struggle, one ripping at the arm, the other at the neck. Both were pounding with too much adrenaline to care. Apexus¡¯ training gave him just enough presence of mind to anticipate the moment his arm finally gave.


    The creature lost its balance, all of the pull it had used becoming free energy. Apexus half-loosened his grip, concentrated fully on his palm, and turned the forward motion of the monster into a twist via Flow Manipulation. With a sickening crunch, the neck of the monster cracked and it suddenly went limp.


    Apexus looked at his dismembered limb on the floor, already turning into water, loose skin, disconnected, translucent muscle fibres and a regular human arm bone. Whoever came across it next would wonder what it was, but Apexus had no use or time for it. He ripped the head off the monster, distended his jaw and forced the entire thing down his gullet. Regrowing the arm from scratch would take some time.


    More time than he used backtracking. By his estimation, he ran and flew three times faster than the average person and he made sure to check every nook and cranny. Once he had covered that base, he turned around and sprinted back the way he came. By the time he arrived back at the Healing Fountain, the arm was back, although muscles, skin, and other additions were still in development.


    Reysha was waiting for him. She shook her head before he could ask. He took a stray glance at Korith. Aclysia was currently wiping her down with a wet towel, keeping her cool by physical means. That was as much as he afforded himself, before following the Ragressian down the corridor that led deeper into the dungeon.


    The rhythmic sounds of distant pendulums were audible there. They were close to the Blade Chamber, but finding it was hardly a priority right now. ¡°I managed to sneak down there. Only two weird centipede creatures, no flower. Got most of that and that direction scouted out as well, although we should double-check later.¡± Reysha kept gesturing towards holes in the walls, floor, and ceiling. This deep in the dungeon, the corridors were winding and random, truly resembling the floor plan of an anthill. ¡°I need you to be my battering ram there!¡± Reysha told her leader and pointed down a narrow corridor that forked off from the main path. ¡°Did not manage to explore there at all.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Apexus stated and sprinted ahead.


    The enemy waiting for him there was a three-metre monstrosity between gorilla and crocodilian. Standing almost upright, scaled knuckles on the ground, it guarded the width of the corridor with its broad shoulders. That made it impossible to get past, even for a Stealthy Rogue. It also made it a simple target.


    Apexus charged straight in. He stopped just short of the snapping, crocodile maw of the creature, then took another step forwards. Wrapping his good arm around the snout, he kept the most dangerous part of the monster shut as best he could. Scales cut his skin as the monster wiggled. A clenched fist slammed into his side, turning his ribcage into splinters. His field of view trembled, the ripple spreading all the way to his nucleus. It was a horrid sensation, numb and yet stinging.


    Reysha bridged the distance and thrust her dagger into the pinned throat of the monster. The strategy was quick, effective, and actively suicidal for any party that lacked a member with lesser regenerative powers. Even Apexus could not continue immediately. It took three more stabs to end the monster¡¯s life and thirty minutes before enough of his body had stitched itself back together that he could continue at proper effectiveness.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go that way,¡± Reysha whispered quietly. As before, she had used the time to scout ahead. Her hair was wet with sweat by that point. The constant circulation of Ki to remain Stealthy was bringing her to the edge of exhaustion. ¡°Three enemies. No fucking shot we take that down with just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Then we hope for the best,¡± Apexus grunted and stared down another one of the winding pathways.


    After twenty minutes and another two carefully chosen fights, they finally found it. Just spotting the flower had the two of them take a relieved breath. The problem was it was behind not just three but four enemies, each of them of the burly variety. Using tactics that disregarded Apexus¡¯ safety, they were capable of taking out individual dungeon monsters swiftly, but as soon as there was more than one pair of hands involved, that would not fly. They would kill one, then Apexus would get pinned by the other three and ripped apart.


    Which meant a direct confrontation was out.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way here,¡± Reysha mumbled and scanned the path. They were, once again, in an elevated position. None of their enemies had wings. An oblong chamber separated them from a second elevated platform where the flower was located. ¡°I¡¯ll let you do your thing,¡± she muttered.


    Apexus nodded and waited for her to retreat. Simultaneously, he changed the composition of his body under the surface. Sometimes, being a weird creature in his own right had its advantages¡­


    When he was ready, Apexus took flight.


    ¡®This ought to work,¡¯ he thought and, just as the monsters started to scream, separated himself from the majority of his body. A human body fell in the middle of the chamber with all of the limbs expected of one and a hole in the back where the wings had been attached.


    The monsters snapped their attention to that body. All of their instincts were programmed specifically to oppose humanoids. They were divine trials made flesh. In the absence of form they hunted Sparks, but when a form was before them¡­


    While the four monsters coalesced around the discarded majority of Apexus¡¯ form, the omniverse chimera flew across. It resembled an older shape quite closely at that moment: a deep blue blob with emerald wings, possessing eyes and a nucleus. The only other Permanent Growth he had retained was a miniaturized version of his tail, scarcely more than a tendril, dextrous enough to pluck the flower as he made an elegant U-turn.


    The monsters were starting to catch onto the deception, the body melting under their claws and teeth. Smaller, his wingspan decreased, Apexus dashed over their heads and then soared through the narrow corridor. Reysha waited for him at the end of it and both of them were booking it as fast as they could. Dungeon monsters were not smart, but they could be incredibly persistent.


    They put enough distance between them that the four creatures never managed to catch up before they made it back to the healing fountain. ¡°Darling?!¡± Aclysia almost screeched, looking at the state her beloved was in. Apexus could only create something like a thumbs-up from his surface to indicate he was alright. He lacked the biomass to recreate his Speaking Plates.


    ¡°It was a calculated risk and we¡¯re fucking great at maths,¡± Reysha translated for him. ¡°Give her the flower!¡±


    Aclysia had many words of worry, but priorities were set. Apexus tentacled the flower over to the steady hand of the healer, who shoved it into Korith¡¯s mouth and guided her through chewing it. The complexion of the blonde kobold rapidly changed. The fever abated, her breathing calmed, and her eyes slowly opened.


    ¡°¡­Urgh¡­ uh¡­ that sucked¡­¡± the Warrior said and sat up. Ashamed, she kept her eyes down. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Thank fuck you¡¯re okay!¡± Reysha declared and hugged the shortstack. The rest of the party followed, everyone piling up on a squawking kobold too surprised and exhausted to resist the cuddle pile.


    It lasted for all of ten seconds, before Apexus felt the all too familiar gnawing of fathomless hunger at the edge of his mind. He managed to wrestle it down for long enough to turn towards the way they had come from. His slimy mass attached to the side of the Fire Dryder and began to spread.


    He had much body mass to recuperate.

 A Rivalry 29 – Blade Chamber

    They took a few hours off after that, spending time to recuperate. Korith and Reysha needed good sleep and Apexus needed to regenerate his whole body.


    The door of the Mobile Estate stood open. Past their morning activities, they were willing to sacrifice the feeling of privacy to catch other adventurers approach. It would be an awkward moment if another group found the Healing Fountain while they were inside and then they stepped out of the previously invisible door. This could still happen while they were asleep. For now, that was not too much of a worry. The Expedition had not been going on long enough for people¡¯s sleep schedules to majorly deviate from the outside. Another week would change that.


    Even then, the party was quite a bit ahead. They had picked an unorthodox route and then, courtesy of Apexus¡¯ vibration sense, moved with more certainty than most parties. They left behind corpses that marked the pathway as explored. Adding to that the Spawning Pools that crowded even cleared corridors with fresh monsters and they were unlikely to have anyone following in their footsteps. Best to look for fresh pastures for everyone involved.


    The mere potential of it happening was enough to make Aclysia and Korith put on clothes. Apexus and Reysha, meanwhile, took another skinny dip in the Healing Fountain. Hot water was nice, as was making out while running one¡¯s hands all over the other¡¯s curves.


    ¡°If we go for another round, you¡¯ll have to be gentle,¡± Reysha purred.


    ¡°An unusual request,¡± Apexus noted.


    ¡°I¡¯m a sturdy gal, but I like feeling my legs when I¡¯m fighting.¡±


    ¡°Aclysia can fix that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but she¡¯s gonna be berating me while doing it.¡±


    Reysha ended the conversation with another deep kiss. Seven minutes and a straightforward bit of missionary on the warm stone ground later, they went back into the Mobile Estate to find Aclysia reading and Korith maintaining her equipment. Her armour had been polished and oiled. Her hammer was currently in front of her, the uneven surface resting in a shallow, broad bucket, the kind usually used for foot baths. She was using a clump of matted wool as a sponge to give it a thorough cleaning.


    ¡°You should give your stuff a second look,¡± the kobold advised. ¡°Specifically, the bodysuit.¡±


    ¡°Guh¡­¡± Reysha groaned and gave her man a pleading look.


    Apexus was in a good mood and, the terrible smell on his fingers aside, it wasn¡¯t the worst meditative exercise out there. Leaving the redhead to double check her weapons, something she had a much easier time caring for, he took her two-piece leather armour off the shelf it had been folded on. He stopped, it in hand, and tilted his head.


    Squatting down, he put shoulder and arm against the shelf. He gave it a careful push, not to imbalance the variety of books and other items stacked in it. Audibly, wood scratched over wood. The back of the shelf hit the wall with an audible clack.


    The sound grabbed the attention of the women in the room, who then scanned the Mobile Estate for any little sign of gaps that they could find. There were a couple, especially around the walls. ¡°Ooooh, is it finally expanding?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°It appears so,¡± Apexus confirmed. The Mobile Estate was not subject to all the usual effects of a moving world that could have caused things in it to shift. Any changes to the way things were positioned inside it could only come from them moving things about or itself growing larger. ¡°Is the change gradual or is this the precursor of a larger evolution?¡±


    No one could answer that, so they instead dedicated themselves to the remaining equipment mending.


    __________________________________________________________________________


    They stood before the entrance of the vault.


    It had only taken them another half day of searching after leaving the Healing Fountain behind. Apexus had already noticed the vibrations while looking for the flower. Once they knew they were on the correct elevation, they could concentrate on scouting in the horizontall. That was, generally, much easier.


    ¡°As described, a metal door with a central keyhole,¡± Aclysia said, her voice raised to overpower the nearby sound of swinging mechanisms. ¡°Reysha, if you would?¡±


    ¡°Already on it, sweet cheeks.¡± Grinning, the Rogue pulled out her lockpicking set and squatted down to be on level with the keyhole. It was a large one, surrounded by a copper plate that stood out heavily from the otherwise dark colour of the metal of the double-door. Above the door were three slots framed in silver. All of them showed a grey panel at the moment.


    Reysha grabbed one of the larger utensils among her collection. It was a piece of metal about as thick as a knitting needle, curved at the end, and with a wooden handle to keep a nice grip. To the uninitiated, it looked like an odd construction or sewing tool. Carefully, Reysha brushed over the inside of the mechanism, attempting to feel out the individual springs. When she felt nothing but bumps, she switched to a smaller tool.


    ¡°There we are,¡± she hummed when she felt the resistance of a coil. Her cat ears turned, completely locking in on the sounds of metal. A tiny click was her sign that she had succeeded. Even without any further tools, the cylinder stayed put. ¡°This will be easy,¡± she purred, then went down the length of the mechanism. ¡°Nothing on two¡­ click on three¡­ click on four¡­ click on five¡­ nothing on six¡­.¡±


    CLUNK!


    One of the panels above the lock switched to green. Reysha drew her hand back. Something behind the keyhole went down, sealing it completely. Then, something inside the door spun at a high speed, creating an unpleasant whistling sound.


    ¡°Ya ever think that it¡¯s kinda weird the gods encourage us to learn thievery?¡± Reysha asked while they waited for the mechanism to reset. ¡°Aren¡¯t they supposed to be the good guys?¡±


    ¡°They test us in many ways, albeit that I cannot tell you why this specific one is so heavily encouraged,¡± Aclysia answered.


    ¡°Does it make a difference?¡± Apexus asked. ¡°In the course of rising through the ranks of adventurers, we become powerful enough to wipe out entire villages, then towns, and finally cities of regular people. Is encouraging us to learn how to break locks any less moral than testing us on how to break spines?¡±


    The conversation came to a temporary halt when then the mechanism slotted back into place. All were quiet so Reysha could concentrate on her task again. ¡°They got smaller?¡± She grabbed a finer tool, then went through the process again. ¡°Binding on one¡­ nothing on two¡­ click on three¡­ nothing on four¡­ nothing on five¡­ nothing on six¡­ going back to two¡­. Nothing¡­ nothing¡­ nothing¡­ the fuck¡­?¡± Reysha went through two more times, then started from the beginning. ¡°¡­Urgh, one got loose!¡± She realized her mistake and fixed it.


    CLUNK!


    The second panel switched to yellow. Reysha clicked her tongue at the rating of her performance. Even if she could have argued with the door, she wouldn¡¯t have had much to say in her defence. She pulled her tool out and the keyhole sealed itself again. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You can use violence for many purposes,¡± Aclysia spoke, ¡°few of them need be malicious.¡±


    ¡°Same is true for subterfuge and covert action,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°If an ant queen were manipulating a swarm of moral followers to evil ends, would it not be most moral to sneak in and kill her alone? If there was an item unjustly held in a place difficult to reach, is it not better to steal it unseen?¡±


    ¡°I surrender to your wisdom, darling.¡± Aclysia bowed her head, a light smile on her pale pink lips. ¡°The gods present us with many paths to grow our powers. It is upon us to prove we wield it properly and that we are worthy to join their ranks.¡±


    ¡°Anything ya wanna add, squishy?¡±


    ¡°O-open the door already!¡± Korith stammered in anticipation. A singular chest with an item worthy of the effort and level 30. It would have to be something tremendous! ¡°Hoard wills it!¡±


    ¡°Ya didn¡¯t listen to any of that talk, did ya?¡± Reysha purred, amused, and turned back to the lock.


    She scouted out the lay of the mechanism with her tool again. The size of the cylinders had stayed the same, but the number of them had increased by two. Meticulously, she went about her task ¨C this time, she made no mistake.


    CLUNK!


    The last of the panels switched to green. Two perfect and one flawed but successful attempts were all that door needed. Once Reysha drew her hand back, the lock turned slowly five times, then the door swung inwards.


    The party stepped into the Blade Chamber.


    Before them was a parkour course, marked all over by dangerous obstacles of sharpened metal. Slicing pendulums swung over spike pits, the only way across manifesting as stone platforms. In other segments, whirling blades travelled from wall to wall, forcing a swift run across an even field. There were arrow traps and statues that would swing if someone stepped on a pressure plate. All the usual stuff one would expect in a high-level treasure chamber. Every segment was a corridor, its end leading onto the next part, all the way to the treasure chest prominently displayed at the end.


    Apexus led the way. Directly behind the door was a safe area, ending at a ledge that led to the first jumping segment. Testing, he delivered a punch to one of the many translucent walls that made just skipping sideways impossible. The ceiling was too low to make regular flight possible.


    What this design did not account for was effortless flight. That kind of movement was not regularly available for their level, so the god that made it could not be faulted for not taking it into account.


    Aclysia hovered upwards and made it across the first segment. Once a lever there was pulled, the pendulums in the previous segment stopped swinging and the spikes retreated into the floor. Crossing, then, was a simple matter of just jumping across a few divides.


    The next two segments went much the same. Aclysia hovered across a landscape filled with whirling blades and the pressure plates that would activate traps all the same. The fourth she had to leave to Korith, as a boulder required to be pushed while weathering arrow fire. The Warrior cleared it without injury. On the last segment before the treasure chest, all previous challenges were mixed together in a lessened form. Aclysia had to dodge the occasional arrow, otherwise she just moved the smaller stone to its socket and then pulled the lever that allowed everyone else to follow unharmed.


    ¡°It is time!¡± Korith declared and pulled out one of the Favour Papers.


    Reysha visibly struggled to withhold her sassy remarks. She wanted to tease the kobold more and she NEEDED to know what that Favour paper did. ¡®Do not say anything or she might snap and not show!¡¯ the redhead warned herself.


    ¡°Hoard, great pile of sparkles and shinies and such, your humble servant asks you for good fortunes,¡± Korith prayed, paper slip in hand.


    It caught silver fire in an instant, consuming it all before Korith could do as much as react. No ash was left behind. Another sign of the god¡¯s favour manifested. The chest before them, an ornate thing of metal and gems, had its outline glow first blue then purple. Korith squeaked in excitement.


    ¡°What does that mean?!¡± Reysha needed to know. ¡°What just happened?!¡±


    Korith turned to the tiger woman with the smuggest smile she could muster ¨C which was quite smug. ¡°Whaaaaaaaaaaat, I¡¯m sooooooorry, are you pleading to learn what my ¡®scam god¡¯ just bestowed on us?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡± Reysha surrendered. ¡°Yes! Please just tell me before my brain collapses!¡±


    ¡°Do you know the Loot quality table?¡± Korith asked, still sounding very smug.


    ¡°¡­Uhhhhh, I know it¡¯s a thing? Trash, Rare, Legendary, something like that?¡±


    ¡°Why yes, yes indeed!¡± Korith declared. ¡°Trash, Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythical, those are the broad categories that enchantments have to represent power differences between items in a or outside all the level brackets. A Common item appropriate for someone of level 50 will still be superior to even a Legendary item of level 10, but we still differentiate between those things.¡±


    ¡°It is quite important when taking into account what one can wear to avoid Equipment Sickness,¡± Aclysia added.


    ¡°Yes ¨C and each rarity level has its colour associated with it. Grey, White, Green, Blue, Purple, Orange, and finally Red. Now, since the chest has flashed Blue first and then Purple, what do you think this means?¡±


    ¡°¡­Hoard upgraded the item from Rare to Epic?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Yes¡­ why do you not look impressed?!¡±


    ¡°I mean, that sounds pretty cool and everything, but I can¡¯t really gauge how great that is when I just get told that I now get a better thing than what I would have gotten originally?¡± Reysha shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s like someone tells me that I¡¯ll get a shit ton of money instead of a ton of money. One is higher, intuitively, but both are just abstract.¡±


    ¡°Urgh!¡± Korith stomped her clawed foot. ¡°You have no sense of gratitude for the Hoard.¡±


    ¡°Scam god.¡±


    ¡°Before you tease Korith into breaking your kneecaps,¡± Apexus weighed in. ¡°Aclysia, you cleared most of this, the honour of opening the chest is yours.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, darling.¡± Aclysia sashayed across, in a good mood despite the usual fighting between Reysha and Korith, and lifted the lid. As per usual, the inside of the chest was a colourless darkness, hiding its true content until the guardian angel reached in and pulled it out.


    It was a crystal with eight smooth sides that came together in two points, like two elongated pyramids joined at the base. Its colour was that of a greyish blue and a spherical light glowed within. It was large enough that its points jutted out while Aclysia held it at the centre.


    Instinctively, the angel knew what she was holding. She poured mana into it, to activate its effect. The item flared up, the light within it seeping out and filling the entire crystal with radiance.


    ¡°Oh hey, didn¡¯t we fight that thing, but bigger?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°In¡­ uh¡­. Something about light?¡±


    ¡°Myrlight,¡± Aclysia reminded her, as the awakened crystal hovered upwards. It spun in mid-air for a bit, then found its place above and behind Aclysia¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°This is indeed a personal version of that boss. A miniature angel that will occasionally cast Ray spells at my targets and erect short-lived crystal walls to protect my allies.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°I presume it will be in my possession. Keeping it up has a mana cost that may be difficult to sustain for you. I can draw the necessary mana from the environment.¡±


    ¡°It does suit you best,¡± Apexus agreed.


    ¡°Also, if it has an emergency barrier, that¡¯s pretty neat,¡± Reysha added.


    ¡°Do you see now the glory of Hoard?¡±


    ¡°Again, I don¡¯t know if the Rare item we could have gotten wouldn¡¯t have been as cool.¡±


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been!¡±


    ¡°How do ya know, did ya see it?¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re impossible!¡± Korith launched herself at the Rogue.


    Apexus let them fight it out. A bit of roughness and tumbling about was good team building.

 A Rivalry 30 – Estate Upgrade

    The party continued to scout the nearby tunnels, before returning to the Healing Fountain. With the treasure chamber found and cleared, they had no more direct goal to chase. The boss room could be anywhere, so they had no reason to sleep out in the middle of the corridors when they had a safe spot available. The little loss in inefficiency they got in retreading some of the same ground in the morning was willingly sacrificed for good sleep.


    Upon their return to the chamber, Apexus put up the Mobile Estate. He pulled open the door. ¡°It is larger,¡± he informed everyone.


    Reysha, who had been preparing to make another batch of Spice, dropped her things and hastened over. Korith was just as excited, squeezing her head between Apexus¡¯ hips and the door frame. ¡°Woooah!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°T-that¡¯s way larger!¡±


    Aclysia peeked over their man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It is larger, but it seems twice so because the bed is missing.¡±


    Rather than just stand in the doorway, Apexus chose to enter. The very first thing he noted was the improvement in the quality of the flooring. It was a minor thing. The previous wooden floorboards had been perfectly adequate in their quality. These new ones were a little nicer in texture, setting, and quality of the wood.


    The room did feel empty. Their limited possessions had been crammed into the old chamber. This new one was about two metres deeper and two metres wider, and given the quadratic nature of such things that really did make it all that much more spacious. The absence of their enormous bed did the rest.


    There was the shelf, still, currently standing in the middle of the room. A small thing, as shelves went, barely taller than Apexus and about a metre wide. Their large, low table with the sitting pillow stood near the middle of the expanded room. To the left, the fireplace stood, surrounded by Aclysia¡¯s cooking equipment, the firewood the estate provided, and a water barrel. The window that let them see the outside weather and time of day showed that it was night. Their sleep schedule was slowly derailing from the outside world.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find our bed.¡± Apexus walked towards the singular door that existed besides the entrance. Unlike the ornate door of light and magic, that one was simple and wooden. Previously a similar door had led to the latrine, but they had to assume that there was more around if their bed had been moved.


    They stepped into a spacious chamber ¨C spacious by chamber standards anyway. It was about 12 square metres, enough to be someone¡¯s room in its own right. In the expanded Change Mansion, it served as a crossroads. To the left was another room, 9 square metres in size. It was completely empty, just floorboards and air between its walls. Opposite of that, right from the door they had walked through, was the latrine.


    ¡°Huh, ever seen a toilet like this?¡± Reysha asked and lifted the porcelain lid. After some looking around, she pushed a panel a fair way above the bowl. Water rushed out of a container hidden in the wooden wall, flushing what was not and what could have been down the drain.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°No? Should I?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re usually in Churches and rich people¡¯s homes¡­ it¡¯s less stinky.¡±


    ¡°And we are rich now!¡± Reysha boasted and squatted down. Her fingertips trailed over the tiled floor. The spirit that managed this estate had decided to put water-resistant flooring in for this area. Besides the toilet, there was a barrel of water in the room to wash one¡¯s hands after the act.


    There was still some more of the new Change Estate to explore. Opposite of the first door, a short corridor led to two more entrances. Of those, the right one led to a large room with a bath. Unnecessarily large, given that it only contained one bathtub and another barrel of water. Interesting for them was that they produced warm water.


    Last and absolutely not least, they found the bedroom. Their old bed of hay and blankets had been replaced with one of blankets, pillows and furs on a stone frame. ¡°I preferred the old one¡­¡± Korith mumbled, crawling around in the new bed. ¡°This is less¡­ bouncy.¡±


    The rest of the party swiftly followed. Serving as the foundation of it all, the furs were equal parts soft and dense. It was the hide of a bear-wolf-goat-cow-boar, combining the most comfortable aspects of each into one big carpet. A blanket on top made for a unified texture and pillows did the rest. Because of the hard foundation of stone, jumping around on it was indeed less satisfying, but it was all around more comfortable.


    The bed took up half the room, a 4 by 4 metres square. A smaller fireplace was a metre off the foot-end of the bed, little logs lying ready next to it. A fourth and final water barrel stood behind the door, providing ready access to anyone who got thirsty during the night.


    All around, their living space had suddenly tripled.


    ¡°Wonder what brought about the sudden transformation?¡± Aclysia thought out loud. ¡°I must assume darling has crossed level 25?¡±


    ¡°Pro¡¯ly,¡± Reysha slurred and started to strip. ¡°What do we do with all of the extra space?¡±


    ¡°We will have to invest in additional furniture. Additional shelves would be a delight,¡± Aclysia said.


    ¡°Oh, can I get an armour stand?¡± Korith asked. ¡°That would make maintenance a tad easier and the plates wouldn¡¯t be just lying about the place.¡±


    ¡°Considering we have a separate room just for storage now, that should be easily arrangeable,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°Perhaps a guest bed could be placed in the living room?¡±


    ¡°Oh, can we get a couch?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°If we find one who makes such furniture.¡±


    ¡°A-and a bathtub to pour coins into?¡±


    ¡°¡­That feels rather unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°Awww¡­¡±


    ¡°What is our financial situation?¡± Apexus asked.


    They moved the talk back to the main room so Aclysia could put their gathered funds on the table. It took some counting to get it all in order, courtesy of the amount of small coins they currently had.


    458 Copper, 9 Bronze, 5 Iron, 270 Silver, 47 Gold and 5 Platin. Since Bronze and Iron were not used as money locally, they did not count for anything. 458 Copper translated to about 46 Silver, 316 Silver to about 32 Gold, and 79 Gold to almost 8 Platin. ¡°Going with these simplified numbers, we are in possession of 12 to 13 Platin,¡± Aclysia stated, all of the coins neatly stacked in front of her. As neatly as those coins could be stacked, anyway. Many of them were old, if not ancient, and had a fair share of dents and scratches.


    Korith compared two of the gold coins against each other. One was a simple disk with an infinity symbol etched into one side, marking it as a coin created by Arist, the god of Pride and Permanence. The other had the profile of an elven face minted into the side, her eyes closed. The symbol had almost faded from all the hands that had touched it.


    ¡°HMmmmmmmmmm,¡± the kobold hummed as she weighed both coins in her hands. ¡°This one feels lighter¡­¡± she mumbled and raised up the one with the elven face. ¡°Did the Sleeping Empire mess with the gold content?¡±


    ¡°That is a heavy accusation,¡± Aclysia stated.


    ¡°Why would one mess with the content of gold in a gold coin?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Economic trickery,¡± the guardian angel explained. ¡°Gold is a rare metal compared to what it can be alloyed to. When a nation gets large enough, they are capable of minting their own currency in addition to what flows from dungeons. Matter of fact, most coins in circulation are minted by nations. By deviating from the Divine Standard, nations can mint more coins with less gold.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°¡¯Cause you¡¯d rather have 500 Gold than 300,¡± Reysha put it simply. ¡°Deviation from the Divine Standard is a big issue though. As I understand it, regular Gold coins can be turned into equipment with the right treatment. Just gotta smelt it down and use the right enchantments. If you do that with alloyed coins, stuff has to be separated and everything and that¡¯s a lot of work.¡±


    ¡°The biggest issue is that there is less gold in my Gold coin!¡± Korith declared. ¡°Hoard likes gold!¡±


    Aclysia took the coins from Korith and weighed them in her own hands. ¡°In all cases, the coins we use are demanded to follow the Divine Standard. Coins from dungeons are always the same, no matter what god sponsors their creation.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Do the gods intervene if a nation mints deviating coins?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they did when the Omniverse was young, but these days there¡¯s enough guilds whose interests align in keeping the coins standardized. Merchants prefer the unified currency for obvious reasons. Adventurers do not care much for economics and would prefer to know their coin is the same across Leaves, even if the purchasing power varies. The Church has enough bureaucracy without sorting out what value each individual tithe has. Crafters, as Reysha mentioned, wish to know that the coins could be turned into workable metal if times necessitate it.¡± Aclysia put both coins back down with a heavy clack. ¡°Brazen is the fool that messes with the Divine Standard. The consequence is inter-Leaf ostracization and potentially war.¡±


    ¡°Over coins?¡± Apexus found that a bit odd still. Before anyone could explain it further, he had worked it out. ¡°I believe I understand. Coins are the words of the economical exchange. One cannot have a dialogue if words keep changing their meaning.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Korith agreed.


    ¡°We would need a scale to figure out if what you said is true,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°I doubt the Sleeping Empire would engage in this. They¡¯re too large to get away with it.¡±


    ¡°We need a scale!¡± the kobold insisted.


    ¡°Your intended purpose aside, I do believe that one would be useful,¡± Aclysia agreed.


    They continued to talk for some time, then returned to the Healing Fountain for another bath. Even though they had a private tub now, it was barely big enough for Apexus and certainly could not fit all three of them.


    The next morning, they ventured back out into the dungeon. They did the same for the day after that and the day after that, continuing like that for four whole weeks. Occasionally, they came across other parties. It became more frequent as the weeks passed by and they got to just walk for longer and longer stretches. Eventually, the only monsters they came across on any given day were either dead or freshly risen out of the Spawning Pools.


    There were many fights in that month, most carefully planned out, some close, some incredibly easy. The fact was that they were exploring and growing stronger. Reysha got herself as much of the Spice as she had storage for.


    Then they found the boss room ¨C empty.


    The gate was an archway of bones, the two halves of the door made from ribs and leathery membranes. They stood wide open, revealing an arena consisting of three layers of concentric rings. The corpse of the boss had been absorbed back into the dungeon. A gap in the rings revealed a path into the typical post-dungeon shortcut back to the surface. It was one of them that also offered a lounge.


    A lounge in which the Atlas Party currently hung out.


    ¡°Looks like we got the better of you!¡± the brown-haired leader of the party greeted them. He and his comrades were nakedly sitting in the bubbling water of the luxurious Healing Fountain. None of them cared that they were fully exposed. ¡°You¡¯re three days too late.¡±


    ¡°Upsetting,¡± Apexus confessed. ¡°Had I killed the boss, I could have evolved further.¡±


    Flora, the slime druid of the party, smiled lightly. ¡°Not quite as literal in our cases, but we do also need to kill monsters to grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°I hold no resentment. A wolf that watches an eagle catch the hare first should not be looking for scraps,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°A lack of an additional Growth is a minor inconvenience. We grew stronger here ourselves.¡±


    ¡°We got what we wanted,¡± Reysha agreed.


    ¡°I would argue we got more,¡± Aclysia gestured at her private support crystal.


    ¡°A-any particular reason you¡¯re hanging out here?¡± Korith asked. The Atlas Party wasn¡¯t flustered, but she was, at least a little. The empty chests along the walls distracted her enough. ¡°Gloating?¡±


    ¡°A bit,¡± Rahesia admitted readily.


    ¡°Mostly we¡¯re relaxing.¡± Atlas put an arm around his green-skinned girlfriend. ¡°Are you going to stay?¡±


    Apexus looked to his party. Reysha shrugged, Aclysia smiled supportively, Korith was still staring at the empty chests. ¡°We will leave the dungeon now.¡±


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll see each other again in the Guild,¡± Atlas and his party waved as the Inevitable passed them. ¡°Safe travels!¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± Apexus responded.

 A Rivalry 31 – The Grind

    Reysha placed her card on the table in front of them. ¡°Level 29,¡± she reported to all of them and threw the card next to the other three on the table. All of them were iron, proof of their status within the guild. ¡°So, guess we¡¯re all of equal level right now?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia said and pushed the stew in front of Reysha. Everyone was eager to witness a final proof of the Spice working. After pouring some of it into the broth and stirring twice, Reysha took a reluctant bite. When the expected flavour of stew filled her mouth, she let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Fucking finally!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I can eat between dungeons again.¡±


    ¡°Just be sparing with it,¡± Apexus cautioned.


    ¡°Am I the only one that finds it interesting how quick we level?¡± Korith asked. ¡°Like, compared to other people? One dungeon dive and we are already 4 to 5 levels higher?¡±


    Aclysia thoughtfully hummed, before taking a sip of her juice. She did not need food or drink, but it was nice to afford it anyhow at times. ¡°It was a five-week dungeon dive, lest you understate that fact.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­ but still?¡± Korith stayed on point. ¡°Adventurers usually need... huh, I guess we did need years to get here?¡±


    ¡°By my estimations, it has been 2 and a half years since we met Reysha, which is an acceptable starting point to consider our adventuring career.¡±


    ¡°Awww, so ya do think about me.¡±


    Aclysia bought herself time to formulate a response by taking another sip. ¡°I am obligated to consider your actions constantly. I wish not to be dragged into trouble because you could not control yourself.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s gotta keep things interesting around here.¡± Reysha ran a hand through her hair. It had grown out considerably again since she had cut it. It was a lot more noticeable with her, compared to Korith. Up in her ponytail, her hair looked barely any longer than it had since they left. ¡°I mean, with all of this quiet going on!¡±


    The redhead gestured with both hands at the empty tavern around them. Indeed, the entire Guild building was empty save for the four of them and one female clerk that doubled as the cook and waitress. Usually, those roles were divided inside the organization, but at times like these exceptions were made.


    The Expedition had cleared out most of the adventurers in the area and the few that remained were busy this time of day. Since they had come back so early, this state was likely to persist for a couple of days. That had its advantages. Everyone being busy in one place did not prevent new work from being created in another. Work that needed quick solutions shot up in price due to the smaller amount of people qualified to do it.


    ¡°Quiet is good at times,¡± Apexus stated.


    ¡°Nah, quiet is awful. When it¡¯s quiet, I gotta try harder to sneak about. Better when everyone is distracted by loud noises and stuff.¡±


    ¡°Our levelling is fast within the expected timeframe.¡± Aclysia had more to say on the previous topic. ¡°I believe the singular noteworthy individual in that regard is you, however.¡±


    ¡°M-me?¡± Korith pointed at herself.


    ¡°Run the analysis of your party members. I am an angel.¡° Aclysia lightly touched her chest. ¡°My soul and vessel have been designed by my father for the purpose of holding as much power as is needed to fend off the Parasytes that infest the Branches. Up to a certain level, 50 by my intuition, I am less ¡®expanding¡¯ my power than I am ¡®being unsealed¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, uh-huh,¡± Korith followed along so far. ¡°And the stud- A-apexus absorbs way more magic than the rest of us when he eats things, so I get that too.¡±


    ¡°Then you should understand Reysha as well. Her condition effectively gives her the same benefit,¡± Aclysia explained.


    ¡°I¡¯m special!¡±


    Apexus put a hand on her head and gave her ear scratches. ¡°Yes you are, yes you are.¡±


    ¡°Any reason ya said that twice?¡±


    ¡°I have observed that¡¯s how people express sarcasm.¡±


    ¡°Awww, he¡¯s being sassy with me, isn¡¯t that adorable?¡± Reysha purred and leaned into the patting. For being so large, Apexus¡¯ hand paid a lot of attention to detail.


    ¡°In summary, three of us have circumstances that drive us to increased levelling efficiency.¡± Aclysia pointed at the shortstack in her elevated chair. ¡°That makes the sole special member of this party you.¡±


    Korith bashfully pulled her ponytail over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not special¡­¡± she cooed, her tone a harmonious mixture of embarrassment and delight. It was nice to be told one was outstanding. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± the kobold giggled and got her own head scratches by the male of the party.


    ¡°My melody?¡± Apexus asked, while Reysha and Korith were stun-locked by the affectionate gestures. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®What a delightful scene,¡¯ the healer thought. ¡°Yes, darling?¡±


    ¡°Lend me your erudition. What are our best options right now?¡±


    Aclysia played with the rim of her now empty cup. ¡°As I understand, seasons on this Leaf last for approximately 3 months each. We will have fair weather for another 3 to 4 months, by that estimation. It is the premiere time to make money for us adventurers. Travel is easy and merchants wish to move around. Winter is the time for dungeon delving. The internal conditions of a dungeon only change by the design of their creators. Of course, that need not hinder us.¡± The metal fairy turned to the map of the world.


    ¡°If we wish to prioritize levels, then we can venture northwards from here and seek out the Vaults of Lightning. There is little to no adventurer activity there, so we would be on our own.¡±


    ¡°Like the good old days,¡± Reysha joked. Gently, she pushed Apexus¡¯ hand off her head, wishing to partake in the conversation again. ¡°Option two?¡±


    ¡°Option two is we look for work around here, then take a mission to escort a merchant or bring cargo to Drowse once we deem our financial incentives change due to returners from the Expedition.¡±


    Apexus weighed the options off himself. First was best for him. He did not use much equipment, so gold was of no consequence to him. His primary power increases came from levels, Growths and Skills. For the others, however, better equipment was incredibly important. Getting more items would be useful, as would be having time to practice Skills and Spells in relative peace.


    Plus, this adventuring lifestyle was still new and he wanted to learn more of it.


    ¡°Let us prioritize money for the time being,¡± he decided.


    And so, they did.


    They took several Quests out in Summerdawn. First was a simple mission about the control of the local population of Shadowcats. Those black-furred felines were not big enough to hunt humans but could harm them and, more importantly, they were stealthy enough that regular hunters couldn¡¯t just snipe them while they were out hunting deer.


    Hunting deer was also the reason why the Shadowcats needed to be controlled in population. In this ecosystem, Shadowcats fulfilled the role of picking off the misshapen, sick and old deer ¨C that was when the Shadowcat population was at a low. Left to their own devices, Shadowcats would grow enough in population to also hunt healthy adult deer, That, however, was against the interest of the locals, who wanted to have game to hunt for themselves. Thus, they needed to decrease the population of Shadowcats without hunting them to extinction.


    It was a selfish endeavour, but nature was always that way. When clams carpeted the ocean floor, choking out anything that wasn¡¯t their own predator, they did not care for biodiversity either. At least about the sapient people, it could be said that they made an effort to keep animals around for the beauty of them.


    After that, there was a mission by a local alchemist to gather 50 flowers that only grew at this specific time in the year. It was a three-day endeavour of finding and plucking the plants ¨C and fighting off the bears that were attracted by the smell.


    The Expedition returned to Summerdawn around that time, driving down the general rewards and thus making it lucrative to relocate back to Drowse. The party found a mission to accompany a merchant and went back down to the southwest. They accompanied the merchant all the way back to the border, then parted ways early to deal with an Incursion that was plaguing a local village.


    Incursion cleared, they made their way back to Drowse proper. There, they ran into the Atlas Party again, standing at the centre of the usual ruckus in the Guild. They shared some more stories, as Atlas introduced them to other people in and around the Guild.


    They took on more Quests. Simple ones for the most part, like bounties or clearing out more Incursions. Sometimes they had fun breaks from those regular jobs in the form of odd missions, like a request to find the gold bars a widow thought her husband had hid in the garden.


    That turned into a much larger affair, once Korith accidentally stumbled over a murder weapon. It turned out the widow had murdered her husband and was now incapable of finding the funds that he was supposed to have left her. The local officials of the Sleeping Empire ultimately got involved and it was a giant headache. The gold bars were not found either, putting into question whether they had existed in the first place.


    Between all of those missions, and sometimes during it, the quartet continued to visit the Guild. They slept in their Mobile Estate, of course, but many of their evenings, alone or all together, were spent in the Guild nonetheless. Reysha did not partake in the drink, having too little of the Spice to waste it on that, but Korith certainly did. The kobold often drank for all four of them.


    Before Apexus knew it, weeks had turned to months and he found himself with his arms around the shoulders of two other giant men that he knew somewhat well. Gedrick and Turghuy were their names, one a Warrior the other a Druid, and together the three hulks did a simple group dance with swinging legs and laughter on their lips.


    The Bards strummed a festive song as the crowd clapped along. Adventurers from far and wide witnessed it all. They beat their mugs to the beat or stomped their feet, while Aclysia sat above, a smile on her lips. ¡°CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!¡± they encouraged Korith, who drowned enough ale that it should not fit inside her small frame.


    It was just one of many nights like that. The Guild had embraced the Inevitable Party fully, in comraderie and glee. The four of them were going along with the motions and understood why so many adventurers stopped at this level. After a few months of this work, they had enough money that they did not have to worry about much on a week-to-week basis. They could instead continue to live it up and laugh with friends. What motivation could one need to exceed past this point?


    Pure ambition¡­ and, in their case, a long shadow from the past that stretched to an uncertain future.


    Korith marvelled at the pile of Platin in front of her. It was a proper pile, not just a few dozen but several hundreds of coins. For all the nights they had spent having fun, those had been mere breaks between them tirelessly working ¨C to the point that the Inevitable Party now had a reputation for doing work quickly and reliably. The only negative note on the Adventurer¡¯s Guild ledgers about them was that they were led by a Monk.


    ¡°Coins are not prey,¡± Apexus told the shortstack.


    ¡°Hoard?¡± Korith¡¯s vocabulary had collapsed, her mind broken by the sheer amount of wealth on display ¨C their wealth.


    ¡°We have saved this money to equip ourselves with enchanted items,¡± Aclysia reprimanded. ¡°Do not speak any incantations. I will gag you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t threaten her with a fun time,¡± Reysha giggled and gestured towards the array of sex toys that she had bought with her private money over the months. They were openly displayed on one of the many shelves that now stood in the living room of the Mobile Estate. They no longer had their group meeting on the floor either, having afforded themselves a couch just two weeks back.


    Aclysia sighed. ¡°¡­Perversions all around,¡± she muttered. ¡°We have saved up a scandalous amount of money. Currently, our group funds contain 879 in pure Platin coins with an additional 1232 in combined lesser currencies.¡±


    ¡°We have two-fucking-THOUSAND Platin?!¡± Reysha grabbed Korith by the shoulders, dragging the blonde away from the pile. ¡°When did that happen?!¡±


    ¡°The bulk of the money I quietly squirrelled away following that mission with the Horroboar,¡± Aclysia stated simply. ¡°The Lady Frashina personally handed me a bonus for it. It turned out we saved her nephew.¡±


    ¡°2000 Platin¡­¡± Apexus muttered and looked at the pile of currency. It was difficult to believe that all of that minted metal could be converted into all manners of stuff.


    ¡°Affirmative, I am pleased with all of our work and contributions.¡± The metal fairy smiled softly. ¡°A truly incredible sum we earned despite our constant outflow of cash for frivolities and furniture.  I will spare you the calculations.¡± She gestured towards a bright red book prominently displayed on another shelf. It was a financial ledger she had been keeping for a few weeks now. ¡°We are perfectly situated for the Autumn Market.¡±

 A Rivalry Finale – The Autumn Market

    Atlas whistled. ¡°So much, ey? You¡¯ll be able to get a few good items. One, maybe two per person.¡±


    ¡°That would be beneficial,¡± Apexus answered and showed a deliberate smile. Their partnership with the Atlas Party had become a friendly rivalry over the past couple of months. Even with that, they relied on the Warrior and his compatriots whenever there was something about the local goings on that could require some guidance.


    Today was not such a case.


    The Autumn Market was a unique opportunity in its scale. Spring and Summer were Questing season, which made Autumn and Winter dungeon-diving season, at least on this Leaf. To be more precise, Autumn was for travelling and Winter was for dungeon-diving.


    Over the course of the Questing seasons, plenty of materials had flown into Drowse¡¯s markets. Materials that were, of course, being put to use by the crafters of the society. The resulting items were always being sold, of course, but the Autumn Market was when everyone came together in one big push to get their storerooms empty and their coffers full for next year.


    Unlike the market before the Expedition, prices did not fluctuate notably during this event. Enchanted items were in steady demand. It was their luxury price that kept them on shelves for long times. With minimal care and the occasional polish, they could remain on shelves for a while. The Autumn Market was simply a stretch of time during which everyone agreed to make this the theme of the public square.


    As with regular business with the crafters, payment could be delivered in two forms. Either one paid in coin or in promissory notes, which was a legally binding document that the adventurers would deliver a set of materials to the crafter within a set timeframe. The former was favoured in all but long-lasting relationships.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Atlas asked, while they passed down a stand that sold Adventurer¡¯s Bags. ¡°Weapons, armour, utility?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Apexus said simply.


    ¡°Reysha said she wants a Weaponmaster¡¯s Wristband!¡± Rahesia reported from the back. The party leaders were not the only ones chatting.


    ¡°She did?¡± Apexus asked and looked at the redhead.


    Reysha shrugged. ¡°I described something that¡¯d be neat to have and she told me they have something like it.¡±


    ¡°Then let us find that first,¡± Apexus said.


    ¡°Utility items are in the western part.¡± The leader of the Atlas Party waved and led the way, the rest of the group of nine following him through the somewhat dense crowd. The stalls around them rarely had more than three items on offer. Enchanted items were a lot of work and typically only created on commission. It was craftsman¡¯s pride and ambition that had them put together these items for the joy of the work alone.


    They had to ask around a bit until they found a shop that had what they desired.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ yeah, should fit.¡± The leather worker, an elf in his early adult years, hummed while comparing his creation to Reysha¡¯s arm. Another reason why enchanted items were usually created on commission was that they were horridly expensive to adjust afterwards. The magical matrix did not respond well to changes to the physical dimensions it inhabited. It was like squeezing a bag with pretzel sticks inside it. However soft the process was, something was practically guaranteed to break.


    The Weaponmaster¡¯s Wristband was more of a leather vambrace. It was kept in place by criss-cross strings, like a corset. The sturdy top part of it was decorated by carefully inlaid True Silver patterns which functioned as the flowing centre of the magic. With enchantments, the most important part was esoteric certainty. The swirling shapes did not have any magical power by themselves, but the ritual of creating them and believing them to have magical power did make it so. Enchantment was a school about a state of mind as much as it was about manipulating mana.


    Once Reysha had pulled it in place, the creator gave instructions. ¡°Pull one of your daggers with that hand, if you would? Alright, wonderful¡­ now, open your hand while intending to put it away.¡±


    Reysha had heard of weirder instructions. Her digits spread out. The dagger did not drop. Mana flashed blue and the weapon disappeared. ¡°Interestiiiiing,¡± the tiger woman purred. Before the rest of the explanation could be given, she brought her fingers together again. Imagining that she was holding the dagger again was all that was needed to make it so.


    ¡°Quick on the uptake,¡± the crafter complimented. ¡°With those two gestures you can switch between all the weapons stored in the dimensional pocket of the item. Maximum is up to three weapons. They can be as small as a knitting needle or as large as a spear. It is enchanted to recognize weapons only, so it won¡¯t accept shields or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Three is not a lot but it¡¯s also not so little,¡± Reysha said. ¡°Any chance to get that higher?¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you bring me the materials, although I wouldn¡¯t claim to be that good yet. Roughly speaking, Weaponmaster¡¯s Wristbands get an extra slot in segments of 20 levels. Starts at 2 slots for level 1 to 20, 3 slots for 21 to 40, and so on.¡±


    Reysha was playing with the functionality. ¡°Yup, this is pretty great. How much?¡±


    ¡°550 Platin,¡± the crafter answered quickly.


    ¡°Ehem!¡± Korith stepped forwards, forcing the tall elf to lower his chin. ¡°450.¡±


    The crafter sighed and scratched the back of his neck. A gesture to win time while he weighed what type of haggler the shortstack was. ¡®I really don¡¯t need to deal with a kobold¡­¡¯ he thought. ¡®Goldborn no less¡­¡¯ ¡°I can¡¯t go lower than 500. That¡¯s the cost of the materials with a 15% surcharge for my work hours.¡±


    ¡°510,¡± Apexus decided before Korith could take the deal. The crafter lifted an eyebrow. ¡°I value people¡¯s time highly.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, aren¡¯t you a charming fellow?¡± The crafter laughed and gave Apexus a friendly tap on the shoulder. Money changed hands and the vambrace remained in place.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to put the spear in this later,¡± Reysha thought out loud. As the resident weapon collector, she had bought a couple more armaments with her private money. The less wieldy ones were kept in the storage room of the Mobile Estate. Another advantage of having that key turned out to be that they had a mobile armoury.


    One of them had her armament, so there were three more to go. Korith was quite happy with her weapon and her armour at the moment, but there was something that Warriors were generally recommended to get.


    It was an amulet. A mana-infused gemstone sat in enchanted gold, forming a diamond-shaped pendant dangling from a silk string. It was a Blast Charm. As the name suggested, the energy stored in the amulet could be used to create an explosive shockwave outwards that left the user unharmed while blasting everything around them back.


    ¡°It¡¯s very handy if something enormous swallows you whole,¡± Atlas said.


    ¡°D-do you have personal experience with that¡­?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°No, but I am twice your height,¡± the fellow Warrior joked and then laughed even louder at the kobold¡¯s expression. ¡°I use it to scatter out enemies after charging into a group. Breaks up their formation and all of that.¡±


    ¡°Which is a bitch to deal with when he does it unannounced!¡± Alabasta chimed in. ¡°I had a perfect shot lined up, arrow was already flying, then he activates it and pushes my target out of the way!¡±


    ¡°The monster was about to bite my face!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s Rahesia¡¯s loss, not mine.¡±


    ¡°I will make it your loss!¡± Threateningly, the Witch raised her Grimoire.


    Bantering like that, the two parties continued to look around. Finding something of value for either Aclysia or Apexus turned out to be more difficult. It was notoriously difficult to find adequate items for spellcasters. Anything too heavy weighed them down and they did not need anything with active special effects, courtesy of them already being capable of magic.


    ¡°Perhaps I should invest in a Scripture?¡± Aclysia thought out loud.


    Witches had Grimoires and certain varieties of Priests could utilize Scriptures. The difference between the two was simply that between the intent to harm and aid. Where a Witch ailed the enemy with a Curse of Vulnerability, a Priest could draw a Blessing of Protection from her Scripture. Beyond that, the functionality was much the same: it was a book in which spells were inscribed using expensive, mana-rich ink. The writing, much like in enchantments, were the esoteric medium for the effect.


    Witches universally used Grimoires. For Priests, utilizing Scriptures pushed them towards the further categorisation of Preacher. Like all Classes, it was an umbrella term to describe a set of skills that were recommended to be learned together due to their synergy.


    Kumlin scratched his bearded chin. ¡°Can¡¯t really comment on whether that¡¯s a good idea or not, never worked with a Priest that uses one¡­ well, not closely enough to comment on it.¡±


    ¡°Is it that uncommon?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°Many Priests are capable of casting their god-specific blessings without a tome, so they prefer to wield staves as their spell mediums. Since you use that charm, that¡¯s not a big issue for you¡­¡± Kumlin was now stroking his beard. ¡°The other issue is that it is a constant drain on mana, but your reserves on this are ¨C pardon the pun ¨C divine. Perhaps a Scripture would be a worthwhile investment for you.¡±


    So, they bought Aclysia a Scripture. Such tomes were more readily available, because every Priest could theoretically pick one up. That did not help the price though. Every page was from paper pressed utilizing thrice sanctified trees, watered with blessed liquids. The cover was made from the leather of a bull that had lived a holy life in the stables of the Church, raised from calf to old age knowing only good care and a full belly.


    That was just the empty book. Aclysia required holy ink in addition to that to start inscribing the first blessing.


    She was eager to begin with that, but they were not quite done yet. ¡°Anything caught your eye, darling?¡±


    The humanoid chimera scanned the stalls around them. Weapons he had no interest in. He disliked how they felt in his hands. Similarly, covering his body in armour that was not grown was alien to his nature. Frugality fit him best.


    ¡®It is expected of me to buy something,¡¯ Apexus realized, witnessing the gazes of the women around him. Even Korith kept quiet, withholding the case she could make that all of that money was very well kept with Hoard. ¡®Learning to utilize some items would be wise,¡¯ he told himself and tried hard to find anything at all that piqued his interest.


    His sensitive nose picked up the smell of chamomile.


    The scent awakened a memory. He had consumed that plant once and fallen asleep because of the relaxing effect. It had been¡­ yes, it had been quite some time ago. In simpler times, in the shadow of Gizmo¡¯s little house. Herbal patches and the alchemy set of the old hermit that was no more.


    Apexus found himself standing in front of one such set. Alchemy was a complicated and yet simple art, requiring enchanted utensils to draw out the true esoteric potential of the ingredients. ¡°Are you interested?¡± the seller asked and gestured at the full set. ¡°Freshly made. 800 Platin for it all, from flask to grinder. Perfect to make mutagens.¡±


    Mutagens were the combat application of alchemy. Things like Healing Potions required a process that was too lengthy to be done in the middle of a dungeon and just generally unviable for anyone who was not rooted somewhere with a good workshop. Mutagens did not have that issue. They could be created relatively quickly, relying primarily on parts of the consumer¡¯s body to come together. Their purpose was to create short-lived mutations or other beneficial effects. They rarely saw use for three reasons: first was that mutagens did not have a long shelf life, second was that they had to be brewed for a person specifically, third was that many people were squeamish about them. Even if it was reversed, the idea of replacing one¡¯s hand with a crab claw weirded a lot of people out.


    Apexus had no such reluctance.


    ¡®Should I?¡¯ the humanoid chimera wondered. He was tending towards no. He did not know how useful this would be. However, if he was expected to buy something and he had no better ideas. ¡°I will buy it,¡± he decided.


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Money exchanged hands and everything was packed up into a padded wooden box. ¡°Should it be delivered somewhere?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Apexus opened up the Mobile Estate right there. By now it was no secret that he had it. All it revealed to the seller was who he was talking to. It did not matter, the transaction concluded and the box was put away in the storage room.


    The humanoid chimera closed the doorway just in time to hear a commotion.


    ¡°PLEASE! PLEASE, WILL NO ONE TAKE THIS QUEST?!¡± A man shouted across the plaza.


    ¡°Well, that sounds interesting,¡± Atlas commented. Both parties moved towards the source of the voice. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The speaker was a man in his later years. His hair was almost entirely grey, with some streaks of light brown remaining. He wore clothes of once good quality that had since become stiff and bleached by wearing them every day. The pants were especially thin around the knees. He was currently on them, pleading to all the adventurers that had formed a circle around him.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Atlas asked a different member of the crowd quietly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he just appeared suddenly and started begging.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s Lord Tarath? He owns an estate outside the city,¡± another member of the crowd weighed in.


    ¡°Oh, that Tarath.¡± Atlas turned the other way to inform Apexus around the rest. ¡°He posted a Quest about his daughter like three years back. It¡¯s technically still up, but everyone ignores it.¡±


    Quietly, Apexus listened to that explanation. ¡®Am I missing a detail?¡¯ he asked himself.


    ¡°Please, I have posted the request but none are answering! I cannot wait any longer!¡± the man cried out. ¡°Please, someone! I need you to reach the bottom of the dungeon of Trauma!¡±


    That alone had most adventurers check out. Trauma was the dungeon on the other side of the world and covered the level 35 to 40. Too high for most people around to tackle and too far away to be worth it even if they could.


    ¡°I know your Quest,¡± Flora spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s, uhm¡­ you only pay 50 Platin.¡±


    The noble turned to her, his face a display of deepest despair. ¡°It is all I can spare! Please, I need it to save my daughter. The flowers at the bottom of the dungeon are the only hope I have!¡±


    Atlas sighed and scratched the back of his head. ¡°That¡¯s a far-fetched legend. Only Maltos ever brought those back. No one will take that Quest¡­ not for that price anyway.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all the money I have¡­¡±


    ¡°You have land that you could sell.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Apexus asked, his voice heavy with disapproval.


    Atlas sighed and turned to the humanoid chimera. Their eyes met. Both of them pulled their shoulders back. ¡°It¡¯s the life of his daughter and if we take the Quest, it¡¯s our lives at stake as well,¡± the Warrior stated firmly. ¡°I am not crossing the entire world for that sum.¡±


    ¡°A-anything, I¡¯ll pay anything!¡± the man cried out and crawled towards them. ¡°Just please go and find those flowers! 500 Platin! No, 5000! Better my daughter grows up a pauper than not at all¡­¡±


    ¡°You hear that? That¡¯s an acceptable Quest right there!¡±


    ¡°This is reprehensible.¡± Apexus¡¯ harsh tone had Atlas groan. ¡°You are exploiting a desperate father!¡±


    ¡°And you want me to go out there and risk my life for a pittance!¡± Atlas shouted back. Both men had now raised their voices and were staring at each other. ¡°I am selling a service and I do not eat goodwill and dreams!¡±


    ¡°Would you let his daughter die if there was not enough money?¡±


    ¡°The world is a cruel place, take it up with the gods if you want to change that.¡±


    ¡°Cruel it is, it does not need to be made ugly by greed as well.¡±


    ¡°I am not greedy!¡±


    ¡°You most certainly are.¡±


    ¡°Please, do not fight!¡± the grovelling man begged. The other party members of both sides had not been sure if they wanted to intervene. ¡°Please, please, just accept my Quest! Go and save my daughter.¡±


    The two-party leaders exchanged one more glare, then Apexus turned away to help the man up. ¡°I will,¡± he promised.


    ¡°I negotiated first,¡± Atlas stated.


    ¡°Are you that greedy?¡±


    ¡°Are you that prideful?¡±


    ¡°I have my principles.¡±


    ¡°Y-you both will take my Quest?¡± Tarath asked.


    ¡°¡±Yes.¡±¡±

 Path of Responsibility 1 – Contested Quest

    Atlas and Apexus sat across each other.


    They occupied the broad sides of a long table. Next to each of the party leaders sat their many members.


    On Apexus¡¯ side, Aclysia glared with all the annoyance an angel could muster. She was in full agreement with her darling¡¯s moral stance on this issue and, further, she found the whole hassle that now cropped up around it an affront to his valuable time. Reysha was torn on the matter, between old selfishness and learned altruism, and thus sat uncharacteristically quiet. Korith, under other circumstances, could have seen herself on Atlas¡¯ side.


    As for the Warrior¡¯s party, it was not nearly as mixed. Alabasta was the mirror of Aclysia when it came to the morality of this. Although less extreme, Flora and Rahesia both were also of the firm opinion that they were in every right to ask for a massive reward for a Quest that sent them across the entire Leaf. Months of travel would incur costs for provisions, equipment damage, and consumable items, not to mention the danger that they would put themselves through. Out there was the true wilderness. Only Kumlin had some reservations about how much they were taking from the noble.


    Said noble sat on one end of the long table. He was a nervous wreck, stress-greyed hair dishevelled and leg bouncing. His sunken eyes darted around the table, searching for any certainty.


    On the other end of the table sat the local guild master. The man was a former veteran adventurer. The reason for his retirement was starkly visible: a massive scar from the side of his forehead across the temple. The scar, despite its age, still looked raw in many ways, creating a fleshy trench in this hairline. It was a remnant from an expedition into the general vicinity of the influence zone of the Necro Lord¡¯s Crypt. A single axe swing from a Death Knight had left the scar and the guild master¡¯s reflexes had never been quite the same afterwards.


    Still, he had been level 38 at his peak and such strength may diminish, but it never properly faded. A power to assert dominance, if it was ever needed.


    Beyond the people at the table, the guild itself was packed. Everyone with some relation to the Atlas or Inevitable Party wanted to see this ¨C which was almost every regular adventurer of Drowse. Atlas was the regular, Apexus the sympathetic newcomer, and the fault line that ran down that table ran through the heart of every adventurer as well. All tilted towards one way or another, but no one could deny that there was a call to do both what was right and what was personally rewarding.


    ¡°All of this is stupid,¡± Atlas growled.


    Apexus stared across the table. The lack of response had Atlas gnash his teeth. He got ready to say more. The guild master loudly tapping his finger on the tabletop prevented any escalation. ¡°Stupid it may be, but it¡¯s the situation regardless,¡± the man declared and crossed his arms. His eyes drifted over the crowd. ¡®I would have preferred to do this privately, but they made a whole deal about it from the marketplace up to this table¡­¡¯


    The whole situation was the logical endpoint of an argument in public. Both sides had accepted the Quest, but neither side wanted the other to have it. Apexus found it immoral to force the noble to sell his entire livelihood when the reward was, in his opinion, plenty. Atlas found it idiotic to sell his services short when the Quest was, in his opinion, too dangerous to do it for less. Had this not been a matter of principle for both of them, one could have backed down.


    ¡®Now it has come to this,¡¯ the guild master thought as he rubbed his forehead, then let out a heavy sigh. ¡°We will cover our bases first. Lord Tarath, it is my knowledge that you have posted the Quest for 50 Platin, is this correct?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes! That is all the liquid assets I can spare at this time¡­¡± the noble answered, his voice growing quieted with every moment.


    ¡°And you can go up to 5000, you declared?¡±


    ¡°I-i-I can¡­ accrue some debts¡­¡±


    ¡°How much can you do without going into debt?¡± Atlas asked. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Around 3000?¡± the noble answered. A sum that caused rumours all around regardless. With 3000 Platin, a party could comfortably retire or get enough magical items to effectively trivialize their current Level bracket. The weapons would become useless as their Levels then increased. Until that point, it was the kind of assurance everyone wanted.


    And that was only if they stayed on this Leaf, where competition for such items was high. If they moved to a world with a buyers¡¯ market, that kind of money could make them lords of the economy for several years.


    ¡°3000 Platin, sounds reasonable to me,¡± Atlas stated. ¡°Just let us do this Quest. He¡¯ll lose his lands, but that¡¯s just how fate plays things sometimes. His daughter will be saved and they will have each other.¡±


    ¡°You would take from a man his house, his pride, and all that he can offer his daughter in the process of saving her.¡± Apexus continued to stare stoically at his opposite. ¡°I would eat Parasytes before I let you do that.¡±


    Aclysia sent her man a shocked glance. The wider room gasped, murmurs breaking out between the many parties. Apexus¡¯ true nature was somewhat of an open secret by this point. It was not necessary knowledge to know how deep of an insult had just been delivered. Atlas¡¯ face gradually turned red with rage.


    ¡°ORDER!¡± The shout of the guild master blasted through the room, his voice boosted by ki concentrated in his vocal cords and neck joint. ¡°I see no way out of this then! Since neither of you will back off, we might as well accept the inevitable. The Guild authorizes a Contested Quest!¡±


    The adventurers returned to speaking to each other, louder this time. The only two parties in the room totally quiet were the ones at the table.


    A Contested Quest went against the mission statement of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    The foundation of the organization laid in being the legitimately accepted arbiter between those who gave quests and those who took them. In that work, it was important that the Guild assured that parties did not overlap in what Quests they took up. This was for a variety of reasons, each of them highly important to the functioning of the ecosystem.


    If Quests became an open system functioning on ¡®whoever reported back first¡¯, this would inevitably breed resentment between parties. Doing Quests would not become a matter of actually doing them, but of being the one to actually claim the credit. Charlatans may run back ahead of parties, or just take out competitors in the field, in order to gather the juicy rewards.


    Then there was the issue of monopolization of adventuring forces in the hands of the wealthy. Better paid Quests already received much more attention. This was logical and inevitable, and making it so parties could compete over them would leave fewer adventurers that were willing to take work that was comparatively poorly paid.


    It was paramount that Quests were taken and fulfilled in an orderly fashion because of this. The involved bureaucracy was kept as minimal as possible to avoid further inefficiency, something every outpost had to evaluate and enact (successfully or not) individually. The fact was that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild based their existence on being the one organization to assure that adventurers had no incentives toward killing each other.


    A Contested Quest, effectively, authorized this incentive.


    The Guild was reluctant to do this at the best of times. Contested Quests were one thing if the Quest was delivering milk to the other end of town. Even if the incentive to screw each other over in the race existed between the factions, they would be seen the entire time. A Contested Quest that was a trek across the entire world? One party could return, the other could not, and no one would ever know if there had been shady business.


    The reason that the Guildmaster did this here wasn¡¯t because he liked it, he did it because he feared it was the only way to save face. ¡®Whoever I refuse this Quest will doubtlessly set out anyway and I can¡¯t have the Black Quest market grow¡­¡¯ Out loud, he presented a more optimistic message. ¡°The Atlas party is a long-standing pillar of the local adventuring community, and no one would doubt the dedication that Apexus and his party members have for doing things correctly. Therefore, I trust that the only danger that will come in this Quest will be that of the journey itself.¡± Both party leaders grimly nodded. ¡°The conditions are simple: whoever returns with the flower, said to be found at the bottom of the Trauma dungeon, will have completed the Quest. If the Inevitable does win, they will be awarded 50 Platin. If the Atlas Party does win, they will be awarded the sum they asked for.¡±


    ¡°It, uhm¡­ will take me time to¡­ liquify my assets¡­¡± Tarath muttered. ¡°C-could¡­ I can¡­ if it must be done, I can transfer the land itself on short notice instead¡­? I-I will assure the other nobles will take no issue with this!¡±


    Immediately, Atlas¡¯ expression changed from annoyance to greed. He glanced at Alabasta, who was wide-eyed. 3000 Platin was a handsome reward, no doubt about it, but being landed in the Sleeping Empire was a different matter entirely ¨C especially when a member of the party descended from an aristocratic family of the capital.


    The estate of Lord Tarath lay just outside the current city borders of Drowse. In other words, it was predestined to skyrocket in value as the city continued to grow. What was being promised now was not a one time payment, it was tens of thousands of coins over the course of years through rent, agriculture, and land sales.


    None of which Apexus had any interest in.


    ¡°When do we begin?¡± the humanoid chimera plainly asked.


    ¡°For fairness¡¯ sake, both of you will set out in three days from the north street,¡± the guild master stated. ¡°You are now dismissed to make your preparations. Everything past this point is up to you.¡±


    _____________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Not gonna lie, I feel like we got swept up in something here,¡± Reysha stated her opinion once they were in the isolation of the Mobile Estate.


    ¡°Do you believe we should back down?¡± Aclysia asked, incapable of holding back the disapproval in her voice.


    Reysha shook her head and plopped down on their couch. ¡°Best I try, I ain¡¯t as moral as you, ¡®Clysia, but I can at least acknowledge that this is something good that we, specifically, are best situated to do. Korith, you don¡¯t look convinced?¡±


    ¡°I, uhm¡­ not a secret I really like money,¡± the kobold confessed to her desires. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have pushed him as far as Atlas did, but¡­ 50 is really not a lot of money, in the grand scheme of things? We¡¯ll be on this Quest for months.¡±


    ¡°And we will be rewarded for it tremendously. Light will be our hearts and strong our Sparks,¡± Aclysia declared.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather my purse be heavy¡­?¡± Korith tried her hand at a joke. It worked at dispelling the tension in the room. Reysha laughed heartily at it and Aclysia gave it a little chuckle.


    Only Apexus did not laugh whatsoever. He was squatting in front of the fireplace, watching the fire he had started slowly spread around the log placed among the timber.


    Aclysia joined him. ¡°What is on your mind, darling?¡±


    ¡°I spoke emotionally,¡± he admitted. ¡°I am reflecting on it.¡± The eyes on him bade him to elaborate on his thoughts. He had gotten a little better at speaking without being asked to. ¡°My teacher¡¯s lessons made it clear that emotions are good, as long as they are understood. One ought to speak their mind. I have spoken mine. I regret that the friendship we have built suffers for it. I do not regret the path that I have put us on.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the leader, big guy,¡± Reysha assured.


    ¡°Y-yeah! I mean¡­ I would love the money but¡­ I¡¯ll follow you on this,¡± Korith gave her agreement.


    ¡°We would have stopped you if we believed this path was unwise,¡± Aclysia whispered intently. ¡°We follow the steps of virtue. If we must suffer for it, the suffering will be a lesson learned.¡±


    Apexus nodded abruptly, then backed away from the fire. The conversation shifted to the couch. ¡°This was not as we intended. However, it is time we return to growing in power rather than wealth anyhow,¡± the leader of the Inevitable party said and unfurled a map of Alarshus on the table. ¡°Let us consider our route,¡± he said. ¡°Aclysia, what paths are open to us?¡±


    Aclysia grabbed a magical map marker and put three routes on the enchanted paper. Two kinds of magic worked together to create lines that would fade on their own in due time.


    ¡°I believe these are the three routes that are realistic for us. To begin my explanations.¡± She tapped on the water between Drowse and Altuan, where no route was going through. ¡°Taking the sea route will be faster and safer for this first stretch, which I would usually embrace. However¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­our destination, the dungeon of trauma, is level 35 to 40,¡± Reysha finished the thought.


    ¡°The average of the Atlas Party is 31. Ours is 29,¡± Apexus added.


    ¡°Precisely. Our growth rate is higher than theirs so far. Yet, whether we can rely on that fact to stay consistent is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Us being stronger than them will not matter. I believe in their character. What we must concern ourselves with are the 6 levels between us and the dungeon of Trauma. Thus, the red route.¡±


    Aclysia¡¯s finger wandered to the Worldstem, where they were currently located, then followed the red path northwards.


    ¡°Venturing off the common path in Chimerion will provide us with untapped Incursions that will be appropriately challenging. We will then continue into the Vaults of Lightning Influence Zone, training as we travel. If necessary, we will stop at the easternmost of the three Vaults and clear the dungeon. Optimally, this will also provide Apexus with a new Growth.¡±


    Korith raised a hand. ¡°Question¡­ two questions, actually. How will we know our level out there?¡±


    ¡°¡­We will not,¡± Aclysia admitted. ¡°None of us are Scribes. We will have to intuit.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ second question, how would we make it across the ocean there?¡± She gestured at the sizable divide between the Vaults of Lightning and the unknown Influence Zone east of it. ¡°That¡¯s a bit more than we can be carried across.¡±


    ¡°The winter will be our aid there. By the time we arrive there, that segment of the ocean should be largely frozen over. It will be unpleasant, but we can walk across,¡± Aclysia reported.


    ¡°Fuck, I forgot it¡¯s going to turn winter while we¡¯re out there,¡± Reysha groaned.


    ¡°We have plenty of equipment and, much as we moan about it, monsters are also affected by the season,¡± Aclysia said. ¡°Furthermore, I may have a solution to cold-related predicaments. I cannot promise anything right now. What I can provide is further explanations on our routes.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Apexus requested and gestured at the map.


    ¡°The unknown Influence Zone should be fairly eventless. Despite the confusion on its dungeons, or lack thereof, it has been travelled repeatedly. In the Verdant Goliath area, we must avoid the free-roaming boss monster. I will stop in Respite for a moment and explain the blue route first.


    ¡°This second route is the simplest in terms of advancement. It is the commonly treaded path. Besides the major civilized areas, there will be minor frontier settlements on the route. This makes it quickest and safest ¨C and thus against our interests. I do not recommend this route, but feel it prudent to mention it.


    ¡°Returning to Respite, we can follow either of the two routes from there. Continuing the common route will take us through the Influence Zone of the Temples of Temptations. It is considered an area with very few monsters. If we desire additional training, this route allows us another visit to a dungeon. If we do not, we can take the red route. It should be faster, although intel is somewhat scarce.¡±


    ¡°So far, sounds like we should go red until Respite and then switch to blue,¡± Reysha commented. ¡°What about yellow?¡±


    ¡°Risky, for several reasons. First, we will need to secure a ship. I believe we have the necessary sway with the nobles of the Sleeping Empire to allow us this favour, but such an investment is costly. After that, we have to travel the Lanaan Hives. Our only training option here is entering Dungeons considerably above our current Level. If we pass this gauntlet, however, we will emerge with the certainty that we are strong enough to face the Trauma Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Such a foreboding name¡­¡± Korith mumbled.


    ¡°It is especially prudent to mention that we will find ourselves on the south side of the Impossible Strait.¡± Aclysia tapped on that area on the map. ¡°It is named such for many reasons. The current and airflow is horrid, and the sky teems with flying drones. A harsh winter would be to our advantage here. The insects would be staying in their hives.¡±


    ¡°Why not go south around the lake?¡± Apexus asked.


    Aclysia hesitated for a moment. ¡°It has been suggested that individual monsters from the Necro Lord¡¯s Crypt are sometimes seen there during the winter.¡±


    Even Reysha, the most brazen member of the party, understood that it made the area a no-go zone. A Level 15 gap was suicidal for a small party at most times. This, however, was more than just that gap. Level 50 was when adventurers unlocked their Common Art. Monsters on and past that level were created with this spike in power in mind.


    It was safer to face a potential swarm to the north, than just one stray monster to the south.


    ¡°Your choice, darling?¡± Aclysia asked.

 Path of Responsibility 2 – The Path less trodden

    ¡°You wish to go through the Lanaan Gauntlet?¡±


    Lady Frashina was as ornately dressed as always. Layers of grey and blue cloth covered slender curves. Like most elves, the noble of the Sleeping Empire was of lithe stature, tall and long-limbed. The grace of such a figure was elevated further by the many gemstones that covered the expensive fabric of her dress and the jewellery she wore on top of that. A large pendant suggestively settled between her, for an elf, unusually large breasts. The dark-grey cleavage was proudly presented.


    Apexus focused on her face regardless. The long sidelocks that framed her aristocratic beauty had been put into curls. The rest of her dark hair had been woven into a crown braid. Dark blue eyes observed the Inevitable party, seated across from her.


    Frashina was one of the leading nobles of the Sleeping Empire in the city of Drowse. She was not THE leading noble, that honour went to her uncle, the appointed margrave, but she had power through merit, familial connections, and wealth. She was a good noble, someone who had been raised for the position from birth and lived according to the expectations of populace, peers and superiors.


    Apexus nodded stoically at her question. They had been received on short notice, a fact they had to be thankful for. Previous dealings with the lady had been pleasant for both sides. In the first instance, she had been the one who had decided who would get the lucrative Quest to deliver diplomatic gifts to Summerdawn. Apexus had not gotten the job, but the manner in which he had failed had impressed the noblewoman. Admitting his loss in a spar when no one had noticed he had been struck first was an act of character few were capable of when there was a princely sum on the line. The second time, they had saved the lady¡¯s nephew from a Horroboar.


    A debt that Frashina had repaid with a huge monetary sum. She owed them nothing, both sides were clear on that. Yet, she had met them within half an hour, a delay created so she could first inform herself on the events in motion. It was the duty of a noble to at least appear informed about all ongoings in their realm.


    ¡°The plight of lord Tarath is a topic I am knowledgeable about. He refused our help to fund his Quest before¡­ men can be peculiar creatures.¡± The dark elf waved air into her face with a plush-trimmed fang. ¡°Your desire to help him for such little recompense is commendable. To go through the Lanaan Gauntlet as well¡­ are you certain of this?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Apexus stated clearly. They had been through the debates, now only action remained.


    ¡®I would not complain if you offered to add to the reward secretly though,¡¯ Korith thought.


    Lady Frashina hid the lower half of her face from the party with the fan and considered. ¡°An out of season voyage across the strait costs a considerable sum¡­ that I cannot offer you¡­ but¡­¡± She snapped her fingers and a servant stepped up to the coffee table of the opulent meeting room. ¡°¡­bring me the ledger of supply runs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your ladyship,¡± the servant answered readily. Within three minutes, he returned, presenting the noblewoman with a book.


    She took it and began to scan the newest entry. She nodded to herself. ¡°One ship is scheduled to leave tomorrow noon. To delay them until your departure is of no consequence to me. Does this find your agreement?¡±


    ¡°We are in your debt,¡± Apexus said and bowed his head.


    ¡°Return successful and consider it repaid,¡± the noblewoman stated. ¡°You will do me a service twofold. The prestige of the Sleeping Empire demands that none of our nobles relinquish their land to outsiders¡­ not to mention the numerous issues that inexperienced adventurers in the administration of the land will cause.¡± She waved off. ¡°Secondarily, you will verify the existence of the flower. Only your teacher ever brought one back. Rumours of its existence can thus be trusted. Still, it is best to know.¡±


    ¡°We will do all we can,¡± Apexus assured.


    ¡°Of this, I am certain,¡± the noblewoman let his gaze wander over all four of them. ¡°Your reputation is honourable. Continue on this path and the Sleeping Empire will wish to employ you in due time.¡±


    The party had no interest in such employment, but the compliment was taken with another bow of the heads of Apexus and Aclysia.


    ¡°I will leave the remaining organization to my servant here,¡± Frashina stated and rose. ¡°Other work demands my attention. I anticipate hearing of your exploits, Inevitable.¡±


    After she had left the room, the servant sat down and swiftly went through the planning. It was pretty simple. The ship would remain docked until the day and depart once they boarded it. All the party had to be aware of was which ship and where it lay.


    Once all of that was sorted out, the party left to attempt other preparations.


    _____________________________________________________________________


    Why had Apexus chosen the yellow path?


    Because it was the most dangerous.


    They currently had near level parity with the Atlas party. Assuming they caught up or even exceeded their level somewhat, they would still be behind tremendously. Simply put, Atlas and his allies were loaded. They had money, several enchanted items each, and a massive stockpile of consumables.


    At level parity, they would lose the race. Apexus had decided that they needed to play to their strengths. Growth of personal power was where they excelled. A gauntlet would force them to expand their power rapidly.


    That was the short view. Expanding their current situation into the future, to their eventual goal of facing or aiding in the removal of Apotho, made clear that growth was required. Rapid growth? Not necessarily. Knowledge in fighting superior opponents? Absolutely.


    Last and least was a purely personal reason. Apexus reckoned he could get a permanent Growth on this route, maybe even two or three. That depended on whether his instincts considered the individual Lanaan Hives as their own ecosystems to conquer, or all as part of one. If they cleared the Trauma Dungeon first, then that would net him another Growth as well, in theory.


    Life as an adventurer was inherently risky. After several months of safe Quests, this would make them keenly aware of that fact. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    Alchemy did not come naturally to Apexus.


    The humanoid chimera looked at the wooden boxes. Most were simple, containing various pieces of metal, porcelain, or thick glass. Other boxes were lined with velvet, keeping the fragile instruments within from experiencing too much rattling. There were containers, connection pieces, funnels, tubes, wires, and the means to connect everything.


    Like all tools, the utensils laid foreign in his hands. Apexus was a creature of his own means. Everything he could do, he did with power innate to him. At least, that was how he preferred to operate. He had to acknowledge the usefulness of craftsmanship, even if it was his nature to grow his own solutions.


    The idea of making constructions of glass and metal all to create some substance was odd to Apexus. The theory behind it, he understood. Artificially recreate circumstances that lead to chemicals reacting and infuse that process with esoteric energy through rite, intent, and application of mana. That was straightforward enough. Much like with maths, him understanding the underlying principle did not help much with getting into the actual application of more advanced ideas.


    Alchemy did not come naturally to Apexus.


    Neither had going hungry come naturally to Apexus.


    Magical circuitry had not grown easily inside Apexus.


    Wisdom had not been granted easily to Apexus.


    The humanoid chimera picked up one of the three books that had come with the starting kit. Their names were in gold letters on a dark background: ¡®Esoterica Flora¡¯, ¡®Esoterica Fauna¡¯ and ¡®Esoterica Silica¡¯. Together, they made up the three volumes that every aspiring alchemist was expected to read. The Esoterica Flora was the typical start and the opening page of the book reflected this.


    Aspiring artist of the alchemical art,


    You are about to delve into the realm of Ouros. Alchemy is one of the oldest arts of the Omniverse and reflected in the 9th of the 33 original gods. Ouros is the lord of Alchemy and Ambition, for the pursuit of alchemy is in and of itself an ambitious task. Knowledge and wisdom tailored to you and you alone will be found in this craft.


    This may sound enticing to you. All desire to carve out their special niche in the world ¨C but take heed. What makes alchemy so interesting also makes it so dangerous. What you will learn is your knowledge. You may attempt to teach to others, you may attempt to learn from others, and perhaps it can even work. Most of the time, you will find that their methods do not serve your goals.


    In that, alchemy is a lonely art. It is not like smithing or carving or leatherworking, where common methods grant you good results. Following recipes in alchemy makes you inferior. They are nothing more than crutches that you rely on as you learn to walk. Hold onto the crutches and you will hobble all your life. Discard the crutches and you will walk alone.


    You will be irreplaceable. You will be confined to what you intuit. You will be incapable of relying on the wisdom of others.


    And thus, what you are about to read, the Esoterica trilogy, is knowledge to be gained and rewritten by you. Over the course of these three books, you will be introduced to working with plant matter, animal parts, and finally inorganic materials like metal, stone, and gems. You will be challenged, step by step, to take on ever more complicated works.


    You will be taught to think like an alchemist. Method and creativity will intertwine. Logic and magic will wrestle in your mind. It will hurt you, for to be an alchemist is to unify inherently contradicting modes of thought.


    Most alchemists turn into eccentrics. This is for a reason. Do not believe yourself the exception. If you are not fine with being strange, you must put away this book now. The craft will change you or you will not succeed in the craft. Such is the truth of esoteric knowledge.


    Contemplate this, before you turn to the next page.


    Apexus put the open book on the floor in front of him, then crossed his arms. He closed his eyes and contemplated. ¡®What a strange foreword,¡¯ was the first thought. ¡®An eccentric by his own admission. What does all of this mean for me? I am already strange to others. They deem me other and they are right. My origin is different. Being a Monk makes me think differently and I am a Monk because it resonated with me.¡¯


    The humanoid chimera tilted his head one way. He felt the muscle fibres in his neck shift. The joint rolled smoothly on its socket. There was no heartbeat inside him. He sat still and was still within. The temperature level within was nice and even. Inside the warm room, he barely needed to provide the Heat Core with energy.


    ¡®What would it mean for me to become even stranger in the eyes of others?¡¯ he asked himself. ¡®Will I or is this book targeted at one who comes from a normal background?¡¯


    Apexus¡¯ mind went from one question to another, circling around itself until he resolved that he did not know. The only way to find out was to forge ahead. At the very least, he was curious. He finally turned the page.


    ¡®If you just spent the last thirty minutes actually contemplating, know that you are not a natural alchemist.¡¯


    Apexus stared at the sentence for a solid ten seconds, before reading on.


    ¡®As written: the learning of alchemy is a personalized journey. You took an instruction and you took it to heart. You follow authorities without thinking. You are better suited to be a smith and learn tables on melting points.¡¯


    ¡®You annoy me, book,¡¯ Apexus thought and read the rest of the page with growing frustration. It continued on and on to chastise him for being an overthinker. Sentence after sentence rhetorically lashed him for thinking rather than doing and how such an approach could never work if there was a brew cooking in front of him.


    ¡®If, being unworthy as you are, you still want to continue learning, then turn to the next page and follow instructions like the na?ve, predictable thing you are.¡¯


    Apexus put the book down again, crossed his arms in an annoyed gesture, and glared at the page. The urge to prove the writer wrong by moving straight to the chapter on transmutagens was intense. At the same time, Apexus¡¯ thorough nature urged him to do things properly. Between the desires was the thought: ¡®what do I want my path to be?¡¯


    Unresolved on that question, he turned to the third page. Only a singular sentence was written across the double-spread.


    ¡®Whatever you choose to do next, remember that it was your choice.¡¯


    That, the Monk could agree with. ¡®I have chosen the gauntlet... then I shall choose the gauntlet again,¡¯ he thought and flipped through the pages straight to the page with the mutagens. ¡®It is time to grow further.¡¯


    Alchemy did not come naturally to Apexus.


    That was what he thought.

 Path of Responsibility 3 – Departure

    The north street of the city of Drowse was lively that day. It was always lively to some degree, carrying most of the traffic that connected the metropolitan area to the large territory of mostly calmed wilds around. That day, all of the adventurers that usually would have streamed down the road or would have been hanging out in the Guild were watching as two paragon groups stood across from each other.


    There was no annoyed glaring any more. Three days had transformed the immediate emotions felt. Hot anger had been replaced with entrenched conviction. This was more true for one side of the divide than the other.


    The leader of the Leaf¡¯s largest Guild outpost suppressed a sigh. He had hoped that three days would have caused at least one side to reconsider. A small hope from the start. Monks did not engage in actions without conviction, and the promise of land would have animated at least one member of the Atlas Party. Both sides stood on principle. Neither could be dealt with by a moral condemnation.


    Thus, there was only one thing left to do.


    ¡°The Contested Quest begins!¡± the Guild Master declared loudly.


    The people had expected both sides to take off in a sprint ¨C and they were half right. The Atlas Party took the first of many steps across the line that had been drawn in chalk. The Inevitable turned south-east and moved at maximum speed. Aclysia flew, Reysha sprinted, Korith leapt, only Apexus lingered for a moment.


    ¡°I wish you safe travels,¡± the Monk said.


    ¡°Likewise,¡± Atlas responded, respectfully. A second later, he worked out why Apexus had chosen that route. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare die, you son of a dripstone! I need to gloat once this is over.¡±


    ¡°Prepare for my lecture,¡± Apexus answered in kind, then leapt. The crowd around dispersed, instinctively taking a respectful distance to the intense beats of the emerald wings. Dense muscles were necessary to create the kind of lift that let a heavy entity like the humanoid chimera take to and stay in the air.


    Once he had gained the initial elevation, the flight went smoother. The soaring feathers did most of the work, keeping Apexus from losing more height than the occasional beat could recover. His tail served to shift his weight, to make mild adjustments as he caught up with the others, then went ahead of them.


    Apexus was not strictly the fastest of them. That honour went to Reysha. Whereas the tiger woman was fighting terrain and stamina for her momentum, the humanoid chimera merely had to lean into gravity to continue moving forwards. Flaps of his wings further accelerated him beyond that point.


    The port that the supply ships left from was located by the mouth of the river east of the Worldstem. On foot and at regular speed, it was a day¡¯s journey. If they moved as fast as their superhuman bodies allowed them to, then they should be able to make it in just a few hours.


    Apexus arrived well-ahead of his party members. Despite having been told of their arrival, the sailors went for their weapons when Apexus suddenly landed on the pier. For all of his size and momentum, the Monk came to a gentle halt. A Featherstep made him near weightless for just the brief instant needed to stop. A trick that had cost him many crashes to figure out.


    ¡°I am the leader of the Inevitable party,¡± he announced himself to the sailors. ¡°By decree of Lady Frashina, I am authorized to command you to begin preparations to set sail.¡±


    Apexus was not used to ordering other people around, yet it came naturally to him. The deep voice, imposing stature, and granted permission intermingled into concise instructions that the sailors followed as soon as their brains had caught up with the measure.


    After barking clarifying orders, the captain of the barge approached Apexus. ¡°The rest of your party underway?¡± he asked.


    ¡°They should arrive within the hour,¡± Apexus answered. Reysha was likely to get there next, while Korith had been instructed to hang back so Aclysia did not travel on her own. The chance that their healer was assailed by some kind of flying monster from Chimerion was bigger than 0.


    The captain clicked his tongue. ¡°Better they came earlier. Tide will be coming in. We¡¯ll have to row until we catch a good breeze.¡±


    ¡°Then we row,¡± Apexus stated.


    By the time all three of his companions had arrived, the ship was ready for departure. It was larger than the one they had spent days on back on Tacuitos, more spacious with a larger crew. That meant they also had to work harder to get it away from shore.


    The sailors were annoyed that they were made to row. It was hard work, usually reserved for emergencies. That they had to do it after being delayed in their mission added a sour note to a bitter taste.


    Any grumbles were silenced when they witnessed the adventurers pull their weight thrice over. Korith and Apexus each took a bench usually reserved for three men and dragged the oars through the water to the rhythm of the drummer. Previous experiences on the matter aided them. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The cold of late autumn had seeped into the water of the ocean. The same water pulled the heat from the hull and the rooms within. The same water leaked in cold waves through the holes of the oars. Men shivered despite the heavy work.


    Aclysia raised the Scripture from its special holster on her waist. A single hand held the book by its spine. A thought parted the hard covers, causing the blessed paper to whisper. Empty pages turned, a Scripture to be filled with the Blessings of a Preacher. The flutter stopped on the first page, where golden letters rose brightly from the snow-white parchment.


    Like artists with their chosen instruments, so too was casting with tools accompanied by individual habits. So it was that Aclysia¡¯s angelic voice filled the barge, divine script channelled into syllables of power. Golden letters rose from the page, images of the calligraphy filled with the esoteric and magical power of the tool and the spellcaster.


    As Aclysia sang, a golden glow enveloped sailors and party members. A corona of light like that of the summer sun embraced each of them and brought to them the warmth of the desired days. Relief from the cold was near instant, the Blessing of Warmth filling them with fresh energy and motivation. With that boon, they pushed out against the tide and soon got word that the sails were full with an eastward wind.


    Afterwards, the party finally got a moment to relax.


    By Frashina¡¯s decree, they had been given quarters that were usually kept for travelling noblemen aboard the ship. They had a degree of luxury, but not much. Nobles liked to live well, but the rulers of the Sleeping Empire were not so decadent as to compromise the sleeping quarters of the sailors to make their own larger.


    ¡°That was pretty neat,¡± Reysha commented. The redhead was the least exhausted of the four, courtesy of not having aided in the rowing. Apexus was recovering biomass by stuffing a whole chicken, feathers and all, down his throat. They had bought it just that morning in anticipation of the trip. Korith and Aclysia were happy to just lay on the bed for a bit. It was big enough for the two of them, but not much else.


    The comment by the redhead spurred the guardian angel into motion. She sat up, back against the wall, and opened the Scripture. The golden letter had ever so subtly faded. ¡°It has its own price in material,¡± she informed the others. ¡°Each Blessing is drawn in magical ink and such magic is partly used up with each usage. I will have to redraw the script in due time.¡±


    ¡°An acceptable price to pay for access to long-lasting spells,¡± Reysha reckoned.


    ¡°Their duration is key, but far from the sole advantage,¡± Aclysia answered, gently brushing over the fine paper. ¡°To commit a spell to paper is much simpler than to learn how to cast it myself and by externalizing some of the mana cost I can avoid strain on my own resources. The greatest advantage, however, is that Blessings cannot be learned no matter how hard I try.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t learn Blessings, period?¡± Korith asked.


    Aclysia gave a confirming, slow nod. ¡°A caveat introduced is that there is a Common Art that subverts this expectation for Witches and Preachers alike.¡±


    ¡°Wonder what the Class on our cards will say in the future,¡± Reysha thought aloud. ¡°We¡¯re pretty solidly getting out of the standard mould these days.¡±


    ¡°I suspect you will find out upon our return,¡± Apexus said. His own card still said Omniverse Slime Chimera, which he did not anticipate changing anytime soon. He was a trained Monk, but that was a fighting style layered on top of his reliance on his unique body.


    They spent the next two days onboard the ship, before making landfall in the township that had been carved out of the hostile territory of the Lanaan Hives Influence Zone. Like most colonies, it had plenty of raw materials to work with, but not enough food to get the whole population through the winter. Homesteads had not yet grown enough for the task.


    The majority of the delivered supplies were thus food and other items needed to endure cold temperatures. Apexus would have taken a greater interest usually, but they had their own journey to go on.


    ¡°Before I forget!¡± the captain shouted after the Inevitable Party, just as they were setting out. ¡°Her ladyship ordered me to give you this.¡± He handed Apexus a map of the local area. ¡°She kindly requests that you check on these places, if it works for you. They¡¯re early attempts to build more settlements.¡±


    Apexus traced the locations with his eyes, then handed it to Aclysia for deeper analysis. ¡°I believe we will naturally come through several of these locations,¡± the guardian angel stated. ¡°We cannot promise more.¡±


    The captain shrugged and turned away, he had done his part in all of this.


    The party turned eastwards again and took their first step into the Lanaan Gauntlet.

 Path of Responsibility 4 – Hive Scents

    The Influence Zone of the Lanaan Hives was a disturbing sight. The brown grass was thick and vital. It had complete dominance over the flat landscape. A monoculture that was a stark difference to the chaos of Chimerion.


    Incursions were a common sight here. They occurred more frequently and were seldom cleared out. The hills and tunnels created by those mini-dungeons marked the land like hole-riddled boils. All of the holes were just evenly enough spaced to feel like a pattern and just off enough to not be uniform. Insectoid creatures swarmed and wiggled around them, patrolling their territory until the day that adventurers would come and claim it all for the sapient species of the Omniverse.


    Four such adventurers were currently advancing into the flatlands. They stepped on foot, their pace moderate. For a journey of this length, haste was not advisable. They were best advised to remain as rested as possible to cope with circumstances and the path ahead.


    A path that had been, so far, absurdly smooth.


    ¡°Something is super off.¡± Korith finally said it out loud. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Affirmative. Aggression of the creatures in the area does not match previously encountered patterns.¡± Aclysia¡¯s emerald eyes fixed on a cluster of monsters less than thirty metres away from them.


    The monsters that expanded into the Influence Zone of the Lanaan Hives came in many shapes and sizes, but they had shared characteristics. In body plan, they were insectoid, with six thin legs propping up thin bodies with large heads and abdomens. Some had stingers, others pronounced mandibles, a few had additional limbs such as pincers, antennas, or tendrils.


    All had skin.


    Lanaan insects were covered in a thick layer of dense flesh that stretched over the underlying carapace. The combination of skin and chitin gave them remarkable defences. That skin was also one of the reasons to hunt in this area. It was highly regenerative, an attribute it kept, with proper care, even after being removed from the organism. Reysha¡¯s new bodysuit was made from it, as were most leather armours on Alarshus.


    Courtesy of the closeness to Drowse, the Lanaan Hives were the second most studied area of the Leaf. The guidebook on the matter spelled out their tactics clearly. Alarshus insects had no regard for personal wellbeing and swarmed their target with mass rather than quality. For dungeon monsters, they were relatively small, standing between the size of a dog and a grown wolf. This allowed them to do as ants did, attacking the target from various directions. A lack of size was an advantage when one had numbers.


    The insects were trotting about in their usual, mindlessly patrolling ways, passively doing what dungeon monsters were usually doing when no one was around. The party members had seen it before, but that had been when they were concealed by the landscape. There was not even a tall rock to hide behind. They were just standing there, being ignored.


    The wind turned.


    The creatures raised their heads. Throaty clicks spread amongst the creatures, then they galloped towards the group. The sudden shift in behaviour surprised the party, but the distance was enough for them to get in proper formation.


    The formation of the monsters resembled a wedge. The three points were tipped by the largest members of the hive of a dozen monsters. Korith leapt forwards, meeting the assault with a strike of her hammer. The skin helped the creatures against crushing blows, but it could only do so much against an adventurer of superior level. Korith¡¯s strike splattered the head of the monster, sending its compound eyes flying like spheres tossed out of their socket.


    Two insects grabbed her arms with their mandibles and pulled. The incisor instruments slipped off, incapable of penetrating the reinforced scales, turned grey with Ki. A third insect was upon her with its stinger. Korith let the attack bounce off her sturdy chest plate, before delivering a counter strike.


    The rest of the enemy formation encircled the party. Aclysia was up in the air, where she only needed to worry about one of the insects. It spewed a chemical cocktail, missed, and was then swiftly obliterated by an automatic response of the Priest¡¯s miniature companion. The diamond-shaped familiar cast a ray of golden light that sliced through the open mouth of the creature, drilling through and cooking the internal organs.


    On the ground, the encirclement completed and then broke. Apexus charged at it and the monsters parted around him, as if they had suddenly become bored. Bad news for Reysha, who was not benefitting from a similar change in moods. All of the monsters that were ignoring Apexus now came for her.


    ¡°Yeah, no,¡± the Rogue said out loud, then used a Shadowstep to escape her precarious situation. Momentarily confused, the monsters skittered at each other, turned to Korith, then spotted Reysha again. Not before the redhead had rammed a dagger through the thin neck of one insectoid, however.


    Apexus caught up with the skittering monsters. Theories on what was happening were forming in his head, but he was focused on combat for the moment. The passivity remained until he ripped the head off one of the Lanaan insects with his bare hands and lingered until he had dispatched two more with swiftly administered Rippling Palms.


    The numbers of the monsters were swiftly dwindling. Korith and Apexus kept them occupied, while Reysha dipped in and out of awareness, sowing confusion in their ranks. While the Rogue dealt precision damage, the angel above delivered magical attacks. A hand on her charm, she drew in ambient magic. There was plenty of it to fuel her attacks, a result from the infrequency of adventuring activity in the area, and so she could bombard the insects with little worry about lacking the power to heal. The hovering gem above her shoulder periodically flared, adding its own ray spells to the mixture.


    ¡°Do not kill this one,¡± Apexus declared, when only one was left. The other three stood down, watching with interest when their leader met the monster alone. He was larger, stronger, and tougher. He let the last insect grapple his arm with its mandibles. Ironskin prevented any damage. Even breaths kept the technique active, while the Monk lifted the arm. The monster soon dangled in the air, too simple in its programming to realize that it should let go. It kept to it even when Apexus calmly ripped the legs off it.


    Cruelty was not within Apexus¡¯ nature, yet he did not shy away from it either. It had been cruel to slowly dissolve clams alive, but it had also been necessary for the young slime to survive. Sometimes, utility justified a degree of cruelty and it was certainly easier to justify against monsters that existed to be fought than actual animals.


    Apexus concentrated on his Growths. Three seconds later, the unrelentingly aggressive insect suddenly released his arm and fell to the floor. It remained there, inconvenienced by the lack of legs, but otherwise passive. Once more, the slime¡¯s attention turned inwards and the wiggling of the monster turned violent. It stretched as best it could towards the Monk¡¯s foot, the heel of which brought an end to the monster a moment later.


    ¡°They respond to my pheromones,¡± he revealed.


    ¡°They do? I thought that was for making horny girls hornier,¡± Reysha commented.


    ¡°That is a development on the original that came with making it permanent. Originally, I got this from ants.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m getting excited by ant smell?¡± Reysha asked, lightly weirded out.


    ¡°It is ant based,¡± Apexus clarified. ¡°It is my scent. I believe we talked about this before?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember everything.¡±


    ¡°Why is this the part that weirds you out the most anyway?¡± Korith asked. ¡°You let him dissolve your hair on a semiregular basis.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and that¡¯s weird but the results, squishy!¡± Reysha tugged at her waistbands to reveal a pubic mound that was not just smooth but spotless. As a Ragressian, she had little body hair to worry about to start with. Opinions differed on whether one should grow their public hair or not and to what degree. Reysha preferred the shave and the full removal by sapient acid left her positively shining down there.


    Aclysia, as an angel of metal, and Korith, as a kobold, did not experience hair growth below the ears whatsoever and could not properly relate.


    ¡°Seriously, look at it!¡± Reysha pulled at her waistband a bit more. The skin-tight bodysuit peeled back, revealing parts of her legs as well. They were a wonderful fusion between long, toned, and squishy.


    ¡°We can indulge in your exhibitionism another time,¡± Aclysia reprimanded their nymph-cat.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Reysha let the flexible material snap back into place. ¡°Question though: do ants really communicate via scent?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus answered.


    ¡°Huh¡­ man, insects are weird.¡± Reysha scratched the back of her head. ¡°Did you know that, Korith?¡± The kobold shook her head. ¡°Alright, so I¡¯m not the only stupid one for once.¡±


    ¡°But I gladly will give you the title of Head Stupid,¡± Korith offered.


    Reysha laughed out loud at the rebuttal. While her shoulders trembled with glee, she sashayed to one of the legs Apexus had ripped off the last insect and picked it up. She gave the skin a nibble, deemed it bland and rubbery, and then went for the fibres under the carapace instead.


    All the while, Aclysia raised her voice. ¡°Am I correct in my estimation that this broadens our strategic horizons considerably?¡±


    Apexus nodded abruptly, then remembered to be more expansive in his explanation. ¡°Pheromone production costs little energy and mass. Once I find the exact scents they react to, I will be able to create desired reactions accurately. Theoretically, that is.¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­.¡± Korith looked at the path ahead and the dozens of Incursions that were just in their current view. ¡°¡­plenty of testing grounds, aren¡¯t there?¡±


    There were indeed. The party had set out only to clear what they encountered on the way. This development changed things considerably. If it worked to even a slight degree, their time in the dungeons had turned considerably easier.


    For the Incursions, it worked well enough. The monsters outside, typically around Level 20, were easy to dispatch to start with. The monsters within and the mini boss, going up to Level 25, on rare occasions, were harder. The boss monsters were notably resistant against the pheromones. They were not, however, immune.


    Night had come. That was not saying much, at this time of year in this part of the Leaf, night came early and lasted long. Four sources of light broke up the consuming darkness. One was the moon above, three-quarters full this night, bathing the simple landscape in enough illumination to let shapes be visible. Second and third were the spell of Aclysia and the nails of Apexus, both channelling magical power to make the world around them a brighter place. In other areas of the Leaf, travelling in the dark hours, especially with light out, was not recommended. Lanaan insects, however, were inactive during the nights of cold months. They were easily chilled and thus retreated to their holes, making travel safe.


    The fourth source of light was a ring of torches and lanterns placed on the roundabout of a circular fortification. This was the group¡¯s target for the night, one of the basic settlements that the map pointed them towards.


    The walls were earthworks reinforced by wooden planks and tree roots. Stone walls would have been of little use against the Lanaan insects. They were quite capable of scaling all but the smoothest surface. Therefore, the wall existed only to delay and funnel approaches, not to outright stop them. Plus, stone was harder to transport to this barren region than wood was. Druids could always regrow the roots.


    The fortification had two gates, located on opposite sides. Solid things of studded wood, moved from Drowse with great care. A half-developed moat surrounded the settlement. It was just deep enough to create a thin pool of groundwater at the bottom. The path to the gates remained unexcavated for now.


    Their approach was met with two archers standing atop the wall and a third guard sliding a piece of wood to the side to speak to them through the gate. The archers did not even bother to hook their strings and the guard smirked. ¡°Alright, adventurers, give me a reason not to let you in?¡±


    ¡°I have none,¡± Apexus answered so seriously that the guard waited a moment, before laughing all the same.


    ¡°Give us a moment.¡± The viewing hole was closed, the locking mechanism unbarred, and the gate opened. The guard waved the group inside. ¡°Any name we can put on the register?¡±


    ¡°The Inevitable party,¡± Apexus responded.


    The guard whistled. ¡°The famous newcomers, ey? Did the lady Frashina send you to check on us?¡±


    ¡°In a sense. We are here on a private endeavour.¡±


    ¡°Mind sharing? Not a lot of news gets to these parts. Not important enough to get a Feather and all of that.¡± The guard gestured at the village. Whether it qualified for this high a title was highly debatable.


    There were five houses within the walls. A long one served as the barracks, a similarly long one as the facility to store and prepare food, one served as the residence of the minor noble that led this operation and the other two were used for various purposes depending on the current needs of the settlement. It was a research station, military outpost, and claim to the land all at once. The elven noble, peacefully sleeping at the moment, had the lifespan and patience to wait for the territory of Drowse to expand until this fertile flatland could be exploited by farmers.


    ¡°We can talk,¡± Apexus agreed. ¡°Before that, however, I would ask if you have alchemical agents?¡±


    ¡°We got some stuff in storage that might qualify?¡± the guard asked. ¡°Fair warning though, we do not take coin here. Not much of a market around here.¡± He gestured around the tiny square between the houses. ¡°We¡¯ll have to barter with actual stuff.¡±


    ¡°How about Mana Gems?¡± Aclysia asked and brought out the pouch she had filled with the day¡¯s work.


    The guard nodded deeply. ¡°That¡¯ll work. Alright, let me take you to storage. The quartermaster is the one you¡¯ll negotiate with.¡±


    They spent the next hour getting a few items Apexus felt like he needed and serving as entertainment for the guards. Little changed around these parts, so they jumped at the opportunity to hear anything interesting at all. Aclysia exchanged some of the books she had already read for several that every local had gone through thrice. Once such civilities had run their course, they retreated into the Mobile Estate.


    The next day, Apexus had some experimenting to do.

 Path of Responsibility 5 – Mutagen Development

    Every alchemical production went through the five fundamental processes.


    First, ¡°Identification¡± described the step in which the brewer-to-be scanned through the materials available. Based on their intuition, they assigned meanings to their ingredients as they did. A jalape?o in the hands of one alchemist could symbolize ¡®heat¡¯ and in another¡¯s it could be ¡®pain¡¯. The alchemist had to read their own mind correctly for these assignments which was no easy matter. The desperate craftsman could be tempted to try and swindle themselves. Some succeeded at this, others merely spoiled their brew by trying to act in ways that were convenient, but not true to themselves.


    Apexus identified a number of materials. Locks of hair from each of his women made for easy association. Beyond that, he required an ingredient of quick adaptation. For this, he used clay powder, with its capacity to be formed into many shapes. Target and purposes set, he then added blades of freshly cut grass to the line of ingredients. The last in the line was a vial of pheromone-rich fluid, specifically created by concentrating glands in an area of his skin and then separating it from the rest of him.


    Second, ¡°Elevation¡± described the step in which the brewer took the individual ingredients and drew from them the desired attribute(s). To do so, many processes were viable. What mattered was that the ingredient was in a state that most elevated that attribute in the eye of the alchemist.


    Apexus deemed that the hair needed no touch, for the white, red and blonde were unique by themselves. The clay he mixed with water, just enough for it to turn into a mass that could be easily separated into small spheres ¨C for the sphere was the most adjustable of all shapes. From the grass he required only the mass and fertility of nature, as such its freshness was all he required. The pheromones, he gave a quick sniff to ensure that the fragrance was intense.


    Third, ¡°Extraction¡± described the step in which the brewer reduced the ingredient to the elevated attribute. Energy was necessary for this, as all elements were changed by the application and withdrawal of energy.


    Apexus placed the clay balls in a flask, mixing them with water. A small flame brought the mixture to a boil over the course of many minutes. At first, such a reaction was purely physical, but the esoteric nature of the process soon transformed the mixture into a brownish black soup that bubbled and frothed. The steam that rose, Apexus caught in a glass tube that let the cooling liquid run off to the side. It gathered an earthy brown liquid in a glass next to a second one where Apexus caught the essence drawn from the grass, itself a vibrant green.


    Fourth, ¡°Unification¡± described the step in which the brewer blended the various ingredients together in whatever way they found appropriate. As brews became more complicated, so did the scale and intricacy of how the various components came together to make a whole.


    Apexus poured the two essences together into a bottle with his pheromones and the strands of hair. He put his fingers on the lid, then he shook it thoroughly, until every last strand of hair had fully dissolved in the esoteric mixture of meaning and mana. He repeated this for each of them.


    Fifth, ¡°Stabilization¡± described the step in which the brewer brought the unified materials into a sustainable form. Most alchemical concoctions were not meant to be, created by extracting metaphysical attributes from materials and then putting them together with little regard for universal logic. The brew, as such, pushed outside against the world and yearned to change like water yearned to move according to pressure differences. The material needed to be calmed.


    Apexus poured the finished mixture into a small mould. He repeated this for each of the brews, making sure to use a different cast for each of them. Then, he crossed his arms and stared sternly at them. The liquids vibrated, the small casts gradually hobbling to the edge of the table. Before they could fall, Apexus pushed them back. They repeated this seven times. Apexus kept on looking in disapproval until the brews got the message and obediently settled down.


    The liquids shrunk down, expelling excess water and turning into six pills each. They had the colours of the hairs that had gone into making them. Apexus carefully removed them from the moulds, put them next to the other instruments for later cleaning, and then brought the pills to where the party was waiting.


    Finding Reysha sucking on Korith¡¯s tits was not the least bit surprising. The redhead pulled her head back, teeth holding onto the nipples. Pliable flesh stretched. The masochistic blonde writhed. Apexus walked past the scene without a care.


    ¡°Where is Aclysia?¡± he asked, placing the pills on the couch table.


    ¡°Bathing.¡± With the answer, Reysha released the huge breasts of the shortstack. They jiggled back into their natural position. Numerous little marks on them proved that there had been extensive worship and consensual abuse going on. ¡°She¡¯s addicted to the tub, I swear.¡±


    ¡°Cleanliness is holiness,¡± Aclysia said, entering the room at that moment. The metal fairy had heard the door of her darling¡¯s laboratory, previously the storage room, open and close and had taken that as her signal to leave the tub. She had dried herself off as best as possible, but her hair and the fluff of her moth-like wings were still damp. She sat down on the couch, then began to help the drying along with gentle sunlight spells.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t that I disagree, bubble butt, but Korith, the big guy and I spend like ten to fifteen minutes in there. I swear you¡¯re in there for at least thirty and you go in twice a day when ya get the chance.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ is accurate,¡± Aclysia stated. ¡°The water is free, I cause no waste.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s your time ya wastin¡¯,¡± Reysha rolled off of Korith, who came back to reality a few seconds later. The various kiss marks on her would fade over the course of the day. Either one of Aclysia¡¯s healing spells would get them by accident or her own magically increased, natural healing would take care of it.


    The party gathered around the table and looked at the pills. ¡°You don¡¯t need any?¡± Korith asked, just to be certain.


    ¡°Not for this purpose,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°I have made some for other purposes.¡±


    ¡°And where are those?¡± Reysha asked, out of curiosity.


    Apexus tilted his head back. His jaw dislocated, allowing it to open wide enough that the three women could get a proper view of his upper molars. The one furthest at the back loosened from its socket, then, pulled by slime, ¡®opened¡¯ like a hinged lid. The human skull and the human-esque teeth he had gained from a serpentine boss monster were only fused because he had willed it so. It was easy enough to create a pocket in-between in which the pill, no larger than the nail of a little finger, could slot without issue.


    The tooth slotted back into place, fused back to the skull, and was then hidden when Apexus hooked his jaw back into place.


    ¡°¡­Okay¡­ ya know¡­ I can stomach a lot¡­ but THAT was sick.¡± Reysha ran her tongue over her own teeth just to make sure they were all nice and firm in their position. ¡°Actually sickening.¡±


    ¡°I agree¡­ please do not do that again,¡± Korith requested.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Apexus said. He did not question what they did or did not find grotesque about his body. In this regard, they were simply too different for him to track their sensibilities. He distracted them by pointing at the pills. ¡°Not entirely sure what kind of scent they will make you produce. The effect will only last a limited amount at a time, a couple of minutes or so. They will also lose effectiveness in only a few days.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem, not like dirt and grass are hard to find,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°The right dirt and the right grass are,¡± Apexus told her.


    ¡°Is there a certain definition of the ¡®right dirt¡¯ and ¡®right grass¡¯, darling?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    The firm and quick answer caused mild amusement. Had Apexus not been an oddball from the start, his women may have questioned his behaviour. Most alchemists got questioned because of things like this by those that had no understanding of the craft whatsoever or who, worse, judged one alchemist by the measure of another they knew.


    In their relationship, Apexus being oddly certain about esoteric topics and oddly uncertain when it came to commonly accepted matters was just expected.


    Breakfast and morning baths had already been taken care of. The party only had to get dressed to leave the Mobile Estate. They stepped out into the crisp air of late Autumn¡¯s morning. The breaths of Aclysia, Reysha and Korith turned into clouds. Apexus¡¯ own looked off by comparison. There was not enough moisture in his breath.


    The oddity went ignored or unseen by the others. Apexus¡¯ nature was no longer a secret. It did not matter if he was off compared to other species. Plus, the guards around would not have messed with a level 25 party without a very good reason. Healers were always hired at a premium. Level 20 healers, the power appropriate for this Influence Zone, were extremely expensive. As such, not every settlement had one. If a guard got injured, that was a long-term issue and no one was willing to risk being useless in such a hostile environment.


    They had a short look around in the daylight, to do basic diligence by Lady Frashina¡¯s request. They could not comment on the health of the settlements if they only passed through hastily. Finding nothing worth committing to memory, they then continued on their path.


    The next seven days went by eventlessly. In that time, they cleared two dozen Incursions and visited three more settlements, each time trading in whatever Mana Gems they got in exchange for alchemical materials or other small benefits. Korith grumbled each time. The gems were worth much more in gold than the materials they got for them. This, however, was only true back in civilization and the scarcity of the frontier had its own economy.


    On the sixth day of the journey, it began to rain. On the seventh day of the journey, it poured. All four of them were drenched. The ground was turned into soggy mud. The flatness of the plains meant that once the groundwater had reached a certain level, there was no escaping the unsteady footing. Fortunately, the land saw no feet beyond their own, keeping the carpet of grass firm enough that their trek was, while unpleasant, still manageable.


    The curtain of rain was so thick, not even Apexus could see more than a few metres. His pheromones had no ability to spread. A potentially alarming point, but the terrible visibility had also prompted the monsters to stay in their holes. They were alone in a world of cold rain.


    Aclysia whispered a song under her breath. The magic from the scripture kept the four of them warm enough to continue. Korith checked the compass in her hand often. There were no features in the landscape to orient themselves by, only an endless depth of grey to all sides.


    This changed suddenly. One step to the next, the shape of a gargantuan spire entered their field of vision. A karst, a sheer and tall mountain, towered up before them. Little insects skittered in the rain shadow cast by craggy protrusions, streaming in and out of holes that let them access the hive. The karst before them was every bit as natural as it was unnatural, a divine structure housing and maintained by the dungeon within.


    Finding the entrance was easy, despite the rain, for there were many entrances. Like the landscape, the stone was riddled with holes, resembling a sturdy sponge more than a regular mountain. They simply needed to find one of the holes large enough for them to enter.


    The issue came the moment after.


    A gargantuan bug guarded the entrance. Its flat head was shaped like a coin and it served to keep the entrance sealed when there was no traffic in and out by patrolling drones. It was a purely defensive creature, sitting there like a living fortress gate. Generally it was recommended to find a smaller entrance, guarded by a smaller bug. They had stumbled across one that was three metres across. The chitin covering the flat top of the hat was tens of centimetres thick.


    They did have a solution for this though.


    ¡°Reysha, take the mutagen,¡± Apexus requested.


    ¡°Roger that,¡± the redhead said and pulled one of the pills out of her Adventurer¡¯s Bag. She popped it in her mouth, then lifted her shirt. A gesture that, this time, made sense. The scent needed to escape, after all. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They had tested the effects of the pills on Incursions over the last few days. Each of the three pills Apexus had made had their own specific effect, the flavour of pheromone adjusted by the esoteric nature of their classes.


    Korith¡¯s pheromone was one usually produced only when there was prey to hunt. It had the effect of concentrating aggression on her, which interrupted the basic strategies of the Lanaan insects and directed them at the one member of the party meant to take attacks.


    Aclysia¡¯s pheromone was the simplest one of the three, being a basic ¡®friend¡¯ signal that kept her out of harm¡¯s way unless she overwrote basic senses with direct aggression. This was also what Apexus used most of the time, although he had begun to identify a few other codes.


    Reysha¡¯s scent was the most specific one. The pheromone smelled sweet to everyone else, but to the Lanaan insects it was the same as someone screaming GET OUT OF THE WAY! It was a scent reserved to large insects or queens that needed to get through a crowded tunnel quickly. It was the opposite of a stealthy approach, but it worked. It worked so well that the insect moved out of the way for them and let them enter.


    ¡°Finally, out of the rain!¡± Korith cheered, as they entered the first Dungeon of this trip.

 Path of Responsibility 6 – Taking Advantage of Tools given

    The tunnels within the hive had a disorienting uniformity to them. Cylindrical, they curved through the chitinous stone. They were three metres across. The walls had a ridged texture, forming circle after circle. Gazing down a corridor would have reminded them of the rings of a tree, had it not been for how rare a straight path was.


    Sheltered from wind and weather, the party took full advantage of Apexus¡¯ pheromones. It made initial encounters easy, allowing them to walk past even clusters of the enemies. Blue markings on their leathery skin differentiated them from the many insects found in the incursions.


    The monsters hung from the corridor at various angles. A few simply stood at ground level, but most were sideways or upside down. They waited there patiently, unaware that the adventurers they were supposed to test were right there. A few of the Lanaan insects moved around, drawing nourishing sap from the ¡®pantries¡¯ of the dungeon and carrying it to the drones on guard duty. The liquid was regurgitated from one insect into the mouth of another, who drank it readily.


    ¡°Freaky,¡± Reysha muttered.


    The unfamiliar sound caused several of the insects to turn towards the party. Alerted and confused, they skittered towards them. Mandibles clacked. The group raised their weapons. Ant-like monsters trotted forwards, picked up the scent of pheromones with their antennae, then returned to a relaxed stance.


    Exchanging gazes, the party nodded to each other, then silently continued on. They wished to find a Healing Fountain before they engaged in combat. Most dungeons of this level had one situated near the entrance, commonly labelled the Gift Fountain by adventurers. Locating it only took them half an hour. One could get around the dungeon fast when not bogged down by combat.


    The Healing Fountain was a regular one. Even with the insectoid aesthetic layered on top, the base design did not change. A circular pool of warm, rejuvenating water filled the middle of the circular chamber. Two long corridors led in and out of the room, putting some distance between them and where monsters patrolled.


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Reysha raised her voice. ¡°What¡¯s the plan now?¡±


    Aclysia got behind Korith and began to dry the kobold¡¯s hair with her magic. The remnants of the rain still clung to them. ¡°That is for our darling to decide,¡± she said.


    ¡°We have a unique opportunity to scale our difficulty,¡± the humanoid chimera voiced his thoughts. ¡°The gauntlet of grinding against the great dangers of a dungeon 5 levels above us has been greatly lessened in its dangers. This brings its own issues.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re not being challenged a lot, we won¡¯t grow a lot,¡± Korith put words to what they all knew. ¡°So¡­ what do we do? Not take advantage of it?¡±


    ¡°No, we do¡­ but we do so on our terms,¡± Apexus answered and beheld them all with a hard gaze. ¡°As Maltos said: ¡®learning is found at the edge of comfort¡¯.¡±


    The Inevitable party was about to find out what it meant to be led by a Monk.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Reysha could barely make sense of what her eyes saw any more.


    There was nothing wrong with them nor the view. It was just the chamber adjacent to the Healing Fountain. An open space, a node between various tunnels, and the perfect spot for the party to put Apexus¡¯ training regimen into motion.


    The humanoid chimera had drawn in a group of three Lanaan insects from a nearby corridor. Isolating three from a swarm of seven was easy enough through clever use of the pheromones. Three insects had been easy enough to dispatch as well. Each of them had taken on one in single combat. The five-level difference made them strong enemies, but their reliance on swarm tactics counteracted this.


    Once they were dispatched, Apexus had drawn in the rest of the seven. Once those had been dispatched, he had pulled them from another corridor, repeating the cycle. Again and again, until there were no enemies left in the direct vicinity, and the chamber was filled with the corpses of a hundred human-sized insects.


    Then, they had taken a five-minute break. Five measly minutes in the healing fountain to take care of the wounds and to let them catch their breath before they moved to the chamber that the other corridor led into and Apexus lured in new enemies.


    The Rogue¡¯s sight was dim and yet incredibly sharp. She was staring down another foe. The ant-like monster was still. Reysha was still. Exhaustion pushed her to another place beyond reality. Dagger and mace weighed heavily in her hands. Reysha barely felt it. She was about to submerge herself in instinct, to fully lose herself in a moment of absolute focus and dedication to only one goal. There was no ego, only the path ahead the-


    A memory flooded Reysha¡¯s mind with dread and her lost arm with pain. Death. Death brought to the Inquisitor. Death brought to an entire leaf. A gemstone seared her phantom limb. She recoiled from her state of mind.


    Exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. Lungs burned. Shoulders barely managed to rise with each inhale. The weight of her weapons turned out to be too much. They fell clattering to the ground. The monster in front of her lunged.


    Apexus¡¯ enormous hand grabbed the creature mid-air, ripped it back and sent it flying to the floor. He wrestled with it for a few short moments. Korith and Reysha could only stare, incapable of doing more than dragging themselves forwards, while humanoid slime and guardian angel ended the last enemy in the room through violence and spellcraft.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for today,¡± Apexus stated.


    Reysha passed out immediately.


    She came back to consciousness in their bed. There was a vague awareness that she had been cleaned. Her eyes drifted lazily to where her bodysuit hung from a rack. Apexus and Aclysia sat by the fire of the Mobile Estate, overseeing the preparation of their next meal. Her eyes closed again.


    __________________________________________________________________________


    ¡®Oh Hoard, oh Hoard, oh Hoard!¡¯ Korith had a steady, panicked prayer playing in her head.


    Her body, meanwhile, went through expert motions. She ceded ground to the duo of monsters, avoiding the coordinated lunges until the rhythm was inevitably disrupted. In that small moment of time, she gripped the long shaft of her hammer tightly with one hand and went for an upward swing.


    Skin dented. Underlying chitin cracked. The head of the monster was forced upwards a bit too far a bit too fast, snapping the thin neck. It went slack.


    The second monster had no compassion for the loss whatsoever. Despite that, Korith had to wonder if it wasn¡¯t more merciful than their party leader. Korith had gotten quite good at recognizing the subtle differences between the scent that kept reinforcements away from the one that encouraged them.


    A horrified little squeak left her when Apexus pulled a Behegrub into the room. The enormous creature was white, covered in blue markings, and squishy all over. Crawling about as grubs tended to do, it nevertheless moved at threatening speed. Worst of all was the circular mouth, though.


    Korith blocked a bite of the second insect with the shaft of her Hoard-blessed hammer. She pumped additional Ki into her arms for an explosion of strength, hurling the monster into the air. It was made to block a sticky projectile, launched by the Behegrub. The insect tumbled until the snotty sphere stuck it to the floor.


    Ignoring the immobilized enemy, the Warrior leapt upwards. Her hammer crashed into the huge monster¡¯s body. The force was translated into wobbles, dispersing without effect throughout the grub¡¯s squishy form. ¡®Ew, ew, ew!¡¯ she thought.


    Useless as the attack was, it kept the attention of the Behegrub on Korith for long enough that Apexus could circle around it. The Monk¡¯s hands disappeared in various folds around the grub¡¯s slime-coated body, pressing meridians.


    Korith landed in front of the grub. Another projectile was getting vomited up its gullet. Korith thrust out her left arm. The heavy gauntlet she wore on it, a drop from Chimerion, shimmered with power. A block of energy appeared in front of her. It was only as big as a brick, but that was enough to block the attack.


    Apexus pushed the last meridian he had looked for. Then, he brought his hand forwards. The Rippling Palm caused the tissue beneath the protective blubber to vibrate violently, until insides were turned outside in an explosion of gore.


    Korith couldn¡¯t even care about it when she got splattered by pale guts. She had been drenched in monster parts at various times in her life and the last seven days she had spent coated in such gore. The breaks in-between were short to the kobold. That was to say, she was given perfectly adequate resting hours, they just passed in an instant in her perception.


    ¡®But man, the super-exhausted sex is soooooo gooooooooooood,¡¯ her pervy side cried out.


    Then she had to fight another two insects.


    ___________________________________________________________________________


    Aclysia had initially calculated that the hardest part of the journey would be dealing with the Incursion cluster around the Impossible Strait.


    That had proven to be poorly informed. In her defence, she could not have foreseen that her darling¡¯s pheromones were this effective. ¡®Even if I had known, I would not have anticipated he would drill us with such efficiency,¡¯ she confessed to herself. ¡®That is my naivety.¡¯


    The prism hovering over her shoulder vibrated in a crystal clear note, then launched a Ray spell at one of the enemies beneath. Aclysia channelled the same spell at a different spot in the same direction. Together, the two beams forced three insects to scale the wall to get to the battlefield.


    Goal of delaying them achieved, Aclysia upended the spell to keep her mana reserves as best she could. She hovered above the battlefield. Instances of Apexus using the safety pheromones were getting rarer and rarer. The calling pheromones he used were getting stronger and stronger.


    Lanaan insects poured out of three entrances that laid opposite of the one they used. They had slightly relocated today¡¯s grinding efforts in response to the diminished spawning of enemies. Exploiting the behaviour of the enemies so intensely had exhausted part of the dungeon¡¯s local energy reservoirs.


    Aclysia watched Korith and Reysha with a great amount of admiration. They were in the thick of it, every swing adding to a growing fatigue that would be relieved at the end of the day ¨C and no sooner. Aclysia did not suffer this directly. Her job was to scan the battlefield and control its flow through clever application of her spells. Most of the time, going for a kill was mana inefficient. It was better to channel enemies in such a manner that they were fed into the rest of the party at a manageable pace.


    The exception to this was when an almost dead enemy was about to deliver a grievous wound to one of her allies.


    One of the Lanaan insects had somehow survived having its abdomen and most of its limbs ripped off. Dragging itself forwards by the two that remained, it slowly made its way to Reysha. The combat awareness of the redhead was commendable, but even the greatest master would not have caught the crawling ant amidst all the chaos. Its mandibles parted, ready to snap at Reysha¡¯s ankles.


    A Sunlight Bolt incinerated the creature¡¯s remaining lifeforce. Reysha jumped back, startled by the light. She saw the monster, gave Aclysia an acknowledging nod, then swung her mace at the head of another creature. There was always another creature.


    _______________________________________________________________________


    Adaptation could only occur under pressure.


    In the constant threat of the dungeon, Apexus felt the call of his home. His true home, his place of origin, deeper even than memories of the pond or the forest or Gizmo¡¯s house ¨C no, the true home: nature.


    The state of nature was war. Conflict was inherent in every breath. Inhaling drew spores and pollen into lungs, denying them the opportunity to ever find fertile soil. Conflict was inherent in every motion. A step taken brought change, however miniscule, to all of the world. Conflict was inherent in every intention. Everyone, everything, desired to shape the world to their preferences. The state of nature was war and war was the state that forced adaptation.


    Apexus suppressed any revelry he felt at this.


    He was no longer a being of nature. That was a state he had left behind, shed in a quest for wisdom ¨C for control. Every step he took was his, taken in pursuit not of base instincts but in a greater goal.


    Ki flared along the edge of Apexus¡¯ hand as he brought it down. The chop cleaved halfway through the head of the Lanaan insect, before the momentum was exhausted. His hand stopped, the Edge disappeared, and the humanoid chimera rebuked himself. ¡®Not good enough,¡¯ he thought, objectively. To torture himself was unproductive as was to linger in his current state.


    He needed to grow. For him, for his women, for all he desired to help.


    The Edge returned as he whirled around. It was a marine blue colour and speared more like flowing water than a blade, yet it cut through the neck of another insect all the same. The Edge of the Ready Waters style reinforced the hands and feet of the Monk, giving Apexus the option to cut. The Slicing Stream was sharper than a regular Edge and more Ki intensive ¨C if one stopped moving. The meridians engaged in its creation were stimulated by motion, keeping the Ki flowing naturally.


    It was a dance that Apexus was getting closer and closer to mastering. Where the Rippling Palm encouraged aiming for centre mass, the Slicing Stream demanded that he go for thin areas or shallow attacks, lest he exhaust his mana through repeated re-forming of the blades. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Only practice made perfect.


    ________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Urgh,¡± Korith rolled out of bed. She hit the cushion she had tactically thrown on the floor with an audible thud. Refusing to get up, she continued to roll, wrapping herself up in the blanket on the way. By the time she arrived at the table, she was fully entangled. ¡°Thanks,¡± she yawned when Apexus lifted her onto the couch.


    Reysha was in a similarly drowsy state. The two regular mortals of the party were afforded the proper amount of rest for their bodies to take care of the aches of exhaustion. ¡°We¡¯re fragile, slow fleshbags,¡± she groaned, half-jokingly.


    ¡°We all have our limitations,¡± Apexus said and placed Lanaan stew in front of Reysha. He did not understand why she liked her meat cooked, but he still did this for her. Aclysia placed a regular breakfast in front of Korith. Her rations were the only truly limited resource they had to measure. ¡°This training has been demanding.¡±


    ¡°Ya say that like it¡¯s over,¡± Reysha remarked drily.


    Apexus nodded, to the surprise of both Ragressian and Goldborn kobold. ¡°Seriously?!¡± Korith asked, suddenly wide awake.


    ¡°Aclysia assured me we were taking on regular swarm sizes with little issue now.¡±


    ¡°I can present you the math, if you desire,¡± the angel said and opened her notebook. She had been keeping a diary of their engagements. It had been an effort to train her own mind and to have something that she could perhaps sell to the guild for future editions of the encyclopaedia. It had been of great aid so far and Aclysia wished it to be of even greater aid to future generations.


    ¡°No, I believe ya!¡± Reysha said and took her first bite of stew. The meat was all the richer for the fact that their three-week grinding had come to an end. ¡°Power-levelling like that is exciting but I¡¯m not looking forward to doing it again anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°The rest of the dungeon will be a breeze after this!¡± Korith declared.


    She meant it metaphorically, a subtlety that Aclysia did not catch. ¡°I must caution that my statistics say that we are now fighting adequately against averagely sized enemy groups. We are still prone to being overwhelmed.¡±


    ¡°A breeze!¡± Korith insisted, too happy to engage in any further discussion.

 Path of Responsibility 7 – A Wall

    ¡°That¡¯s a problem,¡± Korith squeaked.


    Just three corners past the reaches of their training area, the party was presented with a hurdle.


    The room before them was quite large and yet its floor was hardly visible. Dozens, if not a few hundred, of Lanaan insects were skittering about, moving beside and across each other. In addition to those on the floor, there were several more using bridges made from hardened chitin, connecting openings in the curved ceiling that went into various brood chambers. Here and there, a Lanaan insect could be seen carrying a larva or pupa in its mandibles.


    All such tunnels were death traps. The larvae were dangerous in their own way, capable of launching sticky silk threads, and guarded by elite insects. There was no point in facing them besides the challenge itself and even then it should only be done in controlled circumstances. The guidebook was quite clear on all of this.


    The sole true way to advance lay in a peculiar segment of the wall. The chitin there was thin enough that the ambient glow of the walls shone through it, revealing a corridor behind it. The issue was that it was on the other side of where the group currently laid low ¨C and it also looked solid.


    ¡°Any other ways forward?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°None,¡± Apexus assured. He had been scouting the environment in search of enemies. ¡°All other routes lead to dead ends or similar chambers.¡±


    ¡°Then this must be the barrier between the outer and inner hive,¡± Aclysia analysed. The encyclopaedia only detailed that there were ¡®challenges¡¯ for that area. Not everything in the book was terribly detailed. Physical paper and information available limited much of what could use further elaboration.


    ¡°I¡¯mma be the one to say the obvious ¨C we can¡¯t win this.¡± Reysha kept an eye on the room, trying to find a route through it. She failed. The overlapping networks were just too dense. ¡°I don¡¯t see a way to sneak through alone either, so it¡¯s completely impossible for all four of us.¡±


    ¡°The pheromone trick won¡¯t do us much good either,¡± Apexus informed them. ¡°I cannot outproduce the scent signals of this many. Once combat begins, the chain reaction will be rapid.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ the only way is to barrel through?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia answered, her gaze firmly set on the wall. ¡°Barriers such as this usually regenerate on their own. Once we make it through, we will have to defend our position until the gap closes.¡±


    ¡°Alright then¡­ roles?¡± Korith asked.


    Apexus pointed at the kobold. ¡°Wall breaker.¡± He pointed at Aclysia and Reysha. ¡°Defenders.¡± He put his thumb on his bare chest. ¡°Distraction.¡±


    Aclysia disliked that course of action, as she always did, but when one had a party member with high regenerative power it was the most reasonable to have them serve as the bait. ¡°Reysha will go through the gap first, then I, then Apexus, then Korith,¡± she outlined the rest of their battle plan. It was simplistic. The situation did not call for more.


    A beat of Apexus¡¯ wings was the signal for the party to descend into the room. Soaring ahead of them, the humanoid chimera landed on one of the bridges. His foot crushed the thin neck of one ant under his weight. Pheromones surged from his pores, sending out a powerful message: enemy.


    The swarm of Lanaan insects immediately reacted. Antennas quivered in the air, picking up the scent, and then the masses went into motion. Climbing all over each other, they hastened to the walls, rising up like a brackish brown sea made of blue-marked leather. Hooked claws clung to stone, mandibles clacked with natural aggression, and boots pounded the ground.


    Reysha and Korith charged through the opening that the parting masses of enemies created. Stragglers picked up the second set of enemies with some delay. Each of them was dispatched with swift, expert strikes. Tiger woman and kobold alike knew how to kill Lanaan insects with tremendous accuracy. Three weeks of battle against them had etched the proper motions into their very nerves.


    Aclysia wove through the gaps between three of the oddly aligned bridges, then stopped in mid-air. She clutched her necklace with one hand, drawing the ambient mana into it, mixing it with her own. The outstretched palm of her right hand shimmered with summerly light. Particles drifted from her skin, then came together in a small point. The concentrated magic flowed outwards, a violent torrent of superheated light.


    The Ray spell scorched and sliced on impact. At a measured pace, Aclysia moved her arm further to the right, damaging the insects that were approaching Apexus¡¯ back. The spell lacked the destructive power to kill the monsters at a mere graze ¨C legs, however, could be cut and eyes scorched. The monsters lost their footing, tumbling to the ground below.


    One made it through unharmed. Even among all the chaos, Apexus sensed the tremors of the insect¡¯s approach. The tail of a Deathhound coiled like a tensing tongue, then slammed against the side of the insect, sending it flying.


    It was a mere moment in the waves of motions that Apexus represented. ¡®To be the Ready Waters,¡¯ the mantra was all the Monk had in mind, ebbing and flowing like the ocean itself. He advanced and receded, never standing still. The sharpened Ki around his hands and feet appeared almost solid.


    A bite caught the Monk¡¯s forearm. Even that was part of the rhythm. The sides of his palm severed the head from the body of the wolf-sized ant-like creature. He spun on his own axis, delivering a low kick that shattered the skull of another monster. He took two steps back, retreating into the space Aclysia had made for him, then suddenly stepped forwards again. His fist descended in a wide curve, meeting the back of an unprepared member of the swarm, flattening it against the ground.


    The individual death only meant delay. Dozens were ready to take the place of the fallen comrade. Apexus did not afford himself a single instance of taking his eyes off the field before him. His trust was with his comrades and loves.


    Three Lanaan insects were all that remained between Korith and Reysha and the wall. Korith took the helm, breaking the charge of the first enemy with a sideways swing. The second insect jumped simultaneously, aiming for Korith¡¯s head, only for Reysha¡¯s stiletto to find its way over the shoulder of her small friend. Both enemies were flung to the side, and both party members advanced swiftly.


    The last insect was more akin to a caterpillar than anything they had faced before. It reared up, spitting a wide arch of sticky fluids. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Korith shouted, as she leapt over the attack. Her hammer crashed into the soft head of the insect.


    ¡°But you usually enjoy getting covered in the white stuff!¡± Reysha laughed, then rammed her weapon into the fleshy side of the monster. She twisted around, putting all of her weight and momentum into carving open the creature¡¯s side. A purple-blue trench opened, leaking a variety of fluids.


    The monster curled and spasmed. Korith bounced off the wall, then landed hammer first on its head. That second strike shattered something vital, causing the monster to collapse for good.


    Korith took a singular, relieved breath. An unamused glare at Reysha was all the answer she could muster to the innuendo. Smirking, holding her sidearm with casual looseness, the redhead hinted at all of the other puns she had in the back of her throat. They were all silenced by the approach of several more enemies. While Apexus¡¯ pheromones continued to drag the majority of the attention up to the bridge, there were just too many insects for all of them to take the route up to where the Monk was taking his stand.


    A Bolt and a Ray thinned the lines heading for Reysha. Aclysia hung above, continuously scanning the battlefield, turning her attention back and forth between the two fronts. The speed at which she could digest information limited her, as much as the reservoir of mana in the air and inside her. The former was quickly depleting, taxing the latter more and more.


    Apexus was burning through his biomass at an accelerating pace. His body heat was rising quickly, as was the speed of his motions. The bridge was slick with the spilled ichor of enemies. One wrong step would send the Monk sailing into the brimming mass of aggression below.


    CRACK!


    Korith struck the wall once. The hammer made of stone created a spiderweb of gaps in the supernatural chitin. A second swing, executed with urgency, made splinters fall off the impact site. The edges of the cracks were already mending, fusing back together by an invisible force. Repeated strikes prevented the healing from taking over.


    The hammer blew through the wall on the seventh strike. Korith leveraged the wide head of the weapon, tearing the gap further open. Nimble as she was, Reysha would have fit through that already, but they needed more for the rest of them. Still, this was the point where things had to get moving.


    ¡°Darling!¡±


    Aclysia¡¯s voice cut through the haze of combat. One of Apexus¡¯ fox ears turned, then he disengaged from the fight before him. The insects were left confused when the Monk suddenly glided away from them. They picked up on the new destination swiftly.


    Too swiftly for Reysha¡¯s liking.


    ¡°Oh shit!¡± she cursed out loudly, watching the hundred monsters following in Apexus¡¯ wake. For all of the ones killed, there were more still pouring out of the side corridors. If anything, the numbers had swelled since they had begun the encounter.


    The redhead turned to the wall. The gap was now large enough for all of them to fit through ¨C in theory.


    Korith stepped aside, blocking the path of an insect that followed after Reysha. The redhead did a straight vault through the gap and caught herself with a roll. ¡°All clear!¡± she shouted after she was through. Aclysia flew through the slowly regenerating gap next. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Apexus, with all of his bulk, landed in front of the hole. He forced himself into the gap. Had he been a regular human, he would have been stuck. Even while liquifying his muscles and dislocating his bones, he had to relinquish his wings. The green feathers fell to the ground, sheared off by the edge of the broken chitin.


    Once on the other side, Apexus grabbed the edge of the hole. Reysha joined him, her demon arm pulsing with black veins as they tore the opening open further. Korith turned just as the teeming horde behind her came upon her. An edge of her armour got stuck on the hole. An insect got her by the foot. Apexus and Reysha grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her through.


    Korith let out a pained hiss, scales tearing off her skin as they got caught under the teeth and mandibles of the insect. She hit the stone ground on the other side hard, armour clattering. Adrenaline pounded through her system, muting the pain. She was back on her bloody foot within moments.


    The Lanaan insects poured through the gap with frightful coordination. One or two at a time was a pace the four of them could handle well. Rippling Palms, strikes and swipes by weapons destroyed the monsters as they made it to the other side, clogging up the way for the creatures that followed. The hole got smaller and smaller by the second. The last insect only made it halfway through, before the gap became too narrow for the abdomen to follow the midsection. The closing wall cut the monster in half.


    ¡°Let me look at that!¡± Aclysia insisted, putting Korith on the floor. The kobold blinked, only realizing just how bad the state of her leg was. The tendon stood out, white, among frayed skin and muscle. She tilted her head back, avoiding looking at it, instead concentrating on the soothing warmth of the healing spell.


    Apexus and Reysha gave each other the once over at the same time. The rogue had a number of small scrapes, but by and large she was unharmed. Apexus was visibly thinner, his muscles and bulk diminished from the amount of mass he had burned. Besides the loss of his wings, there was no injury on him and there was plenty of food on this side of the wall to make up for it.


    The healing light ebbed away. Aclysia inspected her party member¡¯s foot from a few angles. The previously injured spots were starkly visible, gaps of pink flesh between red scales. ¡°Ohhh, that feels so weird,¡± Korith lamented, when she felt the air brush over the spots. ¡°Sensitive in the bad way¡­¡±


    ¡°I know the feeling,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°Since when do you have scales?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°I once dropped a hammer on my toe and the nail fell off.¡± The redhead wiggled the foot that had been affected. ¡°I imagine that¡¯s similar.¡±


    ¡°Unpleasant imagery,¡± Aclysia mumbled and got up. ¡°I may be able to aid you with regrowing the scales once we rest for the evening.¡±


    ¡°Or we could pull the rest out so I don¡¯t step on one in the bathroom,¡± Reysha suggested.


    ¡°It was one time!¡± Korith squeaked.


    ¡°It cut my foot!¡±


    ¡°Stop having such weak feet!¡±


    ¡°Girl, I used to have weak feet, before half of my life consisted of walking! Now I got soles like sandstone.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not that bad,¡± Apexus denied.


    Reysha made a tossing gesture. ¡°Definitely not dainty lady feet.¡±


    ¡°Before we get stuck bantering in place, shall we advance?¡± Aclysia gestured down the corridor.

 Path of Responsibility 8 – Dungeon Speak

    The inner halls of the Dungeon were not terribly different from the outer layers. The walls were still chitinous, the tunnels confusing, and the skittering of insects omnipresent. However, there was one difference that was as simple as it was impactful.


    It was dark.


    The sources of ambient light had all been swallowed up, leaving the party incapable of seeing more than the soft glow of Aclysia¡¯s spells and Apexus¡¯ nails allowed.


    Darkness was to the advantage of the Lanaan insects. Their eyesight was poor, beyond what was immediately in front of them. That was an issue out in the plains, where incursions placed them. In the tunnels, however, where corners were many and comrades more, short eyesight meant little ¨C and it meant basically nothing if everything was pitch black.


    Even with their reliable sources of light, the group was put on the back foot by this change in the environment. Light had this pesky attribute of making the sources of it more visible than what it was aimed at. This was somewhat diminished by focusing the lights into cones or making it soft enough to spread evenly, but the fact remained: what lurked in the shadows would see them before they saw it.


    The Dungeon was designed with a small mercy in mind. Enemy density in the early parts of the inner layer was relatively low. A grace period that let Dungeon-diving adventurers get used to the basic tactics employed by Lanaan insects before exposing them to greater challenges.


    A worm the length and girth of Apexus¡¯ arm snapped out of a hole in the side of the tunnel. Its mandibles parted four ways. Large pincers at the sides, smaller pincers at the top and bottom, all in service of grabbing prey. Strong back bristles remained anchored within the hole, ready to strain and pull the victim against the wall.


    Apexus allowed his arm to be latched onto. The curved side mandibles hooked into his skin and muscles at lightning speed. Before the humanoid chimera really noted the motion, he had been forced sideways. Pain cascaded through his arm, focusing around the shoulder. He had been ripped sideways with such force that the bone had popped out of its socket. Surrounding muscle fibres had been torn like paper.


    Calmly, Apexus put his unharmed hand on his shoulder and aided his regeneration by pushing it back into place. What would have been a devastating wound to other adventurers was a mild inconvenience to him.


    The worm continued to hold onto his arm. Having fully retreated into the hole, only the mandibles protruded from safety and even they were mostly buried in Apexus¡¯ membrane. In that stubborn grip lay the humanoid slime¡¯s inevitable victory. Whenever he desired, he could have just melted those parts by thinning the membrane and letting the acidic slime fill in the gap. Apexus¡¯ biology had become vastly more complicated over the years, but that first strength he had he could still call on in situations like this.


    Given that certainty, he put the elbow of the grabbed arm against the wall ¨C then he pulled. His biceps hardened, pulling at the base of the lower arm. The worm¡¯s own muscles twitched rapidly, building up force to resist the pull. It was a slow struggle, one the worm was slowly losing. The first segment of its body became visible again. Sharp bristles protruded from soft flesh.


    ¡°Ya need help there?¡± Reysha asked, brandishing one of her knives. One swift cut and the head of the monster would be off.


    Apexus denied the offer with a shake of his head. ¡°I am learning this monster¡¯s limits. Are you watching, my melody?¡±


    ¡°Closely,¡± the angel confirmed. Despite her mild trepidation, she was making a mental note of all of this, to be put to paper later. Another entry for the report that they would deliver to the Guild once they returned from this Quest. This monster was not even listed in the encyclopaedia, delivering intel on it could save lives down the line.


    Through steady pressure, Apexus had now pulled enough of the monster from the wall that his other hand could grasp it. The bristles penetrated his membrane. A mild annoyance at first, turning out to be a much larger issue a moment later.


    Apexus stopped circulation of slime through the arm the moment he felt the numbness. The skin of his shoulder visibly moved, cinching as if an invisible rope had been put around it. There was a tingle first, then a numbness. It partly spread to the rest of his body, making him feel light, while that one arm felt quite heavy.


    ¡°Beeeen¡­ poisonnnn¡¯d,¡± he slurred, the magical signals moving incorrectly from his core to the speaking plates at the roof of his mouth.


    Reysha did not ask whether she should intervene again. Her dagger slammed down on the bit of the creature visible between the wall and Apexus¡¯ paralysed hand. Swiftly, she carved fully through it, causing the front end of the worm to fall on its own.


    It wasn¡¯t dead yet. Worms like it minded the separation of body segments little. In fact, the argument could be made that there were two genetically identical worms now, the headless end retreating further into the wall to regrow a set of mandibles for another day.


    Apexus managed to loosen his numb fingers eventually. After that, it was just a waiting game. Aclysia¡¯s healing magic aided the gradual dissolution of the toxins by the slime¡¯s acidic countermeasures. While he was affected by many compounds in often similar ways as most sapient species were, his physiology did let him purge them quicker ¨C generally speaking.


    Once that had been taken care of, Apexus devoured the worm to get a better understanding on what had transpired there. His stomach came in handy there, allowing him to digest the creature without further exposing himself to the toxin.


    ¡°The bristles are hollow.¡± Apexus grew one of them from a fingertip. It was a dark, slightly curved needle. Had it not been for that bend, Apexus could have made at least temporary use of it. These days, he found Growths worthy of limited use quite rare. He had his own set of capabilities and organs now that created a body plan few things matched onto. ¡°Sturdy but weak at the base¡­ easy to regrow¡­¡±


    As a temporary Growth they were imperfect, but as a permanent one he may have found what he could get out of the dungeon. The bristles themselves came without the ducts that produced the toxin, but Apexus had other uses for them even without that. For a Monk, needles were a tool. Applications were mostly medical in nature, though. Hitting meridians with disruptive Ki was difficult enough. Placing needles in the correct spots? That was borderline impossible in combat.


    Still, it was the most interesting tool he had come about in the dungeon so far.


    ____________________________________________________________________


    They continued advancing with very little issue. Reflexes sharpened from the recent training, they dealt with what was thrown at them expertly and swiftly. One day passed, then two days. They had to spend one night in a corner of the dungeon, sleeping in shifts. Getting interrupted in that sleep by an attack of a small swarm of ant-like monsters was the only issue they really faced.


    Apexus remembered the days when he had not known what sleep deprivation meant. Back when his biology and thoughts had been simple, allowing him to continue on through day and night with no rests. Acquiring permanent Growths had gradually changed that, adding hours to his day dedicated entirely to resting. He theorized that this was a simple manifestation of complex creatures. Whatever the exact source, it had topped out at some point. Apexus needed about six hours of dedicated rest a day. An amount on the low end, others often assured him.


    They were walking around slowly, as per usual. Apexus dragged his fingers over a nearby wall, leaving a neutral pheromone trail. It had taken some experimenting to find a fragrance that the insects did not respond to at all. Now that they had it, it was their tried and tested way to know where they had been before, even in this complete darkness.


    Korith was the head of their formation. The kobold valiantly put herself at the edge of the twilight zone. If anything charged at them, she would be the first target struck. Thus was the lot of the frontliner. Apexus held a similar position in the rear, but he had it better for many reasons.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I think I found something?¡± Korith raised her voice. The group did a quick scan of their direct surroundings, then converged closely on the kobold.


    On head height of the shortstack, easily missed by a person of regular height, a smooth stone surface peeked out of the gently curved wall. Symbols covered the length of it in four paragraphs, each ending in a blank space.


    ¡°A riddle?¡± Aclysia asked, excitement creeping into her tone. Korith and Reysha shuffled aside to let the metal fairy squat down in front of the tablet. Apexus did his best not to get distracted by the way the guardian angel¡¯s round ass stretched the red robes. Oblivious to her allure, Aclysia inspected the tablet. ¡°Dungeon Speak,¡± she stated and began to ponder.


    Dungeon Speak was an umbrella term for the vast amount of languages, written, spoken, or otherwise communicated, that were found in dungeons. They universally translated well into Common, as they were not independent languages, but rather codes that were meant to be deciphered by the smart members of a party.


    Dungeons had a habit of testing many skills. Codebreaking was just another one. Ironically, the more elaborate codes sometimes were picked up by criminal organizations.


    Aclysia inspected the symbols one by one, slotting each shape into parts of sentence structures she knew to try and find patterns. Once she had that, she identified the vowels. ¡°So that¡¯s an ¡®o¡¯, which makes this either a ¡®do¡¯ or a ¡®to¡¯¡­ that symbol is also there¡­ ¡®threat¡¯¡­? Ah, I see. ¡®To what kind of mechanism is a demon sworn?¡¯ It¡¯s four riddles.¡±


    ¡°¡­a warlock?¡± Korith suggested carefully. ¡°You know¡­ war-lock? Like¡­ the thing you put a key into?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so fucking stupid,¡± Reysha laughed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it,¡± Aclysia said, her erudite mind incapable of producing a better answer. She wrote the symbols with her finger into the blank space, leaving trails of white light. Once she had finished the last symbol, the word flared green. ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Korith allowed herself a little enthusiastic fist pump.


    ¡°3-9-27-729-19683,¡± Aclysia read out the next one. She tapped the blank space three times, before starting to write. ¡°¡­387420489.¡± The field flared green.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Reysha asked, thoroughly confused.


    ¡°It is a sequence riddle. 3 times itself is 9. 9 times the previous number is 27. 27 times itself is 729. 729 times the previous number is 19683. 19683 times itself is 387420489.¡±


    ¡°¡­I should tell you more often how fucking good you are with numbers,¡± Reysha said.


    Korith gave up on trying to run the maths herself


    Apexus hadn¡¯t even tried.


    ¡°What has the bottom at the top?¡± Aclysia read out the next one.


    ¡°Your legs,¡± Apexus answered immediately. His first woman turned to him, blushing ever so slightly. ¡°It is true,¡± he defended himself.


    ¡°I expect lechery from Reysha,¡± the guardian angel muttered, while doing nothing against the way the fabric of her robe had settled between the twin hills of her derri¨¨re.


    The answer was, all the same, correct.


    ¡°If you drop me, I crack. If you smile at me, I smile back. What am I?¡±


    ¡°An egg?¡± Korith suggested.


    ¡°Huh? What kind of weird eggs are you looking at that smile back?¡± Reysha asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°I dunno¡­ I kinda got stuck on the ¡®crack¡¯ part.¡± Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I suspect the answer is ¡®mirror¡¯,¡± Aclysia said and drew the words in the symbols of the Dungeon Speak. A fourth time, the tablet flared green, then glowed in its entirety. Stone turned to translucent light and then to nothing, revealing a compartment within. Aclysia pulled out the item within.


    It was a ring of a dull metal, failing to reflect the light of Aclysia¡¯s spell. The symbol of a spider was etched in black on a circle at the top. ¡°Probably not for you, bubble butt,¡± Reysha commented when the Priest put the ring on. ¡°Moths don¡¯t get along with spiders.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, I merely have moth wings,¡± the angel responded. ¡°Regardless, you are correct,¡± she admitted. The item whispered to her its purpose, as new Dungeon loot often did. ¡°I shall demonstrate what it does.¡±


    Aclysia stood up and then jumped. Up in the air, she slapped her hand against the wall and then dangled there. Flat against the chitinous surface, the hand wearing the ring remained as if adhered to the surface. A simple thought and the magical force was released.


    ¡°Literally a Ring of the Spider,¡± Reysha remarked.


    ¡°You know of them?¡± Aclysia inquired.


    ¡°It¡¯s one of those semi-common items-¡°


    ¡°The word is uncommon,¡± Korith interrupted.


    ¡°Shush, squishy. Anyhowzels, it¡¯s one of those items that Rogues like to have.¡± She caught it when Aclysia tossed it over, then quickly put it on. The size of the ring changed to fit nearly over Reysha¡¯s gloved hands. ¡°For obvious reasons.¡±


    Reysha put a hand on the nearest wall, testing the ¡®grip¡¯. She did the same with her second hand, then her left foot, then the right foot, and then she was halfway up the wall. Following the curve of the tunnel, she soon hung upside down.


    ¡°Behold me, I¡¯m the tiger spider!¡± She took one hand off the roof to wave. She put it back in a hurry, feeling the strain on the gravity-defying magic. It affected only her palms and soles, or the corresponding surfaces on the clothes she wore. Impressive as that was, there was a weight limit to it.


    Letting go of the magic voluntarily, Reysha did as cats do and landed on all fours. ¡°How come I find it and Aclysia solves it, but you get the reward?¡± Korith playfully complained.


    ¡°Maybe Hoard just likes me more?¡± Reysha responded cheekily.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t even a Hoard Dungeon!¡±

 Path of Responsibility 9 – Combat, Banter, Bees

    ¡°You know what I have been wondering?¡± Reysha carefully peeked her head around the corner. The Aimed Whisper Skill allowed her to talk without alerting the enemies around the corner.


    It was a luxury the rest of them did not have. Her question went unanswered, as they instead reacted to her hand signs. ¡®Three monsters, right side,¡¯ she spelled out with a few gestures. The clicking of pointy feet on hard ground soon confirmed her assessment. The insects had noticed the light.


    Korith weighed her hammer with both hands. Her thoughts went to a quiet background noise, the rushing of blood in her ears rising to the surface. She was no berserker, but every frontliner, no matter the Class, knew the value of amping oneself up before charging into battle. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Adrenaline flowing, the Warrior charged. She rushed past the sharp corner and straight towards the opposite wall. The insects lacked the necessary faculties to be confused by that tactic, they simply went on the offensive.


    They were larger than their cousins in the outer layer of the Dungeon, almost the size of a pony each. Spikes of hardened chitin protruded from their backs, creating yet another layer of protection for the already sturdy monsters.


    Sturdiness was of little aid when they fell for the diversion. Korith leapt for the wall, bouncing off the slanted surface with ease. She swung her hammer sideways, forcing the monsters to back away in unison. They backed right into Reysha and Apexus, who had followed the Warrior with mild delay.


    Rogue and Monk descended on the same enemy. With a leap, the heavy hulk of a humanoid chimera landed on the back of the monster. Slammed to the ground, it squirmed beneath him, stunned for just long enough that Reysha could swing one of her swords at it. The weapon was True Silver, like the rest of her extensive armament, and cut a trench into the neck of the monster. Immediately after, she grabbed the underside of a mandible with her left hand.


    Even with the bodysuit covering her, the bulging veins of the demon arm were visible. Unholy strength fuelled her, allowing her to rip the head of the creature upwards with enough force to snap the weakened neck fully.


    Apexus leapt to the side just in time to escape the vengeful mandibles of one of the two remaining monsters. While they were every bit as reliant on pheromones as their counterparts, these inner layer monsters were a bit better at communicating. The Monk was still learning the signals in detail, but he had encountered this one before. It was the sour scent of martyrdom. The Lanaan insect before him was going to delay them with its life while the other creature attempted to deal with Korith.


    An underestimation of the kobold on many levels. Completely in her element, the Warrior ducked and weaved through the hail of bites directed her way. The flow of her Ki filled dense muscles with steady strength. The Warrior Control was the base of every Warrior¡¯s toolset, a Skill dedicated primarily to using base self-empowerment techniques constantly. A Warrior always had to be at 110%, to use their Martial Arts not for anything flashy like other Classes, but to be a reliable force on the battlefield.


    That being said, there was nothing stopping a Warrior from changing things up.


    Korith let her speed drop in the short room between two attacks, then sent mana surging through her muscle fibres. Her small figure allowed the mana to concentrate in a denser manner than in averagely sized or tall people.


    The monster bit down again, only to be overpowered and outpaced by the shortstack. Her hammer smacked against the side of the monster¡¯s face, cracking the chitin beneath the leathery skin. She released the weapon while the momentum was still strong, gripped the lower jaw of the maw behind the mandibles and tore down. A moment later, the creature¡¯s tongue dangled in the air, without a cavity to rest in.


    Gurgling, the monster attempted its best to continue fighting with mandibles and front legs. Confident in her armour, Korith let her arm get caught. It was half of the grip she secured, before firing up another wave of Muscle Strengthening.


    The world of the monster spun. One moment it stood, the next it was slammed down on its back. Korith hastily retrieved her hammer, which had fallen to the floor nearby. She raised it high, while the creature attempted to flip back around. It failed to do so before the hammer came down on the exposed roof of its mouth.


    ¡°Impressive,¡± Apexus complimented her. He and Reysha had taken the third monster out in the meantime.


    ¡°It¡¯s, uhm, it¡¯s what I do?¡± Korith answered, her thoughts slowly crawling back in. ¡°Glad to be of frontline service.¡±


    ¡°An exceptional service that none but you could render with such reliability in this party,¡± Aclysia complimented. The metal fairy had observed the fight from the rear, keeping a lookout for any reinforcements or emergencies. As with most smooth fights, it meant that she had played no part in it. A reserve was a vital part of any flexible strategy.


    ¡°T-thanks!¡± Korith responded to the compliment.


    ¡°We will take a minute,¡± Apexus said and picked up a conveniently sized chunk of splattered skull from the floor. He devoured it whole, while keeping a view in either direction. ¡°What were you wondering, Reysha?¡±


    ¡°Whether someone would remember I said that right before a fight,¡± Reysha answered with a smirk. ¡°No, but actually, I was wondering ¨C if you compare the tastes of these things, what do you think about?¡±


    Apexus tilted his head. ¡°I do not catch your meaning?¡±


    Reysha ripped a lower leg segment off one of the monsters. ¡°¡¯Like these giant ass insects, right? I think they taste like lobster. What would you compare them to?¡±


    ¡°Why would I compare?¡± the Monk continued to be confused. ¡°It tastes like itself. Insect meat steeped in magic.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I am reminded that you¡¯re not human at all,¡± Reysha drawled. ¡°Us species spawned with a Spark like to talk about food.¡±


    ¡°I like to eat food,¡± Apexus answered and shoved another piece of meat in his mouth. ¡°Was that amusing?¡± he asked.


    Aclysia had raised a hand to her mouth, to elegantly hide a little giggle.  ¡°It was a remarkably pure and simple retort that evoked memories of our early days, darling.¡±


    ¡°Cute as he was, I much prefer this,¡± Reysha said between chomps of squishy fibres. ¡°I like the tentacles as much as the other two women in the room, but fuck me, I do like men more than monsters. Hope that doesn¡¯t sound rude, big guy.¡±


    ¡°My form was always fluid, I am happy my current iteration is pleasing to you,¡± the humanoid chimera underlined his words with a simple smile.


    ¡°Personally, kinda glad I missed the slime phase¡­¡± Korith admitted. She had seen him reduced to what he had been back in Chimerion, when he had sacrificed much of his biomass to get the cure for her poison. She had found it interesting, but she could not see herself being sexually attracted to that. It was too lacking in height and muscles.


    ¡°You¡¯re a simple size queen,¡± Reysha pointed out.


    ¡°I am a normal kobold, thank you very much!¡± she pushed back.


    ¡°You are-¡° Reysha¡¯s left ear turned.


    ¡°Something is coming,¡± Apexus stated.


    The constant buzzing sound soon filled the entire corridor. ¡®Sounds a bit like Reysha¡¯s toy¡­¡¯ the comedic thought crossed through Korith¡¯s mind, before the reality of what they were actually hearing dawned on her and the others.


    Bees.


    The swarm of blue-striped insects peeled out of the darkness as a dense tide. The bees were larger than their mundane counterparts, reaching the length of an index finger. Individually, such a lack of size would have been assuring, but in a massive swarm like that it was terrifying.


    Apexus took just a moment¡¯s stock of the situation before he made the call. ¡°Run!¡±


    The entire party turned back to the corridor they had come from. Aclysia launched two Sunlight Bolts into the swarm as she hovered backwards. Each attack turned a ball of bees into scorched husks, but the holes were filled by more of their kin in an instant. Aclysia turned, to fly at full speed. Her companion prism continued to fire lasers into the crowd at steady intervals.


    Following the pheromone scent he had left, Apexus led the party down the trail they had walked so far. They had rested at a healing fountain two days prior. If they aimed straight for that location, they could get there within an hour at most. Running an hour while being chased by bees was possible. Apexus was running his mind for another solution.


    Their toolkit was not well suited for encounters like this. They lacked proper area damage tools. Apexus had not yet learned Ki Explosion or the Scattering Hand. Warriors and Rogues were single-targeted by their nature. Aclysia was the best they had and even she had no proper area damage spell.


    A glaring weakness that he was now aware of and that they would have to fix after they got out of this.


    The swarm continued to chase them. For the moment, they were keeping their distance, but it was only a matter of time until Reysha¡¯s stamina ran out. They needed a solution or an advantageous position.


    Apexus ran with his head half turned, one eye focusing on the path ahead, the other on the swarm behind. The glow of his nails and Aclysia¡¯s Illumni orb were all that parted the darkness. He could not even make out the true extent of the swarm ¨C not until the prism hovering by Aclysia¡¯s shoulder shot another autonomous beam.


    The mass of bees stretched on for metres into the corridor. All of it moved in unison after them and the bees clumped together in front of the beam. An odd behaviour for a swarm, except in one circumstance. ¡®They have something to protect,¡¯ Apexus realized. ¡°There is a queen in there!¡±


    ¡°Ya sure?¡± Reysha shouted.


    ¡°Certain enough,¡± the humanoid chimera answered. ¡°We will turn after the next corner. Korith and I will draw their attention. Aclysia, Reysha, you need to find and target it.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Aclysia answered. She had her doubts about her adequacy. A vital task given meant she had no time to consider those doubts.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡±


    ¡°Korith, Reysha, take your mutagens!¡± Apexus instructed.


    Doing so mid run was slightly awkward, but they managed. The effects kicked in quickly and the swarm of bees buzzed even more angrily, matching the signal scent now coming off from Korith and Apexus. The humanoid chimera mimicked it manually, trying to overpower the senses of the eusocial monsters completely.


    The bend in the path came. ¡°Now!¡± Apexus shouted and threw himself into the swarm.


    Korith followed suit. Both of them could do little more than flail their arms around and even that they quickly ceased doing. They focused all they had in keeping up their Ironskin, covering the entirety of their epidermis with Ki that prevented the stingers of the bees from piercing them. Even though that worked, the relentless swarm soon covered them, crawling under clothes and armour.


    Aclysia suppressed her panic at the sight. It took mere seconds for the people she knew and loved to be turned into humanoid figures, surface crawling with insects. All of the little monsters on her darlings meant fewer monsters in the air though.


    ¡°There!¡± Reysha shouted. The tiger woman snapped forwards, making it through the swarm at a rapid speed. Her own mutagen created a scent that shouted ¡®LET ME THROUGH!¡¯ at the bees. It was as if she was surrounded by wind pressure, pushing the bees aside as she made her way to the heart of the swarm.


    The queen bee was slightly larger than the rest and fuzzy compared to the smooth bodies of its kin. Strikingly, its eyes were of a bright purple colour, which flared into an even greater intensity once it realized that the redhead was coming straight at it. A wave of psychic power slammed into the Rogue.


    The paralysis spell caught Reysha completely off-guard. Locked in mid-motion, the remaining momentum caused her to topple and fall painfully on her side. A wave went through the buzzing of the swarm, an order by the queen to descend on the squishy target no matter what the pheromones said.


    Aclysia weaved her spell. Mana flowed from her palm. Invisible streaks of power, put into a spin by the curl of her half-closed hand. It looked as if she was gripping an intangible object ¨C and that object manifested in a flash of golden light. Critical mass reached, the Solar Lance was launched a moment later, thrown like a javelin. The metal fairy had little faith in her aim. It did not matter if she used a projectile of sufficient power.


    The Solar Lance sliced and scorched its way through the swarm, then turned the psychic bee queen itself into nothing but ash. A high-pitched screech filled the air for three seconds, causing a massive headache in all four members of the Inevitable party. That was the worst of it for them. For the other bees, the death scream of the queen was the end. All of the bees simultaneously turned into husks, dropping where they crawled or flew.


    ¡°That went better than expected,¡± Apexus admitted. He had thought they would have to continue running from a disorganized swarm afterwards.


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Reysha hissed, rubbing her cheek. ¡°I got stung twice¡­ urgh, it¡¯s already swelling¡­¡±


    ¡°We will move back to the Healing Fountain for now,¡± Apexus decided. Aclysia was not good at detoxifying and having painfully swelling stings would be distracting to Reysha. They did not need that when they were exploring so hostile an environment.


    So, they went back to the Fountain to proceed the next day.

 Path of Responsibility 10 – Heart of One Hive

    A full month after they had finished the grinding training, the Inevitable Party found the boss room.


    By what little available estimates the party had, they considered themselves to be somewhere below the spire of the Lanaan Hive. They could only go off the fact that they had gone down more than up, but they did not have certainty in this.


    Three ways led into the chamber in front of the chitinous gate. The party came down the one left of that final door of the dungeon. As was often the case, a Healing Fountain was located in front of the chamber, allowing for them all to refresh themselves before they tackled the boss. Crystals jutting out from the ceiling activated in response to the movement, providing a dim, golden light.


    ¡°Fucking finally,¡± Reysha groaned, already starting to strip. ¡°Light, a bath, and the end of this dungeon. I¡¯m getting sick of bug meat.¡±


    ¡°You will eat it some more,¡± Apexus reminded her. They may have been about to leave the Lanaan Hive, but the rest of the gauntlet was still out east. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare everything, you enjoy the bath,¡± he then told Korith.


    The kobold had waited by his side for the moment the Mobile Estate was opened up. With the assurance given, she let out a relieved sigh and began to take off her armour. She had not done so for any meaningful stretch of time in three days. That had been the stretch between their last safe spot and this one.


    Apexus pulled the key out of his slime. The magical item gleamed. Being constantly enveloped in a corrosive that only affected organic matter kept it in mint condition. Apexus carefully pushed it into the air, letting it sink into the hole that formed by the gesture, then turned the key to create the door frame of light. By the time the door had fully formed, Apexus had deposited the key inside himself again.


    He went inside, quickly filling a pot with the water the Mobile Estate provided, then igniting a flame under it. He hung the pot high, so it would not come to a boil too quickly. Once that was done, he checked what food they still had.


    After Apexus had turned the initial storage room into his alchemy lab, they had moved the items within it to either the Living Room or the dead end in the corridor between bedroom and bath. The latter was where Apexus was headed.


    No doubt existed that the Mobile Estate was a luxury. After its expansion, Apexus had even felt it to be quite roomy. That feeling had since faded, as they had filled the new space with new things. Huge as the humanoid chimera was, strutting through the corridor, only a metre wide and four deep, felt somewhat cramped.


    They had screwed hooks into the wooden ceiling there and from those hooks, on sturdy threads, dangled a selection of ham. Below the meat were sacks filled with hard vegetables, the kind that would require months to spoil. A couple of pickle jars sat in the corner.


    Most of the threads only had a bone dangling from them. The sacks were mostly empty, what remained only filling the bottom of the rough fabric. Of the pickle jars, only one had been opened so far. As they had the longest shelf life, they were to be opened last. Korith having a particular craving had been the only reason why they were one short.


    Korith could eat a lot. In any given day, she burned the same or more energy than any other Warrior of regular size would have and her intake of sustenance matched that. Fortunately, the party only had one member that ate regular food and they could store a lot more food on a journey.


    Apexus cut dried slices off the ham and put them in a clean basket alongside a couple of turnips. It was not a good meal, but it lasted. He carried the basket outside. ¡°Replenishment for your bag,¡± he told Korith and put the basket down near the kobold¡¯s clothes. Because getting cut off from the Mobile Estate was a regular occurrence, it only made sense that Korith kept enough food for a few days in her own Adventurer¡¯s Bag.


    ¡°Thank youuuuu,¡± the blonde sighed. As was so often the case, the shortstack found herself the target of multiple sources of pampering. Aclysia had the kobold in front of her, combing through her golden hair with her fingers. Reysha was scrubbing the rest of the curvy shortie, from face cheeks to butt cheeks. Apexus joined the fun and soon the water was rippling with altogether more erratic motions. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Safety orgy gone through, they went into the mansion, healed and clean, ate together, slept, and then had a final strategy meeting.


    Aclysia put the guide in front of her. The opened page was a double-spread, including drawings of the boss monster from several angles. It looked like a mixture of cockroach and hedgehog with its pronounced back covered in sharp crystals. Various texts described the recommended boss strategy.


    ¡°According to the manual, this is among the easier boss fights. The boss is described as slow and defensive in nature. However, taking damage in the fight is guaranteed, as striking its armoured crystals causes a reactive explosion. After such an explosion, the affected segment is exposed for a few moments to be struck, before a fresh crystal grows. The challenge, therefore, is to carefully measure resources as the boss is gradually whittled down. The sturdy party members will trigger and tank the explosions, while the nimble damage dealers will strike at the exposed flesh.¡±


    ¡°Sounds easy enough, what¡¯s the catch?¡± Reysha asked.


    Aclysia scanned over the two pages in front of her, then checked the adjacent ones for full certainty. ¡°There does not appear to be one. It is that straightforward.¡±


    ________________________________________________________________


    Apexus struck the plate of the monster.


    The reaction to the attack was, from the chimera¡¯s point of view, instantaneous. The black crystal turned grey with light, then shattered into a scattershot blast that dug into the carefully prepared Ironskin and almost broke the ribcage beneath. Apexus was thrown backwards, coming back to his senses only when he was flat on his back on the gently sloped ground.


    Reysha rushed forwards from the edge of the flat bowl shape of the arena. The boss monster, three metres of spikes, sat in the middle of it, its belly protected by the shape of the space. Armed with her longest sword, the redhead stabbed at the revealed wound. She repressed the urge to use an Overplayed Edge. The guide had made it very clear that this fight was about preserving resources.


    Purple blood oozed from the wound and Reysha snapped back before she could trigger the explosive revenge of the regrowing crystals. Apexus picked himself up, shaking his head, and directed the internal flow to push out the fragments of the crystals stuck in his epidermis. Sharp pieces clattered to the ground one after another.


    The boss monster continued to sit there, while the rest of the party prowled around it. Occasionally it would shift its weight to present more of its spikes to the enemies. The guide had detailed that the creature would only really move if it was not attacked for a while, to interrupt any attempt of a party to rest in the middle of the boss room.


    Out in wider nature, this creature would have been effectively harmless. In here, where they were forced to choose between killing it or starving inside the sealed chamber, its defensive strategy worked perfectly well. Still, for the Inevitable Party, it was a very manageable encounter.


    Apexus was still regenerating when Korith attacked next. The shortstack struck a singular plate. She kept her head turned, shielding her eyes from the shrapnel that then cut hardened skin and scratched armour. Like Apexus, she was flung back. Reysha, who had waited outside the blast cone, then delivered a stab.


    This repeated again and again and again, for thirty full minutes, until the accumulated wounds finally caused the creature to unceremoniously turn slack.


    By that point, none of the party was in a good state either. Reysha had been caught twice when an impressive strike had triggered several plates simultaneously. The same was true for Aclysia. Apexus and Korith were damaged from taking the constant hits. Courtesy of healing, they themselves were fine, but their clothes were more shreds than anything else. The armour itself was fine, in Korith¡¯s case, but any exposed buckles would need replacement.


    ¡°I hated that,¡± Reysha stated. ¡°That was so boring and dangerous. That¡¯s the worst combination of things!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Korith agreed.


    Apexus ignored the two of them, too gleeful at the prospect of finally acquiring another Growth. It was in his instincts to crave evolution and it had been altogether too long, for his taste, since he had gotten a change to himself.


    Eating the monster was a matter of minutes. Once it had been fully dissolved, Apexus found himself filled with that tingling sensation that came with his body readying itself to integrate another genetic sequence into its chimeric makeup.  He considered the reactive plating of the monster for a few moments, but decided against it. The covering would make him too cumbersome. The bristles of the worm remained his choice.


    The Growth changed as it went from temporary to permanent. Already hard tubes hardened further, the material composition becoming similar to Apexus¡¯ teeth. He integrated the organ that produced the bristles into the underside of the outermost segment of each of his fingers, then concentrated on his index finger.


    The bristle pushed out from the tip of the finger. It was a grey-tinted white. It was as thin as any needle would have been, growing ever so slightly towards the base. The bristle had been hollow before Apexus had acquired it, but now that it was part of his biology it had evolved in keeping with his intention. Blue shimmered ever so softly beneath the opaque surface of the biological needle.


    Apexus¡¯ slime inside the needle was not there to be injected. Once separated from his body, the acidic nature of his internal fluids was nearly immediately lost, making it useless as a poison. No, the purpose was to have control over the hollow.


    The humanoid chimera tested the concept on a puddle of purple blood. Placing the tip of the needle in the shallow pool, he pulled his slime back into the finger. The resulting vacuum had to be filled and thus the blood was sucked into the needle. Apexus then stabbed the needle into his own palm for testing. The impact at the front, through clever biological engineering, put a great amount of pressure onto the back, causing the space to contract and the liquid contents to be injected. The same process caused the bristle to snap off right below the skin of the finger.  The base of the old needle became the tip of the next one, already grown within the finger, waiting like the next tooth of a shark.


    ¡°What do you want to do with that, darling?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°It will be versatile,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°Relaxation therapy outside of combat. In combat, if I can acquire poisons, then I can inject them. I should also be able to inject mutagens and other concoctions.¡±


    ¡°How about healing potions?¡± Reysha asked. The utility of having a second healer, even one limited by potion supply, was obvious.


    Apexus looked at the snapped needle. At best, it could hold a hundredth of the contents of a single vial. ¡°It would need to be very concentrated. I will research. Where is Korith?¡±


    ¡°Probably putting her Favour Paper to the chests,¡± the redhead answered. ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out. Maybe the Scam God actually has something for us today.¡±

 Path of Responsibility 11 – The Loot and the Road

    Korith waited for her party in the Loot chamber.


    It was a room at the end of a short corridor that had opened up. As was so often the case with these Dungeons, it was directly attached to a resting area. A larger healing fountain, alcoves for sleeping, and small side rooms for privacy. Apexus had heard them called the Apartment for Adventurers. He had not heard that name often. It was not popular.


    The chests were made from chitin, looking more grown than built. Their divine origin made the distinction unimportant. ¡°Put your money on fire yet?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°No! I want you to witness the glory of Hoard!¡± Korith declared. ¡°Since you are too stupid to appreciate an item upgrade, we¡¯ll do things differently this time!¡±


    Reysha opened her mouth to argue, but Aclysia put a hand on her shoulder. The redhead glanced back. The moth-winged angel gently shook her head. ¡®Alright, fine,¡¯ the Rogue thought. ¡°I was just saying it¡¯s difficult to appreciate when you have no comparison¡­ sorry if I was overly teasing¡­¡± She scratched the back of her head. ¡°You know what I¡¯m about.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Korith¡¯s cheeks remained puffed up. An appeasing hand was placed on her head by the leader of the group. A couple of ear scratches later, the shortstack was at least happy enough to start her little ritual.


    ¡°First, we just check the loot as per usual,¡± she announced.


    There were four chests this time around and so they checked the four items within.


    First was a magical tent. It was the size for one person on the outside, but fit about 4 on the inside. With the Mobile Estate in their possession, this item could be considered useless. They considered it a good second choice. There were times at which the Mobile Estate was unviable, for social or environmental reasons.


    Second was a Ring of Water Walking. They allowed for a person to walk on water as if it was solid ground for a few seconds. After some back and forth, it was decided that Korith would get it. Apexus did not need it, he felt perfectly at home in the water and, as a Monk, he would be able to solve this in different ways down the line. Reysha was the other contender. Utilizing water walking for unique ambush angles was good. However, it was not as good as keeping their fully armoured frontliner from sinking under the waves. Plus, Reysha had already gotten a ring out of this dungeon.


    Korith wore the item not on her finger, but on the left of her two larger horns instead. The magical item widened as it was pushed over the ridges, then narrowed down behind the second to last segment. She would have to keep wearing it until her horn broke off, until it grew out, or until they removed it with a cutter. A drawback that was also an advantage, as it was quite firmly attached to her now.


    The third item was a spear. It was of artisanal make, decorations most dense where blade and shaft flowed together. For a spear, it was heavy, making it a poor weapon for Reysha, defaulting it to Korith. As she was currently lacking in a weapon with reach, she accepted it. Testing revealed that it was enchanted to inflict a gravity effect on the enemy. A light one, weighing them down by 10% of their body weight. Not enough to cause a creature to collapse, but enough to slow most monsters down.


    Fourth was a Page of Communion. It was a consumable item that Classes utilizing some kind of book could use in order to commune with a deity who could reveal to them a new spell. Aclysia took it for herself for later usage.


    A good haul, all things considered.


    ¡°Alright, now witness glory!¡± Korith declared boastfully and pulled out 3 of her 4 remaining Favour Papers. ¡°One to seal the lid,¡± she chanted and smacked the paper against the front of the chest. The lifted lid suddenly snapped forwards on its hinges, falling closed so loudly that Aclysia jumped. ¡°One to refill it.¡± Korith put a second paper against the front of the chest. The first one remained glued to the surface by magical power. The gap between the lid and the body of the chest glowed in a spectrum of colours. ¡°One to upgrade the item!¡± Korith adhered the third Favour Paper to the chest, then snapped back.


    The religious symbols on the papers began to glow. Divine energy steeping the fibres rose from within, consuming the material in a blaze of golden flame. Translucent afterimages of the papers remained. Runes flowed into new shapes, gold coins, diamonds, books, and all else that was hoardable. They flowed from the top to the bottom.


    They flowed and flowed, moving ever faster. A sound like hard money cascading down a staircase filled the room. It looked like each of the strips of golden light was a spinning wheel. The first one came to a sudden stop, slotting in with a satisfying ¡®cling¡¯ sound. An icon depicting a sword was on display.


    ¡°What¡¯s that abou-¡°


    ¡°Sssssssssshhhhhhhh!¡± Korith interrupted Reysha. ¡°Listen to Hoard¡¯s coins flowing!¡±


    The second wheel slotted into place, depicting a sword yet again. Korith squeaked in excitement, rocking back and forth with giddy anticipation. The other three members of the party watched with various degrees of interested confusion. They were not yet sure what would come of it.


    The third and final wheel came to a halt with teasing slowness. Korith trembled head to toe, hands clasped in prayer to Hoard. Aclysia, Apexus and Reysha leaned in a little closer. They saw the symbol of the sword appear on the upper edge of the moving light symbols. It crawled its way down, first making them question whether it would join the other two in the row, then whether it would snail its way past.


    With a sound like a click, the wheel came to a stop and spelled out their fortune: three swords in a row.


    The lid of the chest burst open. A blade of gleaming silver came flying out. The edges were gold-trimmed. For all of its luxurious colours, the double-edged weapon was dangerous and sleek in its design. The handle and grip were made from carved bone the colour of ivory. A trail of large runes was burned in black into the spine of the straight blade, a curving accent to the uppermost rune flowing all the way to the tip.


    ¡°HOLY SHIT!¡± Reysha shouted and grabbed the Legendary item out of mid-air. She gave it a once-over, then probingly sent her Ki through the grip of bone into the runes. The flow was familiar. Her eyes widened when she recognized the Martial Art this weapon supported. Then, she started to giggle. ¡°By the Hellroots¡­ yeah, fuck me sideways, Hoard is awesome.¡±


    ¡°I told you!¡± Korith declared, hands on her hips and chest pushed out boastfully. After a few moments of holding that pose, she did deflate. ¡°So, uh, what is it? Besides a cool sword?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Runeblade?¡± Reysha said, and turned the weapon to be inspected by everyone else. ¡°I told you about it before?¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°She did,¡± Aclysia confirmed. ¡°Although this was back on Tacuitos.¡±


    It had been over 8 months since they had left that Leaf and their teachers behind. Aclysia with her erudite memory remembered most details from conversations back then. Korith was far from stupid, but to have details slip after such a long time was only human. Apexus, for his part, did recall it as well. He did not mind the refresher, nor asking for it so Korith did not feel isolated. ¡°Could you tell us again?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Reysha shrugged, used to forgetting things herself. ¡°Runeblades are weapons with runes on them¡­ that sounded better in my head¡­¡± She pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Okay, bad formulation. Runeblades use runes to simulate the way mana flows through the body. They usually have just one or two Martial Arts or Skills inscribed on them, which becomes way easier to turn into a Weapon Art through these weapons. Instead of having to force the Martial Art to be extended, it has a natural vessel. It makes it quicker, cheaper, and more reliable.¡± Reysha gave the weapon a test swing. ¡°This one has the Ki Poison Martial Art. Mai tried to teach it to me, but I only got Edge and Spellslice figured out before we left¡­¡± Her Ki flowed into the runes of the light, sharp, and fairly long weapon. A noxious, purple glow replaced the gold of the edge. ¡°¡­I fucking love this.¡±


    ¡°Do you respect Hoard now?¡± Korith wanted to know.


    ¡°I respect the fuck out of Hoard now!¡± Reysha assured and swung her weapon. It had to be her weapon, no one else in the party could make proper use of it. ¡°I wish I had-¡° A sheathe bounced out of the still open chest. ¡°That!¡± Reysha shouted and caught the black, wooden container for the weapon. A few seconds later, she had secured it to her belt, with the other armaments she regularly used, and put the weapon away with a satisfying ¡®clink¡¯. ¡°Scam God redeemed! Let¡¯s buy all of the Favour Papers now!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Korith shouted.


    ¡°No,¡± Aclysia interjected.


    ¡°¡±Eeeeehhhhhh?¡±¡± Reysha and Korith complained in unison.


    ¡°Favour Papers are a costly affair.¡±


    ¡°Aclysia, this is the kinda shit ya can¡¯t even BUY at our level. It won¡¯t be made because 500 platin is barely enough money to make a craftsman capable of it spit on you!¡± Reysha was clearly excited. ¡°We could get an armour for Korith ¨C a Runeplate!¡±


    ¡°Do those exist?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aclysia confirmed, valuing truth over making her point as ironclad as possible. ¡°Regardless, a mass investment into Favour Papers is unwise for layered reasons. First and foremost, like all of Korith¡¯s games, there is a chance we lose. Do not mistake your victory in this gamble for proof of the absence of misfortune in our future. Secondly, this application does only work at the end of a dungeon. Assuming we manage to engage in a lifestyle where we enter dungeon after dungeon, it would still be prudent to only clear one every two months, translating to six per year and 18 Favour Papers needed per Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­ we can get 18 then?¡± Korith pleaded.


    Aclysia glanced to Apexus, who slowly nodded. The guardian angel sighed. ¡°If we have the excess funds, it shall be a priority,¡± she promised.


    ¡°Yay! You¡¯re the best, Aclysia!¡± Korith said. ¡°I would jump and kiss you if I wasn¡¯t covered in armour!¡±


    ¡°Your awareness of your state of hardness is appreciated,¡± Aclysia drawled. ¡°Shall we take a short break?¡± She gestured at the pool.


    ¡°Do we have time for one?¡± Reysha asked in return. ¡°As you just mathed out, we spent a lot of time down here. Shouldn¡¯t we make up for it?¡±


    ¡°The Atlas Party¡¯s speed is not our concern, making our own journey as safe as it ought to be is,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°Furthermore, I believe we have the fundamental edge in this matter. The route we went for is the shortest and although the Lanaan Hives territory is hostile, it is flat. Our competition treks through the chaotic landscape of Chimerion and, likely, through the forests and jungles of the north thereafter.¡±


    ¡°I support Aclysia¡¯s reading in this,¡± Apexus raised his voice. ¡°We are also used to wandering. More than they are, at least. They will also have to increase their own power and thus clear a dungeon on the way.¡±


    ¡°Such is my assumption,¡± Aclysia nodded. ¡°Ultimately, however, this does not matter. We cannot know and I am not beginning a search for divination magic to acquire intel that will not change our approach. We will move at the proper speed, quick enough to make us competitive, not so hurried that we are guaranteed to stumble into an obvious blade.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I¡¯ll just trust ya on this,¡± Reysha answered after a few seconds. ¡°Not like we¡¯re losing anything besides our pride here.¡±


    ¡°Not pride, honour,¡± Apexus corrected her. ¡°We do this because it is right.¡±


    ¡°Imma be honest with you, big guy ¨C YOU do it because it is right. I could have ignored all of this just fine.¡± She tilted her head and gave him a broad, somewhat tired smirk. ¡°Which is just one of the many reasons I love you. Sticking with you makes me a better person¡­ or at least forces me to pretend.¡±


    Like he had done with Korith minutes earlier, Apexus placed his hand on the tiger girl¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m not good with words.¡± He left it at that, scratching Reysha¡¯s ears until she purred. Her gaze, blue orbs in black pools, beheld him with all of the sexual intent that usually accompanied the end of these dungeons.


    ¡°If we¡¯re relaxing anyway, how does it sound to pound the feeling out of my legs?¡± she suggested seductively.


    Apexus did not have to consider that question for long.

 Path of Responsibility 12 – Desired Roughness [Erotic Content]

    They did not make it to the bedroom.


    Reysha had already been making out with Aclysia by the time Apexus opened the door to the Mobile Estate. When the door was open, the aggressive groping by the tiger girl had put the usually so orderly priestess¡¯ clothes into heavy disarray. Then, Reysha had dragged the dominated angel along, leading the way into their home.


    There had been a blatant challenge in Reysha¡¯s eyes as she passed him.


    Apexus knew he was expected to meet it.


    He caught up to the two women with two quick steps. His hand landed on Aclysia¡¯s shoulder, a mighty paw on the slender woman. Reysha was forced to stop alongside the priestess and watched when he aggressively pulled the binding sash from the red robes of the moth-winged woman.


    ¡°Oh Master!¡± Aclysia cried wantonly, her silk clothing falling to the floor in a smooth whisper. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Korith, pull my pants down,¡± he ordered the shortstack.


    ¡°Oy, what toys are left for me then?¡± Reysha complained.


    The two submissives left the conflict of the doms uncommented on. One had her order and executed it faithfully. The other was bent over, adjusted in her position where she stood by the man behind her. His cock, large and erect, pressed against her labia, bright pink petals at the centre of a swollen mound, almost immediately.


    ¡°They are my toys,¡± Apexus stated. ¡°You are one of them.¡±


    A loud moan, a smack of skin against skin, and a spasm through the entirety of Aclysia¡¯s body all betrayed the moment he thrust into her. So eager and wet, she was in the perfect position for one hard, quick thrust to fill her completely. Her folds twitched around the member that was tailored to her pussy, just so large to stop shy of battering her cervix, exactly as girthy as she desired it, and with little bumps simulating veins in all the right places.


    Apexus held her by the narrow of her waist and the side of her neck, squeezing both so the guardian angel was absolutely certain of her position beneath him. The constant reminder of her physical inferiority only made the white-haired woman moan louder. Her wings vibrated, trembling with the rest of her. The median furrow running down her back was pronounced by the concave arch of her spine. She threw her head back and let out a depraved, ¡°Ye-e-e-e-essssss!¡± while he hammered her from behind.


    Simultaneously, Apexus and Reysha had a staring contest. Korith watched it from the side, twitching in anticipation of what would happen next. When this sort of thing happened, it was always because Reysha challenged the apex of the sexual pecking order. These things also always ended in one of two ways. Either Reysha slotted back into her place as support dom or, sometimes, when the redhead was in that particular mood¡­


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The switch flipped, lowering herself to the ground in a symbolic gesture. Once on all fours, she crawled over, rubbing affectionately against his muscular leg and purring all the while. ¡°We¡¯re all your little sex pets, Master,¡± she cooed seductively, readily falling into the role.


    Suddenly, there was only one dom in the room, with three submissives with their individual needs and wants to take care of. Yet another challenge Apexus knew he was expected to meet. Just like the previous one, he relished the opportunity.


    Only now that they were clear on the dynamics of this entanglement, did Apexus let his pheromones switch to the aphrodisiac scent. Korith¡¯s eyes fully glazed over when the aphrodisiac scent filled her lungs and she stepped forwards to hug the leg of her dom, a man twice her size. Fat tits pancaked against his thigh. Reysha gasped loudly, grinding herself against his other leg. Her fingers darted between her legs. Her mind readily gave in to the stimuli and she masturbated feverishly.


    ¡°MASTEE-----!¡± Aclysia screamed, her melodic voice caught off at the end by the intensified squeezing on her neck. The aphrodisiac entered her not just through the lungs but through the precum her dom was adding to the lubrication of her primary hole. Her already high arousal reached a new peak. Like all of the chimera¡¯s growth, the aphrodisiac only grew stronger with time and Aclysia¡¯s resistance against the magical compound was at an absolute zero and had been since the first days of their sexual relationship. What point was there to resisting the most trusted person in her life?


    Aclysia let herself dissolve in the ecstasy. Like her perfect, heart-shaped ass, his thrusts sent ripples through her mind that dominated everything else. A worry-free existence, in which only the pleasure of being toyed with by her loved ones remained. She tried to scream again, instinctively, while her first orgasms ran through her from toes to the roots of her hairs. Only choked gasps escaped her. It would only be the first of several climaxes.


    Apexus was in a trance himself. He was mindlessly dedicated to the rhythmic ploughing of Aclysia¡¯s main hole. The sounds, the sights, the scents, they mesmerized him. Greedy gasps of awaiting submissives. Loud claps of hips meeting juicy cheeks. The ripples, never given a chance to stop, going through her fat ass. The way that bubble butt was distorted, then jiggled back into place. The sweetness of his melody¡¯s scent mixing with the aphrodisiac. The light note of hot sweat growing more pronounced while he hammered her.


    Pale white skin began to glisten, by the time that Apexus¡¯ merciless assault on Aclysia¡¯s tight hole took its toll on him. Tongue lolling, eyes rolling, Aclysia still had enough awareness to shape a ¡®Yes!¡¯ with her lips in anticipation of what the twitching cock was about to give her. One final thrust and he came inside her. White hot seed flooded the depths of the guardian angel.


    ¡°Oh, she has it goooooood,¡± Reysha commented, voice laced with desire.


    ¡°So good,¡± Korith whispered in support, moaning from her pebbled nipples touching hard muscle.


    ¡®My desire to be rough today is matched,¡¯ Apexus thought in the brief moment of post-orgasmic clarity. It did not take long until his breeding instincts, alive and well despite his decision for temporary infertility, reared up. There were two more nubile females eager to be filled and he had plenty left to give.


    Apexus managed to push back his further desires until after he had picked up Aclysia and walked over to their couch. There, he dropped the blissed-out priestess, to turn his attention to the other two submissives.


    Without thinking, Korith had joined Reysha in crawling. The two were kneeling in the shadow of their Master and got visible goosebumps when his gaze, equal parts hard and loving, landed on them. He only thought for a short moment, before grabbing Korith by the horns.


    The shortstack moaned when she was dragged along. She was spun around, put on the table with her face towards her Master¡¯s crotch. She instinctively knew what would happen next and opened her mouth wide. It was immediately stuffed with the hard cock, coated in Aclysia¡¯s juices. Korith¡¯s eyelids fluttered as she was hit by the double dose of pheromones and her sensitive throat bulging with the size of his manhood.


    Apexus pawed Korith¡¯s huge udders. The squishy bags made for an excellent hand rest. They were incredibly entertaining to knead, to pull at the nipple, to smack, and to simply let ripple while he fucked her face. He was almost as rough with the comfort hole as he had been to Aclysia¡¯s pussy, gaping and leaking cum less than two metres from where he currently was.


    ¡°Master, may I taste your cream?¡± Reysha asked, already crawling towards the delicious spread.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Apexus allowed. Reysha was a submissive in this entanglement, but to nowhere near the same degree as the other two. Denying her would have diminished her enjoyment and that was the last thing he, as a responsible dom, wanted.


    While Reysha treated herself to the delicious snack, Apexus continued to use and abuse Korith¡¯s throat in all the ways the kobold delighted in. The claws of the red-scaled, tanned set of holes cut little grooves into the hardwood tabletop. Every time his cock slid into her depths, her hips bucked up. She loved getting face fucked, she absolutely lived for it, and her pussy kept gushing to underline that fact.


    Apexus craved to dominate her more. In the short break he had to take to let her gather fresh air, tendrils emerged from his naked back. They curved around the small woman. Some coiled around her arms and legs, bending and binding her extremities into a position that put everything on display. Her hands were locked behind her back, her legs parted in an almost flat line, and then a two-pronged tendril found her lower holes.


    His extensions pushed into her just as he slammed back into her throat. A muffled scream vibrated around his cock, the kobold getting violently pushed over the edge in a squirting orgasm that made a mess of the table. Evaporated sweat and dripping pussy juices had already gathered on the surface, but the explosive release of female love fluids massively expanded the situation.


    The rough treatment continued all the same. The triple sensation of fucking all of her holes filled Apexus¡¯ being with a constant tingle. Liquid nerves sent signals of delight into his core that empowered the simple imperative to keep on going. The willing sex slave was cumming and cumming again, being made the receptacle of his need for release.


    A release he approached rapidly with every swing of his hips. Closer and closer and closer, until the baby batter was ready to shoot out. Apexus clenched his teeth and controlled his breathing, drawing out the ecstatic moment at the edge for as long as possible until instincts forced him to thrust into the depths of Korith¡¯s throat.


    He unloaded deep inside her. Deep inside her throat, filling her stomach. Deep inside her pussy, filling her womb. Deep inside her backdoor, filling her completely. The binding tendrils twitched as well, showering the thick thighs, toned midriff and plump tits of the shortstack with white streaks. He pulled from her mouth quickly, spreading the second half of his orgasm over her face. She licked it all up with the empty-headed delight of a spasming cocksleeve.


    Two down, Apexus turned his attention to Reysha immediately.


    ¡°Ohhhh, yes!¡± she gasped, only realizing it was her turn when he pulled her away from Aclysia¡¯s cunt. He grabbed her ankles, bending her until her feet were upside down on the backrest of the couch. The rest of Reysha¡¯s hourglass figure was pinned under him. Hands dug into her ass, pulling at cheeks that were nice and shapely. She lacked the overabundant size of Aclysia and Korith, yet she was not thin at all. She was balanced all around, athletic without being muscular, curvy without being plump, slender without being skinny. Her chocolate skin, covered in darker stripes, was exotic, enticing, and contrasted heavily with the pretty pink of the insides revealed when she spread her engorged sex.


    Apexus lost no time on words. He was like an animal, seeking to bring pleasure to his submissives. Words were overrated anyhow, when deeds made Reysha throw her head back. He pushed centimetres by centimetre of his cock into her at a rapid pace. She was prepared to take it all, relaxed to ease the entering save for the little twitches and tenses of stimulation.


    ¡°Oh Master,¡± she cooed, as a tendril coiled around her neck. It did not strangle her, remaining as loose as a comfortably worn collar. The tip curved around, hovering in front of Reysha¡¯s face, then rubbing over her eagerly presented tongue. ¡°Go iiiiihnnn,¡± the open-mouthed tiger woman pleaded.


    Apexus teased her for a little bit first. He could not restrain her, for Reysha was not a fan of it, but when she was switched to the submissive side like this, he could get away with keeping things just out of reach for a short while. This was especially true if he paired it with something else the multi-penetration enthusiast desired.


    After fully entering her, Apexus slowly pulled back out of Reysha¡¯s drenched cunt. Gooey strands connected them already after just a short kiss of pelvis and pubic mound. Once fully out, Reysha¡¯s blue eyes set onto the second cock that her inhuman lover had grown. She purred in anticipation, stretching an arm to align it with her backdoor. After a few seconds of spreading his precum over the third of her holes, he pushed into her again.


    Tantalizing slowness was the chosen pace. He widened her sphincter carefully, the cock growing slowly in size as he went, matching the size of the original by the time he was halfway inside her. Her tongue swirled around the head of the tentacle that gradually filled her mouth. She only stopped when it penetrated into her throat.


    Apexus pushed and pushed, until he was fully inside her. He lingered for a moment, exchanging a heated gaze with Reysha, before suddenly upping the tempo to harsh and heavy thrusts. The meaty slaps of his weight against Reysha¡¯s readily presented ass filled the room, underlined by the cockdrunk giggles of two already used sets of holes.


    Reysha was the third set and she blossomed in the position, using her limited manoeuvrability to please her Master in whatever ways she could. She put her chest on display, wiggled her hips, massaged his tendril with her tongue, and ran her hands over his biceps. She also failed in all of those for short stretches, orgasmic quivers taking hold of her in increasing intervals while he did his best to fuck her brains out.


    A matter he would inevitably succeed in, as they both knew.


    Ever so subtly, the shape of his cock had changed. The curve, the bumps, they were now perfect to tease and stimulate all the sensitive spots he knew the redhead had. Her medium breasts were quivering with each quick breath she took. The triple penetration had her wailing, but each scream of delight was muffled by the throat fucking.


    Apexus was on his third round, but at this pace he would not last long. He did not plan to, either. He was not in the mood for a lengthy orgy, he wanted to fill Reysha up as he had the other two. He raced towards that goal, making her his willing sex slave for the process, and when the finale came, they were both delighted by it.


    A final thrust. A low grunt. A tensing of the slime¡¯s muscles. An end to movement. Tentacles and cocks tensed and released, marking the insides of the third submissive with his seed. Wave after wave, ridden out to completion, while Reysha squirted, making even more of the living room a mess.


    When it was all done, Apexus pulled out and sat down on the couch. He took a moment to bask in his achievement, surrounded by the petered out cocksleeves that he so deeply loved.


    ¡®This is the good life,¡¯ he thought.

 Path of Responsibility 13 – Of Walking and Greed

    ¡°Ah, the sun,¡± Reysha sighed. ¡°Good to feel that on my skin again.¡±


    ¡°Can you even feel it?¡± Korith asked.


    In the time they had spent in the dungeon, autumn had fully made way for winter. They had all changed into winter clothes because of it. Furs were placed over freshly washed combat equipment, keeping them warm but also making it harder to move. Alas, a quick death due to a delayed step would have been preferable to shivering to death. Far down south as they were, the frozen belly of the world was not too far away.


    On the plus side, the path they had chosen brought them over frozen flats. The Atlas party would have to weather a shorter distance of frozen tundra. It should ultimately come out in the Inevitable party¡¯s favour.


    ¡°Just a tad,¡± Reysha said, turning her face in the direction of the sun. ¡°I¡¯ll go pale at this rate.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can?¡± Apexus asked. ¡°I was under the impression humanoids are locked into a range of pigmentation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a way to put it,¡± Reysha snorted with her usual amusement. ¡°Wonder how pale I could get, honestly. I¡¯d probably bottom out somewhere around Korith¡¯s level. Would take years though.¡±


    The redhead shuddered when a cold wind blew over them. Swiftly, she followed the example of the others, pulling her hood up. It took some fidgeting to get her ears through the specially made holes. Her hearing was still muffled, but less so.


    For all the detriments the clothing offered, the party advanced with confidence. For one, they had left the dungeon notably stronger than they had entered it. The Incursions that riddled the landscape would prove to be of little challenge to them, even while fighting to keep their clothes untorn. However, fighting was also highly optional. The cold also affected the various insectoids, who retreated to their burrows, only coming out if something was practically within snapping distance.


    On their journey east, the party made only a few stops to clean out Incursions and they only did so to get a quick hold of the Mana Gems within. They were good to have. Out there, they were more valuable than most currency and they had need to buy fresh supplies.


    They passed through a number of the smaller settlements over the next ten days. Each only had a little to spare, but they did not need much. Reysha had made plenty of the Spice of Magic and food for her and Apexus was the only thing the landscape provided in a vast amount. Every time they bought more food than Korith consumed between two points, they made out with a net positive.


    ¡°Could you stay a couple of days?¡±


    The question was presented by the head of the latest village they had entered. Unlike the other places they had visited, this one deserved to be called such. It was no outpost of less than twenty people, but a community of almost three-hundred.


    It was located south of the Impossible Strait and the two last Lanaan Hives that the group would pass by before making it to the Lamb¡¯s Court, one of the territories that had been properly or at least mostly been wrestled from the control of the wilderness. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fitting for its location, the village was simply called Southstrait, short for South of Strait, and it had been built as a major supply hub between that territory and the port all the way back where the Inevitable party had first landed. The road that was planned to connect all of them was not even in its infancy. Still, the village had been sponsored and continued to be financed by noble decree.


    Its position was simply advantageous. Located in the narrow between the ocean and the huge freshwater lake on the eastern side of the Lanaan Influence Zone, Southstrait occupied the only viable land bridge for potential commerce. Going south around the lake was colder, longer and potentially infested with level 50 undead. In short, there was no sane reason to ever take that route. The lake being freshwater also meant the village had ready access to it, alongside with the fish teeming in it and the nearby ocean. An ocean that also allowed the village to be supplied by boat.


    All in all, it would have been an enviable position for a village had it not been for the Incursions.


    Which brought Apexus to the current conversation.


    ¡°Is the situation dire?¡± he asked.


    The head of the village, a minor noble of the Sleeping Empire, nodded. Her hair was white, drawing a sharp contrast with the blueish, dark-grey skin. Eyes of a deep, almost brown red sat in features beautiful but compromised. She lacked the materials out there to cover the rings under her eyes with makeup.


    ¡°The Incursions have been unusually high this year,¡± she said. ¡°Our adventurer core is exhausted from constant travel and combat. We need a few days to simply¡­ sleep.¡±


    ¡°Any reward?¡± Korith asked, while Apexus contemplated the question.


    ¡°We can¡¯t offer you much,¡± the head of the village answered honestly. ¡°Some materials¡­ a few coins¡­ that¡¯s about all we have to spare.¡±


    Apexus was arriving at a conclusion. To the surprise of him and the other two members of the party, Korith raised her voice again before he could. ¡°Weird question, but do you mind leaving your house for a second so we can talk privately?¡± the Goldborn kobold requested. ¡°Ehm, we can find a quiet corner if that¡¯s more convenient for you¡­¡±


    ¡°No, that will be fine,¡± the dark elf assured and rose from her chair. ¡°I will be outside.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Korith said sharply and waited until the noblewoman had left them in her well-furnished home.


    ¡°Alright, Korith,¡± Reysha said first. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should take the offer,¡± she stated firmly.


    Apexus could not stop himself from shifting his features into a mildly displeased expression. Despite that, he did not say anything immediately and he triply considered his words when Korith noticed what face he made and did not comment on it. ¡°You do not believe we should work for no adequate compensation.¡±


    Korith nodded strongly. ¡°I respect- No, I love you, I love you all a lot.¡± The blonde crossed her arms in front of her breasts. ¡°I would not dream of changing any of you. I love the altruism and all of that. But we are crossing into the realm of being exploited by every person we are coming across. We spent at least an extra hour in every settlement we went through on the way here, helping people lift stuff or move something or whatever, and we did it for coppers on the gold.¡±


    ¡°An exaggeration,¡± Aclysia spoke softly. ¡°It was a maximum of an hour and it was only seven out of the twelve outposts that we visited.¡±


    ¡°She still makes a valid argument.¡± Apexus¡¯ deep voice was the focal point of the discussion. He was their leader, for many reasons, foremost of which was that he found it easier than the three others to embody the different perspectives and balance them. Any other dynamic they had, as men and women, frontliners and backliners, were all complimentary to that fact.


    The Monk turned his attention to the window. He looked outside, to the mild activity of people that were exchanging goods and patrolling the walls. One of the houses in view had collapsed several weeks ago during the attack of a swarm of flying insects. It had already been stripped of every building material that could be reused, leaving little more than foundations attached to a skeleton of shattered wood.


    It was the only sign of visible destruction in the community.


    ¡°I believe that we should help everyone we can,¡± Apexus voiced his own opinion on the matter. ¡°Yet, to be slaves to our altruism is a disservice to ourselves. Perhaps I have been leading us too far down the road of selflessness.¡± He nodded to himself, then returned his gaze to Korith. ¡°It would be of use to us to stay a few days to repair our equipment fully.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been doing that just fine on the road.¡± Korith swayed on her heel claw. She did not enjoy being the sole voice of opposition here, but she could stand helping people out just because they asked for it even less. ¡°We have no reason to stay here. There¡¯s a Quest we are on and it has a decent monetary reward. They say they need the help, but I think they¡¯ll make do without us.¡±


    Apexus beheld his upset party member and weighed his responsibilities. She was his Warrior and his partner, both of which made her more important in his life than 300-odd strangers. If he stayed, the best case was that he would save a couple of lives. If he moved on, the worst case was that such lives were lost.


    He extrapolated the individual case into the future. There were more villages on the way, many of which would have their own woes, as the ones in their past did. Each incident was another diminishment in his time. How much time did he owe people?


    The answer to that was easily found: none.


    How much time was he willing to sacrifice for the good of others?


    That answer was more difficult and was among questions he would never find a good answer to.


    However, if there was any good indicator that they were spending too much time on others, then it was that Korith had decided to speak out about it. It was not in the nature of the shortstack to state her opinions so directly. A break from that had to be respected.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Apexus said. ¡°Call her back in. I will request additional payment. If it is not enough to be worth our time, then we will continue on.¡±


    Korith let out a held breath. ¡°G-great,¡± she stammered, no longer needing to keep up the tough front. ¡°How much is enough?¡±


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Apexus said. ¡°I maintain that we should stay for a few days to fix our equipment. We still have not ironed out all the damages sustained from the dungeon.¡±


    The pace that they had taken in making their way through the Lanaan Hive had put many holes, dents, and scratches into their garments. While all of them were mendable with the usual tools, it required persistent and repeated application of them and as much as they wanted to get that done in one sitting, sometimes the laws of craftsmanship demanded to let projects sit for hours between treatments.


    ¡°If you do not know then¡­ uh¡­ how does this work?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll watch you, closely,¡± Apexus stated.


    Something in his tone made Korith blush. She could not explain why or how, it just did. Something about knowing just how well he knew her? Impossible for her to say.


    Reysha poked her head out the door to call the head of the village back in. She moved past them, as proudly as she could, and retook her seat in the ornate chair. ¡°What conclusion have you come to?¡±


    ¡°That we have a Quest to be fulfilled in a timely manner,¡± Apexus answered, ¡°and that your limited offer is not enough reason to stay.¡±


    The dark elf woman gave a resigned nod, having expected that answer. ¡°Sadly, I am withholding nothing from you. There is nothing out here that I could offer you that is of value. Were you interested in settling, I could try to sell you a plot around here¡­?¡± She let her voice drift, transforming the hypothetical into a question.


    ¡°We are not,¡± Apexus denied.


    ¡°Settling really isn¡¯t what we do,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡®Even if we did, this bug infested plain would not be my choice,¡¯ Aclysia kept that rude thought to herself.


    ¡°Given the nature of what you told me, I presume you put stock in promises by the nobles of the Sleeping Empire?¡± the dark elf put forth a question.


    ¡°We have had only honourable dealings with your people in the past,¡± Apexus answered with a respectful nod. ¡°What do you propose?¡±


    ¡°I am in no position to move from this post nor can I have money moved to you, for the influence of my family here is negligible. However, I can offer you a writ of favour. If you ever go to the capital, the Nightsongs will provide to you a quarter to stay.¡±


    An interesting offer with a difficult value to nail down. Apexus was not that interested in the quality of the quarter. Between the Mobile Estate and the range of luxuries afforded to the nobles of the ascendant empire, he was certain that any room would be good enough, especially in the capital. The question was whether they would ever enter said capital.


    Had they been humans or a similar species with a regular lifespan, Korith would have shown no interest. However, these were elves, a species that lived hundreds of years, and so any promises made by one of their own would be good for a long, long time. As successful adventurers, the members of the Inevitable party would also live for a while.


    With that much time on their hands, they would make a visit to the Sleeping Empire at some point. Having a free inroad into a high society at that time could make things much easier.


    Korith glanced over to Apexus, who took that as a signal to agree. ¡°That is good enough for us,¡± he said and the dark elf breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°If it suits you, we will take the night watch. We are well-equipped for the dark hours.¡±


    ¡°I can see that,¡± the noblewoman said, nodding towards the Ragressian. ¡°This suits me fine. Two nights of proper rest will assure we have the power to weather through the next couple of weeks.¡±


    ¡°If it further soothes you, know that we will move northeast after we depart,¡± Aclysia said. ¡°Albeit not our intent, we will likely draw the attention of insects that would have otherwise found you.¡±


    ¡°I will take whatever boon I can,¡± the noblewoman said. ¡°I will have the writ prepared by the time you are ready for departure. Such things take time.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Apexus said with a nod. ¡°Then we will go to your markets. There are things we still need. Afterwards, you can find us behind our magical door.¡±


    ¡°Mobile Estate,¡± Reysha pre-empted the question. ¡°Very fancy.¡±


    ¡°¡­Very fancy indeed,¡± said the noblewoman in an oddly hollow tone.

 Path of Responsibility 14 –Stitching, Oiling, Killing

    Aclysia looked at the tear in her robes with disdain.


    It was about a handspan wide. No enemy attack had created it, at least not directly. During one fight, Aclysia had flown past an enemy she had thought dead. The grip of its mandibles had caught the fluttering skirt, she had been stopped mid-flight, and somehow that strain had caused the robe to rip where it was stretched taut over her wide hips.


    A dark impulse urged Aclysia to give the fabric another pull, to test if she had been duped on its quality. She did not do it, of course. The seller had been a sanctified priest, his holiness had been clear by the aura around him. It was simply the case that there was a tiny, accidental imperfection in the clothing that had allowed it to tear in that specific spot in those specific circumstances. Such things were the unfortunate side effect of most hand-crafted items. Only the divines, who turned will into matter, could claim perfection and even they chose to make their provided armaments flawed in one way or another.


    Aclysia sighed and got out the Blessed Yarn. She was decent at sewing. When they had stayed on Tacuitos, she had first picked it up and over the months they had spent focusing on Questing, she had gotten better at it. She was not good enough to stitch this tear up in a way that stuck ¨C at least not when she had only been given some time every evening to do so.


    Apexus was similarly tending to Reysha¡¯s bodysuit. He still loathed the work. The oil sticking to his fingers was annoying. Reysha was still terrible at it though and she had her own work to do that day.


    ¡°I love this thing,¡± the redhead purred and poured a little bit of extra water on the whetstone. Her arsenal of weapons was scattered out around her. There were the ones awaiting resharpening and the ones that had been finished. Just a few more repetitions of the motion and Reysha was satisfied with the ease with which the sharpened blade cut a groove into a testing block of wood.


    An oil-soaked rag was gently moved over the blade, coating the metal in a sheen that would protect it from air. Even magical materials were not safe from rust. Enchanted gold was an exception, but even it would bleed out magic into the air without proper care. Best to insulate the items with enchanted salves.


    ¡°You ever think about how weird materials are?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered Aclysia, inspecting the progress on her seams.


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered Apexus, testing the texture of the leather.


    ¡°No?¡± asked Korith, confused on where this was going now. ¡°What¡¯s there to be confused about.¡±


    ¡°Not confused just¡­ ¡®huh, that is how it is¡¯ kinda feeling.¡± Reysha pinched the handle of one of her throwing knives between index finger and thumb. When she shook her wrist, the solid piece of metal looked like it was wobbling.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you think it¡¯s actually bouncy right now?¡± Korith groaned.


    ¡°Huh? No, obviously not, I¡¯m just doing idle motion stuff.¡± She stopped, to inspect the edge of the weapon. ¡°I¡¯m more thinking about how weird it is that I rub metal against a wet rock so I can cut stuff better.¡±


    ¡°¡­I mean¡­ yeah?¡± Korith was confused why that was even worth mentioning. ¡°Am I the weird one again?¡±


    ¡°You never consider the oddity of the material reality in this world created by the Progenitor and the gods that came after him?¡± Aclysia posed a question.


    ¡°I mean¡­ not really? Uhm¡­ what would it accomplish if I did?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Apexus frowned about all the sticky stuff on his fingers. ¡°Even though we can influence reality, it always bounces back to the base state. Thus, contemplating how matter would be if it was not as it was means nothing. There is no power any of us have over it. We can as little change that iron is iron as we can that two and two is four. All we can do is take what is given and work within it.¡±


    ¡°But what if I stab reality really hard though?¡± Reysha joked.


    ¡°The answer to that is your left hand.¡± Apexus did not know what way he had wanted that to come out. It was a snappy comment, made in poor judgement, and he took that lesson to heart. That Reysha¡¯s smile died on her lips was certainly not the intended consequence. ¡°That was harsh. I apologize.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Reysha raised her hand towards the window and inspected it against the semi-natural light fell on through. ¡°I did have to learn not to put my problems outside myself.¡± She put her hand down and recovered a gentle echo of her smile. ¡°Guess ya can get snappy too if you have to do my dirty work.¡±


    ¡°It is dirty work.¡± Apexus attempted to wipe his hands clean. He already knew that it would take minutes and that, by the end, the rag he was using would have to be boiled twice. The oil used to mend the Lanaan leather was a seriously sticky affair.


    ¡°Anyway, so sharpening metal is weird, right?¡± Reysha drove the conversation in the room, as she usually did. ¡°But you know what¡¯s even weirder? Wood!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s weird about wood?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s super sturdy one way and easy to cut the other.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah, I mean¡­ that¡¯s how fibres work? It¡¯s the same with meat and stuff?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t that weird?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s weird is that you said you weren¡¯t confused at the start of this conversation and now¡­ uhm¡­ yeah, you¡¯re just continuously using words like ¡®odd¡¯ and ¡®weird¡¯ ¨C so imma call you confused.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll call you cutie.¡±


    ¡°Wha- that¡¯s got nothing to do with anything.¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It true though.¡±


    ¡°It is true though,¡± Apexus corrected and agreed in equal measure, ¡°or is that one of those acceptable corruptions of language?¡±


    ¡°This is entirely dependant at whom the question is directed, darling. Personally, I find it out of bounds for polite conversation. However, with Reysha, ¡®polite conversation¡¯ is rarely the goal. In order, the goals are: noise, innuendo, and other puns.¡±


    ¡°I do plenty of normal jokes too,¡± Reysha threw in, ¡°oh, and don¡¯t forget the sassing.¡±


    Aclysia needed a second to take that set-up. ¡°I wish I could forget the sassing.¡±


    A double knock on the door distracted Apexus and Reysha from the conversation. Korith and Aclysia did not pick it up until it happened a second time, this time with the Monk already on the way to the door.


    On the other side waited a set of very tired looking adventurers. ¡°It would be your shift¡­?¡± The leader of the party, a Hunter, suggested with tired hope.


    Apexus glanced at the sun, scarcely visible between the clouds, yet visible still. It barely even tilted towards the orange. ¡°It is early,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°Eh, we¡¯ll manage,¡± Reysha said, poking her head out under Apexus¡¯ arm. He put it around her, treating himself to resting his hand on the curve of her butt. ¡°We¡¯ll just get equipped real quick.¡±


    The men in the party before them were too tired to even appreciate the tiger woman in front of them. The tiny linen top and pants she wore were barely more than underwear. One of the many leisure clothes she had bought over time. At the time, she had also seen lingerie made of silk and such, but those items had been firmly outside her budget.


    For now.


    The party leader nodded, then turned on his heels. Apexus closed the door and gave Reysha¡¯s ass another squeeze, before the laughing redhead made her way to her mostly mended bodysuit.


    Everyone wrapped up their repair works and put on the new maintained equipment. Korith clicked her tongue at one of the new belt buckles. It was better than any improvised solutions, but she could already see that it would loosen in due time.


    That put aside, they were as battle ready as they could ask to be. Their equipment was no longer the pristine condition they had bought it in, but neither were the items so ruined to be more patches than original item. Once they put the winter clothes on top, they were looked just well-outfitted.


    They met the party outside. They hadn¡¯t stepped away, betraying a lack of discipline. Although short, the time between their knocking and the Inevitable party stepping out could have allowed a monster to attack.


    Apexus did not voice his criticism on the matter. He was not invested in these people, nor were they in a state to hear it. To begin with, he assumed they knew what their mistake was and that they were simply too tired to care.


    Reysha raised her hand as they walked past. She got no reciprocating gesture. ¡°I hate these people,¡± she meowed, sarcasm showing in her voice. ¡°My hand goes un-high-fived!¡±


    ¡°L-low five?¡± Korith asked, offering her own palm.


    ¡°¡­You really are way too cute!¡± Reysha exclaimed. The two of them put their hands together, while Korith blushed, and then they made their way to the top of the walls.


    The settlement was a concentrated affair. 150 people needed very little space, when wood, stone, and thus homes were in short supply. Wood and stone that had been primarily invested in the defences that wrapped around the entirety of the village.


    It was not a tall or proud wall. It was only about one and a half metres up, not even covering the roofs of the houses, and it was too narrow that more than one of them could stand or walk on any one spot. That, however, was enough to break a potential charge on the ground by insects much shorter than the average person.


    It was the fliers they had to worry about.


    The weather that night was mild. Usually that was good news, in winter. Near these Lanaan Hives, it meant that the more frost-resistant members had an easy time to get around. Unlike their floor-bound kin, these insects were also known for good eyesight. Certainly, good enough to spot the soft light that made it through curtained windows, of fireplaces heating winter homes.


    Too bad for them that Apexus¡¯ eyes were sharper.


    Night had fallen over the village, when Apexus suddenly leapt. His wings beat, reinforcing the upward momentum, until he had ascended enough to soar as he continued to gain altitude. The rhythmic beating of his wings was starkly different from the rapid buzz of the three insects and the magical vibration of his melody following behind.


    The insects were each about the size of a small horse. Huge creatures by Lanaan standards, that moved through the air at a slow but constant speed. They had the ability to stop mid-air, Apexus did not. He did have every other advantage besides that.


    The creatures attempted to gain altitude in response to his approach ¨C way too slow. The Monk took a sharp dive and crashed into the back of one of the monsters. Its size was its undoing, making it all too easy for the humanoid chimera to rip its wings out. He leapt, Feather Step turning the falling insect into a suitable springboard.


    Apexus¡¯ wings remained unopened. He soared dozens of metres up in the air between two insects, fuelled only by the power of his legs. Then, he crashed into the second insect. His tail wrapped around the neck of the monster, giving him a quick anchor to steady himself, before the tiling of its body could throw him off. Then, he did as with the first and tore the wings off an opponent he outclassed by a solid 10 levels.


    As the second monster fell to the floor, he leapt once more. This time, he did open his wings, keeping his altitude steady. The third monster had already been taken care of, its wings burned away by quick spells of Aclysia.


    On the ground, Korith made the quick trip to the fallen monsters to make sure they were finished off, then returned to the walls herself. The party of four gathered again.


    ¡°Easy enough,¡± Reysha said, ¡°or looked easy enough at least.¡±


    ¡°Just going to be a bother to keep eyes up all night,¡± Korith muttered.


    ¡°You sound distracted by something?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°Something is rubbing me the wrong way¡­¡± the kobold confessed. ¡°I feel like some pieces do not line up properly¡­¡±


    ¡°Want me to do a sniff around?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°That would be highly immoral,¡± Aclysia criticized. ¡°We have already been obliging our worse nature enough, being as greedy as we have been in bartering for our aid. Do you suggest we now spy on the people that rely on us?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ kinda¡­ yes, actually,¡± Korith answered. ¡°It¡¯s just dawning on me¡­ for a place that she claims has a connection to the capital, this place is remarkably poorly defended? Also, the locals aren¡¯t approaching us at all? I¡¯m used to at least some thanks coming in, in situations like this.¡±


    ¡°Not the worst points,¡± Reysha agreed.


    Apexus looked back at the village, slumbering behind them. ¡°You believe we are being tricked?¡±


    ¡°I believe it wouldn¡¯t hurt to know if we aren¡¯t,¡± Reysha said. ¡°They could just be that tired. It is an option.¡±


    ¡°I consider this a paranoid course of action¡­ but it has been proven that paranoia is sometimes justified.¡± Aclysia let out a heavy sigh. ¡°My vote shall be against this. I will not protest the result.¡±


    Apexus was the deciding vote. Two party members for and one against and as the leader his vote was the tiebreaker. ¡°I wish for certainty,¡± he decided. Breaking into people¡¯s homes was not a monkly thing to do. Neither was letting himself get tricked though. ¡°Only do what you must.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit then,¡± Reysha promised and Stealthed away.

 Path of Responsibility Finale – To know Balance

    There were two ways Reysha contemplated on how she could learn the truth of the matter.


    One was to simply get lucky and overhear a conversation. When she approached the house of village leader, her ears picked up nothing, so that route was out. The second route was slightly more complicated: break in and check whatever correspondence she could find. If she had any favour or disfavour, tokens of it should be found. Nobles were in the habit of keeping letters, especially in a place like this.


    Getting to the house unseen was easy. ¡®If there was any lie amongst what she said, them needing helping was not one of them,¡¯ Reysha thought. ¡®The security sucks.¡¯


    As the sole Rogue of her level in the entire village, the only people that could have reliably spotted her were the same three that waited for her to return from this mission. Even when she pulled out her lockpicking set, the little clicks and clacks of manipulating the springs within when unnoticed. Once the door was open, she hurried once. With it closed, the hard part had been done already.


    ¡®Except for that,¡¯ Reysha thought, after scanning through the building.


    The issue with poor places was that everything was condensed. Regularly, nobles had their sleeping arrangements in entirely different sub-apartments within their lavish mansions. This house only afforded a single door¡¯s separation between the bedroom and the living room, within which the work desk was also located. No second floor. There was a pantry and a kitchen that was it.


    The Mobile Estate was larger than this house.


    Reysha kept watch on the sleeping dark elf for a full minute. Exhaustion was a perfidious thing, as the redhead knew from experience. People that were stressed and incapable of full rest for several days on end often times did not get the proper sleep they were looking for when the opportunity first arose. The body needed a couple of nights to return from the alerted state to regular activity. As such, Reysha expected the dark elf¡¯s sleep to be light.


    It wasn¡¯t. She laid on her back, unmoving, save for her chest¡¯s up and down under the expensive bedsheets.


    Reysha found that state perplexing and caution made her assume it was a trick. She Stealthed a little closer, to trigger the trap. If it existed, she wanted to find that out on her terms.


    Instead, she found that the woman remained sound asleep, even when Reysha stood by the bedside. She raised an eyebrow. Her eyes fell on a cup on the bedside table. She raised it to her nose and took a cautious inhale. The scent of mild narcotics was easily recognized. ¡®Not the worst idea,¡¯ Reysha thought and put the cup down.


    Judging poisons by scent was a part of Rogue¡¯s base training and Mai had re-drilled that knowledge into her when they had time. Reysha was able to recognize that the dosage was too mild for someone who used it regularly. She really had needed the help and was making the most of it.


    ¡®So that at least clears the intention, now does she have what was promised?¡¯ Reysha asked herself. Despite the proof that the woman was out cold, the Rogue did not drop her efforts of being sneaky. It was bad craftsmanship to get complacent.


    She made her way back to the work desk. It was the first sign that something was off here. They had been told it took time to create the letter of recommendation, but there seemed nothing meaningfully different about the desk between their visit earlier that day and now.


    Reysha quietly opened the drawers one after another. She found a stack of clean paper, a seal ring, melting wax and other items used for the creation of such letters. What she was looking for, however, wasn¡¯t proof that a letter could be made, but that it would mean anything.


    The Rogue¡¯s guidebook suggested to always check the open places last. This was not because the desired items were least likely found in those open places, but because it was difficult to put things back in place. One may not raise an eyebrow at the altered state of a drawer¡¯s content. The placements of objects on a desk, however, was swiftly noted by basically anyone, even people with poor memory.


    That was why Reysha found what she was looking for only after some time.


    It was a stack of correspondences, lying at the back of the table. Scanning through it lightly was all that Reysha needed. Demands for payment on one side and dissuading diplomacy from the other. At first, it sounded like the leader of the village herself was in hot water, but it became swiftly apparent that her whole family had come across difficult times. Demotion in the social order was even being threatened.


    Reysha had found what she was looking for.


    ___________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°So, what do we do with that?¡±


    Reysha wrapped up the sharing of the intel. At that moment, it was only Apexus on the wall. Aclysia was sniping enemy wings up in the sky, while Korith was involved in a melee with two of the insects.


    The answer to that was difficult. After being lied to, selfishness was an appropriate reaction, one that Apexus considered and dismissed. He could not bring himself to be self-centred enough to leave these people in the middle of the night with monsters constantly streaming down from the north. Even if he had wanted to awaken the protection party, he doubted he could.


    Korith and Aclysia returned while he was still contemplating. He let Reysha give the quick rundown while he remained quiet. Other people would have mistaken his prolonged silence as a lack of investment. His ladies knew better. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°We will until the morning,¡± he stated.


    __________________________________________________________________________


    The head of the village was wary when they appeared on her doorstep. She had not yet changed into her day clothes, wearing a nightgown that was acceptable to be seen in but not the appropriate image. The sleep had notably improved her looks, yet she was not recovered from recent deprivations. Her mind was sharpened enough to immediately pick up on the fact that something was wrong.


    Apexus halfway muscled his way inside. He had considered his approach to this carefully these past couple of hours. The dark elf stumbled back into the room. She was as little used to being shoved around like this as Apexus was to leverage the fact that he was the strongest singular creature in a several days radius. Korith, Aclysia and Reysha all were his equal in level, but none of them could have defeated him with his unique biology and the lesser adventurers certainly would have stood no chance unless they all banded together with proper coordination.


    ¡°Sit,¡± he stated, pointing the woman at a chair.


    Her lower lip trembled at the indignation, but she was too proud and too smart to go for a swing. Arms and legs crossed, she positioned herself on the chair.


    Apexus had no interest in hiding his knowledge. He marched over to the table and picked up the letters that Reysha had described. He quickly scanned through the contents to verify the intel for himself. ¡°You were right,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Was that ever in doubt?¡± Reysha grinned, back leaning against the door. Her smile did not reach her eyes. ¡°Someone¡¯s been making promises they cannot keep.¡±


    ¡°One promise,¡± she carefully corrected.


    ¡°That is one too many,¡± Apexus stated, back to her. He was still checking the details of correspondence. ¡°I appreciate your situation is difficult. You look out for your community. That is admirable. Yet, you put me in a difficult position.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± she answered. ¡°I was going to tell you the truth tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Korith weighed in, voice laden with sarcasm. She put her hammer down with a heavy thump, before climbing onto the chair opposite of that of the village head. This was the part of the conversation where she was supposed to take over and she did so swiftly. ¡°Obviously we¡¯ll be leaving,¡± he blonde stated.


    The dark elf pressed her lips together, but nodded. She had wanted that extra night¡¯s sleep, but she would take the one proper night that she had gotten for what it was worth. It was what would come next that worried her.


    ¡°Obviously we will complain to the Lady Freshina about this incident,¡± Korith began. That made the greyish blue skin of the woman lighten.


    ¡°That would be a drastic waste of her time,¡± she said swiftly.


    ¡°She has requested we check out these areas and report back to her. Wouldn¡¯t want us to spare the highborn any details, would we?¡± Korith crossed her arms. ¡°Or do you think it should not be part of our report that we have found your situation so desperate that you need the support of a second noble plus their guard?¡±


    The woman opened her mouth in reflex. Only after a few seconds did it dawn on her that what had been said was not necessarily bad. ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t really here to punish me, are you?¡± she asked very slowly.


    ¡°Yes, we are! You tried to swindle us out of shinies!¡± Korith responded forcefully. The shortstack was not the most impressive sight on the regularly sized chair, but it did not take an adventurer to feel the mana radiating from her. Her golden eyes almost seemed to shine with anger. ¡°I really tried being nice here! We are on a stupidly low paid Quest, taking a stupidly long time and taking stupidly many side jobs on the way for stupidly low rewards! Its¡­ yeah!¡±


    Korith stopped there, having already ranted on the matter enough to air her grievance with it all. Her red-scaled tail smacked the legs of her chair in agitation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind being nice, but I hate being taken advantage of! Therefore!¡± Korith jumped off the chair and wandered towards the nearest shelf. Without another word, she began to randomly stuff items that looked even the slightest valuable into her bag.


    The dark elf was shocked at first, but quickly resigned herself to this being what happened. There were some family keepsakes there, many items of memory, and very little of actual value.  This was very little about the Inevitable party getting their worth out of this and very much about making a statement.


    ¡°I desire to know this,¡± Aclysia spoke, doing her best not to look at Reysha, who joined Korith in the plundering. ¡°Were we known to you beforehand?¡±


    ¡°Word of your party has reached me, yes,¡± the leader of the village answered, unable to suppress the edge to her voice. ¡°I read that you were good people, ready to do the right thing first and foremost.¡±


    Apexus put the letters back on the table. ¡°Because of that you thought you could enlist us. That we would help you because you needed it.¡± He beheld her with a stern gaze. ¡°You took our time for granted.¡±


    ¡°Believe me, to fuel cynicism in your heart was the least of my intentions. You can judge my situation yourselves for what it is.¡±


    ¡°I do not blame you for what you had to do.¡± Korith inspected a peculiarly shaped piece of chitin as she said. ¡°Still though, it was shitty, so¡­ yeah, uhm, you can¡¯t exactly blame us for what we do now either. If we¡¯re gonna get punished for our good deeds by people willing to take advantage of it, then we have to punish you in kind.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easier to ask for forgiveness then to beg from the disinterested,¡± the village head responded with an adjusted saying of her own.


    ¡°What is wisdom?¡± Apexus suddenly weighed in.


    ¡°A word too large for all of us,¡± the village head responded, to the mild surprise of the humanoid chimera. ¡°I have read on the journeys of Maltos on this Leaf. Under other circumstances, I would have been humbled to be in the presence of one of his students.¡±


    ¡°Under other circumstances, I would have loved to help you,¡± Apexus answered. ¡°However, I have to bow to the wisdom of my Korith.¡±


    ¡®Awwww, I am his Korith,¡¯ the shortstack thought, impulsively. Then focused back on the situation. ¡°I love to eat and be rewarded for my efforts and we are not being rewarded enough for this!¡± She stuffed a last couple of items in her back, then wandered over to the desk, and took some of the empty papers for good measure. ¡°Good day, madam! We will be on our way!¡±


    The village head watched them leave with only another sigh.


    If anyone else in the village had an inkling of what had just transpired, they did not voice it or stand in the party¡¯s way. Inevitably, they marched out of the northern gate, then continued their trek up north.


    ¡°Was that too mean?¡± Korith blurted out after some time.


    ¡°It was what needed to be done,¡± Apexus responded. ¡°No one was in the wrong here. She had her people to consider. We have our reputation to consider.¡±


    ¡°Which, as much as it pains me, has been too altruistic,¡± Aclysia admitted with heavy heart. ¡°Even the Church can not afford to Mobilize for the sake of help alone and they are afforded resources by the divine.¡±


    ¡°It is a lesson to take to heart, to not forsake the responsibility we have to ourselves.¡± Apexus smiled at Korith. ¡°You reminded us of that very well.¡±


    ¡°Well, uh¡­ thanks?¡± Korith answered, bashfully.


    And they continued northwards.

 Answer Trap 1 – In the Lamb’s Court

    A blizzard swept over the landscape.


    The sudden swelling of the cold had caught the party by surprise. One day the weather had been nice and mild, the next they had opened the door of the Mobile Estate to being hip high in snow.


    The weather was a greater hurdle to them than a monster attack could have been. Aclysia was capable of walking on the snow without issue. Reysha could do so with some care. Apexus and Korith, however, had no chance to traverse on the surface of the frozen water. They were simply too heavy. Apexus could deal with this by just ploughing through. Korith did not have that benefit. Hip height for them was the entirety of the body for her.


    Therefore, Apexus carried her on his shoulders for as long as the weather permitted. Their progress was crawlingly slow. Energy burned to continue forwards eventually forced them into the simple calculation that it was more efficient to just sit it out.


    They were snowed in for four days before there was a break in the snowing that went long enough that they could make meaningful progress. They practically ran all day that day, moving as quick as they possibly could. It was not the lost time they were afraid of, but the slow dwindling of their supplies. The abundant monsters usually found were every bit as buried as they had been. In their absence, Apexus and Reysha had to dig into the same food supplies as Korith, dwindling them rapidly.


    If they got stuck out here again, there was a chance that they would starve. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    On that day, they made enough progress to reach a milder climate. On the day after that, they were entirely out of the blizzard and on the day after that, the landscape was free of snow. Another day after that, they could peel out of the snow clothes.


    While all of this world went through seasonal cycles, the area they now approached was affected a lot less by them. The Influence Zone of the Temples of Temptation was a massive desert that was hot all year round. While it was considerably hotter in the summer and more rainy in the winter, it was hot all the same during the days. The nights got bitterly cold as well, just without snowfall.


    Before they entered the desert, however, there was the city of Lamb¡¯s Court.


    The relief the group felt when the towers first came into view was palpable. They stayed out for one more night, subsisting off their remaining supplies, before marching the final day through a temperate grassland. Between the cold plains behind them and the scorching desert before, there was a fertile green strip that remained at a nicely balanced temperature all year.


    There were some fields around the city, but most of the grassland was dominated by livestock ¨C specifically sheep. The Lamb¡¯s Court had recieved its name from how preciously the first settlers of the area had guarded every sheep that had managed to be transported there. To that day, the central and largest building in the city was a big fortress square whose dual purpose was to protect and assure the healthy upbringing of the lambs.


    The task had become less important over the years, as the city grew and the Incursions that would devour the livestock less frequent. By this point, cows and pigs had also managed to make their way across. All the same, the culture of the locality had become very focused on sheep. They were just about everywhere, patrolling even the outer districts of the city. It was only when they got to the inner parts of it, where there was too little food and too much activity for an animal to be comfortable, that the sheep stayed out.


    It was also there that the party got their first point of shopping done: fresh food. The abundance of sheep meant that meet and wool was incredibly cheap. They found one middleman who sold several farms¡¯ produce in bulk and then began to haggle.


    ¡°Any chance we can give you items in return?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Depends on the things?¡± the trader asked, then watched with a slowly raising eyebrow as Korith began to pile on the various trinkets she had appropriated from the village head. ¡°I won¡¯t pry too much, but these seem like personal items?¡±


    Apexus saw no reason to lie. ¡°We had been hired on terms that we found out could not be met. We extracted our payment by confiscating what there was.¡±


    ¡°Ah, tale as old as time,¡± the trader answered. He was not convinced that this had been entirely justified on the part of the adventurers, but he also was not doubting enough to make it an issue. ¡°I was wondering if your Kobold had just gotten an SP attack.¡±


    ¡°A what now?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Spontaneous Looting? Ah, you must not know the joke, one moment¡­¡± The trader went to the back of the room and pulled a book out from behind the counter. It was one of several he kept there to kill time when business was slow. Consequently, it looked the part of the many readings it had gotten over the years. The title read ¡®Humorous Racial Facts and other such things¡¯ in a cursive font that made it clear from the start it was all tongue in cheek. ¡°It¡¯s one of the more popular satire books around here,¡± he explained and opened a specific page.


    When offered, the Inevitable party looked to Aclysia to take the book. She was by far the most pleasing orator of the bunch and the most fluid reader as well. She cleared her throat, then recited:


    ¡°Spontaneous Looting or SP for short is a condition that is generally prevalent amongst Kobolds, when that condition triggers by certain causes, namely a lack of ¡®shinies¡¯ or a promise of ¡®shinies¡¯ being denied, a Kobold will start to look for anything they perceive as valuable in their immediate environment, in that state the Kobold will not act according to their regular moral compass and prioritize their basic need for ¡®shinies¡¯, the items that end up being seized by the Kobold will be later revalued by the same Kobold when their state of mind stabilizes, it is generally advised to avoid attempting to take back ¡®shinies¡¯ as it will likely cause the condition to trigger again, if said ¡®shiny¡¯ is of prime importance to you, you could attempt to trade it once the condition stabilizes, also a Kobold shouldn''t be held responsible for any damage caused by this condition, as they are not mentally stable when SP occurs.¡±


    ¡°I have good self-control!¡± Korith protested.


    ¡°Most of the time,¡± Reysha agreed. ¡°I do remember that one time you pounced at a gold coin someone had dropped.¡±


    ¡°I gave it back!¡±


    ¡°Very reluctantly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a total stereotype!¡±


    ¡°The above excerpt was taken from a serious study conducted by one Deekin Shinetake, a Goldborne kobold who often and loudly advocated that kobolds just had to take all the shiny stuff in the world,¡± Aclysia continued to read.


    ¡°You¡¯re making that up.¡±


    ¡°I am not,¡± the metal fairy turned the book to show Korith where it said so on the page. Grumbling, the blonde dropped the topic and continued to present all that they had taken from the Southstrait to the trader. After turning a few more pages, Aclysia decided to read out another jab.


    ¡°It is widely known that the tiger girls of Ragressia only love three things: indecency, themselves, and knives.¡±


    ¡°Wha- how dare they!¡± Reysha responded with fake outrage. ¡°I do not love myself and love is way too shallow a word to describe my relationship with indecency and knives!¡±


    ¡°Is rampant nymphomania a well-known factor in her species?¡± Aclysia wondered.


    ¡°Rampant? No. Above average? We here think so. Not that we have a lot of Ragressians wander around. There¡¯s a community of twenty or so in the northern district, but they spend most of the year venturing into the desert to clear Incursions.¡±


    ¡°Want to swing by them?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°Nope, I am very good,¡± Reysha answered. ¡°I don¡¯t have the kind of camaraderie with my folk you do, squishy,¡± she continued when the blonde gave her a confused stare. ¡°Ragressia is my home because I was born there and it certainly shaped me. That being said, I do not have a really deep connection with it. Dunno, I just don¡¯t.¡± She shrugged, the whole thing too ephemeral to be put into words adequately.


    ¡°I see¡­?¡± Korith did not quite get it. The Hoard and its worshippers were close to everything to her. Even if she had met so many people whom family meant less, it still surprised her somewhere whenever it happened.


    ¡°Well, I got you, that¡¯s what I care about.¡± The redhead grinned and gave her shorter comrade a playful bump with her knee.


    The trader had finished his inspection of the trinkets offered by that point. He was ready to take them off their hands for an okay discount. Korith took it, because they did not know when they would next get the chance to sell that stuff. Afterwards, they were several sacks of rations richer. Rations that they swiftly stowed away where they belonged in the Mobile Estate.


    After that, they went to the local Adventurer¡¯s Guild building for three reasons. One was to get recommendations on who to go to locally to get their equipment, especially Korith¡¯s armour, professionally repaired. Second was to sell all the excess items they had from their dungeon dive and the cleared Incursions. Third was to ask if they knew anything about the Atlas Party¡¯s progress.


    ¡°So, you are the Inevitable, ey?¡± The clerk was a brawny dwarf and embodiment of his people. Despite his position as a bureaucrat, he insisted on wearing pauldrons and his long, dark brown ear was parted into three thick braids. ¡°You got here slower than I thought.¡±


    ¡°We did a dungeon dive on the way to prepare ourselves for the Trauma Influence Zone,¡± Apexus responded.


    ¡°Smort,¡± the dwarf said in a peculiar accent and checked on all of the items that had been put on the table. ¡°How¡¯s 2 Platin for all of that?¡±


    ¡°¡­Acceptable,¡± Korith answered. 20 Gold was about as much as they could have expected, considering they were not selling any magical items this time around, just Mana Gems and various monster parts.


    With some fresh money in their pockets, the other two topics were a little easier to get into. ¡°Any news on where the Atlas Party might be?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ eh, I¡¯ll tell ye, why not? Just wait a sec¡¯.¡± the dwarf disappeared in the backrooms for several minutes. While the many Distance Feathers that were being used for communication between the outposts allowed for word to travel fast, finding the logs of such words did take a moment. Eventually, the dwarf came back. ¡°Say they passed through the Possible Strait a couple of weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Apexus answered and gave a thankful nod.


    If the Atlas party had passed through that territory while the Inevitable was still busy in the dungeon, that meant they had not stopped to do their levelling yet. Likely, they were closing in on Respite, the civilized are northeast of the desert.


    If Apexus was right in that estimation, his party was truly well-positioned to win this race. Not only were they closer, they also had gotten in the appropriate level range already. The southern route had certainly allowed them an advantageous position here. Risk taken was reward gained.


    ¡°When you make the report that we came through, include that we wish for the Atlas Party to be similarly informed of our last location,¡± the humanoid chimera said.


    ¡°Will do,¡± the dwarf said. ¡°Anything else I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°We require the services of an armourer, specifically to replace the straps and buckles on her armour.¡± Apexus gestured at Korith.


    Unsurprisingly, the dwarf knew somebody.  They went out and immediately spend half they money they had earned on the repairs. Much of that cost was them needing it done as soon as possible. Two hours later, everything was back together properly and they went north.


    After the cold, the desert was next.

 Answer Trap 2 – A preferable climate

    What climate was more hospitable to life: a rainy plain with regular seasons or the desert?


    The answer was obvious. Although it got chill in the winter and dry in the summer, the overall temperature of the planes was predictable. More important than that, plains held plenty of the most fundamental resource of all: water. Where there was no water, life had a very difficult time.


    Thus, deserts were among the most inhospitable terrain imaginable. It was hot during the day, very hot, and that brought on the additional issue that it was generally easier to find solutions to keeping heat inside than losing it. Plenty of species had stopped in their evolution, size wise, because the increase in metabolism would cook their insides.


    This was the normal state of affairs. However, the Inevitable infinitely preferred the desert over the winter plains.


    Apexus, to begin with, did not mind the heat at all. Being hot increased his energy. It also increased his energy consumption, but that was a much smaller concern these days. Practically everywhere he went, he was the apex predator and getting calories to burn was relatively easy ¨C especially with all of the food that they were hauling around.


    Aclysia was similar. As an angel made of metal, she did not really suffer any drawback from being hot, up to the point she started to melt. While the desert sun was hot, it was not that hot.


    As for the two regular mortals in their party, one was herself from a desert species. After just two days in the desert, Reysha was darker than Apexus had ever seen her. She was borderline ebony. Korith did not tan as harshly, but she was no indoor species either and the cover of scales she over much of her diminished the primary concern of the sun. Even if the general heat could be weathered, the rays could cook a person in other ways.


    What skin remained visible, she and Reysha covered in a thin layer of cloth to be as protected as they could be. There was something strangely erotic about the loose fabric. The veil Reysha wore on top did further add to it, especially since the mouth part was translucent enough to still see her ever-present smirk behind.


    That being said, they were not adapted enough to act on that eroticism in the middle of the desert.


    With the sun dealt with, the lack of water was the only major problem remaining. The Mobile Estate turned that into a non-issue.


    All in all, travelling the desert was quite pleasant for the party. They walked the ridges of the dunes and followed the bend of the bay. ¡°At our current pace, we should arrive in Stallious within 2 weeks,¡± Aclysia reported.


    ¡°Huh? I counted the tiles on the map, ¡®Clysia, there were eight of them,¡± Reysha protested.


    ¡°The tiles are normed for flat or otherwise simple to traverse terrain. Which, for as well as we are coping with it, the desert is not.¡± Aclysia gestured at the sand beneath her. She opted to hover above it, while the rest of them trudged along the incredibly fine grains. When disturbed by the steps, they flowed down the sides of the dunes like a liquid. Korith and Apexus sunk down to their ankles on every step. It was not as bad as snow, but it was a slowing factor.


    And then there were the monsters.


    ¡°Du- Crouch,¡± Apexus instructed.


    The women did, lowering themselves to the hot sand as Apexus leap. An enormous cascade of sand was thrown their way. It was like a localized sandstorm, enveloping only the three of them. The dune beneath them was eroded by a vortex, its centre in the put between two dunes below.


    Apexus beat his wings until he was right above the eye of the storm. Beneath him was a towering insect. It was a fat creature, most of its body hidden beneath the sand. Enormous muscles allowed it to spin its head at a constant speed, harmonizing with wind magic to create the sandstorm. Sweet cries mixed into the howling winds. Any unprepared traveller could have been charmed.


    These monsters were called Antlions of Temptation for their likeness to the much smaller insect and their magic. Each one was classified as a level 24 to 26 monster, making them amongst the strongest foes an adventurer could encounter outside of dungeons on the entire leaf.


    Descending on it, Apexus quickly found out why.


    Before the descending foot of the Monk could crash into it, the Antlion lowered its head, presenting the thickest part of its carapace. Then, it threw its head back with enough force to send Apexus flying again. This time it was an involuntary flight, straight into the still whirling storm.


    The fine sand made for a confusing experience. Apexus sunk deep into the dune, coming to a slow stop compared to other experienced of being launched by superhuman powers. He almost had to swim to the surface, where he was greeted by yet more sand. Had it not been for his tremor sense, he would have easily gotten lost. Even relying on it, he almost jumped straight into the ready jaws of the Antlion.


    Apexus ducked under the closing mandibles. He moved in for an upwards hook, only to be swiftly stopped by the many small, clawed legs that lined the belly of the beast. A light jab with the Rippling Palm was all he managed. Unlike the Lanaan insects, with their leathery hide, the carapace of this insect was near identical to armour. Still, the force behind the attack did not inhibit the creature at all.


    Now above him, Apexus appreciated the sheer scale of the monster. The Antlion extended three metres from the sandpit and was two metres wide at the broadest. In other words, when it brought its weight down to crush him, it was a serious threat.


    Apexus dug his heels in as best as he could and took the strike with his head and both hands simultaneously. Dispersing the force expertly like that, he withstood the blow. Curling legs ripped feather out of his wings. A minor injury, while the Antlion and the adventurer engaged in a simple power struggle.


    Unfortunately for the level 25 creature, it was against a level 30 Monk.


    Mana surged into muscles. Momentum slowly shifted. The creature went from pressing down from shovelling sand to stay anchored. The struggle for dominance ended when Apexus lifted the enormous monster from the sand. He held it above his head for a moment, then threw it before the temporary strength boost could fade.


    The Antlion landed on its back. It wiggled, thrashed, trying to flip around. Apexus danced at the edge of the pincer¡¯s range. The surrounding storm slowly calmed down without the monster to fuel it. Once the cover of sand had diminished enough for her to get a line of sight, Korith took the shot.


    Rogues were renowned for their throwing weapon skills. They were accurate, taking out eyes, finding gaps in armour, and generally exploited weak points. Hunters and Rangers were up next with their ranged weaponry, specializing fully in it. Warriors had their own role to play in this arrangement: they could chuck large objects really, really hard.


    The gravity-enchanted spear created a low, artificial humming sound as it flew. It slammed into the armoured belly of the creature, cracking chitin plates like stone under a sledgehammer. In pain, the Antlion curled upwards. Apexus immediately exploited the opening, landing a devastating Rippling Palm on the top of the monster¡¯s head. It tore through a vital part of the nervous system, causing a series of spasms that ended with the monster dead in the sand.


    ¡°Lunch break?¡± Reysha shouted down from the ridge of the dune.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Apexus pulled the spear from the purple flesh of the monster. He handed it over to Korith who began to clean it while Apexus and Reysha went on to feast on as much of the bug as they could fit inside themselves. After that, they moved into the Mobile Estate for a deserved rest.


    ¡°Why did you say ¡®Du-¡® by the way?¡± the redhead asked, once they were comfortable.


    ¡°I started to say ¡®duck¡¯ but I did not want to be confusing. There was no such bird in sight.¡±


    ¡°Pfffft¡­ ahaha¡­ AHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Reysha broke out into shrill laughter.


    ¡°Why is the word for crouching the same as for a water fowl?¡± Aclysia wondered. ¡°The more I hear about your inquiries, darling, the more the questions on language confuse me as well.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of ¡®well¡¯, why is that the same word for wellbeing as it is for a water well?¡± Korith asked, while filling a glass with refreshing clearness.


    ¡°Common is so confusing,¡± Aclysia lamented.


    ¡°It¡¯s fucking hilarious is what it is.¡± Reysha cleared her throat, then sneezed. A few ¡®bless you¡¯ were thrown her way. ¡°Thanks, thanks,¡± she said and sniffed. ¡°I think my nose doesn¡¯t like going from all dry outside to all humid in here so quickly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s balanced humid in here,¡± Apexus answered.


    ¡°Which is pretty humid by my standards.¡± Reysha pulled her clothes off without even thinking about it. Neither did she consider whether she could start touching herself for more than a second.


    The redhead laid on her back, putting her darkened self on full display. The stripes all over her body, even the two that surrounded her eyes like permanent warpaint, had darkened alongside the rest of her skin. Just by the laws of how dark things could get, the tiger print had not stayed as far ahead of it, creating less of a contrast than usual.


    That aside, she was every bit as fit and nubile as ever. Her balanced figure was an exemplary display of the female adventurer, with peaks and valleys in all the right places. Medium-sized breasts that enticed without getting in the way, hips nice and wide to move the centre of gravity lower and ease an enticing sashay, and a face that was gorgeous in a tavern or a noble¡¯s dining hall.


    ¡°We are not taking a sex break,¡± Aclysia pre-empted the question.


    ¡°Awwwww.¡± Reysha did not let that deter her. She could take care of herself pretty quick.


    Apexus slightly tilted his head, following the scene of the redhead masturbating. ¡°I have something I would like to test, if you are up for it?¡±


    ¡°Will it make me cum my brains out?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Can she still walk after?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°Most likely.¡±


    ¡°Come oooooon, bubble butt, our strait-laced leader wants to test something pervy on me! How could we say no?¡±


    ¡°By saying no,¡± Korith drawled. ¡°It¡¯s pretty easy. Although¡­¡± She shuffled in her seat. ¡°¡­I am interested in what this test is?¡±


    Aclysia sighed and let nature take its course. With the tacit approval from the voice of reason given, Apexus stood up and went to his little laboratory. He returned after a few moments with a vial of something pink and glowing.


    ¡°I have been experimenting with my pheromones,¡± he said. ¡°I wanted to see if I could intensify the effects.¡±


    ¡°Aha! I am not the only horny one around here!¡± Reysha declared.


    ¡°This was never in question, my consistent complaint has been your lack of decorum in your nymphomania.¡±


    A slow roll of the tiger woman¡¯s eyes stopped at the vial. ¡°So, what do I do with it? Drink it?¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°No.¡± Apexus pushed a needle out of the tip of his index finger. The cavity within was swiftly filled with a small sample of the pheromone. ¡°A quick injection. Limited doses. I do not know how potent it is.¡±


    ¡°Do you know it has no side effects?¡± Aclysia asked.


    ¡°None that I would not enjoy, by the Third Law of Alchemy.¡± Apexus recited from memory. ¡°¡¯The brew is a reflection of the maker and, thusly, will carry effects of the maker¡¯s personality. Those effects grow more pronounced the more personalized and powerful a brew is.¡± He stopped for a moment. ¡°Confusing that basically everything, no matter what aggregate state, is called a ¡®brew¡¯ in alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Not sure I like getting¡¯ poked¡­¡± Reysha looked at the needle with some distrust. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try because it¡¯s you though.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your trust.¡± Apexus brushed over the skin of her lower abdomen, just south of her lightly toned abs and north of the soft swell of her pubic mound. Once he had found the meridian, he gave it a quick poke. Reysha did not even feel it. The concoction was injected, the needle drawn back, and no visible damage to her skin done.


    There was a visible effect of the concoction, however. A short, faint pink pattern appeared beneath the epidermis, resembling a stylized heart. It was gone within a second. Reysha inhaled sharply, goosebumps all over her arms. ¡°Ooooh, that¡¯s¡­ good,¡± she purred.


    ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Like I just spent the last five minutes with my nose against your chest,¡± Reysha reported. Her fingers sped up a bit. It was not an intense effect, just a pleasant bit of high that some skinship could produce. It certainly paled in comparison to other drugs Reysha had tried over her career as a thrill seeker.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Apexus put the brew away in storage. He did not want to overuse it and Reysha needed no further motivation to do her thing.


    Aclysia was pleasantly surprised when they continued on schedule.

 Answer Trap 3 – A Lucrative Surprise

    ¡°GUYS!¡± Reysha shouted. ¡°COME HERE!¡±


    The excited shout made the party hurry over to her. Although the redhead could be accused of crying wolves for the fun of it at times, they had known her long enough to notice the particular cadence of genuine alarm or, in this case, amazement.


    They manoeuvred through the sandstone mesa that they had decided to rest at. Apexus got out of the shade, the other two behind him, and climbed on top of the rock that the explorative Ragressian was waiting on. She immediately pointed them at something in the distance.


    In the first moment, it looked like another part of the mesa. It only took a slightly longer inspection to realize that this particular rock was too tall and too uniform in its smoothness to have been worked by sand alone. At the side, something like an entrance hinted at a bigger inside.


    Like all adventurers, the Inevitable party could not withstand the sting of curiosity for long. They finished their meal, then moved the ten-minute walk over to that distant rock. Getting closer revealed more and more oddities about it. The entrance, a three-metre tall arch inlaid with lapis lazuli decorations, gave way to a highly ornate staircase, leading downwards.


    Reysha whistled. ¡°Now, what did I find here?¡± It was half a boast, half a genuine question and she glanced over to Aclysia.


    The metal fairy had already pulled out their handy copy of the encyclopaedia and was checking the register for the correct page. Knitted eyebrows betrayed her confusion. She had memorized the whole thing front to back by now and only checked the pages for the rare instance of faulty memory. In all of the book and all of her memory, this did not pop up.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she stated firmly and closed the book. ¡°Nothing that matches the description of this place is mentioned in the entirety of the guide.¡±


    ¡°Unexplored territory?¡± Reysha asked, excited at the prospect.


    ¡°Could be a really big Incursion?¡± Korith theorized.


    ¡°It may be a Dungeon,¡± Aclysia told them.


    ¡°Really?¡± Apexus voiced his disbelief. ¡°I understand large Incursions or unusually sized landmarks getting missed, but a whole Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Fundamentally, our current route is not frequented.¡± Aclysia gestured southwards, where the water loomed at the edge of the horizon. ¡°Lamb¡¯s Court and Stallious are self-sufficient. They are required to be to survive in their isolation. What limited trade happens between them occurs via the water. People that travel from Drowse to Stallious will have to use the northern path if they do not have access to a ship, as we did. They would also be encouraged to do so due to the fertile strip that runs from the mountains most of the way to the city. Additionally, both the Lamb¡¯s Court and Stallious are less than a hundred years old in terms of being notable territories.¡±


    Korith scratched her chin. ¡°Still though, this Leaf is¡­ what? 200 years old?¡± She glanced at the entrance. ¡°Then again, even if someone discovered this before, they might not report it? It¡¯s kinda neat to have a Dungeon only your party can go to when you want to look for loot.¡±


    ¡°It could also have been reported but not verified,¡± Aclysia presented an alternative theory. ¡°The encyclopaedia is supposed to contain only solid intel. Rumours that an additional Dungeon may have been found in a rough area is not for the book, it is for the Quest board.¡±


    All of that made enough sense to the party, who then look at the staircase. ¡°Perhaps we should explore it?¡± Korith suggested.


    It would be profitable. Dungeon dives without competition were also lucrative. It only took a single enchanted item to make out like bandits. In addition to that, they were right in the middle of the level range of the area, going from 30 to 40. It would be a good opportunity to get some more practice in before they headed for Trauma itself.


    If this was an entirely unexplored Dungeon, then the reward would be even more worth it. A first clear was rewarded with loot a cut above the average, which tempted Korith and Reysha fiercely. ¡°Getting better gear wouldn¡¯t be bad,¡± the tiger woman suggested in a sing-sung tone.


    ¡°Before darling makes any decision, I must point out that we are in the Influence Zone of the Temples of Temptation.¡± She walked to the edge of the entry and placed her hand on one of the symbols there. It rose from the surround lapis blue as the greenish hue of turquoise, depicting a dance with one hand above their head. ¡°This is the symbol of Jasca, Goddess of Mystery and Mischief.¡± She spotted another symbol on the other side of the archway. ¡°The fiery red brewing stand of Ouros, God of Alchemy and Ambition.¡± She took two steps back, then found a third symbol at the very top of the arch. ¡°And there is the blue book of Caleb, God of Past and Propriety. 3 of the 33 have their hand in this.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s almost certainly a Dungeon?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°We will pass through ambition and mystery to wander beneath the past,¡± Aclysia translated the arch¡¯s symbolism. ¡°These are the Temples of Temptation, I reiterate. Whatever this is could exist purely in reaction to our own burning questions. I believe it to be an undiscovered Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That, in and of itself, may be the temptation,¡± Apexus voiced her point.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s working,¡± Reysha drawled. ¡°Because it could also be real. The other Dungeons in the area are.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative. I personally believe this is worth the risk.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re advocating that we go in there?¡±


    ¡°With the recent intel of our relative advantage, I believe at least a scouting mission is entirely appropriate. The levels gained will make our journey down Trauma smoother.¡±


    ¡°Which, given the name of that Dungeon, I wanna say we want to be a very smooth journey,¡± Reysha said.


    ¡°However, I would suggest we set ourselves a time limit. If this is a true Dungeon and not a highly ornate Incursion, then spending months down in there in search of the Boss will be inadvisable. We have time. We do not have that much time.¡±


    Apexus scanned the faces of his party members and loves. Korith was for it, Reysha was for it, Aclysia was for it and he saw no reason not to venture either. ¡°We will give ourselves a week,¡± he decided and took the first step forwards.


    ¡°Careful,¡± Korith said. ¡°One of the favourite contraptions are the retreating steps!¡±


    ¡°Is that when all the stairs suddenly pull in and turn into a slide?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Precisely!¡±


    ¡°The angle is not steep enough that this would be an issue to consider.¡± Aclysia told them. ¡°This staircase, if flattened, would have a 30-degree angle. While this is an uncomfortable angle to walk on, it is at least 15 degrees removed from guaranteeing a fall.¡±


    ¡°By the Hellroots, you are such a nerd,¡± Reysha groaned.


    ¡°It is called math and understanding it brings us closer to the Progenitor.¡±


    ¡°¡­How?¡±


    ¡°Math describes the natural order of the world, which was created by him and thusly to comprehend math means we comprehend the first of all gods.¡±


    Reysha pointed at Aclysia with her thumb and loud-whispered. ¡°Total nerd.¡±


    While the banter between the redhead and the angel went its usual way, Apexus let his hand wander over the wall. Every step they descended, pretensions at being a natural structure diminished. Solid walls were replaced with large stones. Ornamentations grew more frequent and more beautiful. When they finally arrived at the bottom of the staircase, a solid 20 metres below where they had entered, they came face to face with a hall.


    It could be called a library. Not one with books stacked on shelves, but rather one with walls upon walls of historiographics, beaten into the wall, paint pale from age yet still vibrant enough to get the meanings across. The prominent picture before them was one of the Omniverse, rising from the void. Elaborate formulas surrounded it, written in hieroglyphic Dungeon Script.


    ¡°As I said, math,¡± Aclysia declared.


    ¡°Cool, so now we are in a nerd¡¯s den,¡± Reysha responded, then laughed and gave Aclysia a soft tap to the rear. ¡°Relax, bubble butt, I¡¯m just messin¡¯ with ya.¡±


    ¡°My tension is related to our environment, not your crude sense of humour.¡±


    ¡°So, uhm, should we switch into the battle regalia?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°That would be wise,¡± Apexus responded and pulled the key to the Mobile Estate from his bag. The door opened without issue. They were still in the safe area of the Dungeon. Several minutes later, they had put on everything needed.


    [Word Count Marker]


    The door was closed, the key put away, and they began to advance into the dungeon carefully. Reysha moved a few metres ahead in Stealth. She was out of her party¡¯s perception while it was up, but she remained close enough that she would be immediately visible if she dropped it. Scouting far ahead was too risky in an unknown dungeon.


    The cautiousness was near immediately rewarded. She poked her head around the corner and found a geometric shape floating down the corridor. It made no sound, did not touch the ground, and could thus be found by sight alone.


    Reysha waited until it had disappeared around the corner, then dropped her Stealth and raised a hand to stop the party. ¡°Enemy ahead,¡± she whispered. ¡°Looks like someone glued two pyramids together and painted it all gold and blue.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Any intel?¡± Apexus asked.


    ¡°Sounds like a Warden Construct. A regular enemy in the other Temples of Temptation,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°Chances that this is a Dungeon thusly rose sharply. They are rarely seen inside Incursions.¡±


    ¡°Recommended strategy?¡±


    ¡°Rush it down.¡± That was simple enough. Apexus and Reysha prepared themselves, but stopped when the metal fairy cleared her throat. ¡°If I may, this would be an opportune moment to test my new Scripture?¡±


    ¡°If ya wanna use your ink up for that,¡± Reysha responded.


    ¡°Korith, I believe you would make for the best recipient.¡±


    The blonde pointed at her face with a clawed finger. ¡°Me? Uhm¡­ sure?¡±


    Aclysia pulled the Scripture from its holster on her waist. She held the book by the spine. It opened on its own accord, the pages fluttering, guided by her will to the page where the Page of Communion had been integrated. Golden ink glowed gently, a green outline surrounding esoteric letters. Arcane gestures coaxed the written magic out of the page, sending it in a coiling arch towards Korith.


    The Warrior took on the soft green glow. She turned the corner, readying herself for the moment the Warden Construct showed itself. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds, a whole minute she remained crouched. She swallowed her nervousness and kept staring ahead. Patience was the name of the game when it came to patrolling monsters.


    When it came around the corner, it did so leisurely. Two pyramids circled slowly, a small core of magical energies between them. The core switched from blue to red the moment it noted the presence of an intruder. The previous silence was replaced with an audible charge. Light was drawn into the centre of the being. Pyramids stopped spinning, locked with points aiming at Korith.


    Korith zoomed forwards. Her feet hit the ground in a rapid interval, carrying her forwards. Everything around was a little slower to her perception. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Warden Construct shot a beam of red light at her. She swerved to the side, then leapt, dodging the laser and leaving it behind her as it continued to cut through the decorated floor. A second jump brought her to the wall, then she jumped off the wall and delivered a clean sideway swipe of her hammer. The edges scraped against the bottoms of the hovering pyramids. It was not narrow enough to stop the weapon from swinging through.


    The core was launched out of its socket. The laser stopped instantly. Korith kicked off the pyramid in front of her, launching her backwards just in time. The Warden Construct collapsed in on itself. Over a hundred kilogram of rock hit the ground, then tilted forwards. It would have buried the kobold under it, had it not been for the distance. An unpleasant, albeit not lethal, experience.


    The green glow around Korith faded quickly.


    ¡°Pretty solid,¡± Reysha commented. ¡°Still think you should have gotten your own attack spell though.¡±


    ¡°Aggression is not in my nature,¡± Aclysia responded with a mild sigh. The Spring Charge, as the spell was called, was the solution the divine had offered to the issue of the party¡¯s melee focus. When it came to defeating enemies at range, one either had to match their distance-capabilities or close them quicker than one took harm. The Spring Charge did the latter, allowing the blessed a singular burst of extreme speed.


    The advantage of the spell over similar buffs was twofold. For one, the degree of speed was truly impressive, allowing even slower Classes to outpace their enemy for one interaction. The second one was, once the blessing was applied, the actual activation of it was within the power of the benefactor. It made timings easier on everyone involved.


    The drawback was that it truly was only one burst of speed per activation.


    They checked around the other corners, finding more rooms adjacent to the hieroglyphic library they were in. It became swiftly apparent that this was definitely too large to be an Incursion. ¡°We really did find a new Dungeon. Neat,¡± Reysha declared.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how deep we can get!¡±


    Apexus and Aclysia smiled at their beloveds¡¯ enthusiasm.

 Answer Trap 4 – Temple of Temptation

    Apexus looked at a small mountain of food.


    It smelled delicious. There were clams and fruit and many meats, all raw, all unspoiled. The food was presented on a bowl a meter across, standing on a small pedestal in an otherwise empty room.


    ¡°That¡¯s a trap,¡± Reysha commented.


    ¡°When did you change to Scout?¡± Korith drawled sarcastically. ¡°How would you know that¡¯s a trap?¡±


    ¡°I do not believe it is one.¡± Aclysia scanned the religious markings on the walls. ¡°The Temples of Temptation would not be an adequate challenge if its temptations were trickery without substance. The encyclopaedia is clear on the matter: although the ultimate goal of the dungeon is to guide you to failure, it offers you genuine items and knowledge on the way. It is to know when to step back and not be consumed that is difficult.¡±


    ¡°Then let us see what we can take,¡± Apexus said and strut towards the bowl. He remained wary of traps and tested several of the foodstuffs for poison. What was perishable, he begun to eat immediately. What had a high shelf life, they put aside. There were turnips and potatoes and even a few stripes of jerky.


    Aclysia double-checked everything for poisons with some improvised holy magic. It was not efficient enough to detect any expert tampering. Between that and Apexus¡¯ capabilities at analysing what he ate, they did confirm that there was nothing poisonous in there. It was all genuine food, magical at that, given that it was conjured by divine manifestations.


    They were about done sorting the food when the wall at the back of the chamber opened. A delicious fragrance immediately filled the air. It smelled of magic rich boss monsters, fatty tuna, and dragon meat.


    ¡°There¡¯s the temptation.¡± Apexus was proverbially salivating at the smells. He remembered tasting such rare treats and the profile of unique flavours. However, when it came to hunger, he had been tested to his utmost before. His will triumphed against the idea easily. ¡°Let us go.¡±


    With some extra food in their storage, they continued to explore the Dungeon, leaving the usual pheromone markers as they went. Occasionally, they encountered another Warden Construct. They dealt with them much like the first one.


    At the end of the second day, Aclysia gathered all of them up.


    ¡°In accordance with the guidelines to notify the Guild about a new Dungeon, I have kept a map of our movements so far,¡± she revealed to all of them.


    ¡°Can¡¯t expect that to have been too hard,¡± Reysha said. ¡°Feels like this Dungeon is pretty straightforward.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like¡­ corridor, selection of 2 to 5 rooms, which all connect back to the same corridor, which then leads to a selection of 2 to 5 rooms and so on.¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Aclysia said and revealed to them all her sketch. ¡°I have made some minor mistakes on the dimensions, yet the overall shape of our trajectory is clear.¡± She traced the long curve of the path from where they had started to where they were: effectively opposite of their starting location.


    ¡°A ring,¡± Apexus noted.


    ¡°Could be a big sickle or a spiral,¡± Korith remarked.


    ¡°Unlikely, albeit not impossible. As is visible here¡­¡± She pointed at the entrance area again. ¡°There was a second path here. It is my estimation that we will arrive there, completing the loop.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then how do we progress?¡± Reysha asked.


    ¡°Assuming my theory of this being a ring is correct, I believe the answer is that we must give in to our temptations to a degree.¡± Aclysia pulled out the encyclopaedia. ¡°This is a common theme among the Temples of Temptations. In one of the two known Dungeons of the area, temptations have to be entirely ignored.¡±


    ¡°Uh, shouldn¡¯t you have told us that before we went for the big pile of food?¡± Korith asked.


    ¡°In the second Dungeon, you must give into your vices but not too much in order to proceed,¡± Aclysia answered. ¡°I was testing which one it was and, as a door opened at that time, I believe that this was justified.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough?¡± Korith was still a bit confused. ¡°Could have told us earlier though.¡±


    ¡°I was tempted to see if you would make these observations on your own,¡± Aclysia responded, to Reysha¡¯s amusement.


    The redhead gave Aclysia a soft punch to the shoulder. ¡°Nice pun.¡±


    ¡°Does that qualify as a pun?¡± Apexus wondered.


    ¡°It¡¯s close enough for me.¡±


    Aclysia cleared her throat. ¡°I believe a more accurate description would ¡®referential humour¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Uh, not sure about that one?¡± Korith scratched the back of her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t that more, like, when you say something and it¡¯s funny because it references something that happened before? Like when I say fire burp around Reysha?¡±


    ¡°Fire burp?¡± Apexus asked, confused.


    ¡°Did we never tell ya about it?¡± Reysha wondered.


    ¡°This set of words has no reference in my memories,¡± Apexus answered.


    ¡°Alright, so¡­ you wanna tell it, squishy, or should I?¡±


    Korith shrugged and began undoing the buckles of her chest plate. They were in the full end-of-day banter mood now, so they were obviously not progressing any further and they had found a Healing Fountain to rest at to boot. Nothing would interrupt their rest. ¡°You¡¯re better at telling stories.¡±


    ¡°She also embellishes them,¡± Aclysia remarked.


    ¡°Bah,¡± Reysha waved off and turned to Apexus. ¡°Alright, so while we were Questing about this summer, Korith and me went on a shopping trip one time. We wanted to see if we could buy her another one of the vibrating thingies.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a necessary detail!¡± Korith squeaked, her face turning red.


    Reysha rolled her eyes. ¡°What¡¯re ya getting ashamed for, all three of us have used it by now. It¡¯s just a carriable version of the big guy¡¯s nails.¡±


    ¡°Or are my nails a biological version of it?¡± the Monk wondered.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Reysha ended that philosophy lecture before it could start. ¡°Point being, we were walking around the marketplace, lookin¡¯ for an enchanter or artificer of lewd repute. We scurried through the seediest alleyways, exchanged information with disfigured brokers¡­¡±


    ¡°It was one guy at a corner that had a bit of a scar on his cheek,¡± Korith corrected. ¡°The alleyways were kind of dirty though.¡±


    ¡°¡­finally, we came about Lazander¡¯s Shop for Everything. We stepped inside, finding a spacious market with a thousand and one products!¡± Reysha took a deep breath, before continuing her story. ¡°We did not find what we were looking for, for such items were in high demand recently and their price had shot up. Having failed in one pursuit, we perused the magnificent items on display, each a more powerful artefact than the last.¡±


    ¡°It was a bunch of second-hand gear and random crafters junk.¡±


    ¡°And then we came across the great bottle of magical scotch! I bought it for the low price of 3 Copper.¡±


    ¡°3 Silver.¡±


    ¡°And took a sip immediately! After a deep gulp, I then burped! It came out aflame, setting the ends of the shop owner¡¯s hair alight!¡±


    Apexus looked at Korith. ¡°That did happen,¡± the kobold confirmed.


    ¡°And then we were tossed out and I poured the scotch away afterwards because it was honestly rancid. Like, it was magical, but it tasted terrible the regular way.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Apexus remarked at the end of the story.


    ¡°Still weird to have stories to tell to each other that happened while we knew each other,¡± Reysha said with a broad smirk. ¡°We¡¯re usually squatting on top of each other like some co-dependent chickens.¡±


    ¡°Co-dependency is the proper way of existence. He who lives alone, dies alone.¡± Aclysia finished her recital, then tapped on the map again. ¡°It continues to be my understanding that we must follow our temptations to advance further. It may be that the mechanic is entirely the same as the one already known, or it might be a merely surface level similarity.¡±


    ¡°Either way, we should give into our temptation next time we see one?¡± Korith asked. She wouldn¡¯t complain about it. Besides the pile of food for Apexus, they had encountered a massive board game. Korith had wanted to try it, but the rules had been down a very long and dark corridor. No further temptations had been seen so far.


    Another matter that Aclysia wished to bring to attention. ¡°It is my estimation that the Dungeon is using the first round to analyse the party. It is unlikely to know all about us immediately. Such thorough scanning of the mind would take more magical power than the divines are likely to bestow upon a Dungeon of this level.¡±


    ¡°Weird to consider that we are still in the lower rank for adventurers,¡± Korith said. ¡°Like, not going to say I would actually do it, but I know for a fact that I could whirl a grown adult around with one arm.¡±


    ¡°We are approaching the middle ranks. As with most hierarchies, it is a pyramid that becomes ever narrower.¡±


    ¡°Enough of all of that!¡± Reysha declared. ¡°What do we want to have first ¨C dinner or sex?¡±


    ______________________________________________________________________


    ¡°That¡¯s what it¡¯s trying to tempt me with?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ knows you¡­ well¡­.¡± Aclysia barely managed to press the words out between suppressed chuckles.


    The room before them was filled to the brim with male genitals. It was an extremely juvenile view of dicks and dick-shaped objects sticking out of walls, lining every surface and seat. Golems of various flavours of male physique posed, showing off their most attractive assets. There were tall and muscular ones and ones that were more timid and slender in their appearance. If she had the choice, Reysha¡¯s tastes were quite varied, even if she had a favourite. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You are a horny woman,¡± Apexus drawled.


    ¡°Pfffffft¡­.¡± Aclysia managed to hide her pink lips behind a raised hand. Swallowed amusement remained in her throat and her trembling shoulders. She tried a little too hard to suppressed her laughter, ending up choking on her own spit. A coughing fit followed.


    ¡°Imma assume we aren¡¯t givin¡¯ into this temptation?¡± Reysha leered at the many dicks on display. There was a deep curiosity here about what it would be like to be taken in so many different ways.


    ¡°No,¡± her man stated. Base breeding instincts demanded that he keep his females away from other phalluses. That and he did not want to descend the party deeper and deeper into Reysha¡¯s various debauched tastes. ¡°If we must give to temptation, it might as well be in something useful.¡±


    ¡°A shame, isn¡¯t it?¡± Aclysia teased.


    _____________________________________________________________________________


    Aclysia buried her head in her hands.


    ¡°¡­Ya know, bubble butt, I think this Dungeon has a sense of humour,¡± Reysha commented with a huge grin on her face.


    Three hours removed from the last chamber with a genuine temptation in it, they found what could only be aimed at the metal fairy. A series of Apexus variants stood on tall plinths, leading up to a massive statue of his current self. The lifelike copy was different from his current self only by virtue of the tiny loincloth he wore and the prominent bulge that lifted it halfway up. The Apexus statue held a leash, hooked to a collar, dangling seductively at the metal fairy.


    ¡°We are not following this temptation either,¡± Apexus remarked.


    ¡°¡­not even a little bit¡­?¡± Aclysia muttered under her breath.


    ¡°Why are both of you so pervy?¡± Korith asked, flabbergasted.


    ¡°Why is the Dungeon narrowing in on our perviness?¡± Reysha asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have other desires. I really think it has a sense of humour.¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°That¡­ is interesting.¡±


    Apexus let out an agreeing hum to Aclysia¡¯s words.


    They had completed the loop and were now back in the first, library-like chamber. It was unchanged, save for the picture of the Omniverse. It was, as before, a depiction of the young tree, it roots burrowing into the void, a few leaves sprouting from its countable branches. What had changed was the presence of an odd, blob-like creature nestled in the crown of the great tree.


    It appeared like a molten flower, flowing between the branches, and dripped out of some cracks in the bark like sap.


    Apexus felt an immediate kinship with the picture. He remembered existing like this before, a liquid entity hiding in treetops, eating plant matter during the night. How long ago that was now and how weirdly similar to that experience this picture was.


    The Temple of Temptation Dungeon had hooked into the greatest question of all.


    ¡°What is my origin?¡± Apexus asked out loud, his finger almost coming into contact with the picture.


    The great stone it was painted on was pulled back by magical mechanism. A dark staircase invited them in deeper, deeper into the Dungeon, where answers to this one, unanswered questions may lie.


    They descended wordlessly.